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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons And The Microbiomes Of Two Benthic Species, Samantha Ells Aug 2021

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons And The Microbiomes Of Two Benthic Species, Samantha Ells

Master's Theses

The presence of oil has been shown to affect the microbiomes of the water column, sediments, and organisms, both by altering the diversity and the composition of those microbial communities. If the microbiome is altered it may no longer provide benefits to its host organism, impacting its ability to survive. Thus, it is important to understand the effects of large-scale contamination events including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This study set out to examine the effects of oil exposure on the microbiome of two benthic species, southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) and eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) to further understand the effects …


Population Parameter Estimation And Stable Isotope Analysis Of Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser Oxyrinchus Desotoi) In The Pascagoula River, Alfonso Cohuo Aug 2021

Population Parameter Estimation And Stable Isotope Analysis Of Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser Oxyrinchus Desotoi) In The Pascagoula River, Alfonso Cohuo

Master's Theses

Gulf Sturgeon (GS), Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, are a threatened, anadromous fish species in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Their range is from the Pearl River, LA, in the west to the Suwannee River, FL, in the east with a longitudinal divide at Mobile Bay, AL, creating a western population unit (WPU) and an eastern population unit (EPU). Sturgeon belonging to the WPU exhibit lower abundances, higher mortality rates, and are overall less studied than their EPU counterparts. Notable data gaps for the WPU includes the absence of recent population parameter estimations and confirmed feeding habitat. My thesis aims to …


Spatial And Seasonal Patterns Of Above- And Belowground Vegetation Biomass And Potential Drivers In The Pascagoula River Delta, Ms, Evan Grimes Aug 2021

Spatial And Seasonal Patterns Of Above- And Belowground Vegetation Biomass And Potential Drivers In The Pascagoula River Delta, Ms, Evan Grimes

Master's Theses

Coastal wetlands provide a valuable wealth of services to the greater coastal ecosystem and human communities. However, threats such as sea level rise and conservation projects, such as freshwater diversions, have the potential to alter coastal wetlands in different ways. In this thesis, I describe the effects of inundation and nitrogen on vegetation productivity using a field-sampling approach and an in situ controlled mesocosm experiment, called a marsh organ. The West Channel of the Pascagoula River contained significantly higher belowground biomass than the East Channel, which is more anthropogenically modified. Vertical distribution of belowground biomass did not strongly vary between …


Trophic Ecology Of Mesopelagic Fish Larvae And Juveniles In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Emily Gipson May 2021

Trophic Ecology Of Mesopelagic Fish Larvae And Juveniles In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Emily Gipson

Master's Theses

The deep-pelagic environment encompasses ocean waters below 200 m depth, and comprises 90% of the volume of the Gulf of Mexico. Deep-pelagic fishes are important prey for many oceanic consumers, but relatively little is known about their early life history, including larval fish trophic ecology. An understanding of the role deep-pelagic fish larvae have in oceanic food webs is important in the development of ecosystem models that examine the connectivity (via vertical migrations) between the deep-pelagic and epipelagic environments with respect to trophic interactions, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. In this study, archived plankton samples collected during 2010 and 2011 …