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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology
An Ecological Assessment Of The Deep-Pelagic Fish Genus Cyclothone (Gonostomatidae; Stomiiformes), Possibly The World’S Most Abundant Fishes, In The Gulf Of Mexico, Olivia C. North-Menthonnex
An Ecological Assessment Of The Deep-Pelagic Fish Genus Cyclothone (Gonostomatidae; Stomiiformes), Possibly The World’S Most Abundant Fishes, In The Gulf Of Mexico, Olivia C. North-Menthonnex
All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations
The fish genus Cyclothone is considered the most abundant vertebrate taxon on Earth. Despite this assertion, very few detailed ecological studies of this genus exist for any site in the World Ocean, largely due to the lack of expertise (and willingness) to identify specimens from existing sample sets. This study will provide a species-level description of the abundance, vertical distribution, and size structuring of the genus Cyclothone in the Gulf of Mexico, a hyper-diverse, deep-pelagic ecosystem that is increasingly impacted by anthropogenic disturbances. As the putative most-abundant fishes in the ecosystem, this characterization is critically needed for a holistic understanding …
Size Structuring Of Myctophids In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico In The Years Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Adam Warren
Size Structuring Of Myctophids In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico In The Years Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Adam Warren
All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations
Body size is one of the main determinants of marine ecosystem structure and is correlated with many behavioral processes such as diel vertical migration (DVM). Myctophidae, a highly abundant, speciose, and globally distributed fish family, perform diel vertical migrations between the epipelagic zone at night and the mesopelagic zone during the day with vertical distributions varying with ontogeny, and therefore body length. Understanding how DVM contributes to an ecosystem’s structure is important to understanding ecosystem functioning, especially in response to anthropogenic impacts such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in myctophid …
Effects Of Net Type On The Quantification Of Pelagic Shrimp And Krill In The Gulf Of Mexico, Eric J. Lee
Effects Of Net Type On The Quantification Of Pelagic Shrimp And Krill In The Gulf Of Mexico, Eric J. Lee
All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations
Trawls are an effective and widely used method for collecting micronekton because they can sample large volumes of sparsely distributed organisms, as well as allow for direct species identification of collected samples. However, net sampling methods are known to be highly variable in terms of design and catchability, and comparisons of deep-sea trawl data from two different types of nets over the same spatial and temporal scale are relatively rare. The current study is unique because it provides such an analysis for micronektonic crustaceans in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) by comparing the trawling efficacy of a smaller 10 m …
Assemblage Composition And Vertical Distributions Of Deep-Sea Anglerfishes (Suborder: Ceratioidei) Of The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Kimberly S. Schmutz
Assemblage Composition And Vertical Distributions Of Deep-Sea Anglerfishes (Suborder: Ceratioidei) Of The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Kimberly S. Schmutz
All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations
The bathypelagic zone, despite being the largest cumulative ecosystem on the planet, represents the largest data gap in biological oceanography. In a deep environment with no solar light and pressures so high that survival is impossible for most marine organisms, some species have been able to adapt and overcome these challenges to radiate into diverse and successful taxa. Among the most notable of these successful taxa are the deep-sea anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei). Ceratioid anglerfishes possess unique adaptations such as a symbiotic bioluminescent lure (females) and extreme dwarfism (males) that make them a particularly interesting group to study. Despite this research …