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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology
Feeding Preference Of The Sea Urchin Arbacia Punctulata For Algal Turf Over Kelp In A Degraded Kelp Forest Ecosystem, Kenneth J. Hamel
Feeding Preference Of The Sea Urchin Arbacia Punctulata For Algal Turf Over Kelp In A Degraded Kelp Forest Ecosystem, Kenneth J. Hamel
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Increasingly severe ocean warming and marine heatwave events are driving declines in habitat-forming kelps worldwide. Direct mortality from extreme temperatures, coupled with destabilization of kelp forest communities, commonly trigger ecological community shifts from dominant kelp forests to an algal turf dominated state. Opportunistic algal turf species are more resilient to warming and lack the fundamental structure of kelp forests, and thus reduce ecosystem services and biodiversity. Once in place, algal turf communities contain ecological feedback mechanisms, diminishing kelp recruitment, and potential recovery. The various feedback mechanisms and ecological thresholds that maintain or drive community shifts between kelp forest and algal …
Characterization Of Red Mangrove Proproot Epibiont Communities Of St. Johns Usvi, Alan M. Buob
Characterization Of Red Mangrove Proproot Epibiont Communities Of St. Johns Usvi, Alan M. Buob
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
In May 1989, Hurricane Hugo impacted St. Johns USVI destroying the Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) Forest of Great Lameshur Bay. The impact restricted the tidal flow and caused massive destruction in the mangroves. Hurricane Marilyn (1995) hit St. John causing the storm wall formed by Hugo to be washed out. It returned limited tidal flow to the dead forest. It was not until a subsequent hurricane in 2010 broke down the sediment wall and natural flow returned. Up to that point, water quality restricted any fouling organisms’ survival on the prop roots. By using photo identification, three different bays of …
Assessing The Influence Of Salt Marsh Enhancement On Nekton Communities, Evan Thomas Kwityn
Assessing The Influence Of Salt Marsh Enhancement On Nekton Communities, Evan Thomas Kwityn
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Resiliency projects are being implemented throughout coastal communities with the intention of reducing the loss of salt marsh habitat. Salt marsh enhancement projects may have the benefit of minimizing physical coastal impacts, but enhancement activities are not fully understood as a result of potential impacts on salt marsh ecosystems, particularly nekton or fish and decapod communities. Questions involving salt marsh enhancement remain in regard to negative impacts on nekton communities and hydrologic habitat connectivity. To evaluate the impacts of salt marsh enhancement in reference to nekton community structures, I compared nekton density in restored and non-restored locations on two salt …
Do Indirect Predator Cues Affect Behavior Of The Freshwater Clam Sphaerium Simile?, Jesse Bruce Eichler
Do Indirect Predator Cues Affect Behavior Of The Freshwater Clam Sphaerium Simile?, Jesse Bruce Eichler
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Freshwater bivalves provide important ecosystem services, like filtering water and cycling nutrients. Predators affecting the behavior of bivalve prey, therefore, could potentially impact the structure and function of ecological communities. Because little is known about the antipredator responses of sphaeriid clams, I examined the behavior of juvenile and adult freshwater clams, Sphaerium simile, when exposed to two types of indirect predator cues: effluent of a crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) and damaged conspecific clams. Adult clams responded to crayfish effluent by significantly reducing burrowing behavior. Juvenile clams, however, buried indiscriminately regardless of experimental treatment and significantly more often/more quickly than adults. These …
Do Density And Food Availability Influence Survivorship And Reproduction In The Freshwater Bivalve, Sphaerium Simile?, Lauren O’Neil
Do Density And Food Availability Influence Survivorship And Reproduction In The Freshwater Bivalve, Sphaerium Simile?, Lauren O’Neil
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
The small freshwater bivalve Sphaerium simile, like most “fingernail clams” (Sphaeriidae), does not exhibit a planktonic larval stage but instead offspring are brooded inside the valves of the parent. The species is generally regarded as reproductively specialized, or relatively “K” selected along the r‐K continuum. Multiple offspring can develop simultaneously, but brooding siblings are commonly at different developmental stages. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the relative success of brooding offspring and adults in different adult densities and feeding regimes. A controlled laboratory experiment examined four treatment groups, with adult density and feeding frequency as independent variables. There were two …
Is The Trail-Following Behavior Of Juvenile Physa Acuta Influenced By Kinship And Familiarity?, Tiana Bonventre
Is The Trail-Following Behavior Of Juvenile Physa Acuta Influenced By Kinship And Familiarity?, Tiana Bonventre
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Trail-following behavior is exhibited by many species ranging from insects to gastropods. In gastropods, this behavior serves many functions such as the facilitation of movement, homing, mate and conspecific location, organization, aggregation, and protection. Kin recognition is also a behavior that is exhibited by a wide variety of species including both vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Kin recognition serves many functions including social interactions and status, discrimination, which can lead to outcrossing, and cooperative behaviors that can increase the likelihood of survival. Familiarity with individuals may also contribute to survival through protection and enhanced cooperation. Kin recognition can involve familiarity in …
Mercury Contamination In Benthic Biota And Sediments Within The New York Bight Wind Energy Area, Jordan Francis Gilruth
Mercury Contamination In Benthic Biota And Sediments Within The New York Bight Wind Energy Area, Jordan Francis Gilruth
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Aquatic ecosystems are showing increasing evidence of contamination by persistent, toxic substances, including metals such as mercury. Mercury (Hg) is truly an unusual element, having no essential biological function. Its unique physical properties have been utilized for various industrial and commercial purposes. This has led to serious exposure to this known neurotoxin. Additionally, the deposition and effluents of mercury in air, water, and soil have impacted food chain dynamics. The potential of bioaccumulation and biomagnification of Hg within aquatic ecosystems can have serious negative implication on ecosystem functions and services. Furthermore, understanding the difference between those pathways can provide a …
Population Density, Distribution, Richness & Health Of Shallow Water Caribbean Porifera From An Unesco Biosphere Reserve, St. John, Usvi, Patrick Michael Vojnyk
Population Density, Distribution, Richness & Health Of Shallow Water Caribbean Porifera From An Unesco Biosphere Reserve, St. John, Usvi, Patrick Michael Vojnyk
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Porifera is an important phylum of organisms in benthic ecosystems that filter water, act as biogenic habitat, and provide 3-dimentional structure. Sponge diversity and abundance are often used as bio-indicators for good or improving water quality in a system. Transects were performed during July 2015, January 2016, and July 2016 to determine species richness, density, and assess necrotic pinacoderm tissue decay of species of poriferans in St. John, USVI. 6,800 individuals and 17 different species were recorded during observation periods in Great and Little Lameshur Bays. Results indicate that the non-cryptic species Amphimedon compressa and Aplysina fiulva had the highest …
Distribution And Potential Impact Of Microplastics In The Ribbed Marsh Mussel Geukensia Demissa, Matthew Byron Khan
Distribution And Potential Impact Of Microplastics In The Ribbed Marsh Mussel Geukensia Demissa, Matthew Byron Khan
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Human activities have generated large quantities of plastics that are actively dumped or indirectly deposited into oceans. In particular, the use of single-use packaging and microplastics in cosmetics and manufacturing has led to significant increases of these contaminants in coastal waters. These plastics, because of their size, can be ingested by filter-, suspension-, and deposit-feeding organisms who coincidentally consume them as potential food sources. As a result, organisms may experience marked reductions in growth and/or health due to the accumulation of these plastics in their digestive tracts. While research has concentrated on the commercially harvested blue mussel Mytilus edulis, none …
Grazing Potential Of Bucktooth Parrotfish (Sparisoma Radians) On Invasive Seagrass, Halophila Stipulacea, And Native Seagrass, Thalassia Testudinum, In St. John, Usvi, An Unesco Biosphere Reserve, Elizabeth Elise Pudlak
Grazing Potential Of Bucktooth Parrotfish (Sparisoma Radians) On Invasive Seagrass, Halophila Stipulacea, And Native Seagrass, Thalassia Testudinum, In St. John, Usvi, An Unesco Biosphere Reserve, Elizabeth Elise Pudlak
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Seagrass beds are considered essential habitats, because they provide food and refuge for a variety of organisms, and they also deliver ecosystem services such as sediment stabilization and carbon sequestration. Seagrass communities worldwide are under threat from a variety of human impacts like eutrophication, dredging, and climate change, but they are also facing threats from non-native species. As a critical primary producer, grazing on seagrass provides a fundamental trophic link to higher level consumers. The bucktooth parrotfish (Sparisoma radians) is a dominant herbivore of seagrasses in tropical and subtropical marine systems. In St. John, United States Virgin Islands, field and …
Road Salt Impact On A Stream-Dwelling Salamander, Eurycea Bislineata : A Low Threshold For Behavioral And Physiological Effects, Kelly Ann Krolik
Road Salt Impact On A Stream-Dwelling Salamander, Eurycea Bislineata : A Low Threshold For Behavioral And Physiological Effects, Kelly Ann Krolik
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Road salt runoff into aquatic habitats is a major ecological issue for amphibian species due to potential toxic effects from chemicals such as hydrocarbons, de-icing agents and salts. Road salt runoff can affect different aspects of amphibian biology, such as osmotic balance, growth, reproduction, behavior, and survival. This study investigated the behavioral and physiological salinity tolerance of adult two-lined salamanders, Eurycea bislineata. Two-lined salamanders are found in small streams and rivulets and may be exposed directly to salt runoff. In laboratory behavior trials, E. bislineata showed strong aversion to increasing salinity concentrations. They spent less time in higher NaCl concentrations …
Effects Of Dominant Plant Species And Water Depth On Methane Fluxes In A Freshwater Wetland, Marco T. Finocchiaro
Effects Of Dominant Plant Species And Water Depth On Methane Fluxes In A Freshwater Wetland, Marco T. Finocchiaro
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Methane (CH4) is a highly potent greenhouse gas (GHG) found to contribute to the global problem of atmospheric warming. Wetlands have been documented to possess the ability to impact the earth’s CH4 cycle yet are in a state of global depletion. CH4 flux rates in wetlands have been found to vary within wetlands based on variability in environmental factors. There is a lack o f consensus on the effects of water depth as well as dominant plant type on CH4 flux rates. In this study on Lake Wapalanne, Sussex County, NJ, submerged areas were found …
An Assessment Of Gelatinous Zooplankton And Impacts On Planktonic Community Structure In Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, Christie L. Castellano
An Assessment Of Gelatinous Zooplankton And Impacts On Planktonic Community Structure In Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, Christie L. Castellano
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Local populations of gelatinous zooplankton are experiencing increases in response to changes in coastal ecosystems due to anthropogenic forces. The abundance of the Atlantic sea nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) has dramatically increased in Barnegat Bay, NJ. Lift net sampling was used to determine the density and distribution of sea nettle and ctenophore {Mnemiopsis leidyi) populations, while zooplankton tows were used to compare relationships between their abundance to that of other zooplankton species. Lift net results showed substantial spatial and temporal variability in density and distribution of ctenophores and sea nettles, with these patterns being inversely proportional. Chrysaora quinquecirrha was more abundant …
Human Disturbance Of Seagrass Beds In Hoga Island, Indonesia : Impacts On Edge Effects, Anthony John Suleski
Human Disturbance Of Seagrass Beds In Hoga Island, Indonesia : Impacts On Edge Effects, Anthony John Suleski
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Ecosystems are broad classifications of areas where overlapping communities exist which can contain relatively high faunal and floral diversity. These communities characteristically are often influenced by external forces. Disturbances can create incongruencies in these communities and have been demonstrated to change community dynamics in varying ways. Humans are responsible for many disturbances which alter habitat and community structure and many habitat edges or ecotones are artificially created by these human disturbances. In Wakatobi National Park, Hoga Island, Indonesia, three bays exist and are in close proximity to one another with varying levels of human influence. This study investigated how anthropogenic …