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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Benthic Community Dynamics And Stony Coral Demographics In Florida In Relation To Acute Disturbances And Chronic Pressures, Nicholas P. Jones Aug 2022

Benthic Community Dynamics And Stony Coral Demographics In Florida In Relation To Acute Disturbances And Chronic Pressures, Nicholas P. Jones

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The persistence of coral reef communities is threatened by a suite of pressures operating at varying spatial and temporal scales. In general, acute disturbances (short term stochastic events such as marine heatwaves or hurricanes) and chronic pressures, such as ocean warming, have caused the most significant changes to stony coral assemblages (order Scleractinia) and continue to impair recovery potential. Additionally, many coral reefs are subject to local chronic anthropogenic pressures resulting in poor water quality or sedimentation, which further impact stony corals and shape benthic community structure, particularly near urbanized coastlines. For the viability of communities on coral reefs, a …


Abundance, Site-Fidelity, And Association Patterns Of Coastal Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Off Southeast Florida, Graysen D. Boehning Jul 2022

Abundance, Site-Fidelity, And Association Patterns Of Coastal Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Off Southeast Florida, Graysen D. Boehning

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The coastal bottlenose dolphin is well studied throughout its natural range, however, most of the study areas comprised wide, well-protected habitats such as bays and estuaries, and not narrow coastal sandbanks. This study identifies a residential group of coastal bottlenose dolphins utilizing the narrow sandbanks within the Northwestern Atlantic waters off the coast of Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. From 2014-2020, 313 boat surveys were conducted, and 585 individual dolphins were identified using photo-ID. Twenty-four animals were determined to be full-time and 66 animals were determined to be part-time residents. Full-time and part-time residents associated in three social tribes, with …


Site Fidelity Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Using Elemental Analyses And Photo-Identification, Lauren R. Clance May 2022

Site Fidelity Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Using Elemental Analyses And Photo-Identification, Lauren R. Clance

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

The objective of this study was to determine if bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Alabama waters acquire location-specific elemental signatures indicative of site fidelity. I measured trace metal concentrations (Chapter II) and stable isotope ratios (Chapter III) in skin from free-ranging dolphins remotely biopsied in Mobile Bay, the northern Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and eastern Mississippi Sound (EMSS). Elemental findings were corroborated with photo-identification data. I found that dolphins acquired some location-specific elements indicative of site fidelity, with the greatest differences at geographic extremes, particularly relative to salinity. For trace metals, highest concentrations were found in winter, consistent with higher …


Carrying Capacity Of Cultured Bivalves In Cherrystone Inlet, Va, And The Implications Of Spatial Distribution And Environmental Change, Sophia Chirico May 2022

Carrying Capacity Of Cultured Bivalves In Cherrystone Inlet, Va, And The Implications Of Spatial Distribution And Environmental Change, Sophia Chirico

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Aquaculture is a growing industry internationally. In the United States, aquaculture of bivalves occurs throughout the Chesapeake Bay. Cherrystone Inlet, a tidal inlet on the Virginia Eastern Shore, is the location of intensive hard clam culture, and recently oyster aquaculture has become common there as well. Given the intensive culture in Cherrystone and similar systems in the Chesapeake, it is important to understand the carrying capacity of the respective bivalves and how they can be grown together. Carrying capacity is defined here as the largest population of individuals that can be supported that allows individuals to reach a harvestable size …


Ocean Quahog (Arctica Islandica) Population Dynamics: Sex-Based Demographics And Regional Comparisons In The Northwest Atlantic, Kathleen M. Hemeon Mar 2022

Ocean Quahog (Arctica Islandica) Population Dynamics: Sex-Based Demographics And Regional Comparisons In The Northwest Atlantic, Kathleen M. Hemeon

Dissertations

Arctica islandica (ocean quahog) is the longest-lived bivalve on Earth. Individuals on the deep continental shelf of the Mid-Atlantic (US) can survive for centuries, and when found in the colder, boreal waters of Iceland, ages over 500 years can be reached. The ocean quahog is important in the US, yet very little is known about the resiliency of the ocean quahog stock to fishing activity, and ocean quahog recruitment patterns over time. To quantify and constrain age-reader error prior to age analysis, a triple-method error protocol was developed for A. islandica that included age-reader bias, precision, and error frequency. The …


An Analysis Of The Spatial Genetic Structure Of A Hybrid Zone Between Two Species Of Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus And F. Grandis, Andrew Lee Hardy Jan 2022

An Analysis Of The Spatial Genetic Structure Of A Hybrid Zone Between Two Species Of Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus And F. Grandis, Andrew Lee Hardy

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hybridization offers unique insight into the evolutionary process of speciation and the forces that maintain barriers to reproduction. In northeast Florida, a hybrid zone between two species of killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus and F. grandis, has been identified near Flagler Beach, FL, although the exact boundaries of the hybrid zone remain unknown (Gonzalez et al. 2009). This study aims to determine the fine-scale spatial genetic patterns of the hybrid zone and test the hypothesis that species ranges are influenced by changes in dominant vegetation. Results from an ADMIXTURE analysis and FST data indicated the boundary of the area of …