Marine Biology Commons^™

A Spatial Assessment Of Impacts To The Flats Fishery By Recreational Boating In The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Kristin Anderson

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The recreational flats fishery in the Florida Keys is a significant component of the marine resource-based economy, exceeding $465 million (USD) in annual economic impact. Permit (Trachinotus falcatus), bonefish (Albula vulpes), and tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) are the three main species targeted by flat fishers. Those participating in this fishery generally practice catch-and-release angling therefore, the fishery is considered a more sustainable marine use compared to more traditional commercial fisheries. However, with population and tourism rising in South Florida, the fishery is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation and user conflicts. Ongoing revisions to the Florida …

The Risk Of Multiple Anthropogenic And Climate Change Threats Must Be Considered For Continental Scale Conservation And Management Of Seagrass Habitat, Kathryn Mcmahon, Kieryn Kilminster, Robert Canto, Chris Roelfsema, Mitchell Lyons, Gary A. Kendrick, Michelle Waycott, James Udy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Globally marine-terrestrial interfaces are highly impacted due to a range of human pressures. Seagrass habitats exist in the shallow marine waters of this interface, have significant values and are impacted by a range of pressures. Cumulative risk analysis is widely used to identify risk from multiple threats and assist in prioritizing management actions. This study conducted a cumulative risk analysis of seagrass habitat associated with the Australian continent to support management actions. We developed a spatially explicit risk model based on a database of threats to coastal aquatic habitat in Australia, spanning 35,000 km of coastline. Risk hotspots were identified …

Comparison Of Modern And Mid-Holocene Benthic Foraminifera To Assess Recent Environmental Change In Almirante Bay, Caribbean Panama, Maria N. Gudnitz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study used the diversity and distribution of benthic foraminiferal assemblages of Almirante Bay, Caribbean Panama, as environmental proxies to compare modern coral, seagrass and mangrove habitats to mid-Holocene coral reef facies on the island of Isla Colón, to investigate both natural and human-influenced changes.

The modern study associated species and assemblage characteristics with environmental conditions related to degraded water quality. Assemblages were fairly similar among neighboring habitats but differed in species proportions, while several stress-tolerant taxa might indicate eutrophic conditions. Diversity appeared to be regionally controlled by freshwater input irrespective of habitat type, was generally lower near the mainland …

Prioritizing Seagrass Meadows For Biodiversity Conservation Based On Landscape Connectivity, John Cristiani, Mary O'Connor

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The spatial configuration of habitat and biological dispersal traits affect how organisms move across heterogenous landscapes, connecting populations and maintaining biodiversity. Quantifying this connectivity is critical to understanding and managing marine biodiversity. Despite its importance, for most regions, we lack estimates of connectivity and consideration of how habitat loss or restoration scenarios change connectivity and thereby affect diversity. We simulated dispersal and connectivity in several habitat change scenarios for seagrass habitats in the Salish Sea of British Columbia and Washington. We used a spatially explicit biophysical model to track passive larval dispersal in oceanographic currents for select life history traits. …

Seagrass Nursery Function Enhanced By Habitat Connectivity, Angeleen Olson, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Francis Juanes

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Seascape connectivity is an emerging feature influencing marine ecosystem function. Connectivity, via the interplay of habitat configuration, its physical structure, and associated food webs, may alter the provision of nursery habitat, influencing the success of fish populations and harvests thereof. We quantified the effects of adjacent habitat type on seagrass nurseries for rockfish. We compared seagrass sites with contrasting structure and productivity in adjacent habitats: kelp forest and sand. To elucidate the spatially-dependent flow of material in the seagrass meadow, we estimated the proportion of basal contributions (producers) to the food web using an isotopic mixing model on YOY (young-of-the-year) …

Examining Sources Of Sediment Carbon Stored In Seagrass Habitats Across The Skagit Delta And Padilla Bay, Erin Murray

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The potential for seagrass (Zostera marina) habitats to store carbon is a topic of interest to resource managers and ecosystem scientists as they strive to develop and evaluate climate change mitigation strategies. I investigated the sources of carbon and nitrogen stored in Zostera marina habitats within the Salish Sea. I compared two sites, the Skagit River delta (delta) and Padilla Bay (embayment), in order to compare carbon storage and the sources of stored carbon between these two shoreline types. Within each site, I collected sediment cores in Z. marina meadows and on unvegetated mudflat. I measured changes in carbon density …

North To South: Ecosystem Features Determine Seagrass Community Response To Sea Otter Foraging, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Erin U. Rechsteiner, Brent Hughes, M. Tim Tinker, Zachary L. Monteith, Angeleen M. Olson, Mathew Morgan Henderson, Jane C. Watson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

We compared sea otter recovery in California (CA) and British Columbia (BC) to determine how key ecosystem properties shape top-down effects in seagrass communities. Potential ecosystem drivers of sea otter foraging in CA and BC seagrass beds that we examined include the role of coastline complexity and environmental stress on sea otter effects. In BC, we found greater species richness across seagrass trophic assemblages. Furthermore, Cancer spp. crabs, an important link in the seagrass trophic cascade observed in CA, was less common. Additionally, the more recent reintroduction of sea otters, more complex coastline, and reduced environmental stress in BC seagrass …

Does Eelgrass Act As An Ocean Acidification Refuge For Shellfish In The Salish Sea?, Bonnie Becker, Michelle Mccartha, Micah Horwith

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Marine waters worldwide are becoming more acidic due to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Changes in pH are heterogeneous in space and time and can be affected by physical and biological processes, including photosynthesis and respiration of plants and animals. Previous studies have shown that seagrass beds, which contain a large amount of plant biomass, can alter the carbonate chemistry in the immediate area, with higher pH during the day and lower pH at night. We explored the effects of this pattern on bivalve shellfish at four sites in Puget Sound and Willapa Bay. Pumped water samples were taken at …

Latitudinal Variation In Seagrass Wasting Disease From Puget Sound To Alaska, Olivia Graham, Corinne Klohmann, Emily Adamcyzk, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Angeleen Olson, Nick Tolimieri, Tiff Stephens, Colleen Amy Burge, Drew Harvell

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Widely regarded as critical marine habitat, seagrass provides ecologically and economically valuable services in coastal areas worldwide. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is one of five seagrass species native to the Pacific Northwest and is threatened by outbreaks of the marine protist Labyrinthula zosterae, the causative agent of seagrass wasting disease. Infection from L. zosterae causes necrotic lesions, limiting growth and compromising the health of eelgrass beds. To determine levels of wasting disease in subtidal eelgrass beds across a broad latitudinal gradient, we measured and compared disease prevalence and severity in 5 subtidal eelgrass beds in Puget Sound, 5 in the San …

Historical Change Of Seagrasses In The Mississippi And Chandeleur Sounds, Linh Thuy Pham

Dissertations

Seagrasses are important coastal resources facing numerous stressors, and losses have been documented from local to global assessments. Under the broad theme of habitat loss and fragmentation, a study of historical change in total area and landscape configuration of seagrasses in the Mississippi and Chandeleur Sounds was conducted. Mapping data was collated from a multitude of previous projects from 1940 to 2011.

Comparisons of seagrass area among various studies that used different mapping methods can result in overestimation of area change and misleading conclusions of change over time. The vegetated seagrass area (VSA) data were generalized to a common resolution …

Muddy Waters: Unintentional Consequences Of Blue Carbon Research Obscure Our Understanding Of Organic Carbon Dynamics In Seagrass Ecosystems, E. Fay Belshe, Miguel-Angel Mateo, Lucy Gillis, Martin Zimmer, Mirta Teichberg

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The recent surge in research on organic carbon sequestration by seagrass ecosystems has begun to reveal the complexity of the carbon cycle within these ecosystems. In this prospective we discuss two areas of investigation that require further scrutiny: (1) why organic carbon is stabilized in seagrass sediments, and (2) how long organic carbon resides within these sediments. By delving into these topics, pointing out current pitfalls, and highlighting methodological advances, our motive is to focus future efforts and provide a frame work to manage the complexity found within the diverse seagrass bioregions. The high rate of seagrass degradation and loss, …

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 …