Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2008

VIMS Articles

Discipline
Keyword

Articles 1 - 30 of 57

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Mycobacteriosis-Associated Mortality In Wild Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) From Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Dt Gauthier, R J. Latour, Dm Helsey, C F. Bonzek, J Gartland, Ej Burge, W. K. Vogelbein Oct 2008

Mycobacteriosis-Associated Mortality In Wild Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) From Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Dt Gauthier, R J. Latour, Dm Helsey, C F. Bonzek, J Gartland, Ej Burge, W. K. Vogelbein

VIMS Articles

The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is an economically and ecologically important finfish species along the Atlantic seaboard of the United States. Recent stock assessments in Chesapeake Bay (USA) indicate that non-fishing mortality in striped bass has increased since 1999, concomitant with very high (>50%) prevalence of visceral and dermal disease caused by Mycobacterium spp. Current fishery assessment models do not differentiate between disease and other components of non-fishing mortality (e. g., senescence, predation); therefore, disease impact on the striped bass population has not been established. Specific measurement of mortality associated with mycobacteriosis in wild striped bass is complicated because …


Why Biodiversity Is Important To The Functioning Of Real-World Ecosystems, Je Duffy Aug 2008

Why Biodiversity Is Important To The Functioning Of Real-World Ecosystems, Je Duffy

VIMS Articles

Controlled experiments have substantially advanced our understanding of the links between changing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) in recent years. However, controversy continues regarding the relevance of BEF experiments to the complex ecosystems and large spatial and temporal scales of interest in conservation and management. Here, I address some of the persistent criticisms regarding experimental BEF research and argue that these have been overstated. Contrary to some suggestions, many putative artifacts attributed to experiments render their conclusions about BEF links stronger, rather than weaker. Like other broad ecological concepts, BEF focuses on general patterns, rather than looking at species-level, applied …


Abstracts Of Technical Papers Presented At The 100th Annual Meeting National Shellfisheries Association Providence, Rhode Island April 6–10, 2008, National Shellfisheries Association Aug 2008

Abstracts Of Technical Papers Presented At The 100th Annual Meeting National Shellfisheries Association Providence, Rhode Island April 6–10, 2008, National Shellfisheries Association

VIMS Articles

No abstract provided.


Relative And Interactive Effects Of Plant And Grazer Richness In A Benthic Marine Community, Jf Bruno, Ke Boyer, Je Duffy, Sc Lee Aug 2008

Relative And Interactive Effects Of Plant And Grazer Richness In A Benthic Marine Community, Jf Bruno, Ke Boyer, Je Duffy, Sc Lee

VIMS Articles

The interactive effects of changing biodiversity of consumers and their prey are poorly understood but are likely to be important under realistic scenarios of biodiversity loss and gain. We performed two factorial manipulations of macroalgal group (greens, reds, and browns) and herbivore species (amphipods, sea urchin, and fish) composition and richness in outdoor mesocosms simulating a subtidal, hard-substratum estuarine community in North Carolina, USA. In the experiment where grazer richness treatments were substitutive, there were no significant effects of algal or herbivore richness on final algal biomass. However, in the experiment in which grazer treatments were additive (i.e., species-specific densities …


Bacterial Vs. Zooplankton Control Of Sinking Particle Flux In The Ocean's Twilight Zone, Deborah K. Steinberg, Benjamin A.S. Van Mooy, Ken O. Buesseler, Philip W. Boyd, Toru Kobari, David M. Karl Jul 2008

Bacterial Vs. Zooplankton Control Of Sinking Particle Flux In The Ocean's Twilight Zone, Deborah K. Steinberg, Benjamin A.S. Van Mooy, Ken O. Buesseler, Philip W. Boyd, Toru Kobari, David M. Karl

VIMS Articles

The downward flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) decreases significantly in the oceanÂs mesopelagic or ‘twilight’ zone due both to abiotic processes and metabolism by resident biota. Bacteria and zooplankton solubilize and consume POC to support their metabolism, but the relative importance of bacteria vs. zooplankton in the consumption of sinking particles in the twilight zone is unknown. We compared losses of sinking POC, using differences in export flux measured by neutrally buoyant sediment traps at a range of depths, with bacteria and zooplankton metabolic requirements at the Hawaii Ocean Time‐series station ALOHA in the subtropical Pacific and the Japanese …


Misuse Of Pcr Assay For Diagnosis Of Molluscprotistan Infections, Em Burreson Jun 2008

Misuse Of Pcr Assay For Diagnosis Of Molluscprotistan Infections, Em Burreson

VIMS Articles

: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are useful tools for pathogen surveillance, butthey are only proxy indications of pathogen presence in that they detect a DNA sequence. To be use-ful for detection of actual infections, PCR assays must be thoroughly tested for sensitivity and speci-ficity, and ultimately validated against a technique, typically histology, which allows visualization ofthe parasite in host tissues. There is growing use of PCR assays for pathogen surveillance, but toooften the assumption is made that a positive PCR result verifies an infection in a tested host. Thisassumption is valid only if the assay has been properly validated …


Us Caribbean Fish Trap Fishery Socioeconomic Study, Jj Agar, Jr Waters, M Valdes-Pizzini, M Shivlani, T Murray, Je Kirkley, D Suman May 2008

Us Caribbean Fish Trap Fishery Socioeconomic Study, Jj Agar, Jr Waters, M Valdes-Pizzini, M Shivlani, T Murray, Je Kirkley, D Suman

VIMS Articles

Concerns over the potential impacts of trap fishing on coral reefs and associated habitats prompted a socioeconomic study to characterize the U.S. Caribbean fish trap fishery in anticipation of management actions. Stratified random interviews of one hundred fishermen revealed the presence of a diverse fishery, with appreciable inter-island differences in levels of fishing dependence, fishing practices, and capital investment. High levels of fishing dependence Were observed among fishermen in the U.S. Virgin Islands, whereas Puerto Rican fishermen exhibited a more diversified livelihood strategy. Fishermen from St. Croix derived 62% of their household income from fish traps, significantly more than fishermen …


Bottom-Up And Climatic Forcing On The Worldwide Population Of Leatherback Turtles, Vs Saba, Jr Spotilia, Fp Chavez, Ja Musick May 2008

Bottom-Up And Climatic Forcing On The Worldwide Population Of Leatherback Turtles, Vs Saba, Jr Spotilia, Fp Chavez, Ja Musick

VIMS Articles

Nesting populations of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Atlantic and western Indian Oceans are increasing or stable while those in the Pacific are declining. It has been suggested that leatherbacks in the eastern Pacific may be resource limited due to environmental variability derived from the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), but this has yet to be tested. Here we explored bottom-up forcing and the responding reproductive output of nesting leatherbacks worldwide. We achieved this through an extensive review of leatherback nesting and migration data and by analyzing the spatial, temporal, and quantitative nature of resources as indicated by net …


The Charisma Of Coastal Ecosystems: Addressing The Imbalance, Carlos M. Duarte, Wc Dennison, Robert J. Orth, Tim J. Carruthers Feb 2008

The Charisma Of Coastal Ecosystems: Addressing The Imbalance, Carlos M. Duarte, Wc Dennison, Robert J. Orth, Tim J. Carruthers

VIMS Articles

Coastal ecosystems including coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and salt marshes are being lost at alarming rates, and increased scientific understanding of causes has failed to stem these losses. Coastal habitats receive contrasting research effort, with 60% of all of the published research carried out on coral reefs, compared to 11–14% of the records for each of salt marshes, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows. In addition, these highly connected and interdependent coastal ecosystems receive widely contrasting media attention that is disproportional to their scientific attention. Seagrass ecosystems receive the least attention in the media (1.3% of the media reports) …


Comparative Visual Function In Five Sciaenid Fishes Inhabiting Chesapeake Bay, Az Horodysky, Richard Brill, Ej Warrant, Ja Musick, Rj Latour Jan 2008

Comparative Visual Function In Five Sciaenid Fishes Inhabiting Chesapeake Bay, Az Horodysky, Richard Brill, Ej Warrant, Ja Musick, Rj Latour

VIMS Articles

Maintaining optimal visual performance is a difficult task in the photodynamic coastal and estuarine waters in which western North Atlantic sciaenid fishes support substantial commercial and recreational fisheries. Unavoidable tradeoffs exist between visual sensitivity and resolution, yet sciaenid visual systems have not been characterized despite strong species-specific ecomorphological and microhabitat differentiation. We therefore used electroretinographic techniques to describe the light sensitivities, temporal properties, and spectral characteristics of the visual systems of five sciaenids common to Chesapeake Bay, USA: weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) and spot (Leiostomus xanthurus). Benthic sciaenids exhibited …


Environmental Distribution And Persistence Of Quahog Parasite Unknown (Qpx), Rj Gast, Dm Moran, Corinne Audemard, Mm Lyons, J Defavari, Kimberly S. Reece, D Leavitt, R Smolowitz Jan 2008

Environmental Distribution And Persistence Of Quahog Parasite Unknown (Qpx), Rj Gast, Dm Moran, Corinne Audemard, Mm Lyons, J Defavari, Kimberly S. Reece, D Leavitt, R Smolowitz

VIMS Articles

Quahog Parasite Unknown (QPX) is the cause of mass mortality events of hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria from Virginia, USA, to New Brunswick, Canada. Aquaculture areas in Massachusetts, USA, have been particularly hard hit. The parasite has been shown to be a directly infective organism, but it is unclear whether it could exist or persist outside of its clam host. We used molecular methods to examine water, sediment, seaweeds, seagrass and various invertebrates for the presence of QPX. Sites in Virginia and Massachusetts were selected based upon the incidence of QPX-induced clam die-offs, and they were monitored seasonally. QPX was detectable …


Influence Of Sea Ice On Primary Production In The Southern Ocean: A Satellite Perspective, Walker O. Smith Jr., Josefino C. Comiso Jan 2008

Influence Of Sea Ice On Primary Production In The Southern Ocean: A Satellite Perspective, Walker O. Smith Jr., Josefino C. Comiso

VIMS Articles

Sea ice in the Southern Ocean is a major controlling factor on phytoplankton productivity, but the relationship is modified by regional differences in atmospheric and oceanographic conditions. We used the phytoplankton biomass, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and cloud cover data from Sea-viewing Wide Field of View Sensor (SeaWiFS), ice concentrations data from Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS (AMSR-E), sea-surface temperature data from advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR), and a vertically integrated model to estimate primary productivity south of 60 degrees S. We also selected six areas within the Southern Ocean and analyzed the variability …


Molecular Epizootiology Of Perkinsus Marinus And P-Chesapeaki Infections Among Wild Oysters And Clams In Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Kimberly S. Reece, Cf Dungan, Em Burreson Jan 2008

Molecular Epizootiology Of Perkinsus Marinus And P-Chesapeaki Infections Among Wild Oysters And Clams In Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Kimberly S. Reece, Cf Dungan, Em Burreson

VIMS Articles

Perkinsus marinus and P. chesapeaki host ranges among wild Chesapeake Bay, USA, region bivalves were examined by surveying Crassostrea virginica oysters and members of several sympatric clam species from 11 locations. Perkinsus genus- and species-specific PCR assays were performed on DNA samples from 731 molluscs, and species-specific in situ hybridization assays were performed on a selected subset of histological samples whose PCR results indicated dual or atypical Perkinsus sp. infections. PCR assays detected P. marinus in 92% of oysters, but the P. chesapeaki PCR assay was positive for only 6% of oysters, and P. marinus was detected by PCR in …


Shellfish Tissues Evaluated For Perkinsus Spp. Using The Ray's Fluid Thioglycollate Medium Culture Assay Can Be Used For Downstream Molecular Assays, C Audemard, Rb Carnegie, Em Burreson Jan 2008

Shellfish Tissues Evaluated For Perkinsus Spp. Using The Ray's Fluid Thioglycollate Medium Culture Assay Can Be Used For Downstream Molecular Assays, C Audemard, Rb Carnegie, Em Burreson

VIMS Articles

Ray's fluid thioglycollate medium (RFTM) culture assay is the standard, recommended method for surveillance of Perkinsus spp. infections in marine molluscs. In this assay, shellfish tissues are incubated in RFTM, stained with Lugol's iodine solution to render Perkinsus spp. cells blue-black, and evaluated microscopically to rate infection intensities. A limitation of this assay, however, is the lack of pathogen species specificity. Generally, identification of Perkinsus spp. requires DNA sequence analysis of parallel or additional samples since the exposure to iodine is believed to hamper DNA amplification from samples processed by the RFTM assay. However, we show that P, marinus DNA …


Effects Of Rapid Decompression And Exposure To Bright Light On Visual Function In Black Rockfish (Sebastes Melanops) And Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus Stenolepis), Richard Brill, Christopher Magel, Michael Davis, Robert Hannah, Polly Rankin Jan 2008

Effects Of Rapid Decompression And Exposure To Bright Light On Visual Function In Black Rockfish (Sebastes Melanops) And Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus Stenolepis), Richard Brill, Christopher Magel, Michael Davis, Robert Hannah, Polly Rankin

VIMS Articles

Demersal Fishes hauled up from depth experience rapid decompression. In physoclists, this can cause overexpansion of the swim bladder and resultant injuries to multiple organs (barotrauma), including severe exophthalmia ("pop-eye"). Before release, fishes can also be subjected to asphyxia and exposure to direct sunlight. Little is known, however, about possible sensory deficits resulting from the events accompanying capture. To address this issue, electroretinography was used to measure the changes in retinal light sensitivity, flicker fusion frequency, and spectral sensitivity in black rockfish (Sebastes melanops) subjected to rapid decompression (from 4 atmospheres absolute [ATA] to 1 ATA) and Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus …


Quantifying Fecundity In Macoma Balthica Using An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Elisa), Wc Long, E Bromage, Rochelle D. Seitz, S Kaattari Jan 2008

Quantifying Fecundity In Macoma Balthica Using An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Elisa), Wc Long, E Bromage, Rochelle D. Seitz, S Kaattari

VIMS Articles

Monoclonal antibodies specific to a heat shock protein 70-like protein expressed in the eggs of Macoma balthica (mb-HSP70) were employed to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify fecundity in females. The assay was specific to egg tissue, with no demonstrable reactivity with juvenile or male tissues. The concentration of mb-HSP70 increased as the female gonads matured, necessitating the determination of a calibration curve for future experiments. The number of eggs in females was positively correlated with body mass index (BMI), and clams with a BMI < 1.4 did not produce eggs. The estimated number of eggs per clam during the fall spawning period was similar to that observed in eastern North Atlantic populations in clams of similar size; clams with shell lengths from 16 to 18 mm had from 7000 to 60 000 eggs apiece. Larger clams had up to 450 000 eggs. This assay effectively quantifies eggs at any stage of gonadal development in which eggs can be distinguished microscopically and is easier and cheaper to perform than other techniques of comparable precision.


Transmission Of Panulirus Argus Virus 1 (Pav1) And Its Effect On The Survival Of Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Mark J. Butler, Donald C. Behringer, Jeffrey D. Shields Jan 2008

Transmission Of Panulirus Argus Virus 1 (Pav1) And Its Effect On The Survival Of Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Mark J. Butler, Donald C. Behringer, Jeffrey D. Shields

VIMS Articles

The Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus, an important fisheries species, is host to Panulirus argus virus 1 (PaV1), a lethal, unclassified virus—the first found in any species of lobster— prevalent in juvenile lobsters. We describe a series of laboratory experiments aimed at assessing the likely modes of disease transmission, determining the survival of lobsters relative to each transmission pathway and identifying potential alternate hosts. Given evidence for lower prevalence of PaV1 in large lobsters, the effect of lobster size on susceptibility was also examined. Results demonstrated that PaV1 can be transmitted to juvenile lobsters via inoculation, ingestion of diseased tissue, …


Trophic Interactions Under Stress: Hypoxia Enhances Foraging In An Estuarine Food Web, William Christopher Long, Rochelle D. Seitz Jan 2008

Trophic Interactions Under Stress: Hypoxia Enhances Foraging In An Estuarine Food Web, William Christopher Long, Rochelle D. Seitz

VIMS Articles

Ecosystem-level effects of stressors are critical to understanding community regulation, and environmental stress models are useful in describing such effects. Hypoxia is an important stressor in aquatic ecosystems that usually decreases abundance and biomass of benthic fauna. In field surveys, predator abundance is low in hypoxic areas, and in lab experiments, predators reduce their feeding rates under hypoxic conditions, leading to the hypothesis that consumer stress models (CSMs), rather than prey stress models (PSMs), apply to the systems. We tested predictions from these models with manipulative field experiments wherein we varied predator access to marked Macoma balthica clams at deep …


Quantitative Significance Of N-3 Essential Fatty Acid Contribution By Heterotrophic Protists In Marine Pelagic Food Webs, Fu-Lin E. Chu, Eric D. Lund, Jennifer A. Podbesek Jan 2008

Quantitative Significance Of N-3 Essential Fatty Acid Contribution By Heterotrophic Protists In Marine Pelagic Food Webs, Fu-Lin E. Chu, Eric D. Lund, Jennifer A. Podbesek

VIMS Articles

To assess the contribution of n-3 essential lipids by heterotrophic protists in the pelagic food webs, we examined the kinetics and efficiency of long-chain n-3 essential fatty acid (LCn-3EFA) production of 2 common heterotrophic protists, Oxyrrhis marina and Gyrodinium dominans, fed an alga (Dunaliella tertiolecta) deficient in both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). D. tertiolecta was rapidly ingested and consumed by the heterotrophic protists. Growth rates ranged from 0.77 to 0.82 and 0.78 to 0.92 d(-1) in O. marina and G. dominans, respectively. LCn-3EFA production in the 2 heterotrophic protists reached the highest levels at the highest protist …


Evaluating Recruitment Contribution Of A Selectively Bred Aquaculture Line Of The Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica Used In Restoration Efforts, Jens Carlsson, Ryan B. Carnegie, Jan F. Cordes, Mp Hare, Thomas A. Leggett, Kimberly S. Reece Jan 2008

Evaluating Recruitment Contribution Of A Selectively Bred Aquaculture Line Of The Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica Used In Restoration Efforts, Jens Carlsson, Ryan B. Carnegie, Jan F. Cordes, Mp Hare, Thomas A. Leggett, Kimberly S. Reece

VIMS Articles

Severe over-fishing, habitat degradation, and recent disease impacts have devastated the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) fisherey in the Chesapeake Bay. Several restoration efforts are in progress, including the unconventional approach of seeding reefs with an aquaculture strain selected for disease resistance and fast growth in hopes of mitigating the negative effects of diseases and low census numbers. Supplementation of four sites (The Great Wicomico, Lynnhaven, York and Elizabeth Rivers) examined in this study totaled approximatedly 18,500,000 aquaculture oysters from 2002 to 2006. We collected locally recruited offspring (n = 6517) from 2002 to 2006 at these sites to determine if …


Ocean Urea Fertilization For Carbon Credits Poses High Ecological Risks, Pm Glibert, R Azanza, M Burford, K Furuya, E Abal, D. A. Bronk, Et Al. Jan 2008

Ocean Urea Fertilization For Carbon Credits Poses High Ecological Risks, Pm Glibert, R Azanza, M Burford, K Furuya, E Abal, D. A. Bronk, Et Al.

VIMS Articles

The proposed plan for enrichment of the Sulu Sea, Philippines, a region of rich marine biodiversity, with thousands of tonnes of urea in order to stimulate algal blooms and sequester carbon is flawed for multiple reasons. Urea is preferentially used as a nitrogen source by some cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates, many of which are neutrally or positively buoyant. Biological pumps to the deep sea are classically leaky, and the inefficient burial of new biomass makes the estimation of a net loss of carbon from the atmosphere questionable at best. The potential for growth of toxic dinoflagellates is also high, as many …


Continuous Culture Of Perkinsus Mediterraneus, A Parasite Of The European Flat Oyster Ostrea Edulis, And Characterization Of Its Morphology, Propagation, And Extracellular Proteins In Vitro, Sm Casas, Ks Reece, Yl Li, Ja Moss, A Villalba, Et Al Jan 2008

Continuous Culture Of Perkinsus Mediterraneus, A Parasite Of The European Flat Oyster Ostrea Edulis, And Characterization Of Its Morphology, Propagation, And Extracellular Proteins In Vitro, Sm Casas, Ks Reece, Yl Li, Ja Moss, A Villalba, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Continuous in vitro cultures of Perkinsus mediterraneus were established from tissues of infected European flat oysters, Ostrea edulis. The parasite proliferated in protein-free medium and divided by schizogony in vitro. Cell morphology was similar to that observed for P. mediterraneus in tissues of naturally infected O. edulis and for other Perkinsus spp. cultured in vitro. Parasite cells enlarged approximately 8-fold when placed in alternative Ray's fluid thioglycollate medium, and stained black with Lugol's iodine solution, a response characteristic of Perkinsus spp. DNA sequences matched those determined previously for P. mediterraneus, and phylogenetic analyses on three different data sets indicated that …


Building The Holocene Clinothem In The Gulf Of Papua: An Ocean Circulation Study, Rudy Slingerland, Robert W. Selover, Andrea S. Ogston, Timothy R. Keen, Neal W. Driscoll, John D. Milliman Jan 2008

Building The Holocene Clinothem In The Gulf Of Papua: An Ocean Circulation Study, Rudy Slingerland, Robert W. Selover, Andrea S. Ogston, Timothy R. Keen, Neal W. Driscoll, John D. Milliman

VIMS Articles

This paper investigates the role that tidal and wind-driven flows and buoyant river plumes play in the development of the Holocene clinothem in the Gulf of Papua. Time series data from bottom tripods and a mooring were obtained at four locations near the mouth of the Fly River during portions of 2003 and 2004. Flows in the Gulf of Papua during calendar year 2003 were hindcast every 3 h using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) with boundary conditions from the Navy Atmospheric Prediction System, the east Asian seas implementation of NCOM, and the OTIS Tidal Inversion System. Results show …


Comparative Ultrastructure Of Digestive Diverticulae In Bathymodiolin Mussels: Discovery Of An Unknown Spherical Inclusion (Six) In Digestive Cells Of A Seep Mussel, Carol R. Logan, Megan B. Evans, Megan E. Ward, Joseph L. Scott, Ryan B. Carnegie, Cl Van Dover Jan 2008

Comparative Ultrastructure Of Digestive Diverticulae In Bathymodiolin Mussels: Discovery Of An Unknown Spherical Inclusion (Six) In Digestive Cells Of A Seep Mussel, Carol R. Logan, Megan B. Evans, Megan E. Ward, Joseph L. Scott, Ryan B. Carnegie, Cl Van Dover

VIMS Articles

Mussels in the genus Bathymodiolus host endosymbiotic bacteria in their gills, from which the mussel derives much of its nutrition. Bathymodiolin mussels also have functional digestive systems and, as in shallow-water mytilid mussels, cells of the digestive diverticulae are of two types: basophilic secretory cells and columnar digestive cells. Cellular contents of secretory and digestive cells of Bathymodiolus thermophilus and Bathymodiolus brevior from deep-sea hydrothermal vents are comparable to cellular contents of these cell types observed in shallow-water mytilids. In the seep mussel Bathymodiolus heckerae, cellular contents of columnar cells were anomalous, being dominated by an unknown cellular inclusion herein …


Acoustic Pressure And Particle Motion Thresholds In Six Sciaenid Fishes, Az Horodysky, Richard Brill, Ml Fine, Ja Musick, Rj Latour Jan 2008

Acoustic Pressure And Particle Motion Thresholds In Six Sciaenid Fishes, Az Horodysky, Richard Brill, Ml Fine, Ja Musick, Rj Latour

VIMS Articles

Sciaenid fishes are important models of fish sound production, but investigations into their auditory abilities are limited to acoustic pressure measurements on five species. In this study, we used auditory brainstem response ( ABR) to assess the pressure and particle acceleration thresholds of six sciaenid fishes commonly found in Chesapeake Bay, eastern USA: weakfish ( Cynoscion regalis), spotted seatrout ( Cynoscion nebulosus), Atlantic croaker ( Micropogonias undulatus), red drum ( Sciaenops ocellatus), spot ( Leiostomus xanthurus) and northern kingfish ( Menticirrhus saxatilis). Experimental subjects were presented with pure 10 ms tone bursts in 100 Hz steps from 100 Hz to …


Settlement Of Crassostrea Ariakensis Larvae: Effects Of Substrate, Biofilms, Sediment And Adult Chemical Cues, Mario N. Tamburri, Mark W. Luckenbach, Denise L. Brietburg, Stephanie M. Bonniwell Jan 2008

Settlement Of Crassostrea Ariakensis Larvae: Effects Of Substrate, Biofilms, Sediment And Adult Chemical Cues, Mario N. Tamburri, Mark W. Luckenbach, Denise L. Brietburg, Stephanie M. Bonniwell

VIMS Articles

The Suminoe oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis) is being considered for introduction into the Chesapeake Bay. However, our current understanding of the biology and ecology of C. ariakensis is insufficient to predict whether an introduction will be successful, provide desired benefits, or have adverse impacts. Behavior of native Eastern oyster (C. virginica) pediveligers has been studied for many years and it is well established that they use a variety of habitat characteristics when selecting a site for colonization. Perhaps the most important of these are chemical cues emitted by adult conspecifics, which can lead to gregarious larval settlement and dense, persistent reef …


Phytoplankton And Bacterial Uptake Of Inorganic And Organic Nitrogen During An Induced Bloom Of Phaeocystis Pouchetii, Mp Sanderson, Da Bronk, Jc Nejstgaard, Pg Verity, Af Sazhin, Et Al. Jan 2008

Phytoplankton And Bacterial Uptake Of Inorganic And Organic Nitrogen During An Induced Bloom Of Phaeocystis Pouchetii, Mp Sanderson, Da Bronk, Jc Nejstgaard, Pg Verity, Af Sazhin, Et Al.

VIMS Articles

A mesocosm experiment was conducted during the spring of 2003 in Raunefjord, west Norway. Inorganic nutrients (16 mu mol 1(-1) nitrate, 1 mu mol 1(-1) phosphate) were added to 2 enclosures with 10% of those concentrations (1.6 mu mol 1(-1) nitrate, 0.1 mu mol 1(-1) phosphate) added daily thereafter; a third unamended mesocosm was used as a control. Nitrogen (N) (ammonium, nitrate, urea and amino acid) uptake rates for >0.8 mu m (largely composed of phytoplankton) and 0.2 to 0.8 mu m (largely composed of bacteria) size classes were measured, as well as nutrient, chlorophyll, phytoplankton and microzooplankton concentrations. The …


Effects Of Salinity On Bonamia Sp Survival In The Asian Oyster Crassostrea Ariakensis, C Audemard, Rb Carnegie, Na Stokes, Mj Bishop, Ch Peterson, Eugene M. Burreson Jan 2008

Effects Of Salinity On Bonamia Sp Survival In The Asian Oyster Crassostrea Ariakensis, C Audemard, Rb Carnegie, Na Stokes, Mj Bishop, Ch Peterson, Eugene M. Burreson

VIMS Articles

A novel Bonamia sp. discovered in Bogue Sound, NC, has recently emerged as a parasitic threat to the Asian oyster Crassostrea ariakensis. Because this oyster is being considered for introduction to the mid-Atlantic region, more data are needed to better evaluate the risks associated with this parasite. Field observations collected from North Carolina and information on other Bonamia spp. suggest an affinity for higher salinities, and direct transmissibility; in the absence of explicit experimental tests, however, this is largely hypothetical. Consequently, we used laboratory trials to test the direct transmissibility and the persistence of Bonamia sp. in infected triploid C. …


Sediment Dispersal In The Northwestern Adriatic Sea, Courtney K. Harris, C. Sherwood, Richard P. Signell, A. J. Bever, John C. Warner Jan 2008

Sediment Dispersal In The Northwestern Adriatic Sea, Courtney K. Harris, C. Sherwood, Richard P. Signell, A. J. Bever, John C. Warner

VIMS Articles

Sediment dispersal in the Adriatic Sea was evaluated using coupled three-dimensional circulation and sediment transport models, representing conditions from autumn 2002 through spring 2003. The calculations accounted for fluvial sources, resuspension by waves and currents, and suspended transport. Sediment fluxes peaked during southwestward Bora wind conditions that produced energetic waves and strengthened the Western Adriatic Coastal Current. Transport along the western Adriatic continental shelf was nearly always to the south, except during brief periods when northward Sirocco winds reduced the coastal current. Much of the modeled fluvial sediment deposition was near river mouths, such as the Po sediment, because it …


Effects Of Coastal Development On Nearshore Estuarine Nekton Communities, Donna M. Bilkovic, Molly Mitchell Jan 2008

Effects Of Coastal Development On Nearshore Estuarine Nekton Communities, Donna M. Bilkovic, Molly Mitchell

VIMS Articles

Coastal development affects estuarine resources by severing terrestrial-aquatic linkages, reducing shallow water habitats, and degrading ecosystem services, which is predicted to result in measurable declines in nekton community integrity. We assessed the effects of landscape features on nearshore habitats and biological communities, relating subtidal habitat, shoreline condition, upland land use and nearshore fish communities in a Chesapeake Bay tributary, the James River, Virginia. Both upland development and the placement of erosion control structures on the shoreline were associated with reduced fish community integrity, and shoreline alterations were linked with the amount of subtidal structural habitat in the nearshore. Ecological thresholds …