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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

The Effects Of Copper Exposure On Fish Locomotion And Predator-Prey Interactions, Tiffany N. Yanez Dec 2018

The Effects Of Copper Exposure On Fish Locomotion And Predator-Prey Interactions, Tiffany N. Yanez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study determined the effects of the copper water quality criterion (WQC) by the EPA on [1] swimming performance and [2] predator-prey interactions of the Sailfin Molly, across a salinity gradient. Fish acclimated to FW (0 ppt) and 8-ppt saltwater were exposed to 11.3 and 8.44 µg/L Cu for 96 h, respectively. At the end of the exposures, fish swimming performance was determined by using the critical swimming speed, Ucrit, the speed at which a fish cannot longer maintain position in the water column. Ucritwas then measured again after a 4-week depuration period to determine if …


Florida's Pillar Coral (Dendrogyra Cylindrus): The Roles Of The Holobiont Partners In Bleaching, Recovery, And Disease Processes, Cynthia Fairbank Lewis Dec 2018

Florida's Pillar Coral (Dendrogyra Cylindrus): The Roles Of The Holobiont Partners In Bleaching, Recovery, And Disease Processes, Cynthia Fairbank Lewis

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The iconic pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, is one of five Caribbean species listed in 2014 under the US Federal Endangered Species Act because of its extreme low abundance and continued decline in US waters. Until recently, little was known about the demographics or genetic diversity of Florida’s D. cylindrus population. This study represents the first time two holobiont partners (coral animal and associated photosynthetic algal endosymbionts) have been closely examined, spatially and temporally, in this little-studied species. The aim was to explore the influences of coral animal genotypes, mutualistic photosynthetic algal strains, and hyperthermal stress on bleaching and …


Sensitivity Of Marine Cynobacteria And Green Microlage To Nano And Bulk Zinc Oxides, Jennifer Gil-Acevedo 3664585 Sep 2018

Sensitivity Of Marine Cynobacteria And Green Microlage To Nano And Bulk Zinc Oxides, Jennifer Gil-Acevedo 3664585

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanoparticles are particles with sizes between 1 and 100 nanometers (nm). Owing to their unique chemical, electrical, mechanical, optical, and piezoelectric properties, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are finding widespread use in numerous applications with yearly production over 550 tons per year. Increasing use of ZnO NPs, and NPs in wastewater discharges from domestic and industrial sources will have significant potential for adverse impacts on aquatic phototrophic organisms. Comparative studies on microalgae species response to ZnO NPs and variation in tolerance among species is still mostly unexplored. The proposed research aims to evaluate interspecies’ variation in tolerance to ZnO NPs among …


Interactive Effects Of Herbivory And Substrate Orientation On Algal Community Dynamics On A Coral Reef, Alain Duran, Ligia Collado-Vides, L. Palma, D. E. Burkepile Sep 2018

Interactive Effects Of Herbivory And Substrate Orientation On Algal Community Dynamics On A Coral Reef, Alain Duran, Ligia Collado-Vides, L. Palma, D. E. Burkepile

Department of Biological Sciences

Herbivory is a significant driver of algal community dynamics on coral reefs. However, abiotic factors such as the complexity and orientation of the benthos often mediate the impact of herbivores on benthic communities. We experimentally evaluated the independent and interactive effects of substrate orientation and herbivorous fishes on algal community dynamics on a coral reef in the Florida Keys, USA. We created horizontal and vertical substrates, mimicking the trend in the reduction of vertical surfaces of coral reefs, to assess how algal communities developed either with herbivory (open areas) or without herbivory (herbivore exclosures). We found that substrate orientation was …


Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Arctic Nearshore Fish Community And Food Web Structures, Mark B. Barton Jun 2018

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Arctic Nearshore Fish Community And Food Web Structures, Mark B. Barton

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change and increasing anthropogenic activities are causing rapid changes to environmental and ecological processes in the Arctic Ocean. To better understand these changes, scientists have increased research efforts in these regions, but to date the number of studies on Arctic nearshore habitats are lacking. My dissertation responds to the paucity of information and investigates patterns in Arctic nearshore fish communities and food webs to gain insight to how these ecosystems may shift as these changes continue. I used multivariate statistical analysis to examine patterns in community structure and composition to determine that Arctic nearshore fish communities are largely driven …


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 …


Development And Application Of Aquatic Toxicology Studies For The Assessment Of Impacts Due To Chemical Stressors Using Non-Standard Indigenous Organisms, Abraham Jeffrey Smith Apr 2018

Development And Application Of Aquatic Toxicology Studies For The Assessment Of Impacts Due To Chemical Stressors Using Non-Standard Indigenous Organisms, Abraham Jeffrey Smith

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in the multidisciplinary science of ecotoxicology is crucial to assess injuries to ecosystem resources from chemical spills or other stressors used to support environmental decision-making. Established guidelines recommend the use of non-standard native species in toxicity investigations. This work focused on the use of native species for aquatic toxicity assessment to make more relevant conclusions on the potential for adverse biological effects to occur as a result to single chemical exposures or exposures to a complex mixture like oil. We apply these studies to investigate petroleum product impacts from the Deepwater Horizon incident and concerns for metal toxicity in …


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 …


Patterns Of Carbon Metabolism, Storage, And Remineralization In Seagrass Ecosystems, Jason Lee Howard Mar 2018

Patterns Of Carbon Metabolism, Storage, And Remineralization In Seagrass Ecosystems, Jason Lee Howard

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal marine sediments have recently been identified as globally important stocks of organic carbon (Corg) that, if compromised, could significantly exacerbate global greenhouse gas emissions. While resource managers and policy makers are eager to incorporate this ecosystem service into seagrass ecosystem valuation frameworks, similar to those already in existence for terrestrial forests, there has been insufficient information regarding how environmental conditions and seagrass ecology control carbon storage. These include the influence of the seagrass to the production and preservation of soil organic matter, the fate of stored carbon following conversion of coastal wetlands, and the interactions between organic …


Drivers And Mechanisms Of Peat Collapse In Coastal Wetlands, Benjamin J. Wilson Mar 2018

Drivers And Mechanisms Of Peat Collapse In Coastal Wetlands, Benjamin J. Wilson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal wetlands store immense amounts of carbon (C) in vegetation and sediments, but this store of C is under threat from climate change. Accelerated sea level rise (SLR), which leads to saltwater intrusion, and more frequent periods of droughts will both impact biogeochemical cycling in wetlands. Coastal peat marshes are especially susceptible to saltwater intrusion and changes in water depth, but little is known about how exposure to salinity affects organic matter accumulation and peat stability. I investigated freshwater and brackish marsh responses to elevated salinity, greater inundation, drought, and increased nutrient loading. Elevated salinity pulses in a brackish marsh …