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Behavior and Ethology Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Behavior and Ethology

Hypoxia In Mangroves: Occurrence And Impact On Valuable Tropical Fish Habitat, Alexia Dubuc, Ronald Baker, Cyril Marchand, Nathan Waltham, Marcus Sheaves Oct 2019

Hypoxia In Mangroves: Occurrence And Impact On Valuable Tropical Fish Habitat, Alexia Dubuc, Ronald Baker, Cyril Marchand, Nathan Waltham, Marcus Sheaves

School of Marine and Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Intertidal mangrove forests are harsh environments that can naturally experience hypoxia in association with low tide. However, we know relatively little about dissolved oxygen (DO) fluctuations and DO-induced responses by fish, although DO is a fundamental water quality parameter. This study examines DO as a potential factor regulating the utilization of intertidal mangrove forests by fish and consequently their widely recognized feeding, refuge and nursery values. We deployed underwater video cameras, coupled with DO and depth loggers, in a mangrove forest to record changes in fish assemblages in response to tidal variations in DO and other associated environmental parameters. Our …


Response Of Early Life Stage Homarus Americanus To Ocean Warming And Acidification: An Interpopulation Comparison, Maura K. Niemisto Aug 2019

Response Of Early Life Stage Homarus Americanus To Ocean Warming And Acidification: An Interpopulation Comparison, Maura K. Niemisto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic carbon released into the atmosphere is driving rapid, concurrent increases in temperature and acidity across the world’s oceans, most prominently in northern latitudes. The geographic range of the iconic American lobster (Homarus americanus) spans a steep thermal gradient and one of the most rapidly warming oceanic environments. Understanding the interactive effects of ocean warming and acidification on this species’ most vulnerable early life stages is important to predict its response to climate change on a stage-specific and population level. This study compares the responses of lobster larvae from two sub-populations spanning New England’s north-south temperature gradient (southern …


Sex-Specific Personalities In The Purple Marsh Crab, Jillian Sterman, Jessica Barton, Panagiota Delmedico, Samantha Sweeney Jun 2019

Sex-Specific Personalities In The Purple Marsh Crab, Jillian Sterman, Jessica Barton, Panagiota Delmedico, Samantha Sweeney

DePaul Discoveries

Animals are considered to possess personalities when individuals differ in behavior, and these differences are consistent between situations. Several studies have identified personalities in diverse groups but less is known about personality variation between the sexes. In this study, we examined variation in two key personality traits (boldness, activity) in female and male purple marsh crabs (Sesarma reticulatum) using a semi-field approach. Specifically, we measured boldness and activity on two consecutive days using the same behavioral assays during each time point. Consistency (personality) was determined using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance based on Spearman correlation coefficients for each behavior. …


Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Vocal Responses To Sonar And Spectrally Pink Background Noise, Maria Zapetis May 2019

Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Vocal Responses To Sonar And Spectrally Pink Background Noise, Maria Zapetis

Dissertations

As human populations rise, the level of man-made noise increases globally. Naval sonar and boat traffic are underwater sound sources of particular concern to marine mammal welfare. To better understand the impact of these noise increases on cetaceans, studies can explore animals’ behavioral changes in response to noise. Studies have investigated the ‘dose-response’ relationship between the received sound pressure level of sonar signals and the behavior of cetaceans in the wild, but exposure studies in controlled environments are limited. The studies in this dissertation examined bottlenose dolphin vocal modifications during various experimental noise treatments. Acoustic recordings previously obtained for bottlenose …


Lingering Impacts Of Hurricane Hugo On Rhizophora Mangle (Red Mangrove) Population Genetics On St. John, Usvi, Paul Ax Bologna, James J. Campanella, Dena J. Restaino, Zachary A. Fetske, Matthew Lourenco, John V. Smalley Apr 2019

Lingering Impacts Of Hurricane Hugo On Rhizophora Mangle (Red Mangrove) Population Genetics On St. John, Usvi, Paul Ax Bologna, James J. Campanella, Dena J. Restaino, Zachary A. Fetske, Matthew Lourenco, John V. Smalley

Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Stochastic events can have catastrophic effects on island populations through a series of genetic stressors from reduced population size. We investigated five populations of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) from St. John, USVI, an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which were impacted by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Our goal was to determine diversity and to ascertain potential population bottlenecks two decades after the event. With the lowest observed heterozygosity, highest inbreeding coefficient, and evidence of a major bottleneck, our results demonstrated that the Great Lameshur mangroves, devastated by Hurricane Hugo, were the least diverse stand of trees. The other four populations from St. …


Seal And Polar Bear Behavioral Response To An Icebreaker Vessel In Northwest Greenland, Kate Lomac-Macnair, José Pedro Andrade, Eduardo Esteves Jan 2019

Seal And Polar Bear Behavioral Response To An Icebreaker Vessel In Northwest Greenland, Kate Lomac-Macnair, José Pedro Andrade, Eduardo Esteves

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Icebreaker vessels are important scientific tools, enabling access and research within the polar regions of the world, including the High Arctic. These vessels have the potential to overlap with marine mammal habitats in infrequently studied areas. Marine mammal behavioral responses to icebreaker vessel presence and distance at which responses occur are not well documented or understood. During the Petermann 2015 Expedition on the icebreaker Oden, seal and polar bear (Ursus maritimus) data were collected in Petermann Fjord (Northwest Greenland), the adjacent Nares Strait region, and transit to and from Thule, Greenland over 31 days (July 30 to …


Tiger Sharks Eat Songbirds: Scavenging A Windfall Of Nutrients From The Sky, J. Marcus Drymon, K. Feldheim, A. M.V. Fournier, E. A. Seubert, A. E. Jefferson, A. M. Kroetz, Sean P. Powers Jan 2019

Tiger Sharks Eat Songbirds: Scavenging A Windfall Of Nutrients From The Sky, J. Marcus Drymon, K. Feldheim, A. M.V. Fournier, E. A. Seubert, A. E. Jefferson, A. M. Kroetz, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.


The Purr Of The Lionfish: Sound And Behavioral Context Of Wild Lionfish In The Greater Caribbean, Michelle T. Schärer-Umpierre, Carlos Zayas, Richard S. Appeldoorn, Evan Tuohy, Jack C. Olson, Jessica A. Keller, Alejandro Acosta Jan 2019

The Purr Of The Lionfish: Sound And Behavioral Context Of Wild Lionfish In The Greater Caribbean, Michelle T. Schärer-Umpierre, Carlos Zayas, Richard S. Appeldoorn, Evan Tuohy, Jack C. Olson, Jessica A. Keller, Alejandro Acosta

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Passive acoustic technology has become a useful and cost-effective method to collect data with very high temporal resolution that can be used to detect the presence, distribution, and remotely monitor soniferous marine biodiversity. In order to maximize the potential of bioacoustic and soundscape research in the oceans, understanding the association between the different realms of sound sources, species-specific calls and behavioral context of sound production are fundamental. A previously unknown vocalization was associated with a behavioral display of lionfish (Pterois spp.) by recordings with synchronous audio and video at deep coral reefs in both Puerto Rico and the Florida …