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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology
To Feed Or Not To Feed: Examining The Effects Of Provisioning Tourism On Nurse Sharks In Caye Caulker, Belize, Carlee Jackson
To Feed Or Not To Feed: Examining The Effects Of Provisioning Tourism On Nurse Sharks In Caye Caulker, Belize, Carlee Jackson
All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations
Wildlife tourism is increasing in popularity around the world, creating the need to understand alterations in animal behavior and spatial distributions that may occur due to associated anthropogenic disturbances. Nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum, Bonnaterre 1788) are commonly used for wildlife tourism within the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve in Belize. Shark and Ray Village (SRV) is a site within the reserve where nurse sharks are consistently fed by tour/snorkel boats to create an interactive experience with tourists, termed provisioning tourism. Prior to this experiment, no studies had been conducted in SRV to evaluate the impact of provisioning tourism (tourism …
Changes In Tursiops Truncatus Distribution And Behavior In The Drowned Cayes, Belize, And Correlation To Human Impacts, Jazmin Garcia
Changes In Tursiops Truncatus Distribution And Behavior In The Drowned Cayes, Belize, And Correlation To Human Impacts, Jazmin Garcia
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Human interaction greatly influences the behavior and distribution of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). This project focuses on the distribution and behavior of bottlenose dolphins in the Drowned Cayes, Belize. Prior to the 2000s, the area was relatively undeveloped and undisturbed and had minimal human activity. Since the turn of the millennium, development and ecotourism activity has flourished in the area, increasing by more than 800,000 visitors from 1998-2006. Boat-based surveys were conducted in 2015 and were combined with previous survey data collected from 2005-2012 and compared to behavioral survey results from 1999-2000. Total dolphin observation time as a …
Can Twilight Reefs Usher In A New Dawn For Depauperate Shallow Coral Reefs?, Hunter Kg Noren
Can Twilight Reefs Usher In A New Dawn For Depauperate Shallow Coral Reefs?, Hunter Kg Noren
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
As shallow reefs continue to decline, scientists are searching for the key to their persistence; as it turns out, they may just need to look deeper. Below many shallow tropical reefs, there exist healthy and more stable mesophotic coral reef communities. The ability of these reefs to act as a refuge for declining shallow populations has garnered significant interest among the scientific community; however, the reproductive and larval aspects necessary for this to occur are unknown. This study assesses the ability of deep reefs to act as a reproductive refuge for shallow counterparts by examining gametic compatibility, viability and larval …
Resurgence Of Acropora Corals On Mid Shelf Patch Reefs, Southwater Caye Marine Reserve, Central Belize, Jillian J. Keefer
Resurgence Of Acropora Corals On Mid Shelf Patch Reefs, Southwater Caye Marine Reserve, Central Belize, Jillian J. Keefer
Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects
Acropora cervicornis (staghorn) and Acropora palmata (elkhorn) are ecologically important corals that grow quickly and provide topography and refuges for fish and invertebrates. Historically, Acropora was the most abundant coral in shallow patch reef zones in the Caribbean. During the 1980s, white band disease eliminated most Acropora causing a loss in rugosity and an increase of macroalgae on many reefs. Although Acropora remains rare throughout most of the Caribbean, this study documents its partial comeback and possible limiting factors in Southwater Caye Marine Reserve (SWCMR), Central Belize. Patch reefs in the reserve averaged 19% live coral cover with A. palmata …
Diet Of The Antillean Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Manatus) In Belize, Central America, Aarin Conrad Allen
Diet Of The Antillean Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Manatus) In Belize, Central America, Aarin Conrad Allen
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Belize has been identified as an important location for Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus), harboring the highest known population density of this subspecies. Information about their dietary habit is important in determining habitat requirements and aiding in conservation efforts. The main objective of this study was to identify the key plant species consumed by manatees in Belize and to establish differences in diet based on location, sex, size classification, and season. Samples were collected from two different locations within Belize where manatees are known to aggregate: Southern Lagoon and the Drowned Cayes off of Belize City. The contents …
Robinson Point, Belize: An Important Foraging Ground For Endangered Sea Turtles In The Western Caribbean Sea, Linda Searle
Robinson Point, Belize: An Important Foraging Ground For Endangered Sea Turtles In The Western Caribbean Sea, Linda Searle
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Anecdotal reports, flipper tag returns, satellite migration paths, and above-water and net surveys have identified an important foraging area for sea turtles in the Robinson Point area, 12 kilometers southwest of Belize City. Visual observations confirmed that sea turtles were actively foraging at Robinson Point. Sixteen 30 minute visual observations from stationary and drifting boats made 132 sea turtle sightings from October 2007 through January 2008, with a maximum of 40 sightings made in one survey. In-water capture methodology tested the traditional turtle net, which captured 14 turtles in 63 sets for a success rate of only 22%. There were …
Assessment Of Image Analysis As A Measure Of Scleractinian Coral Growth, Steven K. Gustafson
Assessment Of Image Analysis As A Measure Of Scleractinian Coral Growth, Steven K. Gustafson
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Image analysis was used to measure basal areas of selected colonies of Montastraea annularis and Porites astreoides, following the colonies over a three-year period from 2002 to 2004. Existing digital images of permanently-marked quadrats in the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, Belize, were selected based on image quality and availability of images of selected quadrats for all three years. Annual growth rates were calculated from the basal-area measurements. Mean growth rates (radial skeletal extension) for M. annularis and P. astreoides were 0.02 cm yr-1 and -0.20 cm yr-1, respectively. Basal area measurements demonstrated a large degree of variability. Increases were approximately …