Other Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Spatial And Temporal Variations In The Air-Sea Carbon Dioxide Fluxes Of Florida Bay, Christopher Michael Dufore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The flux of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere is an important measure in determining local, global, and regional, as well as short term and long term carbon budgets. In this study, air-sea CO2 fluxes measured using a floating chamber were used to examine the spatial and temporal variability of CO2 fluxes in Florida Bay. Measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity obtained concurrently with chamber measurements of CO2 flux allowed calculation of ΔpCO2 from flux measurements obtained at zero wind velocity. Floating chamber measurements of ΔpCO2 were subsequently coupled with wind speed data to provide a simple …

Dynamics Of Stony Coral Assemblages On Patch Reefs Of The Upper Florida Reef Tract, Including Biscayne National Park, Amy Wallace

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The patch reefs located in Biscayne National Park (BNP) are some of the most northern reefs of the Florida reef system. The focus of my study is seven patch reefs that were first surveyed annually between 1977 and 1981, revealing 8% - 28% cover by scleractinian corals. An assessment of BNP patch reefs completed in 2000 reported that coral cover had decreased to approximately 0.4% - 10%. The once dominant species in the Florida reef tract, Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis, have rapidly declined over time and were not found in any transects during the 2000 survey.

This study is …

Sex And The Seas: Gene Transfer Agents, Elizabeth Young

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gene Transfer Agents (GTAs) are phage-like pthesiss that are produced by many alpha proteobacteria in late stationary growth phase and are capable of transferring chromosomal genes (termed "constitutive transduction"). Examination of alpha proteobacterial genomic sequences indicated widespread occurrence of GTA-like elements. The goal of this study was to investigate gene transfer potential of GTAs of marine alpha proteobacteria in culture as well as in natural marine environments. Another goal was to determine the potential of bacterial symbionts from zooxanthellae and coral to genetically transfer beneficial properties between symbionts. Ruegeria mobilis (ID 45A6) was isolated from cultures of the coral endosymbiotic …

Cataloguing Diseases And Pests In Captive Corals, Adrienne George

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stony corals (Order Scleractinia) are susceptible to a variety of diseases, which can occur from abiotic or biotic factors, or a combination of both. Public aquaria provide opportunities to study coral disease. Because coral mucus is the first line of defense against disease, the Biolog EcoplateTM is a useful tool to detect differences in microbial assemblages in the surface mucopolysaccharide (mucus) layer when comparing healthy and diseased corals. Histological examination is essential to document structural changes in coral tissue in response to diseases. This study identifies and characterizes diseases in captive corals through visual recognition, characterization of carbon utilization by …

Microbial Landscapes Of Corals And Ctenophores, Camille Arian Daniels

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As technology and engineering allow mankind to survey nature at finer scales, the importance of bacteria has been elucidated in their metabolic diversity, ability to transfer genetic information, involvement in biogeochemical cycling, and sheer abundance. With an individual domain of life unto themselves, this diverse group of microorganisms plays an integral role in facilitating life on land and in the oceans, and is second only to viruses in abundance on Earth. They carve niches in a wide range of environments, including those inhospitable to other life forms, and reside in concert or to the detriment of other microbes and/or hosts …

A Comparative Study Of Eucalanoid Copepods Residing In Different Oxygen Environments In The Eastern Tropical North Pacific: An Emphasis On Physiology And Biochemistry, Christine J. Cass

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The eastern tropical north Pacific (ETNP) is characterized by one of the ocean's most severe midwater oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), where oxygen levels are often less than 5 µM. The copepod family Eucalanidae is a numerically abundant and diverse zooplankton group in the ETNP, and displays a wide range of vertical distributions related to environmental oxygen concentrations. The goal of this dissertation was to develop a better understanding of the ecology, physiology, and biochemistry of closely related copepod species (family Eucalanidae) that inhabit the ETNP OMZ system. This was accomplished through examining different parameters relating to (1) metabolic rates, (2) …

Assessment Of Fertility Potential In Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus): An Elisa-Based Biomarker Analysis, Leslie Schwierzke Wade

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As apex predators in coastal systems, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are susceptible to persistent organic pollutant (POP) accumulation and retention over time, which has prompted continued interest in understanding the extent to which contaminant body burdens or other stressors are sufficient to cause adverse sublethal effects on energetic fitness, immune function, or reproduction. Increasing our knowledge of reproductive endocrinology in bottlenose dolphins may provide insight into changes in reproductive rates, thereby expanding the capacity to assess conservation status. This study used the Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) technique to examine peptide fertility hormones [inhibin A, inhibin B and anti-Müllerian …

Potential Habitat Of Acropora Spp. On Florida Reefs, Katherine Wirt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Elkhorn and Staghorn corals (Acropora palmata, A. cervicornis) were listed as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2005. The threatened status of these species is unprecedented given the vital role they historically played as major constructors of western Atlantic and Caribbean coral reefs. The goal of my study was to evaluate the current extent of habitat of the two species using a database of reported in situ observations. From these observations, potential habitat maps were produced based on benthic substrata and depth parameters throughout the Florida reef tract using GIS software. Locations of 99% of …

From Source To Sink: An Isotopic Perspective On The Biogeochemical Relationship Between The Everglades And Florida Bay, Ana Maria Hoare

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing human populations and activities in coastal areas have led to high nutrient loading and estuarine ecosystem decline. Natural hydrological patterns in South Florida have been drastically altered by changes in water management and land use practices. As a result Florida Bay has experienced a series of negative ecosystem effects including hypersalinity events, degradation of water quality, and harmful algal blooms and declines in upper trophic level populations. To remediate ecosystem decline in Florida's coastal ecosystems, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan proposes to restore a more natural hydrologic flow in the Everglades. It is expected hydrologic restoration efforts will change …

Underwater Hearing In The Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta Caretta): A Comparison Of Behavioral And Auditory Evoked Potential Audiograms, Kelly Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Methods for collecting behavioral audiograms are often time consuming and require trained, captive subjects. It is more practical to measure hearing sensitivity using electrophysiological methods, such as auditory evoked potential (AEP) testing, in which electrodes measure action potentials in response to acoustic stimuli. These data can be collected in a matter of hours. However, results should be verified through behavioral testing. Current knowledge of marine turtle auditory abilities is based on a few electrophysiological tests. The purpose of this study was to collect and compare behavioral and auditory evoked potential audiograms in a captive adult loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta …

Foraminiferal Assemblages On Sediment And Reef Rubble At Conch Reef, Florida Usa, Christy Michelle Stephenson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages are widely used to interpret responses of the benthic communities to environmental stresses. This study compares epibiotic foraminiferal assemblages, collected from reef rubble, with those from reef sediments. The study site, Conch Reef, is the site of the Aquarius Underwater Habitat research facility and includes protected areas used only for scientific studies. Although a number of studies have enumerated foraminiferal taxa from the Florida reef tract, no projects have focused on the assemblages that occur at Conch Reef.

Sediment and reef rubbles samples were collected via SCUBA from a depth range of 13 to 26 m during …