Marine Biology Commons^™

The Saco River Plume: A Discussion Of The Near-Field Dynamics, Barbara A. Fortier

All Theses And Dissertations

This study focused on the freshwater discharge plume from the Saco River in southwestern Maine to determine the mechanisms responsible for the largest impacts on the near-field dynamics in this region. We examined the forcing factors that tended to increase the plume's spatial extent upshelf of the river mouth. Salinity, temperature, and density data were collected during cruises from May through November 2010 and by two surface moorings deployed upshelf of the Saco River mouth. We found a distinct variation in the latitude of the upshelf boundary of the plume during and after periods of high discharge. Furthermore, we found …

An Introduction To Marine Invasive Species, Teresa Berndt, Natasha Bourdon, Rebecca Buchanan, Abigail Doane, Laura Doyle, Jacob Farrell, Angela Henrich, Blaise Jenner, Christopher Lockwood, Ashleigh Novak, Kiera O'Donnell, Hanna Pultorak, Wyler Scamman, Alec Strohmeyer, Keenan Tilsley, Markus Frederich

Marine Sciences Student Projects

Countless marine species are invading new environments with devastating effects on the ecosystem, the local and global economy, and on human health. The frequency of marine invasions has been increasing in recent decades with a respective raised interest of invasive species in the scientific community, and the general public. The Aquatic Invasive Species class (MAR442) at the University of New England offers an informative overview of invasive species, targeting educated readers with a general interest in invasive species biology. Students in the MAR 442 class have worked on identifying the most important topics on marine invasive species, have reviewed the …

East Coast Salt Marsh Response To Sea Level Rise: Microbial Community Function And Structure, Matt R. Simon

All Theses And Dissertations

Coastal salt marshes are under stress from anthropogenic climate change-induced sea level rise (SLR). Sediment microbial decomposition is a major driver of marsh subsidence and any impact of SLR on this biotic process would have a direct effect on marsh surface elevation relative to sea level. Furthermore, sensitivity to SLR of microbial community composition may play a role in the functional response. I collected sediment from six coastal marshes on the United States Atlantic East coast, exposed it to simulated sea level rise and measured total respired carbon over a three week period. My results indicated that SLR caused a …

Genetic Structure In The Coral, Montastraea Cavernosa: Assessing Genetic Differentiation Among And Within Mesophotic Reefs, Daniel A. Brazeau, Michael P. Lesser, Marc Slattery

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Mesophotic coral reefs (30–150 m) have recently received increased attention as a potential source of larvae (e.g., the refugia hypothesis) to repopulate a select subset of the shallow water (,30 m) coral fauna. To test the refugia hypothesis we used highly polymorphic Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers as a means to assess small-scale genetic heterogeneity between geographic locations and across depth clines in the Caribbean coral, Montastraea cavernosa. Zooxanthellae-free DNA extracts of coral samples (N = 105) were analyzed from four depths, shallow (3–10 m), medium (15– 25 m), deep (30–50 m) and very deep (60–90 m) from Little …

Validating The Use Of Sex Steroid Hormones Extracted From The Skeletal Muscle Tissue Of The Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae), Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias), And The Little Skate (Leucoraja Erinacea) To Assess Reproductive Status In Elasmobranch Fishes, Bianca Prohaska

All Theses And Dissertations

Currently, circulating concentrations of plasma steroid hormones are used as one means to assess reproductive maturity and reproductive cycles in elasmobranchs. However, obtaining blood non-lethally from large and/or endangered species can be problematic because of difficulties involved with specimen handling. Thus, there is a need to develop new approaches and techniques to study the reproductive biology of elasmobranchs. Previous work conducted on other classes of vertebrates has demonstrated that steroid hormones can be successfully extracted from muscle tissue. The process of collecting muscle tissue samples is quick, minimally invasive, and may be conducted without removing the animal from the water, …

The Effect Of Ph On The Metal Binding Capabilities Of Exopolymeric Substances From A Marine Benthic Diatom, Vanessa O'Donnell

All Theses And Dissertations

The marine sediment-water interface is a dynamic microenvironment containing diatoms, which produce exopolymeric substance (EPS). EPS has various functions for individual cells and for marine ecosystems. EPS substance is a species-specific composition that has strong absorptive qualities and is able to bind metals from even a very dilute aqueous solution. As industrially derived metals tend to accumulate in marine mudflats, where diatoms are the major EPS producing organisms, it is important to determine how marine benthic diatom EPS will bind with metals. To address the metal binding properties of diatom EPS, Cylindrotheca closteriums’ EPS was isolated by tangential flow filtration, …

Assessing The Habitat Use, Diet, And Sex Ratios Of Atlantic (Acipenser Oxyrinchus) And Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser Brevirostrum) In The Saco River, Me, Caitlyn Little

All Theses And Dissertations

Due to the questionable status of sturgeon populations along the east coast of the United States, there has been considerable research focus on these species in recent years. Previous studies have overlooked the Saco River as an important habitat for sturgeon in the Gulf of Maine. However, the incidental capture of a sturgeon in the Saco River in the fall of 2007 raised questions about the presence of this species and the role that the Saco River might play in the life cycle of these fish. The goals of this thesis were to evaluate the utilization of this habitat by …

Consumptive And Non-Consumptive Effects Of Predatory Fishes On Lobster In Southern Maine, Erin B. Wilkinson

All Theses And Dissertations

The American lobster, Homarus americanus, is an important consumer in the Gulf of Maine benthic community and supports the most valuable fishery in New England. Many fish predators that feed on juvenile lobster are found in the Gulf of Maine, but their abundance has varied over the previous decades. For example, striped bass, Morone saxatilis, have recovered from near extinction to become a viable recreational fishery on the east coast, and previous work examining the gut contents of striped bass found that juvenile lobsters were a large component of their diet during the summer in Massachusetts. However, striped …

Genetic Connectivity In Scleractinian Corals Across The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: Oil/Gas Platforms, And Relationship To The Flower Garden Banks, Daniel A. Brazeau, Paul W. Sammarco, James Sinclair

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

The 3,000 oil/gas structures currently deployed in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) provide hard substratum for marine organisms in a region where such has been rare since the Holocene. The major exception to this are the Flower Garden Banks (FGB). Corals are known to have colonized oil/gas platforms around the FGB, facilitating biogeographic expansion. We ask the question, what are the patterns of genetic affinity in these coral populations. We sampled coral tissue from populations of two species occurring on oil and gas platforms: Madracis decactis (hermatype) and Tubastraea coccinea (invasive ahermatype). We sampled 28 platforms along four transects …

Two- And Three-Dimensional Photogrammetric Mass Estimation Techniques For Two Phocid Species: Halichoerus Grypus And Phoca Vitulina Concolor, Jennifer Harris

All Theses And Dissertations

Collecting mass measurements of seals is a common technique used to determine health. To determine the mass of Western North Atlantic Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and Atlantic Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina concolor) pups, a researcher must physically measure each animal. This produces stress for both pups and their mothers. Photogrammetric analysis (PGA) (evaluating photographs to obtain characteristics of a subject) has been used to determine physical measurements in a number of marine mammals. The purpose of this study was to develop a nonintrusive method for determining the mass of grey and harbor seal pups. Through this …

Assessing The Variability In Distribution Of Four Shark Species Within The Mississippi Sound, Daniel Crear

All Theses And Dissertations

Global declines in shark populations have been observed, including several species indigenous to the northwest Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Attributing to these declines is a lack of abundance and distribution data of early life stages, particularly within essential habitats such as nursery grounds. Previous research has defined the Mississippi Sound as a multispecies shark nursery, therefore determining how abundance and distribution patterns change will aid in verifying where these species are throughout the year within this shark nursery. Thus, the objectives of the current study were to describe the variability in distributions of four shark species …

Enhancing Thermal Tolerance By Eliminating The Pejus Range: A Comparative Study With Three Decapod Crustaceans, Jennifer A. Jost, Stephanie M. Podolski, Markus Frederich

Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine invertebrates in the intertidal and subtidal zones are often exposed to highly variable environmental conditions, especially rapid changes in temperature. The ability to survive at different temperatures has previously been described using an extended version of Shelford’s law of tolerance, with optimum, pejus (Latin: ‘turning worse’), and pessimum ranges, and the respective thresholds, critical (Tc) and pejus (Tp) temperatures, that mark the transition from one range into the next. The width of the pejus range, in which the scope for activity gradually declines, varies among species. We tested the hypothesis that the width of the …

Invertebrate Zooid Polymorphism: Hydractinia Polyclina And Pagurus Longicarpus Interactions Mediated Through Spiralzooids, Charlotte M. Regula-Whitefield

All Theses And Dissertations

Evaluating the net interaction between symbionts can be challenging when one participant is a colonial animal with polymorphic zooids, because each zooid type has unique functions. The colonial hydroid Hydractinia polyclina has three distinct zooid types, each of which contributes particular components to the interaction with host hermit crabs. Of these three zooid types, the function of spiralzooids is not well understood. Previously, spiralzooids have been proposed to contribute a strong negative interaction component by directly reducing their host hermit crab’s reproductive output. However, this hypothesis is not supported by past or current data. I propose that spiralzooids instead function …

Activation Of Amp-Activated Protein Kinase As An Early Indicator For Stress In The Lobster, Homarus Americanus, Stephanie Podolski

All Theses And Dissertations

Variations in water temperature, salinity, pH, and oxygen concentration are stressors that marine invertebrates face on a daily basis. Each of these physiological stressors creates a large cellular demand for energy. In mammals, energy metabolism is regulated by the enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is highly conserved during evolution. This project was designed to test the hypothesis that AMPK is present and activated by temperature, hypoxia, and anoxia stress in the lobster, Homarus americanus.

Animals were exposed to a rapid and progressive increase in temperature (6ºC per hour) beginning at 14 ºC. We measured lactate concentrations and AMPK …

Environmental Symbiont Acquisition May Not Be The Solution To Warming Seas For Reef-Building Corals, Daniel A. Brazeau, Mary Alice Coffroth, Daniel M. Poland, Eleni L. Petrou, Jennie C. Holmberg

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Coral reefs worldwide are in decline. Much of the mortality can be attributed to coral bleaching (loss of the coral’s intracellular photosynthetic algal symbiont) associated with global warming. How corals will respond to increasing oceanic temperatures has been an area of extensive study and debate. Recovery after a bleaching event is dependent on regaining symbionts, but the source of repopulating symbionts is poorly understood. Possibilities include recovery from the proliferation of endogenous symbionts or recovery by uptake of exogenous stress-tolerant symbionts.

Methodology/Principal Findings: To test one of these possibilities, the ability of corals to acquire exogenous symbionts, bleached colonies …

Prey Selection By Young Green Crabs (Carcinus Maenas), Rock Crabs (Cancer Irroratus) And American Lobsters (Homarus Americanus) In The Gulf Of Maine, Joseph Sungail

All Theses And Dissertations

The intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine supports large populations of three species of decapods. Young green crabs (Carcinus maenas), rock crabs (Cancer irroratus) and American lobsters (Homarus americanus) co-exist in close proximity and forage on similar prey species. Competition for prey resources could have major implications for the populations of these predators. This experimental study focuses on determining the potential for interspecific competition between these decapods for prey resources. Young green crabs (25 - 35 mm carapace width), rock crabs (25 - 35 mm carapace width) and American lobsters (25 - 35 mm carapace length), were collected along …

Phocine Distemper Virus Induced Demyelination In The Spinal Cord Of Infected Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina), Thomas Siemens

All Theses And Dissertations

Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) is a Morbillivirus that has been responsible for the death of approximately 40,000 phocid seals in the last three decades. The most commonly reported pathology is virally induced demyelination of the cerebrum and brainstem which leaves axons bare and limits their conductivity of action potentials. While these conditions have been studied at length, there is little mention of spinal cord involvement. This study aims to determine whether demyelination found in the brainstem continues into the cervical spinal cord. The results indicate that demyelination in the cervical spinal cord does not occur alongside the brainstem. It is …

Differential Response Of Amp Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) And Hsp70 To Temperature Stress In The Gastropod, Nucella Lapillus, Emily Zimmermann

All Theses And Dissertations

Populations of the gastropod Nucella lapillus are polymorphic for shell color, with light-colored shells predominating on warmer, wave-protected shores and dark-colored shells limited primarily to cooler, wave-exposed shores. During thermal stress, darker shells attain higher body temperatures than lighter shells. These results suggest that heat stress may determine field distribution patterns. However, there is currently little evidence of physiological consequences of thermal stress in these organisms. Following the guiding hypothesis that heat stress leads to cellular energy depletion, we explored whether the central energy regulator AMP-activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) is activated by heat stress. We compared this response in both …

The Functions And Values Of Fringing Salt Marshes In Northern New England, Usa, Pamela A. Morgan, David M. Burdick, Frederick T. Short

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Although large salt marshes of the northeastern United States have been studied extensively, very little is known about the smaller, fringing marshes in this area, despite the fact that they are a common habitat type. We compared the functions and values of five fringing salt marshes (FM) to those of five meadow marshes (MM) along the southern Maine/New Hampshire coast. Specifically we compared their primary production, soil organic matter content, plant diversity, sediment trapping ability and wave dampening properties. Also explored were the relationships between these functions and several physical characteristics at each site, including soil salinity, percent surface slope, …

A Comprehensive Wetland Program For Fringing Salt Marshes In The York River, Maine, Pamela A. Morgan, Jeremy Miller, Christopher Cayce Dalton, Michele Dionne

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

The overall goal of this project was to assist the Town of York, Maine, in its efforts to monitor and protect the fringing salt marshes along the York River. In particular, the project focused on potential impacts to the marshes due to shoreline development pressures. Specific objectives included (1) gathering baseline data about the marshes (2) developing a set of indicators to be used in future monitoring, and (3) generating management recommendations.

Reserve And Habitat Effects On The Distribution, Abundance And Feeding Ecology Of Goosefish, Lophius Americanus (Valenciennes 1837) In The Western Gulf Of Maine, Melissa Dawn Smith

All Theses And Dissertations

Over two-thirds of the world’s harvested fish stocks are considered to be either reduced or threatened because of overexploitation, which suggest that one of the central challenges facing coastal managers is the recovery and sustainable harvesting of these species. One promising fishery management strategy is the use of marine reserves, or conservation areas where fishing is prohibited, to rebuild depleted populations. In the Gulf of Maine (GoM), several closed areas have been established to restrict fishing activities such as gillnetting, scallop dredging, and mid-water and bottom trawling. These closures in the GoM not only protect diminished fish stocks, but also …

Temperature Tolerance In Crustaceans: Critical Temperatures And The Heart, Lindsay Haupt (Murray-Miller)

All Theses And Dissertations

At certain upper and lower threshold temperatures (critical temperatures (Tc) crustaceans switch to anaerobic metabolism despite sufficient oxygen availability in the environment. I tested the hypothesis that failure of the heart at critical temperatures leads to insufficient oxygen delivery and subsequent anaerobiosis in peripheral tissues.

I exposed rock crabs, Cancer irroratus, as whole animals, and their buffer-perfused semi-isolated hearts to a progressive temperature increase, while monitoring heart rate and lactate accumulation. The whole animals heart rate increased with temperature following a Q₁₀ of 2.8. An abrupt decline in heart rate occurred at 25°C and lactate accumulation occurred between …

Distribution Of Foraging Shearwaters Relative To Inner Front Of Se Bering Sea, J. Jahncke, K. O. Coyle, Stephan I. Zeeman, N. B. Kachel, G. L. Hunt Jr.

Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We examined the hypothesis that short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris aggregate to forage at the inner front of the SE Bering Sea because of enhanced production there. We tested this hypothesis by comparing primary production, the distribution of euphausiids and the distribution of shearwaters relative to the front during late spring and late summer/early fall of 1997, 1998 and 1999. We found enhanced primary production at the front and offshore of the front during summer but not during spring. Primary production varied between seasons and years. Major differences were related to anomalous conditions in 1997 and 1998. The density of euphausiids …

Assessing The Health Of Fringing Salt Marshes Along The Fore River And Its Tributaries, Pamela A. Morgan, Lucas Curci, Cayce Dalton, Jeremy Miller

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Casco Bay has experienced two significant oil spills in recent history - the Tamano Tanker spill in 1972 and the Julie N spill in 1996. In addition, the Fore River and its tributaries have experienced numerous small spills over the years, including the August 2002 fuel oil spill (2,900 gallons) and the April 2003 jet fuel spill (6,000 gallons). The impacts of these spills on the fringing salt marshes that line the edges of the Fore River and its tributaries are not well understood. Are these salt marshes resilient enough to withstand these impacts and still act as healthy marshes …

Ecological Functions And Values Of Fringing Salt Marshes Susceptible To Oil Spills In Casco Bay, Maine, Pamela A. Morgan, Michele Dionne, Richard Mackenzie, Lucas Curci

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Casco Bay is the largest oil port in Maine and northern New England, handling over 20 million tons of crude oil and oil products annually. The susceptibility of the Bay’s estuarine habitats, especially its fringing salt marshes, to potential spill events was the impetus for this study. Although much has been learned to date about the effects of oil spills on estuarine habitats around the world, there is a real need for site-specific knowledge of the structures and functions of local habitats so that resource managers can be prepared in the event of a spill. Our study focused specifically on …