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Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences
A Conservation Palaeobiological Perspective On Chesapeake Bay Oysters, Rowan Lockwood, Roger L. Mann
A Conservation Palaeobiological Perspective On Chesapeake Bay Oysters, Rowan Lockwood, Roger L. Mann
VIMS Articles
The eastern oyster plays a vital role in estuarine habitats, acting as an ecosystem engineer and improving water quality. Populations of Chesapeake Bay oysters have declined precipitously in recent decades. The fossil record, which preserves 500 000 years of once-thriving reefs, provides a unique opportunity to study pristine reefs to establish a possible baseline for mitigation. For this study, over 900 fossil oysters were examined from three Pleistocene localities in the Chesapeake region. Data on oyster shell lengths, lifespans and population density were assessed. Comparisons to modern Crassostrea virginica, sampled from monitoring surveys of similar environments, reveal that fossil oysters …
Bridging Disciplines To Advance Elasmobranch Conservation: Applications Of Physiological Ecology, K Lyons, Js Bigman, Et Al, Kevin C. Weng, Et Al, Richard Brill, Cn Bedore
Bridging Disciplines To Advance Elasmobranch Conservation: Applications Of Physiological Ecology, K Lyons, Js Bigman, Et Al, Kevin C. Weng, Et Al, Richard Brill, Cn Bedore
VIMS Articles
A strength of physiological ecology is its incorporation of aspects of both species' ecology and physiology; this holistic approach is needed to address current and future anthropogenic stressors affecting elasmobranch fishes that range from overexploitation to the effects of climate change. For example, physiology is one of several key determinants of an organism's ecological niche (along with evolutionary constraints and ecological interactions). The fundamental role of physiology in niche determination led to the development of the field of physiological ecology. This approach considers physiological mechanisms in the context of the environment to understand mechanistic variations that beget ecological trends. Physiological …
Fish Assemblage Change Following The Structural Restoration Of A Degraded Stream, Carl A. Favata, Anabela Maia, Manisha Pant, Vaskar Nepal
Fish Assemblage Change Following The Structural Restoration Of A Degraded Stream, Carl A. Favata, Anabela Maia, Manisha Pant, Vaskar Nepal
VIMS Articles
Decades of anthropogenic pressure have harmed riverscapes throughout North America by degrading habitats and water quality and can result in the extirpation of sensitive aquatic taxa. Local stream restoration projects have increased in frequency, but monitoring is still infrequent. In 2010, Kickapoo Creek in East Central Illinois was subjected to a stream restoration project that included implementation of artificial riffles, riprap, scouring keys, and riparian vegetation. We monitored the restoration efforts for 6years after the restoration through annual sampling efforts at restored and reference sites to determine changes in habitat and fish assemblage using standard habitat sampling and electrofishing techniques. …
Effects Of Oyster Population Restoration Strategies On Phytoplankton Biomass In Chesapeake Bay: A Flexible Modeling Approach, Rs Fulford, Dl Brietburg, Rie Newell, Wm Kemp, Mw Luckenbach
Effects Of Oyster Population Restoration Strategies On Phytoplankton Biomass In Chesapeake Bay: A Flexible Modeling Approach, Rs Fulford, Dl Brietburg, Rie Newell, Wm Kemp, Mw Luckenbach
VIMS Articles
Cultural eutrophication in estuaries and other coastal systems has increased over the last 50 yr. Some recently proposed strategies to reverse this trend have included the restoration of bivalve suspension feeders as an ecological tool for reducing phytoplankton biomass. The ecological benefits accruing from such bivalve restoration will be dependent on the characteristics of the estuary, as well as how restoration is implemented. We developed a filtration model to estimate the effect of bivalve restoration on the rate of phytoplankton removal over a range of spatial and temporal scales and used it to compare alternate restoration strategies for the eastern …
Salinity Tolerance Of Larval Rapana Venosa: Implications For Dispersal And Establishment Of An Invading Predatory Gastropod On The North American Atlantic Coast, Roger L. Mann, Juliana M. Harding
Salinity Tolerance Of Larval Rapana Venosa: Implications For Dispersal And Establishment Of An Invading Predatory Gastropod On The North American Atlantic Coast, Roger L. Mann, Juliana M. Harding
VIMS Articles
The lack of quantitative data on the environmental tolerances of the early life-history stages of invading species hinders estimation of their dispersal rates and establishment ranges in receptor environments. We present data on salinity tolerance for all stages of the ontogenetic larval development of the invading predatory gastropod Rapana venosa, and we propose that salinity tolerance is the dominant response controlling the potential dispersal ( = invasion) range of the species into the estuaries of the Atlantic coast of the United States from the current invading epicenter in the southern Chesapeake Bay. All larval stages exhibit 48-h tolerance to salinities …
Relative Strengths Of Competition For Space And Food In A Sessile Filter Feeder, David P. Lohse
Relative Strengths Of Competition For Space And Food In A Sessile Filter Feeder, David P. Lohse
VIMS Articles
Previous workers have demonstrated that sessile filter feeders compete for food and space, but little is known about the relative strengths of these two processes. To determine this, the density and position of barnacles (Balanus improvisus) in a unidirectional current were manipulated to alter the amount of competition for space and food, respectively. Results indicated that competition for space significantly reduced growth, and marginally reduced survivorship. Competition for food was also detected, but only among uncrowded individuals; thus, it appears to be the weaker of the two interactions. However, under crowded conditions, downstream individuals actually grew more than those upstream. …
The Freshwater Medusa, Craspedacusta Sowerbii, In Matoaka Lake, Williamsburg, Virginia, Ernest F. Tresselt
The Freshwater Medusa, Craspedacusta Sowerbii, In Matoaka Lake, Williamsburg, Virginia, Ernest F. Tresselt
VIMS Articles
The freshwater jellyfish, Craspedacusta sowerbii Lankester, has been described from at least 19 of the 48 states (Schmitt, '39). In spite of an apparently widespread distribution it is sufficiently rare that records of its occurrence are noteworthy. Approximately 200 medusae of this species were seen in Matoaka Lake, Williamsburg, Va., on July 18, 1949.