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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
A Pleistocene Legacy Structures Variation In Modern Seagrass Ecosystems, J. Emmett Duffy, John J. Stachowicz, (...), Robert J. Orth, J. Paul Richadson, Et Al
A Pleistocene Legacy Structures Variation In Modern Seagrass Ecosystems, J. Emmett Duffy, John J. Stachowicz, (...), Robert J. Orth, J. Paul Richadson, Et Al
VIMS Articles
Distribution of Earth’s biomes is structured by the match between climate and plant traits, which in turn shape associated communities and ecosystem processes and services. However, that climate–trait match can be disrupted by historical events, with lasting ecosystem impacts. As Earth’s environment changes faster than at any time in human history, critical questions are whether and how organismal traits and ecosystems can adjust to altered conditions. We quantified the relative importance of current environmental forcing versus evolutionary history in shaping the growth form (stature and biomass) and associated community of eelgrass (Zostera marina), a widespread foundation plant of …
A General Pattern Of Trade-Offs Between Ecosystem Resistance And Resilience To Tropical Cyclones, Christopher J. Patrick, John S. Kominoski, (...), Enie Hensel, Marc J. S. Hense, Bradley A. Strickland, (..), A. K. Hardison, Sean Kinard, Et Al
A General Pattern Of Trade-Offs Between Ecosystem Resistance And Resilience To Tropical Cyclones, Christopher J. Patrick, John S. Kominoski, (...), Enie Hensel, Marc J. S. Hense, Bradley A. Strickland, (..), A. K. Hardison, Sean Kinard, Et Al
VIMS Articles
Tropical cyclones drive coastal ecosystem dynamics, and their frequency, intensity, and spatial distribution are pre-dicted to shift with climate change. Patterns of resistance and resilience were synthesized for 4138 ecosystem time series from n = 26 storms occurring between 1985 and 2018 in the Northern Hemisphere to predict how coastal ecosystems will respond to future disturbance regimes. Data were grouped by ecosystems (fresh water, salt water, terrestrial, and wetland) and response categories (biogeochemistry, hydrography, mobile biota, sedentary fauna, and vascular plants). We observed a repeated pattern of trade-offs between resistance and resilience across analyses. These patterns are likely the outcomes …
Aquaculture And Eelgrass Zostera Marina Interactions In Temperate Ecosystems, L. M. Howarth, L. M. Lewis-Mccrea, M. L. Kellogg, E. T. Apostolaki, G. K. Reid
Aquaculture And Eelgrass Zostera Marina Interactions In Temperate Ecosystems, L. M. Howarth, L. M. Lewis-Mccrea, M. L. Kellogg, E. T. Apostolaki, G. K. Reid
VIMS Articles
This paper reviews the impacts of shellfish and finfish aquaculture on eelgrass
Zostera marina, the most widely distributed seagrass species in the northern hemisphere. Shellfish aquaculture can have positive, neutral, and negative effects on eelgrass. Positive interactions can be generated by the filtering activity of cultured bivalves, which may improve water quality and reduce epiphyte loads, and shellfish biodeposits may provide more nutrients to eelgrass and other vegetation. However, negative responses are more commonly reported and can be caused
by shading and sedimentation. These negative effects tend to occur directly under and immediately surrounding shellfish farms and rapidly diminish with …
The Biogeography Of Community Assembly: Latitude And Predation Drive Variation In Community Trait Distribution In A Guild Of Epifaunal Crustaceans, Collin P. Gross, J. Emmett Duffy, (...), Robert J. Orth, Et Al
The Biogeography Of Community Assembly: Latitude And Predation Drive Variation In Community Trait Distribution In A Guild Of Epifaunal Crustaceans, Collin P. Gross, J. Emmett Duffy, (...), Robert J. Orth, Et Al
VIMS Articles
While considerable evidence exists of biogeographic patterns in the intensity of species interactions, the influence of these patterns on variation in community structure is less clear. Studying how the distributions of traits in communities vary along global gradients can inform how variation in interactions and other factors contribute to the process of community assembly. Using a model selection approach on measures of trait dispersion in crustaceans associated with eelgrass (Zostera marina) spanning 30° of latitude in two oceans, we found that dispersion strongly increased with increasing predation and decreasing latitude. Ocean and epiphyte load appeared as secondary predictors; …
Climate Drives Long-Term Change In Antarctic Silverfish Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Andrew D. Corso, Deborah K. Steinberg, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, Eric J. Hilton
Climate Drives Long-Term Change In Antarctic Silverfish Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Andrew D. Corso, Deborah K. Steinberg, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, Eric J. Hilton
VIMS Articles
Over the last half of the 20th century, the western Antarctic Peninsula has been one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, leading to substantial reductions in regional sea ice coverage. These changes are modulated by atmospheric forcing, including the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) pressure system. We utilized a novel 25-year (1993–2017) time series to model the effects of environmental variability on larvae of a keystone species, the Antarctic Silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica). Antarctic Silverfish use sea ice as spawning habitat and are important prey for penguins and other predators. We show that warmer sea surface temperature and …
The Feeding Ecology And Microbiome Of The Pteropod Limacina Helicina Antarctica, Patricia S. Thibodeau, Bongkeun Song, Carly M. Moreno, Deborah K. Steinberg
The Feeding Ecology And Microbiome Of The Pteropod Limacina Helicina Antarctica, Patricia S. Thibodeau, Bongkeun Song, Carly M. Moreno, Deborah K. Steinberg
VIMS Articles
The pteropod (pelagic snail) Limacina helicina antarctica is a dominant grazer along
the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and plays an important role in regional food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycling. For the first time, we examined the gut microbiome and feeding ecology of L. h. antarctica based on 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequences of gut contents in the WAP during austral summer. Eukaryotic gut contents of L. h. antarctica indicate that this species predominantly feeds on diatoms and dinoflagellates, supplementing its diet with ciliates and foraminifera. Mollicutes bacteria were a consistent component of the gut microbiome. Determining the gut …
Reviews And Syntheses: Spatial And Temporal Patterns In Seagrass Metabolic Fluxes, Melissa Ward, Tye L. Kindinger, Heidi K. Hirsh, (...), Emily B. Rivest, Et Al
Reviews And Syntheses: Spatial And Temporal Patterns In Seagrass Metabolic Fluxes, Melissa Ward, Tye L. Kindinger, Heidi K. Hirsh, (...), Emily B. Rivest, Et Al
VIMS Articles
Seagrass meadow metabolism has been measured for decades to gain insight into ecosystem energy, biomass production, food web dynamics, and, more recently, to inform its potential in ameliorating ocean acidification (OA). This extensive body of literature can be used to infer trends and drivers of seagrass meadow metabolism. Here, we synthesize the results from 56 studies reporting in situ rates of seagrass gross primary productivity, respiration, and/or net community productivity to highlight spatial and temporal variability in oxygen (O2) fluxes. We illustrate that daytime net community production (NCP) is positive overall and similar across seasons and geographies. Full-day …
Refining Real-Time Predictions Of Vibrio Vulnificus Concentrations In A Tropical Urban Estuary By Incorporating Dissolved Organic Matter Dynamics, Jessica Bullington, Abigal R. Golder, Grieg F. Steward, Et Al
Refining Real-Time Predictions Of Vibrio Vulnificus Concentrations In A Tropical Urban Estuary By Incorporating Dissolved Organic Matter Dynamics, Jessica Bullington, Abigal R. Golder, Grieg F. Steward, Et Al
VIMS Articles
The south shore of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi is one of the most visited coastal tourism areas in the United States with some of the highest instances of recreational waterborne disease. A population of the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio vulnificus lives in the estuarine Ala Wai Canal in Honolulu which surrounds the heavily populated tourism center of Waikīkī. We developed a statistical model to predict V. vulnificus dynamics in this system using environmental measurements from moored oceanographic and atmospheric sensors in real time. During a year-long investigation, we analyzed water from 9 sampling events at 3 depths and 8 sites along the canal …
Beautiful Swimmers Attack At Low Tide, David S. Johnson
Beautiful Swimmers Attack At Low Tide, David S. Johnson
VIMS Articles
It is low tide in a salt marsh. A blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, digs a shallow-water pit. It appears that the crab has missed the outgoing tide and is waiting for the next one. But it is not the tide the crab is waiting for. A female fiddler crab, Minuca pugnax, picks at the mud near the pit with its claws. It is eating. The blue crab waits. The fiddler crab moves closer to the pit. Suddenly, the water explodes as the blue crab seizes the fiddler crab and pulls it into the pit. Now it is the …
Core Metabolism Plasticity In Phytoplankton: Response Of Dunaliella Tertiolecta To Oil Exposure, Manoj Kamalanathan, Savannah Mapes, Alexandra Prouse, Et Al
Core Metabolism Plasticity In Phytoplankton: Response Of Dunaliella Tertiolecta To Oil Exposure, Manoj Kamalanathan, Savannah Mapes, Alexandra Prouse, Et Al
VIMS Articles
Human alterations to the marine environment such as an oil spill can induce oxidative stress in phytoplankton. Exposure to oil has been shown to be lethal to most phytoplankton species, but some are able to survive and grow at unaffected or reduced growth rates, which appears to be independent of the class and phylum of the phytoplankton and their ability to consume components of oil heterotrophically. The goal of this article is to test the role of core metabolism plasticity in the oil-resisting ability of phytoplankton. Experiments were performed on the oil- resistant chlorophyte, Dunaliella tertiolecta, in control and …
Stepping Stones Towards Antarctica: Switch To Southern Spawning Grounds Explains An Abrupt Range Shift In Krill, Angus Atkinson, Simeon L. Hill, (...), Deborah K. Steinberg, Et Al
Stepping Stones Towards Antarctica: Switch To Southern Spawning Grounds Explains An Abrupt Range Shift In Krill, Angus Atkinson, Simeon L. Hill, (...), Deborah K. Steinberg, Et Al
VIMS Articles
Poleward range shifts are a global-scale response to warming, but these vary greatly among taxa and are hard to predict for individual species, localized regions or over shorter (years to decadal) timescales. Moving poleward might be easier in the Arctic than in the Southern Ocean, where evidence for range shifts is sparse and contradictory. Here, we compiled a database of larval Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba and, together with an adult database, it showed how their range shift is out of step with the pace of warming. During a 70-year period of rapid warming (1920s–1990s), distribution centres of both larvae and …
Adaptive Carbon Export Response To Warming In The Sargasso Sea, Michael W. Lomas, Nicholas R. Bates, Rodney J. Johnson, Deborah K. Steinberg, Tatsuro Tanioka
Adaptive Carbon Export Response To Warming In The Sargasso Sea, Michael W. Lomas, Nicholas R. Bates, Rodney J. Johnson, Deborah K. Steinberg, Tatsuro Tanioka
VIMS Articles
Ocean ecosystem models predict that warming and increased surface ocean stratification will trigger a series of ecosystem events, reducing the biological export of particulate carbon to the ocean interior. We present a nearly three-decade time series from the open ocean that documents a biological response to ocean warming and nutrient reductions wherein particulate carbon export is maintained, counter to expectations. Carbon export is maintained through a combination of phytoplankton community change to favor cyanobacteria with high
cellular carbon-to-phosphorus ratios and enhanced shallow phosphorus recycling leading to increased nutrient use efficiency. These results suggest that surface ocean ecosystems may be more …
Spatial Variability Of Microzooplankton Grazing On Phytoplankton In Coastal Southern Florida, Usa, Nicole C. Millette, Christopher Kelble, Ian Smith, Kelly Montenero, Elizabeth Harvey
Spatial Variability Of Microzooplankton Grazing On Phytoplankton In Coastal Southern Florida, Usa, Nicole C. Millette, Christopher Kelble, Ian Smith, Kelly Montenero, Elizabeth Harvey
VIMS Articles
Microzooplankton are considered the primary consumers of phytoplankton in marine environments. Microzooplankton grazing rates on phytoplankton have been studied across the globe, but there are still large regions of the ocean that are understudied, such as sub-tropical coastal oceans. One of these regions is the coastal area around south Florida, USA. We measured microzooplankton grazing rates in two distinct environments around south Florida; the oligotrophic Florida Keys and the mesotrophic outflow from the Everglades. For 2-years from January 2018 to January 2020, we set up 55 dilution and light-dark bottle experiments at five stations to estimate the microzooplankton community grazing …
Variation In Seagrass-Associated Macroinvertebrate Communities Along The Gulf Coast Of Peninsular Florida: An Exploration Of Patterns And Ecological Consequences, Savanna C. Barry, A. Challen Hyman, Charles A. Jacoby, Laura K. Reynolds, Mark Kowalewski, Thomas K. Frazer
Variation In Seagrass-Associated Macroinvertebrate Communities Along The Gulf Coast Of Peninsular Florida: An Exploration Of Patterns And Ecological Consequences, Savanna C. Barry, A. Challen Hyman, Charles A. Jacoby, Laura K. Reynolds, Mark Kowalewski, Thomas K. Frazer
VIMS Articles
Seagrasses form vast meadows of structurally complex habitat that support faunal communities with greater numbers of species and individuals than nearby unstructured habitats. The Gulf coast of peninsular Florida represents a natural laboratory ideally suited to the study of processes that shape seagrass-associated invertebrate and fish communities within meadows of a single species of seagrass, Thalassia testudinum. This suitability arises from a pronounced structural and chemical gradient that exists over ecologically relevant spatial and temporal scales, as revealed by extensive monitoring of water quality and seagrass. We hypothesized that seagrass-associated invertebrate communities would vary across five estuarine systems spread …
Spatiotemporal Distribution Of Phycotoxins And Their Co-Occurrence Within Nearshore Waters, Michelle D. Onofrio, Todd A. Egerton, Kimberly S. Reece, Sarah K.D. Pease, Marta P. Sanderson, William Jones Iii, Evan Yeargan, Amanda Roach, Caroline Dement, William G. Reay, Allen R. Place, Juliette L. Smith
Spatiotemporal Distribution Of Phycotoxins And Their Co-Occurrence Within Nearshore Waters, Michelle D. Onofrio, Todd A. Egerton, Kimberly S. Reece, Sarah K.D. Pease, Marta P. Sanderson, William Jones Iii, Evan Yeargan, Amanda Roach, Caroline Dement, William G. Reay, Allen R. Place, Juliette L. Smith
VIMS Articles
Harmful algal blooms (HABs), varying in intensity and causative species, have historically occurred throughout the Chesapeake Bay, U.S.; however, phycotoxin data are sparse. The spatiotemporal distribution of phycotoxins was investigated using solid-phase adsorption toxin tracking (SPATT) across 12 shallow, nearshore sites within the lower Chesapeake Bay and Virginia's coastal bays over one year (2017-2018). Eight toxins, azaspiracid-1 (AZA1), azaspiracid-2 (AZA2), microcystin-LR (MC-LR), domoic acid (DA), okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX1), pectenotoxin-2 (PTX2), and goniodomin A (GDA) were detected in SPATT extracts. Temporally, phycotoxins were always present in the region, with at least one phycotoxin group (i.e., consisting of OA and …
Advancing The Sea Ice Hypothesis: Trophic Interactions Among Breeding Pygoscelis Penguins With Divergent Population Trends Throughout The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Kristen B. Gorman, Kate E. Ruck, Tony D. Williams, William R. Fraser
Advancing The Sea Ice Hypothesis: Trophic Interactions Among Breeding Pygoscelis Penguins With Divergent Population Trends Throughout The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Kristen B. Gorman, Kate E. Ruck, Tony D. Williams, William R. Fraser
VIMS Articles
We evaluated annual and regional variation in the dietary niche of Pygoscelis penguins including the sea ice-obligate Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), and sea ice-intolerant chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus) and gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) penguins, three species that nest throughout the western Antarctic Peninsula (AP) to test the sea ice trophic interaction hypothesis, which posits that penguin breeding populations with divergent trends, i.e., declining or increasing, are reliant on differing food webs. Our study relies on values of naturally occurring carbon (13C/12C, δ13C) and nitrogen (15N/14N, δ15N) stable isotopes as integrated proxies of penguin food webs measured
over three years at three different …
Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Phytoplankton And Mixotrophs In A Temperate Estuary, Nicole C. Millette, Marcella Da Costa, Jordan W. Mora, Rebecca J. Gast
Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Phytoplankton And Mixotrophs In A Temperate Estuary, Nicole C. Millette, Marcella Da Costa, Jordan W. Mora, Rebecca J. Gast
VIMS Articles
A significant proportion of phototrophic species are known to be mixotrophs: cells that obtain nutrients through a combination of photosynthesis and prey ingestion. Current methods to estimate mixotroph abundance in situ are known to be limited in their ability to help identify conditions that favor mixotrophs over strict autotrophs. For the first time, we combine microscopic analysis of phototrophic taxa with immunoprecipitated bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)labeled DNA amplicon sequencing to identify and quantify active and putative mixotrophs at 2 locations in a microtidal temperate estuary. We analyze these data to examine spatial and temporal variability of phytoplankton and mixotrophs. Microscopy-based phototrophic diversity …
Environmentally-Determined Production Frontiers And Lease Utilization In Virginia's Eastern Oyster Aquaculture Industry, Jennifer Beckensteiner, Andrew M. Scheld, Pierre St-Laurent, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, David M. Kaplan
Environmentally-Determined Production Frontiers And Lease Utilization In Virginia's Eastern Oyster Aquaculture Industry, Jennifer Beckensteiner, Andrew M. Scheld, Pierre St-Laurent, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, David M. Kaplan
VIMS Articles
During the last decade, oyster aquaculture has rebounded in Virginia and has been associated with an increase in subaqueous leased area. Production levels remain historically low, however, and many leases are thought to be underutilized. This study uses a novel approach leveraging high-resolution environmental data to evaluate lease utilization and identify constraints on aquaculture development. Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) were used to define environmentally-determined production frontiers, i.e. production possibilities based on empirical observations of aquaculture production, available space, and environmental conditions. Both methods estimated Lease Capacity Utilization (LCU, from 0 to 1) for leases producing …
Krill Availability In Adjacent Adélie And Gentoo Penguin Foraging Regions Near Palmer Station, Antarctica, Schuyler C. Nardelli, Megan A. Cimino, John A. Conroy, William R. Fraser, Deborah K. Steinberg, Oscar Schofield
Krill Availability In Adjacent Adélie And Gentoo Penguin Foraging Regions Near Palmer Station, Antarctica, Schuyler C. Nardelli, Megan A. Cimino, John A. Conroy, William R. Fraser, Deborah K. Steinberg, Oscar Schofield
VIMS Articles
The Palmer Deep canyon along the West Antarctic Peninsula is a biological hotspot with abundant phytoplankton and krill supporting Adélie and gentoo penguin rookeries at the canyon head. Nearshore studies have focused on physical mechanisms driving primary production and penguin foraging, but less is known about finer-scale krill distribution and density. We designed two acoustic survey grids paired with conductivity–temperature–depth profiles within adjacent Adélie and gentoo penguin foraging regions near Palmer Station, Ant-arctica. The grids were sampled from January to March 2019 to assess variability in krill availability and associations with oceanographic properties. Krill density was similar in the two …
Cloud Shadows Drive Vertical Migrations Of Deep-Dwelling Marine Life, Melissa Omand, Deborah K. Steinberg, Karen Stamieszkin
Cloud Shadows Drive Vertical Migrations Of Deep-Dwelling Marine Life, Melissa Omand, Deborah K. Steinberg, Karen Stamieszkin
VIMS Articles
Our study provides evidence that, in addition to diel vertical migration, zooplankton residing at >300-m depth during the day perform high-frequency, vertical migrations due to light modulation by clouds. Using a water-following framework and measurements and modeling of the twilight zone light field, we isolated the detailed phototactic response and show that some twilight zone animals are considerably more active than previously thought, with a cumulative distance traveled of more than one-third of that for diel migration. The increased movement increases predation risk and has implications for the metabolic requirements of these animals in the food-limited deep sea.
Seagrass Recovery Following Marine Heat Wave Influences Sediment Carbon Stocks, Lillian R. Aoki, Karen J. Mcglathery, Patricia L. Wiberg, Matthew P. J. Oreska, Amelie C. Berger, Peter Berg, Robert J. Orth
Seagrass Recovery Following Marine Heat Wave Influences Sediment Carbon Stocks, Lillian R. Aoki, Karen J. Mcglathery, Patricia L. Wiberg, Matthew P. J. Oreska, Amelie C. Berger, Peter Berg, Robert J. Orth
VIMS Articles
Worldwide, seagrass meadows accumulate significant stocks of organic carbon (C),known as “blue” carbon, which can remain buried for decades to centuries. However,when seagrass meadows are disturbed, these C stocks may be remineralized, leading to significant CO2 emissions. Increasing ocean temperatures, and increasing frequency and severity of heat waves, threaten seagrass meadows and their sediment blue C. To date, no study has directly measured the impact of seagrass declines from high temperatures on sediment C stocks. Here, we use a long-term record of sediment C stocks from a 7-km2, restored eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadow to show that seagrass dieback following a …
Toward A Better Understanding Of Fish‐Based Contribution To Ocean Carbon Flux, Grace K. Saba, Adrian B. Burd, John P. Dunne, (...), Deborah K. Steinberg, Et Al
Toward A Better Understanding Of Fish‐Based Contribution To Ocean Carbon Flux, Grace K. Saba, Adrian B. Burd, John P. Dunne, (...), Deborah K. Steinberg, Et Al
VIMS Articles
Fishes are the dominant vertebrates in the ocean, yet we know little of their contribution to carbon export flux at regional to global scales. We synthesize the existing information on fish‐based carbon flux in coastal and pelagic waters, identify gaps and challenges in measuring this flux and approaches to address them, and recommend research priorities. Based on our synthesis of passive (fecal pellet sinking) and active (migratory) flux of fishes, we estimated that fishes contribute an average (± standard deviation) of about 16.1% (± 13%) to total carbon flux out of the euphotic zone. Using the mean value of model‐generated …
Saved By The Shell: Oyster Reefs Can Shield Juvenile Blue Crabs Callinectes Sapidus, Katherine S. Longmire, Rochelle D. Seitz, Alison Smith, Romuald N. Lipcius
Saved By The Shell: Oyster Reefs Can Shield Juvenile Blue Crabs Callinectes Sapidus, Katherine S. Longmire, Rochelle D. Seitz, Alison Smith, Romuald N. Lipcius
VIMS Articles
Juvenile blue crabs Callinectes sapidus use seagrass and other structured habitats as refuges from predation. Oyster reef habitats provide structural complexity that may offer refuge, but the value of these habitats for juvenile blue crabs has not been examined. We quantified survival of juvenile C. sapidus in structured oyster reef habitat versus unstructured soft-bottom habitat. In a field tethering experiment in the York River, lower Chesapeake Bay (USA), juvenile C.sapidus (10−50 mm carapace width [CW]) were tethered in sand (n = 40) or oyster reef (n = 39)habitats at subtidal sites 1−2 m deep. An underwater camera system was used …
Wap-1d-Var V1.0: Development And Evaluation Of A One-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation Model For The Marine Ecosystem Along The West Antarctic Peninsula, Hyewon Heather Kim, Ya-Wei Luo, Hugh W. Ducklow, Oscar M. Schofield, Deborah K. Steinberg, Scott C. Doney
Wap-1d-Var V1.0: Development And Evaluation Of A One-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation Model For The Marine Ecosystem Along The West Antarctic Peninsula, Hyewon Heather Kim, Ya-Wei Luo, Hugh W. Ducklow, Oscar M. Schofield, Deborah K. Steinberg, Scott C. Doney
VIMS Articles
The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a rapidlywarming region, with substantial ecological and biogeochemical responses to the observed change and variability for the past decades, revealed by multidecadal observations
from the Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. The wealth of these long-term observations provides an important resource for ecosystem modeling, but there has been a lack of focus on the development of numerical models that simulate time-evolving plankton dynamics over the austral growth season along the coastal WAP. Here, we introduce a one dimensional variational data assimilation planktonic ecosystem model (i.e., the WAP-1D-VAR v1.0 model) equipped with a model …
Distinguishing Zooplankton Fecal Pellets As A Component Of The Biological Pump Using Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis Of Amino Acids, S. C. Doherty, A. E. Maas, Deborah K. Steinberg, B. N. Popp, H. G. Close
Distinguishing Zooplankton Fecal Pellets As A Component Of The Biological Pump Using Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis Of Amino Acids, S. C. Doherty, A. E. Maas, Deborah K. Steinberg, B. N. Popp, H. G. Close
VIMS Articles
Zooplankton contribute a major component of the vertical flux of particulate organic matter to the ocean interior by packaging consumed food and waste into large, dense fecal pellets that sink quickly. Existing methods for quantifying the contribution of fecal pellets to particulate organic matter use either visual identification or lipid biomarkers, but these methods may exclude fecal material that is not morphologically distinct, or may include zooplankton carcasses in addition to fecal pellets. Based on results from seven pairs of wild-caught zooplankton and their fecal pellets, we assess the ability of compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA) to chemically …
Role Of Food Web Interactions In Promoting Resilience To Nutrient Enrichment In A Brackish Water Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) Ecosystem, K. Gagnon, C. Gustafsson, (...), J. P. Richardson, P. L. Reynolds, J. E. Duffy, C. Boström
Role Of Food Web Interactions In Promoting Resilience To Nutrient Enrichment In A Brackish Water Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) Ecosystem, K. Gagnon, C. Gustafsson, (...), J. P. Richardson, P. L. Reynolds, J. E. Duffy, C. Boström
VIMS Articles
Understanding the ecological interactions that enhance the resilience of threatened ecosystems is essential in assuring their conservation and restoration. Top-down trophic interactions can increase resilience to bottom-up nutrient enrichment, however, as many seagrass ecosystems are threatened by both eutrophication and trophic modifications, understanding how these processes interact is important. Using a combination of approaches, we explored how bottom-up and top-down processes, acting individually or in conjunction, can affect eelgrass meadows and associated communities in the northern Baltic Sea. Field surveys along with fish diet and stable isotope analyses revealed that the eelgrass trophic network included two main top predatory fish …
Molecular Underpinnings And Biogeochemical Consequences Of Enhanced Diatom Growth In A Warming Southern Ocean, L.J. Jabre, A.E Allen, S.J.P. Mccain, (...), Rachel E. Sipler, Et Al
Molecular Underpinnings And Biogeochemical Consequences Of Enhanced Diatom Growth In A Warming Southern Ocean, L.J. Jabre, A.E Allen, S.J.P. Mccain, (...), Rachel E. Sipler, Et Al
VIMS Articles
Phytoplankton contribute to the Southern Ocean’s (SO) ability to absorb atmospheric CO2 and shape the stoichiometry of northward macronutrient delivery. Climate change is altering the SO environment, yet we know little about how resident phytoplankton will react to these changes. Here, we studied a natural SO community and compared responses of two prevalent, bloom-forming diatom groups to changes in temperature and iron that are projected to occur by 2100 to 2300. We found that one group, Pseudo-nitzschia, grows better under warmer low-iron conditions by managing cellular iron demand and efficiently increasing photosynthetic capacity. This ability to grow and …
Effect Of Environmental History On The Physiology And Acute Stress Response Of The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica, Jill Ashey, Emily B. Rivest
Effect Of Environmental History On The Physiology And Acute Stress Response Of The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica, Jill Ashey, Emily B. Rivest
VIMS Articles
Environmental history (regimes of water quality to which an organism has been exposed in the past) may influence how the physiology of eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica responds to future environmental conditions caused by climate change. Previous research has examined environmental history in a 1-dimensional framework, failing to capture environmental history complexity through space and time. In this study, we examined environmental history as a multi-faceted parameter, incorporating abiotic water quality components, such as temperature, pH, and salinity, that differ among locations. We also assessed how different lengths of environmental histories, defined as proximal and distal, affected oyster physiology and stress …
A Review Of How We Assess Denitrification In Oyster Habitats And Proposed Guidelines For Future Studies, Nicholas E. Ray, Boze Hancock, Mark J. Brush, Allison Colden, (...), M. Lisa Kellogg, Et Al
A Review Of How We Assess Denitrification In Oyster Habitats And Proposed Guidelines For Future Studies, Nicholas E. Ray, Boze Hancock, Mark J. Brush, Allison Colden, (...), M. Lisa Kellogg, Et Al
VIMS Articles
Excess nitrogen (N) loading and resulting eutrophication plague coastal ecosystems globally. Much work is being done to remove N before it enters coastal receiving waters, yet these efforts are not enough. Novel techniques to remove N from within the coastal ecosystem are now being explored. One of these techniques involves using oysters and their habitats to remove N via denitrification. There is substantial interest in incorporating oyster-mediated enhancement of benthic denitrification into N management plans and trading schemes. Measuring denitrification, however, is expensive and time consuming. For large-scale adoption of oyster-mediated denitrification into nutrient management plans, we need an accurate …
Seabed Resuspension In The Chesapeake Bay: Implications For Biogeochemical Cycling And Hypoxia, Julia M. Moriarty, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Courtney K. Harris
Seabed Resuspension In The Chesapeake Bay: Implications For Biogeochemical Cycling And Hypoxia, Julia M. Moriarty, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, Courtney K. Harris
VIMS Articles
Sediment processes, including resuspension and transport, affect water quality in estuaries by altering light attenuation, primary productivity, and organic matter remineralization, which then influence oxygen and nitrogen dynamics. The relative importance of these processes on oxygen and nitrogen dynamics varies in space and time due to multiple factors and is difficult to measure, however, motivating a modeling approach to quantify how sediment resuspension and transport affect estuarine biogeochemistry. Results from a coupled hydrodynamic-sediment transport-biogeochemical model of the Chesapeake Bay for the summers of 2002 and 2003 showed that resuspension increased light attenuation, especially in the northernmost portion of the Bay, …