Marine Biology Commons^™

Recruitment Patterns Of Juvenile Fish At An Artificial Reef In The Gulf Of Mexico, Rachel Noel Arney

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In 2011, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department deployed 4,000 culverts as an artificial reef off Port Mansfield, TX to serve as habitat for sport fish species in the Gulf of Mexico. The aim of this study was to assess juvenile fish recruitment at particular culvert densities among the reef. Standard monitoring units for the recruitment of reef fish (SMURFs) were used in this study and acted as sampling devices. SMURFs were placed at thirteen sampling stations among four different reef patch densities and sampled repeatedly from 2013-2014. Culvert densities included stations with: zero culverts, 1-50 culverts, 51-100 culverts, and …

Scaling Of Olfactory Antennae Of The Terrestrial Hermit Crabs Coenobita Rugosus And Coenobita Perlatus During Ontogeny, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Roxanne M. Bantay, Quang V. Nguyen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Although many lineages of terrestrial crustaceans have poor olfactory capabilities, crabs in the family Coenobitidae, including the terrestrial hermit crabs in the genus Coenobita, are able to locate food and water using olfactory antennae (antennules) to capture odors from the surrounding air. Terrestrial hermit crabs begin their lives as small marine larvae and must find a suitable place to undergo metamorphosis into a juvenile form, which initiates their transition to land. Juveniles increase in size by more than an order of magnitude to reach adult size. Since odor capture is a process heavily dependent on the size and speed …

Salinity And Temperature Distribution Of Jellyfish In The San Francisco Estuary, Trisha Huynh, Brooke Bemowski, Lindsay Sullivan, Wim Kimmerer

STAR Program Research Presentations

Jellyfish are generally characterized by their jelly-like bodies and internal lining (two tissue layers). They found both in the phylum Ctenophora and the phylum Cnidaria. Ctenophores differ from cnidarians primarily due to the rows of “combs”, or cilia, which are used for transportation. Additionally, ctenophores possess sticky cells while cindarians possess stinging cells. Jellyfish depend on zooplankton (small floating aquatic animals) as a food source; as a result, they are potential competitors and predators to plankton-eating fish and may negatively impact fish populations.

As recently as 1950, jellyfish have entered the San Francisco Bay from the Mediterranean Sea (probably …

Habitat Preference Of The Introduced Green Crab Carcinus Maenas, Brittany Susan Daum, Andy Chang

STAR Program Research Presentations

The aim of this experiment was to determine if Carcinus Maenas (European Green Crab) hhas a habitat preference in Seadrift Lagoon located in Stinson Beach, California. This experiment was accomplished by placing crab traps on the two types of substrate in Seadrift (sand and algae). The traps were pulled up every 24 hours and the size and sex of crabs was recorded. The data was analyzed to see if there was a difference in habitat preference based upon size, sex, and number of crabs. Using a Poisson Regression model, the size and sex of crabs were not significantly different between …

Melanin As An Oto-Protective Pigment In Two Fish Species: Poecilia Latipinna And Cyprinus Carpio , Bethany N. Coffey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Melanin is the dark pigment found in most organisms that gives color to the skin, hair, feathers, and eyes of vertebrates. While melanin is known to also be present in the stria vascularis of the mammalian cochlea, its function in the inner ear is still unknown. Some previous studies have indicated that melanin may serve to protect the mammalian ear from hearing loss. Minimal previous research on melanin within the inner ears of fishes has been conducted. In this study, the melanin levels in the inner ears of different color morphs of two fish species (Poecilia latipinna and Cyprinus …

The Ontogeny Of Whistle Production In Infant Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) During The First Thirty Days Of Life, Brittany Leigh Jones

Master's Theses

The manner in which dolphin calves acquire their whistle repertoire is largely unknown. This paper focuses on whistle development in four bottlenose dolphin calves during the first thirty days of life in order to increase our understanding of the early emergence of whistles and whistle-like vocalizations. The acoustic parameters of whistle-type vocalizations (i.e., whistles and whistlesquawks) that coincided with a bubblestream emission from the focal calf and/or its mother were analyzed, as were the behavioral states of the mother-calf pair during the emission of such vocals. Mother and calf whistle rates are inversely related, with the mother whistling more often …

Coral-Fish Dynamics And Interactions: A Case Study Of Grand Cayman, Eileen Shea Davis

Lawrence University Honors Projects

To better understand the ecological interactions of coral reefs, it is important to understand the mechanisms that control the distribution and abundance of reef-building corals as well as the mechanisms that control the diversity and abundance of the fish community that inhabits these reef habitats. The purpose of this study was to identify specific coral-fish interactions among the reefs of Grand Cayman in order to gain insight into the biological effects of fish on the assemblage of hard corals. Using data collected by the Lawrence University Marine Program (LUMP), a number of exploratory statistical analyses were run in order to …

Use Of Coastal Islands By Seabirds: A Tool To Guide Future Marine Protected Areas In California, Dana A. Page

Master's Projects and Capstones

Seabird breeding colonies on islands off the coast of California offer a unique tool to help guide marine spatial planning. The life histories of seabirds can be used to develop locations of ecological importance along the coast of California. Tracking methodologies and habitat modeling related to seabird habitat utilization can be used to inform management approaches which can aid in the expansion of marine protected areas (MPAs). Protecting ocean habitats will help mitigate impacts of climate change and ensure the ecosystem services provided by marine environments. Areas within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary were analyzed to locate candidate MPA …

Water Water Everywhere: Analyzing Long Island's Water Issues And Finding Solutions For A Sustainable Future, Anthony T. Becker

2014 Student Theses

Over three million people call Long Island their home. With access to beautiful landscapes, world-renowned beaches, and proximity to New York City, it is no wonder that so many proudly call this geographic stretch of glacial till their home. However, throughout the years our actions do not necessarily reflect this affection we have to our home. Years of sprawl and human infestation across the island have resulted in widespread environmental degradation. Specifically, the water we drink and the beaches we enjoy have become endangered. I plan on studying the urban ecology of how intensified population growth led to the eutrophication …

The Delivery, Speciation, And Fate Of Trace Elements In St. Louis Bay, Mississippi, Gopal Bera

Dissertations

Estuaries are dynamic regions in which there can be significant modification of the riverine flux of trace elements to the open ocean due to various geochemical, physical, and biological processes. Additionally, estuaries are often subject to anthropogenic inputs of trace elements. The first portion of this study investigated the source, behavior, and sediment interaction of anthropogenic stable cesium (Cs) in St. Louis Bay (SLB), MS. A consistent increase in stable Cs concentration was noticed in sediment cores starting from a period when a titanium dioxide refinery on SLB started operations. Weak correlation between Cs and clay percentage and strong correlations …

Taxonomy, Diversity, And Distribution Patterns Of Portunid Crab Megalopae In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico During Fall Of 2003, Carley Rain Knight

Master's Theses

The field of zooplankton biology contributes to more accurate stock assessments as well as to a greater understanding of the marine food web. However, adequate information for the invertebrate component of zooplankton is lacking compared to the ichthyoplankton component. In this thesis, identification of Portunidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) megalopae collected during the fall of 2003 from a NOAA SEAMAP cruise revealed 7 species and 11 morphs with 90% of the total density comprised of Callinectes sapidus, Achelous gibbesii, Callinectes similis, Achelous spinicarpus, and Achelous sp.I. Keys and detailed descriptions are provided along with photographs and morphological drawings for each morph to …

A Female Audience Increases Frequency Of Showy Agonistic Displays In Male Siamese Fighting Fish, Raisa Lück

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The audience effect refers to a situation where individuals alter displays in the presence of bystanders. By changing display choice, displayers can optimize their effectiveness against both the opponent and audience. Many displays – territorial, aggressive, warning, and threatening – fall into the broad category of agonistic behavior. Male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) are known for being territorial, and they use the same set of stereotypical displays repeatedly from one male to the next. I observed effects of a female audience on male Betta displays to determine if males use certain displays more frequently than others when a female …

Benthic And Planktonic Microalgal Community Structure And Primary Productivity In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Matthew Reginald Semcheski

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Microalgal populations are trophically important to a variety of micro- and macroheterotrophs in marine and estuarine systems. In Chesapeake Bay, microalgae facilitate the survival and development of ecologically and economically relevant fauna, including shellfish and finfish populations. While regarded as significant components of coastal environments, microphytobenthic communities are historically understudied. In Chesapeake Bay, the importance of phytoplankton to the ecosystem is understood, but the contribution of microphytobenthos remains unclear. This project surveys intertidal microphytobenthic communities, in relation to phytoplankton communities, around lower Chesapeake Bay describing the taxonomic makeup of these populations, coupled with quantification of cell abundance, biomass, and primary …

Environews #8, Richard Philp

Data and Test Instruments

Crows are clever, sea turtles are shocked and tuna are heartsick..

Energetic Demands Of Immature Sea Otters From Birth To Weaning: Implications For Maternal Costs, Reproductive Behavior And Population-Level Trends, Nicole Thometz, M. T. Tinker, M. M. Staedler, K. A. Mayer, T. M. Williams

Biology Faculty Publications

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) have the highest mass-specific metabolic rate of any marine mammal, which is superimposed on the inherently high costs of reproduction and lactation in adult females. These combined energetic demands have been implicated in the poor body condition and increased mortality of female sea otters nearing the end of lactation along the central California coast. However, the cost of lactation is unknown and currently cannot be directly measured for this marine species in the wild. Here, we quantified the energetic demands of immature sea otters across five developmental stages as a means of assessing the …

A Revision Of The Octocoral Genus Ovabunda Alderslade, 2001 (Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Xeniidae), Catherine S. Mcfadden, Yehuda Benayahu, Anna Halász, Dafna Aharonovich, Robert Toonen

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

The family Xeniidae (Octocorallia) constitutes an abundant benthic component on many Indo-West Pacific coral reefs and is ecologically important in the Red Sea. The genus Ovabunda Alderslade, 2001 was recently established to accommodate previous Xenia species with sclerites comprised of a mass of minute corpuscle-shaped microscleres. The aim of the present study was to examine type material of Xenia species in order to verify their generic affiliation. We present here a comprehensive account of the genus Ovabunda, using scanning electron microscopy to depict sclerite microstructure. We assign three Xenia species to the genus: O. ainex comb. n., O. …

A New Species Of Ovabunda (Octocorallia, Xeniidae) From The Andaman Sea, Thailand With Notes On The Biogeography Of This Genus, Catherine S. Mcfadden, Michael P. Janes, Thanongsak Chanmethakul

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

A survey of xeniid octocorals was carried out in the waters off Southwestern Thailand in September, 2007. Microscopic investigation of the colonies revealed that three specimens belonged to the genus Ovabunda. Gross morphological examination is presented here accompanied by scanning electron micrographs of the sclerites. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed identical genotypes at mtMutS, COI, and 28S rDNA for all three specimens and supports their generic assignment. Colony size and shape, sclerite size, and pinnule arrangement differ from nominal species of Ovabunda and thus a new species, O. andamanensis is introduced here. This work also presents a new …

Determining The Standard Metabolic Rate Of The Mantis Shrimp, Squilla Empusa: The First Step In Calculating The Heat Increment Of Feeding, Emeline Marie Kelley

Biology Theses

The heat increment of feeding (HI_F) is the metabolic response following a feeding period. There is an increase in metabolism following a meal. The heat increment of feeding of the mantis shrimp, Squilla empusa, has not been studied before, although almost half of the published invertebrate HI_F studies have been on crustaceans.

The standard metabolic rate is the minimum metabolic rate of a postabsorptive ectotherm, at rest, during its non-active period, at a defined temperature. The standard metabolic rate (SMR) of the mantis shrimp was measured using indirect calorimetry, measuring the dissolved oxygen concentrations of the …

The Impact Of Sea Surface Temperature On Outbreaks Of Acanthaster Planci On The Great Barrier Reef, Laura A. Grossman

Scripps Senior Theses

The causes of increasing outbreaks of Acanthaster planci on the Great Barrier Reef have been a point of hot debate in recent years. It is unknown whether the increased success is due to nutrient runoff, salinity levels, or a decrease in predation, among other possibilities. In this paper I argue that the primary influence on outbreak status is sea surface temperature. From existing literature, I demonstrate that sea surface temperature in the Great Barrier Reef has increased by 0.4°C per year over the past three decades. I attempt to tie this increase with an increase in frequency of A. planci …

Functional Characterization Of A Putative Disaccharide Membrane Transporter In Crustacean Intestine, Rasheda S. Likely

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mechanisms of transepithelial absorption of dietary sucrose in the American lobster, Homarus americanus, were investigated in this study to determine whether sugars can be transported across an animal gut intact or as monosaccharides following hydrolysis. Lobster intestine was isolated and mounted in a perfusion chamber to characterize the mechanisms of mucosal to serosal (MS) ¹⁴C -sucrose transport across the intestine MS fluxes were measured by adding varying concentrations of ¹⁴C-sucrose to the perfusate which resulted in a hyperbolic curve following Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The kinetic constants of the proposed sucrose transporter were K_M = 15.84 ± 1.81 …

Effect Of Feed Additives On Amino Acid And Dipeptide Transport By Intestines Of American Lobster And Atlantic White Shrimp, Maria Louise Peterson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous nutritional physiology research using L-histidine and zinc in American lobster intestine (Homarus americanus) has suggested that these solutes can be co-transported as complexes (Histidine-Zinc-Histidine) across the intestine using a peptide transporter. Furthermore, transport of L-leucine was shown to be inhibited by high calcium concentrations. Dipeptide and bis-complex transport and the role of calcium were investigated in the perfused intestines of lobster and Atlantic white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus). Following trans-intestinal transport, serosal medium was analyzed for amino acid composition by gas chromatography. In lobster, the transport of glycylsarcosine (Gly-Sar) from mucosa to serosa was stimulated two-fold …

The Social Structure And Mating Strategies Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In The St. Johns River, Jessica Lea Ermak

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Across populations, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) exhibit a fission-fusion pattern of associations, in which group size and composition change fluidly throughout the day. Beneath this seemingly ephemeral social structure, considerable variation exists across study sites. While females typically have moderate bonds with one another within a large social network, male-male bonds are variable, though males typically take one of two strategies; some males encounter females individually for opportunities to breed while others cooperate within a first-order alliance to collectively herd females. In addition, multi-tiered alliances in which two first-order alliances cooperate to defend or assist in the theft of a …

Effects Of Salinity And Dissolved Organic Matter On Cu Toxicity To Americamysis Bahia In Estuarine Environments, Rabia Nasir

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As salinity increases the geochemical speciation of Cu is altered as a result of organic/inorganic complexation/competition. Such salinity changes may further challenge the osmoregulatory capabilities of euryhaline organisms. This chemical-biological interaction complicates the understanding of the impacts of Cu in estuarine waters. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been widely established to be an important modifier of Cu toxicity in freshwaters however its effectiveness in modulating Cu toxicity across the range of salinities that occur in estuarine conditions has not been studied in a systematic manner. Site to site differences in DOM quality with respect to the potential for toxicity mitigation …

Distribution And Elimination Of 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-Nitrophenol (Tfm) By Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) And Non-Target, Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) And Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens), Michael W. Le Clair

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The pesticide, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), has been highly successful in the control of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Great Lakes. Treatments with TFM involve applying it to streams, where it targets larval sea lamprey which live burrowed in the stream substrate. While the toxic mechanism of TFM has been elucidated, and its effects on sea lamprey described, its effects on non-target fish species such as rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) are not as well understood. The present work demonstrated that rainbow trout show a great capacity to detoxify the lampricide using glucuronidation, when exposed to …

Assessing The Responses Of Adult, Juvenile, And Larval Fish Assemblages To The Closure Of The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, An Artificial Tidal Pass In Southeastern Louisiana, Rebecca Weatherall Cope

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The creation of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) in 1963 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) represents one of the most catastrophic, anthropogenic stressors ever to impact the Lake Pontchartrain estuary in southeastern Louisiana, USA. The artificial tidal pass provided a direct route from the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans. It allowed for high saline waters to enter Lake Pontchartrain, resulting in detrimental changes to the biotic community of the Lake and surrounding wetland areas. In July 2009, the USACE closed the MRGO in hopes of restoring natural ecosystems. This study assesses changes in the adult, …

Development And Application Of A Gis-Based Long Island Sound Eelgrass Habitat Suitability Index Model, Jamie M.P. Vaudrey, Justin Eddings, Christopher Pickerell, Lorne Brousseau, Charles Yarish

Department of Marine Sciences

The primary objectives of the Eelgrass Habitat Suitability Index Model (EHSI Model) are to assist in the evaluation of sites being considered for eelgrass restoration efforts in the Long Island Sound (LIS) area and to identify areas where water quality issues reduce or eliminate the potential for natural eelgrass colonization. To achieve this goal, geospatial processing of data available from the Long Island Sound area was conducted using ArcGIS v10.0 including the 3D Analyst and Spatial Analyst extensions. The result is a series of maps presented in this report and a GIS-based model available for users to interact with the …

East Coast Salt Marsh Response To Sea Level Rise: Microbial Community Function And Structure, Matt R. Simon

All Theses And Dissertations

Coastal salt marshes are under stress from anthropogenic climate change-induced sea level rise (SLR). Sediment microbial decomposition is a major driver of marsh subsidence and any impact of SLR on this biotic process would have a direct effect on marsh surface elevation relative to sea level. Furthermore, sensitivity to SLR of microbial community composition may play a role in the functional response. I collected sediment from six coastal marshes on the United States Atlantic East coast, exposed it to simulated sea level rise and measured total respired carbon over a three week period. My results indicated that SLR caused a …

The Rootscope: A Simple High-Throughput Screening System For Quantitating Gene Expression Dynamics In Plant Roots, Erin J. Kast , '15, Minh-Duyen T. Nguyen , '13, Rosalie E. Lawrence , '12, Christina Rabeler, Nicholas J. Kaplinsky

Biology Faculty Works

Background: High temperature stress responses are vital for plant survival. The mechanisms that plants use to sense high temperatures are only partially understood and involve multiple sensing and signaling pathways. Here we describe the development of the RootScope, an automated microscopy system for quantitating heat shock responses in plant roots.Results: The promoter of Hsp17.6 was used to build a Hsp17.6(p):GFP transcriptional reporter that is induced by heat shock in Arabidopsis. An automated fluorescence microscopy system which enables multiple roots to be imaged in rapid succession was used to quantitate Hsp17.6p: GFP response dynamics. Hsp17.6(p):GFP signal increased with temperature increases from …

High Predation On Small Populations: Avian Predation On Imperiled Salmonids, Ann-Marie Osterback, Danielle Frechette, Andrew Shelton, Sean Hayes, Morgan Bond, Scott A. Shaffer, Jonathan Moore

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Generalist predators can contribute to extinction risk of imperiled prey populations even through incidental predation. Quantifying predation on small populations is important to manage their recovery, however predation is often challenging to observe directly. Recovery of prey tags at predator colonies can indirectly provide minimum estimates of predation, however overall predation rates often remain unquantifiable because an unknown proportion of tags are deposited off‐colony. Here, we estimated overall predation rates on threatened wild juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss by generalist adult Western Gulls Larus occidentalis in six central California (USA) watersheds. We estimated predation rates by gulls from the recapture of …

Review Of Report On The “Status Of Nearshore Finfish Stocks In South-Western Western Australia: Australian Herring And Tailor”, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.