Marine Biology Commons^™

Incorporating Life Into Living Shorelines: Can Gulf Ribbed Mussels Reduce Shoreline Erosion And Enhance Restoration Practices?, Jordan Logarbo

LSU Master's Theses

The gulf ribbed mussel (Geukensia granosissima) exists throughout the Gulf of Mexico and influences biotic and abiotic environmental attributes as an ecosystem engineer. Ribbed mussels are an important component of marsh ecosystems providing services including filtering particulate matter, depositing and transforming nutrients in the system, increasing soil strength via byssal threads and providing structure via their shells.

The spatial distribution of mussels along the marsh edge of Sister Lake, LA was investigated via a broad survey of 150 sites, in relation to elevation, exposure and vegetation percent cover. This survey was followed by a second survey at a …

Effects Of Small-Scale, Shading-Induced Seagrass Loss On Blue Carbon Storage: Implications For Management Of Degraded Seagrass Ecosystems [Dataset], Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett, Caitlin Wessel, Just Cebrian, Peter J. Ralph, Pere Masque´, Peter I. Macreadie

Research Datasets

1. Seagrass meadows are important global ‘blue carbon’ sinks. Despite a 30% loss of seagrasses globally during the last century, there is limited empirical research investigating the effects of disturbance and loss of seagrass on blue carbon stocks.

2. In this study, we hypothesised that seagrass loss would reduce blue carbon stocks. Using shading cloth, we simulated small-scale die-offs of two subtropical seagrass species, Halodule wrightii and Thalassia testudinum, in a dynamic northern Gulf of Mexico lagoon. The change in quantity and quality of sediment organic matter and organic carbon were compared among kill, control and bare plots before the …

Metabolic Activity Of The Epiphytic Community Associated With Spartina Alterniflora, Wilmer C. Stowe, James G. Gosselink

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Primary production and respiration rates were determined for two epiphytic communities associated with Spartina alternifloraLoisel., in the southwestern Barataria Bay area of Louisiana. The communities studied were: (1) a shoreline community and (2) a community 1.5 meters inland from the shoreline site. Annual mean net production and respiration rates for the shoreline community were 25.8 and -19.6 mg C • (m² substrate area)^-1 • h^-1 respectively;whereas the inland community showed corresponding rates of -3.3 and -12.5 mg C • (m² substrate area)^-1 • h^-1, respectively. Thus, the shoreline community was a net …

Soil Characteristics Of Spartina Alterniflora, Spartina Patens, Juncus Roemerianus, Scirpus Olneyi, And Distichlis Spicata Populations At One Locality In Mississippi, Lionel N. Eleuterius, John D. Caldwell

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Soil characteristics from five adjacent monotypic zones or different populations of tidal marsh plants are determined. Populations of Spartina alterniflora, Spartina patens, Juncus roemerianus, Scirpus olneyi, and Distichlis spicata located in Graveline Bay marsh, Mississippi, are studied. Slight elevational differences between the plant populations exist. The aerial biomass for each plant population is different based on seasonal determinations. Soil pH, organic matter, N, P, K, S, Zn, Ca, and Mg concentrations are based on analyses of seasonal composite soil samples. Analyses of soil water samples are used to determine water content, salinity, PO₄, and …

Seedling Establishment Of Spartina Alterniflora And Spartina Patens On Dredged Materials In Texas, James W. Webb, J.D. Dodd, B.H. Koerth, A.T. Weichert

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Effects of fertilizer, elevation, and tidal inundation on seedling establishment of Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens were tested at a wave-protected sandy dredged material site, Galveston Bay, Texas. No seedlings that grew from sown seeds became established at elevations below 36 cm (msl) while the greatest number established in the upper tier. Seedlings of S. alterniflora were more numerous than S. patens in the upper and middle tiers. Naturally occurring seedlings of S. alterniflora, which apparently germinated from seeds produced on transplants in adjacent plots, established at all elevations of the site during winter. The average time of tidal …

Determining The Uptake And Possible Assimilation Of The Plant Component Of Spartina Detritus By Palaemonetes Pugio Using A Rapid Radiolabeling Method, Michael Peter Crosby

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Assimilation of the plant components of Spartina alterniflora detritus by the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, was investigated in a laboratory feeding study. A new radiolabeling procedure was utilized to label the sterilized detritus with ¹⁴C. Organic carbon values were calculated for both S. alterniflora and P. pugio. The grass shrimp were found to assimilate significantly the detritus, with an assimilation efficiency of approximately 14%, and an approximate ingestion rate of 2.508 x l0^-4mg C detritus/mg C shrimp hour^-l occurred. It is hypothesized that coprophagous activity may be important to the completion of digestion of …

Observations On Claviceps Purpurea On Spartina Alterniflora In The Coastal Marshes Of Mississippi, Lionel N. Eleuterius

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Seventy-five years ago the first report of the occurrence of Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul. on Spartina alterniflora Loisel in Mississippi was made by Tracy and Earle (1895). Collections were taken at Ocean Springs, Mississippi on Christmas Day in 1892. These specimens are in the herbarium of the Department of Plant Pathology at Mississippi State University. Tracy and Earle presented no data on the infection rate nor does collection data indicate widespread infection. Parris (1959) published a revised host index of Mississippi plant diseases in which he listed C. purpurea based on the collections by 'Tracy and Earle. No further reports …