Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Marine Biology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Invertebrate Zooid Polymorphism: Hydractinia Polyclina And Pagurus Longicarpus Interactions Mediated Through Spiralzooids, Charlotte M. Regula-Whitefield Jul 2011

Invertebrate Zooid Polymorphism: Hydractinia Polyclina And Pagurus Longicarpus Interactions Mediated Through Spiralzooids, Charlotte M. Regula-Whitefield

All Theses And Dissertations

Evaluating the net interaction between symbionts can be challenging when one participant is a colonial animal with polymorphic zooids, because each zooid type has unique functions. The colonial hydroid Hydractinia polyclina has three distinct zooid types, each of which contributes particular components to the interaction with host hermit crabs. Of these three zooid types, the function of spiralzooids is not well understood. Previously, spiralzooids have been proposed to contribute a strong negative interaction component by directly reducing their host hermit crab’s reproductive output. However, this hypothesis is not supported by past or current data. I propose that spiralzooids instead function …


Population Dynamics Of Sheepshead (Archosargus Probatocephalus; Walbaum 1792) In The Chesapeake Bay Region: A Comparison To Other Areas And An Assessment Of Their Current Status, Joseph Charles Ballenger Apr 2011

Population Dynamics Of Sheepshead (Archosargus Probatocephalus; Walbaum 1792) In The Chesapeake Bay Region: A Comparison To Other Areas And An Assessment Of Their Current Status, Joseph Charles Ballenger

OES Theses and Dissertations

Sheepshead recently have seen an increase in fishing pressure in Virginian waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This increase in fishing pressure has led to demands to install effective management measures to protect the fishery. However, no study regarding the population dynamics, and thus potential yield, of sheepshead has been conducted north of Cape Hatteras. We addressed the need for information regarding the population dynamics of Chesapeake Bay sheepshead by investigating their age distribution, growth rate and reproductive biology. We used this information to construct yield-per-recruit models, which local management agencies may use in the formation of scientifically based management measures. …


Deep-Pelagic (0-3000m) Fish Assemblage Structure Over The Mid-Atlantic Ridge In The Area Of The Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone, April B. Cook Jan 2011

Deep-Pelagic (0-3000m) Fish Assemblage Structure Over The Mid-Atlantic Ridge In The Area Of The Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone, April B. Cook

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Only a miniscule fraction of the world’s largest volume of living space, the ocean’s mid-water biome, has ever been sampled. As part of the International Census of Marine Life field project Mid-Atlantic Ridge Ecosystems (MAR-ECO), a discrete-depth trawling survey was conducted in 2009 aboard the NOAA ship Henry B. Bigelow to examine the pelagic faunal assemblage structure and distribution over the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ) of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is the first MAR-ECO project aimed specifically at describing diel vertical migration as a distributional phenomenon. Discrete-depth sampling from 0-3000 m was conducted during both day and night in …


Evaluating Methods For Optimizing Classification Success From Otolith Tracers For Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion Nebulosus) In The Chesapeake Bay, Stacy Kavita Beharry Jan 2011

Evaluating Methods For Optimizing Classification Success From Otolith Tracers For Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion Nebulosus) In The Chesapeake Bay, Stacy Kavita Beharry

OES Theses and Dissertations

Identifying the natal sources of fish is an important step in understanding its population dynamics. Adult recruits are often sourced from multiple nursery areas, with good quality locations contributing disproportionately more fish to the adult stock. Because population persistence is strongly influenced by nursery habitat, methods that correctly identify the source of recruits are necessary for effective management. Within the last decade, otolith chemistry signatures have been increasingly used as a natural marker to delineate fish from a mixture of nursery sources. Despite the widespread use of otolith trace element and stable isotope ratios as habitat markers, the statistical approaches …