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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Determining Critical Internesting And Foraging Habitats For The Conservation Of Sea Turtles In Gabon, Africa Using Satellite Tracking And Stable Isotope Analysis, Tiffany M. Dawson Jul 2017

Determining Critical Internesting And Foraging Habitats For The Conservation Of Sea Turtles In Gabon, Africa Using Satellite Tracking And Stable Isotope Analysis, Tiffany M. Dawson

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the horizontal and vertical habitat of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), a threatened species, is critical for determining regions of protection that may effectively reduce bycatch, the largest threat to this species. Satellite transmitters were used to determine the movement and dive behavior of 21 female olive ridley turtles tagged in Pongara National Park, Gabon during the 2012, 2013, and 2015 nesting seasons. A switching state space model was used to filter the tracking data and categorize the internesting and post-nesting movements. Gridded utilization distribution (UD) home range analysis of tracking data revealed that the entire core habitat …


Experimental Impacts Of Climate Warming And Ocean Carbonation On Eelgrass Zostera Marina, Richard C. Zimmerman, Victoria J. Hill, Malee Jinuntuya, Billur Celebi, David Ruble, Miranda Smith, Tiffany Cedeno, W. Mark Swingle Feb 2017

Experimental Impacts Of Climate Warming And Ocean Carbonation On Eelgrass Zostera Marina, Richard C. Zimmerman, Victoria J. Hill, Malee Jinuntuya, Billur Celebi, David Ruble, Miranda Smith, Tiffany Cedeno, W. Mark Swingle

OES Faculty Publications

CO2 is a critical and potentially limiting substrate for photosynthesis of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In addition to being a climate-warming greenhouse gas, increasing concentrations of CO2 will dissolve in the oceans, eliciting both negative and positive responses among organisms in a process commonly known as ocean acidification. The dissolution of CO2 into ocean surface waters, however, also increases its availability for photosynthesis, to which the highly successful, and ecologically important, seagrasses respond positively. Thus, the process might be more accurately characterized as ocean carbonation. This experiment demonstrated that CO2 stimulation of primary production enhances …


Multiple Mating By Females In The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Population, S. Wells, J. Mcconaugha, L. Horth Feb 2017

Multiple Mating By Females In The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Population, S. Wells, J. Mcconaugha, L. Horth

OES Faculty Publications

Mature females of the Chesapeake Bay (USA) blue crab Callinectes sapidus population mate multiple times. Microsatellite DNA analysis of sperm stored in the spermathecae has shown that virtually all (~97%, 104 out of 107) females collected in a 2009−2010 study mated with at least 2 males. Enumeration of stored sperm revealed that despite multiple mating, some females did not have enough sperm to fulfill their lifetime reproductive potential, suggesting that female blue crabs may experience varying levels of sperm limitation. This could result from multiple factors. The average body size of males in the population has decreased, which reduces the …


Experimental Demonstration Of An Allee Effect In Microbial Populations, Rajreni B. Kaul, Andrew M. Kramer, Fred C. Dobbs, John M. Drake Apr 2016

Experimental Demonstration Of An Allee Effect In Microbial Populations, Rajreni B. Kaul, Andrew M. Kramer, Fred C. Dobbs, John M. Drake

OES Faculty Publications

Microbial populations can be dispersal limited. However, microorganisms that successfully disperse into physiologically ideal environments are not guaranteed to establish. This observation contradicts the Baas-Becking tenet: ‘Everything is everywhere, but the environment selects’. Allee effects, which manifest in the relationship between initial population density and probability of establishment, could explain this observation. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that small populations of Vibrio fischeri are subject to an intrinsic demographic Allee effect. Populations subjected to predationby the bacterivore Cafeteria roenbergensis display both intrinsic and extrinsic demographic Allee effects. The estimated critical threshold required to escape positive densitydependence is around 5, 20 or …


Marine Disease Impacts, Diagnosis, Forecasting, Management And Policy, Kevin D. Lafferty, Eileen E. Hofmann Mar 2016

Marine Disease Impacts, Diagnosis, Forecasting, Management And Policy, Kevin D. Lafferty, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

(First paragraph) As Australians were spending millions of dollars in 2014 to remove the coraleating crown of thorns sea star from the Great Barrier Reef, sea stars started washing up dead for free along North America’s Pacific Coast. Because North American sea stars are important and iconic predators in marine communities, locals and marine scientists alike were alarmed by what proved to be the world’s most widespread marine mass mortality in geographical extent and species affected, especially given its mysterious cause. Investigative research using modern diagnostic techniques implicated a never-before-seen virus [1]. The virus inspired international attention to marine diseases, …


The Contribution Of Marine Aggregate-Associated Bacteria To The Accumulation Of Pathogenic Bacteria In Oysters: An Agent-Based Model, Andrew M. Kramer, J. Evan Ward, Fred C. Dobbs, Melissa L. Pierce Jan 2016

The Contribution Of Marine Aggregate-Associated Bacteria To The Accumulation Of Pathogenic Bacteria In Oysters: An Agent-Based Model, Andrew M. Kramer, J. Evan Ward, Fred C. Dobbs, Melissa L. Pierce

OES Faculty Publications

Bivalves process large volumes of water, leading to their accumulation of bacteria, including potential human pathogens (e.g., vibrios). These bacteria are captured at low efficiencies when freely suspended in the water column, but they also attach to marine aggregates, which are captured with near 100% efficiency. For this reason, and because they are often enriched with heterotrophic bacteria, marine aggregates have been hypothesized to function as important transporters of bacteria into bivalves. The relative contribution of aggregates and unattached bacteria to the accumulation of these cells, however, is unknown. We developed an agent-based model to simulate accumulation of vibrio-type bacteria …


A Highly Sensitive Underwater Video System For Use In Turbid Aquaculture Ponds, Chin-Chang Hung, Shih-Chieh Tsao, Kuo-Hao Huang, Hsu-Kunag Chang, Fred C. Dobbs Jan 2016

A Highly Sensitive Underwater Video System For Use In Turbid Aquaculture Ponds, Chin-Chang Hung, Shih-Chieh Tsao, Kuo-Hao Huang, Hsu-Kunag Chang, Fred C. Dobbs

OES Faculty Publications

The turbid, low-light waters characteristic of aquaculture ponds have made it difficult or impossible for previous video cameras to provide clear imagery of the ponds' benthic habitat. We developed a highly sensitive, underwater video system (UVS) for this particular application and tested it in shrimp ponds having turbidities typical of those in southern Taiwan. The system's high-quality video stream and images, together with its camera capacity (up to nine cameras), permit in situ observations of shrimp feeding behavior, shrimp size and internal anatomy, and organic matter residues on pond sediments. The UVS can operate continuously and be focused remotely, a …


Isolation And Characterization Of Eight Polymorphic Microsatellites For The Spotted Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Guttatus, Nathan Truelove, Donald C. Behringer, Mark J. Butler Iv, Richard F. Preziosi Jan 2016

Isolation And Characterization Of Eight Polymorphic Microsatellites For The Spotted Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Guttatus, Nathan Truelove, Donald C. Behringer, Mark J. Butler Iv, Richard F. Preziosi

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Microsatellite sequences were isolated from enriched genomic libraries of the spotted spiny lobster, Panulirus guttatus using 454 pyrosequencing. Twenty-nine previously developed polymerase chain reaction primer pairs of Panulirus argus microsatellite loci were also tested for cross-species amplification in Panulirus guttatus. In total, eight consistently amplifying, and polymorphic loci were characterized for 57 individuals collected in the Florida Keys and Bermuda. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 8 to 20 and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.409 to 0.958. Significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium were found in one locus from Florida and three loci from Bermuda. Quality control testing indicated …


Iron Deficiency Increases Growth And Nitrogen-Fixation Rates Of Phosphorus-Deficient Marine Cyanobacteria, Nathan S. Garcia, Feixue Fu, Peter N. Sedwick, David A. Hutchins Jan 2015

Iron Deficiency Increases Growth And Nitrogen-Fixation Rates Of Phosphorus-Deficient Marine Cyanobacteria, Nathan S. Garcia, Feixue Fu, Peter N. Sedwick, David A. Hutchins

OES Faculty Publications

Marine dinitrogen (N2)-fixing cyanobacteria have large impacts on global biogeochemistry as they fix carbon dioxide (CO2) and fertilize oligotrophic ocean waters with new nitrogen. Iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) are the two most important limiting nutrients for marine biological N2 fixation, and their availabilities vary between major ocean basins and regions. A long-standing question concerns the ability of two globally dominant N2-fixing cyanobacteria, unicellular Crocosphaera and filamentous Trichodesmium, to maintain relatively high N2-fixation rates in these regimes where both Fe and P are typically scarce. We show that under P-deficient …


New Tracer To Estimate Community Predation Rates Of Phagotrophic Protists, Alexander B. Bochdansky, Melissa A. Clouse Jan 2015

New Tracer To Estimate Community Predation Rates Of Phagotrophic Protists, Alexander B. Bochdansky, Melissa A. Clouse

OES Faculty Publications

Predation of eukaryotic microbes on prokaryotes is one of the most important trophic interactions on Earth, representing a major mortality term and shaping morphology and composition of prokaryotic communities. Here we introduce and validate a new tracer to determine predation rates on prokaryotes. Minicells of Escherichia coli marked with a bright green fluorescent protein (GFP) vector have many operational advantages over previously used prey analogs such as fluorescently labeled bacteria. GFP-minicells are similar in size to naturally occurring bacteria from a variety of environments including the oligotrophic open ocean and the deep sea. They are relatively stable against microbial and …


Quantifying Florida Bay Habitat Suitability For Fishes And Invertebrates Under Climate Change Scenarios, Kelly A. Kearney, Mark J. Butler Iv, Robert Glazer, Christopner R. Kelble, Joseph E. Serafy, Erik Stabenau Jan 2015

Quantifying Florida Bay Habitat Suitability For Fishes And Invertebrates Under Climate Change Scenarios, Kelly A. Kearney, Mark J. Butler Iv, Robert Glazer, Christopner R. Kelble, Joseph E. Serafy, Erik Stabenau

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Florida Bay ecosystem supports a number of economically important ecosystem services, including several recreational fisheries, which may be affected by changing salinity and temperature due toclimate change. In this paper, we use a combination of physical models and habitat suitability index models to quantify the effects of potential climate change scenarios on a variety of juvenile fish and lobster species in Florida Bay. The climate scenarios include alterations in sea level, evaporation and precipitation rates, coastal runoff, and water temperature. We find that the changes in habitat suitability vary in both magnitude and direction across the scenarios and species, …


The Ecological Impact Of Casitas On Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) Populations In The Florida Keys, Fl, (Usa), Benjamin C. Gutzler Jul 2014

The Ecological Impact Of Casitas On Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) Populations In The Florida Keys, Fl, (Usa), Benjamin C. Gutzler

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Casitas are artificial structures placed on the seabed by fishermen to aggregate Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) for ease of capture. Some researchers suggest that they may also enhance lobster populations in shelter-limited environments. Conversely, aggregation of lobsters within casitas may be detrimental to the population if the nutritional condition or mortality of lobsters is poorer in casitas than in natural shelters. Small juvenile lobsters may be at particular risk because their foraging range is smaller and they are more readily preyed upon than larger lobsters. If so, then casitas placed in lobster nurseries may function as "ecological traps"; wherein …


Benthic And Planktonic Microalgal Community Structure And Primary Productivity In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Matthew Reginald Semcheski Apr 2014

Benthic And Planktonic Microalgal Community Structure And Primary Productivity In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Matthew Reginald Semcheski

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Microalgal populations are trophically important to a variety of micro- and macroheterotrophs in marine and estuarine systems. In Chesapeake Bay, microalgae facilitate the survival and development of ecologically and economically relevant fauna, including shellfish and finfish populations. While regarded as significant components of coastal environments, microphytobenthic communities are historically understudied. In Chesapeake Bay, the importance of phytoplankton to the ecosystem is understood, but the contribution of microphytobenthos remains unclear. This project surveys intertidal microphytobenthic communities, in relation to phytoplankton communities, around lower Chesapeake Bay describing the taxonomic makeup of these populations, coupled with quantification of cell abundance, biomass, and primary …


Determination Of The Ecological Condition Of Benthic Communities Affected By Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In The Elizabeth River, Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Adam M. Webb Apr 2014

Determination Of The Ecological Condition Of Benthic Communities Affected By Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In The Elizabeth River, Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Adam M. Webb

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, has historically been polluted with hydrocarbon based industrial by-products. My study compared benthic community condition from two locations in the Southern Branch: the subtidal region near Money Point, historically affected by pollution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), to a subtidal region near Blows Creek on the opposite shore that is putatively designated as unimpacted by P AH contamination. Samples from both study sites in the Southern Branch were compared to the benthic community condition of samples from the same habitat type designations collected as part of the Chesapeake …


Host Behavior Alters Spiny Lobster-Viral Disease Dynamics: A Simulation Study, Thomas W. Dolan Iii, Mark J. Butler Iv, Jeffrey D. Shields Jan 2014

Host Behavior Alters Spiny Lobster-Viral Disease Dynamics: A Simulation Study, Thomas W. Dolan Iii, Mark J. Butler Iv, Jeffrey D. Shields

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Social behavior confers numerous benefits to animals but also risks, among them an increase in the spread of pathogenic diseases. We examined the trade-off between risk of predation and disease transmission under different scenarios of host spatial structure and disease avoidance behavior using a spatially explicit, individual-based model of the host pathogen interaction between juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) and Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1). Spiny lobsters are normally social but modify their behavior to avoid diseased conspecifics, a potentially effective means of reducing transmission but one rarely observed in the wild. We found that without lobster avoidance of …


Extinction Risk And Conservation Of The World's Sharks And Rays, Nicholas K. Dulvy, Sarah L. Fowler, John A. Musick, Rachel D. Cavanagh, Peter M. Kyne, Lucy R. Harrison, John K. Carlson, Lindsay N. K. Davidson, Sonja V. Fordham, Malcolm P. Francis, Caroline M. Pollock, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, George H. Burgess, Kent E. Carpenter, Leonard J. V. Compagno, David A. Ebert, Claudine Gibson, Michelle R. Heupel, Suzanne R. Livingstone, Jonnell C. Sanciangco, John D. Stevens, Sarah Valenti, William T. White Jan 2014

Extinction Risk And Conservation Of The World's Sharks And Rays, Nicholas K. Dulvy, Sarah L. Fowler, John A. Musick, Rachel D. Cavanagh, Peter M. Kyne, Lucy R. Harrison, John K. Carlson, Lindsay N. K. Davidson, Sonja V. Fordham, Malcolm P. Francis, Caroline M. Pollock, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, George H. Burgess, Kent E. Carpenter, Leonard J. V. Compagno, David A. Ebert, Claudine Gibson, Michelle R. Heupel, Suzanne R. Livingstone, Jonnell C. Sanciangco, John D. Stevens, Sarah Valenti, William T. White

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The rapid expansion of human activities threatens ocean-wide biodiversity. Numerous marine animal populations have declined, yet it remains unclear whether these trends are symptomatic of a chronic accumulation of global marine extinction risk. We present the first systematic analysis of threat for a globally distributed lineage of 1,041 chondrichthyan fishes-sharks, rays, and chimaeras. We estimate that one-quarter are threatened according to IUCN Red List criteria due to overfishing (targeted and incidental). Large-bodied, shallow-water species are at greatest risk and five out of the seven most threatened families are rays. Overall chondrichthyan extinction risk is substantially higher than for most other …


Concordant Phylogenetic Patterns Inferred From Mitochondrial And Microsatellite Dna In The Giant Clam Tridacna Crocea, Timery S. Deboer, Ma Rio Abdon Naguit, Mark V. Erdmann, Maria Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto, Kent E. Carpenter, Abdul Hamid A. Toba, Paul H. Barber Jan 2014

Concordant Phylogenetic Patterns Inferred From Mitochondrial And Microsatellite Dna In The Giant Clam Tridacna Crocea, Timery S. Deboer, Ma Rio Abdon Naguit, Mark V. Erdmann, Maria Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto, Kent E. Carpenter, Abdul Hamid A. Toba, Paul H. Barber

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The boring giant clam, Tridacna crocea Lamarck, 1819, is a CITES-listed bivalve that is declining due to overharvest and environmental degradation. Previous molecular studies in the Coral Triangle using mitochondrial DNA indicated the presence of deep phylogenetic divergence and strong phylogeographic structure across this region, suggesting the possibility of multiple cryptic species. In the present study, we compare data from non-recombining mitochondrial (mtDNA; cytochrome oxidase subunit 1, COI) and eight microsatellite loci to better understand patterns of genetic structure and species boundaries in T. crocea populations across Indonesia and the Philippines. Microsatellite loci and mtDNA data from 618 individuals representing …


Effects Of Predation Upon The Long-Spined Sea Urchin Diadema Antillarum By The Spotted Spiny Lobster Panulirus Guttatus, Meredith D. Kintzing, Mark J. Butler Iv Jan 2014

Effects Of Predation Upon The Long-Spined Sea Urchin Diadema Antillarum By The Spotted Spiny Lobster Panulirus Guttatus, Meredith D. Kintzing, Mark J. Butler Iv

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Sea urchins, important herbivores in marine ecosystems, are strongly impacted by both the direct and indirect effects of predation, and the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum is no exception. Once abundant on Caribbean coral reefs, D. antillarum populations were decimated by disease in the early 1980s, and only where their natural predators have been over-fished has D. antillarum recovery been observed. Spiny lobsters (Palinuridae) are predators of sea urchins, and although there are several species of spiny lobster in the Caribbean, only the spotted spiny lobster Panulirus guttatus is restricted to coral reefs where D. antillarum dwells. We investigated the …


Concordance Between Phylogeographic And Biogeographic Boundaries In The Coral Triangle: Conservation Implications Based On Comparative Analyses Of Multiple Giant Clam Species, Timery S. Deboer, Maria Rio Abdon Naguit, Mark V. Erdmann, Maria Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto, Kent E. Carpenter, Abdul Hamid A. Toha, Paul H. Barber Jan 2014

Concordance Between Phylogeographic And Biogeographic Boundaries In The Coral Triangle: Conservation Implications Based On Comparative Analyses Of Multiple Giant Clam Species, Timery S. Deboer, Maria Rio Abdon Naguit, Mark V. Erdmann, Maria Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto, Kent E. Carpenter, Abdul Hamid A. Toha, Paul H. Barber

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine habitats are in decline worldwide, precipitating a strong interest in marine conservation. The use of biogeographic data to designate ecoregions has had significant impacts on terrestrial conservation efforts. However, classification of marine environments into ecoregions has only become available in the last several years, based on biogeographic data supplemented by geomorphology, ocean currents, and water temperatures. Here we use a comparative phylogeographic approach to test for concordant phylogeographic patterns in three closely related species of Tridacna giant clams across the Coral Triangle, the most biodiverse marine region in the world and one of the most threatened. Data from a …


Developing Important Marine Mammal Area Criteria: Learning From Ecologically Or Biologically Significant Areas And Key Biodiversity Areas, Collenn M. Corrigan, Jeff A. Ardron, Mia T. Comeros-Raynal, Erich Hoyt, Giuseppe Notarbartolo Di Sciara, Kent E. Carpenter Jan 2014

Developing Important Marine Mammal Area Criteria: Learning From Ecologically Or Biologically Significant Areas And Key Biodiversity Areas, Collenn M. Corrigan, Jeff A. Ardron, Mia T. Comeros-Raynal, Erich Hoyt, Giuseppe Notarbartolo Di Sciara, Kent E. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1. This paper explores how criteria to identify important marine mammal areas (IMMAs) could be developed, and nested in existing global criteria. This process would consider 134 species of marine mammals. 2. Particular attention is given to two suites of global criteria to identify areas important for the persistence of marine biodiversity: Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) developed through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in revision through the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are seen as mutually complementary in the development of IMMAs. 3. The specificities necessary for identifying …


The Impact Of Multiple Nursery Areas On The Population Structure Of Atlantic Menhaden, Brevooria Tyrannus, Kristen A. Anstead Jan 2014

The Impact Of Multiple Nursery Areas On The Population Structure Of Atlantic Menhaden, Brevooria Tyrannus, Kristen A. Anstead

OES Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the population structure and patterns of connectivity in marine fishes is essential when making predictions about a species' resiliency and persistence in an increasingly changing environment. The Atlantic Menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus is a clupeid that plays a critical role in the marine food web and supports one of the largest fisheries on the US East Coast. In addition to a decrease in overall numbers and spawning stock biomass, recruitment levels have remained low since the 1990s. Menhaden use numerous estuaries along the Atlantic coast for juvenile development before recruiting to the adult population and the contribution of each of …


Basin Isolation And Oceanographic Features Influencing Lineage Divergence In The Humbug Damselfish (Dascyllus Aruanus) In The Coral Triangle, Jeremy M. Raynal Apr 2013

Basin Isolation And Oceanographic Features Influencing Lineage Divergence In The Humbug Damselfish (Dascyllus Aruanus) In The Coral Triangle, Jeremy M. Raynal

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Coral Triangle (CT) is a hotspot for marine species diversity as well as for intraspecific genetic diversity. Here, nuclear RAG2 and mitochondrial D-Loop genes were used to identify deep genetic divergence among Dascyllus aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758) populations across relatively short scales within the CT. Mitochondrial clades different by greater than 20 mutational steps were geographically isolated from one another across the distance between Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands, and also east and west across the Philippines. Evidence for population structure in the Sulu Sea and at the Lesser Sunda Islands is also identified. The results suggest that the …


Comparative Phylogeography Of The Emperor Snappers Lethrinus Lentjan And Lethrinus Harak (Lethrinidae: Percoidei) In The Coral Triangle, Andrew B. Hines Apr 2013

Comparative Phylogeography Of The Emperor Snappers Lethrinus Lentjan And Lethrinus Harak (Lethrinidae: Percoidei) In The Coral Triangle, Andrew B. Hines

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Many questions remain regarding the origins of the well-known peak in marine biodiversity found in the Coral Triangle. Barriers to gene flow may promote lineage diversification and provide the potential for speciation contributing to the high biodiversity in this area. Population structure was examined in two species of Emperor Snappers (Lethrinidae), Lethrinus harak and Lethrinus lentjan. These species were selected because they share similar life-history traits and geographic distributions, but differ in their habitat preferences. Specimens were collected from within the Coral Triangle as well as other localities across the Indo-Pacific. To investigate phylogeographic patterns and structure a hypervariable …


Wintering Eiders Acquire Exceptional Se And Cd Burdens In The Bering Sea: Physiological And Oceanographic Factors, James R. Lovvorn, Merl F. Raisbeck, Lee W. Cooper, Gregory A. Cutter, Micah W. Miller, Marjorie L. Brooks, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Angela C. Matz, Cortney M. Schaefer Jan 2013

Wintering Eiders Acquire Exceptional Se And Cd Burdens In The Bering Sea: Physiological And Oceanographic Factors, James R. Lovvorn, Merl F. Raisbeck, Lee W. Cooper, Gregory A. Cutter, Micah W. Miller, Marjorie L. Brooks, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Angela C. Matz, Cortney M. Schaefer

OES Faculty Publications

During late winter (March) in the Bering Sea, levels of Se in livers and Cd in kidneys of spectacled eiders Somateria fischeri were exceptionally high (up to 489 and 312 µg g−1 dry mass, respectively). Comparison of organ and blood samples during late winter, early spring migration, and breeding suggests that the eiders’ high Se and Cd burdens were accumulated at sea, with highest exposure during winter. High exposure may have resulted from high metabolic demands and food intake, as well as concentrations in food. In the eiders’ remote wintering area, their bivalve prey contained comparable Se levels and …


Ontogenetic Shifts In Resource Allocation: Colour Change And Allometric Growth Of Defensive And Reproductive Structures In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Joshua R. Anderson, Angelo J. Spadaro, J. Antonio Baeza, Donald C. Behringer Jan 2013

Ontogenetic Shifts In Resource Allocation: Colour Change And Allometric Growth Of Defensive And Reproductive Structures In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Joshua R. Anderson, Angelo J. Spadaro, J. Antonio Baeza, Donald C. Behringer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Resource allocation theory predicts a disproportionately large allocation of resources to defensive structures during early ontogeny in organisms that are subject to more intense predation at smaller than at larger body sizes. We tested this prediction on the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus, which exhibits a negative relationship between predation risk and body size with a high natural mortality of smaller individuals. Independent allometric growth analyses demonstrated that numerous defensive structures (e.g. orbital horns, segments supporting the antenna, the tail fan) display negative allometric growth throughout ontogeny. We interpret these findings as lobsters investing disproportionately more resources to defensive …


Genetic Population Structure Of Us Atlantic Coastal Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), David T. Gauthier, Corinne A. Audemard, Jeanette E. L. Carlsson, Tanya L. Darden, Michael R. Denson, Kimberly S. Reece, Jens Carlsson Jan 2013

Genetic Population Structure Of Us Atlantic Coastal Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis), David T. Gauthier, Corinne A. Audemard, Jeanette E. L. Carlsson, Tanya L. Darden, Michael R. Denson, Kimberly S. Reece, Jens Carlsson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Genetic population structure of anadromous striped bass along the US Atlantic coast was analyzed using 14 neutral nuclear DNA microsatellites. Young-of-the-year and adult striped bass (n = 1114) were sampled from Hudson River, Delaware River, Chesapeake Bay, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Analyses indicated clear population structure with significant genetic differentiation between all regions. Global multilocus F-ST was estimated at 0.028 (P < 0.001). Population structure followed an isolation-by-distance model and temporal sampling indicated a stable population structure more than 2 years at all locations. Significant structure was absent within Hudson River, whereas weak but significant genetic differences were observed between northern and southern samples in Chesapeake Bay. The largest and smallest effective striped bass population sizes were found in Chesapeake Bay and South Carolina, respectively. Coalescence analysis indicated that the highest historical gene flow has been between Chesapeake Bay and Hudson River populations, and that exchange has not been unidirectional. Bayesian analysis of contemporary migration indicated that Chesapeake Bay serves as a major source of migrants for Atlantic coastal regions from Albemarle Sound northward. In addition to examining population genetic structure, the data acquired during this project were capable of serving as a baseline for assigning fish with unknown origin to source region.


Bacterial Colonization And Extinction On Marine Aggregates: Stochastic Model Of Species Presence And Abundance, Andrew M. Kramer, M. Maille Lyons, Fred C. Dobbs, John M. Drake Jan 2013

Bacterial Colonization And Extinction On Marine Aggregates: Stochastic Model Of Species Presence And Abundance, Andrew M. Kramer, M. Maille Lyons, Fred C. Dobbs, John M. Drake

OES Faculty Publications

Organic aggregates provide a favorable habitat for aquatic microbes, are efficiently filtered by shellfish, and may play a major role in the dynamics of aquatic pathogens. Quantifying this role requires understanding how pathogen abundance in the water and aggregate size interact to determine the presence and abundance of pathogen cells on individual aggregates. We build upon current understanding of the dynamics of bacteria and bacterial grazers on aggregates to develop a model for the dynamics of a bacterial pathogen species. The model accounts for the importance of stochasticity and the balance between colonization and extinction. Simulation results suggest that while …


Effect Of Laser Ablation Depth In Otolith Life History Scans, Renée R. Hoover, Cynthia M. Jones Jan 2013

Effect Of Laser Ablation Depth In Otolith Life History Scans, Renée R. Hoover, Cynthia M. Jones

OES Faculty Publications

Life history scans of fish otoliths are bringing new insight into the structure, connectivity, and movement of fish populations. Data obtained from such scans, however, possess in-herent limitations that have not yet been fully addressed or understood. For example, several investigators have noted delays in otolith elemental uptake that do not appear to reflect habitat exposure. We hypothesized that the 3-dimensional structure of otoliths may produce sampling artifacts in the results obtained from laser ablation scans. To test this hypothesis, we sampled sagittal otoliths from juvenile Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to obtain …


Phosphorus Cycling In The Sargasso Sea: Investigation Using The Oxygen Isotopic Composition Of Phosphate, Enzyme-Labeled Fluorescence, And Turnover Times, Karen Mclaughlin, Jill A. Sohm, Gregory A. Cutter, Michael W. Lomas, Adina Paytan Jan 2013

Phosphorus Cycling In The Sargasso Sea: Investigation Using The Oxygen Isotopic Composition Of Phosphate, Enzyme-Labeled Fluorescence, And Turnover Times, Karen Mclaughlin, Jill A. Sohm, Gregory A. Cutter, Michael W. Lomas, Adina Paytan

OES Faculty Publications

Dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) concentrations in surface water of vast areas of the ocean are extremely low (<10 nM) and phosphorus (P) availability could limit primary productivity in these regions. We explore the use of oxygen isotopic signature of dissolved phosphate (δ18OPO4) to investigate biogeochemical cycling of P in the Sargasso Sea, Atlantic Ocean. Additional techniques for studying P dynamics including 33P-based DIP turnover time estimates and percent of cells expressing alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity as measured by enzyme-labeling fluorescence are also used. In surface waters, δ18OPO4 values were lower than equilibrium by 3–6%, indicative of dissolved organic phosphorous (DOP) remineralization by extracellular enzymes. An isotope mass balance model using a variety of possible combinations of …


Conus: First Comprehensive Conservation Red List Assessment Of A Marine Gastropod Mollusc Genus, Howard Peters, Bethan C. O'Leary, Julie P. Hawkins, Kent E. Carpenter, Callum M. Roberts Jan 2013

Conus: First Comprehensive Conservation Red List Assessment Of A Marine Gastropod Mollusc Genus, Howard Peters, Bethan C. O'Leary, Julie P. Hawkins, Kent E. Carpenter, Callum M. Roberts

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine molluscs represent an estimated 23% of all extant marine taxa, but research into their conservation status has so far failed to reflect this importance, with minimal inclusion on the authoritative Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We assessed the status of all 632 valid species of the tropical marine gastropod mollusc, Conus (cone snails), using Red List standards and procedures to lay the groundwork for future decadal monitoring, one of the first fully comprehensive global assessments of a marine taxon. Three-quarters (75.6%) of species were not currently considered at risk of extinction owing …