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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Microplastic Accumulation In The Digestive Tract Of Young-Of-Year Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) In The Grand Strand, Sc, Andrew Curtis Sitlinger Dec 2022

Microplastic Accumulation In The Digestive Tract Of Young-Of-Year Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) In The Grand Strand, Sc, Andrew Curtis Sitlinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the presence and accumulation of microplastic fibers in the digestive tract and livers of young-of-year Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizopriondon terraenovae) from two sampling locations along the Grand Strand of South Carolina. R. terraenovae is a small, mesopredatory elasmobranch found abundantly along northwestern Atlantic Ocean coastlines. Thirty specimens of R. terraenovae were collected from May through August of 2020. Microplastics were found in all specimens. A total of 672 plastic particles were identified over the course of the study, with an average of 22.4 ± 10.5 (SD) plastics per specimen. The majority of the plastics were classified …


Remotely Sensed Assessment Of The Preferred Habitat Of Alexandrium Catenella In The Gulf Of Maine And The Bay Of Fundy, Andre F. Bucci Aug 2022

Remotely Sensed Assessment Of The Preferred Habitat Of Alexandrium Catenella In The Gulf Of Maine And The Bay Of Fundy, Andre F. Bucci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella are an annually recurring problem in the Gulf of Maine (GoM), resulting in risks to human health and substantial economic losses due to shellfish harvesting closures. The monitoring approaches in the region are restricted to real-time identification of the HABs events, when they are clearly underway and already causing deleterious effects to the environment. To fully function as an early warning system rather than an immediate response, monitoring strategies need to be focused on environmental conditions preceding A. catenella HABs. However, the current understanding of the preferred habitat for A. …


Detrital Protein Contributes To Oyster Nutrition And Growth In The Damariscotta Estuary, Maine, Usa, Cheyenne M. Adams May 2018

Detrital Protein Contributes To Oyster Nutrition And Growth In The Damariscotta Estuary, Maine, Usa, Cheyenne M. Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oyster aquaculture is an expanding industry that relies on identifying and utilizing natural estuarine conditions for the economically viable production of a filter-feeding crop. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is the principal species currently cultured in Maine. In addition to preferentially consumed phytoplankton, various detrital complexes (non-algal and/or non-living organic matter) may provide some nutrition to C. virginica between times of phytoplankton abundance. Here I investigated the importance of detrital proteins in supporting the growth of oysters cultured in the upper Damariscotta Estuary. Oyster aquaculture in this area is highly successful and previous reports indicate that labile detrital protein …


Roles Of Siphon Flows In Suspension Feeding, Kevin Du Clos Dec 2016

Roles Of Siphon Flows In Suspension Feeding, Kevin Du Clos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Benthic marine suspension feeders provide an important link between benthic and pelagic ecosystems. The strength of this link is determined by suspension-feeding rates. Many studies have measured suspension-feeding rates using indirect clearance-rate methods, which are based on the depletion of suspended particles. Direct methods that measure the flow of water itself are less common, but they can be more broadly applied because clearance-rate measurements are affected by properties of the cleared particles. We present pumping rates for three species of suspension feeders, the clams Mya arenaria and Mercenaria mercenaria and the tunicate Ciona intestinalis, calculated using a direct method …


Size As A Trait For Understanding The Role Of Zooplankton In The Biological Carbon Pump, Karen Stamieszkin Aug 2016

Size As A Trait For Understanding The Role Of Zooplankton In The Biological Carbon Pump, Karen Stamieszkin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Living organisms impact carbon transport between the atmosphere and the ocean through the biological carbon pump. Some plankton communities augment carbon export from the ocean’s surface, and are thought to have a major role in global climate. These export communities are often characterized by larger organisms that sink to depths where the carbon they contain is sequestered from the atmosphere. Zooplankton can enhance export by aggregating prey into larger sinking fecal pellets; however fecal pellet flux is a highly variable component of the biological carbon pump. Relating plankton trophic dynamics to changes in particulate carbon flux is an important step …


Growth Increment Analysis Of Marine Bivalves From The North, Stephen D. Houk Jan 2002

Growth Increment Analysis Of Marine Bivalves From The North, Stephen D. Houk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aids in developing a sea surface temperature (SST) proxy with monthly temporal resolution using a combination of growth increment and stable isotope analyses of marine bivalves from the north coast of Peru. Faunal assemblages from the Siches and Ostra Base Camp archaeological sites contain shells of warm-tropical mollusks that currently live farther north in Ecuador. The presence of warm-tropical species in these sites and others as far south as 10"s latitude and dating prior to 5730 cal yr B.P. indicates a stable warm-water regime in the eastern tropical Pacific which subsequently changes to a modern temperate-water regime after …