Marine Biology Commons^™

The Status Of Virginia's Public Oyster Resource 2009, Melissa Southworth, Juliana Harding, Roger L. Mann

Reports

This report summarizes data collected during 2009 in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The report is composed of two parts, part one, oyster recruitment (shell string) in Virginia and part two, dredge survey of selected oyster bars in Virginia.

Grazing Interactions Between Oxyrrhis Marina And Synechococcus Strains Grown In Single Nitrogen Sources, Virginia. Selz

WWU Graduate School Collection

The goal of this study was to assess the interaction between abiotic and biotic factors on diverse Synechococcus strains isolated from the coastal California Current (CC9311, CC9605, CC9902) and the oceanic Sargasso Sea (WH8102 and mutants: JMS40 and SIO7B). Previous research has demonstrated that abiotic factors, such as nutrient source or concentration, can alter cellular structure and chemistry. These cell characteristics in turn influence biotic factors such as predation by protozoan grazers. Synechococcus strains isolated from coastal and open ocean waters were grown to nitrogen (N) depletion in N-reduced medium. After reaching stationary phase, strains were transferred to media containing …

Photobiological Studies Of Ross Sea Phytoplankton, Sasha Tozzi

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Ross Sea polynya is characterized by high spatial and temporal variability and by an annual cycle of sea ice retreat, water column stratification, large phytoplankton blooms, and months of complete darkness. This region is also highly susceptible to increasingly changing climatic conditions that will significantly affect the hydrography, iron supply, primary production patterns and carbon cycling. This project focused on analyzing how differences in photosynthetic traits between the two major bloom-forming functional groups in the polynya, diatoms and the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, and investigate if these differences can explain their dominance and succession. The study was conducted as part …

The Role Of Copepods And Heterotrophic Dinoflagellates In The Production Of Dissolved Organic Matter And Inorganic Nutrients, Grace Kathleen Saba

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Zooplankton play a key role in the cycling of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and inorganic nutrients. The factors that affect these processes, however, are not fully understood. I measured the effects of various diets on DOM and inorganic nutrient production by the copepod Acartia tonsa and the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina, and explored the mechanisms of nutrient release from copepods. Copepods feeding on a mixed diet, the preferred diet of most copepods, had significantly lower dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ammonium (NH4+), and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) release rates compared to feeding on a carnivorous or herbivorous diet. Thus, copepod feeding …

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation And Management Plan (Ccmp), Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds

A Citizen's Guide To Protecting East Kingston's Water Resources, Julie Labranche

PREP Reports & Publications

East Kingston is fortunate to still have much of the rural charm that makes living in New Hampshire so special. The ability to take relaxing walks through beautiful natural areas just minutes from your back door is one of the reasons residents love this town. Many of these open natural areas in town are on conservation land and one small parcel is getting extra attention by the East Kingston Conservation Commission to make it even more accessible to residents.

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive : Executive Summary, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds.

Seasonal And Salinity Effects On The Distribution Of Higher Filamentous Marine Fungi At Rookery Bay, Fl., Julia Ossler

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

More than 500 species of higher marine fungi in over 300 genera have been described. Many marine fungi are highly specialized for marine environments relative to their terrestrial counterparts, having appendaged ascospores and conidia to aid in buoyancy, entrapment, and adherence to substrates. They have been reported to inhabit a wide variety of substrates including decaying wood, leaves, calcareous and chitinous substrates, seaweeds, and seagrasses. Most early studies on marine fungi were carried out in temperate regions. Investigations have now shifted to tropical locations in order to better evaluate the abundance and diversity of marine fungi on a global basis. …

The Evolution Of Euhermaphroditism In Caridean Shrimps: A Molecular Perspective Of Sexual Systems And Systematics, G. Curt Fiedler, Andrew L. Rhyne, Ryoko Segawa, Tadashi Aotsuka, Nikolaos V V. Schizas

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The hippolytid genus Lysmata is characterized by simultaneous hermaphroditism, a very rare sexual system among Decapoda. Specialized cleaning behavior is reported in a few pair-living species; these life history traits vary within the genus. Unfortunately, the systematics of Lysmata and the Hippolytidae itself are in contention, making it difficult to examine these taxa for trends in life history traits. A phylogeny of Lysmata and related taxa is needed, to clarify their evolutionary relationships and the origin of their unique sexual pattern. In this study, we present a molecular phylogenetic analysis among species of Lysmata, related genera, and several putative …

Polyunsaturated Aldehyde Production By A Temporally Varying Field Assemblage Of Diatoms In The San Juan Island Archipelago: Can Diatom Metabolites Affect Microzooplankton Grazing?, Blair M. (Blair Michael) Paul

WWU Graduate School Collection

The success of diatoms in a wide range of global habitats, together with common observations of the post-bloom sinking of diatom biomass, indicates that this taxon has evolved a mechanism to reduce the largest loss process for phytoplankton in the ocean, microzooplankton grazing. Recent research has shown that polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs), lipid oxidation products generated by various species of diatoms, can reduce copepod fecundity and egg hatching success. This leads to the question of whether PUAs adversely affect the major global consumers of phytoplankton, microzooplankton. In the late spring to early fall 2007, I used the seawater dilution technique to …

The Life History Of Longnose Gar, Lepisosteus Osseus, An Apex Predator In The Tidal Waters Of Virginia, Patrick E. Mcgrath

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) inhabit all of the major tributaries of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, extending from fresh to estuarine waters. Literature concerning longnose gar from tidal environments is limited and this is study concerns important aspects of the life history (e.g., growth, reproduction, dimorphism, movements, and diet). Age, growth, and reproduction are important life history aspects for understanding the biology of fishes and may be affected by the environment in which an individual lives. This study found no differences in the age, growth, and fecundity parameters between longnose gar from tidal portions of Chesapeake Bay tributaries and previous studies …

Interspecific Variation In Palatability Suggests Cospecialization Of Antipredator Defenses In Sea Hares, Kimberly K. Takagi, Nadia N. Ono, William G. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Prey species often deploy different kinds of antipredator defenses, which can interact with each other in ways that are not yet completely understood. Much research into these interactions has utilized gastropod mollusks, usually focusing (in part) on the protective utility of the gastropod shell. This makes the evolutionary reduction of the shell in the opisthobranch gastropods (marine slugs) particularly interesting. This loss of protective function of the shell is associated with the evolution of alternative defenses. Particularly well studied are chemical defenses, especially those using secondary metabolites derived from food resources. As a first step toward understanding interspecific variation in …

Observations On The Kalliapseudid Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Malacostraca: Peracarida) From The Northwestern Atlantic, With An Illustrated Key To The Species, David T. Drumm, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

New information for the kalliapseudid Tanaidacea occurring in the northwestern Atlantic is presented and discussed, including data on range extensions and new depth ranges for 4 species. The taxa studied came from the shelf and coastal waters of the southeastern United States, Puerto Rico and Trinidad. The occurrence of Mesokalliapseudes bahamensis Sieg is extended from the Bahamas and Belize to the coastal waters of East and Gulf coasts (South Carolina to West Florida). The range of Psammokalliapseudes granulosus Brum is expanded northward into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and new locality records for this species are established for Tobago and …

Effects Of Hurricane Katrina On An Incipient Population Of Giant Salvinia Salvinia Molesta In The Lower Pascagoula River, Mississippi, Pam L. Fuller, Mike G. Pursley, Dale Diaz, Wesley Devers

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The objectives of this study were to: 1) survey the lower Pascagoula River Basin and determine the post–storm distribution and abundance of giant salvinia; 2) control any remaining giant salvinia through physical and/or chemical means; 3) determine the fate of the bio–control agents; and 4) determine if re–introduction of salvinia weevils is needed and if so, to decide where best to release them.

Virginia Institute Of Marine Science Research Experiences For Undergraduates Program : Final Research Papers 2010, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

• Effects of by-catch reduction devices (BRDs) on commercial crab catch / Will Bennett --
• A study of habitat type and its effects on juvenile blue crabs / Robert Isdell --
• Macrobenthic production and food web structure in shallow tidal freshwater habitats, including beds of Hydrilla verticillata / Courtney Wickel --
• Studying and comparing Chesapeake Bay 3-D hydrodynamic models / Leslie Bland --
• Effects of shoreline development and upland usage on multiple trophic levels in Chesapeake Bay / Elizabeth Gomez --
• Responses of tidal freshwater plants to increases in salinity / L. Zoe Almeida --
• Trace metal cycling in an algal …

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay, January 2009-December 2009 : Annual Progress Report, Leonard S. Machut, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

The 2009 striped bass juvenile abundance index is 8.42 and is not significantly different from the historic average of 7.54. Additional methods of calculating the regional index support this conclusion. Catches in the York River were nearly identical to its historic average. Although the James River catches were higher and the Rappahannock River catches were lower than historic averages, they were not significantly so. Striped bass catches at auxiliary stations provide greater spatial coverage of the nursery grounds and suggest that juvenile striped bass were broadly distributed throughout the sampling area in 2009.

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2009, John A. Lucy, Lewis Gillingham

Reports

Through 2009, the Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program has maintained a 15-year database for tagged and recaptured fish. The program is a cooperative project of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament (under the Virginia Marine Resources Commission/VMRC) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) of the College of William and Mary (under VIMS Sea Grant Marine Extension Program).

Potential Effects Of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds On Bivalve Populations In Chesapeake Bay: A Review Of Current Knowledge And Assessment Of Research Needs, Mark Luckenbach, Peter Defur, M. Lisa Kellogg, Peter Van Veld

Reports

Numerous compounds in the environment interfere with normal endocrine function in humans and other animals. These compounds, which include heavy metals, a wide variety of anthropogenic organic compounds, steroids and steroid-mimicking compounds, are collectively termed endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). Over the past 20 years, research on the impacts of EDC exposure has identified a range of effects on growth, development, and reproduction in humans and wildlife.

Year 15 Work Plan, Prep

PREP Reports & Publications

No abstract provided.

Effect Of The Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis Marina And The Copepod Acartia Tonsa On Vertical Carbon Flux In And Around Thin Layers Of The Phytoflagellate Isochrysis Galbana, A. B. Bochdansky, S. M. Bollens, G. C. Rollwagen-Bollens, A. H. Gibson

OES Faculty Publications

Dynamics of material and energy flow through food webs differ when resources are allocated in patches in comparison to situations in which the same resources are distributed evenly throughout the water column. Thin layers of plankton are special cases of such resource patches. While previous studies have predominantly focused on the response of organisms to these layers, we investigated how 2 types of grazers in turn affect thin layers. In an experimental study with tightly controlled environmental conditions, we monitored the redistribution of particulate organic (POC), dissolved organic (DOC) and inorganic (DIC) carbon from thin layers of Isochrysis galbana. …