Marine Biology Commons^™

A Modelling Study Of The Influence Of Environment And Food Supply On Survival Of Crassostrea Gigas Larvae, Eileen E. Hofmann, Eric N. Powell, Eleanor A. Bochenek, John M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

A biochemically based model was developed to simulate the growth, development, and metamorphosis of larvae of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas). The unique characteristics of the model are that it: (1) defines larvae in terms of their protein, neutral lipid, polar lipid, carbohydrate, and ash content; (2) tracks weight separately from length to follow larval condition; and (3) includes genetic variation in growth efficiency and egg quality to better simulate cohort population dynamics. The model includes parameterizations for filtration, ingestion, and respiration, which determine larval growth rate, and processes controlling larval mortality and metamorphosis. Changes in larval tissue …

Lagrangian Modelling Studies Of Antarctic Krill (Euphausia Superba) Swarm Formation, Eileen E. Hofmann, A. G. Edward Haskell, John M. Klinck, Cathy M. Lascara

CCPO Publications

A two-dimensional Lagrangian particle model was developed to examine the spatial distribution of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). The time-dependent location of particles, which represent krill individuals, is determined by random diffusion, foraging activity, and movement induced by the presence of neighbours. Foraging activity is based on prescribed food conditions and is such that krill swim slower and turn more frequently in areas of high food concentration. The presence or absence of neighbours either disperses krill, if the local concentrations become too dense, or coalesces krill, if concentrations become too dilute, respectively. Predation on krill is included and affects …

Characterization Of Association Patterns Of Coastal Migratory Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops Truncatus, In The Nearshore Waters Of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Holly Fearnbach

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, commonly occur in fission-fusion social systems. For this study, I analyzed photo-identification data from 1994 to 1999 to describe association patterns of bottlenose dolphins in the nearshore waters of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Bottlenose dolphins are present seasonally (late April until early November) in these waters and individuals are considered to be members of the North Atlantic coastal migratory stock. I selected 78 individuals for detailed analyses from the 972 dolphins identified in the study area. Those chosen as “select” dolphins had been sighted at least five times in three of the six study years; all …

Interactive Regulation Of Dissolved Copper Toxicity By An Estuarine Microbial Community, Christina L. Dryden, Andrew S. Gordon, John R. Donat

OES Faculty Publications

Cultured marine microorganisms under copper stress produce extracellular compounds having a high affinity for copper (copper-complexing ligands). These ligands are similar in binding strength to those found in natural waters, but few studies have examined the relationship between copper, copper-complexing ligand concentrations, and natural microbial populations. A series of in situ experiments in the Elizabeth River, Virginia, revealed that an intact estuarine microbial community responded to copper stress by production of extracellular, high-affinity copper-complexing ligands. The rate of ligand production was dependent on copper concentration and resulted in a reduction of the concentration of free cupric ions, Cu²⁺, …

Pisces (Fishes): Amblyopsidae, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Temporary Par Reduction On The Seagrass Amphibolis Griffithii (Black) Den Hartog, Paul R. Mackey

Theses : Honours

Declines in seagrass health and distribution are commonly caused through human induced reductions in the availability of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). These reductions can result from a variety of human-induced perturbations, including channel dredging. The impetus for the research was driven by the broad-scale degradation of the ecologically important southern-Australian endemic seagrass Amphibolis griffithii (Black) den Hartog in Champion Bay, Geraldton, Western Australia. The study investigated the affects of reduced PAR on A. griffithii and identified responses that may be useful in developing management triggers to minimise the impact of PAR limitation events. The study was carried out during late …

The Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins In Marine Environment Determined Using Liquid Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry Techniques, Patricia Fernández Puente

Theses

A highly specific and sensitive LC-MS/MS analytical method was developed and validated using gradient reversed phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC- MS/MS), interfaced using turbo-assisted electrospray ionisation (ESI) in negative mode for the analysis of DSP (okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxins (DTXs) and pectenotoxins (PTXs)) toxins in a variety of samples. There were no matrix effects present, proved by the good reproducibility achieved and the linearity of the calibration curves (r" > 0.999) in spiked mussel samples and standards. A DSP toxin profile study was conducted with bulk phytoplankton and mussels samples from the west coast of Ireland. All the samples were …

Recent Occurrence Of The Smalltooth Sawfish, Pristis Pectinata (Elasmobranchiomorphi: Pristidae), In Florida Bay And The Florida Keys, With Comments On Sawfish Ecology, Gregg R. Poulakis, Jason C. Seitz

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Encounters with the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, in Florida Bay and the Florida Keys were documented by soliciting information from anyone who might have encountered them in these areas. Each person who had information was asked the same series of questions to determine the date and location of the encounter, estimated total length (ETL), and habitat characteristics. A total of 1,632 sawfish encounters occurring between 1990 and 2002 were reported to us (89% occurred between 1998 and 2002). Sawfish were encountered during the day and night. Most sawfish were probably immature when encountered. The smallest sawfish (<1 m ETE) were found in <2.4 m of water and virtually all larger immature sawfish (1.1-2.9 m ETE) were found in <10 m of water. The largest sawfish (>3 m ETE) …

Phytoplankton Composition Within The Tidal Freshwater-Oligohaline Regions Of The Rappahannock And Pamunkey Rivers In Virginia, Harold G. Marshall, Lubomira Burchardt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Rappahannock River is a major river system across north central Virginia prior to entering the Chesapeake Bay. In contrast, the Pamunkey River is smaller in size and joins the Mattoponi River to form the York River, which flows parallel to the Rappahannock before it also flows into Chesapeake Bay. A unique mixing area for both flora and environmental conditions exists in the tidal freshwater-oligohaline region of both rivers. This is a dynamic mixing section where freshwater and estuarine species are subject to the interaction of river flow and daily tidal rhythms. The phytoplankton composition in this region of the …

Summary Of Coastal And Estuarine Monitoring Programs In New Hampshire (2004), Trowbridge, P, Prep

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) compiles data from many coastal and estuarine monitoring programs to assess the status and trends of environmental indicators in the Great Bay and Hampton/Seabrook Harbor. The full list of NHEP environmental indicators has been published in the NHEP Monitoring Plan. http://www.state.nh.us/nhep/publications/pdf/nhepmonitoringplan-nhep-04.pdf The following catalog is a summary of the coastal and estuarine monitoring programs that provide data for NHEP indicators or for State water quality assessments. This list is limited to long-term monitoring programs that do not have an end date.

Great Bay Coast Watch: A Citizen Water Monitoring Program Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Manual, 2004, B Sharon Meeker, Ann S. Reid, Jeff Schloss, Anita Hayden, Amber Perkins, Steve Cooper

PREP Reports & Publications

The Great Bay Coast Watch is citizen volunteers, working within the UNH Cooperative Extension/NH Sea Grant Program, protecting the long-term health and natural resources of New Hampshire’s coastal waters and estuarine systems through monitoring and education projects.

The purpose of this document is to present step-by-step instructions for conducting water quality testing in support of the Great Bay Coast Watch (GBCW).

Seasonal Occurrence Of Reef-Related Medusae (Cnidaria) In The Western Caribbean Sea, Gloria Ramos, Lourdes Segura-Puertas

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Seasonal fluctuations in composition and abundance of medusae collected in a reef lagoon of the Mexican Caribbean were analyzed. Plankton samples and hydrological data were taken monthly from January to September 1994 at 2 stations: coastal and near-reef. The highest densities of medusae were recorded in March (17,687 ind/100 m³) and August (2,433 ind/100 m³) at the coastal station. Medusae were less abundant at the nearreef station, but diversity indices were higher in comparison to the coastal station. Twenty-five species (24 hydroidomedusae and 1 scyphomedusa) were identified, with Linuche unguiculata (Swartz, 1788) and Eirene lactea (Mayer, …

A New Species Of Protanaissus Sieg, 1982 (Crustacea: Tanaidacea: Peracarida), From South Florida, Kim Larsen, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A new nototanaid species, Protanaissus floridensis, is described from Biscayne Bay in southeastern Florida. Specimens were collected at a depth of 7 m in muddy sand substrata with associated aquatic vegetation (Thalassia testudinum). Protanaissus floridensis, which represents only the 4th species referable to the genus, is the first species of Protanaissus Sieg, 1982, known from the northern hemisphere. The new species is distinguished from the other 3 species of Protanaissus by 1) the dactylus of pereopod 1 shorter than combined length of propodus and carpus, 2) the dactylus of the cheliped with proximal spine on inner …

Introduction To Special Section On Research Activities At The Iztacala Campus Of The Universidad Nacional Autónoma De México, México, Mark S. Peterson, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

In October 2002, we had the opportunity to initiate a long-term collaboration with colleagues from the Iztacala campus of the Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM), whose research interests focus on coastal and nearshore fishes and decapod crustaceans of Veracruz state, Mexico. This is an undergraduate campus with a strong Biology department whose faculty also maintain research programs despite limited sources of funding and a heavy teaching load. During the course of our initial visit, we realized that there is a wealth of unpublished undergraduate student research on understudied fish species.

Overview Of Study Areas And Unam-Iztacala Student Research, Jonathan Franco-Lopez, Jose Antonio Martinez-Perez

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The State of Veracruz is located on the east coast of Mexico and consists of many shallow marine systems such as estuaries and coastal lagoons. These estuarine systems are ecological sites of great importance due to the interactions that occur between the intertidal zones and adjacent areas. This importance is reflected in the variety of natural components present in these sites as well as the large number of species that depend on this aquatic zone, such as birds, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans and fishes. Many of the crustaceans and fishes are consumed by the local inhabitants and distributed in commercial areas …

Trophic Comparison Of Two Species Of Needlefish (Belonidae) In The Alvarado Lagoonal System, Veracruz, Mexico, Daniel Arceo-Carranza, Jonathan Franco-Lopez, Gretchen L. Waggy, Rafael Chavez-Lopez

Gulf and Caribbean Research

We compared the diets of Atlantic needlefish, Strongylura marina, and redfin needlefish, Strongylura notata, in the Alvarado lagoonal system, Veracruz, Mexico, and analyzed diet breadth and trophic overlap between the species. All fishes were collected monthly from June 2000 to July 2001 at twelve sampling stations. A total of 74 intestinal tracts from S. marina were analyzed. The diet of S. marina consisted of 25 prey types with fish being the dominate prey. In eighty-nine digestive tracts examined from S. notata, the diet consisted of 29 prey types with the dominant prey including fishes, penaeid shrimp, polychaetes, …

Reproductive Structures And Early Life History Of The Gulf Toadfish, Opsanus Beta, In The Tecolutla Estuary, Veracruz, Mexico, Alfredo Gallardo-Torres, Jose Antonio Martinez-Perez, Brian J. Lezina

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Although the Gulf toadfish, Opsanus beta, is an abundant member of the nearshore Gulf of Mexico ichthyofaunal assemblage, little information exists regarding the ecology of the species, especially for southern Gulf of Mexico populations. We added to the existing knowledge of this species by describing the reproductive structures and examining the early life history of this species in the Tecolutla estuary, Mexico. Macro- and microscopic examination of 7 males showed spermatogenesis to be similar to other teleost species except for the occurrence of biflagellate spermatozoa. Histological examination of the male accessory gland showed 3 tissue layers, but their functions …

Range Extensions And Review Of The Caprellid Amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Caprellidae) From The Shallow, Coastal Waters From The Suwanee River, Florida, To Port Aransas, Texas, With An Illustrated Key, John M. Foster, Brent P. Thoma, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Eight species of the amphipod family Caprellidae sensu Myers and Lowry, 2003 are currently known to occur in the shallow, near shore waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), from the Suwannee River, Florida, to Port Aransas, Texas, and to depths of 10 m. They include: Phtisica marina, Hemiaegina minuta, Paracaprella pusilla, Paracaprella tenuis, Deutella incerta, Caprella equilibra, Caprella penantis, and Caprella scaura. Another species, Caprella andreae, is also suspected to occur in this region due to its close association with sea turtles, which nest on the sand beaches of …

A New Pathogenic Virus In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus From The Florida Keys, Jeffrey D. Shields, Donald C. Behringer Jr.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A pathogenic virus was diagnosed from juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters Panulirus argus from the Florida Keys. Moribund lobsters had characteristically milky hemolymph that did not clot. Altered hyalinocytes and semigranulocytes, but not granulocytes, were observed with light microscopy. Infected hemocytes had emarginated, condensed chromatin, hypertrophied nuclei and faint eosinophilic Cowdry-type-A inclusions. In some cases, infected cells were observed in soft connective tissues. With electron microscopy, unenveloped, nonoccluded, icosahedral virions (182 +/- 9 nm SD) were diffusely spread around the inner periphery of the nuclear envelope. Virions also occurred in loose aggregates in the cytoplasm or were free in the hemolymph. …

Advection, Krill, And Antarctic Marine Ecosystems, Eileen E. Hofmann, Eugene J. Murphy

CCPO Publications

Advective processes are recognized as being important in structuring and maintaining marine ecosystems. In the Southern Ocean advective effects are perhaps most clearly observed because the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) provides a connection between most parts of the system, including open ocean and continental shelf regions. The ACC also provides a mechanism for large-scale transport of plankton, such as Antarctic krill (Euphousia superba Dana), which is an important component of the Southern Ocean food web. This overview provides a summary of recent observational and modelling results that consider the importance of advection to the Southern Ocean ecosystem and, in particular, …

Influence Of Short-Term Variations In Food On Survival Of Crassotrea Gigas Larvae: A Modeling Study, Eric N. Powell, Eleanor A, Bochenek, John M. Klinck, Eileen E. Hofmann

OES Faculty Publications

A biochemically-based model was developed to simulate the growth, development, and metamorphosis of larvae of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. The model defines larvae in terms of their protein, lipid, carbohydrate, and ash content and includes variation in growth efficiency and egg quality to better simulate cohort population dynamics. Changes in tissue composition occur as the larva grows and in response to the biochemical composition of the food. The premise behind this modeling study was that certain periods of larval life are more critical than others with respect to the availability of food and that food quality is as …

Light Dependence Of Selenium Uptake By Phytoplankton And Implications For Predicting Selenium Incorporation Into Food Webs, Stephen B. Baines, Nicholas S. Fisher, Martina A. Doblin, Gregory A. Cutter, Lynda S. Cutter, Brian Cole

OES Faculty Publications

The potentially toxic element selenium is first concentrated from solution to a large but highly variable degree by algae and bacteria before being passed on to consumers. The large loads of abiotic and detrital suspended particles often present in rivers and estuaries may obscure spatial and temporal patterns in Se concentrations at the base of the food web. We used radiotracers to estimate uptake of both selenite (Se(IV)) and C by intact plankton communities at two sites in the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta. Our goals were to determine (1) whether C and Se(IV) uptake were coupled, (2) the role of …

Analytical Intercomparison Between Flow Injection-Chemiluminescence And Flow Injection-Spectrophotometry For The Determination Of Picomolar Concentrations Of Iron In Seawater, Andrew R. Bowie, Peter N. Sedwick, Paul J. Worsfold

OES Faculty Publications

A lab- and ship-based analytical intercomparison of two flow injection methods for the determination of iron in seawater was conducted, using three different sets of seawater samples collected from the Southern Ocean and South Atlantic. In one exercise, iron was determined in three different size-fractions (< 0.03 &μm, < 0.4 μm, and unfiltered) in an effort to better characterize the operational nature of each analytical technique with respect to filter size. Measured Fe concentrations were in the range 0.19 to 1.19 nM using flow injection with luminol chemiluminescence detection (FI-CL), and 0.07 to 1.54 nM using flow injection with catalytic spectrophotometric detection with N, N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride (FI-DPD). The arithmetic mean for the FI-CL method was higher (by 0.09 nM) than the FI-DPD method for dissolved (< 0.4 μm) Fe, a difference that is comparable to the analytical blanks, which were as high as 0.13 nM ( CL) and 0.09 nM (DPD). There was generally good agreement between the FI-CL determinations for the < 0.03 μm size fraction and the FI-DPD determinations for the < 0.4 μm size fraction in freshly collected samples. Differences in total-dissolvable ( unfiltered) Fe concentrations determined by the two FI methods were more variable, reflecting the added complexity associated with the analysis of partially digested particulate material in these samples. Overall, however, the FI-CL determinations were significantly (P = 0.05) lower than the FI-DPD determinations for the unfiltered samples. Our results suggest that the observed, systematic inter-method differences reflect measurement of different physicochemical fractions of Fe present in seawater, such that colloidal and/or organic iron species are better determined by the FI-CL method than the FI-DPD method. This idea is supported by our observation that inter-method differences were largest for freshly collected acidified seawater, which suggests extended storage (>6 months) of acidified samples as a possible protocol for the determination of dissolved iron in seawater.

Age And Growth Of Scotia Sea Icefish, Chaenocephalus Aceratus, From The South Shetland Islands, M. La Mesa, J. Ashford, E. Larson, M. Vacchi

OES Faculty Publications

Samples of Chaenocephalus aceratus (Lönnberg) were collected during a trawl survey carried out around the South Shetland Islands in January–February 2002. Fish were caught by commercial bottom trawl fishing down to 500 m depth, using a stratified randomized sampling design. As observed in other recent surveys within the same area, C. aceratus represented one of the predominant species. Overall, 357 specimens ranging from 13 and 67 cm (TL) were selected for the present study. Ages were estimated by counting annuli present in the sagittal otoliths, exposed by grinding and polishing along their sagittal plane. To estimate the precision of age …

Dinitrogen Fixation And Release Of Ammonium And Dissolved Organic Nitrogen By Trichodesmium Ims101, Margaret R. Mulholland, Deborah A. Bronk, Douglas G. Capone

OES Faculty Publications

Two methods used to measure dinitrogen (N₂) fixation (acetylene reduction and ¹⁵N₂ uptake) often result in different N₂ fixation rates. Part of the discrepancy may arise from the observation that Trichodesmium can release a fraction of their recently fixed N₂ as dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and/or ammonium (NH4 ⁺). To resolve outstanding issues regarding N₂ fixation and the production of dissolved combined nitrogen (N) by Trichodesmium, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of N₂ fixation and the production of DON and NH₄⁺ in cultures of Trichodesmium IMS101. We performed …

Physical Forcing Of Phytoplankton Community Structure And Primary Production In Continental Shelf Waters Of The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Barbara B. Prézelin, Eileen E. Hofmann, Mark Moline, John M. Klinck

OES Faculty Publications

Analyses of a multidisciplinary data set, collected in continental shelf waters of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) during austral summer of January 1993, identified a previously unrecognized forcing mechanism that sets up a physical and chemical structure that supports and assures site-specific diatom-dominated communities and enhanced biological production (Prézelin et al., 2000). This forcing is active when the southern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) flows along the shelf edge, thereby facilitating onshelf bottom intrusions of nutrient-rich Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW), which then is upwelled or mixed into the upper water column. At times or locations where UCDW …

Does Antarctic Krill Employ Body Shrinkage As An Overwintering Strategy?, Se-Jong Ju, H. Rodger Harvey, H. C. Shinn, Y. Kim, S. H. Kang

OES Faculty Publications

To determine if Antarctic krill employ body shrinkage as one of its overwintering mechanisms in the field, Euphausia superba and Euphausia crystallorophias were collected during fall and winter in and around Marguerite Bay through US Southern Ocean GLOBEC field programs during fall and winter 2001 and 2002. The relationships between the body length and weight of both krill species were exponentially correlated with no significant differences between the two species (p>0.05). The ratio between eye diameter and body length of individual krill was examined in an expectation that it could be used as an indicator of the body shrinkage …

Black Carbon In Estuarine And Coastal Ocean Dissolved Organic Matter, Antonio Mannino, H. Rodger Harvey

OES Faculty Publications

We measured black carbon (BC) in ultrafiltered, high-molecular weight dissolved organic matter (UDOM) in surface waters of Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean (U.S.A.) to investigate the importance of riverine and estuarine dissolved organic matter (DOM) as a source of BC to the ocean. BC was 5-72% of UDOM-C (27 ± 17%), which corresponds to 8.9 ± 6.5% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), with higher values in the heavily urbanized midbay region of the Delaware Estuary and lower yields in the river and coastal ocean. The spatial and seasonal distributions of BC along the salinity gradient of …

Relevant Scales In Zooplankton Ecology: Distribution, Feeding, And Reproduction Of The Copepod Acartia Hudsonica In Response To Thin Layers Of The Diatom Skeletonema Costatum, Alexander B. Bochdansky, Stephen M. Bollens

OES Faculty Publications

We investigated the interaction of the copepod Acartia hudsonica in relation to thin layers of the diatom Skeletonema costatum. Thin layers have recently received much attention, since they are common and persistent features in the water column, often overlooked by traditional sampling methods. Their frequent abundance in coastal oceans and the high biomass associated with them has led to the assumption that they are important grazing sites of calanoid copepods. We employed 2-m tall tower tanks that allowed us to simulate thin layers. Three variables representative of three time scales were considered: the distribution of copepods in the tanks …

Morphology Predicts Suction Feeding Performance In Centrarchid Fishes, Andrew M. Carroll, Peter C. Wainwright, Stephen H. Huskey, David C. Collar, Ralph G. Turingan

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Suction feeding fish differ in their capacity to generate subambient pressure while feeding, and these differences appear to relate to morphological variation. We developed a morphological model of force transmission in the fish head and parameterized it with measurements from individual fish. The model was applied to 45 individuals from five species of centrarchid fishes: Lepomis macrochirus, Lepomis punctatus, Lepomis microlophus, Micropterus salmoides and Pomoxis nigromaculatus. Measurements of epaxial cross-sectional area, epaxial moment arm, buccal area and buccal area moment arm were combined to estimate pressure generation capacity for individual fish. This estimation was correlated with pressure measured in fish …