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Full-Text Articles in Biology

Efficacy Of Sediment Contaminant Remediation Of The Benthos In A Segment Of The Southern Branch Of The Elizabeth River, Colton Martin Dec 2021

Efficacy Of Sediment Contaminant Remediation Of The Benthos In A Segment Of The Southern Branch Of The Elizabeth River, Colton Martin

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The bottom sediment of the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, was historically contaminated with hydrocarbons from industrial sources especially wood treatment facilities. The Elizabeth River Project selected a section of the bottom off Money Point in the Southern Branch for a sediment contaminant remediation effort. Prior to initiation of remediation efforts, a survey occurred in summer 2010 to characterize the ecological condition of the benthic communities off Money Point compared to benthic communities of a benthic region across the channel and northwest of Money Point near Blows Creek. That study characterized the benthos of …


Blue Carbon In Freshwater / Brackish Marshes On The Barrier Islands Of Virginia Aboveground Net Primary Productivity And Carbon Pools, Emily Caitlin Adams Apr 2015

Blue Carbon In Freshwater / Brackish Marshes On The Barrier Islands Of Virginia Aboveground Net Primary Productivity And Carbon Pools, Emily Caitlin Adams

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

"Blue carbon" is a relatively new concept describing carbon distributed tidally and sequestered via net production within coastal ecosystems, including seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and salt-water marshes. These systems sequester carbon at least 10 times faster than terrestrial systems. Fresh to brackish wetlands that receive irregular tidal influence due to overwash and storm events have not been typically studied as blue carbon systems. My objective was to quantify carbon pools within four interdunal fresh to brackish marshes on Hog Island, Virginia to determine their blue carbon potential. Marshes 1 and 2 were farthest from the ocean, below and above a …


Blue Carbon In Coastal Freshwater/Brackish Marshes On The Barrier Islands Of Virginia: Belowground Carbon Dynamics, Nathan M. Sedghi Apr 2015

Blue Carbon In Coastal Freshwater/Brackish Marshes On The Barrier Islands Of Virginia: Belowground Carbon Dynamics, Nathan M. Sedghi

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Some coastal ecosystems sequester substantially more carbon (blue carbon) than land locked systems due to high net primary production and deposition associated with oceanic influences. Most blue carbon research has focused on mangroves, seagrass beds, and salt marshes. Studies on blue carbon potential of coastal freshwater marshes are less common. Barrier islands frequently flood, with seawater reaching interior ecosystems. I examined brackish/freshwater marshes on Virginia barrier islands for possible roles as blue carbon systems. I studied four interior marshes on Hog Island, which varied in proximity to a direct overwash path and protection by a trail berm that divides northern …


Inter-Island Variability In Above And Belowground Plant Biomass In Interior Marshes On The Virginia Barrier Islands, Staci B. Blecha Apr 2010

Inter-Island Variability In Above And Belowground Plant Biomass In Interior Marshes On The Virginia Barrier Islands, Staci B. Blecha

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Virginia Coast Reserve's Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site is of great interest because the barrier islands have been migrating, rapidly at times, and are exceptionally dynamic. The barrier islands have tidal saltwater marshes on the lagoon side and freshwater marshes on the island interiors. In these interior marshes on North Hog Island, South Smith Island, and North Parramore Island, salinity and depth to water table were measured to determine if these factors were influencing biomass and biomass allocation patterns in the marsh. Hog Island had the freshest interior marshes (0 and 0.7 ppm), and the most diverse (H'=0.84 …


The Role Of Colonization Predation And Season In Determining Macroinvertebrate Community Structure In A Temperate Lake, Cheryl Lynn Frew Jul 1984

The Role Of Colonization Predation And Season In Determining Macroinvertebrate Community Structure In A Temperate Lake, Cheryl Lynn Frew

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Field experiments were conducted to examine the effects of distance from shore, vertebrate predation, and season on macroinvertebrate colonization dynamics in a temperate lake in Suffolk, VA. In a year-long colonization study, artificial plants, half of which were caged to exclude vertebrate predators, were deployed in patches at three distances from shore (2m, 15m, 50m). Artificial plant subsamples were removed at weekly intervals over 28 days during four seasons to monitor colonization by macroinvertebrates. Colonization of artificial plants occurred more quickly in the summer and spring than in fall and winter. The interactive effect of distance from shore and cage …


Phytoplankton Composition At Lake Drummond In The Dismal Swamp, Virginia, William Howard Poore Jr. Jul 1971

Phytoplankton Composition At Lake Drummond In The Dismal Swamp, Virginia, William Howard Poore Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Abstract unavailable.