Marine Biology Commons^™

Additive Negative Effects Of Anthropogenic Sedimentation And Warming On The Survival Of Coral Recruits, Francesca Fourney, Joana Figueiredo

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Corals worldwide are facing population declines due to global climate change and local anthropogenic impacts. Global climate change effects are hard to tackle but recent studies show that some coral species can better handle climate change stress when provided with additional energy resources. The local stressor that most undermines energy acquisition is sedimentation because it impedes coral heterotrophic feeding and their ability to photosynthesize. To investigate if reducing local sedimentation will enable corals to better endure ocean warming, we quantitatively assessed the combined effects of increased temperature and sedimentation (concentration and turbidity) on the survival of coral recruits of the …

Inventory Of Gulf Of Mexico Oceanic Fauna Data Including Species, Weight, And Measurements From R/V Point Sur (Cruises Dp03 And Dp04) May-August, 2016, April Cook, Tracey Sutton

DEEPEND Datasets

This data set includes the biological and environmental data for all of the species collected during the DP03 (May 2016) and DP04 cruises (August 2016). The main gear type used was a 10-m2 Multiple Opening Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS). The MOCNESS was fitted with 6 nets which were opened according to the following depth scheme: net 0 from the surface to 1500m, net 1 from 1500-1200m, net 2 from 200-1000m, net 3 from 1000-600m, net 4 from 600-200m, and net 5 from 200m to the surface. Two trawls were conducted at each station sampled to capture diel …

Non‐Linear Thresholds Characterize The Relationship Between Reef Fishes And Mangrove Habitat, Geoffrey S. Shideler, Rafael J. Araujo, Brian K. Walker, Jeremiah Blondeau, Joseph E. Serafy

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A significant obstacle to evaluating the importance of mangrove habitat to coral reef fishes has been the difficulty of disentangling its effects from other subtidal/nearshore habitats or human population pressures. Florida's seascape, unlike most others, has been extensively surveyed and mapped, and there are reliable estimates of human population density. Despite many studies that have correlated reef fish abundance with nearby mangrove habitat, some researchers continue to question the importance of mangroves to reef fishes. Previous studies that have investigated the mangrove–reef fish subsidy effect have applied methods that either compared averages or examined linear relationships; yet there is a …

The Trophic Role Of A Large Marine Predator, The Tiger Shark Galeocerdo Cuvier, Luciana C. Ferreira, Michele Thums, Michael R. Heithaus, Adam Barnett, Katya G. Abrantes, Bonnie J. Holmes, Lara M. Zamora, Ashley J. Frisch, Julian G. Pepperell, Derek Burkholder, Jeremy Vaudo, Robert Nowicki, Jessica Meeuwig, Mark G. Meekan

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Tiger sharks were sampled off the western (Ningaloo Reef, Shark Bay) and eastern (the Great Barrier Reef; GBR, Queensland and New South Wales; NSW) coastlines of Australia. Multiple tissues were collected from each shark to investigate the effects of location, size and sex of sharks on δ13C and δ15N stable isotopes among these locations. Isotopic composition of sharks sampled in reef and seagrass habitats (Shark Bay, GBR) reflected seagrass-based food-webs, whereas at Ningaloo Reef analysis revealed a dietary transition between pelagic and seagrass food-webs. In temperate habitats off southern Queensland and NSW coasts, shark diets relied on pelagic food-webs. Tiger …

A Global Biogeographic Classification Of The Mesopelagic Zone, Tracey Sutton, Malcolm R. Clark, Daniel C. Dunn, Patrick N. Halpin, Alex D. Rogers, John Guinotte, Steven J. Bograd, Martin V. Angel, Jose Angel A. Perez, Karen Wishner, Richard L. Haedrich, Dhugal Lindsay, Jeffrey C. Drazen, Alexander Vereshchaka, Uwe Piatkowski, Telmo Morato, Katarzyna Blachowiak-Samolyk, Bruce H. Robison, Kristina Gjerde, Annelies Pierrot-Bults, Patricio Bernal, Gabriel Reygondeau, Mikko Heino

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

We have developed a global biogeographic classification of the mesopelagic zone to reflect the regional scales over which the ocean interior varies in terms of biodiversity and function. An integrated approach was necessary, as global gaps in information and variable sampling methods preclude strictly statistical approaches. A panel combining expertise in oceanography, geospatial mapping, and deep-sea biology convened to collate expert opinion on the distributional patterns of pelagic fauna relative to environmental proxies (temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen at mesopelagic depths). An iterative Delphi Method integrating additional biological and physical data was used to classify biogeographic ecoregions and to identify …

Dna Analysis Of Traded Shark Fins And Mobulid Gill Plates Reveals A High Proportion Of Species Of Conservation Concern, Dirk Steinke, Andrea Bernard, Rebekah L. Horn, Paul Hilton, Robert H. Hanner, Mahmood S. Shivji

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Continuously increasing demand for plant and animal products causes unsustainable depletion of biological resources. It is estimated that one-quarter of sharks and rays are threatened worldwide and although the global fin trade is widely recognized as a major driver, demand for meat, liver oil, and gill plates also represents a significant threat. This study used DNA barcoding and 16 S rRNA sequencing as a method to identify shark and ray species from dried fins and gill plates, obtained in Canada, China, and Sri Lanka. 129 fins and gill plates were analysed and searches on BOLD produced matches to 20 species …

Dna Analysis Of Surfactant-Associated Bacteria In A Natural Sea Slick In The Gulf Of Mexico Observed By Terrasar-X, Kathryn Howe

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Under low wind speed conditions, surfactants accumulate at the air-sea interface, dampen short-gravity capillary (Bragg) waves, and form natural sea slicks that are detectable visually and in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. Marine organisms, such as phytoplankton, zooplankton, seaweed, and bacteria, produce and degrade surfactants during various life processes. This study coordinates in situ sampling with TerraSAR-X satellite overpasses in order to help guide microbiological analysis of the sea surface microlayer (SML) and associated subsurface water (SSW). Samples were collected in the Gulf of Mexico during a research cruise (LASER) in February 2016 to determine abundance of surfactant associated bacteria …

Coral Vs. Macroalgae: Relative Susceptibility To Sedimentation And Ocean Warming, Ashton J. Galarno

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Sedimentation and ocean warming are two major anthropogenic stressors that directly affect coral recruitment and recovery. Many coral-dominated reefs have undergone phase shifts becoming macroalgae-dominated because of the coral population’s inability to tolerate these increasing stressors. Predicting these phase shifts requires a determination of the relative susceptibility of coral and macroalgae to these stressors. The objective of this study was to quantitatively assess the synergistic effects of sedimentation and elevated temperature on the survival and growth of Montastraea cavernosa newly settled coral juveniles, and fragments of the macroalgae, Dictyota ciliolata. A crossed experimental design tested the two temperatures and …

Evidence Of Intermittent Residency In The Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus Ursinus)., Megan Foley

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

This study found evidence of intermittent, multi-year residency periods in northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) using stable isotope ratios in vibrissae and canine teeth. Northern fur seals migrate from the Bering Sea during summer months to lower latitudes and slightly warmer waters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean and California Current in the winter. To determine the length of time spent away from the Bering Sea, growth rate was estimated using the covarying oscillations δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N, estimated to be 0.09 mm/day. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N in vibrissae from 30 male …

Investigating The Effect Of Mechanical Beach Cleaning On Nesting, Hatching And Emergence Success Of Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Green (Chelonia Mydas) Sea Turtles In Broward County, Florida, Megan A. Earney

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Sea turtles face many threats to their populations globally. Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) are listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List as Endangered. In Florida, loggerhead and green sea turtles nest along the coastline during April-September. Mechanical beach cleaning is an aesthetic service performed daily on some beaches in Florida to clean the wrack line and/or the entire beach of debris. Alterations made to beaches by methods such as mechanical beach cleaning have the potential to impact sea turtle nesting, hatching, and emergence success. Generalized …

Microbial Community Richness Distinguishes Shark Species Microbiomes In South Florida, Rachael Cassandra Karns

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The microbiome (microbial community) of individuals is crucial when characterizing and understanding processes that are required for organism function and survival. Microbial organisms, which make up an individual’s microbiome, can be linked to disease or function of the host organism. In humans, individuals differ substantially in their microbiome compositions in various areas of the body. The cause of much of the composition diversity is yet unexplained, however, it is speculated that habitat, diet, and early exposure to microbes could be altering the microbiomes of individuals (Human Microbiome Project Consortium, 2012b, 2012a). To date, only one study has reported on microbiome …

Reconciling The Challenge Of Aphanic Species Within Marine Conservation, Kerri L. Bolow

HCNSO Student Capstones

Aphanic species are those within a taxonomic complex that may not be readily distinguishable from other sympatric species. The existence of these species is becoming apparent at an increasing rate through the use of technological tools like molecular genetic analyses. A lack of clarity on the definitions of terms used to describe similar species, how these species are identified, and how prevalent they are can confound identification, description, and management of these organisms. This review collects and defines the terms used to describe these hidden species and suggests the use of the term aphanic for situations where additional information (and …

Differential Use Of Two Warm-Water Effluents By The Florida Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris) And Temporal Distributions Throughout Broward County, Florida, Laura F. Eldredge

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The threatened Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) migrates seasonally to warm-water refugia throughout the state of Florida due to metabolic requirements from low thermal conductance. Broward County’s two power plant refugia, Port Everglades (PEP) and Lauderdale (LPP), are known heavily-utilized aggregation sites for the Atlantic sub-population. Broward County collected relative abundance counts via aerial surveys from 2004–2013 siting 31,418 manatees during 169 surveys within 18 defined waterway zones. Counts during manatee wintering seasons were significantly different from January 2005-March 2008 and November 2008-March 2013, likely related to flight path and frequency standardization. Mean percentage of adults (90.12%) to …

Shark Bycatch In Commercial Fisheries: A Global Perspective, Stephanie M. Bettis

HCNSO Student Capstones

Many shark species have global distributions and are caught incidentally in different types of fisheries. Over the last two decades, shark populations have declined tremendously, with one of the leading causes of this decline bycatch in primarily teleost fisheries. Bycatch occurs throughout the world’s fisheries, but is not well documented in terms of species composition and numbers of each species captured. Information on shark bycatch is spread through the primary and grey literature, but has not been compiled in summary to date. The goal of my capstone is to present global shark bycatch data and provide a comparative review to …

Bacterial Communities Associated With Healthy And Diseased Acropora Cervicornis (Staghorn Coral) Using High-Throughput Sequencing, Charles Walton

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral diseases were first noted in the 1960s and 1970s and have had major impacts globally on coral reef community structures. In the Caribbean, a major outbreak of white band disease has been considered responsible for the drastic decline of Caribbean Acroporids since the 1970s. In addition to white band disease, another more recently described condition known as rapid tissue loss (RTL) has had major impacts on Acropora cervicornis populations, specifically offshore Broward County Southeast Florida. While these diseases have contributed to the population decline, determining their etiologies has been elusive.

Coral diseases have been characterized by shifts in their …

The Biannual Cycle And Reproductive Morphology Of The Yellow Stingray, Urobatis Jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1817), With A Comparative Analysis From Batoid Reproductive Literature, Daniel P. Fahy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1816) is the most common elasmobranch encountered in the coastal waters of Southeast Florida. The objectives of the present research were to characterize the reproductive biology of a stable population distributed near the northern extent of the species range. Morphological analyses were conducted to determine the seasonal variation of macroscopic and microscopic development and structural organization of reproductive organs of male and female rays (excluding ovarian histology) during all stages of reproduction. This is the first study to document a seasonal biannual cycle for any elasmobranch, as well as, sexual synchrony with a …

Biogeophysical And Physiological Processes Drive Movement Patterns In A Marine Predator, Lucy A. Howey, Bradley M. Wetherbee, Emily R. Tolentino, Mahmood S. Shivji

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background

Blue sharks (Prionace glauca) are among the most abundant and widely distributed of oceanic elasmobranchs. Millions are taken annually in pelagic longline fisheries and comprise the highest component of auctioned fin weight in the international shark fin trade. Though studies of blue sharks outnumber those of other large pelagic sharks, the species’ complicated and sexually segregated life history still confound current understanding of Atlantic movement patterns. Lack of detailed information regarding movement and vertical behavior continues to limit management efforts that require such data for stock assessment and sustainable catch modeling. Therefore, this study aims to describe …

Southward Flow On The Western Flank Of The Florida Current, Alexander Soloviev, Amy Hirons, Christopher Maingot, Cayla Whitney Dean, Richard E. Dodge, Alexander E. Yankovsky, Jon Wood, Robert H. Weisberg, Mark E. Luther, Julian P. Mccreary

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A suite of long-term in situ measurements in the Straits of Florida, including the ADCP bottom moorings at an 11-m isobath and 244-m isobath (Miami Terrace) and several ADCP ship transects, have revealed a remarkable feature of the ocean circulation - southward flow on the western, coastal flank of the Florida Current. We have observed three forms of the southward flow - a seasonally varying coastal countercurrent, an undercurrent jet attached to the Florida shelf, and an intermittent undercurrent on the Miami Terrace. According to a 13-year monthly climatology obtained from the near-shore mooring, the coastal countercurrent is a persistent …

Characterize The Condition Of Previously Known And Newly Identified Large Dense Acropora Cervicornis Patches In Southeast Florida, Brian K. Walker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Historically, Acropora spp. are the major reef building corals seen throughout the Caribbean and parts of the Western Atlantic that can grow relatively rapidly in dominant mono-specific stands. Their rapid growth and fragmentation allows them to out compete other benthic organisms and form the major framework for entire reef zones. They are the most abundant and important species for reef accretion. Their branching morphologies provide important habitat for many other reef species and no other Caribbean coral species fills these ecosystem functions. Acroporids were once the dominant reef builder in the Caribbean and provided the majority of live coral cover, …

Multiple Opening Closing Net Environmental Sensing System (Mocness) Instrument Data For Cruise Dp05 R/V Point Sur In-Situ Deep Seawater And Associated Fauna, May 1-11, 2017, Viosca Knoll Gom, Gray Lawson, Travis Richards

DEEPEND Datasets

The Multiple Opening Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System(s) (MOCNESS) deployed during the DEEPEND field program collects data (e.g., pressure, temperature, conductivity, volume filtered, horizontal and vertical velocity, latitude, and longitude) from several sensors while the instrument is in use. These data help characterize the environment and assess the orientation and speed of the MOCNESS. The flow and net angle can be used to calculate the volume of water filtered for each net. The biological data and ship data collected during this cruise are available in GRIIDC datasets R4.x257.226:0005 and R4.x257.226:0014 respectively.

Climate Change, One Health And Mercury, L. K. Duffy, T. Vertigan, B. Dainowski, K. Dunlap, Amy Hirons

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Climate change is occurring on both regional and global scales. The use and global distribution of toxic metals is increasing and affecting environmental, animal and human health as a result of air, water and food contamination. Mercury (Hg) in major forms Hg°, Hg²⁺ and methyl mercury (CH₃Hg⁺) are increasingly available around the globe. Both metal and organic contaminants are impacting the health of all species on the planet. Mercury is an example of a metal that can cause or aggravate a disease state, for example, diabetes. Habitat stewardship is needed to maintain a healthy system, …

The Ocean's Vital Skin: Toward An Integrated Understanding Of The Sea Surface Microlayer, Anja Engel, Hermann W. Bange, Michael Cunliffe, Susannah M. Burrows, Gernot Friedrichs, Luisa Galgani, Hartmut Herrmann, Norbert Hertkorn, Martin Johnson, Peter S. Liss, Patrick K. Quinn, Markus Schartau, Alexander Soloviev, Christian Stolle, Robert C. Upstill-Goddard, Manuela Van Pinxteren, Birthe Zäncker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Despite the huge extent of the ocean's surface, until now relatively little attention has been paid to the sea surface microlayer (SML) as the ultimate interface where heat, momentum and mass exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere takes place. Via the SML, large-scale environmental changes in the ocean such as warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and eutrophication potentially influence cloud formation, precipitation, and the global radiation balance. Due to the deep connectivity between biological, chemical, and physical processes, studies of the SML may reveal multiple sensitivities to global and regional changes. Understanding the processes at the ocean's surface, in particular involving …

Coral Larvae Are Poor Swimmers And Require Fine-Scale Reef Structure To Settle, Tom Hata, Joshua S. Madin, Vivian R. Cumbo, Mark W. Denny, Joana Figueiredo, Saki Harii, Christopher J. Thomas, Andrew H. Baird

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Reef coral assemblages are highly dynamic and subject to repeated disturbances, which are predicted to increase in response to climate change. Consequently there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying different recovery scenarios. Recent work has demonstrated that reef structural complexity can facilitate coral recovery, but the mechanism remains unclear. Similarly, experiments suggest that coral larvae can distinguish between the water from healthy and degraded reefs, however, whether or not they can use these cues to navigate to healthy reefs is an open question. Here, we use a meta-analytic approach to document that coral larval …

Variable Patterns In Spur And Groove Reef Morphology Explained By Physical Controls And Their Relevance For Platform-Top Sedimentology, Robert C. Gardiner Jr

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Spur and groove (SaG) morphology is a common ornamentation of reef-armored Holocene carbonate platform margins. Composed of margin-normal promontories constructed of coral framestone, termed “spurs”, interleaved with similarly orientated gullies, “grooves”, this morphology varies based on a host of physical controls. Primarily, the surrounding oceanographic conditions as well as the size and shape of the platform the SaG is encompassing, directly influence the development and organization of SaG. Since grooves act as conduits for carbonate sediment transport, this study seeks to examine the relationship between SaG organization dictated by platform size and shape and how that in turn influences platform-top …

Dna Sequences Of The Mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase I (Coi) Genes From Deep Sea Fishes. Cruises Dp01 And Dp02 From May 2015 - August 2015, Andrea Bernard, Max Weber, Kimberly A. Finnegan, Mahmood S. Shivji, Ron Eytan

DEEPEND Datasets

The deep sea ecosystem is believed to contain the highest biomass of fish in the oceans. However, the taxonomic diversity in this ecosystem is incompletely described and likely to be vastly underestimated. DNA sequence data (barcodes) have become a key tool to discover hidden biodiversity. We generated mitochondrial DNA barcode datasets based on the Cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene from deep sea fishes. These data were analyzed using phylogenetic and statistical methods to reveal cryptic species and make taxonomic linkages between adult fishes and their early life stages. These datasets were generated from fishes collected in the Northern Gulf …

Environmental Factors Affecting Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta) Nesting, Hatching, And Incubation Patterns In Broward County, Florida, Zoey Ellen Best

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Reproductive success in loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles is strongly dependent on the effective placement and internal conditions of their nests. Embryos rely on optimal incubation conditions for proper development and growth, which determines how many hatchlings will emerge from the nest. The internal microclimate of each nest is delicately balanced and can be easily influenced by external environmental conditions. This study was designed to examine several environmental variables and determine their effects on sea turtle nesting numbers, hatching success, and incubation conditions in Broward County Florida. Over a span of 25 years (1991-2015), the Broward County Sea …

Geospatial Analysis Of Tursiops Truncatus, Common Bottlenose Dolphin, From Noaa Cetacean Stranding Data In Florida To Explore Human Fishery Impacts, Jamie S. Ahn

HCNSO Student Capstones

Cetacean strandings provide valuable biological and geographic information, including various human impacts to vulnerable populations. This study utilizes global information systems (GIS) to conduct geospatial analyses of common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, strandings impacted by fishery interactions in Florida from 2002 to 2014 along with summary statistics of the types of interaction and gear involved. In addition four human impact factors, average human population, average number of boat licenses, average number of fishing permits, and coastline length, were compared to the stranding densities per county for association and predictability. Four regions of stranding “hotspots” were identified, and all human impact …

Mapping The Spatial-Temporal Variation In Ras Ghanada Seagrass Meadows And Sand Shoals Between 1996, 2006 & 2012, Ryan Brookbank

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Seagrass meadows offshore Ras Ghanada, as elsewhere, are an important component to the ecosystem providing numerous benefits to both aquatic and human life. This work focused on mapping the spatial and temporal distribution of seagrass meadows offshore Ras Ghanada using aerial photography acquired in 1996 and high-resolution satellite images captured in 2006 and 2012. The movements of sand shoals were also tracked, so as to further explain the dynamics of this ecosystem, as it is the area between the shoal crests that hosts the best developed seagrass meadows. The natural limiting factor for seagrass on the Ras Ghanada coastal shelf …

Growth Of Orbicella Faveolata In La Parguera, Puerto Rico, Darren B. Marshall

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Reef-building corals are subject to high amounts of stress, including pollution and rising sea surface temperatures due to climate change. These factors can affect the ability of corals to produce their calcium carbonate skeletons. Evaluation of the effects of climate change may be facilitated by evaluation of records of coral skeletal growth over a long period of time. The aim of this study was to evaluate skeletal growth of the coral Orbicella faveolata in La Parguera, Puerto Rico over a 32-year period. For this, 14 Orbicella faveolata core samples were collected from corals at two reefs (1.2 km apart) in …

Assessing The Rate And Extent Of Transgenerational Acclimation And Adaptation To Ocean Warming, Abby C. Nease

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

A primary goal of climate change research is to determine if species will be able to persist in a warmer environment. Most studies predict climate change will cause many species to become extinct. However, these predictions are based on experiments where only a single life stage or generation of a species was exposed to predicted future conditions (i.e. shock treatments), and thus overlook the possibility of species adapting or acclimatizing to new environmental conditions over multiple generations. As a result, current projections of species persistence through climate change are likely to overestimate species extinction. In this study, the rate and …