Marine Biology Commons^™

Comparative Toxicity Of Hydrocarbons For Evaluation Of Lysmata Boggessi As An Experimental Proxy For Deep-Water Column Micronekton, Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar, Nicholas Turner, Gopal Bera, Eileen G. Whitemiller, Bernhard Riegl, Jose Sericano, Anthony H. Knap

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The potential impacts of sub-surface hydrocarbon plumes to deep-water column micronekton are an important consideration in a more complete understanding of ecosystem effects resulting from deep-sea oil spills. However, evaluating toxicity in these organisms presents multiple challenges, and the use of a shallow-water proxy species allows comparison and validation of experimental results. This study thus examined the suitability of the peppermint shrimp, Lysmata boggessi, as an experimental proxy for ecologically important deep-sea zooplankton/micronekton in hydrocarbon toxicity assays. This crustacean species occurs in shallow coastal marine environments throughout the western Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, is similar in …

Comparison Of Recent Survey Techniques For Estimating Benthic Cover On Caribbean Mesophotic Reefs, Joseph R. Pawlik, Roy A. Armstrong, Stephanie Farrington, John Reed, Sara Rivero-Calle, Hanumant Singh, Brian K. Walker, Jason White

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Highly divergent estimates of benthic cover of sponges have been reported for Caribbean mesophotic reefs (90-100 m) based on quadrat point-intercept data collection using 2 methods: visual surveys conducted in situ by technical divers, and analyses of photographs taken by unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The second method has been criticized for potential errors from image distortion caused by variable camera angle relative to the substratum, but without a broader comparison of both methods. We find that studies that have used the UUV-based method are advantageous for a number of reasons, most importantly: (1) access to the full mesophotic zone, (2) …

Analysis Of The Magnetic Signature Of Surface Waves Measured In A Laboratory Experiment, John Kluge, Alex Soloviev, Cayla W. Dean, Geoffrey K. Morrison, Brian K. Haus

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A magnetic signature is created by secondary magnetic field fluctuations caused by the phenomenon of seawater moving in Earth’s magnetic field. A laboratory experiment was conducted at the SUrge STructure Atmosphere INteraction (SUSTAIN) facility to measure the magnetic signature of surface waves using a differential method: a pair of magnetometers, separated horizontally by one-half wavelength, were placed at several locations on the outer tank walls. This technique significantly reduced the extraneous magnetic distortions that were detected simultaneously by both sensors and additionally doubled the magnetic signal of surface waves. Accelerometer measurements and local gradients were used to identify magnetic noise …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Fire On Saipan, Cnmi, Ilan E. Bubb, Zachary B. Williams

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Sediment core studies from Saipan suggest that fires did not play a prominent role in the disturbance regime of the Mariana Islands and have increased in frequency since human settlement around 4,000 years ago. On Saipan fires are understood to interrupt the pattern of succession leading to the degradation of native limestone forests, the proliferation of grasslands and the eventual creation of badlands. Little baseline data regarding the spatial and temporal patterns of fire on Saipan exist to create effective Fire Management Plans. This project uses Landsat 8 images from April 2013 to July 2020 and the Normalized Burn Ratio …

Spatiotemporal Patterns In The Biomass Of Drift Macroalgae In The Indian River Lagoon, Florida, United States, Lauren M. Hall, Lori J. Morris, Robert H. Chamberlain, M. Dennis Hanisak, Robert W. Virnstein, Richard Paperno, Bernhard Riegl, L. Rex Ellis, Ali Simpson, Charles A. Jacoby

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Drift macroalgae plays key roles in the ecology of many coastal systems, including the Indian River Lagoon. In the lagoon, changes in the biomass of drift macroalgae may have interacted with an unprecedented bloom of phytoplankton in 2011. Patterns in the biomass of drift macroalgae were identified using new and original analyses of data from several sampling programs collected between 1997 and 2019. All available data show a relatively low biomass of drift macroalgae in 2010–2012, and surveys of fixed transects and seining as part of a fisheries independent monitoring program also recorded low biomass in 2016. Low light availability …

A Biological Condition Gradient For Caribbean Coral Reefs: Part Ii. Numeric Rules Using Sessile Benthic Organisms, Deborah L. Santavy, Susan K. Jackson, Benjamin Jessup, Christina Horstmann, Caroline Rogers, Ernesto Weil, Alina Szmant, David Cuevas Miranda, Brian K. Walker, Christopher Jeffrey, David Ballantine, William S. Fisher, Randy Clark, Hector Ruiz Torres, Brandi Todd, Sandy Raimondo

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) is a conceptual model used to describe incremental changes in bio- logical condition along a gradient of increasing anthropogenic stress. As coral reefs collapse globally, scientists and managers are focused on how to sustain the crucial structure and functions, and the benefits that healthy coral reef ecosystems provide for many economies and societies. We developed a numeric (quantitative) BGC model for the coral reefs of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to transparently facilitate ecologically meaningful management decisions regarding these fragile resources. Here, reef conditions range from natural, undisturbed conditions to severely altered or …

Diversity And Time-Series Analyses Of Caribbean Deep-Sea Coral And Sponge Assemblages On The Tropical Island Slope Of Isla De Roatán, Honduras, Peter J. Etnoyer, Charles G. Messing, Karl A. Stanley, Tomasz K. Baumiller, Kate Lavelle, Thomas C. Shirley

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Shore-based submersible operations, from 2006 to 2020, have allowed us to examine megabenthic assemblages along the island margin of Isla de Roatán from depths of about 150 to 750 m, including repeated observations of the same organisms. These dives were used to photo-document a diverse benthic assemblage and observe the health and condition of the sessile fauna in a well-explored but relatively undocumented area of the Mesoamerican Reef. Samples were collected by dip net, and some dives profiled the water column chemistry in the year 2011. The deep-sea coral assemblage observed off Roatan exhibits high abundance and diversity. The sessile …

Light-Driven Dynamics Between Calcification And Production In Functionally Diverse Coral Reef Calcifiers, Jennifer Mallon, Tyler Cyronak, Emily R. Hall, Anastazia T. Banaszak, Dan A. Exton, Adrian M. Bass

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Coral reef metabolism underpins ecosystem function and is defined by the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, calcification, and calcium carbonate dissolution. However, the relationships between these physiological processes at the organismal level and their interactions with light remain unclear. We examined metabolic rates across a range of photosynthesising calcifiers in the Caribbean: the scleractinian corals Acropora cervicornis, Orbicella faveolata, Porites astreoides, and Siderastrea siderea, and crustose coralline algae (CCA) under varying natural light conditions. Net photosynthesis and calcification showed a parabolic response to light across all species, with differences among massive corals, branching corals, and CCA that …

Ubiquitous Microplastics In The Upper Gastrointestinal Tracts Of Florida Coastal Seabirds, Jonathan J. Clark, Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar, Dave Kerstetter

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Plastic pollution is increasingly recognized as a global problem. In particular, plastic pieces <5 mm in size (‘microplastics’) are of interest due to their prevalence and association with harmful, persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Very little is known about the prevalence of microplastics in coastal birds. Yet, these water-associated birds are at a high risk of ingesting microplastics that accumulate near the water’s surface. This study describes the microplastics found in the proventriculus and ventriculus of four species of coastal birds regarding quantity, size, type (fiber or fragment), and color (light, mid, or dark). A total of 643 microplastic particles were identified, with 43 of the 44 study specimens containing microplastics (97.7% frequency). The ‘fiber’ type and the ‘mid’ color were the most common microplastics. There were no significant differences between species for particle sizes, but Brown Pelicans contained significantly more particles than the other three species. These results highlight the prevalence of plastic pollution in medium-sized seabirds, but more work is needed to determine microplastic patterns between taxa and foraging environments.

Implications Of Salinity Normalization Of Seawater Total Alkalinity In Coral Reef Metabolism Studies, Travis A. Courtney, Tyler Cyronak, Alyssa J. Griffin, Andreas J. Andersson

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Salinity normalization of total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) data is commonly used to account for conservative mixing processes when inferring net metabolic modification of seawater by coral reefs. Salinity (S), TA, and DIC can be accurately and precisely measured, but salinity normalization of TA (nTA) and DIC (nDIC) can generate considerable and unrecognized uncertainties in coral reef metabolic rate estimates. While salinity normalization errors apply to nTA, nDIC, and other ions of interest in coral reefs, here, we focus on nTA due to its application as a proxy for net coral reef calcification and the importance for …

Responses Of Benthic Calcifying Algae To Ocean Acidification Differ Between Laboratory And Field Settings, Heather N. Page, Keisha D. Bahr, Tyler Cyronak, Elizabeth B. Jewett, Maggie D. Johnson, Sophie J. Mccoy

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Accurately predicting the effects of ocean and coastal acidification on marine ecosystems requires understanding how responses scale from laboratory experiments to the natural world. Using benthic calcifying macroalgae as a model system, we performed a semi-quantitative synthesis to compare directional responses between laboratory experiments and field studies. Variability in ecological, spatial, and temporal scales across studies, and the disparity in the number of responses documented in laboratory and field settings, make direct comparisons difficult. Despite these differences, some responses, including community-level measurements, were consistent across laboratory and field studies. However, there were also mismatches in the directionality of many responses …

Validation Of Landsat 8 High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature Using Surfers, Quinton Vanhellemont, Robert J. W. Brewin, Philip J. Bresnahan, Tyler Cyronak

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Nearshore coastal waters are highly dynamic in both space and time. They can be difficult to sample using conventional methods due to their shallow depth, tidal variability, and the presence of breaking waves. High resolution satellite sensors can be used to provide synoptic views of Surface Temperature (ST), but the performance of such ST products in the nearshore zone is poorly understood. Close to the shoreline, the ST pixels can be influenced by mixed composition of water and land, as a result of the sensor’s spatial resolution. This can cause thermal adjacency effects due to the highly different diurnal temperature …

A Coral Spawning Calendar For Sesoko Station, Okinawa, Japan, Andrew H. Baird, Alasdair J. Edwards, James R. Guest, Saki Harii, Masayuki Hatta, Liam Lachs, Hanaka Mera, Frederic Sinniger, David Abrego, Or Ben-Zvi, Omri Bronstein, Patrick C. Cabaitan, Vivian R. Cumbo, Gal Eyal, Lee Eyal-Shaham, Bar Feldman, Joana Figueiredo, Jean-François Flot, Mila Grinblat, Andrew Heyward, Michio Hidaka, Mamiko Hirose, Akira Iguchi, Naoko Isomura, Robert A. Kinzie, Seiya Kitanobo, Alyson Kuba, Oren Levy, Yossi Loya, Takuma Mezaki, Amin R. Mohamed, Masaya Morita, Satoshi Nojima, Yoko Nozawa, Rian Prasetia, Eneour Puill-Stephan, Catalina Ramirez-Portilla, Hanna Rapuano, Yaeli Rosenberg, Yusuke Sakai, Kazuhiko Sakai, Tom Shlesinger, Tullia I. Terraneo, Irina Yakovleva, Hiromi H. Yamamoto, Kiyoshi Yamazato

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Sesoko Station, Okinawa, has been the site of many significant advances in coral reproductive research and it continues to be a preferred destination for both Japanese and international researchers. Consequently, there are decades of spawning observations, which we present and explore here with the aim of making it easier to predict when species spawn at Sesoko Station. The data include over 700 spawning observations from 87 species of reef-building hermatypic corals. Almost all spawning occurred between dusk and dawn, with most spawning activity concentrated in the 2 to 4 hours after sunset. Some phylogenetic patterns were evident: most Acropora species …

Peruvian Fur Seals As Archivists Of El Niño Southern Oscillation Effects, Mickie Rae Edwards, Susana Cardenas-Alayza, Michael Adkesson, Mya Daniels-Abdulahad, Amy Hirons

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Peru’s coastal waters are characterized by significant environmental fluctuation due to periodic El Niño- La Niña- Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. This variability results in ecosystem-wide food web changes which are reflected in the tissues of the Peruvian fur seal (Arctocephalus australis). Stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) in Peruvian fur seal vibrissae (whiskers) are used to infer temporal primary production and dietary variations in individuals. Sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) recordings from the Niño 1+2 Index region captured corresponding ENSO conditions. Fluctuations in δ¹⁵N values were correlated to SSTA records, indicating that …

Temporal Baseline Of Essential And Non-Essential Elements Recorded In Baleen Of Western Arctic Bowhead Whale (Balaena Mysticetus), Samantha Shore, Dimitri Giarikos, Lawrence K. Duffy, Mickie Rae Edwards, Amy Hirons

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

This study established the first baseline of changing elemental concentrations in bowhead whale baleen over time (1958–1999). From previously published stable isotope data, year, season (summer or winter), and location (Beaufort or Bering/Chukchi seas) were attributed to each sample. Thirteen elements (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn) in baleen from nine subsistence-harvested bowhead whales (n = 138) were detected. Al, Cu, and Fe were the highest concentrations while Cd and V were among the lowest. Our data supports absorption as the main route of exposure to environmental elements rather than biomagnification due to …

Climate Process Team: Improvement Of Ocean Component Of Noaa Climate Forecast System Relevant To Madden-Julian Oscillation Simulations, Toshiaki Shinoda, Suyang Pei, Wanqiu Wang, Joshua X. Fu, Ren-Chieh Lien, Hyodae Seo, Alexander Soloviev

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Given the increasing attention in forecasting weather and climate on the subseasonal time scale in recent years, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced to support Climate Process Teams (CPTs) which aim to improve the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) prediction by NOAA’s global forecasting models. Our team supported by this CPT program focuses primarily on the improvement of upper ocean mixing parameterization and air-sea fluxes in the NOAA Climate Forecast System (CFS). Major improvement includes the increase of the vertical resolution in the upper ocean and the implementation of General Ocean Turbulence Model (GOTM) in CFS. In addition to existing mixing …

Using Ecological Diversity Analyses To Characterize The Availability Of Healthy Food And Socio-Economic Food Deserts, Annie Goyanes, J. Matthew Hoch

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

“Food deserts” are usually defined as geographic areas without local access to fresh, healthy food. We used community ecology statistics in supermarkets to quantify the availability of healthy food and to potentially identify food deserts as areas without a diverse selection of food, rather than a binary as to whether fresh food is present or not. We test whether produce diversity is correlated with neighborhood income or demographics. Abundance and diversity of fresh produce was quantified in supermarkets in Broward County, Florida, USA. Neighborhood income level and racial/ethnic makeup were retrieved from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey. Although …

Megafauna Of The German Exploration Licence Area For Seafloor Massive Sulphides Along The Central And South East Indian Ridge (Indian Ocean), Klaas Gerdes, Terue Cristina Kihara, Pedro Martínez Arbizu, Thomas Kuhn, Ulrich Schwarz-Schampera, Christopher L. Mah, Jon L. Norenburg, Thomas D. Linley, Kate Shalaeva, Enrique Macpherson, Dennis Gordon, Sabine Stöhr, Charles G. Messing, Simon Bober, Theresa Guggolz, Magdalini Christodoulou, Andrey Gebruk, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Andreas Kroh, Karen Sanamyan, Kathrin Bolstad, Leon Hoffman, Andrew J. Gooday, Tina Molodtsova

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background

The growing interest in mineral resources of the deep sea, such as seafloor massive sulphide deposits, has led to an increasing number of exploration licences issued by the International Seabed Authority. In the Indian Ocean, four licence areas exist, resulting in an increasing number of new hydrothermal vent fields and the discovery of new species. Most studies focus on active venting areas including their ecology, but the non-vent megafauna of the Central Indian Ridge and South East Indian Ridge remains poorly known.

In the framework of the Indian Ocean Exploration project in the German license area for seafloor massive …

Metabolomics Of Healthy And Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Affected Montastraea Cavernosa Corals, Jessica M. Deutsch, Olakunle A. Jaiyesimi, Kelly A. Pitts, Jay Houk, Blake Ushijima, Brian K. Walker, Valerie J. Paul, Neha Garg

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Stony coral tissue loss disease, first observed in Florida in 2014, has now spread along the entire Florida Reef Tract and on reefs in many Caribbean countries. The disease affects a variety of coral species with differential outcomes, and in many instances results in whole-colony mortality. We employed untargeted metabolomic profiling of Montastraea cavernosa corals affected by stony coral tissue loss disease to identify metabolic markers of disease. Herein, extracts from apparently healthy, diseased, and recovered Montastraea cavernosa collected at a reef site near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida were subjected to liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Unsupervised principal component analysis reveals wide …

The Design, Production And Validation Of The Biological And Structural Performance Of An Ecologically Engineered Concrete Block Mattress – A Nature Inclusive Design For Shoreline And Offshore Construction, Ido Sella, T. Hadary, A. Rella, Bernhard Riegl, Denise Swack, S. Perkol-Finkel

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Over the past decade, the scientific community has studied, experimented, and published a notable body of literature on ecological enhancement of coastal and marine infrastructure (CMI). The Nature-Inclusive Design (NID) approach refers to methods and technologies that can be integrated into the design and construction of CMI to create suitable habitat for native species (or communities) whose natural habitat has been degraded or reduced. To examine the compliance of new environmentally sensitive technologies with structural requirements and fiscal restraints, while providing ecosystem and habitat value, this paper presents the findings of a structural-economical-biological analysis of ecologically engineered Articulated Concrete Block …

Stable Isotopes Used To Infer Trophic Position Of Green Turtles (Chelonia Mydas) From Dry Tortugas National Park, Gulf Of Mexico, United States, David C. Roche, Michael S. Cherkiss, Brian J. Smith, Derek A. Burkholder, Kristen M. Hart

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Evaluating resource use patterns for imperiled species is critical for understanding what supports their populations. Here we established stable isotope (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) values for the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) population found within the boundaries of Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO), south Florida, USA. There is little gene flow between turtles sampled at DRTO and in other rookeries in Florida, underscoring the need to study this distinct population. Between 2008 and 2015 we collected multiple sample types (skin [homogenized epidermis/dermis], whole blood, red blood cells, plasma, carapace) from 151 unique green turtles, including …

Short- And Long-Term Effectiveness Of Coral Disease Treatments, Karen L. Neely, Colin P. Shea, Kevin A. Macaulay, Emily K. Hower, Michelle A. Dobler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Since 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has led to large-scale mortality of over 20 coral species throughout the Florida Reef Tract. In 2019, in-water disease intervention strategies were implemented to treat affected corals. Two treatment strategies were employed: (1) topical application of an amoxicillin paste directly to disease margins, and (2) application of a chlorinated epoxy to disease margins as well as an adjacent “disease break” trench. Effectiveness of treatments on 2,379 lesions from 725 corals representing five species was evaluated using mixed effects logistic regression models which demonstrated substantially greater effectiveness of amoxicillin compared to chlorine-treated lesions …

Correction To: Latitudinal Variation In Monthly-Scale Reproductive Synchrony Among Acropora Coral Assemblages In The Indo-Pacific, Jessica Bouwmeester, Alasdair J. Edwards, James R. Guest, Andrew G. Bauman, Michael L. Berumen, Andrew H. Baird

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Saving The Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue Of Florida’S Pillar Corals, Karen L. Neely, Cynthia L. Lewis, Keri O’Neil, Cheryl M. Woodley, Jennifer Moore, Zach Ransom, Amelia Moura, Ken Nedimyer, David Vaughan

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

As stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) swept through the Florida Reef Tract, one of the most severely impacted species was the iconic pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus. As the species’ population experienced a precipitous decline, a collaborative rescue project collected colony fragments for safekeeping at onshore and offshore nursery facilities. Between 2015 and 2019, a total of 574 fragments representing 128 genotypes were collected. These are currently dispersed among five facilities where they continue to provide opportunities to (1) refine best husbandry practices for D. cylindrus, (2) develop treatment options for SCTLD that have been adapted for use …

Temperature Stress And Disease Drives The Extirpation Of The Threatened Pillar Coral, Dendrogyra Cylindrus, In Southeast Florida, Nicholas P. Jones, Lystina Kabay, Kathleen Semon Lunz, David S. Gilliam

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Rare species population dynamics can elucidate the resilience of an ecosystem. On coral reefs, climate change and local anthropogenic stressors are threatening stony coral persistence, increasing the need to assess vulnerable species locally. Here, we monitored the threatened pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, population in southeast Florida, USA, in relation to consecutive heat stress events in 2014 and 2015. In the fall of each year, D. cylindrus colonies bleached following intense thermal stress and by June 2020 all monitored colonies died from a white-syndrome type disease. This resulted in the ecological extinction of D. cylindrus in the Southeast Florida Coral …

Rapid Population Decline Of The Pillar Coral Dendrogyra Cylindrus Along The Florida Reef Tract, Karen L. Neely, Cynthia L. Lewis, Kathleen S. Lunz, Lystina Kabay

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Coral reefs worldwide are in a state of decline, but the population status and impacts of stressors for rare species are generally not well documented using broad-scale monitoring protocols. We fate-tracked all known colonies of the pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, on the Florida Reef Tract (FRT) from 2013 to 2020 to assess population condition and trend, and to document the relative impacts of chronic and acute stressors. Large average colony size, an absence of juveniles, and large geographic distances between genotypes suggest that the Florida D. cylindrus population has been reproductively extinct for decades. During the study period, low-intensity …

Exotic Brittle Star Interactions With Native Octocoral Epizoites: An Endemic Benthic Ctenophore In Peril?, Peter Glynn, Brian Coffman, Kyle Detloff, Joshua Dominguez, Philip Gilette, Nicholas Martinez, Nicolas Jones, Bernhard Riegl

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Widespread and large populations of the exotic eastern Pacific ophiuroid brittle star Opthiothela mirabilis now occur in southeastern Florida, extending the range of this recently introduced species from southern Brazil northward to the eastern Caribbean Sea and Florida. The Florida brittle stars, representing two lineages, are epibionts on shallow (3-18 m depth), tropical/subtropical plexaurid (e.g., Eunicea spp., Muricea elongata) and gorgoniid (Antillogorgia spp.) octocorals. The scope of this study includes recent distributional records of O. mirabilis in south Florida, field abundances in relation to the cohabiting endemic ctenophore Coeloplana waltoni, behavioral observations of the ophiuroid, ctenophore and …

Editorial: Deep Pelagic Ecosystem Dynamics In A Highly Impacted Water Column: The Gulf Of Mexico After Deepwater Horizon, Tracey Sutton, Kevin M. Boswell, Heather Bracken-Grissom, Jose V. Lopez, Michael Vecchione, Marsh Youngbluth

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The intermediate-sized midwater fauna (fishes, shrimps, and cephalopods; “micronekton” collectively) are dominant components of the pelagic ocean, which is by far the largest ecosystem type on Earth by several metrics (volume, organismal numbers, biomass, and productivity). Deep-pelagic micronekton, those animals residing in the water column below 200 m depth during the day, are the direct link between plankton and oceanic top predators, and through the linked processes of feeding and daily vertical migration facilitate one of Earth's most important ecosystem services to humans, carbon sequestration. Despite increasing recognition of this importance, a disconnect exists between stewardship and human impact; only …

Impacts Of Petroleum, Petroleum Components, And Dispersants On Organisms And Populations, Steven A. Murawski, Martin Grosell, Cynthia Smith, Tracey Sutton, Kenneth M. Halanych, Richard F. Shaw, Charles A. Wilson

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Following the Deepwater Horizon blowout, oil, degraded oil, oil mixed with dispersants, and management responses to the spill affected a variety of Gulf of Mexico organisms. This review provides examples of various documented impacts, common patterns, and trends across organisms and/or their environments, and discusses future implications as well as directions for future research. Organism effects are generally characterized as lethal and sublethal. Sublethal can be short term, long term, or permanent and multigenerational. We present individual examples of effects on behavioral response, olfaction, vision, cardiac function, and gene shift, based on research done in laboratories, mesocosm settings, and the …

State Of Satiation Partially Regulates The Dynamics Of Vertical Migration, Ryan P. Bos, Tracey Sutton, Tamara Frank

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Vertical migrations into shallower waters at night are beneficial for migrators as they reduce predation risk and allow migrators to encounter a higher density of prey. Nevertheless, ocean acoustics data and trawl data have shown that a portion of some vertically migrating populations remain at depth and do not migrate. One hypothesis for this phenomenon is the Hunger-Satiation hypothesis, which in part states that the non-migrating portion of the migrating species-assemblage refrains from migrating if they have full or partially full stomachs from daytime or nocturnal feeding. However, stomach fullness of the non-migrating subpopulation compared to the migrating portion has …