Marine Biology Commons^™

Leafy Sea Dragon, Phycodurus Sp., Kennedi X. Light

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Artist Statement

Leafy sea dragons, Phycodurus sp. are part of the Syngnathidae family. Syngnathidae is a genus made up of seahorses, pipefishes, and sea dragons. All three of the species are known to have beautiful patterning. However, leafy sea dragons got their name from their leafy appendages like their fins and limbs. The reason I chose to draw a leafy sea dragon is due to my own interest in astrobiology. Astrobiology is the study of life in the universe and astrobiologists look for signs of life within the universe. I would like to be an astrobiologist one day and focus …

River Report. State Of Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, Contaminants, 2023, Environmental Protection Board, Jacksonville Florida, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Gerry Pinto, Brian P. Zoellner, Christopher Baynard, Gretchen Bielmyer-Fraser, Dale Casamatta, Charles Closmann, Nisse Goldberg, Ashley Johnson, Scott Jones, William Penwell, Radha Pyati, Adam Rosenblatt

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

Field Assessment Of The Pervious Oyster Shell Habitat: Enhancement Of Intertidal Habitat For The Eastern Oyster And Associated Nekton In Northeast Florida, Hunter Mathews

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A dramatic global decline in oyster reef habitat has led to widespread deployment of oyster restoration projects. Efforts are underway to move away from polluting methods like plastic mesh bags in oyster deployments. Additionally, increasing pressure on our estuaries from recreational boat wakes and intensified storms requires more robust structures for shoreline protection. The “Pervious Oyster Shell Habitat” (POSH) is a novel artificial reef structure composed of oyster shell bound by a thin layer of Portland cement, into the shape of a dome. The structure’s makeup greatly reduces its environmental impact, while providing quality substrate for provision of oyster reef …

River Report. State Of The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, Contaminants, 2022., Environmental Protection Board, City Of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Gerry Pinto, Gretchen Bielmyer-Fraser, John Burr, Dale Casamatta, Charles Closmann, Brian P. Zoellner, Ashley Johnson, An-Phong Le, William Penwell, Radha Pyati

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Visitor Density And Interaction On The Behavior Of Four Ray Species (Hypanus Sabina, Hypanus Say, Pseudobatos Lentiginosus, And Rhinoptera Bonasus) Housed In An Aquatic Touch Pool, Aimee Marie Little

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human-Animal Interactions (HAI) in zoological institutions are thought to be important in helping visitors to establish a connection with animals and thus making them more likely to contribute to conservation efforts. However, animals can respond to visitor interaction in both negative and positive ways. The growing focus on animal welfare in zoological institutions emphasizes the need for assessing different environmental inputs, including visitor interaction, and how these inputs influence behavioral outputs associated with welfare. A touch pool exhibit presents a novel interactive experience that allows visitors to directly interact with various aquatic species, including elasmobranchs, whose conservation has important implications …

Effects Of Environmental And Anthropogenic Factors On Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta) False Crawl Rates On Jekyll Island, Ga, Brittany Byrd

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) are currently listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List and are experiencing population declines across many parts of their range. These declines are caused by environmental and anthropogenic stressors which impact sea turtle ecology and behavior, including nesting behavior. One nesting behavior sea turtles exhibit is known as “false crawling,” which is when a female sea turtle ascends the beach in an attempt to nest and either abandons the attempt altogether or while in the middle of digging an egg chamber. False crawling, a largely understudied sea turtle behavior, can not only …

It's A Small World After All: Insights, Interferences, And Implications Of In Situ Chlorophyll Fluorescence Monitoring In Estuaries, James Silas Tanner

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concentrations of the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll a are used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass by estuarine scientists to study eutrophication, food web dynamics, and harmful algal blooms. Coastal managers use chlorophyll as an indicator of nutrient pollution and for assessments to meet Clean Water Act standards. Chlorophyll a, as measured in the laboratory by extraction from monthly discrete water samples, is a core component of the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP). Field-deployable sensors based on the excitation and emission spectra of in situ chlorophyll have not been incorporated into SWMP to date because past …

An Analysis Of The Spatial Genetic Structure Of A Hybrid Zone Between Two Species Of Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus And F. Grandis, Andrew Lee Hardy

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hybridization offers unique insight into the evolutionary process of speciation and the forces that maintain barriers to reproduction. In northeast Florida, a hybrid zone between two species of killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus and F. grandis, has been identified near Flagler Beach, FL, although the exact boundaries of the hybrid zone remain unknown (Gonzalez et al. 2009). This study aims to determine the fine-scale spatial genetic patterns of the hybrid zone and test the hypothesis that species ranges are influenced by changes in dominant vegetation. Results from an ADMIXTURE analysis and F_ST data indicated the boundary of the area of …

Histological Comparison Of Shark Dermis Across Various Ecomorphologies, Olivia Schuitema

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The integument plays essential roles in the structural support, protection, and hydrodynamic capability among fishes. Most shark skin research has been done on the external epidermal layer containing the dermal denticles, while the larger dermis layer has been mostly ignored. The dermis layer in sharks is composed of two layers, the upper stratum laxum and the lower stratum compactum, holding supportive collagen and elastin fibers. There may be morphological and compositional differences in the dermis layers across various species of sharks, although the extent of such is unknown. These potential differences may be represented by various dermal thicknesses and different …

Bycatch Reduction Devices As A Method To Reduce Mortality Rates Of Malaclemys Terrapin In Crab Pots, Benjamin Lowstuter, Leslie Delong, Corey Hymel

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) currently face population loss along their broad coastal North American range, spanning from Massachusetts down to Texas. This species is suggested to be an important indicator of environmental change within the limited brackish water habitat along the coastlines. Terrapin mortality predominantly stems from human activities, such as commercial and recreational blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) trapping. Once caught in one of many crab pots littered throughout their aquatic habitat, terrapins can easily drown in several hours upon capture. In reviewing published research, the use of bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) have been shown to reduce the number of …

Why Are You So Slimy?, Lindsay Dillman, James Gelsleichter, Laura Habegger

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

The epithelium of vertebrates is a complex tissue that houses a large variety of cells with different functions. One of its most important functions is protection and in many cases this function is achieved by exuding copious amounts of mucous that fight off diseases, harmful toxins and overall protect the species from external invaders. Mucous, made of mucin, is produced by specialized epithelial cells called goblet cells. Among vertebrates’, fishes are perhaps one of the major groups known to produce mucous, particularly stingrays. The Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina is one of the few cartilaginous fishes known to inhabit both freshwater …

The Relative Contribution Of The Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) To Periwinkle Snail (Littoraria Irrorata) Predation Mortality In The Lower Salt Marsh Intertidal Of Northeast Florida, Amanda Paige Small

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In top-down regulation of ecological communities, predation of grazers is critical for maintaining the presence and growth of essential vegetation. The periwinkle snail (Littoraria irrorata) is a ubiquitous grazer in Atlantic salt marshes that can defoliate patches of Spartina alterniflora when populations are extremely dense. On the east coast of Florida, multiple predators could contribute to periwinkle population control maintaining this critical habitat. This study aimed to determine if the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is the primary predator of periwinkle snails in the salt marsh lower intertidal. Tethering was utilized to assess if periwinkle mortality is …

Benthic Microalgae Response To A Warming Climate And Shift In Foundational Vegetation Species In A Saltmarsh-Mangrove Ecotone, Gabriela Canas

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ecotone in Northeast Florida is experiencing rapid change as mangroves begin to encroach northward into saltmarsh dominated coastal wetlands. This is especially prevalent within the boundaries of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve where studies are attempting to understand the consequences of more mangroves. Although we are beginning to understand some of the implications of this shift in dominant vegetation, the true effects and the accompanying sustained climatic warming effects on the resilience of wetland habitats and their associated communities remains unknown. Primary producers such as benthic microalgae (BMA) are important food sources in both mangrove and …

Reproductive Biology Of The Spinner Shark Carcharhinus Brevipinna, Off The Southeast U.S. Coast, Kristin K. Palmrose

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The spinner shark, Carcharhinus brevipinna, is a large coastal shark species that is common on the U.S. southeast coast and caught in both commercial and recreational fisheries. Little research has been conducted on the life history of C. brevipinna in the Northwestern Atlantic, presenting challenges for fishery management. This is especially true for reproductive biology, warranting a need to determine how rapidly individuals are reproducing and contributing to the population. This study aimed to characterize reproduction in C. brevipinna by determining size-at-maturity, reproductive seasonality, periodicity, and fecundity. This was accomplished by analyzing changes in reproductive tract morphology and histology, …

Estimating The Heritability Of Plasticity Of Thermal Tolerance And Its Application In The Restoration Of Endangered Caribbean Coral, Matz O. Indergard

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Over the last two centuries anthropogenic activity has elevated atmospheric CO₂, creating a greenhouse effect that is predicted to elevate global temperatures 1-4^o C within the century. Increases in surface temperature pose a threat to the world’s coral reefs and have been the cause of many mass bleaching events. To combat this new threat, corals must migrate, acclimate, or evolve to rising temperatures. Phenotypic plasticity, or the ability of an individual to express different phenotypes to survive in different environments, is crucial for sessile organisms since it can increase survivability in species incapable of moving to …

Effects Of Aquatic Acidification On Calcium Uptake In White River Shrimp Litopenaeus Setiferus Gills, Maria-Flora Jacobs

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research regarding aquatic acidification has examined the protonation of the carbonate and does not consider calcium to be a limiting factor. This is the first study to suggest that pH may affect the uptake of calcium in crustacean gills. This project describes ion transport mechanisms present in the cell membranes of white river shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus gill epithelium, and the effects of pH on the uptake of calcium by these means. Partially purified membrane vesicles (PPMV) of shrimp gills were prepared through a homogenization process that has been used previously to define ion transport in crab and lobster gill …

River Report. State Of The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, Contaminants, 2019, Environmental Protection Board, City Of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Gerry Pinto, Brian P. Zoellner, Christopher Baynard, Charles Closmann, Nisse Goldberg, Scott F. Jones, William Penwell, Radha Pyati, Adam E. Rosenblatt, Gretchen Bielmyer-Fraser

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

River Report. State Of The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, Contaminants, 2018, Environmental Protection Board, City Of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Gerry Pinto, Gretchen Bielmyer-Fraser, Nisse Goldberg, Anthony Ouellette, An-Phong Le, Radha Pyati, Charles Closmann, Brian P. Zoellner

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Vitellogenesis In The Bonnethead Shark Sphyrna Tiburo, Adrien Kathleen Mowle

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Vitellogenin (Vtg) is a precursor to yolk-proteins produced in the liver of many invertebrates and non-mammalian vertebrates; its synthesis is stimulated by the hormone estradiol (E2). This study is the first to characterize vitellogenin synthesis in a placental viviparous elasmobranch, the yolk-sac placental bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo. This study focused on determining where and when Vtg is produced, as well as what hormonal factors regulate Vtg production. The liver was confirmed as the site of Vtg production via immunohistochemistry. Immunoreactivity was also observed within granulosa cells of ovarian follicles; further experimentation is needed to determine if this is indicative …

Establishing Relationships Among Environmental Stressors, Host Immune Status, And Wasting Disease Susceptibility In The Dominant Seagrass Species Thalassia Testudinum, Paige Joy Duffin

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A growing body of evidence supports the observation that marine disease outbreaks, especially those caused by opportunistic pathogens, are increasing in frequency and severity. One genus of such pathogens, Labyrinthula, has been identified as the causative agent of seagrass wasting disease, an epidemic that has historically plagued seagrass beds around the world. It is suspected that pathogenicity is intimately linked to the ability of the host to initiate defense responses, but a lack of compelling evidence prevents any meaningful application of preliminary observations. This body of work investigated the roles of host genotype, host immune status, and environmental stressors …

Distribution And Community Structure Of First Coast Shark Assemblages And Their Relative Trophic Niche Dynamics, Clark R. Morgan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nearshore marine environments are known to be highly productive systems with relatively high faunal diversity and abundances, but these systems are particularly vulnerable to negative impacts from anthropogenic disturbances that can result in habitat degradation. Despite these challenges, many shark species of various life stages utilize coastal shelf habitats, inshore estuaries, and bays. The inshore habitats of Cumberland and Nassau Sounds in northeast Florida have been proposed as potential nursery grounds by earlier work, but this suggestion did not satisfy all of the standard criteria of shark nursery designation. It has recently been stated that the combination of surveys inside …

Reproductive Biology Of The Tiger Shark In The Western Atlantic Ocean, Chelsea Shields

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although tiger sharks are an important apex predator in many ecosystems, little is known about their reproduction. The goal of this study was to determine the size-at-maturity and the reproductive seasonality of tiger sharks in the western Atlantic Ocean. This was achieved using a combination of ultrasonography and measurements of plasma hormone concentrations; in particular, testosterone for males and estradiol and progesterone for females. Steroid hormone concentrations were measured using chemiluminescent assays (CLIA). Maturity was also examined through histology of reproductive organs in females and clasper calcification in males. Females were found to mature between 270 and 310 cm total …

The Effects Of The Red Tide Producing Dinoflagellate, Karenia Brevis, And Associated Brevetoxins On Viability And Sublethal Stress Responses In Scleractinian Coral: A Potential Regional Stressor To Coral Reefs, David A. Reynolds

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coral cover is in decline on a global scale, with increased mortality events being attributed to a number of global and regional stressors. While the impacts of global stressors (e.g. sea surface temperature rise, ocean acidification) are well documented, there is growing interest in identifying and understanding the impacts of regional stressors. The reason for this change in focus is that regional stressors can often work in combination, sometimes synergistically, with global stressors and that stressors on a regional scale tend to be more easily mitigated by management practices. One regional stressor that impacts a myriad of marine organisms in …

Survey Gear Comparisons And Shark Nursery Habitat Use In Southeast Georgia Estuaries, Jeffrey Cohen Carpenter

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gill nets and longlines were compared as shark nursery sampling methodologies in inshore waters of Georgia to (1) assess differences in gear selectivity, bias, and stress of capture and (2) determine potential relationships between habitat features and shark distribution and abundance. Gear selectivity varied between gears as a function of both species and life stage resulting in significantly different estimates of species and life stage compositions. Juvenile bonnetheads (Sphyrna tiburo) and young of the year blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) experienced significantly higher stress from gill net capture than longline. Major sources of bias are thought to …

River Report. State Of The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, Contaminants, 2017, Environmental Protection Board, City Of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Gerry Pinto, Nisse Goldberg, Radha Pyati, Anthony Ouellette, Gretchen Bielmyer-Fraser, An-Phong Le, Brian P. Zoellner, Peter Bacopoulos

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

A Multibiomarker Analysis Of Pollutant Effects On Atlantic Stingray Populations In Florida’S St. Johns River, John Whalen

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine the potential health effects of organochlorine (OC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure on Atlantic stingray populations in Florida’s St. Johns River (SJR). Special emphasis was placed on identifying OC- and/or PAH-related effects in stingrays from areas of the lower (LSJR) and middle (MSJR) basins shown to possess elevated levels of these compounds, as well as characterizing baseline levels of pollutant exposure in the SJR shipping channel, which may be subjected to dredging in the near future, potentially resuspending and redistributing contaminated sediments and increasing pollutant-associated effects. To accomplish this, we measured …

The Function Of Second-Order Male Alliances In St. Johns River Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Arien D. Widrick

UNF Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have a sexually segregated fission-fusion society, in which males and females form different types of social groups for different purposes. Social interactions among dolphins are frequent, and group composition changes just as often. Male-male association patterns reveal the formation of alliances, which range in complexity. Recently, second-order alliance formation was confirmed in the St. Johns River, but the function of these alliances is unknown. To investigate their function, this research analyzes the seasonality of first and second-order alliance formation, and whether female presence plays a role. It was hypothesized that higher level male alliances form in …

River Report. State Of The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, Contaminants, 2016, Environmental Protection Board, City Of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Gerry Pinto, Nisse Goldberg, Radha Pyati, Peter Bacopoulos, Anthony Ouellette, Gretchen Bielmyer-Fraser, An-Phong Le, Ray Oldakowski

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

Tests Of Reproductive Isolation Between The Fishes Fundulus Heteroclitus And F. Grandis, Ruthie E. Barbas

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The closely related killifishes Fundulus heteroclitus and F. grandis hybridize in a small region where their ranges overlap in coastal northeastern Florida. Hybrids of these species are rare in frequency within the contact zone, suggesting the presence of relatively strong reproductive isolation between these species. The objective of this study was to elucidate barriers to reproduction between F. heteroclitus and F. grandis in the lab, as well as to quantify the relative strengths and contributions of various isolating barriers. Pre-zygotic (mating and fertilization) and post-zygotic (hatching) barriers were investigated by performing a variety of choice and no-choice laboratory mating experiments. …

Effects Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill On Deep Sea Fishes, Arianne Ella Leary

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (DWH) released about 4.4 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), making it one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history. Additionally, the depth of the spill (i.e., 1500 meters) created a unique research opportunity because most oil spills occur at the surface and affect coastal rather than deepwater habitats. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the most toxic components of oil, and are often the focus of oil exposure studies. PAHs are quickly metabolized by vertebrates; therefore, indicators of biological responses to PAH exposure (PAH “biomarkers”) such as the levels …