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Marine Biology Commons

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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gulf of Mexico

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Evolutionary And Population Dynamics Of Crustaceans In The Gulf Of Mexico, Laura Timm Jun 2018

Evolutionary And Population Dynamics Of Crustaceans In The Gulf Of Mexico, Laura Timm

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evolution occurs and can be conceptualized along a spectrum, bounded on one extreme by the relationships between deep lineages – such as phyla, classes, and orders – and on the other by the molecular dynamics of operational taxonomic units within a species, defined as population genetics. The purpose of this dissertation was to better understand the evolutionary and population dynamics of crustaceans within the Gulf of Mexico. In the second chapter of my dissertation, I provide a guide to best phylogenetic practice while reviewing infraordinal relationships within Decapoda, including the promise held by next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches such as Anchored …


Investigating Trophic Interactions Of Deep-Sea Animals (Sharks, Teleosts, And Mobile Scavengers) In The Gulf Of Mexico Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Diana A. Churchill Jul 2015

Investigating Trophic Interactions Of Deep-Sea Animals (Sharks, Teleosts, And Mobile Scavengers) In The Gulf Of Mexico Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Diana A. Churchill

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The deep-sea is the largest habitat on earth, containing over 90 percent of the world’s oceans and home to over 20,000 species. Deep-sea ecosystems are increasingly impacted by human activities including fishing and oil extraction. To understand potential impacts on deep-sea food webs, it is crucial to gather baseline data in these systems. I quantified the trophic interactions of three groups of deep-water animals across a range of trophic levels living in the northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico using stable isotope analysis. First, I propose methods for correcting δ15N values for the presence of nitrogenous metabolic waste …