Marine Biology Commons^™

Comment On "How Accurate Are (234)Th Measurements In Seawater Based On The Mno(2)-Impregnated Cartridge Technique?'' By Pinghe Cai Et Al., Chin-Chang Hung, S. Bradley Moran, J. Kirk Cochran, Laodong Guo, Laodong Guo, Peter H. Santschi

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Cyclic Hypoxia On Gene Expression And Reproduction In A Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes Pugio, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, C. Steve Manning, Vishal Patel, Nancy D. Denslow, Marius Brouwer

Faculty Publications

Cyclic changes in dissolved oxygen occur naturally in shallow estuarine systems, yet little is known about the adaptations and responses of estuarine organisms to cyclic hypoxia. Here we examine the responses of Palaemonetes pugio, a species of grass shrimp, to cyclic hypoxia (1.5-8 mg/l dissolved oxygen; 4.20-22.42 kPa) at both the molecular and organismal levels. We measured alterations in gene expression in hepatopancreas tissue of female grass shrimp using custom cDNA macroarrays. After short-term (3-d) exposure to cyclic hypoxia, mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) was upregulated and 70-kd heat shock proteins (HSP70) were downregulated. After 7-d exposure, nuclear genes encoding …

Coral Reefs Of Miskitus Cays, Nicaragua, Ana C. Fonseca

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The Miskitus Cays, on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, consist of eighty mangrove and two sand and gravel cays, surrounded by seagrass beds, octocoral gardens, patch reefs, reef crests, extended algae platforms, short reef walls, and two marginal reefs around the sand cays. Seventy sites were inspected and eighteen sites were selected for rapid assessments in order to determine the status of the coral reefs. Linear transects and the intercept point methods were used to determine the relative benthic cover, and the density, size and health of coral colonies was estimated following the AGRRA protocol. Water was highly turbid due …

Seagrass Distribution In The Pensacola Bay System, Northwest Florida, Michael A. Lewis, Richard Devereux, Pete Bourgeois

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Aerial surveys of seagrass coverage in the Pensacola Bay system (PBS) have been conducted during 1960, 1980, 1992 and 2003. This report summarizes the results for the 2003 survey and compares the results to those previously reported for other surveys. The estimated coverage of seagrass for the PBS during 2003 was 1,654 ha. Continuous and patchy coverages ranged from 0 to 684 ha and 11 to 543 ha, respectively, for five PBS subsystems. In 2003, the majority of seagrass coverage occurred in Santa Rosa Sound (76%). Declines in total coverage occurred for East Bay (93%) and Escambia Bay (75%) whereas …

Variability In Estimating Abundance Of Postlarval Brown Shrimp, Farfantepenaeus Aztecus (Ives), Migrating Into Galveston Bay, Texas, Geoffrey A. Matthews

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Three sets of monitoring data were used to examine the variability associated with abundance estimation of postlarval brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus (Ives) in Bolivar Roads, Texas—the main connection between the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Bay. Abundance of postlarvae (PL) caught with Renfro beam trawl varied greatly in different years on the same dates. A “spring peak” of brown shrimp PL migrating into Galveston Bay was found for 2 April with a quadratic regression fit to 6-day moving averages of daily mean abundance from 22 yrs of monitoring data: Ln(PL+1) = 0.8736 + 0.09037Day - 0.0004934Day² (adj-R² = …

Occurrence Of Larval And Juvenile Fish In Mangrove Habitats In The Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Quintana Roo, Mexico, Matthew Campbell, Kim Withers, James Tolan

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Mangrove forests are ubiquitous in low lying coastal areas of tropical and subtropical zones of the world, including the lagoons of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Mangroves are habitat for juvenile fish of both oceanic and estuarine origin (Vásquez-Yoemans 1992, Vásquez-Yoemans et al. 1992, Laegdsgaard and Johnson 1995). Development of the Caribbean coast of Mexico north and south of the Sian Ka’an Reserve is in large part focused on tourism-related endeavors such as destination resorts, scuba diving and fishing. While some of the development is innocuous, land acquisition for development of resorts has fragmented mangrove habitats in …

Carpoapseudes Heardi N. Sp. (Tanaidacea: Apseudomorpha) From Caribbean Waters Near Tobago, Tom Hansknecht, Katia Christol Dos Santos

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Carpoapseudes heardi n. sp. is described from samples collected from depths of 421 and 537 m off Tobago and is the first Caribbean record for the genus. The new species bears a resemblance to Carpoapseudes serratospinosus Lang, 1968 and other related species in the shortened dactylus unguis combination of pereopod 1, but has parallel eyespines like Carpoapseudes bacescui Guţu, 1975 and Carpoapseudes simplicirostris (Norman and Stebbing, 1886). Other diagnostic characters include pereopods 2 and 3 with basal spurs, labrum with paired lobes, labial palp with two terminal setae, maxillipedal bases with outer crenulations, and pleopods with 1-articled rami. It was …

Habitat Condition And Associated Macrofauna Reflect Differences Between Protected And Exposed Seagrass Landscapes, Chet F. Rakocinski, Cynthia A. Moncreiff, Mark S. Peterson, Katherine E. Vanderkooy, Todd A. Randall

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Seagrass landscape configurations associated with different physical settings can affect habitat-structure and plant-animal relationships. We compared shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) habitat and macrofaunal variables between two fragmented seagrass landscapes at barrier-island locations subject to different disturbance regimes. Five seagrass habitat variables including above ground biomass (AGB), shoot number, per shoot biomass, epiphyte biomass and below ground biomass (BGB), differed significantly between the island landscapes. Per shoot biomass and epiphyte biomass also varied significantly over the seagrass growing season; and epiphyte biomass showed a strong landscape-time interaction. Abundances of microgastropods normalized to AGB differed significantly between landscapes. An inverse …

Seasonal Patterns Of Juvenile Fish Abundance In Seagrass Meadows In Teague Bay Bank Barrier Reef Lagoon, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ivan Mateo, William J. Tobias

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Considerable knowledge has been gained regarding fish use of nearshore habitats such as seagrass meadows or mangrove lagoons in the Caribbean (e.g., evaluation of nursery value, trophic linkages). However, few studies have been conducted on fish recruitment to seagrass habitat around the Caribbean. Juvenile reef fish in seagrass meadows at Teague Bay, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands were surveyed from October 1998 through September 1999 using a visual census technique. Grunts (Haemulidae) were the most abundant juveniles observed (60% of all fish), followed by wrasses (Labridae, 20%) and parrotfishes (Scaridae, 13%). French grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum, were the most numerous …

An Unusual Reaction And Other Observations Of Sperm Whales Near Fixed-Wing Aircraft, Mari A. Smultea, Joseph R. Mobley Jr., Dagmar Fertl, Gregory L. Fulling

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Reported behavioral reactions by sperm whales to aircraft are sparse, highly variable, and largely anecdotal as summarized below. Observers since the whaling era began have noted that sperm whales tend to be skittish (Whitehead 2003). When documented, sperm whale reactions to both planes and helicopters range from no reaction (Clarke 1956, Gambell 1968, Green et al. 1992) to reactions such as increased surface intervals and dramatic behavioral changes (Clarke 1956, Fritts et al. 1983, Mullin et al. 1991, Würsig et al. 1998, Richter et al. 2003, 2006). Given the lack of supporting data for either case, it is important that …

Documentation Of A Gulf Sturgeon Spawning Site On The Yellow River, Alabama, Usa, Brian R. Kreiser, J. Berg, M. Randall, F. Parauka, S. Floyd, B. Young, K. Sulak

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The Gulf Sturgeon Recovery Plan (USFWS, GSMFC and NMFS 1995) stressed the need to provide maximum protection to Gulf sturgeon spawning habitat. The approach employed by various Gulf sturgeon researchers, including ourselves, to document spawning has been to identify potential spawning habitat on the basis of physical characteristics and/or tracking data, collect eggs, and then raise the eggs in the laboratory until the point where the larval fish can be identified (e.g., Marchant and Shutters 1996, Sulak and Clugston 1998, 1999). However, collecting eggs in any appreciable number is usually difficult, and these eggs may not always be viable upon …

Preliminary Survey Of Fish Community Composition In Seagrass Habitat In Two Back-Reef Lagoons Of The Southern Mexican Caribbean, Lauren A. Yeager, J. Ernesto Arias-Gonzalez

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Little is known about seagrass fish communities in the southern Mexican Caribbean. Diurnal and nocturnal fish community structure in seagrass habitat were compared between back-reef lagoons using a visual census technique in a natural protected area within a national park (Xcalak) and an unprotected area (Mahahual). Seagrass fish communities differed significantly between the two locations in the daytime and Xcalak supported greater total fish densities. Species richness did not differ statistically between locations. Observed nighttime fish communities were characterized by low species richness and low fish abundance when compared to diurnal communities. Heavy tourist use and coastal development may have …

Shell Utilization Pattern By The Hermit Crab Isocheles Sawayai Forest And Saint Laurent, 1968 (Anomura, Diogenidae) From Margarita Island, Caribbean Sea, Venezuela, Lee A. Galindo, Juan A. Bolanos, Fernando L. Mantelatto

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Isocheles sawayai is a hermit crab that is occasionally mentioned in the literature, and recently its distribution was extended to Venezuelan waters. Because no information on the biology and shell use patterns of this species inhabiting Caribbean waters is available, we provide the first information on shell occupation patterns of I. sawayai from Venezuela. Specimens were collected monthly from January to December 2000 along the sandy shore of Margarita Island, Venezuela. The 942 specimens collected showed different shell use patterns between the sexes and according to the reproductive condition of the females. The gastropods Leucozonia nassa (37.37%), Engoniophos unicinctus (25.37%), …

First Record Of Ceratapsis Monstrosa, A Larval Oceanic Penaeoid Crustacean, From The Gulf Of Mexico, James S. Franks, Adrienne Russell Flowers

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The genus Cerataspis (Gray, 1838) (Crustacea, Decapoda), assigned to the Penaeoidea by Burkenroad (1936) and Heegaard (1966), has circumglobal distribution between 40ºN and 40ºS (Morgan et al. 1985) and is represented in the Atlantic Ocean by two rarely collected species, C. monstrosa and C. petiti. Descriptions of both species are based on the larval forms since their adult form remain undescribed (Morgan et al. 1985). Although the larval development of Cerataspis is described by five mysis stages (I-V) (Heegaard 1966), the large larva is very un-mysid like and appears more like that of a megalops with the abdomen bend …

Behavior Of An Escolar Lepidocybium Flavobrunneum In The Windward Passage As Determined By Popup Satellite Archival Tagging, D.W. Kerstetter, P.H. Rice, E.D. Prince

Gulf and Caribbean Research

In June 2003, fisheries research was conducted in the Windward Passage using a chartered commercial pelagic longline vessel (Rice and Snodgrass 2003). This paper describes the habitat use by an escolar in this location tagged with a pop-up satellite archival tag (PSAT) that remained attached to the fish for 14 d. Data recovered from the PSAT were used to directly document diel vertical migration and ambient temperature range for the first time in a mesopelagic teleost.

A Regional Modeling Study Of The Entraining Mediterranean Outflow, Xiaobiao Xu, E. P. Chassignet, J. F. Price, T. M. Özgökmen, H. Peters

Faculty Publications

[1] We have evaluated a regional-scale simulation of the Mediterranean outflow by comparison with field data obtained in the 1988 Gulf of Cadiz Expedition. Our ocean model is based upon the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and includes the Richardson number-dependent entrainment parameterization of Xu et al. (2006). Given realistic topography and sufficient resolution, the model reproduces naturally the major, observed features of the Mediterranean outflow in the Gulf of Cadiz: the downstream evolution of temperature, salinity, and velocity profiles, the mean path and the spreading of the outflow plume, and most importantly, the localized, strong entrainment that has been …

Variability In The Bulk Composition And Abundance Of Dissolved Organic Matter In The Lower Mississippi And Pearl Rivers, Shuiwang Duan, Thomas S. Bianchi, Alan M. Shiller, Karl Dria, Patrick G. Hatcher, Kevin R. Carman

Faculty Publications

[1] In this study, we examined the temporal and spatial variability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) abundance and composition in the lower Mississippi and Pearl rivers and effects of human and natural influences. In particular, we looked at bulk C/N ratio, stable isotopes (delta N-15 and delta C-13) and C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry of high molecular weight (HMW; 0.2 mu m to 1 kDa) DOM. Monthly water samples were collected at one station in each river from August 2001 to 2003. Surveys of spatial variability of total dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen ( DON) were also conducted …

Revision Of The Nonequilibrium Thermal Dissociation And Stringent Washing Approaches For Identification Of Mixed Nucleic Acid Targets By Microarrays, Alex E. Pozhitkov, Robert D. Stedtfeld, Syed A. Hashsham, Peter A. Noble

Faculty Publications

Microarray experiments typically involve washing steps that remove hybridized nonspecific targets with the purpose of improving the signal- to- noise ratio. The quality of washing ultimately affects downstream analysis of the microarray and interpretation. The paucity of fundamental studies directed towards understanding the dissociation of mixed targets from microarrays makes the development of meaningful washing/ dissociation protocols difficult. To fill the void, we examined activation energies and preexponential coefficients of 47 perfect match ( PM) and double- mismatch ( MM) duplex pairs to discover that there was no statistical difference between the kinetics of the PM and MM duplexes. Based …

Fecundity And Survival Of The Calanoid Copepod Acartia Tonsa Fed Isochrysis Galeana (Tahitian Strain) And Chaetoceros Mulleri, Angelos Apeitos

Master's Theses

Historically, red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) larviculture at the Gulf Coast Research Lab (GCRL) used 25 ppt artificial salt water and mixed, wild zooplankton composed primarily of Acartia tonsa, a calanoid copepod. Acartia tonsa was collected from the estuarine waters of Davis Bayou and bloomed in outdoor tanks from which it was harvested and fed to red snapper larvae. We are developing a more controlled copepod mass culture system to support finfish larviculture. To that end, I examined the effect of single species versus mixed species of algae as food for the copepods. Wild A. tonsa were isolated and reared in …

Upper-Ocean Response To Hurricane Ivan In A 1/25 Degrees Nested Gulf Of Mexico Hycom, T. G. Prasad, Patrick J. Hogan

Faculty Publications

[ 1] A 20-layer, 1/25 degrees nested Gulf of Mexico (GoM) Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) has been employed to examine the evolving three-dimensional ocean response to Hurricane Ivan during 14 - 16 September 2004. Results from several combinations of numerical experiments with and without assimilation of satellite-altimetry sea-surface height (SSH) are being analyzed and compared for the September 2004 hurricane period. A comparison of simulated zonal and meridional velocities using data assimilation shows improved agreement with profiler observations. The amplitude of the cold wake ( similar to 6 degrees C) produced by these simulations compared reasonably well with the …

Investigation Of The Summer Kara Sea Circulation Employing A Variational Data Assimilation Technique, G. Panteleev, A. Proshutinsky, M. Kulakov, Dmitri A. Nechaev, W. Maslowski

Faculty Publications

[ 1] The summer circulations and hydrographic fields of the Kara Sea are reconstructed for mean, positive and negative Arctic Oscillation regimes employing a variational data assimilation technique which provides the best fit of reconstructed fields to climatological data and satisfies dynamical and kinematic constraints of a quasi-stationary primitive equation ocean circulation model. The reconstructed circulations agree well with the measurements and are characterized by inflow of 0.63, 0.8, 0.51 Sv through Kara Gate and 1.18, 1.1, 1.12 Sv between Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land, for mean climatologic conditions, positive and negative AO indexes, respectively. The major regions of …

First Record Of A Sleeper Shark In The Western Gulf Of Mexico And Comments On Taxonomic Uncertainty Within Somniosus (Somniosus), George W. Benz, Eric R. Hoffmayer, William B. Driggers, Dan Allen, Lougan E. Bishop, David A. Brown

Faculty Publications

A sleeper shark, Somniosus (Somniosus) sp., is reported from Alaminos Canyon in the western Gulf of Mexico at a depth of about 2647 m based on observations made using a remotely operated vehicle. This is the first record of a sleeper shark (Somniosus, Somniosidae) from the western Gulf of Mexico and deepest record of any shark from the Gulf of Mexico. Despite claims to the contrary in the literature, no taxonomic character has been identified to date that can be used to unequivocally identify all representatives of Somniosus (Somniosus), and as a result, some species records must be considered dubious.

Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes Spp.) Play A Pivotal Trophic Role In Enhancing Ruppia Maritima, Donna Drury Mccall, Chet R. Rakocinski

Faculty Publications

Coupled trophic-engineer interactions are potentially important for maintaining habitat function and ecosystem services. As ephemeral submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), Ruppia maritima has a short well-defined growth-senescence cycle and should benefit from any ecological interaction that enhances its physical condition and longevity. Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) are abundant facultative grazers of epiphytic algae and conveyors of nutrients in tidal marsh and SAV habitats. Grass shrimp addition consistently enhanced Ruppia biomass and shoot density in a series of three field experiments conducted in Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA. In two experiments, epiphyte grazing by grass shrimp enhanced Ruppia by …

First Record In Honduras Of The Halfbeak Hyporhampus Roberti Hildebrandi, Jordan And Everman 1927, (Hemiramphidae) Collected In An Inland Reservoir, Wilfredo A. Matamoros, Julio E. Merida, Janise Palmer

Gulf and Caribbean Research

An inhabitant of tropical America, the Central American halfbeak (Hyporhamphus roberti hildebrandi), is one of 2 subspecies of halfbeaks of the subgenus Hyporhamphus (Collette 2003, Collette 2004) that belong to the family Hemiramphidae. This family has representatives from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans (Greenfield and Thomerson 1997, Berra 2001, Collette 2004), and nearly all species are marine; however, some Hemiramphidae species in the Indo-Australian region are restricted to freshwater (Greenfield and Thomerson 1997).

The distributional range of H. r. hildebrandi extends along the Caribbean coast of Central America from Mexico to the Gulf of Uraba in Colombia …

Color Variation In The Caribbean Crab Platypodiella Spectabilis (Herbst, 1794) (Decapoda, Brachyura, Xanthidae), Joel W. Martin, Todd L. Zimmerman

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The use of color in brachyuran crab systematics, and in particular the use of subtle color differences to suggest or differentiate cryptic or morphologically similar species, is now well documented (e.g., see Campbell and Mahon 1974 for species of Leptograpsus, Williams and Felder 1989 for species of Menippe, Zimmerman and Felder 1991 for species of Sesarma). Less clearly understood is why color patterns and intensities can sometimes vary appreciably within a species, even within narrowly restricted geographic regions. An appreciation of color patterns is critical to correctly identifying species for conservation and resource management purposes, yet often …

Swordfish Reproduction In The Atlantic Ocean: An Overview, Freddy Arocha

Gulf and Caribbean Research

There are 3 unit stocks of Atlantic swordfish, Xiphias gladius, separated into Mediterranean, North and South Atlantic with no precise delimitation between them, and each contains its spawning grounds far from stock boundary areas. This overview characterizes the reproductive information for each stock unit and describes reproductive metrics in detail. Spawning in the western North Atlantic consists of 2 spawning groups: one in open ocean waters and the other in waters close to land masses and fast current systems. Spawning occurs from December to June within the subtropical area (13°N-35°N). Within the Mediterranean, spawning takes place between June and …

Where Do We Go From Here? A Summary Of Issues Of Concern And Recommendations Developed During The Panel Discussion Of The Large Pelagic Fishes Symposium, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, James S. Franks, Mark S. Peterson, Patrick Mcconney, Brian E. Luckhurst

Gulf and Caribbean Research

One of the goals of the Large Pelagic Fishes Symposium was to provide a forum for development of a list of Issues of Concern regarding large pelagic fishes and their fisheries in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico region. During the Symposium and ensuing Panel Discussion, it became clear that the level of consciousness concerning large pelagic fishes is of equal importance to that of other regional fisheries such as reef fishes and conch/lobster. Four major issues of concern regarding large pelagic fishes in the region surfaced during the Symposium. The Symposium Committee recommends that future resources and energy should …

A Comparison Of Fish Assemblages Among Five Habitat Types Within A Caribbean Lagoonal System, Ivan Mateo, William J. Tobias

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Fish assemblages associated with patch reefs, rubble, seagrass, algal plain, and sandy habitats types were studied at St. Croix's Southeastern barrier reef lagoon using underwater visual census techniques. Higher species richness and fish density were observed over patch reefs/rubble habitat followed by seagrass, algal plain, and unvegetated sandy habitat types. Thalassoma bifasciatum, Haemulon flavolineatum, and Acanthuras chirurgus were the most common fishes in highly structured habitat types (patch reef, rubble). Halichoeres bivittatus, Sparisoma radians, newly settled grunts (l.e., Haemulon spp.), and juveniles of Ocyurus chrysurus were mainly associated with vegetated habitat types (seagrass, algal beds), while …

Abundance And Ecological Distribution Of The "Sete-Barbas" Shrimp Xiphopenaeus Kroyeri (Heller, 1862) (Decapoda: Penaeoidea) In Three Bays Of The Ubatuba Region, Southeastern Brazil, Rogerio C. Costa, Adilson Fransozo, Fulvio A.M. Freire, Antonio L. Castilho

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The influence of environmental factors on the abundance and spatial-temporal distribution of the shrimp Xiphopenaeus kroyeri was investigated in southeastern Brazil over 2 years. Monthly collections were conducted in Mar Virado, Ubatuba and Ubatumirim Bays using a commercial shrimp fishing boat equipped with 2 "double-rig" nets. Each bay was divided into 6 sampling stations, all of which were less than 25 m deep. The spatial distribution of X. kroyeri differed among Bays. Highest abundance values were recorded in areas where silt and clay comprised more than 70% of the bottom sediment. Abundance of X. kroyeri followed a seasonal trend, being …

Consequences Of Ocean Scale Hypoxia Constrained Habitat For Tropical Pelagic Fishes, Eric D. Prince, C. Phillip Goodyear

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Large areas of cold hypoxic water occur as distinct strata in the eastern tropical Pacific and Atlantic oceans as a result of high productivity initiated by intense nutrient upwelling. Recent studies show that this stratum restricts the depth distribution of tropical pelagic marlins, sailfish, and tunas in the eastern tropical Pacific by compressing the acceptable physical habitat into a narrow surface layer. This layer extends downward to a variable boundary defined by a shallow thermocline, often at 25 m, above a barrier of cold hypoxic water. The depth distributions of marlin and sailfish monitored with electronic tags and mean dissolved …