Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Species Distribution Modeling For Arid Adapted Habitat Specialists In Zion National Park, Sam Driver, Daniel R. Unger, David L. Kulhavy, Chris M. Schalk

Student Publications

The Arizona toad (Anaxyrus microscaphus) and Jones’ waxy dogbane (Cycladenia humilis var. jonesii) are habitat specialists with historical ranges in the desert southwest and specifically, Zion National Park (ZION). The machine learning method, MaxEnt, constructed species distribution models (SDMs) in ZION for the two study species at 30 m and 900 m spatial resolutions using climate, topographic, and remotely sensed data. Additionally, 900 m forecasting models were constructed to observe the shifts in suitable habitat for the years 2050 and 2070, based off two representative concentration pathway scenarios. Results indicate promising predictive power for both high …

Neogene And Quaternary Events Shaped Diversification And Speciation In Bhutanese Rheophilic Fishes Of The Family Nemacheilidae (Cypriniformes) And Sisoridae (Siluriformes), Karma Wangchuk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biogeography of the Himalayan region [to include the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP)] evolved over a ~30M year span, catalyzed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. The resulting uplift produced major ecological and climatic effects, that in turn drove the diversification of biodiversity. As a result, the QTP is designated as a global biodiversity hotspot particularly vulnerable to cumulative climatic effects, including shrinking distributions, declining numbers, and local extinctions. Understanding how the biodiversity within the Himalaya/ QTP was established and maintained is a necessary first step in prioritizing conservation efforts.

Fishes in global montane regions, such as the Himalaya, …

Modeling Early Life: Ontogenetic Growth And Behavior Affect Population Connectivity In Gulf Of Mexico Marine Fish, Kelly Vasbinder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an examination of growth, behavior, and dispersal during the early life stages of marine fishes in the Gulf of Mexico. Understanding movements of early life stages is a key part of managing exploited fish populations. Position in the water column can impact larval dispersal, since it determines those currents to which larvae are exposed. First, I investigated the relationship between length and age in early life stages of marine fishes. I found that demersal fish taxa tend to be represented by exponential models, while pelagic fish tend to be represented by linear models. I suggest this may …

Connections In The Underworld: A Morphological And Molecular Study Of Diversity And Connectivity Among Anchialine Shrimp., Robert Eugene Ditter

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the distribution and population structure of crustaceans, endemic to anchialine systems in the tropical western Atlantic focusing on cave-dwelling shrimp from the family Barbouriidae. Taxonomic and molecular tools (genetic and genomic) are utilized to examine population dynamics and the presence of phenotypic hypervariation (PhyV) of the critically endangered species Barbouria cubensis (von Martens, 1872). The presence of PhyV and its geographic distribution is investigated among anchialine populations of B. cubensis from 34 sites on Abaco, Eleuthera, and San Salvador, Bahamas. Examination of 54 informative morphological characters revealed PhyV present in nearly 90% (n=463) of specimens with no …

Potential Virus-Mediated Nitrogen Cycling In Oxygen-Depleted Oceanic Waters, M. Consuelo Gazitúa, Dean R. Vik, Simon Roux, Ann C. Gregory, Benjamin Bolduc, Brittany Widner, Margaret R. Mulholland, Steven J. Hallam, Osvaldo Ulloa, Matthew B. Sullivan

OES Faculty Publications

Viruses play an important role in the ecology and biogeochemistry of marine ecosystems. Beyond mortality and gene transfer, viruses can reprogram microbial metabolism during infection by expressing auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) involved in photosynthesis, central carbon metabolism, and nutrient cycling. While previous studies have focused on AMG diversity in the sunlit and dark ocean, less is known about the role of viruses in shaping metabolic networks along redox gradients associated with marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Here, we analyzed relatively quantitative viral metagenomic datasets that profiled the oxygen gradient across Eastern Tropical South Pacific (ETSP) OMZ waters, assessing whether OMZ …

Anthropogenic Change On The Distribution Of Marine Megafauna And Their Prey, Baylie Fadool

Honors Theses

Anthropogenic change is impacting the distribution and survival of marine megafauna and their prey. Humans are changing every aspect of the marine environment, with effects reaching as large as changing the composition of marine environments to directly overexploiting species through the fishing industry. The role that marine megafauna play in balancing ecosystems, including as top apex predators, leads to detrimental results in the absences and population declines of these species. Migrations and declines due to threats on marine apex predator species will alter their environments by causing mesopredator release and changes in community structure, which is often associated with reduced …

A Brain-Infecting Parasite Impacts Host Metabolism Both During Exposure And After Infection Is Established, Lauren E. Nadler, Erik Bengston, Erika J. Eliason, Cameron Hassibi, Siri H. Helland-Riise, Ida B. Johansen, Garfield T. Kwan, Martin Tresguerres, Andrew V. Turner, Kelly L. Weinersmith, Øyvind Øverli, Ryan F. Hechinger

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

1. Metabolic costs associated with parasites should not be limited to established infections. Even during initial exposure to questing and attacking parasites, hosts can enact behavioural and physiological responses that could also incur metabolic costs. However, few studies have measured these costs directly. Hence, little is known about metabolic costs arising from parasite exposure.
2. Furthermore, no one has yet measured whether and how previous infection history modulates metabolic responses to parasite exposure.
3. Here, using the California killifish Fundulus parvipinnis and its brain‐infecting parasite Euhaplorchis californiensis, we quantified how killifish metabolism, behaviour and osmoregulatory phenotype changed upon acute exposure to parasite …

Water Quality Assessment In The Occurrence Of Acanthaster Spp. (Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish, Cots) On Coral Reefs In Menjangan Island, Bali, Indonesia, Novia Arinda Pradisty, Eghbert Elvan Ampou, Rizki Hanintyo

Makara Journal of Science

Aquatic stressors are known to cause biological impairment that can result in biodiversity loss in several Marine Protected Areas (MPA), including in Menjangan Island, West Bali National Park. The objectives of this study were to correlate the changes in water quality parameters with the biological effect of Crown-of-Thorns starfish (CoTS) population dynamics and to assess the most applicable parameters for continuous environmental monitoring. Field observations and surveys were conducted three times in 2017, during the wet season, dry season and season transition, in order to assess the effect of seasonal variability. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) was performed to determine the relationship …

Prioritizing The Largest, Oldest Corals For Disease Intervention In A Coral Disease-Ravaged Area: Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area, Alysha Brunelle

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Coral diseases appear to be more devastating than ever before. When a virulent disease ravages a coral ecosystem, it can significantly change the population’s demographics and cause local extinctions. Disease intervention response during such an event is impossible at a landscape scale, therefore priorities must be considered. Saving the largest, oldest colonies of reef-building species is a good choice due to their high fecundity and ecological function. Their size, as a proxy for age, is an indicator of their resistance to previous perturbations which may indicate higher fitness. Their size also provides habitat to many organisms and wave resistance in …

Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Of Quaternary Saltville, Virginia, Using Ostracode Autecology, Austin Gause

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Saltville valley in southwestern Virginia is home to Quaternary localities containing paleontological and archaeological remains. Historically the valley has been mined for salt and the small lakes, ponds and springs along the valley floor have a brackish signature. A preliminary report on the site’s ostracode fauna suggested that the site’s water was not always saline. This study analyzed modern and Quaternary ostracodes to understand the valley’s hydrologic and chemical evolution. Sediments contained primarily freshwater species, including the environmentally sensitive Candona crogmaniana. The presence of Pelocypris tuberculatum and a new Fabaeformiscandona species throughout a vertical section spanning the latest Pleistocene …

A Framework For Aquatic Invasive Species Surveillance Site Selection And Prioritization In The Us Waters Of The Laurentian Great Lakes, Andrew J. Tucker, W. Lindsay Chadderton, Gust Annis, Alisha D. Davidson, Joel Hoffman, Jon Bossenbroek, Stephen Hensler, Michael Hoff, Erika Jensen, Donna R. Kashian, Sarah Lesage, Timothy Strakosh

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Risk-based prioritization for early detection monitoring is of utmost importance to prevent and mitigate invasive species impacts and is especially needed for large ecosystems where management resources are not sufficient to survey all locations susceptible to invasion. In this paper we describe a spatially-explicit and quantitative approach for identifying the highest risk sites for aquatic invasive species (AIS) introduction into the United States’ waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes, a vast inland sea with a surface area of 246,049 square km and a shoreline length of 16,431 km. We compiled data from geospatial metrics available across all of the US …

Reproductive Effort Of Montastraea Cavernosa Across Depth In The Context Of Both Climate Change Refugia And Emergent Disease, Jeanne Bloomberg

LSU Master's Theses

As coral populations on shallow reefs decline globally, mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCE) have been suggested as potential coral refugia in the face of climate changes, leading to the development of a comprehensive deep reef refugia hypothesis. The current study assesses the climate and disease refuge potential of MCEs in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) for the gonochoric, broadcast-spawning species Montastraea cavernosa. Polyp, population, and total habitat fecundities were estimated across the species’ depth range, and changes to population oocyte production over time due to recent ecosystem disturbances were considered. The number of gonads producing oocytes in each polyp and oocyte …

Long-Term Ndvi And Recent Vegetation Cover Profiles Of Major Offshore Island Nesting Sites Of Sea Turtles In Saudi Waters Of The Northern Arabian Gulf, Rommel H. Maneja, Jeffrey D. Miller, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary, Ace Vincent B. Flandez, Joshua J. Dagoy, Joselito Francis A. Alcaria, Abdullajid U. Basali, Khaled A. Al-Abdulkader, Ronald A. Loughland, Mohamed A. Qurban

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Vegetation is an important ecological component of offshore islands in the Arabian Gulf (AG), which maintains long-term resilience of these islands. This is achieved by influencing sediment retention and moisture acquisition via condensation during periods of high humidity and by providing a variety of microhabitats for island fauna. The resilience of offshore islands’ ecosystems in the Saudi waters is important because they host the largest number of nesting hawksbill and green turtles in the AG. This study defines the characteristics and the long-term trends in vegetation cover of the offshore islands used by sea turtles as nesting grounds in the …

Vertebrates On The Brink As Indicators Of Biological Annihilation And The Sixth Mass Extinction, Gerardo Ceballos, Paul R. Ehrlich, Peter H. Raven

Harold W. Manter Laboratory: Library Materials

The ongoing sixth mass species extinction is the result of the destruction of component populations leading to eventual extirpation of entire species. Populations and species extinctions have severe implications for society through the degradation of ecosystem services. Here we assess the extinction crisis from a different perspective. We examine 29,400 species of terrestrial vertebrates, and determine which are on the brink of extinction because they have fewer than 1,000 individuals. There are 515 species on the brink (1.7% of the evaluated vertebrates). Around 94% of the populations of 77 mammal and bird species on the brink have been lost in …

An Investigation Into The Trophic Magnification Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls In The Lake Michigan Food Web, Philip Hurst

Theses and Dissertations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of persistent organic pollutants known to contribute to several adverse health conditions in humans including cancers and a suite of liver diseases. While there exist 209 unique PCB congeners, the World Health Organization has identified 12 that pose the greatest health risk to humans due to these congeners’ functional similarity to dioxins, another notoriously toxic class of contaminants. Along with methylmercury, PCBs are the primary drivers behind fish consumption advisories in the Great Lakes. These guidelines are informed primarily by surveys of contaminants in freshwater biota. However, the proliferation of invasive species, such as …

Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Analysis Of Mangrove Ecosystems Using Gis, Kayla Caldwell

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is accelerating beyond what is natural due to excessive emissions from human activities. The sea level has been rising for many years and is currently at a rate of 3.6 mm/yr. Mangroves are known to only keep pace with a sea level rate of less than 1.2 mm/yr. Mangroves are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels if they are not able to keep pace through vertical sediment accretion or inland migration. To test the vulnerability of the south Florida mangrove ecosystems to sea level rise, this study analyzed changes in the mangrove forest coverage of the Oleta River …

Assessing The Legacy Of Large Woody Debris As Coastal Protection In Bc And Washington, Jessica Wilson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Large Woody Debris (LWD) accumulates naturally in the coastal environment (Brennan et al., 2009; Sass, 2009) and is thought to be a vital component of a diverse coastal habitat ( Rich et al., 2014). Decreasing natural coverage of LWD (Heathfield & Walker, 2011) and increasing demand for environmentally sensitive coastal protection techniques has led to the promotion of LWD as a viable nature-based method of shoreline protection (e.g. Johannessen et al., 2014; Stewardship Centre for BC, 2016; Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2016). However, there is currently no peer-reviewed literature assessing the efficacy of coastal protection using LWD. This …

Northern Kelp Crab (Pugettia Producta) Feeding Preferences - Kelp Crabs Eat Kelp, And Lots Else?, Katie Dobkowski

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) is an important source of both habitat and primary production in the Salish Sea and appears to be in decline in certain areas. Northern Kelp Crabs (Pugettia producta) are large crustacean consumers that preferentially consume N. luetkeana over other local seaweed species in laboratory feeding trials and exert some level of top-down control on kelp populations in the field. We have observed differences in kelp crab density around the Salish Sea and noted P. producta living on invasive wireweed (Sargassum muticum) as well as on kelp and in other habitats. We used a combination of laboratory …

A Journey, Not A Destination: An Agency Approach To Incorporate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Justice, Alexandra Doty

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Puget Sound environmental recovery is a complex, wicked problem, including both ecosystem and human and cultural wellbeing. The Puget Sound Partnership (Partnership) is a small Washington State agency that serves as a backbone organization guiding Puget Sound recovery, coordinating and collaborating with hundreds of partner organizations to accelerate recovery of Puget Sound. Our partner organizations include state and federal agencies, tribes, cities, counties, non-profits, academic institutions, special purpose districts, and many others. In 2018, the Partnership began a journey to better enable and foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within the agency itself, as well as within the Puget Sound …

Begin At The Beginning: Steps, Stumbles And Learnings On The Path To Understanding And Implementing Dei Practices In Regional Engo., Christianne Wilhelmson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In 2018, Georgia Strait Alliance made the decision to begin the journey of addressing the complex issue of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in our organization, one that like many environmental groups in BC lacks diversity in its staff and board. We prioritized this as we recognized there is an inherent risk that our work and our organization could become irrelevant if we don’t represent the communities we claim to serve. In addition to diversity, we also needed to address the need to deepen our relationships with indigenous communities in the Georgia Strait region and reflect those relationships in our …

Reconstructing A Century Of Coastal Productivity And Predator Trophic Position In The Salish Sea Using Archival Harbor Seal Bone., Megan Feddern

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Following the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, pinniped populations along the west coast of North America experienced exponential population increases following historic lows in the 1970's. In the Salish Sea, this increase in pinniped abundance also corresponded to large scale changes environmental condition (ie. Pacific Decadal Oscillation; PDO) and declines of prey species (forage fish, salmon), creating new challenges and tradeoffs for fisheries management in the region. The objective of this research is to understand how an abundant top predator, harbor seals, respond to bottom up forces in the system such as shifts in primary productivity …

Shifting Phenology Of An Apex/Specialist Predator Tracks Changes In Its Favored Prey, Ailene Ettinger

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Phenology, or the timing of biological activities such as migration, growth, and reproduction, can have dramatic implications for fitness; consumer phenology that is out of step with its resource phenology can cause increased mortality or reduced reproductive success. The timing of southern resident killer whale (SRKW, Orcinus orca) movements in the Salish Sea is thought to be related to seasonal migrations of their prey. In recent decades, the abundance and phenology of the favored prey of SRKWs, salmon, has shifted in many locations across the western United States. Here, we use the OrcaMaster Database to quantify seasonal variation in SRKW …

Sources, Sinks, Dispersion And Cycling Of Dissolved Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (Pbdes) Discharged In The Strait Of Georgia, Yuanji Sun

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The temporal and spatial distribution of dissolved PBDE concentration in the Strait of Georgia (SoG) is combined with concentrations predicted from a time-dependent box model of the Salish Sea to investigate the sources, sinks, dispersion and cycling of PBDE congeners. Prominent sub-surface concentration maxima (up to ca. 400 pg/L for total PBDE) occasionally measured in the southern SoG point to the Iona Island Waste Water Treatment Plant diffusers, discharging primary-treated effluent at 72 - 106 m depth, as an important proximal point source of dissolved PBDE. The decreasing depth of concentration maximum with increasing congener bromination suggests that dissolved PBDEs …

Harbor Porpoises (Phocoena Phocoena Vomerina) Catching And Handling Large Fish On The U.S. West Coast, Katrina Maciver

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The harbor porpoise is a cryptic species, and information on their behavior is limited. This study describes the chase and capture of large fish by harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena vomerina) in the Salish Sea off Fidalgo Island, Washington, which were identified as salmonid species (2017/2019). Similar large fish chase/capture events of American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) have also been documented in San Francisco, CA (2016/2017). In all capture events consistent behavior was observed: the porpoise accelerated after the fish, swimming in a circle at the same spot, diving and coming out of the water head first carrying the fish cross-wise in …

Sublethal Effects Of The Sea Lice Pesticides Ivermectin And Slice® On Starry Flounder Behaviour And Physiology When Exposed To Contaminated Sediments, Daniel King

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Aquaculture is an important part of Canada’s economy, and open net-pen Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) aquaculture is a key facet of this industry. Chemotherapeutants, including anthelminthics, are often used in salmon aquaculture to prevent the loss of stock due to various pathogens. The formulation SLICE® (active ingredient: emamectin benzoate) and ivermectin (IVM) are two chemicals used in salmon aquaculture in Canada to treat and prevent sea lice infestations. SLICE® and IVM have low water solubilities and long half-lives in sediment (225 d and >100 d, respectively). Due to the persistence of these pesticides and their tendency to accumulate in marine …

Innovative Treatment Of Wood Waste Sediments Using Reactive Amendments And Dgt Passive Porewater Sulphide Testing Techniques, Daniel Berlin

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Esquimalt Harbour has historically been used for log rafting, log storage and wood mill operations over the last 70 years, resulting in the accumulation of over 200 hectares of wood waste deposits. As wood waste decomposes, it creates a biological oxygen demand in sediments that can reduce or eliminate oxygenated zones. This can lead to a buildup of compounds such as sulphides and ammonia, which are toxic to benthic organisms at higher concentrations. Public Services and Procurement Canada, on behalf of the Department of National Defence, has completed studies of wood waste sediments and is currently constructing a pilot project …

Results From Biennial Mussel Watch Monitoring In Sinclair And Dyes Inlets, Puget Sound, Washington From 2010 To 2018, Robert Johnston

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

As a component of a greater effort to assess the status and trends of ecological resources within Sinclair and Dyes Inlets, a monitoring network of mussel watch sites was initiated in winter of 2010 and has continued every-other-year through 2018. Twenty-five indigenous bivalve monitoring sites were sampled biennially for a total of five campaigns. Indigenous mussels (Mytilus spp.) were collected at sites located near suspected sources (industrial, wastewater, and storm water outfalls; marinas, stream mouths, and other sources) as well as sites that were representative of ambient conditions in Sinclair and Dyes Inlets, the adjoining passages, and Liberty Bay in …

Can Larval Dispersal Explain Differences In Population Structure Of Esa-Listed Rockfish In Puget Sound?, Kelly S. Andrews

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

In 2010, three species of rockfish in the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin (PSGB) region were listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Subsequent genetic analyses revealed that yelloweye rockfish in PSGB were genetically differentiated from individuals on the outer coast; while canary rockfish showed no population structure among these geographic regions. These results confirmed the listing status of yelloweye rockfish in PSGB as a “distinct population segment” (DPS), but suggested that canary rockfish in PSGB were not a DPS, which led to their removal from the endangered species list. Here, we test whether larval dispersal could be a mechanism for the …

Reefs For Rockfish: A Collaborative Approach To Monitor Populations And Increase Awareness In Howe Sound., Amanda Weltman

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Artificial reefs are a conservation tool that can increase biodiversity and habitat complexity in degraded habitats around the world. In some areas, they can be effective at helping to counter stressors such as overfishing by increasing the abundance of coral and fish. In addition to providing habitat, they also provide an opportunity to engage non-scientists in monitoring projects as the public can be involved in both the design and monitoring of these artificial structures. While numerous artificial reef projects exist, many are located in warm tropical waters with limited focus on the role that artificial structures can play for fish …

Seasonal Trends In Cu, Ag And Cd Content In Strait Of Georgia Zooplankton, Bertha Iselle Flores Ruiz

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The temporal variations of copper (Cu), silver (Ag) and cadmium (Cd) content in the Strait of Georgia (SoG) zooplankton were measured between 2017 and 2018. We present the first values measured for these trace metals in zooplankton from this region and how they compare with values in other regions in the world. Our results suggest that there are significant seasonal trends in carbon-normalized Ag and Cu contents in zooplankton, and that these two metals tend to increase with increasing zooplankton size. Additionally, the trends on metal content in Ag –a toxic, nonessential metal– are similar to those for Cu-an essential …