Marine Biology Commons^™

Dolphins In Ny? Researchers Turn To Boat Tours For Sightings, Aaron K. Tremper

Capstones

Before 2009, coastal bottlenose dolphins were a rare sight north of New Jersey. According to local researchers, large pods of bottlenose dolphins made their way that spring/summer along Long Island. While dolphin population data by state and federal wildlife regulators are spotty, studies by local scientists suggest more dolphins have been flocking to New York since 2009. Many researchers are turning to whale-watching ventures to learn more about what dolphins are up to in the Big Apple.

https://jkt711.github.io/capstone/

Environmental Impacts On The Reproduction Of Three Cold-Water Corals, With Implications For Their Vulnerability To Ocean Warming And Climate Change, Julia Johnstone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cold-water corals are important habitat builders in the deep ocean worldwide. Despite being known for centuries, recent technological advances and deep-sea exploration has revealed cold-water corals thriving at depths of up to 6000m. Similar to their warm-water relatives, cold-water corals are hotspots of diversity, with their structures creating habitat for thousands of associated species. Some cold-water corals create bioherms that stretch for tens of kilometers, while others come together to form vast undersea forests. These habitats are often home to commercially important fisheries species, and conservation efforts have recently begun to regulate fishing in cold-water coral ecosystems to protect them …

The Age And Growth Of The Yellow Stingray (Urobatis Jamaicensis) In Southeast Florida, Jessica Schieber

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis (Cuvier 1816), is a coastal species that has limited known life-history information, especially regarding their age and growth patterns. Age estimates were assigned by counting band-pairs deposited on the vertebral centrum of stingrays caught between 2003 and 2019 (n = 195). Marginal increment analysis of different size classes was used to validate age estimates, with the largest class having verified annual band deposition (ANOVA, F(9,7), P = 0.029). Age estimates ranged between females, and rates, but females attained larger sizes with the largest observed DW being 241-mm and 216-mm for females and males, respectively. …

Effects Of Synthetic Estrogen (17Α-Ethinyl Estradiol) On Male Fiddler Crab Aggression, Micayla Shirley

Honors College Theses

Pharmaceuticals, including hormones and antibiotics, are considered contaminants due to their widespread use and release into the environment. Hormones, like the synthetic estrogen used in oral contraceptives (17α-ethinylestradiol), are present in freshwater and marine systems, but with relatively unknown effects on the organisms that live there. Ethinylestradiol (EE2) accumulates in waterlogged soil (sediment) with potential to harm sediment-dwelling animals. For example, fiddler crabs (Uca pugilator) are vital members of salt marsh communities. Their burrowing adds oxygen to sediments and cycles nutrients, and they are an important food resource to birds and raccoons. Male fiddler crabs are territorial, aggressively …

Using Aerial Photogrammetry And Sexually Dimorphic Measurements To Investigate Seasonal Differences In School Composition Of Delphinus Spp. Off Southern California, Samantha Gm Leander

Theses

Insights into school composition can provide a means to understand basic biology and ecology, including reproductive patterns. They can also be applied to conservation assessments, allowing for better understanding of the potentially differential vulnerability of demographic groups to natural or anthropogenic disturbances that may influence their populations. However, the two subspecies of common dolphins in the waters off California (Delphinus delphis delphis and D. d. bairdii) form large, energetic groups that make characterization of school composition difficult. Remotely controlled drones now offer the opportunity for the study of school composition in Delphinus spp., allowing for precise morphometric measurements …

Assessing Habitat Suitability Of Ribbed Mussels (Geukensia Demissa) In Georgia Salt Marshes By Examining Predicted Mussel Densities And Mussel Population Parameters, William K. Annis Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geukensia demissa (ribbed mussel) is an ecology important bivalve that has the potential to contribute to salt marsh restoration. Understanding the factors that contribute to the distribution of mussels can help inform managers on choosing locations to optimize the survivorship of mussels in restoration projects. This study sought to model mussel densities across the coast of Georgia and to compare predicted mussel densities with mussel population parameters as means to gauge habitat suitability. Mussel densities were collected through field surveys across a range of salt marshes along the coast of Georgia and were compared with spatial data such as distance …