Life Sciences Commons^™

Interannual Decline, Compensatory Exploitation, And Conservation Of The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Population In Winter, Rom Lipcius, Marcel M. Montane

Reports

No abstract provided.

Sorbitol-Fermenting Bifidobacteria As Indicators Of Diffuse Human Faecal Pollution In Estuarine Waters, Mw Rhodes, H Kator

VIMS Articles

Sorbitol fermenting bifidobacteria were evaluated as indicators of non-point source human faecal pollution to three sub-estuaries with elevated faecal coliform densities. Human-specific bifidobacteria correlated with identifiable human sanitary deficiencies in feeder streams to estuarine creeks in two of three watersheds examined, one rural and one moderately developed. Sorbitol-fermenting bifidobacteria were recovered at densities ranging from 1 to 90 colony-forming-units 100 ml(-1) in 11 of 258 water samples but were undetected in sediment (n = 68) and scat from resident wildlife (deer, muskrat and raccoon, n = 20). Failure to detect sorbitol-fermenting bifidobacteria in water samples during the summer months was …

Development Of An Expert System Based On A Tidal Prism Water Quality Model For Small Coastal Basins In Virginia, Albert Y. Kuo, Sung-Chan Kim, Kyeong Park, M. Dale Phillips

Reports

No abstract provided.

Perkinsus Marinus Extracellular Protease Modulates Survival Of Vibrio Vulnificus In Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) Hemocytes, Bd Tall, Jf La Peyre, Et Al, M Faisal

VIMS Articles

The in vitro effects of the Perkinsus marinus serine protease on the intracellular survival of Vibrio vulnificus in oyster hemocytes were examined by using a time-course gentamicin internalization assay. Results showed that protease-treated hemocytes were initially slower to internalize V. vulnificus than untreated hemocytes. After 1 h, the elimination of V. vulnificus by treated hemocytes was significantly suppressed compared with hemocytes infected with invasive and noninvasive controls. Our data suggest that the serine protease produced by P. marinas suppresses the vibriocidal activity of oyster hemocytes to effectively eliminate V. vulnificus, potentially leading to conditions favoring higher numbers of vibrios in …

What Does It Take To Become A Marine Scientist?, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Note: This material may not meet current educational standards and is presented as part of the Institute's historical publications.

The Crest, Summer 1999, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• New Research Aquarium System
• Finfish Aquaculture at VIMS
• Virginia Creates State Research Reserve System
• Pollution-Laden Sediments In Constant Flux
• Survey of Mid-Atlantic Sea Scallop Closed Areas
• Pfiesteria Update
• New Computer Program Helps Planners Balance Growth, Protection
• Virginia Sea Grant to Administer Commercial Fishery Resource Program
• VIMS Stranded Sea Turtle Project Underway Coastal Sediments Offer Clues to Climate Change, Pollution
• Seemingly Barren Habitat Proves Vital for Economically Important Virginia Fish (juvenile flounder)

Fish Species Richness In Relation To Restored Oyster Reefs, Piankatank River, Virginia, Jm Harding, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

Fish assemblages in relation to “reef” structures in marine habitats have been and continue to be topics for research addressing ecological and management questions. Much effort has been spent describing and defining fish assemblages, or groups of species, associated with tropical coral reefs (e.g., Sale 1991 and chapters therein), temperate hard bottom or rocky reefs (e.g., Sedberry and Van Dolah, 1984; Ambrose and Swarbrick, 1989), tropical lava flows (e.g., Godwin and Kosaki, 1989), and artificial “fishing” reefs (e.g., Chandler et al., 1985; Hueckel and Buckley, 1987; Bohnsack, 1989; Feigenbaum et al., 1989; Rountree, 1989; Stephan and Lindquist, 1989). Temperate oyster …

A Preliminary Study Of Predation On Blue Crabs By Three Fish Predators In A Seagrass Bed, R J. Orth, Jacques Van Montfrans, James Fishman

Reports

This report serves as a preliminary assessment of potential feeding impacts on blue crab prey inhabiting a seagrass bed in the York River by three species of recreationally and commercially important fish (striped bass, croaker, and red drum). We also provide an historic perspective indicating possible changes in relative abundance of these predatory fish between the period 1978-1980 and 1998. In no way do we intend for this report to reflect an accurate, bay-wide assessment of these relationships; the extremely limited temporal and spatial scope of this effort precludes such conclusions. However, this report supports the contention that habitat-specific predation …

Analysis Of Historical Distribution Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (Sav) In The James River, Ken Moore, David J. Wilcox, R J. Orth, Eva Bailey

Reports

Analyses of historical photography and ground surveys dating from the 1930s indicate that approximately 1645 hectares of SAV have been historically present in shallow water regions throughout the James River. This compares to 77 hectares of vegetation reported in 1997 and a James River Tier I SAV restoration goal of 107 hectares (areas mappped with SAV from 1971- 1991). Overall, the temporal and spatial patterns of loss of SAV populations in the James River suggest declines occurred first in the tidal freshwater regions of the upper James beginning approximately 50 years ago, and then subsequently in the lower James beginning …

Non-Redfield Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling In The Arctic: Effects Of Ecosystem Structure And Dynamics, Kendra L. Daly, Douglas W.R. Wallace, Walker O. Smith Jr., Annelie Skoog, Ruben Lara, Michel Gosselin, Eva Falck, Patricia L. Yager

VIMS Articles

The C:N ratio is a critical parameter used in both global ocean carbon models and field studies to understand carbon and nutrient cycling as well as to estimate exported carbon from the euphotic zone. The so-called Redfield ratio (C:N = 6.6 by atoms) [Redfield et nl., 1963] is widely used for such calculations. Here we present data from the NE Greenland continental shelf that show that most of the C:N ratios for particulate (autotrophic and heterotrophic) and dissolved pools and rates of transformation among them exceed Redfield proportions from June to August, owing to species composition, size, and biological interactions. …

Gloucester County Shoreline And Tidal Marsh Inventory, Marcia Berman, Harry Berquist, Sharon Dewing, George Thomas, Rose Laird

Reports

This inventory is intended to serve as a useful planning tool for managers, planners, regulators, and environmentalists with an interest in Gloucester County. This report documents conditions measured in the County of Gloucester using remote sensing techniques. Two separate activities have occurred in tandem to develop this inventory of tidal marsh, and shoreline features. First, a delineation of tidal marshes within the county used high end image processing software along with color infra-red imagery to delineate the boundaries oftidal marshes'within 33 georeferenced scenes. The process calculates the amount of tidal marsh measured within each river segment in acres. Second, the …

Selective Feeding Behavior Of Larval Naked Gobies Gobiosoma Bosc And Blennies Chasmodes Bosquianus And Hypsoblennius Hentzi: Preferences For Bivalve Veligers, Jm Harding

VIMS Articles

Naked gobies Gobiosoma bose, striped blennies Chasmodes bosquianus, and feather blennies Hypsoblennius hentzi provide important intermediate links within the trophic structure of estuarine oyster reef communities. Predator-prey interactions between planktonic larvae of these fishes and larval eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica may influence recruitment success within oyster reef communities. These 3 species of oyster reef fish larvae were cultured from wild nests and used in multifactorial laboratory feeding experiments with larval oysters or hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria as well as wild plankton as prey items to determine the effects of predator age, predator concentration, and prey type on feeding selectivity of …

1998 Annual Awards, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Miscellaneous

The Annual Awards ceremony is an occasion in which new employees and volunteers are introduced, employee service is recognized and student and faculty awards are presented.

Teleost Antibody Structure: Simple Prototype Or Elegant Alternative?, Sl Kaattari, Jv Klemer, Da Evans

VIMS Articles

Teleosts possess mechanism(s) by which they can generate considerable structural diversity within their tetrameric antibody molecules. In salmonids, this diversity is generated through a process of random polymerisation of the constituent monomeric subunits rather than dependency upon isotypic gene diversity. Thus, one gene product can give rise to as many as six different structural forms of immunoglobulin. In contrast to mammals, evidence suggests that this polymerisation process occurs late in the secretory process and not within the endoplasmic reticulum. This assembly process is likely to be important in the generation of teleost antibody functional diversity, thereby potentially simulating isotypy.

Isolation Of Aphanomyces Sp(P). Associated With Skin Lesions And Mortalities In The Striped (Mugil Cephalus) And The Thin Lip (Liza Ramada) Grey Mullets, Aa Shaheen, E Elsayed, M Faisal

VIMS Articles

Aphanomyces spp. were isolated from skin erosions and ulcers of cultured Striped and thin lip grey mullets. Fungi with non-septated hyphae were found in wet mount preparations of skin. Samples inoculated on glucose peptone liquid medium for three successive steps then mycelial growths were transferred into glucose peptone yeast extract agar medium. Aphanomyces spp. were successfully isolated, in axenic cultures, from seven out of 35 fish samples. The cultures were maintained on glucose peptone yeast extract liquid media. Formation of sporangia in tap water that contained hemp seeds confirmed that the grey mullet isolates are members of tlx genus Aphanomyces. …

Ontogenetic Changes In Habitat Use By Postlarvae And Young Juveniles Of The Blue Crab, Ra Pardieck, R J. Orth, R. J. Diaz, Rom Lipcius

VIMS Articles

Changing habitat requirements are evident during the developmental cycles of many species. In this field investigation, we attempted to distinguish between depth (shallow vs deep), habitat structure (seagrass species), and study site as factors influencing the distribution and abundance of postlarvae and juvenile blue crabs Callinectes sapidus in the Chesapeake Bay. Deep (greater than or equal to 70 cm mean low water [MLW]) and shallow (less than or equal to 50 cm MLW) suction samples in monospecific Zostera marina and Ruppia maritima beds were taken in the York River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Our studies revealed ontogenetic changes …

Environmental Factors And The Infectious Disease Caused By The Protozoan Parasite, Perkinsus Marinus, In Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica), Fle Chu

VIMS Articles

Temperature and salinity are two important factors limiting the distribution and abundance of Perkinsus marinus, a protozoan parasite of Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Results of laboratory studies ale consistent with field observations and clearly demonstrate that P. marinus susceptibility and disease advancement are positively correlated with temperature, salinity and in situ number of infective cells. Laboratory findings also suggest that environmental degradation may enhance the epizootic, although disease caused by P. marinus in oysters is known to be predominantly exacerbated by elevated temperature and salinity. Oysters cellular defence mechanisms appear ineffective in defence against P. marinus. Also, pollutant esposure caused …

Correspondence Between Environmental Gradients And Summer Littoral Fish Assemblages In Low Salinity Reaches Of The Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Cm Wagner, Hm Austin

VIMS Articles

Patterns in the assemblage structure of littoral fishes occupying the gradient between riverine and estuarine ecosystems were revealed through multivariate analysis of 5 annual summer seine surveys in 4 tributary systems of the lower Chesapeake Bay. Catch per unit effort of fishes was quantified and environmental variables measured to characterize assemblage structure and population responses along large-scale (km) environmental gradients. Results of two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and detrended canonical correspondence analysis (DCCA) suggested the presence of 4 intergrading assemblages of littoral beach fishes: permanent tidal freshwater, lower tidal freshwater, oligohaline estuary and mesohaline estuary. Littoral …

Flow Convergence And Stability At A Tidal Estuarine Front: Acoustic Doppler Current Observations, John M. Brubaker, John H. Simpson

VIMS Articles

Characteristics of the flow field in an estuarine frontal zone have been investigated in a field study in the lower James River estuary. Underway sampling with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) on repeated transects across the front provided information on the structure of the flow field near the front and its evolution in time. As this tidal intrusion front advanced up the estuary during the flooding tide, prominent and consistent features in the velocity field included a localized zone of convergent flow beneath the visible surface line and a stratified shear layer just upriver of the front. Within the …

Estimation Of Bacterial Respiration And Growth Efficiency In The Ross Sea, Antarctica, C. A. Carlson, N. R. Bates, H. W. Ducklow, D. A. Hansell

VIMS Articles

Seawater cultures were conducted in large volume (36 l) gas impermeable tri-laminate bags for the purpose of empirically deriving bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) and carbon conversion factors (CCF) in the south central Ross Sea. This experimental design allowed for concomitant measurements of metabolic reactants (loss of total and dissolved organic carbon [TOC and DOG]) and products (gain of total carbon dioxide [TCO2] and bacterial biomass) to be made from a single incubation vessel. Some previous studies have relied on proxy measurements (e.g. O-2, H-3-thymidine incorporation and cell abundance) to determine BGE and CCF rather than direct carbon measurements. Our experimental …

Bacterial Growth In Experimental Plankton Assemblages And Seawater Cultures From The Phaeocystis Antarctica Bloom In The Ross Sea, Antarctica, H. W. Ducklow, C. Carlson, Walker O. Smith Jr.

VIMS Articles

A series of seawater culture experiments was carried out during the Phaeocystis antarctica bloom in the Ross Sea polynya (76.5 degrees S, 180 degrees W; November to December 1994 and December 1995 to January 1996) to examine bacterioplankton growth and derive empirical factors for estimating bacterial production rates. Bacterial growth was exponential over 3 to 10 d in all experiments, at rates of ca 0.1 to 0.7 d(-1), even in persistently cold waters (-2 to + 1 degrees C). Growth rates were lower in the early part of the bloom (early to mid-November) and highest during the period of peak …

Phytoplankton Growth Rates In The Ross Sea, Antarctica, Determined By Independent Methods: Temporal Variations, Walker O. Smith Jr., D. M. Nelson, S. Mathot

VIMS Articles

The development of the seasonal phytoplankton bloom in the Ross Sea was studied during two cruises. The first, conducted in November-December 1994, investigated the initiation and rapid growth of the bloom, whereas the second (December 1995-January 1996) concentrated on the bloom's maximum biomass period and the subsequent decline in biomass. Central to the understanding of the controls of growth and the summer decline of the bloom is a quantitative assessment of the growth rate of phytoplankton. Growth rates were estimated over two time scales with different methods. The first estimated daily growth rates from isotopic incorporation under simulated in situ …

Observations On The Biology Of The Veined Rapa Whelk, Rapana Venosa (Valenciennes, 1846) In The Chesapeake Bay, Juliana Harding, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

The recent discovery of the Veined Rapa whelk (Rapana venosa, Valenciennes, 1846) in the lower Chesapeake Bay provides an opportunity to observe the initial biological and ecological consequences of a novel bioinvasion. These large predatory gastropods occur in subtidal, hard bottom habitats in the lower Bay and are capable of feeding, mating, and moving while completely burrowed. Hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) are consumed preferentially in the laboratory when offered concurrently with oysters (Crassostrea virginica), soft clams (Mya arenaria), and mussels (Mytilus edulis). Chesapeake Bay R. venosa readily open and consume large hard clams (30 to 85 mm SH) leaving no …

The Bacterial Component Of The Oceanic Euphotic Zone, H. W. Ducklow

VIMS Articles

Bacteria in the open sea remote from land are sustained strictly on local sources of organic production which should make understanding their nutrition and growth regulation easier than in nearshore systems, estuaries and lakes. Until now, a paucity of data from geographically isolated oceanic sites prevented ready :interpretation. In the past decade investigation of bacterial properties in oceanic systems has increased rapidly, stimulated in part by large oceanographic programs like the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study. Here I review comprehensive investigations of bacterial biomass and production dynamics in the subarctic north Atlantic and north Pacific, oligotrophic gyres in both oceans, …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Cytochrome C Oxidase I Sequences To Determine Higher-Level Relationships Within The Coleoid Cephalopods, Db Carlin, John Graves

VIMS Articles

Until recently, the higher-level phylogenetic relationships of coleoid cephalopods have remained unclear. A thorough knowledge of the higher-level phylogeny of the group has been limited by the paucity of paleontological data for this poorly-fossilized group and the lack of cladistic analyses of developmental, morphological, and molecular data applied to the coleoids. In this study we analyzed a 657 base pair portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene from 48 cephalopod species representing a broad spectrum of coleoid diversity to examine higher-level phylogenetic relationships within the group. The COI gene exhibited a high degree of nucleotide sequence variability, …

Abundance And Vertical Distribution Of Drifting, Post-Larval Macoma Spp. (Bivalvia : Tellinidae) In The York River, Virginia, Usa, Lp Garrison, Ja Morgan

VIMS Articles

We sampled the early drifting post-larvae of a complex of 2 species of tellinid bivalves, Macoma spp., at a station in the lower York River, Chesapeake Bay, USA. Plankton samples were collected by pump every 3 h from 3 depths (surface, mid-depth, and bottom) on 4 dates corresponding to full and new moons. Macoma spp. post-larvae (size range 400 to 500 mu m) were abundant in the plank ton throughout the sampling period. The environmental factors influencing the abundance and vertical distribution of drifting post-larvae were evaluated using linear and logistic regression. Post-larvae were always more abundant during night as …

Vertical Migration Behavior And Larval Transport In Brachyuran Crabs, Lp Garrison

VIMS Articles

I documented the patterns of vertical distribution and abundance of zoeae from 3 families of brachyuran crabs in the York River, a sub-estuary in southern Chesapeake Bay (USA). The family groups included species from Ocypodidae, Pinnotheridae, and Panopeidae. I assessed the effects of Light and tidal current stage on the abundance and vertical distribution of zoeae using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression. Clear behavioral patterns were evident in the logistic regression. Ocypodid larvae exhibited tidally timed behavior with larvae nearest the surface during ebb tides. Pinnotherid larval behaviors were correlated with both light and tidal current phase. Larvae …

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay, January 1998-December 1998 : Annual Progress Report, Herbert M. Austin, A. Dean Estes, Donald M. Seaver

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has conducted a juvenile striped bass seine survey from 1967 through 1973 and from 1980 through the present. The primary objective has been the monitoring of the relative annual recruitment success of juvenile striped bass in the spawning and to the nursery areas of Lower Chesapeake Bay. Initially (1967-1973), the survey was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and when reinstated in 1980 with funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service-under the Emergency Striped Bass Study program Commencing with the 1988 annual survey, support of the program has been jointly made …

The Status Of Virginia's Public Oyster Resource 1998, Melissa Southworth, Juliana Harding, Roger L. Mann

Reports

This report summarizes data collected during 1998 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.

The Crest, Winter 1999, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• Experimental Fishery on Georges Bank Holds Promise for the Scallop Industry
• New VIMS Center Boosts Aquafarming
• Invader Threatens Stressed Ecosystem (Rapa Whelk)
• Microscopic Phytoplankton Live Large
• Reality By the Numbers (Computer Modeling)
• Tautog Research
• Latest Returns From the Game Fish Tagging Program
• Educational Landscape Center (VIMS Teaching Marsh)
• Responding to the Chesapeake Executive Council Directive for Wetlands Protection and Restoration Goals
• Dangers to Blue Crabs Accelerating