Marine Biology Commons^™

Trampling, Peeling And Nibbling Mussels: An Experimental Assessment Of Mechanical And Predatory Damage To Shells Of Mytilus Trossulus (Mollusca: Mytilidae), Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Shell damage, if properly recognized, can provide information about biotic interactions between molluscs and their predators. However, it can be difficult to distinguish predatory damage from mechanical breakage, thus making interpretation of damaged modern and fossil shells problematic. To establish a clear-cut distinction between antemortem predatory crab damage and ante- and postmortem mechanical damage in Mytilus trossulus shells, a combined field and experimental approach was used. Mussels were exposed to predation by crabs, tumbled-live, tumbled-dead, and trampled. After 100 h of tumbling, live-collected mussel shells were abraded and disarticulated but not otherwise damaged. Eight percent of the dead-collected shells were …

On The Use Of Modis Evi To Assess Gross Primary Productivity Of North American Ecosystems, Daniel A. Sims, Abdullah Rahman, Vicente D. Cordova, Bassil Z. El-Masri, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Lawrence B. Flanagan, Allen H. Goldstein, David Y. Hollinger, Laurent Misson, Russell K. Monson, Walter C. Oechel, Hans P. Schmid, Steven C. Wofsy, Liukang Xu

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

[1] Carbon flux models based on light use efficiency (LUE), such as the MOD17 algorithm, have proved difficult to parameterize because of uncertainties in the LUE term, which is usually estimated from meteorological variables available only at large spatial scales. In search of simpler models based entirely on remote‐sensing data, we examined direct relationships between the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) measured at nine eddy covariance flux tower sites across North America. When data from the winter period of inactive photosynthesis were excluded, the overall relationship between EVI and tower GPP was better than that between …

Validity, Identification, And Distribution Of The Roundscale Spearfish, Tetrapturus Georgii (Teleostei: Istiophoridae): Morphological And Molecular Evidence, Mahmood S. Shivji, Jennifer E. Magnussen, Lawrence R. Beerkircher, George Hinteregger, Dennis W. Lee, Joseph E. Serafy, Eric D. Prince

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The roundscale spearfish, Tetrapturus georgii Lowe, 1840, is known only from four specimens from the Mediterranean and eastern North Atlantic. Additional specimens have not been identified since 1961, making the validity and distribution of this species unclear. Analysis of 16 billfish specimens from the western North Atlantic on the basis of scale morphology, anus position, and mitochondrial DNA confirms the validity of this species and extends its distribution. Mid-lateral scales are soft, notably rounded anteriorly, and bear 2–3 points distinct from those of the sympatric longbill spearfish (Tetrapturus pfluegeri Robins and de Sylva, 1963) and white marlin (Tetrapturus …

Fall 2006, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Research Contract Report No. 15 - Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: Pilchard Herpesvirus Infection In Wild Pilchards (Frdc Project No. 2002/044) Final Report, Brian Jones, Melanie Crockford, Richard Whittington, Mark Crane, Graham Wilcox

Fisheries Research Contract Reports

In 1995 and again in 1998/9, millions of pilchards (Sardinops sagax neopilchardus) were found dead or dying off the coast of Australia. Some pilchards in New Zealand were also affected during the 1995 epizootic. The epizootics moved progressively in a "bushfire-like" manner against the prevailing currents at a rapid speed. An uncharacterised herpesvirus, pilchard herpesvirus (PHV), was associated with both mortality events and, based on its occurrence in affected fish and the disease pathogenesis, generally accepted as the causative agent, although experimental evidence of its role was not established. Until recently, rapid and sensitive methods to detect PHV were not …

Characterization Of Β-Lactam Resistant Pandemic Serotypes Of Vibrio Cholerae Isolated From Ships' Ballast Tanks And Coastal Waters, Amanda Lynn Goodrich

OES Theses and Dissertations

Vibrio cholerae serotypes 01 and 0139 are responsible for world-wide epidemics of cholera. These pandemic causing strains must possess genes that encode for the cholera toxin (CTX) and toxin co-regulated pili (TCP) in order to infect their hosts. In this study, 284 isolates of Vibrio cholerae from ballast and coastal waters were serotyped, with 11 % testing positive for serotype 01 and 21 % testing positive for serotype 0139. PCR assays were used to detect the presence of ctxA and tcpA genes in all positive isolates, none of which contained ctxA while 2% of the isolates contained tcpA. The 01 …

Fisheries Research Report No. 158 - An Assessment Of The Blue Swimmer Crab Fishery In Geographe Bay, Lynda M. Bellchambers, K. D. Smith, D. Harris

Fisheries Research Reports

The study was undertaken to provide detailed information on blue swimmer crabs in Geographe Bay so that the recreational and commercial fishery issues could be addressed using more accurate data than was previously available. A ministerial decision that banned commercial fishing for blue swimmer crabs in Geographe Bay was made in January 2005 while this study was underway. The intention of this report was to provide a summary of information on crab stocks in the region, not to alter the current management arrangements. This report describes experimental sampling, commercial catch statistics, commercial catch monitoring and surveys of recreational fishers to …

Morphological And Phylogenetic Description Of An Unusual Amphidinium (Dinophyceae) Species, Tyler Cyronak, Isaac R. Santos

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

Amphidinium carterae, an important harmful algal species that produces powerful antifungal and hemolytic compounds (amphidinols) and cytotoxic macrolides (amphidinolides) is ubiquitous in coastal waters. Samples from coral rubble contained an unusual and previously unreported Amphidinium (D2) with a circular outline. Genetic analysis of clone D2 of this species, involving the sequencing of large subunit (LSU) rDNA, revealed a relationship between Amphidinium sp. D2 and both A. carterae and A. massartii. However, morphological and genetic differences suggest that Amphidinium sp. D2 is not conspecific with A. carterae or A. massartii. Further studies to describe this species are presently …

Documenting Decadal Spatial Changes In Seagrass And Acropora Palmata Cover By Aerial Photography Analysis In Vieques, Puerto Rico: 1937-2000, Luz Raquel Hernandez-Cruz, Samuel J. Purkis, Bernhard Riegl

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Aerial photographs from 1937–2000 of Bahía Salina del Sur on vieques, Puerto Rico were analyzed to detect and describe spatial changes in the areal cover of sea-grass beds in Bahía Salina del Sur. The images were pre-processed to minimize noise and unsupervised classification was used to detect areas colonized by seagrass. The number of individual seagrass patches, direction, and characteristic of growth were quantified and described. Seagrass coverage increased by 85.8% over the 64-yr period and this increase was best described by a 2nd order polynomial function (r² = 0.91). Between 1937 and 2000, the spatial expression of the …

Some Preservation Techniques For (Deep Water) Coral Samples For Subsequent Molecular Studies: A Special Supplement From Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Jose V. Lopez

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Around the time that the thirteen original Atlantic colonies were fighting for independence from Britain, there existed little agreement among naturalists as to the nature of corals. Were they inanimate (stones), plants, animals, or intermediate between the latter two (zoophytes)? This diversity of definition and opinions undoubtedly produced considerable confusion and disagreement among naturalists interested in such things. The symbiotic nature of algal cells in the tissues of some corals was also not well understood. It was not until the Darwinian period in the nineteenth century that little doubt remained, and therefore it was generally agreed, that corals were actually …

Summer 2006, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Photoreductive Dissolution Of Ferrihydrite By Methanesulfinic Acid: Evidence Of A Direct Link Between Dimethylsulfide And Iron-Bioavailability, Anne M. Johansen, Jennifer M. Key

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Within open‐ocean regions where excess macronutrients are present, phytoplankton growth is limited by the bioavailability of iron supplied to these areas primarily within atmospheric aerosols of crustal origin. However, processes that control the abundance of biologically accessible iron in these aerosols are largely unknown. Here we show that dissolution of ferrihydrite, a surrogate iron(oxy)hydroxide phase found in atmospheric waters, is enhanced in the presence of methanesulfinic acid (MSIA, CH₃SO₂H, a dimethylsulfide (DMS) oxidation intermediate) in laboratory irradiation experiments with aqueous suspensions that simulate marine aerosol particles. The increased release of soluble Fe(II) is attributed to a …

Patterns Of Scleractinian Health In Broward County, Florida, Melody J. White

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

This study was survey of disease distribution and abundance relating to coral diseases present in Broward County. Data of the 1330 scleractinian coral individuals found, 88 showed signs of disease. 19 coral species, 3 diseases and bleaching were represented. Diseases affected 9 of the species. Bleaching was the most common disease noted in this survey, followed by dark spot, red band, and yellow band.

Disease distribution appears to be scattered on the reef system. No apparent patterns were found when grouped by reef or corridor locations. MDS cluster analysis revealed a clumping of disease, but this was not correlated with …

Bathypelagic Fish Association With The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Tracey Sutton, F. Uiblein, I. Byrkjedal, A. Dolgov, M. Heino, J. Horne, N. King, Tone Falkenhaug, O. R. Godo, Odd Aksel Bergstad

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

The bathypelagic zone, Earth’s largest living space, is essentially boundless in three dimensions for most of its extent, structured only by fluid features (e.g., salinity, temperature) of the seawater itself. However, near certain topographic features this zone intersects the seafloor. The mid-ocean ridge system is by far the largest of these features. Unlike the ecosystems of the continental margins, the mid-ocean ridge systems do not receive terrigenous nutrient inputs. Thus, the deep-water fauna associated with mid-ocean ridges ultimately depend on the generally limited local surface production. Despite this limited surface production, there is evidence that near-ridge demersal fish biomass is …

Survival Of White Marlin (Tetrapturus Albidus) Released From Commercial Pelagic Longline Gear In The Western North Atlantic, David W. Kerstetter, John E. Graves

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

To estimate postrelease survival of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) caught incidentally in regular commercial pelagic longline fishing operations targeting swordfish and tunas, short-duration popup satellite archival tags (PSATs) were deployed on captured animals for periods of 5-43 days. Twenty (71.4%) of 28 tags transmitted data at the preprogrammed time, including one tag that separated from the fish shortly after release and was omitted from subsequent analyses. Transmitted data from 17 of 19 tags were consistent with survival of those animals for the duration of the tag deployment. Postrelease survival estimates ranged from 63.0% (assuming all nontransmitting tags were …

Fisheries Research Report No. 155 - Identification Of Western Australian Grey Nurse Shark Aggregation Sites., J. Chidlow, Daniel J. Gaughan, Rory Mcauley

Fisheries Research Reports

Final report to the Australian Government, Department of the Environment and Heritage

The first phase of this project involved a desktop study to broadly identify areas where Western Australian Grey Nurse Sharks potentially aggregate for further investigation with field surveys. These areas were identified from information obtained from commercial shark fishers, previously unpublished research data, as well as anecdotal reports of sightings or captures from recreational divers and fishers, professional dive stores, dive clubs and charter boat operators. A total of 25 survey areas were identified during the desktop study, 16 of which were in depths less than 30m and …

Geochemistry Of Benthic Foraminifera As An Environmental Indicator: A Study From Multiple Hydrographic Regimes, Chandranath Basak

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The geochemistry (stable isotopes and Lracc clements) or living (sLaincd) calcareous benthic foraminifera was compared with ambient botlom water stable isotope values to provide modern analog conditions and calibrations for environmental and paleoenvironmental assessments. Stable isotope values of live (stained) bcnthic foraminifera were investigated from push core and multicorer samples from the North Pacific (on the Aleutian margin, water depth 1988m) and the South Australian Bight (water depth 2476m and 1634m). Living benthic foraminifera specimens collected from contaminated sites in the Venice Lagoon were analyzed for trace elements. Both the isotopic and the trace element study involved interpretation of modern …

Substituting Otoliths For Chemical Analyses: Does Sagitta = Lapillus?, Nathan G. Smith, Cynthia M. Jones

OES Faculty Publications

Chemical analysis of fish otoliths has become an important technique in fisheries science with widespread applications. Most research up to this point has focused predominantly on sagittal otoliths, but the underlying assumptions may also apply to lapilli. The goal of this study was to determine whether lapilli and sagittae have the same otolith chemistry and whether one can be substituted for the other for solution-based chemical analysis in wild-captured fish. We compared the stable isotope chemistry (δ13C and δ18O) of paired sagittae and lapilli of juvenile spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus collected from Chesapeake Bay seagrass beds in 2002. …

The Influence Of High Temperature And Two Hurricanes On The Success Of Late Season Loggerhead Nests In Broward County, Florida, In 2005, Stefanie Ouellette, Curtis M. Burney

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

The success of loggerhead nests, defined as the percentage of the eggs per nest resulting in live released hatchlings, declined to unusually low levels during the latter part of the 2005 season. The mean successes were 81.1, 61.1, 32.8 and 13.4 percent for nests deposited in May, June, July and August, respectively. Many eggs from the August nests appeared to be unusually dried. There was a significant inverse relationship (P < .0001) between the daily air temperature anomaly on the day of nest deposition and the average daily success rate of loggerhead nests in 2005. The daily temperature anomaly is the deviation of the average air temperature each day from the daily climatological average values. There was also a highly significant inverse relationship between maximum daily air temperature and nest success rate in 2005. These relationships were not found in the previous two years. The actual average temperature during August in 2005 was 29.7°C, compared to 28.9 and 29.2°C in 2004 and 2003, respectively. The 2005 average was statistically different from the other two years (one way ANOVA, P < .001) and also from the climatological average temperature of 28.6°C. Mean daily success rates were less than 50 percent for nests deposited during the 50 days preceding the impact of Hurricane Katrina on August 25. Nests deposited in the first two weeks of August were also impacted by Hurricane Rita. Mean daily success rates were less than 10 percent on 7 days during this period.

Testing The Effectiveness Of Pollution Control Measures At The South Dade Landfill: The Reduction Of Un-Ionized Ammonia In Landfill Leachate, Matt Mitchell

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the pollution control measures in place at the South Dade Landfill, located in Miami, Florida. Pollution control measures in place at the landfill include the lining and capping of landfill cells, a landfill wetland retention basin and a groundwater remediation interceptor trench (GWRIT). This study was performed over a ten (10) month span beginning in October, 2002 and ending in July, 2003. This study dealt specifically with the effectiveness of the GWRIT and landfill wetlands in reducing the amount of un-ionized ammonia (NH₃) in the landfill …

Spring 2006, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Southeast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation And Monitoring Project 2005 Year 3 Final Report, Jennifer Wheaton, Carl Beaver, Walter Jaap, Michael Callahan, Selena Kupfner, Shannon Wade, David S. Gilliam, B. D. Ettinger, Daniel P. Fahy, Shaun M. Gill, Lindsey Habakuk Klink, Jamie A. Monty, M. A. Philips, Lauren F. Shuman, Nicole R. Stephens, Brian K. Walker, Joanna C. Walczak, Richard E. Dodge, Tim Mcintosh, Steven Blair, Kenneth Banks, Louis E. Fisher, David Stout, Joe Ligas, Janet Phipps

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

A Fish Habitat Classification Model For The Upper And Middle Sections Of The Bay Of Quinte, Lake Ontario, C. K. Minns, Andrea Bernard, C. N. Bakelaar, M. Ewaschuk

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

A fish habitat classification model was developed and applied to the upper and middle sections of the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. Available habitat inventories were assembled in a GIS database, bringing bathymetric, shoreline, substrate, and vegetation data together in a series of layers. The classification model was developed in four steps. In the first step, the Defensible Methods (DM) model developed by Minns et al. (2000) was used to estimate suitability values in all habitat patches for a set of nine fish groups each with three life stages. The fish groups were formed from the assemblage of fish species …

Hydrodynamic Mediation Of Density-Dependent Growth And Adult-Juvenile Interactions Of A Spionid Polychaete, Brent T. Hentschel, Amy A. Larson

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Abstract We performed an experiment to test the effects of adult density on the growth rates of juvenile Polydora cornuta. Our experiment was performed in three identical counter-rotating annular flumes, each set to one of three different flow speeds for a period of 3 d (U 5mm = 3, 6, or 12 cm s^-1 , where U_5mm = velocity measured 5 mm above bottom). We implanted replicate vials containing a premeasured juvenile P. cornuta and either 0, 2, or 5 adults into a 2-cm layer of sediment in the flume. The relative growth rates of the juveniles …

Fisheries Research Report No. 153 - A 12-Month Survey Of Recreational Fishing In The Pilbara Region Of Western Australia During 1999-2000, P C. Williamson, Neil R. Sumner, B E. Malseed

Fisheries Research Reports

A 12-month creel survey of recreational boat-based and shore-based fishing in the Pilbara region (Onslow to Broome inclusive) of Western Australia was conducted between December 1999 and November 2000. During the survey 3,085 boat crews were interviewed at public boat ramps when they returned from their fishing trips. Patrols conducted along the coastline interviewed 73 groups of boat-based fishers and 569 groups of shore-based fishers at fishing locations and camp sites.

The total annual recreational fishing effort for the Pilbara region was estimated to be 201,000 fisher days (95%CI: 193,000 – 210,000). This comprised 109,000 fisher days by boats launched …

Fractal Patterns Of Coral Communities: Evidence From Remote Sensing (Arabian Gulf, Dubai, U.A.E.), Samuel J. Purkis, Bernhard Riegl, Richard E. Dodge (Editor)

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

In this study, the spatial character of benthic communities is investigated in an Arabian Gulf shallow subtidal carbonate ramp setting, using IKONOS satellite imagery. The patchy distribution of three assemblages of live and dead corals on extensive (but also fragmented) hardground pavements was investigated using a variety of spatial statistics. It was found that the spatial expression of the benthic groups display characteristics that approximate to power-law distributions over several orders of magnitude to an extent that suggests fractal behaviour. Pronounced anisotropy was observed between the spatial patterns in the near-shore and off-shore region which is attributed to different mechanisms …

Application Of Paleoclimatology To Coral Reef Monitoring And Management, C. Mark Eakin, Peter K. Swart, Terrence M. Quinn, Kevin P. Helmle, Jennifer M. Smith, Richard E. Dodge

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

The skeletons of reef-building corals are valuable archives of climatic and environmental information. Paleoclimatic data chiefly have been generated in areas most sensitive to global or regional climatic variability. However, these records also provide valuable information on anthropogenic influences – guidance of value to resource managers. NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch targets observations of current and past coral reef health in or near marine protected areas through satellites, in situ sensor platforms, and paleoclimatic analyses. Paleoclimatic data provide retrospective monitoring through multi-century environmental reconstructions that improve our understanding of past stress to coral reefs. Two sites in the Florida Keys National …

Fisheries Research Report No 154 - The Development Of A Rigorous Sampling Methodology For A Long-Term Annual Index Of Recruitment For Finfish Species From South-Western Australia., Daniel J. Gaughan, Suzanne G. Ayvazian, G Nowara, M Craine

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC Report - 1999/153.

This study has determined the optimal strategies to achieve statistically robust indices of recruitment of five key finfish species in south-western Australia. For another two species such indices could not be established. The sampling strategies developed will initially focus on the most appropriate location, month, and lunar phase, after which fine tuning of the sampling activity will be undertaken with respect to time of day, tide height, weather conditions etc. A significant outcome from the project is that five finfish species have a sampling strategy for recruits that can be utilized as a monitoring program …

Recommended Management Arrangements For The West Coast Commercial 'Wetline' Fishery. A Report To The Minister For Fisheries., West Coast And Gascoyne Management Planning Panel.

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.

Recommended Access And Allocation Criteria For The West Coast And Gascoyne Commercial 'Wetline' Fisheries. A Report To The Ministry Of Fisheries., The Commercial Access Panel.

Fisheries Management Papers

The CAP’s primary responsibility was to develop criteria for access and allocation within the context of the management framework developed by the MPP. It is therefore important that this management paper is read in conjunction with the papers prepared by the MPP that outline the recommended management arrangements for the Gascoyne (Fisheries Management Paper No. 205) and the West Coast (Fisheries Management Paper No. 206) regions.