Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Activation Of Amp-Activated Protein Kinase As An Early Indicator For Stress In The Lobster, Homarus Americanus, Stephanie Podolski

All Theses And Dissertations

Variations in water temperature, salinity, pH, and oxygen concentration are stressors that marine invertebrates face on a daily basis. Each of these physiological stressors creates a large cellular demand for energy. In mammals, energy metabolism is regulated by the enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is highly conserved during evolution. This project was designed to test the hypothesis that AMPK is present and activated by temperature, hypoxia, and anoxia stress in the lobster, Homarus americanus.

Animals were exposed to a rapid and progressive increase in temperature (6ºC per hour) beginning at 14 ºC. We measured lactate concentrations and AMPK …

Summer 2011, Nova Southeastern University

Currents

No abstract provided.

Abundance Of Eukaryotic Microbes In The Deep Subtropical North Atlantic, Danielle Morgan-Smith, Gerhard J. Herndl, Hendrik M. Van Aken, Alexander B. Bochdansky

OES Faculty Publications

The meso- and bathypelagic ocean comprises the largest habitat on earth, yet we know very little about the distribution and activity of protists in this environment. These small eukaryotes are responsible for controlling bacterial abundance in the surface ocean and are major players in the material and energy transfer of pelagic food webs. In this paper, we quantify microbial eukaryotes in the deep North Atlantic, as well as provide a basic characterization of eukaryote community changes through the water column. To this end, we counted organisms using 2 different approaches: (1) catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH, also …

Biology Department Newsletter, No.1, Sacred Heart University

Biology Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Comparative Phylogeography Of The Coral Triangle And Implications For Marine Management, Kent E. Carpenter, Paul H. Barber, Eric D. Crandall, Maria Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto Ambariyanto, Gusti Ngurah Mahardika, B. Mabel Manjaji-Matsumoto, Marie Antonette Junio-Menez, Mudjekeewis D. Santos, Craig J. Starger, Abdul Hamid A. Toha

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Extreme concentration of marine biodiversity and exploitation of marine resources in the Coral Triangle pose challenges to biogeographers and resource managers. Comparative phylogeography provides a powerful tool to test biogeographic hypotheses evoked to explain species richness in the Coral Triangle. It can also be used to delineate management units for marine resources. After about a decade of phylogeographical studies, patterns for theCoral Triangle are emerging. Broad connectivity in some species support the notion that larvae have maintained gene flow among distant populations for long periods. Other phylogeographic patterns suggest vicariant events resulting from Pleistocene sea level fluctuations, which have, at …

Spring 2011, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Distributions Of Sharks Across A Continental Shelf In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, J. Marcus Drymon, Sean P. Powers, John Dindo, Brian Dzwonkowski, Terry A. Henwood

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Declines in shark populations have sparked researchers and fishery managers to investigate more prudent approaches to the conservation of these fish. As managers strive to improve data collection for stock assessment, fisheries-independent surveys have expanded to include data-deficient areas such as coastal regions. To that end, a catch series from a nearshore survey off Alabama was combined with data from a concurrent offshore survey with identical methodology to examine the depth use of sharks across the continental shelf (2–366 m). The combined data set contained 22 species of sharks collected from 1995 to 2008: 21 species in the offshore data …

Geological And Ichthyological Investigations Into Palaeodrainage Hypothesis For The Tennessee River, Andrea Karen Persons

Dissertations

The course of the ancestral Tennessee River has been debated in both the geological and biological literature for over 100 years. Several of the proposed courses for the ancestral Tennessee place its course across the state of Mississippi. Geochemical analysis of sedimentary rocks in the Pascagoula River basin supports these hypotheses suggesting that the rocks in the Pascagoula basin were derived from the Highland Rim of Tennessee and northern Alabama, while geochemical analysis of rocks from the Pearl River basin point to deposition from a mixture of sources including the ancestral Mississippi River and perhaps the ancestral Tennessee. To delve …

A Sea Change For Aquatic Sustainability : Meeting The Challenge Of Fish Resources Management And Aquatic Sustainability In The 21st Century, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Zooplankton Population Dynamics In The Upper Mississippi River-Lake System, Krystal Michaels

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

The Loss Of Species: Mangrove Extinction Risk And Geographic Areas Of Global Concern, Beth A. Polidoro, Kent E. Carpenter, Lorna Collins, Norman C. Duke, Aaron M. Ellison, Joanna C. Ellison, Elizabeth J. Farnsworth, Edwino S. Fernando, Kandasamy Kathiresan, Nico E. Koedam, Suzanne R. Livingstone, Toyohiko Miyagi, Gregg E. Moore, Vien Ngoc Nam, Jin Eong Ong, Jurgenne H. Primavera, Serverino G. Salmo, Jonnell C. Sanciango, Sukristijono Sukardjo, Yamin Wang, Jean Wan Hong Yong

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mangrove species are uniquely adapted to tropical and subtropical coasts, and although relatively low in number of species, mangrove forests provide at least US $1.6 billion each year in ecosystem services and support coastal livelihoods worldwide. Globally, mangrove areas are declining rapidly as they are cleared for coastal development and aquaculture and logged for timber and fuel production. Little is known about the effects of mangrove area loss on individual mangrove species and local or regional populations. To address this gap, species-specific information on global distribution, population status, life history traits, and major threats were compiled for each of the …

Fishing Industry Impact Study : James Price Point Proposed Liquefied Natural Gas Precinct, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Occasional Paper No. 77 - Economic Analysis: Fishing Industry Impact Study - Kimberley Lng Project, Econsearch Pty Ltd, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

This study, prepared as a part of a broader study for WA fisheries, is concerned with the regional economy of the West Kimberley region and involves an assessment of the impact on the region of a range of fishing industry scenarios associated with development of an LNG processing facility. Specific tasks involved in the study were to prepare the following:

• a standard input-output model for the West Kimberley regional economy for 2007/08 and extend it as a DECON model; and

• estimates of the regional economic and population impact for a range of fishing industry scenarios arising from the …

Seasonal Variability In Ichthyoplankton Abundance And Assemblage Composition In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Off Alabama, Frank J. Hernandez, Jr, Sean P. Powers, William M. Graham

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Multiyear ichthyoplankton surveys used to monitor larval fish seasonality, abundance, and assemblage structure can provide early indicators of regional ecosystem changes. Numerous ichthyoplankton surveys have been conducted in the northern Gulf of Mexico, but few have had high levels of temporal resolution and sample replication. In this study, ichthyoplankton samples were collected monthly (October 2004–October 2006) at a single station off the coast of Alabama as part of a long-term biological survey. Four seasonal periods were identified from observed and historic water temperatures, including a relatively long (June–October) “summer” period (water temperature >26°C). Fish egg abundance, total larval abundance, and …

Fall 2010, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Biofouling And Short-Term Dynamics On Fish Cage Netting In Relation To Fish Rearing And Environmental Factors., John Madin

Student Works (2010-2019)

Four studies were conducted in a floating net-cages farm at Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR), Perak, Malaysia, to elucidate the biofouling assemblages on cage nettings and factors that influence their development. In the first study (Chapter 3),biofouling on 1.6 cm mesh net panels (size 0.2 m x 2 m) suspended inside (homemade pellet ‘P’, trash fish ‘T’) and outside (O) experimental net-cages in a fish farm were monitored every week until net openings were completely occluded by macrofouling organisms. Eight species (7 phyla) of sessile organisms and 27 species (3 phyla) of nonsessile associates were recorded.Colonization by macrofouling organisms usually …

Winter 2010, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Dopamine Modulates The Lateral Giant Neuron And Serotonergic Facilitation In Crayfish, Joshua Scott Titlow

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The lateral giant (LG) neural circuit is a model system used to study the function of individual neurons. The LG circuit is part of a tail flip escape reflex that is a defensive behavior for crayfish. This thesis begins by addressing the effects of dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter involved in normal and abnormal behaviors of most animals. Here it is shown that dopamine decreases the excitability of the LG neuron, a trigger for the escape reflex. An electrophysiology protocol was used to mimic sensory input to the LG neuron. Stimulating a sensory nerve in the last ganglion with an electrode …

Snail Grazing Facilitates Growth Of A Bloom-Forming Alga, Michele Guidone, Carol S. Thornber, Emily Field

Biology Faculty Publications

Herbivory often has a negative effect on plants. However, there is a growing number of examples, primarily in terrestrial ecosystems, where herbivory causes an increase in plant size, growth rate, and/or reproductive output. In marine ecosystems, the positive effects of herbivores on macroalgae are not as well studied, although limited evidence exists for herbivore-induced increases in macroalgal growth rates via 2 mechanisms: nutrient addition via grazer defecation, and epiphyte removal. In this study, we examined the effects of grazing by the mud snail Ilyanassa obsoleta on Ulva lactuca, the dominant bloom-forming macroalga in many New England estuaries. We found …

The Ratio Of Gametophytes To Tetrasporophytes Of Intertidal Chondrus Crispus (Gigartinaceae) Across A Salinity Gradient, Michele Guidone, Sean Grace

Biology Faculty Publications

Population studies of the Gigartinaceae (Rhodophyta) have often observed that the ratio of gametophytes to tetrasporophytes varies with the location of the population or the time of sampling. For some species, patterns have emerged that correlate this ratio to one or a few particular environmental variables, such as elevation, wave exposure, or season. Identifying these distributional patterns is an important step towards understanding what (if any) ecological differences exist between the two free-living life history stages.

The purpose of this study was to measure the ratio of gametophytes to tetrasporophytes of intertidal populations of Chondrus crispus across a decreasing salinity …

Movement Patterns And Population Genetics Of The American Horseshoe Crab In Relation To Long Island Sound Conservation Strategies, Jo-Marie Kasinak, Kirk A. Bartholomew, Mark Beekey, Jennifer Mattei

Biology Faculty Publications

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CTDEP) established three no-harvest zones for the horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) population as part of a conservation plan for the species. Data from a long-term mark/recapture study of horseshoe crabs in conjunction with a microsatellite-based genetic survey of the population were analyzed to determine if this plan was appropriate to conserve genetic diversity and broaden our knowledge of movement patterns of Limulus in Long Island Sound (LIS). To date, ~53,000 crabs have been tagged over a 10 year period through the Project Limulus program with an annual average recapture rate of 12 …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No 75 - Research And Development Plan 2009-10, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The Department of Fisheries R&D plan for 2009/10 outlines the research, monitoring and assessment activities that are specifically directed towards supporting the collection of information that will assist in achieving the objectives of the Fish Resources Management Act (1994) for the coming five year period. This series is updated on an annual basis and should be read in conjunction with the most recent State of Fisheries report where comprehensive analyses of the current status of each of the fisheries and fish habitat resources are described.

The plan specifically focuses on those activities that are currently planned or identified which directly …

Summer/Fall 2009, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing The Environmental Quality Of The Bay Of Saint Louis, Mississippi And Implications For Evolving Coastal Management Policies, Pradnya Ankush Sawant

Dissertations

The Bay of St. Louis, MS is a small northern Gulf of Mexico estuary that has been identified by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) as an impaired waterbody for its designated uses, mainly due to the presence of pollutant pathogens. A systematic study of this estuary was important to understand the behavior and responses of the bay to several natural and anthropogenic forcing factors. A 14- month long study (bimonthly sampling) to evaluate its environmental quality was undertaken from April 2003 to May 2004. Environmental quality was defined as "the health of an ecosystem characterized in terms of …

Habitat-Based Intraguild Predation By Caribbean Reef Octopus Octopus Briareus On Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Mark J. Butler Iv, Jennifer A. Lear

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Intraguild predation occurs when species simultaneously compete for resources and interact as predator and prey, which describes the interaction between juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus and Caribbean reef octopus Octopus briareus in the Florida Keys, USA. Octopuses are notorious predators of decapod crustaceans, and their use of crevice shelters suggests that they may also compete for shelter with their lobster prey. Lobsters use mainly chemical cues to detect and avoid octopus, so we hypothesized that the negative association between these species may be as much the consequence of avoidance of a superior competitor as it is of direct predation. …

Effect Of The Herbivorous Channel Clinging Crab (Mithrax Spinosissimus) On Patch Reef Algal Communities In The Florida Keys, Florida (Usa), Angela M. Mojica Osorio

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Coral reefs worldwide are undergoing dramatic habitat modification from coral to macroalgal dominance due to water pollution, coral diseases, global. warming, and the loss of herbivores. This phase-shift bas been particularly severe on Caribbean reefs due in large measure to the decline of piscine and echinoderm grazers, whose presence appears crucial for stemming the decline of coral reefs and enhancing their resilience. Virtually unknown, however, is the role of other macrograzers in coral reef ecosystems. This is the first study to examine the feeding ecology and grazer effect of the herbivorous West Indian spider crab (Mithrax spinosissimus) on inshore patch …

Oceanic-Atmospheric Modes Of Variability And Their Effect On River Flow And Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Abundance In The Northcentral Gulf Of Mexico, Guillermo Humberto Sanchez-Rubio

Dissertations

Oceanic-atmospheric modes of variability occur on interdecadal, multidecadal, decadal, and interannual timescales and their influence on climate around the world has been confirmed. The present study investigates Mississippi River and Pascagoula River flows in response to the influence of one or more of the four oceanic-atmospheric modes of variability: the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). These modes of variability are present in phases: PDO warm (PDOw) and cold (PDOc), AMO warm (AMOw) and cold (AMOc), NAO positive (NAOp) and negative (NAOn), and ENSO warm …

Spring 2009, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 66 - Scientific Review Of The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery, Western Australia, Michael O'Neill, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

In December 2008 the Hon Norman Moore MLC, Minister for Fisheries Western Australia appointed two independent experts to assess separately 1) the validity of scientific advice to management and 2) options to manage recreational fishing of west coast demersal scalefish. The following review (1) assesses the validity of research outlining the status of baldchin groper (Choerodon rubescens), West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) and snapper (Pagrus auratus) as described in the terms of reference. In addition to the terms of reference, an opinion was requested regarding the current appropriateness of the research advice (Wise et al 2007) and the resulting management …

Differential Response Of Amp Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) And Hsp70 To Temperature Stress In The Gastropod, Nucella Lapillus, Emily Zimmermann

All Theses And Dissertations

Populations of the gastropod Nucella lapillus are polymorphic for shell color, with light-colored shells predominating on warmer, wave-protected shores and dark-colored shells limited primarily to cooler, wave-exposed shores. During thermal stress, darker shells attain higher body temperatures than lighter shells. These results suggest that heat stress may determine field distribution patterns. However, there is currently little evidence of physiological consequences of thermal stress in these organisms. Following the guiding hypothesis that heat stress leads to cellular energy depletion, we explored whether the central energy regulator AMP-activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) is activated by heat stress. We compared this response in both …