Marine Biology Commons^™

Feeding Habits Of Common Snook, Centropomus Undecimalis, In Charlotte Harbor, Florida, David A. Blewett, Rebecca A. Hensley, Philip W. Stevens

Gulf and Caribbean Research

We examined the feeding habits, ontogenetic and seasonal diet variations, and predator size–prey size relationships of common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, through stomach contents analysis. A total of 694 stomachs were extracted from common snook (300–882 mm standard length [SL]) during a 24-month period (March 2000–February 2002); 432 stomachs contained prey items. At least 37 prey taxa were identified, including 19 that had not been previously reported. Fishes made up 71% of the prey by number and 90% by weight. Three prey items made up almost 50% of the diet numerically—Lagodon rhomboides, Anchoa spp., …

Comparison Of Fish Assemblages And Water Quality In Two Marinas In The British Virgin Islands, Brian Gratwicke, Martin R. Speight

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Eutrophication is a widespread problem in tropical marine environments that leads to the increase of nutrients in a water body, usually nitrate and phosphate, and is usually associated with the discharge of untreated sewage, intensive farming or fertilizer-enriched agricultural runoff (Wu 1999). Common symptoms are increased N and P levels, increased macroalgal production in shallow areas, reduced dissolved oxygen, loss of seagrass and coral habitats and changes in the fish community (Hallock and Schlager 1986, Granelli et al. 1990, Valiela 1995, Hemminga and Duarte 2000). Direct chemical testing to establish pollution levels can be difficult because of sharp pollution gradients, …

Body Size Of The Endosymbiotic Pea Crab Tumidotheres Maculatus: Larger Hosts Hold Larger Crabs, Karen Kane, Gregory S. Farley

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The endosymbiotic pea crab, Tumidotheres maculatus, uses a broad range of host taxa, including several bivalve species, in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Because shelter size affects the size of other, free-living crab species, we hypothesized that pea crabs living in larger bivalve hosts should attain larger sizes. Crabs and hosts collected from 3 field sites in northern Florida show this trend. We examined crabs living in a large host, the pen shell Atrina rigida, and found them to be larger than pea crabs living in a small host, the bay scallop Argopecten irradians. Moreover, this trend …

Marionia Tedi Ev. Marcus, 1983 (Nudibranchia, Tritoniidae) In The Gulf Of Mexico: First Record Of An Opisthobranch Mollusk From Hydrocarbon Cold Seeps, Angel Valdes

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Cold seeps in the Gulf of Mexico contain relatively diverse molluscan assemblages primarily composed of species that support chemoautotrophic symbionts, such as vesicomyid and mytilid bivalves, but also numerous species of shelled gastropods, bivalves, monoplacophorans, and polyplacophorans (Cordes 2004).

Recent exploration of hydrocarbon seep sites in the Mississippi Canyon and the Vioska Knoll revealed the presence of an unidentified species of nudibranch. The present paper describes the single specimen collected, which constitutes the first published record of an opisthobranch mollusk from a cold seep. The material examined is deposited at the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH).

New Records For Cubanocuma Gutzui Băcescu And Muradian, 1977 (Crustacea: Cumacea: Nannastacidae) From The Western Atlantic, Richard W. Heard, Joel W. Martin, Thomas J. Hansknecht, Donald B. Cadien

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Because the original description and many subsequent records for Cubanocuma gutzui have appeared in a Romanian journal, Travaux du Muséum d’Histoire naturelle “Grigore Antipa,” which has limited distribution in the west, many workers studying tropical western Atlantic crustaceans still remain unaware of both the genus and species. Also, the species may have gone unrecognized (recorded as an odd specimen of Campylaspis, for instance) or may have been overlooked because of its small size. As part of an ongoing survey of the marine invertebrates of Guana Island, British Virgin Islands (BVI) (led by T.L. Zimmerman and J.W. Martin), numerous specimens …

Baseline Mapping Of Phragmites Australis (Common Reed) In Three Coastal Mississippi Estuarine Basins, Mark S. Peterson, Melissa L. Partyka

Faculty Publications

Over the last two decades, the northern Gulf of Mexico has undergone tremendous growth and development that has resulted in extensive and ongoing habitat modification. We had the opportunity to survey the main channels and bayous of three coastal estuarine basins for the presence and coverage of the invasive Phragmites australis (common reed). The occurrence and area of P. australis was highly variable among the lower Pascagoula River, Back Bay of Biloxi, and St. Louis Bay basins, with the largest amount of coverage (0.489 km(2)) found within the lower Pascagoula River basin and the smallest in Back Bay of Biloxi …

A Numerical Study Of The Western Cosmonaut Polynya In A Coupled Ocean-Sea Ice Model, T.G. Prasad, Julie L. Mcclean, Elizabeth C. Hunke, Albert J. Semtner, Detelina Ivanova

Faculty Publications

[1] Employing results from a 0.4 degrees, 40-level fully global, coupled ocean - sea ice model, we investigated the role of physical processes emanating from atmosphere, ocean, and ice in the initiation, maintenance, and termination of a sensible heat polynya with a focus on the western Cosmonaut polynya that occurred during May - July 1999. The Cosmonaut polynya first appeared in early May 1999 in the form of an ice-free embayment, transformed into an enclosed polynya on 5 - 9 July, and disappeared by late July, when the ice from the surrounding regions began to encircle the embayment. Except for …

Distribution Of Hydrogen Peroxide In The Northwest Pacific Ocean, Jinchun Yuan, Alan M. Shiller

Faculty Publications

[1] Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a reactive oxygen intermediate involved in the cycling of metals and dissolved organic matter. Because little is known of its distribution in the North Pacific Ocean, we determined H2O2 in surface waters continuously and obtained vertical profiles at nine stations during a cruise from Japan to Hawaii. Surface water H2O2 varied from less than 10 to more than 250 nmol dm(-3). A diel cycle in surface water H2O2 (similar to 25 nmol dm(-3)) was observed only on one day during the monthlong cruise. This is contrary to expectations based on the usual assumption of photo-production …

Bioluminescence Intensity Modeling And Sampling Strategy Optimization, I. Shulman, D.J. Mcgillicuddy Jr., M.A. Moline, S.H.D. Haddock, J.C. Kindle, D. Nechaev

Faculty Publications

The focus of this paper is on the development of methodology for short-term (1-3 days) oceanic bioluminescence (BL) predictions and the optimization of spatial and temporal bioluminescence sampling strategies. The approach is based on predictions of bioluminescence with an advection-diffusion-reaction (tracer) model with velocities and diffusivities from a circulation model. In previous research, it was shown that short-term changes in some of the salient features in coastal bioluminescence can be explained and predicted by using this approach. At the same time, it was demonstrated that optimization of bioluminescence sampling prior to the forecast is critical for successful short-term BL predictions …

Neotypification Of Lulworthia Fucicola, Jinx Campbell

Faculty Publications

There are no herbarium specimens or culture material for the type of Lulworthia fucicola G.K. Sutherl. With the absence of original material, and to preserve current usage of the name, a neotype is designated hereby. The neotype chosen for L. fucicola is a specimen from Chile.

A Study Of Wave Effects On Wind Stress Over The Ocean In A Fetch-Limited Case, Jiayi Pan, David W. Wang, Paul A. Hwang

Faculty Publications

A field experiment was conducted for collecting three-dimensional wind, wave, and air-sea environmental data off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico in the mixed sea state of a wind sea limited by fetch and with swell propagating against the wind direction. Two methods, the inertial dissipation (ID) and eddy correlation (EC), are used to calculate wind stress. The results show that under the fetch-limited condition, the EC wind stress is greater than the ID stress. This difference is found to be correlated with the counter-wind swell. The swell-related drag coefficient is computed from the wind stress difference …

The Pathogenic Copepod Phrixocephalus Cincinnatus (Copepoda: Pennellidae) In The Eye Of Arrowtooth Flounder, Atherestes Stomias, And Rex Sole, Glyptocephalus Zachirus, From British Columbia, Reginald B. Blaylock, Robin M. Overstreet, A. Morton

Faculty Publications

We report Phrixocephalus cincinnatus, a pennellid copepod infecting the eyes of flatfishes, from a single specimen of rex sole, Glyptocephalus zachirus, for the first time. In the typical host, the arrowtooth flounder, Atherestes stomias, the parasite occurred commonly in sampled populations from the Broughton Archipelago in British. Columbia, infected primarily the right eye of the flounder, and on only one occasion presented more than two parasites per eye. The copepod attached to the choroid layer and ramified throughout the posterior compartment of the eye, resulting in the disruption of the retina and probably impairing host vision. Inflammation and hyperplasia progressed …

Recent Observations Of The Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus) In The Northcentral Gulf Of Mexico, Eric R. Hoffmayer, James S. Franks, John P. Shelley

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828) is the world’s largest fish, reaching 15 meters (m) and 18 metric tons (Colman 1997) and is found in all tropical and warm temperate seas (Compagno 2001). The whale shark is listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN 2004) and is included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES 2004). Little is known about whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). Only reports on the occurrence of whale sharks off Texas …

Ecology Of The Rock Shrimp Sicyonia Dorsalis Kingsley, 1878 (Crustacea: Sicyoniidae) In A Subtropical Region Of Brazil, Rogerio Caetano Da Costa, Adilson Fransozo, Maria Lucia Negreiros-Fransozo

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The present study analyzes the abundance and distribution of the rock shrimp Sicyonia dorsalis, in relation to water temperature, salinity, depth, organic matter content, and sediment texture in Mar Virado (MV), Ubatuba (UBA) and Ubatumirim (UBM), 3 distinct bays along the northern coast of São Paulo State (23°S, 45°W), Brazil. Six transects were taken in each bay, 4 being parallel to the coastline and 2 next to the rocky shores. Monthly samples were taken over a 2-year period (1998 and 1999) with a shrimp fishing boat equipped with double-rig nets. A total of 2,498 specimens was obtained with 804 …

Fishery And Biology Of Blackfin Tuna Thunnus Atlanticus Off Northeastern Brazil, Katia M.F. Freire, Rosangela Lessa, Jorge Eduardo Lins-Oliveira

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Blackfin tuna, Thunnus atlanticus, is the target species of a handline artisanal fishery off northeastern Brazil in September–January, but it is also caught by anglers and as by-catch in industrial fisheries. The population structure, morphometric relationships, mortality, reproduction, and fishery dynamics were studied during 2 fishing seasons (1996 and 1997). The maximum length and weight observed were 87 cm FL and 10 kg W_d, respectively. Males were larger and predominant (1.9:1). The length at 50% maturity was 49.8 cm FL for females and 52.1 cm FL for males. This species uses the area for reproduction, although a …

Coastal Origin Of Common Snook, Centropomus Undecimalis, In Florida Bay, Heather M. Patterson, Ronald G. Taylor, Richard S. Mcbride

Gulf and Caribbean Research

We used the elemental signatures of otoliths to investigate the coastal origin of common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) in Florida Bay, Florida and evaluate current management boundaries. We examined juvenile otoliths from Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) populations and determined that there were significant differences in several elemental ratios (Mn/Ca, Cu/Ca, Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca). In addition, a discriminant function analysis (DFA) indicated a significant separation between the juveniles from each coast and otoliths were never misclassified by coast, indicating a distinct difference in their otolith chemistry. Using only juvenile otoliths to derive a calibration function, a separate DFA …

Parasites Of The American White Pelican, Robin M. Overstreet, Stephen S. Curran

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Metazoan symbionts, including parasites, infecting the American white pelican (AWP) Pelecanus erythrorhynchos comprise a list of 75 species, 7 of which are new host records. Several new geographic records are also presented, but generally these have a low value because of the migratory nature of the bird. Evidence suggests that some parasites, mostly flies and other arthropods but also nematodes and digeneans, produce detrimental behavioral or pathologic changes in the AWP. Some of the arthropods transmit microbial agents to the pelican. Two digeneans that have the AWP as a definitive host harm and even kill their catfish intermediate host, especially …

Distribution Of Myodocopid Ostracods In Tampa Bay, Florida, And Association With Abiotic Variables, Stephen A. Grabe

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Myodocopid ostracods were identified from > 600 benthic samples collected from Tampa Bay, Florida, during 1995 to 2001, as part of an annual synoptic survey of the benthos. At least 24 taxa were present. Parasterope pollex was the most abundant (76%) and most frequently collected (48%) species; Rutiderma darbyi (28%) and Eusarsiella disparalis (16%) were the next most frequently collected species. Logistic regression and “center of abundance” calculations were used to identify habitat “preferences” for the most frequently occurring species. With the exception of P. pollex, these were more likely to occur in coarser sediments, in more saline waters, and at …

High Cyanobacterial Abundance In Three Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico Estuaries, Michael C. Murrell, Jane M. Caffrey

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Aquatic phytoplankton comprise a wide variety of taxa spanning more than 2 orders of magnitude in size, yet studies of estuarine phytoplankton often overlook the picoplankton, particularly chroococcoid cyanobacteria (cf. Synechococcus). Three Gulf of Mexico estuaries (Apalachicola Bay, FL; Pensacola Bay, FL; Weeks Bay, AL) were sampled during summer and fall 2001 to quantify cyanobacterial abundance, to examine how cyanobacterial abundance varied with hydrographic and nutrient distributions, and to estimate the contribution of cyanobacteria to the bulk phytoplankton community. Cyanobacterial abundances in all 3 estuaries were high, averaging 0.59 ± 0.76 X 10⁹ L^–1 in Apalachicola Bay, …

First Report Of The Mayan Cichlid, Cichlasoma Urophthalmus (Günther 1862) Collected In The Southern Littoral Zone Of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, Wilfredo A. Matamoros, Keith D. Chin, Bruce Sharfstein

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Here we report the collection of five juvenile Mayan cichlids in Lake Okeechobee, a large, shallow subtropical lake (26°60'N, 80°50'W). These specimens were collected on 4 and 10 November 2003 in the southern littoral zone of Lake Okeechobee at a site off the southwest tip of Torry Island (26°42'N, 80°44'W). The lake stage of this densely vegetated area is highly variable. Nico (in press) reported a single collection of 16 juvenile Mayan cichlids in 2001 from a backwater area in the rim-canal along the NE portion of Lake Okeechobee; an area that is hydrologically isolated from the lake proper, except …

Trophic Relationships Of Demersal Fishes In The Shrimping Zone Off Alvarado Lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico, Edgar Pelaez-Rodriguez, Jonathan Franco-Lopez, Wilfredo A. Matamoros, Rafael Chavez-Lopez, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The diet of demersal piscivorous fishes captured as bycatch of the commercial shrimping fleet off the Alvarado lagoonal system, Veracruz, Mexico, was studied. Nine collections distributed throughout the nortes (windy), wet, and dry seasons were made from November 1993 to January 1995. Sampling yielded a total of 646 fishes representing 10 families and 14 species, of which 44.9% had empty digestive tracts and were excluded from analysis. Trichiurus lepturus and Synodus foetens were the most abundant demersal predators in the collections. Differences in food consumption of the 7 most abundant predators were observed among the 3 seasons, with the greatest …

Early Blue Crab Recruitment To Alternative Nursery Habitats In Mississippi, Usa, Chet R. Rakocinski, Donna Drury Mccall

Faculty Publications

Although seagrass in the lower segments of estuaries provides good nursery habitat for blue crabs, the role of alternative inshore habitats for early blue crab recruitment is not well-known. Using suction sampling, we examined the recruitment dynamics of early blue crabs (Callinectes spp.) over a 10-wk study period at 7 sites representing potential nursery habitats, including 2 marsh edge sites, 2 subtidal unvegetated sites adjacent to salt marsh, 2 subtidal unvegetated sites adjacent to developed marsh, and 1 upestuary subtidal vegetated site. Abundances of small (< 6.0 mm CW) and large (&GE; 6.0 mm) juvenile crabs varied over the study period, mainly reflecting two monthly pulses of small crabs coinciding with the new moon phase. Early crabs were Significantly more abundant from structured habitats than from subtidal unvegetated habitat; although small crabs were moderately abundant at subtidal unvegetated sites situated lower in the estuary. Large crabs were not abundant from subtidal unvegetated sites; whereas large crabs were abundant from sites with structured habitat. Subtidal unvegetated sites were characterized by crab size-distributions with single modes representing postsettlement crabs and with few large crabs; whereas structured habitats contained relatively more large crabs. However, crab size-distributions varied among structured habitats. Spatio-temporal variation in the early recruitment dynamics of blue crabs reflected temporal changes, such as lunar periodicity; landscape effects, such as proximity to currents; and habitat effects.

Argulus Yucatanus N. Sp. (Crustacea: Branchiura) Parasitic On Cichlasoma Urophthalmus From Yucatan, Mexico, William J. Poly

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A new species, Argulus yucatanus, is described based on 14 specimens from Cichlasoma urophthalmus collected in Celestun Lagoon, Yucatan, Mexico. Diagnostic characters include the number of and shape of sclerites in the suction cup support rods, shape of and position of respiratory areas, and modifications on the legs of males. In males, the coxae of the 2nd legs bear an angular lobe with 5–7 erect scales and 13–21 sensilla. The new species is compared to Argulus funduli Krøyer, 1863, A. chromidis Krøyer, 1863, A. cubensis Wilson, 1936, A. rhamdiae Wilson, 1936, and A. varians Bere, 1936.

Manatee Occurrence In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, West Of Florida, D. Fertl, A.J. Schiro, G.T. Regan, C.A. Beck, N. Adimey, L. Price-May, A. Amos, G.A.J. Worthy, R. Crossland

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Reports of West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) in the US Gulf of Mexico west of Florida have increased during the last decade. We reviewed all available manatee sighting, capture, and carcass records (n = 377) from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas since the early 1900s; only 40 of these were previously published. Manatees were reported most often in estuarine habitats, usually either near a freshwater source or natural or industrial warm-water springs/runoffs during winter months. The recent increase in manatee records may be due to a combination of increased public awareness and dispersal of manatees, most likely seasonal …

Selected Life-History Observations On The Cayman Gambusia, Gambusia Xanthosoma Greenfield, 1983 (Poeciliidae), Michael A. Abney, Richard W. Heard, Chet F. Rakocinski

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The Cayman gambusia (Gambusia xanthosoma Greenfield, 1983) is an uncommon species within the G. punctata species group, endemic to North Sound, Grand Cayman Island, BWI. Since the original description (Greenfield 1983) only phylogenetic information has been published and little is known of its habitat, feeding ecology, or reproductive life history (Wildrick and Greenfield 1985, Rauchenberger 1988). Originally described from a brackish-water (30 psu) mosquito control ditch, the species also occurred throughout marine mangrove habitat and inland saline ponds adjacent to North Sound, Grand Cayman Island. Here we present information on the habitat, diet, reproduction, life history, and parasites of …

Ecology Of The Mayan Cichlid, Cichlasoma Urophthalmus Günther, In The Alvarado Lagoonal System, Veracruz, Mexico, Rafael Chavez-Lopez, Mark S. Peterson, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Ana Adalia Morales-Gomez, Jonathan Franco-Lopez

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The Mayan cichlid, Cichlasoma urophthalmus, has a wide distribution in southeastern Mexico where it inhabits rivers and coastal lagoons. In the Alvarado lagoonal system, Veracruz, it is distributed towards the north in Camaronera Lagoon. The Mayan cichlid shows an affinity for oligohaline to mesohaline sites with submerged vegetation, well-oxygenated, deep, and transparent water. The major abundance and biomass of this species was obtained during December to February. The diet of Mayan cichlids consists principally of plant detrital material and algae. Length-frequency distribution shows 2 size classes during both the dry and rainy seasons, corresponding to reproductive fish and young …

Seasonal And Spatial Patterns In Salinity, Nutrients, And Chlorophyll Α In The Alvarado Lagoonal System, Veracruz, Mexico, Angel Moran-Silva, Luis Antonio Martinez Franco, Rafael Chavez-Lopez, Jonathan Franco-Lopez, Carlos M. Bedia-Sanchez, Francisco Contreras Espinosa, Francisco Gutierrez Mendieta, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Mark S. Peterson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Ten monthly collections, distributed among three seasons, were taken from July 2000 to June 2001 in the Alvarado lagoonal system, Veracruz, Mexico. Variables measured in situ included dissolved oxygen, salinity, and water temperature. Water samples were collected to determine concentrations of ammonium, nitrates, nitrites, orthophosphates, total phosphorus and chlorophyll α. Collections representing the rainy season were taken in September and October, those for the nortes season were taken in November, December, and January, and dry season collections were taken during February, March, May June, and July. There was seasonal and spatial variation in nutrient concentrations, and they were related to …

Long-Term Fish Assemblage Dynamics Of The Alvarado Lagoon Estuary, Veracruz, Mexico, Rafael Chavez-Lopez, Jonathan Franco-Lopez, Angel Moran-Silva, Martin T. O'Connell

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The fish assemblages of Alvarado Lagoon Estuary (a complex of coastal lagoons in the state of Veracruz, Mexico) have been surveyed intermittently by different researchers over the last 40 years. Assessing longterm trends in fish assemblage composition for this ecosystem is problematic due to differences in sampling efforts among the survey periods (1966–1968, 1987–1988, 1989, 1989–1990, 1990–1991 and 2000–2001) and by the inherent ecological variability of estuaries. To overcome these data limitations and better understand fish assemblage change over time, we used robust, simulation-based analyses to compare collections from the different surveys. The 107 fish species collected from the Alvarado …

Spring Phytoplankton Photosynthesis, Growth, And Primary Production And Relationships To A Recurrent Coastal Sediment Plume And River Inputs In Southeastern Lake Michigan, Steven E. Lohrenz, Gary L. Fahnenstiel, David F. Millie, Oscar M.E. Schofield, Tom Johengon

Faculty Publications

[1] A recurrent coastal sediment plume (RCP) is an episodic event in the southern basin of Lake Michigan that typically coincides with the spring diatom bloom. Strong winter storm activity during El Nino conditions in 1998 resulted in a large and intense RCP event. Consistently higher values of the light-saturated rate of photosynthesis, P-max(B), were observed in spring 1998 compared to 1999 and 2000. Higher values of P-max(B) in 1998 appeared to be related to increased availability of phosphorus, as evidenced by significant correlations of P-max(B) with soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). Light-saturated growth rates were also significantly correlated with SRP …

On The Approximation Of The Coriolis Terms In C-Grid Models, Dmitri A. Nechaev, Max Yaremchuk

Faculty Publications

A new representation of the Coriolis terms on the Arakawa C grid is proposed. The approximation dumps the grid-scale noise that arises because of spatial averaging of the Coriolis terms when the grid spacing is larger than the deformation radius. The proposed approximation can also be applied in C-grid schemes with semi-implicit treatment of the Coriolis terms. The new scheme is analyzed in the context of the linear inertial-gravity waves and its advantageous behavior is demonstrated with respect to the conventional technique.