Marine Biology Commons^™

Study Of Secondary Metabolite Gene Expression In Marine Microbial Co-Cultures Using Quantitative Real-Time Pcr, Crystal A. Conway

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Interactions among microbial organisms often cannot be observed directly, but they can be inferred genetically using new molecular techniques. The analysis of secondary metabolite gene expression produced by co-cultured marine microbial species allows us to see how these organisms interact with one another when kept in the same environment. Co-cultures of three different strains of marine bacteria, P. aeruginosa PAO1, Roseobacter denitrificans OCH114, and Salinispora arenicola CNS-205 were grown in a laboratory setting, and using the Real-Time qPCR method gene expression levels of two different secondary metabolite producing genes from each organism was accessed across three time points. P. aeruginosa …

Diurnal Movements And Site Fidelity Of The Florida Manatee, Trichechus Manatus Latirostris, In Fort Lauderdale, Fl., Kym Walsh

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The diurnal movements of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in warmwater refugia are poorly understood and these may prove critical in accurately estimating populations of these animals. Previous studies indicate that manatee populations in such refuges in Tampa Bay, FL, peak mid-day and decline towards evening when the animals leave to forage. This trend suggests that variation in the timing of aerial manatee population surveys may hamper accurate estimation of the true population size. Aerial survey counts are known to underestimate population size, yet the extent of the underestimation may be greater than expected. In this study data …

Fall 2010, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

2010 Tropical Coral Reefs (Appendix 10), Joana Figueiredo

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

SUMMARY

• Coral reef ecosystems are global biodiversity hotspots that depend on the massive calcium carbonate structures mainly deposited by scleractinian (i.e., “hard”) corals. Scleractinian coral distribution is primarily limited by sea-surface temperature, light, depth, ocean pH, sea water salinity, nutrients and sediment loads. These ecosystems are currently threatened by localized stresses such as overfishing and destructive fishing practices, pollution, terrestrial nutrient and sediment run-off, but are increasing impacted by direct and indirect impacts of rising CO2 concentrations and climate change.
• Coral reefs provide a broad range of ecosystems services with high socio-economic value: tourism, fisheries (food and employment), nutrient cycling, …

Sailfish (Istiophorus Platypterus) Habitat Utilization In The Southern Gulf Of Mexico And Florida Straits With Implications On Vulnerability To Shallow-Set Pelagic Longline Gear, David W. Kerstetter, Shannon Michael Bayse, John E. Graves

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

A total of 19 pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) were deployed on sailfish in the southern Gulf of Mexico between 2005 and 2007 aboard a commercial pelagic longline vessel (n = 18) and a recreational rod-and-reel vessel (n = 1). All PSATs were programmed to collect pressure (depth), temperature, and light-level data for 10 days at approximately 90-second intervals. These point-level data were not summarized prior to transmission, allowing the reconstruction of vertical movement patterns. Three tags suggested mortality events and were excluded from subsequent analyses. We present the preliminary data analyses from the remaining 16 PSATs. Sailfish are primarily …

Standardized Catch Rates Of Sandbar Sharks And Dusky Sharks In The Vims Longline Survey: 1975-2009, Jason G. Romine, Kristene T. Parsons, R. Dean Grubbs, John A. Musick, Tracey Sutton

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has conducted a fishery-independent longline survey during summer months since 1974. Data for sandbar sharks and dusky sharks captured in the survey between 1975 and 2009 are presented. Most of the sandbar sharks encountered by the survey were immature, with females composing almost all of the mature sandbar catch. Almost all dusky sharks captured were immature. Most of the catch since the early 1990’s has been composed of 0-4 year age classes. Nominal and standardized catch rates are presented. CPUE for both species decreased from the early 1980’s to minima in 1992. CPUE then …

Marine Resources Of The Falklands' Shallow Marine Environment, Karen L. Neely, Paul Brickle, Vladimir Laptikhovsky

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Seasonal And Salinity Effects On The Distribution Of Higher Filamentous Marine Fungi At Rookery Bay, Fl., Julia Ossler

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

More than 500 species of higher marine fungi in over 300 genera have been described. Many marine fungi are highly specialized for marine environments relative to their terrestrial counterparts, having appendaged ascospores and conidia to aid in buoyancy, entrapment, and adherence to substrates. They have been reported to inhabit a wide variety of substrates including decaying wood, leaves, calcareous and chitinous substrates, seaweeds, and seagrasses. Most early studies on marine fungi were carried out in temperate regions. Investigations have now shifted to tropical locations in order to better evaluate the abundance and diversity of marine fungi on a global basis. …

Toxicodynamics And Biotransformation Of Azaspiracids Incorporating Liquid Chromatography-Tandem-Mass Spectrometry (Lc-Ms/Ms) Techniques., Daniel O'Driscoll

Theses

Azaspiracids (AZAs) are a family of lipophilic polyether marine biotoxins, that have caused a number of human intoxication incidents in Europe since 1995, which was the first incident reported following the consumption by consumers of intoxicated shellfish {Mytilus edulis). This class of phycotoxins has been responsible for extended closures of shellfisheries in various locations around Europe, where levels of AZAl-3 are regulated in shellfish. Since their discovery in 1995, AZAs have become the focus of extensive research, resulting in the discovery of numerous analogues. Only AZAl and AZA2 have been found in phytoplankton and all the other analogues are believed …

Benthic Ecology From Space: Optics And Net Primary Production In Seagrass And Benthic Algae Across The Great Bahama Bank, Heidi M. Dierssen, Richard C. Zimmerman, Lisa A. Drake, David J. Burdige

OES Faculty Publications

Development of repeatable and quantitative tools are necessary for determining the abundance and distribution of different types of benthic habitats, detecting changes to these ecosystems, and determining their role in the global carbon cycle. Here we used ocean color remote sensing techniques to map different major groups of primary producers and estimate net primary productivity (NPP) across Great Bahama Bank (GBB). Field investigations on the northern portion of the GBB in 2004 revealed 3 dominant types of benthic primary producers: seagrass, benthic macroalgae, and microalgae attached to sediment. Laboratory measurements of NPP ranged from barely net autotrophic for grapestone sediment …

Modeling The Vertical Distributions Of Downwelling Plane Irradiance And Diffuse Attenuation Coefficient In Optically Deep Waters, X. J. Pan, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

The diffuse attenuation coefficient Kᵈ is critical to understand the vertical distribution of underwater downwelling irradiance (Eᵈ). Theoretically Eᵈ is composed of the direct solar beam and the diffuse sky irradiance. Applying the statistical results from Hydrolight radiative transfer simulations, Kᵈ is expressed into a mathematical equation (named as PZ06) integrated from the contribution of direct solar beam and diffuse sky irradiance with the knowledge of sky and water conditions. The percent root mean square errors (RMSE) for the vertical distribution of Eᵈ(z) under various sky and water conditions between PZ06 and Hydrolight results are typically less than 4%. Field …

The Path To Preservation: Using Proteomics To Decipher The Fate Of Diatom Proteins During Microbial Degradation, Brook L. Nunn, Ying S. Ting, Lars Malmström, Yihsuan S. Tsai, Angela Aquier, David R. Goodlett, H. Rodger Harvey

OES Faculty Publications

We drew upon recent advances in tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses in order to examine the proteins that remain after a diatom bloom enters the stationary phase, precipitates out of the photic zone, and is subjected to microbial degradation over a 23-d period within a controlled laboratory environment. Proteins were identified from tandem mass spectra searched against three different protein databases in order to track proteins from Thalassiosira pseudonana and any potential bacterial contributions. A rapid loss of diatom protein was observed over the incubation period; 75% of the proteins initially identified were not detected after 72 h of exposure …

Effect Of The Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis Marina And The Copepod Acartia Tonsa On Vertical Carbon Flux In And Around Thin Layers Of The Phytoflagellate Isochrysis Galbana, A. B. Bochdansky, S. M. Bollens, G. C. Rollwagen-Bollens, A. H. Gibson

OES Faculty Publications

Dynamics of material and energy flow through food webs differ when resources are allocated in patches in comparison to situations in which the same resources are distributed evenly throughout the water column. Thin layers of plankton are special cases of such resource patches. While previous studies have predominantly focused on the response of organisms to these layers, we investigated how 2 types of grazers in turn affect thin layers. In an experimental study with tightly controlled environmental conditions, we monitored the redistribution of particulate organic (POC), dissolved organic (DOC) and inorganic (DIC) carbon from thin layers of Isochrysis galbana. …

Role Of Macroscopic Particles In Deep-Sea Oxygen Consumption, Alexander B. Bochdansky, Hendrik M. Van Aken, Gerhard J. Herndl

OES Faculty Publications

Macroscopic particles (> 500 µg), including marine snow, large migrating zooplankton, and their fast-sinking fecal pellets, represent primary vehicles of organic carbon flux from the surface to the deep sea. In contrast, freely suspended microscopic particles such as bacteria and protists do not sink, and they contribute the largest portion of metabolism in the upper ocean. In bathy- and abyssopelagic layers of the ocean (2,000-6,000 m), however, microscopic particles may not dominate oxygen consumption. In a section across the tropical Atlantic, we show that macroscopic particle peaks occurred frequently in the deep sea, whereas microscopic particles were barely detectable. In …

Determination Of Total Dissolved Cobalt In Uv-Irradiated Seawater Using Flow Injection With Chemiluminescence Detection, Rachel U. Shelley, Bernhard Zachhuber, Peter N. Sedwick, Paul J. Worsfold, Maeve C. Lohan

OES Faculty Publications

A sensitive flow-injection method with chemiluminescence detection (FI-CL) for the determination of dissolved cobalt in open ocean samples, suitable for shipboard use has been developed. To date, FI methods for dissolved cobalt have been used only in coastal and estuarine waters. Therefore, significant modifications to existing methods were required, including (1) the use of a commercially available iminodiacetate (IDA) resin (Toyopearl AF-chelate 650M) in place of resin immobilized 8-hydroxyquinoline for online preconcentration and matrix removal, (2) the introduction of acidified ammonium acetate (pH 4) as a column-conditioning step before sample loading and rinse steps, and most importantly, (3) UV irradiation …

A Seasonal Study Of Dissolved Cobalt In The Ross Sea, Antarctica: Micronutrient Behavior, Absence Of Scavenging, And Relationships With Zd, Cd, And P., M. A. Saito, T. J. Goepfert, A. E. Noble, E. M. Bertrand, Peter N. Sedwick, Giacomo R. Ditullio

OES Faculty Publications

We report the distribution of cobalt (Co) in the Ross Sea polynya during austral summer 2005-2006 and the following austral spring 2006. The vertical distribution of total dissolved Co (dCo) was similar to soluble reactive phosphate (PO(4)(3-)), with dCo and PO(4)(3-) showing a significant correlation throughout the water column (r(2) = 0.87, 164 samples). A strong seasonal signal for dCo was observed, with most spring samples having concentrations ranging from similar to ~ 45-85 pM, whereas summer dCo values were depleted below these levels by biological activity. Surface transect data from the summer cruise revealed concentrations at the low range …

Winter 2010, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

State Of The River Report For The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, And Contaminants 2010, Environmental Protection Board, City Of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation And Management Plan (Ccmp), Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive : Executive Summary, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds.

Impacts Of The Spotted Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Guttatus) On The Long-Spined Sea Urchin (Diadema Antillarum) And Patch Reef Communities In The Florida Keys, Meredith D. Kintzing

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Caribbean coral reefs have undergone a phase shift from a system dominated by corals to one where algae are pervasive. This shift was precipitated by the loss of herbivores, including the mass mortality of the long spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum), coupled with disease and the recruitment failure of hermatypic corals. Diadema populations have recovered in some areas of the Caribbean, but are still below historical levels in the Florida Keys, likely due to low larval supply coupled with predation on juveniles. Lobsters are sea urchin predators in other systems and the spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus …

Analyzing Spatial Patterns In Reefscape Ecology Via Remote Sensing, Benthic Habitat Mapping, And Morphometrics, Shanna K. Dunn

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

A growing number of scientists are investigating applications of landscape ecology principles to marine studies, yet few coral reef scientists have examined spatial patterns across entire reefscapes with a holistic ecosystem-based view. This study was an effort to better understand reefscape ecology by quantitatively assessing spatial structures and habitat arrangements using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS).

Quantifying recurring patterns in reef systems has implications for improving the efficiency of mapping efforts and lowering costs associated with collecting field data and acquiring satellite imagery. If a representative example of a reef is mapped with high accuracy, the data derived …

Climate Change, Coral Reef Ecosystems, And Management Options For Marine Protected Areas, Brian D. Keller, Daniel F. Gleason, Elizabeth Mcleod, Christa M. Woodley, Satie Airame, Billy D. Causey, Alan M. Friedlander, Rikki Grober-Dunsmore, Johanna E. Johnson, Steven Miller, Robert S. Steneck

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Marine protected areas (MPAs) provide place-based management of marine ecosystems through various degrees and types of protective actions. Habitats such as coral reefs are especially susceptible to degradation resulting from climate change, as evidenced by mass bleaching events over the past two decades. Marine ecosystems are being altered by direct effects of climate change including ocean warming, ocean acidification, rising sea level, changing circulation patterns, increasing severity of storms, and changing freshwater influxes. As impacts of climate change strengthen they may exacerbate effects of existing stressors and require new or modified management approaches; MPA networks are generally accepted as an …

Spatial Distribution Of Petroleum Hydrocarbons In Sediment Cores From Blind Pass, St. Pete Beach, Florida, Charles M. Featherstone, John Proni, Thomas P. Carsey, Cheryl J. Brown, Madeleine M. Adler, Patricia Blackwelder, Husain Alsayegh, Teresa A. Hood, Christina Piela, Donald S. Mccorquodale Jr.

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

One hundred and one sediment cores were collected to characterize the spatial distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons within and just outside Blind Pass, St. Pete Beach, Florida. Twenty-five percent of the cores exhibited levels of petroleum hydrocarbons above detection limits of the gas chromatograph/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) (0.01 mg/Kg), but at generally low concentrations. Petroleum hydrocarbon speciation studies of these samples (gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy [GC/MS]) indicate above-detection level (1 μg/Kg) petroleum hydrocarbons are similar to the non-volatile petroleum hydrocarbons found in a Bouchard 155 reference sample collected after the 1993 oil spill in the area, but are in a much degraded …

Extraction And Analysis Of Coral Reef Core Samples From Broward County, Florida., Anastasios Stathakopoulos

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The reefs off Broward County exist as three shore-parallel, sequentially deeper terraces named the "inner", "middle", and "outer" reefs and also a shallower, nearshore ridge complex. These structures span the continental coast of southeast Florida from Palm Beach County to southern Miami-Dade County and were characterized as relict, early Holocene shelf-edge and mid-shelf reefs along with limestone ridges. Presently, the reefs are colonized by a fauna characteristic of West Atlantic/Caribbean reef systems. Scleractinian coral cover is low except for a few dense patches of Acropora cervicornis, while Acropora palmata is absent except for a few individual living colonies.

Coral …

Diet Composition Of Swordfish, Xiphias Gladius, Within The Straits Of Florida, Amy Marie Heemsoth

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

A diet study of swordfish, Xiphias gladius, was conducted in the Straits of Florida from April 2007 to December 2008. The stomachs of 131 swordfish were analyzed. Thirteen species of teleosts, three species of cephalopods, and one species of crustacean were observed in the diet. Cephalopods dominated the swordfish diet by weight (73.38%), number (69.90%), and occurrence (80.91%) and ranked highest in importance in the diet when calculating the index of relative importance (IRI). Teleosts followed by weight (25.16%), number (26.34%), occurrence (68.18%), and IRI (3,510.97). The prey species with the greatest dietary importance was Illex sp followed by …

Fisheries Research Report No.196 - Management Of Bioeroding Sponges In Wild Stocks Of Pinctada Maxima In Western Australia, Sabine Daume, Jane Fromont, Anthony M. Hart

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC Report – Project 2005/074

The Western Australian fishery is the only remaining significant fishery for pearl oysters in the world and comprises most of the exported pearl product of Australia, currently worth around $125 million annually. The majority of pearl shells used to culture pearls come from the pearling beds in the inshore waters near Broome. The fishery for pearl oysters preferentially targets smaller ‘culture’ shell (4-5 years age class, 120mm - 160mm shell length) that are more suitable for growing pearls, leaving larger MOP oysters (6+ age class, 175mm+) on the fishing grounds.

Silver-lipped pearl oysters (Pinctada …

Trophic Structure Of The Northwest Hawaiian Islands And Resident Monk Seals (Monachus Schaundslandi) During The Twentieth Century, Nina M. Thompson, Amy Hirons, Charles W. Potter, Charles Littnan

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

The Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is an endangered species only found within the Hawaiian Archipelago. The majority of the breeding population for this seal is located around six islands in the Northwest Hawaiian Island chain (NWHI). Overall, both juvenile and adult seals have a wide range in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N from 1912-2006 (δ¹³C: -12.5‰; δ¹⁵N: 12.6‰). Seals in the northern NWHI were enriched in δ¹³C by nearly 2‰ and depleted in δ¹⁵N by nearly 6‰ during the 96 years. Meanwhile, seals within the middle and …

Leucothoidae, Kristine N. White, James Darwin Thomas

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Four genera and 17 species of leucothoids, the majority of these belonging to the genus Leucothoe, are herein reported from the Great Barrier Reef. Fifteen species are new to science and only Anamixis bazimut has been previously reported from the Great Barrier Reef.

Net And Acoustic Examination Of Bathypelagic Nekton On The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, C. I. H. Anderson, J. Horne, Tracey Sutton

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Spatial distributions of organisms play a key role in facilitating trophic interactions, which influence pelagic ecosystem structure and function. This study combines discrete net trawl sampling with continuous acoustic measurements to investigate the distribution of bathypelagic (1000- 3000 m depth) nekton biomass along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from Iceland to the Azores. Two, previously unknown, acoustic scattering layers (ASLs) were observed using 18 kHz echosounder data. The first extended approximately 200 m from 2000 m depth and was ubiquitous wherever bottom depth allowed. The second, found within the 1500-2000 m depth stratum, only occurred south of the Sub-Polar Front. Backscatter from …