Marine Biology Commons^™

Unh Monitoring Activities That Support The National Coastal Assessment In 2007, Philip Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

The National Coastal Assessment is an Environmental Protection Agency program to monitor the health of the nation’s estuaries using nationally standardized methods and a probabilistic sampling design. Dedicated EPA funding for the National Coastal Assessment ceased after 2006. Therefore, the NH Department of Environmental Services and the New Hampshire Estuaries Project contributed funds to continue a portion of the National Coastal Assessment in 2007. Water quality measurements were successfully made during 2007 at 25 randomly located stations throughout the Great Bay Estuary and Hampton-Seabrook Harbor. These data will be combined with samples collected in 2006 for probabilistic assessments of estuarine …

A Model Framework For Predicting Reef Fish Distributions Across The Seascape Using Gis Topographic Metrics And Benthic Habitat Associations, Brian K. Walker

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

Increased topographic complexity has been linked to increased species diversity and/or abundance in many ecological communities, including coral reefs. Several topographic metrics can be measured remotely in GIS using high resolution bathymetry, including elevation, surface rugosity, and seafloor volume within specified areas. Statistical relationships between these data and organismal distributions within mapped habitats can be used to make predictions across the entire bathymetric dataset. In this study a model framework is presented which utilizes statistically significant relationships between reef fish abundance and species richness and GIS topographic complexity measurements for samples within similar benthic habitats to create GIS-based prediction maps …

Genetic Connectivity In The Branching Vase Sponge (Callyspongia Vaginalis) Across The Florida Reef Tract And Caribbean, Melissa B. Debiasse, Vincent P. Richards, Mahmood S. Shivji

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

The Porifera constitute a substantial fraction of the biomass on coral reefs and frequently have higher species diversity than corals and algae, making this phylum an important model for the investigation of reef connectivity. We examined genetic connectivity in the common branching vase sponge, Callyspongia vaginalis, by analyzing DNA sequence variation in 511 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene in 401 individuals sampled from 16 locations throughout the Florida reef tract and Caribbean. Populations of Callyspongia vaginalis were highly genetically structured over the study area (ΦST = 0.48, P < 0.0001), including over distances as short as tens of kilometers within the Florida reef tract, and had a significant overall pattern of isolation by distance (P = 0.0002). However, nonsignificant pairwise ΦST values were also found between a few Florida sampling sites suggesting that long distance dispersal, perhaps by means of fragmentation, may occur over continuous, shallow coastlines. Indeed, sufficient gene flow appears to occur along the Florida reef tract to obscure a signal of isolation by distance (P = 0.164), but not to homogenize haplotype frequencies over 465 km from Palm Beach to the Dry Tortugas. Statistical parsimony analysis revealed two highly divergent haplotypes from Honduras suggestive of cryptic speciation. Inferences from a nested clade analysis supported the pattern of restricted gene flow and isolation by distance in the Caribbean, and suggested a northward range extension of C. vaginalis from a hypothesized Central American …

Contrasting Patterns Of Population Structure And Dispersal For The Giant Barrel Sponge (Xestospongia Muta) Within The Florida Reef Tract And Caribbean, Vincent P. Richards, Kevin A. Feldheim, Mahmood S. Shivji

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

Sponges are one of the dominant fauna on Florida and Caribbean reefs, with species diversity often exceeding that of scleractinian corals. Despite their importance as structural components and habitat providers on reefs, their dispersal dynamics are little understood. We utilized eight microsatellite markers to study the population structure and migration patterns of the giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta), a widespread species throughout Florida and the Caribbean. Bayesian multilocus genotype analyses clustered 157 samples from the Bahamas, Honduras, and the US Virgin Islands into three distinct groups. 159 samples from nine locations within 284 km of the Florida reef …

Coral Ultrastructural Response To Elevated Pco2 And Nutrients During Tissue Repair And Regeneration, Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar, Patricia Blackwelder, Alison L. Moulding

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

Corals and coral reefs have recently experienced widespread decline attributed to anthropogenic pressure on reef systems. Studies have demonstrated that nutrient and pCO₂ stress effect coral growth and calcification, but study of specific effects on coral tissue is lacking. The objective of this research was to examine wound healing in corals and how it is affected by exposure to elevated nutrients and pCO₂. Coral tissue repair and regeneration during wound healing in Montastraea cavernosa and Porites astreoides were assessed histologically and ultrastructurally by examining colony fragments exposed to elevated nitrate, phosphate, and pCO₂. In M. …

Stony Coral Species Diversity And Cover In The Florida Keys Using Design-Based Sampling, Leanne M. Rutten, Mark Chiappone, Dione W. Swanson, Steven Miller

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

Large-scale sampling of stony coral species richness, species distribution, and cover was undertaken at 423 Florida Keys sites between Miami and SW of Key West during 2005 and 2007. A two-stage, stratified random sampling design employed belt transects to enumerate numbers of species and point-intercept surveys to quantify cover. The sampling design incorporated ten reef and hard-bottom habitats from < 1 m to 27 m depth, as well as oceanographic regions and areas inside and outside of protected management zones. These data provide insights into the spatial extent and factors influencing stony coral biodiversity. For stony corals, a pool of ~50 taxa encompassing the Orders Milleporina and Scleractinia, including species and morphotypes, was recorded. Significant differences were found in species richness and cover among cross-shelf habitats, with great values on inner shelf margin patch reefs, followed by deeper fore-reef slope habitats that extended to the 27 m depth limit sampled. In contrast, the shallow fore-reef, especially in areas historically dominated by the branching coral Acropora palmata, yielded relatively low numbers of species and cover that are presently dominated by smaller, brooding corals such as Porites astreoides and Favia fragum.

Population Structure In The Brown Tube Sponge (Agelas Conifera) In The Florida Reef Tract And Caribbean, Jennifer M. Hester, Vincent P. Richards, Kevin Feldheim, Mahmood S. Shivji

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

Sponges are broadly distributed, occur in a wide range of habitats, and comprise a substantial amount of the biomass and macro-biodiversity on coral reefs. Despite their ubiquity in reef ecosystems, their dispersal dynamics are largely unknown. Here we report on gene flow and population structure for the common brown tube sponge, Agelas conifera (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida) in the Florida reef tract and Caribbean. Over 300 samples collected from ten geographically distinct locations throughout Florida and the Caribbean are being analyzed for variation at eight microsatellite loci. Preliminary results from screening four loci in 295 individuals from eight locations indicated significant population …

Evaluation Of Nhep Outreach: A Survey Of Planning Boards And Conservation Commissions, Dave Kellam

PREP Reports & Publications

This report presents the findings of a survey conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center of planning board and conservation commissions in the 42 coastal watershed communities of New Hampshire from November 2007 to February 2008. Background information about a similar survey conducted in 2005 and a summary of New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) outreach activity from August 2005 to February 2008 is also provided to assist in the interpretation of the survey. Conclusions by NHEP staff are offered at the end of the report.

Fisheries Research Report No. 171 - Evaluation Of Exclusion Grids To Reduce The Bycatch Of Dolphins, Turtles, Sharks And Rays In The Pilbara Trawl Fishery, Peter Stephenson, S. Wells, J. A. King

Fisheries Research Reports

DBIF funded Project.

Considerable research on the documention of the bycatch of cetaceans, seals, turtles, and sea lions during trawl fishing operations has been undertaken worldwide. These include the Argentinean squid and hake trawl fisheries (Crespo et al., 1997; Fertl & Leatherwood, 1997), the Dutch pelagic trawl fishery (Couperus, 1997), the NE Atlantic pelagic trawl fishery (Tregenza & Collet, 1998) and the New Zealand squid fishery (Fishing News International, 2005).

In the Pilbara Fish Trawl Fishery, operating off the coast of Western Australia protected species including dolphins, turtles, sawfish, sea snakes as well as numerous sharks and ray species have …

Population Status Of Acropora Corals In The Florida Keys, Steven Miller, Mark Chiappone, Leanne M. Rutten, Dione W. Swanson

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

Population declines of staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn coral (A. palmata) are often-cited examples of Caribbean reef change since the 1970s, due, in part, to disease and localized effects from storms and predation. Both corals were listed as threatened on the U.S. Endangered Species List based upon range-wide decline and poor recovery. A spatially intensive survey undertaken in the Florida Keys of Acropora corals quantified habitat distribution, colony abundance, size, and condition at 235 sites spanning over 200 km in 2007. A two-stage stratified sampling design using belt transects incorporated cross-shelf habitats and no-fishing management …

Population Genetic Structure Of A Coral Reef Ecosystem Apex Predator, The Gray Reef Shark (Carcharhinus Amblyrhynchos), Rebekah L. Horn, William Robbins, Douglas Mccauley, Philip Lobel, Mahmood S. Shivji

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

Sharks play a major functional role as apex predators in coral reef ecosystems, raising concerns that their ongoing overexploitation will compromise the integrity and sustainability of reefs. The gray reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) is a strongly coral reef associated species whose populations are known to have declined substantially in some regions. There is no information on population structure in this species to aid in their management and conservation. We are assessing genetic structure in this species by using entire mitochondrial control region sequences and 15 nuclear microsatellite loci as markers. 93 gray reef shark samples were obtained from …

Ultrastructural And Histological Analysis Of Dark Spot Syndrome In Siderastrea Siderea And Agaricia Agaricites, Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar, Patricia Blackwelder, J. D. Miller, D. J. Gochfeld, Alison L. Moulding

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

Dark Spot Syndrome (DSS) typically manifests in scleractinian corals as lesions of varying color, size, shape and location that can result in skeletal changes and tissue death. A causative agent for DSS has not yet been identified. The objective of this study was histological and ultrastructural comparison of the cellular and skeletal characteristics of DSS-affected and healthy Siderastrea siderea and Agaricia agaricites. The greater resolution possible with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed microbial activity and tissue changes not resolvable utilizing histology. DSS-affected tissue had less integrity, with increasing cellular degradation and vacuolization. A high concentration of electron dense inclusions, …

Recovery Of Injured Giant Barrel Sponges, Xestospongia Muta, Offshore Southeast Florida, David S. Gilliam, Brian K. Walker, S. J. Saelens, Daniel P. Fahy, Vladimir N. Kosmynin

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

Giant barrel sponges, Xestospongia muta, are abundant and important components of the southeast Florida reef system, and are frequently injured from anthropogenic and natural disturbances. There is limited information on the capacity of X. muta to recover from injury and on methods to reattach X. muta fragments. In late 2002, hundreds of barrel sponges offshore southeast Florida (Broward County) were accidentally injured during an authorized dredging operation. In early 2003, two to three months post-injury, 93% of 656 assessed injured sponges appeared to be recovering. In 2006, three years post-injury, nearly 90% of 114 monitored sponges continued to show …

Incidence And Timing Of Low Dissolved Oxygen Events In The Squamscott River: 2005-07, Stephen H. Jones

PREP Reports & Publications

The Squamscott River has had extended episodes of low dissolved oxygen (DO) that have been recorded at a site near its mouth during the past few years. These episodes were recorded as a result of temporally intensive monitoring by a datasonde deployed through most of each year. Whereas low DO events can occur during April-November, events during the colder months are typically less frequent and are often caused by unusual natural or severe weather conditions. Low DO events occur most frequently during July-September when elevated levels of nutrients are most likely to contribute to their cause, and are thus of …

A Tale Of Germs, Storms, And Bombs: Geomorphology And Coral Assemblage Structure At Vieques (Puerto Rico) Compared To St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands), Bernhard Riegl, Ryan P. Moyer, Brian K. Walker, Kevin E. Kohler, David S. Gilliam, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The former U.S. Navy range at Vieques Island (Puerto Rico, United States) is now the largest national wildlife refuge in the Caribbean. We investigated the geomorphology and benthic assemblage structure to understand the status of the coral reefs. Coral assemblages were quantified at 24 sites at Vieques and at 6 sites at St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. These sites were chosen to represent the major zones of reef geomorphology. Sites consisted of two or three 21-m-long photo-quadrate belt transects. The results revealed surprisingly little differentiation in the coral assemblages within and between reefs of comparable geomorphological and oceanographic setting at …

Scleractinian Coral Recruitment To Reefs Physically Damaged By Ship Groundings, E. T. Rubin, Alison L. Moulding, Jose V. Lopez, David S. Gilliam, V. N. Kosmynin, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The southeast Florida reef system faces a number of stress factors, among which ship groundings are one of the most physically damaging. Portions of the Florida reef tract located near Port Everglades, Broward County, Florida, USA have been damaged by ship groundings. In 2004, physical damage of more than 30,000 m² was caused by the groundings of two large cargo ships, the MV Eastwind and MV Federal Pescadores. The present study was designed to measure differences of scleractinian coral recruitment patterns (recruit diversity and richness) and rates to these injured sites in comparison to undamaged reef sites. Coral …

Comparison Of Bacterial Diversity Within The Coral Reef Sponge, Axinella Corrugata, And The Encrusting Coral Erythropodium Caribaeorum, Jose V. Lopez, L. K. Ranzer, A. Ledger, B. Schoch, A. Duckworth, P. J. Mccarthy, R. G. Kerr

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

We compared the Caribbean reef sponge, Axinella corrugata, with the Caribbean reef coral, Erythropodium caribaeorum for differences in their resident microbial communities. This cursory survey of bacterial diversity applied 16S rRNA gene sequences. Over 100 culture-independent sequences were generated from five different Axinella 16S rRNA libraries, and compared with 69 cultured isolates. The cultureindependent 16S rDNA clones displayed a higher diversity of Proteobacteria, including “uncultured” or “unknown” representatives from the Deltaproteobacteria. Arcobacterium, and Cyanobacteria were also found. We have also confirmed that Axinella sponges appeared to host specific microbial symbionts, similar to the previously identified clones termed “OSO” …

11th International Coral Reef Symposium Proceedings, Bernhard Riegl (Editor), Richard E. Dodge (Editor)

ICRS Conference Proceedings

A defining theme of the 11^th International Coral Reef Symposium was that the news for coral reef ecosystems are far from encouraging. Climate change happens now much faster than in an ice-age transition, and coral reefs continue to suffer fever-high temperatures as well as sour ocean conditions. Corals may be falling behind, and there appears to be no special silver bullet remedy. Nevertheless, there are hopeful signs that we should not despair.

Reef ecosystems respond vigorously to protective measures and alleviation of stress. For concerned scientists, managers, conservationists, stakeholders, students, and citizens, there is a great role to play …

11th International Coral Reef Symposium Abstracts, Bernhard Riegl (Editor), Richard E. Dodge (Editor)

ICRS Conference Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Satellite Assessment Of Bio-Optical Properties Of Northern Gulf Of Mexico Coastal Waters Following Hurricanes Katrina And Rita, Steven E. Lohrenz, Wei-Jun Cai, Xiaogang Chen, Merritt Tuel

Faculty Publications

The impacts of major tropical storms events on coastal waters include sediment resuspension, intense water column mixing, and increased delivery of terrestrial materials into coastal waters. We examined satellite imagery acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ocean color sensor aboard the Aqua spacecraft following two major hurricane events: Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall on 29 August 2005, and Hurricane Rita, which made landfall on 24 September. MODIS Aqua true color imagery revealed high turbidity levels in shelf waters immediately following the storms indicative of intense resuspension. However, imagery following the landfall of Katrina showed relatively rapid return of …

A Phylogeny Of The Snappers (Lutjanidae; Percoidei) Inferred From Cytochrome B Sequence Data, Matthew R. Semcheski

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Lutjanidae are economically and ecologically important fishes commonly known as snappers. A morphological study of Lutjanidae concluded that it contained four subfamilies and that together with the family Caesionidae, form the superfamily Lutjanoidea. Although this view was supported elsewhere in the literature, it was later contradicted, treating the caesionids as members of the Lutjanidae. In order to infer a phylogeny of genera within Lutjanidae, the complete cytochrome b gene (1140bp) of 21 lutjanid taxa was sequenced and analyzed along with 19 lutjanid, caesionid, and outgroup sequences obtained from GenBank. Data were analyzed for base composition stationarity and saturation. Phylogenetic …

Thanks For The Maps And Reports. What Do We Do With Them?, Joyce El Kouarti

PREP Reports & Publications

The goal of this project was to assist local communities in establishing specific local priorities for land protection. MMRG staff conducted a total 32 meetings with conservation commissions, organized three regional workshops, created three sets of maps, conducted three field events, gave three presentations at lake association meetings, created six display booths and issued 12 press releases.

Assessing The Globally Averaged Sea Level Budget On Seasonal To Interannual Timescales, Josh K. Willis, D. Chambers, R Steven Nerem

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Analysis of ocean temperature and salinity data from profiling floats along with satellite measurements of sea surface height and the time variable gravity field are used to investigate the causes of global mean sea level rise between mid-2003 and mid-2007. The observed interannual and seasonal fluctuations in sea level can be explained as the sum of a mass component and a steric (or density related) component to within the error bounds of each observing system. During most of 2005, seasonally adjusted sea level was approximately 5 mm higher than in 2004 owing primarily to a sudden increase in ocean mass …

Wetland Buffer Characterization And Public Outreach In North Hampton, Dave Kellam

PREP Reports & Publications

This report includes a characterization of wetland buffers and buffer protection in North Hampton and a community outreach newsletter that focuses on the protection of the North Hampton wetland buffers. Consultants from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc conducted field examinations of key North Hampton wetland buffer areas and issued a technical memorandium that characterize wetland buffer areas in the town and discusses of the value of these areas in terms of public interest and property values. Much of the information presented in the technical memo was communicated in an eight-page newsletter produced at Fosters Daily Democrate. Fosters produced 3,000 copies and …

An Analysis Of Dwarf And Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia Sp.) Stranding Data In The Southeast United States, Nicole M. O'Brien

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Pygmy sperm whales (Kogia breviceps) and dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima) strand frequently in the southeastern United States (SEUS). To detect seasonal trends in Kogia sp. strandings across the SEUS, all 979 stranding events from 1977 through 2005 were segregated by month. A peak in strandings occurred in the late summer and early fall (July – October). The entire SEUS was divided into segments of similar coastline orientation, 1) North and South Carolina, 2) Georgia and the east coast of Florida, 3) Florida Keys, 4) west coast of Florida, 5) Florida panhandle, Alabama and Mississippi, 6) …

Nhep Monitoring Plan - Version 5, July 2008, Philip Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

The NHEP Management Plan presents a series of goals, objectives, and specific actions designed to improve, protect, and enhance the environmental quality of the state‟s estuaries, and outlines a process for implementing the Plan‟s most critical actions (NHEP, 2000; NHEP, 2005b). Measuring the effectiveness of these actions in achieving NHEP goals is an essential part of implementation that will be achieved through a suite of environmental and administrative indicators. This Monitoring Plan describes the methods and data for the indicators that will be used to answer the following question accurately and unambiguously: Are the goals and objectives of the Management …

Fisheries Research Report No. 175 - An Assessment Of The Finfish Catch By Recreational Fishers, Tour Operators, Commercial Lobster Fishers And Commercial Wetline Fishers From The Houtman Abrolhos Islands During 2006, Neil R. Sumner

Fisheries Research Reports

The catch of finfish from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands was estimated for recreational boats, tour operators, commercial rock lobster fishers and occupants of their camps on the islands. Separate methods were used for each of the different sectors due to the variation in fishing activities. Recreational boats and commercial rock lobster fishers were surveyed to determine catches, whereas the catches by tour operator and commercial wet-line fishers were determined from their compulsory catch and effort returns submitted to the Department of Fisheries.

The reported commercial wetline catch for pink snapper, sweetlip emperor and Western Australian dhufish greatly exceeded the combined …

Fisheries Research Report No. 176 - Regrowth Of Pilchard (Sardinops Sagax) Stocks Off Southern Wa Following The Mass Mortality Event Of 1998/99, Daniel J. Gaughan, M Craine, Peter Stephenson, Timothy I. Leary, Paul Lewis

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC Report – Project 2000/135

This project produced time series of estimates of spawning biomass for pilchards in four purse seine management zones in Western Australia, three on the south coast and one on the west coast. The pilchard stocks in Western Australia have recovered strongly since the 1998/99 mass mortality.

This project has shown that the fishery independent and fishery dependent methods applied to Western Australia’s pilchard fisheries cannot provide precise estimates of the size of the pilchard spawning biomass in each management region. Although the trends indicated by the age-structured simulation model are reliable and provide good …

Interpreting The Spatial Distribution Of Bathypelagic Nekton Along The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, C. I. H. Anderson, J. Horne, Tracey Sutton

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

The spatial distribution of organisms plays a key role in facilitating biological processes, such as trophic interactions, which govern ecosystem structure and function. Attempts to understand bathypelagic (1000-4000 m depth) ecosystem dynamics have been hampered by the coarse temporal-spatial resolution and static nature of most sampling strategies. This study combines a traditional approach, based on discrete net trawls sampling small volumes, with the continuous full water column coverage provided by fisheries acoustics to investigate the distribution of biomass along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The limited trawl samples have been interpreted as showing a positive relationship between the presence of the …

Fisheries Research Report No. 177 - A 12-Month Survey Of Recreational Boat-Based Fishing Between Augusta And Kalbarri On The West Coast Of Western Australia During 2005-06, N. R. Sumner, P C. Williamson, Stuart J. Blight, Daniel J. Gaughan

Fisheries Research Reports

A 12-month survey of boat-based recreational fishing in the West Coast Bioregion (Augusta to Kalbarri) of Western Australia was conducted at boat ramps between 1st July 2005 and 30th June 2006. During the survey a total of 15,999 boat crews were interviewed, of which 13,185 (82%) had been undertaking some form of fishing activity and, of these, 10,382 (or 79%) of fishing boat crews had been ocean line fishing. The total annual recreational boat based fishing effort for the West Coast Bioregion was estimated to be 1,557,000 fisher hours (95%CI: 1,495,000 – 1,620,000), which is a 15.5% increase in nominal …