Marine Biology Commons^™

Feeding Morphologies And Distribution Patterns Of Marine Cladocera In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Sandra Layne Gilchrist

OES Theses and Dissertations

Temporal and spatial distributions of marine cladocera in the lower Chesapeake Bay estuary were observed over a year-long sampling period. The distributions of cladoceran species throughout the Bay were studied in relation to temperature and salinity. A survey of the species over the entire Bay is included to establish distribution patterns of the various species during a short time period.

Theoretical mathematical principles were used to predict feeding abilities of the Bay species. Mouthparts are described qualitatively and quantitatively to infer function. A mandibular index developed by Itoh (1970) was revised and employed in evaluating feeding methods interspecifically and interspecifically. …

Mercury, Copper, And Zinc In Selected Ichthyofauna Of Lower Chesapeake Bay And Hampton Roads, Virginia, W. Bruce Aitenhead

OES Theses and Dissertations

Anchovys, croaker, spat, summer flounder and hogchokers were collected monthly to seasonally from November 1972 to October 1973 at three locations in the southern Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia.

The concentrations of mercury, copper and zinc were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in whole fishes. Metal concentration varied with species and location. Anchovys had the highest mean concentrations of mercury and zinc while hog- chokers had the highest mean copper concentration. Mercury levels exceeding O.5 ppm were observed in species from all three loca- tions, but maximum heavy metal concentrations per species were highest in Craney Island fishes.

Temporal variations …

Description Of The Larval Development Of Squilla Empusa Say (Crustacea Stomatopoda) With Aspects Of Larval Ecology In Chesapeake Bay, Steven Gaines Morgan

OES Theses and Dissertations

Larvae of Sguilla empusa were collected from the plankton and were reared in the laboratory to describe the pelagic larval development and the postlarval stage. Nine pelagic stages are passed through before the postlarval stage is attained.

The larvae reared for descriptive purposes were subjected to sixteen combinations of temperature and salinity to determine their tolerance to the two parameters. Larvae survived longer and molted more frequently when reared at 25°/oo and 20°C or 25°C, which corresponds to the natural conditions of the Chesapeake Bay when the larvae were collected.

A three year planktonic survey conducted in the lower region …

Effect Of Nitrite And Nitrate On The Larval Development Of The Grass Shrimp Palaemonetes Pugio Holthuis, Carl Bingham Hinesman

OES Theses and Dissertations

The effects of nitrite and nitrate on survival and larval development of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio were investigated in the laboratory. Nitrite concentrations assayed were 0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, 10, 25 and 50 mg NO₂/1. Nitrate concentrations tested were 0 (control), 100, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg NO₃/1. Temperature and salinity conditions were 25 C and 25 ‰, respectively, and all tests occurred in the dark. Thirty-six larvae were reared in each assay, twelve from each of three adult females.

Nitrite levels of'5 and 50 mg NO₂/1 significantly reduced survival of larvae …

Temperature And Salinity Tolerance Of The Larvae Of The Sand Shrimp, Crangon Septemspinosa (Say), Karen Lyttle Hinsman

OES Theses and Dissertations

The effects of temperature and salinity on the larval development of the sand shrimp, Crangon septemspinosa, were investigated in the laboratory using 30 combinations of temperature and salinity in a five by six factorial experiment. The five temperatures were 5°c, 10°c, 15°c, 20°c, and 25°c and the six salinities were 10°/oo, 15°/oo, 20°/oo, 25°/oo, 30°/oo and 35°/oo. Thirty-six larvae were used for each temperature-salinity combination. Temperature and salinity produced significant differences (1% level) in survival and the duration of larval development. Highest survival occurred at 15°c and 20°/oo. At optimum temperatures (15°c to 20°c) larvae exhibited the broadest tolerance …

A Baseline Study On The Possible Mechanisms Of Larval Stomatopod Distribution On The Carolina Shelf, Carl Robert Berman Jr.

OES Theses and Dissertations

The South Carolina Marine Resources Institute provided the author with 198 station samples containing 2,193 stomatopod larvae. These larvae had been collected during ichthyoplankton Bongo tows on five separate cruises aboard the Institute's vessel R/V DOLPHIN (February, 1972 to January, 1975). The larvae were examined microscopically and divided into early, middle, and late stages according to known growth criteria. The larval distribution was plotted geographically, by seasons, and larval density (larvae/m3) was graphed against distance offshore. Using these data, together with the circulation characteristics on the Carolina Shelf, significant distributional data appeared which supported the hypothesis that the stomatopod population …

A Comparative Study Of A Salt Water Impoundment With Its Adjacent Tidal Creek Pertinent To Culture Of Crassostrea Virginica (Gmelin), William D. Anderson Iii

OES Theses and Dissertations

Certain physical, chemical and biological characteristics associated with the culture of subtidal Crassostrea virginica were assessed in a salt water impoundment and its adjacent tidal feeder creek. Large seed oysters (initial y = 57.3 mm) were transferred from a somewhat polluted estuary of Charleston Harbor to floating, mid-water, and bottom hardware cloth trays (200/tray) in a four hectare pond. Identical trays at comparable depths were placed in the tidal creek and each location was sampled monthly for growth and survival. Surface and bottom water samples were collected weekly throughout the study and hourly during four seasonal 25 hour stations. Standard …

The Natural History Of The Naked Goby Gobiosoma Bosci (Perciformes: Gobiidae), Leonard L. Nero

OES Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the knowledge of re ­ production, growth, age, abundance, habitat preference, feeding habit and behavior of the naked goby, Gobiosoma Bosci.

Monthly collections were made from January through December. 1974 in Deary Cove a apart of the Lynnhaven estuary, Virginia Beach, Virginia. All fish were measured and sexed in the field.

Most were returned to the population, the remainder. were removed for food habit analyses, determination of fecundity, degree of gonadal maturity and aging. Habitat­ preference and abundance were determined in the field.

Gobiosoma Bosci appears to be an annual …

Test Variation In The Sand Dollar, Mellita Quinquiesperforata (Leske), George Glynn Rountree

OES Theses and Dissertations

Mellita quinguiesperforata is a common member of the benthos along the eastern coast of North America. This study considers variation of the test within the species, specifically: 1) variation in test weight, 2) variation in the length-width relationship, and 3) the average number of pore pairs in the ambulacral petals.

A total of 844 sand dollars from three localities was utilized: 1) Pass-a-Grill Beach, St. Petersburg, Florida,2) Bird Shoal, Beaufort, North Carolina, and 3) Fisherman Island, Virginia.

Animals were measured for length and width and the dry weight determined. Prediction equations for the size-weight relat1onships were computed for the three …

Microbenthic Algal Production Of An Intertidal Sandflat In Little Creek Harbor, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Clayton Barry Shedrow

OES Theses and Dissertations

Estimated annual net microbenthic algal production of an intertidal sandflat on Little Creek Inlet, Virginia Beach, Virginia, was 105 g C/m². Seasonally, primary production was greatest during the summer and fall periods (38 and 49 g C/m², respectively). Productivity was found to vary directly with water temperature and standing crop of benthic diatoms, and inversely with incident solar radiation and standing crops of sedimentary chlorophyll 'a' and 'c'. Orthophosphate and nitrate-N appeared to be limiting factors, nitrate-N more so than orthophosphate. Mean annual net photosynthetic efficiency (based upon total light) for the microphytobenthic community was 0.09%. …

Feeding And Food Preferences By Three Sympatric Species Of Cyprinodontid Fishes, Lawrence J. Baer

OES Theses and Dissertations

The feeding and food utilization by three sympatric species of cyprinodontid fishes was examined using a modified Ivlev Electivity Co-efficient. Results indicated that although Fundulus heteroalitus and Fundulus majalis are sympatric in the area examined,their usage of the available food source varied noticeably. The third investigated species, Cyprinodon variegatus, fed mainly upon a vegetal detritus food source varied by the consumption of invertebrate and vertebrate food items. Slight intra-specific variances of diet between crespuscular periods was also discussed.

Phytoplankton Distribution In Waters Off The Northeastern Coast Of The United States, Sharon H. Craft

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Abstract unavailable.

Erasure Of Sediment Surface Features By Mellita Quinquiesperforata (Leske), Walter Richard Boehmer

OES Theses and Dissertations

Erasure of sediment surface features by individuals of the species, Mellita guinguiesperforata, observed in this study suggests that all members of the sub-order, Scutellina, are able to erase sediment surface features. Sweep time, the time needed to erase the surface features of an area, depends on the population density, individual size, and speed of movement of the sand dollars. Assuming their pattern of movement as random, the following equation can be used to determine sand dollar sweep time,

T - 3.2 N^-0.76 (W / S) (A/ W² )^1.21

where T is sweep time, N is the …

Diurnal Distribution Of Phytoplankton From A Single Station At The Mouth Of The James River, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Eight sets of water samples were taken to a depth of 36 ft. during a 24-hr. period. A homogeneity was found in the vertical distribution of the total phytoplankton in samples from 7 of the 8 hydro-casts. Skeletonema costatum and Asterionella japonica were the most numerous phytoplankters in every sample, with the majority of their counts each exceeding 500, 000 cells per liter.

The Distribution Of Phytoplankton Along A 140 Mile Transect In The Chesapeake Bay, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The composition of phytoplankton progressively changed in the surface samples taken between Norfolk, Virginia and Cambridge, Maryland. These was an inverse relationship between the numbers of phytoplankters and zooplankters in the transect samples. Vertical stratification of the plankton was studied at two 24-hr, stations at the Great Wicomlco and Patuxent Rivers. The vertical centers of zooplankton and phytoplankton populations fluctuated over the study period and evidence is given to support a grazing phenomenon. Large concentrations of nannoplankters were found in all the plankton samples taken and is attributed to the collection procedure using the Van Dorn sampler.