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Biodiversity

2018

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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Microplastics In Full View: Birds As Bioindicators Of Malta's Coastal Ecosystem Health, Dalton Brauer Dec 2018

Microplastics In Full View: Birds As Bioindicators Of Malta's Coastal Ecosystem Health, Dalton Brauer

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Plastic pollution has recently become a widely studied topic, yet research on microplastics has remained lacking for specific geographic regions. Microplastics are small plastics resulting from degradation or the dumping of raw material and can lead to deleterious impacts on the coastal marine environment and its organisms. To assess Malta’s coastal environmental health, water birds (inshore, offshore and pelagic species) were used as bioindicators by assessing the presence and abundance of plastic within their stomach contents. The project hoped to fill some of the current gaps in knowledge on microplastics within Malta by creating a working baseline, as well as …


Shoreline Characterization In The Northern Indian River Lagoon, Melinda Donnelly, Michelle Shaffer, Suzanne Connor, Linda Walters Nov 2018

Shoreline Characterization In The Northern Indian River Lagoon, Melinda Donnelly, Michelle Shaffer, Suzanne Connor, Linda Walters

CEELAB Research Data

The purpose of this project was to evaluate current conditions of estuarine shorelines in the northern section of the Indian River Lagoon system, including Mosquito Lagoon, north Indian River, and Banana River. From January 2016 through June 2018, we evaluated structural and functional characteristics of 374 miles of shoreline, from Ponce Inlet in Volusia County to Sebastian Inlet in Brevard County (11,000+ data points). Hard-armoring accounted for approximately 50% of total shoreline, evenly divided between shoreline with bulkheads (25%) and hardened slopes (25%). Forty-five percent of shoreline without hard-armoring had anthropogenic alterations (i.e. mosquito impoundments, railroads and roadways, residential and …


Resource Assessment Report Temperate Demersal Elasmobranch Resource Of Western Australia, Matias Braccini, Nick Blay, S. A. Hesp, Brett Molony Nov 2018

Resource Assessment Report Temperate Demersal Elasmobranch Resource Of Western Australia, Matias Braccini, Nick Blay, S. A. Hesp, Brett Molony

Fisheries research reports

This document provides a cumulative description and assessment of the TDER and all of the fishing activities (i.e. fisheries / fishing sectors) affecting this resource in WA. Future Resource Assessment Reports will assess the Statewide Sharks and Rays Resource. The report is focused on the temperate indicator species (whiskery, gummy, dusky and sandbar sharks) used to assess the suites of demersal sharks and rays that comprise this resource. These species are primarily captured by demersal gillnets used in the TDGDLF that operate in the West Coast and South Coast Bioregions. For the North Coast bioregion, no commercial fishing for sharks …


Mitochondrial Dna Sequence Alignments For Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Shrimp Genus Farfantepenaeus, Laura Timm, S. Simon, Heather Bracken-Grissom Dr. Oct 2018

Mitochondrial Dna Sequence Alignments For Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Shrimp Genus Farfantepenaeus, Laura Timm, S. Simon, Heather Bracken-Grissom Dr.

DEEPEND Datasets

This dataset includes 12S, 16S, and COI sequence data. Sequences were obtained from the eight recognized species of Farfantepenaeus: F. aztecus, F. brasiliensis, F. brevirostris, F. californiensis, F. duorarum, F. isabelae, F. notialis, and F. subtilis. Also included are several sequences from species of Litopenaeus, which serve as outgroup(s).


Ten Years Tracking The Migrations Of Small Landbirds: Lessons Learned In The Golden Age Of Bio-Logging, Emily A. Mckinnon, Oliver P. Love Oct 2018

Ten Years Tracking The Migrations Of Small Landbirds: Lessons Learned In The Golden Age Of Bio-Logging, Emily A. Mckinnon, Oliver P. Love

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

In 2007, the first miniature light-level geolocators were deployed on small landbirds, revolutionizing the study of migration. In this paper, we review studies that have used geolocators to track small landbirds with the goal of summarizing research themes and identifying remaining important gaps in understanding. We also highlight research and opportunities using 2 recently developed tracking technologies: archival GPS tags and automated radio-telemetry systems. In our review, we found that most (54%) geolocator studies focused on quantifying natural history of migration, such as identifying migration routes, nonbreeding range, and migration timing. Studies of behavioral ecology (20%) uncovered proximate drivers of …


Fish Diversity And Distribution In The Seagrass-Coral Reef Continuum At Two Sites Off The Western Coast Of Isla Bastimentos, Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Kathy Liu Oct 2018

Fish Diversity And Distribution In The Seagrass-Coral Reef Continuum At Two Sites Off The Western Coast Of Isla Bastimentos, Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Kathy Liu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Coral reefs are the most diverse marine ecosystem and the largest biogenic structure on Earth. They serve as shelter for many reef fishes and are a food source for resident and visiting fish species. In the tropics, coral reefs are often in close proximity to seagrass beds and the two contiguous marine habitats are not only highly interconnected but also highly understudied. The seagrass-coral reef continuum offers a wide array of services to human society as well as to various life stages of reef fishes resulting in diel, temporal, or yearly migrations of fish between the two habitats. Tropical reef …


Integrating Complementary Methods To Improve Diet Analysis In Fishery-Targeted Species, Jordan K. Matley, Gregory E. Maes, Floriaan Devloo-Delva, Roger Huerlimann, Gladys Chua, Andrew J. Tobin, Aaron T. Fisk, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Michelle R. Heupel Sep 2018

Integrating Complementary Methods To Improve Diet Analysis In Fishery-Targeted Species, Jordan K. Matley, Gregory E. Maes, Floriaan Devloo-Delva, Roger Huerlimann, Gladys Chua, Andrew J. Tobin, Aaron T. Fisk, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Michelle R. Heupel

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Developing efficient, reliable, cost-effective ways to identify diet is required to understand trophic ecology in complex ecosystems and improve food web models. A combination of techniques, each varying in their ability to provide robust, spatially and temporally explicit information can be applied to clarify diet data for ecological research. This study applied an integrative analysis of a fishery-targeted species group—Plectropomus spp. in the central Great Barrier Reef, Australia, by comparing three diet-identification approaches. Visual stomach content analysis provided poor identification with ~14% of stomachs sampled resulting in identification to family or lower. A molecular approach was successful with prey from …


Analysis Of Temperature And Salinity Effects On Growth And Mortality Of Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In Louisiana, Troy Sehlinger Aug 2018

Analysis Of Temperature And Salinity Effects On Growth And Mortality Of Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In Louisiana, Troy Sehlinger

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Salinity (S) and temperature (T) control every facet of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) life cycle, principally reproduction, development, growth, and mortality. Previous studies conducted in in the Breton Sound (BR) and Barataria (BA) estuaries have reported differences in growth and mortality rates between the basins. In the present study, environmental conditions were synchronized to compare growth and mortality rates between basins at similar combinations of T and S. Results indicate that when T and S are the same (synchronized), seasonal oyster growth and mortality rates differ between BR and BA. Seasonal analyses revealed that as salinities increased …


Establishing Hematology And Serum Chemistry Reference Intervals For Wild Hawaiian Monk Seals (Neomonachus Schauinslandi), Angela C. Kaufman, Stacie J. Robinson, Dori L. Borjesson, Michelle Barbieri, Charles L. Littnan Aug 2018

Establishing Hematology And Serum Chemistry Reference Intervals For Wild Hawaiian Monk Seals (Neomonachus Schauinslandi), Angela C. Kaufman, Stacie J. Robinson, Dori L. Borjesson, Michelle Barbieri, Charles L. Littnan

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Hematology and serum chemistry reference intervals have been previously established for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) as an imperative measure for health assessments. Monitoring the health of the wild population depends upon reference intervals that are context specific; hence we developed reference intervals from fresh samples, as opposed to frozen, from wild monk seals. This study builds on the number of parameters from previous efforts by using samples collected between 2004 and 2015 from wild monk seals. Blood samples were analyzed by a single veterinary diagnostic laboratory within 24 hr of collection from apparently healthy, wild …


Higher Rates Of Prebreeding Condition Gain Positively Impacts Clutch Size: A Mechanistic Test Of The Condition-Dependent Individual Optimization Model, Holly L. Hennin, Cody J. Dey, Joël Bêty, H. Grant Gilchrist, Pierre Legagneux, Tony D. Williams, Oliver P. Love Aug 2018

Higher Rates Of Prebreeding Condition Gain Positively Impacts Clutch Size: A Mechanistic Test Of The Condition-Dependent Individual Optimization Model, Holly L. Hennin, Cody J. Dey, Joël Bêty, H. Grant Gilchrist, Pierre Legagneux, Tony D. Williams, Oliver P. Love

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

A combination of timing of and body condition (i.e., mass) at arrival on the breeding grounds interact to influence the optimal combination of the timing of reproduction and clutch size in migratory species. This relationship has been formalized by Rowe et al. in a condition-dependent individual optimization model (American Naturalist, 1994, 143, 689-722), which has been empirically tested and validated in avian species with a capital-based breeding strategy. This model makes a key, but currently untested prediction; that variation in the rate of body condition gain will shift the optimal combination of laying date and clutch size. This prediction is …


Successional Processes In The Benthic Invertebrate Communities At Gray’S Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Alexis A. Bivens Jul 2018

Successional Processes In The Benthic Invertebrate Communities At Gray’S Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Alexis A. Bivens

Honors College Theses

While the process of community development has been studied in terrestrial habitats since the turn of the 20th century, similar information is not as readily available in marine systems. Understanding patterns of community development is essential to predicting recovery potential and to designing effective marine protected areas. In the South Atlantic Bight, invertebrate communities on hard substrata can differ significantly from one rocky outcrop to another, but the factors driving these differences are not well understood. I documented the initial development of the benthic invertebrate community at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) to address the prediction that this system …


Error Management Theory And The Adaptive Significance Of Transgenerational Maternal-Stress Effects On Offspring Phenotype, Michael J. Sheriff, Ben Dantzer, Oliver P. Love, John L. Orrock Jul 2018

Error Management Theory And The Adaptive Significance Of Transgenerational Maternal-Stress Effects On Offspring Phenotype, Michael J. Sheriff, Ben Dantzer, Oliver P. Love, John L. Orrock

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

It is well established that circulating maternal stress hormones (glucocorticoids, GCs) can alter offspring phenotype. There is also a growing body of empirical work, within ecology and evolution, indicating that maternal GCs link the environment experienced by the mother during gestation with changes in offspring phenotype. These changes are considered to be adaptive if the maternal environment matches the offspring's environment and maladaptive if it does not. While these ideas are conceptually sound, we lack a testable framework that can be used to investigate the fitness costs and benefits of altered offspring phenotypes across relevant future environments. We present error …


Australian Herring And West Australian Salmon Scientific Workshop Report, October 2017, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia Jul 2018

Australian Herring And West Australian Salmon Scientific Workshop Report, October 2017, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries research reports

No abstract provided.


Desalination Concentrate Disposal: Ecological Effects And Sustainable Solutions, Ryan Hanley Jun 2018

Desalination Concentrate Disposal: Ecological Effects And Sustainable Solutions, Ryan Hanley

Global Honors Theses

Freshwater availability is a growing global concern, and desalination is often presented as the solution, but from this important technology comes issues of toxic waste. Ecosystems are delicate areas that contain species adapted to that specific location, and any chemical or physical changes can disrupt the fitness of species. The concentrate byproduct waste from desalination plants is toxic to species if the concentrate is not compatible with the receiving water body. A critical review of scientific articles, industry-leading books, conversations with industry experts, and information from the American Membrane Technology Association conference was used to analyze the current knowledge. Species …


Nitrogen Cycling In Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie: Oscillations Between Strong And Weak Export And Implications For Harmful Algal Blooms, Kateri R. Salk, George S. Bullerjahn, Robert Michael L. Mckay, Justin D. Chaffin, Nathaniel E. Ostrom May 2018

Nitrogen Cycling In Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie: Oscillations Between Strong And Weak Export And Implications For Harmful Algal Blooms, Kateri R. Salk, George S. Bullerjahn, Robert Michael L. Mckay, Justin D. Chaffin, Nathaniel E. Ostrom

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Recent global water quality crises point to an urgent need for greater understanding of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) and their drivers. Nearshore areas of Lake Erie such as Sandusky Bay may become seasonally limited by nitrogen (N) and are characterized by distinct cHAB compositions (i.e., Planktothrix over Microcystis). This study investigated phytoplankton N uptake pathways, determined drivers of N depletion, and characterized the N budget in Sandusky Bay. Nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) uptake, N fixation, and N removal processes were quantified by stable isotopic approaches. Dissimilatory N reduction was a relatively modest N sink, with denitrification, anammox, and …


Cuban Land Use And Conservation, From Rainforests To Coral Reefs, Gillian L. Galford, Margarita Fernandez, Joe Roman, Irene Monasterolo, Sonya Ahamed, Greg Fiske, Patricia Gonzalez-Diaz, Les Kaufman Apr 2018

Cuban Land Use And Conservation, From Rainforests To Coral Reefs, Gillian L. Galford, Margarita Fernandez, Joe Roman, Irene Monasterolo, Sonya Ahamed, Greg Fiske, Patricia Gonzalez-Diaz, Les Kaufman

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Cuba is an ecological rarity in Latin America and the Caribbean. Its complex political and economic history shows limited disturbances, extinctions, pollution, and resource depletion by legal or de facto measures. Vast mangroves, wetlands, and forests play key roles in protecting biodiversity and reducing risks of hazards caused or aggravated by climate change. Cuba boasts coral reefs with some of the region’s greatest fish biomass and coral cover. Although Cuba has set aside major protected areas that safeguard a host of endemic species, its environment is by no means pristine. Its early history is one of deforestation and agricultural production …


Global Conservation Status Of Marine Pufferfishes (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae), Emilie Stump, Gina M. Ralph, Mia T. Comeros-Raynal, Keiichi Matsuura, Kent E. Carpenter Apr 2018

Global Conservation Status Of Marine Pufferfishes (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae), Emilie Stump, Gina M. Ralph, Mia T. Comeros-Raynal, Keiichi Matsuura, Kent E. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Puffers are biologically and ecologically fascinating fishes best known for their unique morphology and arsenal of defenses including inflation and bioaccumulation of deadly neurotoxins. These fishes are also commercially, culturally, and ecologically important in many regions. One-hundred-and-fifty-one species of marine puffers were assessed against the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Criteria at a 2011 workshop held in Xiamen, China. Here we present the first comprehensive review of puffer geographic and depth distribution, use and trade, and habitats and ecology and a summary of the global conservation status of marine puffers, determined by applying the International Union …


Impact Of Herbivory, Structural Complexity, And Sediment On Caribbean Coral Reefs, Alain Duran Mar 2018

Impact Of Herbivory, Structural Complexity, And Sediment On Caribbean Coral Reefs, Alain Duran

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The resilience of coral reefs depends, among others, upon local physical and biological characteristics. This dissertation focused on how herbivory, structural complexity, and sedimentation can impact the structure, function, and, ultimately, resilience of Caribbean coral reefs. We filled an important knowledge gap related to trophic niche and ecological roles of surgeonfishes (A. coeruleus and A. tractus), two of the most important herbivorous fishes in the Caribbean. We showed that both species feed primarily on turf algae preventing further progression of algal succession while A. tractus may also help reduce macroalgal abundance by targeting common macroalgal species such as …


Killi-Data News (Winter), Tyrone Genade Mar 2018

Killi-Data News (Winter), Tyrone Genade

Killifish Research Review

Valued readers, it is with a heavy heart that I inform you that this is the last issue of Killi-Data News. The good news is that we will be back as Killifish Research Review. The dissolution of Killi-Data International created a prob- lem: how can the newsletter of a defunct organization live on without that organization? But other additional problems were building in the background. The first issue numbered 15 pages. The previous issue was 28 pages. The number of killifish related papers is increasing while time on our end (the editorial team) is running out. It takes a lot …


Killi-Data News (Fall), Tyrone Genade Mar 2018

Killi-Data News (Fall), Tyrone Genade

Killifish Research Review

Many interesting papers have been published over the last three months. The large volume of papers coupled with the start of the new college semester (and the workload it brings) delayed this issue of Killi-Data News. But better late than never—or so I hope! In this issue Richard van der Laan provides an insightful review of the recent Aphanius papers as to their taxonomic implications and questions. The systematic issues he raises show the importance of the Molecular project: we need to get more samples of the various cyprinodontiforme families to resolve unsettled systematic and taxonomic issues. In the Next …


Killi-Data News (Summer), Tyrone Genade Mar 2018

Killi-Data News (Summer), Tyrone Genade

Killifish Research Review

Over the last three months several interesting and exciting pa- pers have been published. By now most of you have heard the Nothobranchius fish poo news emanating from the Valenzano lab. That paper is reviewed and certainly has repercussions for the health of our captive fish. Polaçik et al have published interesting data with ramifications as to how we breed and incubate annual killifish. The big news in this issue is the paper from the Reznick lab which Jean Huber reviews. The contents of that paper goes to the heart of the question of just what a killifish is. The …


Killi-Data News (Spring), Tyrone Genade Mar 2018

Killi-Data News (Spring), Tyrone Genade

Killifish Research Review

This is the start of Killi-Data News’ second year. In this first issue of the year we have the usual review of research pub- lications as well as input from Martin Reichard on his lab’s Nothobranchius research. Martin is responding to my reviews of his lab’s work in the previous edition. I am serious about making sure the content in this newsletter is reliable but I erred in the previous edition and Martin has written extensively to correct my mistake in the section “Erratum”. This reply is welcomed and owed to readers. I must confess that I don’t know everything …


Killi-Data News (Winter), Tyrone Genade Mar 2018

Killi-Data News (Winter), Tyrone Genade

Killifish Research Review

This is the fourth edition, and concluding issue of the first volume, of Killi-Data News and I am happy that it has been well received by readers. At 25 pages this issue is a bit thin- ner than the last but this is because we agreed to make the cut-off for submissions the 1 st of December so we could get this edition out by the New Year. This is an exciting edition full of new species descrip- tions and analyses that will keep taxonomists busy for years to come. Costa has given us two molecular phylogenies on Melanorivulus as …


Killi-Data News (Spring), Tyrone Genade Mar 2018

Killi-Data News (Spring), Tyrone Genade

Killifish Research Review

This is the start of Killi-Data News’ second year. In this first issue of the year we have the usual review of research pub- lications as well as input from Martin Reichard on his lab’s Nothobranchius research. Martin is responding to my reviews of his lab’s work in the previous edition. I am serious about making sure the content in this newsletter is reliable but I erred in the previous edition and Martin has written extensively to correct my mistake in the section “Erratum”. This reply is welcomed and owed to readers. I must confess that I don’t know everything …


P-46 A Periodic Matrix Model Of Seabird Behavior And Population Dynamics, Mykhaylo M. Malakhov, Benjamin Macdonald, Shandelle M. Henson, J. M. Cushing Mar 2018

P-46 A Periodic Matrix Model Of Seabird Behavior And Population Dynamics, Mykhaylo M. Malakhov, Benjamin Macdonald, Shandelle M. Henson, J. M. Cushing

Honors Scholars & Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium Programs

Rising sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Pacific Northwest lead to food resource reductions for surface-feeding seabirds, and have been correlated with several marked behavioral changes. Namely, higher SSTs are associated with increased egg cannibalism and egg-laying synchrony in the colony. We study the long-term effects of climate change on population dynamics and survival by considering a simplified, cross-season model that incorporates both of these behaviors in addition to density-dependent and environmental effects. We show that cannibalism can lead to backward bifurcations and strong Allee effects, allowing the population to survive at lower resource levels than would be possible otherwise.


The Conservation Physiology Toolbox: Status And Opportunities, Christine L. Madliger, Oliver P. Love, Kevin R. Hultine, Steven J. Cooke Jan 2018

The Conservation Physiology Toolbox: Status And Opportunities, Christine L. Madliger, Oliver P. Love, Kevin R. Hultine, Steven J. Cooke

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

For over a century, physiological tools and techniques have been allowing researchers to characterize how organisms respond to changes in their natural environment and how they interact with human activities or infrastructure. Over time, many of these techniques have become part of the conservation physiology toolbox, which is used to monitor, predict, conserve, and restore plant and animal populations under threat. Here, we provide a summary of the tools that currently comprise the conservation physiology toolbox. By assessing patterns in articles that have been published in 'Conservation Physiology' over the past 5 years that focus on introducing, refining and validating …


Transcriptome Response Of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) To Competition With Ecologically Similar Non-Native Species, Xiaoping He, Aimee Lee S. Houde, Bryan D. Neff, Daniel D. Heath Jan 2018

Transcriptome Response Of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) To Competition With Ecologically Similar Non-Native Species, Xiaoping He, Aimee Lee S. Houde, Bryan D. Neff, Daniel D. Heath

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Non-native species may be introduced either intentionally or unintentionally, and their impact can range from benign to highly disruptive. Non-native salmonids were introduced into Lake Ontario, Canada, to provide recreational fishing opportunities; however, the establishment of those species has been proposed as a significant barrier to the reintroduction of native Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) due to intense interspecific competition. In this study, we compared population differences of Atlantic salmon in transcriptome response to interspecific competition. We reared Atlantic salmon from two populations (LaHave River and Sebago Lake) with fish of each of three non-native salmonids (Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, rainbow …


Population-Specific Responses To Interspecific Competition In The Gut Microbiota Of Two Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) Populations, Xiaoping He, Subba Rao Chagantib, Daniel D. Heath Jan 2018

Population-Specific Responses To Interspecific Competition In The Gut Microbiota Of Two Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) Populations, Xiaoping He, Subba Rao Chagantib, Daniel D. Heath

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

The gut microbial community in vertebrates plays a role in nutrient digestion and absorption, development of intestine and immune systems, resistance to infection, regulation of bone mass and even host behavior and can thus impact host fitness. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) reintroduction efforts into Lake Ontario, Canada, have been unsuccessful, likely due to competition with non-native salmonids. In this study, we explored interspecific competition effects on the gut microbiota of two Atlantic salmon populations (LaHave and Sebago) resulting from four non-native salmonids. After 10 months of rearing in semi-natural stream tanks under six interspecific competition treatments, we characterized the gut …


Comparison Of Thermal Tolerance And Standard Metabolic Rate Of Two Great Lakes Invasive Fish Species, Ken G. Drouillard, David A. Feary Dr, Xin Sun, Jessica A. O'Neil, Todd Leadley, Tim B. Johnson Dr Jan 2018

Comparison Of Thermal Tolerance And Standard Metabolic Rate Of Two Great Lakes Invasive Fish Species, Ken G. Drouillard, David A. Feary Dr, Xin Sun, Jessica A. O'Neil, Todd Leadley, Tim B. Johnson Dr

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and western tubenose goby (Proterorhinus semilunaris) invaded the Laurentian Great Lakes at approximately the same time and area yet have shown substantial differences in their post-invasion success with more rapid establishment and development of much larger abundances of round goby populations throughout the invaded habitat. In this study, we compared differences in physiological performance (thermal tolerance and standard metabolic rate) between round and tubenose goby collected from the Huron-Erie corridor. Tubenose goby were observed to have lower thermal tolerance but exhibited similar standard metabolic rate across environmental temperatures compared to round goby. …


Preliminary Multivariate Comparison Of Coral Assemblages On Carbonate Banks In The Western Gulf Of Mexico, Rebekah Rodriguez, Erin E. Easton, Thomas C. Shirley, John W. Tunnell, David Hicks Jan 2018

Preliminary Multivariate Comparison Of Coral Assemblages On Carbonate Banks In The Western Gulf Of Mexico, Rebekah Rodriguez, Erin E. Easton, Thomas C. Shirley, John W. Tunnell, David Hicks

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Hermatypic corals flourished on reefs in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Today, many of these relict reefs are mesophotic banks that have unique coral assemblages and provide critical habitat; however, the South Texas Banks (STB) lack quantitative surveys. Therefore, we used a remotely operated vehicle to conduct quantitative surveys of 5 banks: Baker, Aransas, Dream, Blackfish Ridge, and Harte. Coral communities, based on estimated coral densities (colonies/m2), significantly differed among banks for terraces, slopes, and overall (combined terrace and slope) communities for most banks examined. Within banks, terrace and slope communities …