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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Species Diversity Of The Deep-Water Gulper Sharks (Squaliformes: Centrophoridae: Centrophorus) In North Atlantic Waters - Current Status And Taxonomic Issues, A Verissimo, Cf Cotton, Rh Buch, J Guallart, Gh Burgess
Species Diversity Of The Deep-Water Gulper Sharks (Squaliformes: Centrophoridae: Centrophorus) In North Atlantic Waters - Current Status And Taxonomic Issues, A Verissimo, Cf Cotton, Rh Buch, J Guallart, Gh Burgess
VIMS Articles
The gulper sharks (genus Centrophorus) are a group of deep-water benthopelagic sharks with a worldwide distribution. The alpha taxonomy of the group has historically been problematic and the number of species included in the genus has varied considerably over the years and is still under debate. Gulper sharks are routinely caught in mid- and deep-water fisheries worldwide and some have shown a considerable decline in abundance in the last few decades. Clear and consistent species discrimination of Centrophorus is essential for an efficient and sustainable management of these fisheries resources. Our study used molecular cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and …
Pan-Atlantic Analysis Of The Overlap Of A Highly Migratory Species, The Leatherback Turtle, With Pelagic Longline Fisheries, S Fossette, Mj Witt, P Miller, Ma Nalovic, D Albareda, Et Al.
Pan-Atlantic Analysis Of The Overlap Of A Highly Migratory Species, The Leatherback Turtle, With Pelagic Longline Fisheries, S Fossette, Mj Witt, P Miller, Ma Nalovic, D Albareda, Et Al.
VIMS Articles
Large oceanic migrants play important roles in ecosystems, yet many species are of conservation concern as a result of anthropogenic threats, of which incidental capture by fisheries is frequently identified. The last large populations of the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, occur in the Atlantic Ocean, but interactions with industrial fisheries could jeopardize recent positive population trends, making bycatch mitigation a priority. Here, we perform the first pan-Atlantic analysis of spatio-temporal distribution of the leatherback turtle and ascertain overlap with longline fishing effort. Data suggest that the Atlantic probably consists of two regional management units: northern and southern (the latter including …
Temperature, Hypoxia, And Mycobacteriosis: Effects On Adult Striped Bass Morone Saxatilis Metabolic Performance, D Lapointe, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Mary C. Fabrizio, Debra J. Gauthier, Richard Brill
Temperature, Hypoxia, And Mycobacteriosis: Effects On Adult Striped Bass Morone Saxatilis Metabolic Performance, D Lapointe, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Mary C. Fabrizio, Debra J. Gauthier, Richard Brill
VIMS Articles
Mycobacteriosis, a chronic bacterial disease of fishes, is prevalent in adult striped bass from Chesapeake Bay (USA). Although environmental factors may play a role in disease expression, the interaction between the disease and environmental stress remains unexplored. We therefore examined the individual and interactive effects of elevated temperature, hypoxia, and mycobacteriosis on the metabolism of wild-caught adult striped bass from Chesapeake Bay using respirometry. Because the spleen is the primary target organ of mycobacteriosis in striped bass, we hypothesized that the disease interferes with the ability of fish to increase their hemato crit in the face of increasing oxygen demands. …
Evidence Of Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) Seed Dispersal By Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys Terrapin Terrapin) In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Diane C. Tulipani, Romuald N. Lipcius
Evidence Of Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) Seed Dispersal By Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys Terrapin Terrapin) In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Diane C. Tulipani, Romuald N. Lipcius
VIMS Articles
The initial discovery in May 2009 of eelgrass (Zostera marina) seeds in fecal samples of wild-caught northern diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) was the first field evidence of eelgrass seed ingestion in this species. This finding suggested the potential of terrapins as seed dispersers in eelgrass beds, which we sampled for two additional years (2010 and 2011). Seeds were only found in feces of terrapins captured prior to June 8 in all three years, coinciding with eelgrass seed maturation and release. Numbers of seeds in terrapin feces varied annually and decreased greatly in 2011 after an eelgrass die off in …
Dimensions Of Biodiversity In Chesapeake Bay Demersal Fishes: Patterns And Drivers Through Space And Time, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Andre Buchheister, Katie May Laumann, Mark A. Stratton, Kathryn L. Sobocinski, Soloman Chak, Todd R. Clardy, Pamela L. Reynolds, Robert J. Latour, Emmett J. Duffy
Dimensions Of Biodiversity In Chesapeake Bay Demersal Fishes: Patterns And Drivers Through Space And Time, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Andre Buchheister, Katie May Laumann, Mark A. Stratton, Kathryn L. Sobocinski, Soloman Chak, Todd R. Clardy, Pamela L. Reynolds, Robert J. Latour, Emmett J. Duffy
VIMS Articles
Biodiversity has typically been described in terms of species richness and composition, but theory and growing empirical evidence indicate that the diversity of functional traits, the breadth of evolutionary relationships, and the equitability with which individuals or biomass are distributed among species better characterize patterns and processes within ecosystems. Yet, the advantages of including such data come at the expense of measuring traits, sequencing genes, and counting or weighing individuals, and it remains unclear whether this greater resolution yields substantial benefits in describing diversity. We summarized a decade of high-resolution trawl data from a bimonthly trawl survey to investigate spatial …
Small-Scale Vertical Movements Of Summer Flounder Relative To Diurnal, Tidal, And Temperature Changes, Mark J. Henderson, Mary C. Fabrizio
Small-Scale Vertical Movements Of Summer Flounder Relative To Diurnal, Tidal, And Temperature Changes, Mark J. Henderson, Mary C. Fabrizio
VIMS Articles
Observation of animal movements on small spatial scales provides a means to understand how large-scale species distributions are established from individual behavioral decisions. Small-scale vertical movements of 14 Summer Flounder Paralichthys dentatus residing in Chesapeake Bay were observed by using depth data collected with archival tags. A generalized linear mixed model was employed to examine the relationship between these vertical movements and environmental covariates such as tidal state, time of day, lunar phase, and temperature. Vertical movements increased with warming water temperatures, and this pattern was most apparent at night and during rising and falling tides. Fish generally exhibited greater …
Investigating The Effect Of Recruitment Variability On Length-Based Recruitment Indices For Antarctic Krill Using An Individual-Based Population Dynamics Model, Stephane Thanassekos, Martin J. Cox, Keith Reid
Investigating The Effect Of Recruitment Variability On Length-Based Recruitment Indices For Antarctic Krill Using An Individual-Based Population Dynamics Model, Stephane Thanassekos, Martin J. Cox, Keith Reid
VIMS Articles
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba; herein krill) is monitored as part of an on-going fisheries observer program that collects length-frequency data. A krill feedback management programme is currently being developed, and as part of this development, the utility of data-derived indices describing population level processes is being assessed. To date, however, little work has been carried out on the selection of optimum recruitment indices and it has not been possible to assess the performance of length-based recruitment indices across a range of recruitment variability. Neither has there been an assessment of uncertainty in the relationship between an index and the actual …
Individual, Population, And Ecosystem Effects Of Hypoxia On A Dominant Benthic Bivalve In Chesapeake Bay, W. Christopher Long, Rochelle D. Seitz, Bryce J. Brylawski, Romuald N. Lipcius
Individual, Population, And Ecosystem Effects Of Hypoxia On A Dominant Benthic Bivalve In Chesapeake Bay, W. Christopher Long, Rochelle D. Seitz, Bryce J. Brylawski, Romuald N. Lipcius
VIMS Articles
Hypoxia is an environmental stressor that affects abundance, biomass,diversity, and ecosystem function of benthic assemblages worldwide, yet its collective impact at individual, population, and ecosystem levels has rarely been investigated. We examined the effects of hypoxia on the biomass-dominant clam,Macoma balthica, in the York and Rappahannock Rivers (Chesapeake Bay, USA). We (1) surveyed the M. balthica populationsin both rivers in 2003 and 2004, (2) determined the effects of low dissolved oxygen (DO) on M.balthica fecundity in a laboratory experiment, and (3) employed a predator-exclusion fieldexperiment to establish the effects of hypoxia and prey density on predation upon M. balthica.The resultant …
Home Range And Seasonal Movements Of Black Sea Bass (Centropristis Striata) During Their Inshore Residency At A Reef In The Mid-Atlantic Bight, Mary C. Fabrizio, John P. Manderson, Jeffrey P. Pessutti
Home Range And Seasonal Movements Of Black Sea Bass (Centropristis Striata) During Their Inshore Residency At A Reef In The Mid-Atlantic Bight, Mary C. Fabrizio, John P. Manderson, Jeffrey P. Pessutti
VIMS Articles
Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) in the mid-Atlantic Bight undertake seasonal cross-shelf movements to occupy inshore rocky reefs and hardbottom habitats between spring and fall. Shelf-wide migrations of this stock are well documented, but movements and home ranges of fish during their inshore residency period have not been described. We tagged 122 Black Sea Bass with acoustic transmitters at a mid-Atlantic reef to estimate home-range size and factors that influence movements (>400 m) at a 46.1-km(2) study site between May and November 2003. Activity of Black Sea Bass was greatest and most consistent during summer but declined rapidly in …
Estimating Sustainable Harvests Of Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea Virginica, Tm Soniat, N Cooper, En Powell, Jm Klinck, M Abdelguerfi, S Tu, Roger L. Mann, Pd Banks
Estimating Sustainable Harvests Of Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea Virginica, Tm Soniat, N Cooper, En Powell, Jm Klinck, M Abdelguerfi, S Tu, Roger L. Mann, Pd Banks
VIMS Articles
Sustainability of a fishery is traditionally and typically considered achieved if the exploited population does not decline in numbers or biomass over time as a result of fishing relative to biological reference point goals. Oysters, however, exhibit atypical population dynamics compared with many other commercial species. The population dynamics often display extreme natural interannual variation in numbers and biomass, and oysters create their own habitat-the reef itself. With the worldwide decline of oyster reef habitat and the oyster fisheries dependent thereon, the maintenance of shell has received renewed attention as essential to population sustainability. We apply a shell budget model …
Extinction Risk And Conservation Of The World's Sharks And Rays, Nicholas K. Dulvy, John A. Musick
Extinction Risk And Conservation Of The World's Sharks And Rays, Nicholas K. Dulvy, John A. Musick
VIMS Articles
The rapid expansion of human activities threatens ocean-wide biodiversity. Numerous marine animal populations have declined, yet it remains unclear whether these trends are symptomatic of a chronic accumulation of global marine extinction risk. We present the first systematic analysis of threat for a globally distributed lineage of 1,041 chondrichthyan fishes-sharks, rays, and chimaeras. We estimate that one-quarter are threatened according to IUCN Red List criteria due to overfishing (targeted and incidental). Large-bodied, shallow-water species are at greatest risk and five out of the seven most threatened families are rays. Overall chondrichthyan extinction risk is substantially higher than for most other …