Marine Biology Commons^™

A Comparison Of Reef Fish Assemblages On The East And West Sides Of Central Eleuthera, Bahamas, Robert B. Patterson, Lance K. B. Jordan, David R. Bryan, Richard E. Spieler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Eleuthera is a long, narrow crescent-shaped Atlantic margin island on the eastern extremity of the Great Bahama Bank in the central Bahamas. It is 144 km long and less than 5 km at its greatest width. Fringing reefs with substantial vertical relief (to 5 m in depths of 6 m) are found approximately 500 m offshore on the eastern side of the island facing the Atlantic Ocean. The western side of the island has stretches of rock cliffs and large fallen boulders providing substrate with similar vertical relief. No open passes exist between the two sides of the island and …

Implications Of Natural Variation Of Fish Assemblages To Coral Reef Management, Lance K. B. Jordan, Richard E. Spieler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

In order to evaluate the impact of a planned beach renourishment project we obtained baseline data on hardbottom coral reef fish assemblages adjacent to the beach. During the summers of 2001 and 2003 we conducted 92 and 89 visual transect-counts, respectively, each 30x2x1m. Fish were recorded by species, abundance, and size class. Fish exhibited a 62.8% decrease in abundance between the 2001 and 2003 surveys. Juvenile Haemulon spp. (<5cm total length, TL) alone decreased 72.8% in abundance and, due to their predominance, primarily drove the decrease seen for total abundance. The second most abundant species Halichoeres bivittatus, also primarily juveniles (<5cm TL), contributed 8% of the total abundance and also showed a significant decrease between the 2001 and 2003 surveys. Even after removal of the two most abundant taxa, total abundance remained significantly lower the second survey year, suggesting the possibility of a community-wide decrease in abundance. However, the decrease between years was mainly due to a decrease in juveniles. When fish less than 5cm TL were removed from the dataset, no significant difference in abundance between years was detected. Species richness also declined significantly with fewer species noted in 2003 and eight fewer total species between years. Nonetheless, multivariate examination of assemblage structure did not indicate a difference between years. These results have important implications for determining potential anthropogenic change in fish assemblages (e.g. caused by beach renourishment).

2006 State Of The Estuaries Report, New Hampshire Estuaries Project

PREP Reports & Publications

The 2006 State of the Estuaries Report includes twelve indicators intended to report on the health and environmental quality of New Hampshire’s estuaries.The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) developed and now implements a Monitoring Plan to track environmental indicators, inform management decisions, and report on environmental progress and status. The Monitoring Plan describes the methods and data for 34 indicators used to determine if the environmental goals and objectives of the Management Plan are being met. For each indicator, the Monitoring Plan defines the monitoring objective, management goal, data quality objectives, data analysis and statistical methods, and data sources. Just …

Supplemental Community Inserts To The 2006 State Of The Estuaries Report, Prep

PREP Reports & Publications

No abstract provided.

State Of Our Estuaries 2006, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

The 2006 State of the Estuaries Report includes twelve indicators intended to report on the health and environmental quality of New Hampshire’s estuaries. The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) developed and now implements a Monitoring Plan to track environmental indicators, inform management decisions, and report on environmental progress and status. The Monitoring Plan describes the methods and data for 34 indicators used to determine if the environmental goals and objectives of the Management Plan are being met. For each indicator, the Monitoring Plan defines the monitoring objective, management goal, data quality objectives, data analysis and statistical methods, and data sources. …

Differential Expression Of Immune Response Genes In Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias Jubatus): An Indicator Of Ecosystem Health?, Lizabeth Bowen, Brian Aldridge, Kimberlee Beckmen, Tom Gelatt, Lorrie Rea, Kathy Burek, Ken Pitcher, Jeffrey L. Stott

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Characterization of the polygenic and polymorphic features of the Steller sea lion major histocompatibility complex (MHC) provides an ideal window for evaluating immunologic vigor of the population and identifying emergence of new genotypes that reflect ecosystem pressures. MHC genotyping can be used to measure the potential immunologic vigor of a population. However, since ecosystem-induced changes to MHC genotype can be slow to emerge, measurement of differential expression of these genes can potentially provide real-time evidence of immunologic perturbations. MHC DRB genes were cloned and sequenced using peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes derived from 10 Steller sea lions from southeast Alaska, Prince …

Sponges Of Navassa, Janie L. Wulff, Timothy D. Swain

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

This photographic guide was compiled from data collected during the 2004 NOAA survey of the coral reefs of Navassa and does not represent a comprehensive list of all Porifera in Navassa. Specifically missing are taxa that inhabit caves, overhangs, vertical walls; species that live in the interstices of the reef framework; and species found at depths greater than 50 meters. Specimens were identified by Janie Wulff and Timothy Swain of Florida State University using a combination of digital photography, field observations, and microscopic examination of siliceous spicules. Genera are organized into higher taxa according to Systema Porifera, Hooper & van …

Effects Associated With Dredging For Beach Renourishments On Reef Fish Communities Offshore Of Miami-Dade County, Florida:, Christian L. Avila

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Beach erosion is an ongoing problem in South Florida. Beach replenishment has been the primary means of maintaining these economically important beaches, and dredging offshore sand deposits, adjacent to reef tracts, has been the pervasive method since the 1970's. Over the past ten years, greater attention has been paid to potential impacts dredging can have on adjacent reef communities, which has led to increased monitoring efforts. With the increase in monitoring efforts, scope has expanded from a strict focus on the benthic community to include the fish communities. This study evaluates the effects of dredging on reef fish communities associated …

Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, Fl 2006 Report, Curtis M. Burney, Stefanie Ouellette

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Since 1978, the Broward County Environmental Protection Department (BCEPD) has provided for the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtle species within its area of responsibility. Broward County is within the normal nesting areas of three species of sea turtles: the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). The loggerhead is listed as a threatened species, while the green and leatherback are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, 1973, and Chapter 370, F.S.

Since these statutes strictly forbid any disturbance …

Characterization Of 35 Microsatellite Loci In The Pacific Lion-Paw Scallop (Nodipecten Subnodosus) And Their Cross-Species Amplification In Four Other Scallops Of The Pectinidae Family, Ana M. Ibarra, Jessica Lynn Petersen, Thomas R. Famula, Bernie May

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Four microsatellite-enriched DNA libraries yielded 35 microsatellite loci from 100 primer pairs designed for Pacific lion-paw scallop, Nodipecten subnodosus. The number of alleles ranged from four to 28. Three of the 35 loci were not in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium was found for one pair of loci. These microsatellites will be used to analyze the population structure of the species in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula to propose management strategies for scallop aquaculture development. Twenty-six primer pairs cross-amplified in Nodipecten nodosus, whereas none (Argopecten ventricosus) or few cross-amplified in the Argopecten species.

2006 Nhep Implementation Review, Prep

PREP Reports & Publications

No abstract provided.

Proceedings Of The Western Australian Dhufish Workshop 2004, Mark Pagano, Terry Fuller

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The Western Australian Dhufish Workshop 2004 was a joint project between Recfishwest and the Western Australian Department of Fisheries.

The workshop incorporated presentations from the Department of Fisheries, Recfishwest, the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council, Murdoch University and Challenger TAFE to showcase current knowledge relating to the iconic dhufish in Western Australia. The perspectives of a recreational fisher, a commercial wetline operator and a metropolitan charter boat operator were also presented.

Through information sharing and discussion the workshop provided a platform to better understand the fundamental issues that underpin current and future management arrangements for this valuable resource. Both commercial …

Evaluating The Biogeochemical Cycle Of Selenium In San Francisco Bay Through Modeling, Shannon L. Meseck, Gregory A. Cutter

OES Faculty Publications

A biogeochemical model was developed to simulate salinity, total suspended material, phytoplankton biomass, dissolved selenium concentrations (selenite, selenate, and organic selenide), and particulate selenium concentrations (selenite + selenate, elemental selenium, and organic selenide) in the San Francisco Bay estuary. Model-generated estuarine profiles of total dissolved selenium reproduced observed estuarine profiles at a confidence interval of 91- 99% for 8 different years under various environmental conditions. The model accurately reproduced the observed dissolved speciation at confidence intervals of 81-98% for selenite, 72-91% for selenate, and 60-96% for organic selenide. For particulate selenium, model-simulated estuarine profiles duplicated the observed behavior of total …

Dynamics Of Carbon Allocation In A Deep-Water Population Of The Deciduous Kelp Pleurophycus Gardeneri (Laminariales), Clare M. Dominik, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

Pleurophycus gardneri (Laminariales) is common in the low intertidal of the Northeast Pacific, but dominates many deep (30 to 40 m) rocky reefs in central California. Seasonal dynamics of productivity and resource allocation of a deep-water population of this deciduous, stipitate kelp were studied to understand how blade abscission affects the annual carbon budget. Patterns of growth, metabolism, and carbon storage and mobilization were measured monthly for 1 yr relative to in situ light and temperature, and used to model the annual carbon budget. The resulting carbon budget was used to determine if blade abscission effectively reduced respiratory demand during …

Red And Black Tides: Quantitative Analysis Of Water-Leaving Radiance And Perceived Color For Phytoplankton, Colored Dissolved Organic Matter, And Suspended Sediments, Heidi M. Dierssen, Raphael M. Kudela, John P. Ryan, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

Using field measurements and quantitative modeling, we demonstrate that red coloration of the sea surface is not associated with any particular group of phytoplankton and is strongly dependent on the physiology of the human visual system. Red or brown surface waters can be produced by high concentrations of most types of algae, colored dissolved organic matter, or suspended sediment. Even though light reflected by red tides commonly peaks in the yellow spectral region (570–580 nm), human color perception requires consideration of the entire spectrum of light relative to receptors within the human eye. The color shift from green to red …

The Role Of Lipids During Embryonic Development Of The Euphausiids Euphausia Pacifica And Thysanoessa Spinifera, Se-Jong Ju, H. Rodger Harvey, Jaime Gómez-Gutiérrez, William T. Peterson

OES Faculty Publications

To understand the role of lipids during early embryogenesis, major lipid classes together with individual fatty acid and sterol composition were determined in embryos from multiple developmental stages of the euphausiids Euphausia pacifica and Thysanoessa spinifera. Average lipid content in embryos of E. pacifica and T. spiniferafrom the earliest stage (multicell) were 4.45 and 3.69 µg embryo^-1,respectively. During development, the lipid content decreased at similar rates in the embryos of both species. In contrast to many crustacean eggs, phospholipids were the dominant lipid class in all embryonic stages, with decreasing concentrations seen during development. Individual …

Nitrogen Fixation And Release Of Fixed Nitrogen By Trichodesmium Spp. In The Gulf Of Mexico, Margaret R. Mulholland, Peter W. Bernhardt, Cynthia A. Heil, Deborah A. Bronk, Judith M. O'Neil

OES Faculty Publications

During a 3-yr study in the Gulf of Mexico, we measured dinitrogen (N₂) fixation and nitrogen (N) release by Trichodesmium and compared these rates with water column N demand and the estimated N necessary to support blooms of Karenia brevis, a toxic dinoflagellate that severely affects the West Florida shelf. Net and gross N₂ fixation rates were compared in simultaneous incubations using ¹⁵N₂ uptake and acetylene reduction, respectively. The difference between net and gross N₂ fixation is assumed to be an approximation of the rate of N release. Results demonstrate that Trichodesmium in …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 33 - Department Of Fisheries Community Survey 2005, Tara Baharthah

Fisheries Occasional Publications

A telephone survey of the Western Australian public was conducted to assess the level of success of programs implemented by the Department of Fisheries. The sample comprised of 700 interviews, 422 in the metropolitan area and 278 in regional areas throughout the State.

This community survey was used to determine the level of recall and awareness of the Department of Fisheries, the understanding and support of the community for the Department of Fisheries' management strategies and to examine key aspects of community participation in recreational fishing.

It is estimated that the overall participation rate for recreational fishing in Western Australia …

Winter 2006, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Ocean Warming And Freshening In The Northern Gulf Of Alaska, Thomas C. Royer, Chester E. Grosch

CCPO Publications

Water column temperatures on the shelf in the northern Gulf of Alaska have increased more than 0.8 degrees C and vertical density stratification has increased since 1970 near Seward, Alaska throughout the 250 m depth. This high latitude marine system has low water temperatures, high rates of precipitation, glacial melting, high wind speeds and high rates of biological productivity. A more than 300 km alongshore shift ( locally westward) of isotherms is suggested. The observations are consistent with a conceptual ocean-atmosphere circulation model that employs coastal freshwater discharge, glacial ablation and wind forcing. Positive regional feedback mechanisms accelerate the discharge …

The Influence Of Supplemental Feeding On The Movement Patterns Of The Southern Stingray, Dasyatis Americana, At Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, Mark John Corcoran

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

There are currently over 300 sites in nearly 40 countries where a variety of marine animals are provided supplemental food by humans. The influence of this supplemental feeding on the behavior, physiology, growth, reproduction and movements of the animals involved is seldom known. Intentional supplemental feeding of the southern stingray, Dasyatis americana, has occurred at Stingray City (SC) and Stingray City Sandbar (SCS) at Grand Cayman since 1986. There are no specific regulations governing the feeding of D. americana at Grand Cayman, and neither the species nor the feeding sites are afforded any official protective status. This study investigated …

Age Validation And Reproductive Biology Of Bluefish, Pomatomus Saltatrix, Along The East Coast Of United States, Eric Robillard

OES Theses and Dissertations

I describe a new preparation technique that increases readability of otoliths, along with criteria for the interpretation of otolith microstructure of bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, collected from Florida to New York during 2001-2003 (n = 2652). I validated annulus formation in otoliths for ages 1 to 8 using marginal increment analysis and thus extended validation by four years to include the preponderance of age classes in the catch. Although otoliths are typically superior for ageing, bluefish are routinely aged with scales; thus a side-by-side comparison of otoliths versus scales is necessary before otoliths can supplant scales. When compared, precision …

Molecular Population Genetics Of The Atlantic Sand Fiddler Crab, Uca Pugilator, Along The Atlantic Coast, David A. Weese

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: The Atlantic sand fiddler crab, Uca pugilator, is an extremely abundant fiddler crab found along the eastern and Gulf coast of the United States. Fiddler crabs have a life cycle with an obligatory planktonic larval phase of 30-90 days, which might be expected to lead to widespread larval dispersal and consequent genetic homogeneity over considerable distances. However a large amount of morphological and behavioral variation is found between northern and southern populations along the eastern coast. This study was undertaken to determine the population genetic structure of U. pugilator and to determine whether these differences may have a …

Densities Of Fecal Indicator Bacteria In Tidal Waters Of The Ballona Wetlands, Los Angeles County, California, John H. Dorsey

Center for Urban Resilience Scholarship

Densities of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) represented by total coliforms, E. coli and enterococci were measured within tidal channels of the Ballona Wetlands (Los Angeles County) to see if the wetlands act as a sink or source for these bacteria and to measure increases in FIB densities during wet weather. Samples were collected on 10 days over a 1-yr period beginning February 2003 at four sites within the wetlands and one site in Ballona Creek opposite the west tide gate. Incoming flood and outgoing ebb tides were sampled during each sampling event at each station. Water from Ballona Creek may …

Suspension Of Gametogenesis In Green Sea Urchins Experiencing Invariant Photoperiod, S. Anne Boettger, Michael G. Devin, Charles W. Walker

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Transport Of Antarctic Krill (Euphausia Superba) Across The Scotia Sea. Part Ii: Krill Growth And Survival, Bettina A. Fach, Eileen E. Hofmann, Eugene J. Murphy

CCPO Publications

A time-dependent, size-structured, physiologically based krill growth model was used in conjunction with a circulation model to test the hypothesis that Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) populations at South Georgia are sustained by import of individuals from upstream regions. Surface phytoplankton concentrations along the simulated drifter trajectories were extracted from historical Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) measurements and sea ice biota concentrations were calculated from sea ice concentration and extent extracted along drifter trajectories from Special Sensor Microwave/ Imager measurements. As additional food sources, a time series of heterotrophic food was constructed from historical data, and time series of …

Gis And 3d Analysis Applied To Sea Turtle Mortalities And Navigation Channel Dredging, Bradley A. Shellito, Keith B. Lockwood

Virginia Journal of Science

Between 2000 and 2003 there were an increased number of documented sea turtle mortalities related to hopper dredging in the channels of the Chesapeake Bay. A pilot study was undertaken to create a bathymetric surface and three-dimensional model of the Cape Henry Channel using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a visualization tool to examine sea turtle mortalities in relation to the dredging. In Fall 2003, the US Army Corps of Engineers dredged the Thimble Shoals Federal Navigation Channel, and a more refined model was developed using this data. This project examines the growing concerns over sea turtle mortality rates and …

Vertical Distribution Of Decapod Larvae In The Entrance Of An Equatorward Facing Bay Of Central Chile: Implications For Transport, Beatriz Yannicelli, Leonardo R. Castro, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Larry Atkinson, Dante Figueroa

CCPO Publications

Two short biophysical surveys were carried out in order to assess how the decapod crustacean larvae vertical distribution and circulation patterns in an equatorward facing embayment (Gulf of Arauco, 37° S; 73° W) influenced larval transport into and out of the Gulf. The embayment is located at the upwelling area of south central Chile and features a deep (60 m) and a shallow (25 m) pathway of communication with the adjacent coastal ocean. Profiles of zooplankton, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and current velocity were measured during a 22-h period at the shallow entrance to the gulf. In addition, three zooplankton …

Asu Students Play Dolphin Name Game, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Manatee Found In Mississippi River, Then Lost, Remains Mystery With Experts, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.