Marine Biology Commons^™

Effect Of Hyposaline Stress On Metabolic Rate Of The Invasive Mussel Mytilus Galloprovincialis, Hayley C. Hart

Honors Thesis

Climate change is predicted to decrease ocean salinity as the polar ice caps melt and the occurrence of precipitation events increases. Decreased ocean salinity (hyposalinity) may negatively impact marine invertebrates, especially marine mussels, as they are osmoconformers and their internal osmolarity depends on the solute concentration of their environment. Hyposalinity stress may influence cell function and alter mussel physiology. To compensate for the change in the environment, mussels may expend more energy to restore internal osmolarity, which can be assessed by quantifying metabolic rate. Thus, the purpose of our research was to examine the physiological response of Mytilus galloprovincialis, …

Analysis Of Temperature And Salinity Effects On Growth And Mortality Of Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In Louisiana, Troy Sehlinger

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Salinity (S) and temperature (T) control every facet of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) life cycle, principally reproduction, development, growth, and mortality. Previous studies conducted in in the Breton Sound (BR) and Barataria (BA) estuaries have reported differences in growth and mortality rates between the basins. In the present study, environmental conditions were synchronized to compare growth and mortality rates between basins at similar combinations of T and S. Results indicate that when T and S are the same (synchronized), seasonal oyster growth and mortality rates differ between BR and BA. Seasonal analyses revealed that as salinities increased …

Effect Of Adult Chemical Cues On Molting Of Fiddler Crab Megalopae In Low Salinity Seawater, Sydney Rilum

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Three species of fiddler crabs, Uca minax, U. pugnax, and U. pugilator, are commonly found in estuaries along the Atlantic coast, each with distinct adult habitats differing in salinity and sediment grain size. Prior research has found evidence for larvae exhibiting selective settlement; however, the degree to which and the method by which they choose their species-appropriate habitat to settle in is still unknown. Additionally, a recent study determined that chemical cues from adult crabs stimulate molting in field-caught fiddler crab megalopae, as previously determined in lab-reared megalopae; however, in 35 ppt seawater, few U. minax molted. …

Determining The Physiological And Behavioral Aspects Of Salinity Tolerance In The Asian Clam, Corbicula Fluminea, John Roden

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, is an invasive bivalve species that now occurs through most of the lower 48 United States. While a significant degree of salinity tolerance has been observed in C. fluminea, owing to its estuarine lineage, the physiological and behavioral responses to changes in salinity by these organisms are not completely understood. It was hypothesized that Corbicula would initially avoid elevated salinity levels (>1 g/L) behaviorally through valve closure, but would eventually have to open to dispel anaerobic waste products and deal with the salinity. To explore this, Corbicula were collected and put through …

Determining Factors That Influence Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina Alterniflora Loisel) Transplant Success In Community-Based Living Shoreline Projects, Steven A. Carrion

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Efforts to mitigate shoreline erosion through living shoreline methods along the USA Atlantic seaboard have often incorporated the cultivation and transplantation of smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora. Assessments of these transplants at several sites in the Indian River Lagoon have shown that survival is variable after a year (survival: 10-93%). Lower survival has been attributed to environmental variables such as dislodgement by wave energy, and transplant shock due to salinity changes from cultivation to estuarine conditions. To improve living shoreline projects, we examined the effects of cultivation salinity (0 ppt, 15ppt) on transplantation success, and the success of anchoring plants …

Assessing The Responses Of Adult, Juvenile, And Larval Fish Assemblages To The Closure Of The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, An Artificial Tidal Pass In Southeastern Louisiana, Rebecca Weatherall Cope

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The creation of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) in 1963 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) represents one of the most catastrophic, anthropogenic stressors ever to impact the Lake Pontchartrain estuary in southeastern Louisiana, USA. The artificial tidal pass provided a direct route from the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans. It allowed for high saline waters to enter Lake Pontchartrain, resulting in detrimental changes to the biotic community of the Lake and surrounding wetland areas. In July 2009, the USACE closed the MRGO in hopes of restoring natural ecosystems. This study assesses changes in the adult, …

Segregation Of Palaemonid Shrimp Along The Shark River Estuary: Implications For Trophic Function, Lauren C. Mccarthy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the abundance, distribution, and spatiotemporal variation of palaemonid shrimp species in relation to season and salinity in the Shark River Estuary, Everglades National Park (ENP), Florida, USA. Five palaemonid species occurred in the samples: Palaemonetes paludosus, P. pugio, P. intermedius, Palaemon floridanus, and Leander paulensis; L. paulensis was collected only during the wet season. Overall, shrimp catches in traps doubled in the dry season. Catches in the upper estuary were dominated by P. paludosus, particularly in the wet season, while catch per unit effort (CPUE) at the most downstream, …

Effects Of Ammonia, Salinity And Oxygen On The Growth And Energetics Of The Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes Pugio, Ahmad Mohammed Altayaran

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The growth and energy budget of juvenile grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, were examined under various combinations of ammonia, salinity and dissolved oxygen. Experiments were performed to determine the effects of multiple stresses on the growth and physiological processes of the shrimp. The experimental design also allowed an evaluation of the effectiveness of several techniques for determining the productivity potential of aquatic animals exposed to stress.

A flow-through system was used to produce combinations of ammonia concentrations (0, 3, 6 and 12 mg/l) and salinities (20, 25, 30 and 35 ppt) for 21-day tests. The tests were conducted at high …

The Effects Of Salinity On Growth And Survival Of The Blue Tilapia Oreochromis Aureus (Steindachner) (Pisces Cichlidae), Maylon Lowell White Jr.

OES Theses and Dissertations

The growth rate of the blue tilapia, Oreochromis aureus, was measured in fresh water, 15 ‰ salinity, and 30 ‰ salinity. The fish were given a hormone-treated feed to sex-reverse the females. Acclimations were achieved by raising the salinity only 5 ‰ per day. A biofilter and frequent water changes were used to maintain water quality in each 40 1 system. Synthetic sea salts were used to achieve desired salinity. The fish were grown for 87 days at 27°-30° C.

So significant difference in growth rate occurred among the three treatments. Salinity did not influence mortalities. All fish appeared to …

Temperature And Salinity Tolerance Of The Larvae Of The Sand Shrimp, Crangon Septemspinosa (Say), Karen Lyttle Hinsman

OES Theses and Dissertations

The effects of temperature and salinity on the larval development of the sand shrimp, Crangon septemspinosa, were investigated in the laboratory using 30 combinations of temperature and salinity in a five by six factorial experiment. The five temperatures were 5°c, 10°c, 15°c, 20°c, and 25°c and the six salinities were 10°/oo, 15°/oo, 20°/oo, 25°/oo, 30°/oo and 35°/oo. Thirty-six larvae were used for each temperature-salinity combination. Temperature and salinity produced significant differences (1% level) in survival and the duration of larval development. Highest survival occurred at 15°c and 20°/oo. At optimum temperatures (15°c to 20°c) larvae exhibited the broadest tolerance …