Marine Biology Commons^™

Validating The Use Of Sex Steroid Hormones Extracted From The Skeletal Muscle Tissue Of The Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae), Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias), And The Little Skate (Leucoraja Erinacea) To Assess Reproductive Status In Elasmobranch Fishes, Bianca Prohaska

All Theses And Dissertations

Currently, circulating concentrations of plasma steroid hormones are used as one means to assess reproductive maturity and reproductive cycles in elasmobranchs. However, obtaining blood non-lethally from large and/or endangered species can be problematic because of difficulties involved with specimen handling. Thus, there is a need to develop new approaches and techniques to study the reproductive biology of elasmobranchs. Previous work conducted on other classes of vertebrates has demonstrated that steroid hormones can be successfully extracted from muscle tissue. The process of collecting muscle tissue samples is quick, minimally invasive, and may be conducted without removing the animal from the water, …

Microhabitat Selection By Marine Mesoconsumers In A Thermally Heterogeneous Habitat: Behavioral Thermoregulation Or Avoiding Predation Risk?, Jeremy Vaudo, Michael Heithaus

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Habitat selection decisions by consumers has the potential to shape ecosystems. Understanding the factors that influence habitat selection is therefore critical to understanding ecosystem function. This is especially true of mesoconsumers because they provide the link between upper and lower tropic levels. We examined the factors influencing microhabitat selection of marine mesoconsumers – juvenile giant shovelnose rays (Glaucostegus typus), reticulate whiprays (Himantura uarnak), and pink whiprays (H. fai) – in a coastal ecosystem with intact predator and prey populations and marked spatial and temporal thermal heterogeneity. Using a combination of belt transects and data …

Florida Keys Population Abundance Estimates For Nine Coral Species Proposed For Listing Under The U.S. Endangered Species Act, Steven Miller, William F. Precht, Leanne M. Rutten, Mark Chiappone

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

This report presents abundance and size-class distribution estimates for nine coral species in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas, all of which are proposed for listing or reclassification under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The lack of population data for these species was highlighted as a deficiency in the ESA Review Process by the Biological Review Team (BRT) in their Status Review (Brainard et al. 2011) and also by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (Federal Register 2012). Field sampling protocols were adapted from Aronson et al. (1994) and the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment program (Kramer …

A Review Of Predator-Prey Interactions Within Marine Ecosystems With A Focus On Top Predator Influences On Ecosystem Stability And Fisheries Management Implications, Kathleen Cook Hollowell

HCNSO Student Capstones

The objective of this paper is to review the effects top predators have on and within marine ecosystems, although the full impact that they have isn’t well understood. This paper will define and explain different types of direct and indirect interactions of predators on prey, the types of models or observing techniques currently used to study these interactions, the reasons for top predator loss and the impact top predator loss could have on marine ecosystems.

Diel Vertical Movements Of A Scalloped Hammerhead, Sphyrna Lewini, In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Eric R. Hoffmayer, James S. Franks, William B. Driggers, Paul W. Howey

Faculty Publications

Despite the circumglobal distribution of scalloped hammerheads, Sphyrna lewini (Griffith and Smith, 1834), little information is available regarding fine-scale movement and habitat use patterns for this species. Over a 27-d period, data were collected on diel habitat use and environmental preferences of a 240 cm (total length) female S. lewini. The shark exhibited a consistent and repeated diel vertical movement pattern, making more than 76 deep nighttime dives; the maximum depth reached was 964 m, where the temperature was 5.8 degrees C. The purpose of the nightly oscillatory deep diving pattern is unknown but could possibly represent feeding behavior. These …

Marine Turtle Health Assessment And Aquarium Suitability: Uzi Island, Zanzibar, Olivia “Warda” Crane

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study assessed the health of the marine turtles in the aquarium on Uzi Island. Health evaluations of each turtle included size, eating habit, and physical abnormalities. Behaviorally the sea turtles were observed at two different time periods multiple times. Results were compared to research on wild sea turtles. The conditions of the aquarium were evaluated for water quality and holding capacity. The water temperature, pH, and salinity levels were tested to assess the water quality. The results showed that the overall health of the sea turtles were positive from the normal activities and few abnormalities. The overall aquarium conditions …

Insights Into Archaeal Evolution And Symbiosis From The Genomes Of A Nanoarchaeon And Its Inferred Crenarchaeal Host From Obsidian Pool, Yellowstone National Park, Mircea Podar, Kira S. Makarova, David E. Graham, Yuri L. Wolf, Eugene V. Koonin, Anna-Louise Reysenbach

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: A single cultured marine organism, Nanoarchaeum equitans, represents the Nanoarchaeota branch of symbiotic Archaea, with a highly reduced genome and unusual features such as multiple split genes.

Results: The first terrestrial hyperthermophilic member of the Nanoarchaeota was collected from Obsidian Pool, a thermal feature in Yellowstone National Park, separated by single cell isolation, and sequenced together with its putative host, a Sulfolobales archaeon. Both the new Nanoarchaeota (Nst1) and N. equitans lack most biosynthetic capabilities, and phylogenetic analysis of ribosomal RNA and protein sequences indicates that the two form a deepbranching archaeal lineage. However, the Nst1 …

Coral Population Trajectories, Increased Disturbance And Management Intervention: A Sensitivity Analysis, Bernhard Riegl, M. L. Berumen, Andrew Bruckner

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Coral reefs distant from human population were sampled in the Red Sea and one-third showed degradation by predator outbreaks (crown-of-thorns-starfish = COTS observed in all regions in all years) or bleaching (1998, 2010). Models were built to assess future trajectories. They assumed variable coral types (slow/fast growing), disturbance frequencies (5,10,20 years), mortality (equal or not), and connectivity (un/connected to un/disturbed community). Known disturbances were used to parameterize models. Present and future disturbances were estimated from remote-sensing chlorophyll and temperature data. Simulations and sensitivity analysis suggest community resilience at >20-year disturbance frequency, but degradation at higher frequency. Trajectories move from fast-grower …

Ecosystem Effects Of Shell Aggregations And Cycling In Coastal Waters: An Example Of Chesapeake Bay Oyster Reefs, G G. Waldbusser, E N. Powell, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

Disease, overharvesting, and pollution have impaired the role of bivalves on coastal ecosystems, some to the point of functional extinction. An underappreciated function of many bivalves in these systems is shell formation. The ecological significance of bivalve shell has been recognized; geochemical effects are now more clearly being understood. A positive feedback exists between shell aggregations and healthy bivalve populations in temperate estuaries, thus linking population dynamics to shell budgets and alkalinity cycling. On oysterreefs a balanced shell budget requires healthy long-lived bivalves to maximize shell input permortality event thereby countering shell loss. Active and dense populations of filter-feeding bivalves …

Changes In A Tropical Seagrass Environment After Installation Of Small Artificial Reefs, Joseph M. Penta

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The 3-dimensional structural complexity of coral reef environments is positively correlated with measurements of biodiversity and biomass. EcoReefs are a type of artificial reef that resemble branching corals, such as Acropora cervicornis, which provide an environment of high structural diversity, and that are effective at recruiting and sustaining fish populations. Little is known, however, about the effects of EcoReefs on the surrounding environments in which they are deployed, so this study examined the results after installing Ecoreef modules in a seagrass environment. The installation occurred in March 2009 at Coco Cay in the Berry Island chain in the Bahamas …

Bioremediation Mariculture In Zanzibar, Tanzania: A Viability Assessment Of Using Bath Sponge And Pearl Oyster Farms To Filter Highly Olluted Waters In The Zanzibar Channel, Hayley Oakland

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Bioremediation of polluted water off the coastline of the urban center of Zanzibar—Stone Town, Unguja—was assessed for implementation feasibility through bath sponge and pearl oyster mariculture. A vast research base of the city’s coastal area exists, including the pollution concentrations at various locations, the ramifications of this pollution on the fringing ecosystems, and the relevant water circulation system of eddies and passageways produced by the north flowing East African Counter Current. In following the experimental examples of bioremediation projects around the world, this study tested facets of the filtration abilities of marine sponges and oysters. Both organisms suggested strong pollution …

Environmental And Physiological Influences On Productivity And Carbon Isotope Discrimination In Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L.), Meredith Leigh Mcpherson

OES Theses and Dissertations

A short-term longitudinal study was used to examine the relations of achievement motivation, general motivation, interest, and self-regulatory predictors to cognitive strategy use and academic performance. A total of 102 college undergraduates enrolled in their first college-level introductory psychology course completed an Achieving Tendency Scale of achievement motivation, the Motivated Strategies For Learning Questionnaire, and an Interest Profile in psychology during the first two weeks of the semester. At midterm they completed the Study Activity Survey of cognitive strategy use. At the end of the semester exam grades, total points earned in the course, and grade point average were obtained. …

Quantifying Intrapopulation Variability In Stable Isotope Data For Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion Nebulosus), Richard S. Fulford, Kevin Dillon

Faculty Publications

Stable isotope (SI) values of carbon (delta C-13) and nitrogen (delta N-15) are useful for determining the trophic connectivity between species within an ecosystem, but interpretation of these data involves important assumptions about sources of intrapopulation variability. We compared intrapopulation variability in delta C-13 and delta N-15 for an estuarine omnivore, Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), to test assumptions and assess the utility of SI analysis for delineation of the connectivity of this species with other species in estuarine food webs. Both delta C-13 and delta N-15 values showed patterns of enrichment in fish caught from coastal to offshore sites and …

Basin Isolation And Oceanographic Features Influencing Lineage Divergence In The Humbug Damselfish (Dascyllus Aruanus) In The Coral Triangle, Jeremy M. Raynal

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Coral Triangle (CT) is a hotspot for marine species diversity as well as for intraspecific genetic diversity. Here, nuclear RAG2 and mitochondrial D-Loop genes were used to identify deep genetic divergence among Dascyllus aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758) populations across relatively short scales within the CT. Mitochondrial clades different by greater than 20 mutational steps were geographically isolated from one another across the distance between Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands, and also east and west across the Philippines. Evidence for population structure in the Sulu Sea and at the Lesser Sunda Islands is also identified. The results suggest that the …

Response Of Natural Estuarine Algal Communities To Nitrogen Additions, Christopher Schweitzer

OES Theses and Dissertations

Coastal eutrophication resulting from nutrient over-enrichment plagues coastal waterways worldwide. In addition to dissolved inorganic N, many marine microbes, including phytoplankton, have the capacity to use certain dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) compounds. However, while we know that many specific DON compounds are labile, the bulk of the DON pool in nature is uncharacterized. The bioavailability of DON to estuarine microbes currently remains unclear.

It is becoming evident that natural phytoplankton assemblages in estuarine waters are capable of using both inorganic and organic N compounds for growth, both of which are present in anthropogenic point and non-point source discharges. Methods for …

Variation In Egg Components: A Study Of Maternal Investment And Resource Partitioning In The Nesting Loggerhead Sea Turtle; Estimating Genic Variation And Mapping Genetic Lineage Of A Rare Captive Helodermatid Population: Heloderma Horridum Charlesbogerti, Ketan V. Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Loggerhead sea turtles have the highest egg yields of any oviparous non-avian reptiles. Blood urea nitrogen levels increased as the season progressed while total blood albumen and total protein levels decreased. Wet egg mass (H = 1.7719 df = 2 p = 0.0375*) and albumen mass (H = 6.0507 df = 2 p = 0.0485*) significantly decreased across the nesting season however, wet yolk did not. Analysis of dried egg components showed that dry yolk and albumen did not differ across the nesting season. In addition on no seasonal change in dried egg components, hatchling size was conserved across the …

Genomic Versatility And Functional Variation Between Two Dominant Heterotrophic Symbionts Of Deep-Sea Osedax Worms, Shana K. Goffredi, Hana Yi, Qingpeng Zhang, Jane E. Klann, Isabelle A. Struve, Robert C. Vrijenhoek, C Titus Brown

Shana Goffredi

An unusual symbiosis, first observed at ~3000 m depth in the Monterey Submarine Canyon, involves gutless marine polychaetes of the genus Osedax and intracellular endosymbionts belonging to the order Oceanospirillales. Ecologically, these worms and their microbial symbionts have a substantial role in the cycling of carbon from deep-sea whale fall carcasses. Microheterogeneity exists among the Osedax symbionts examined so far, and in the present study the genomes of the two dominant symbionts, Rs1 and Rs2, were sequenced. The genomes revealed heterotrophic versatility in carbon, phosphate and iron uptake, strategies for intracellular survival, evidence for an independent existence, and numerous potential …

Effects Of Reef Proximity On The Structure Of Fish Assemblages Of Unconsolidated Substrata, Arthur L. Schultz, Hamish S. Malcolm, Daniel J. Bucher, Stephen Da Smith

Professor Stephen DA Smith

Fish assemblages of unconsolidated sedimentary habitats on continental shelves are poorly described when compared to those of hard substrata. This lack of data restricts the objective management of these extensive benthic habitats. In the context of protecting representative areas of all community types, one important question is the nature of the transition from reefal to sedimentary fish assemblages. We addressed this question using Baited Remote Underwater Videos (BRUVs) to assess fish assemblages of sedimentary habitats at six distances from rocky reefs (0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 m) at four sites in subtropical eastern Australia. Distance from reef was …

Design Of An Underwater Video And Gps Mapping System For The Exploration Of Streambed Aquatic Populations, William Barbour

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

This design project was initiated due to the need for an underwater video mapping system optimized for exploration along the streambed or riverbed and under rocks. Such a system would be used for population mapping of fish and other aquatic species. The system also needed to incorporate global positioning system data with the visual data. The current prototype successfully fulfills the requirements for underwater practicality and visual and GPS data collection. It incorporates a compact waterproof camera with Sony lens, two Fenix high-intensity waterproof flashlights for illumination, a handheld DVR for recording video, and a Garmin 60CSx GPS unit. The …

Supplemental Feeding For Ecotourism Reverses Diel Activity And Alters Movement Patterns And Spatial Distribution Of The Southern Stingray, Dasyatis Americana, Mark John Corcoran, Bradley M. Wetherbee, Mahmood S. Shivji, Matthew Potenski, Demian D. Chapman, Guy Harvey

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Southern stingrays, Dasyatis americana, have been provided supplemental food in ecotourism operations at Stingray City Sandbar (SCS), Grand Cayman since 1986, with this site becoming one of the world’s most famous and heavily visited marine wildlife interaction venues. Given expansion of marine wildlife interactive tourism worldwide, there are questions about the effects of such activities on the focal species and their ecosystems. We used a combination of acoustic telemetry and tag-recapture efforts to test the hypothesis that human-sourced supplemental feeding has altered stingray activity patterns and habitat use at SCS relative to wild animals at control sites. Secondarily, we …