Marine Biology Commons^™

Changing Fecundity And Reproductive Output In Females Of A Chesapeake Bay Population Of Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, Shannon L. Wells

OES Theses and Dissertations

The Chesapeake Bay blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is an important species both ecologically and as a fishery. Fishery dependent and independent data indicate that the population declined abruptly in the mid-1990s and has remained low. Previous work prior to the decline in population abundance found a significant relationship between size and fecundity for mature females. As with many heavily fished populations, this population has experienced a reduction in the size at maturity. The objectives of this study were to reassess the fecundity of the population, determine the lipid and protein energy allocated for reproduction, and to examine the concentrations …

Effect Of The Herbivorous Channel Clinging Crab (Mithrax Spinosissimus) On Patch Reef Algal Communities In The Florida Keys, Florida (Usa), Angela M. Mojica Osorio

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Coral reefs worldwide are undergoing dramatic habitat modification from coral to macroalgal dominance due to water pollution, coral diseases, global. warming, and the loss of herbivores. This phase-shift bas been particularly severe on Caribbean reefs due in large measure to the decline of piscine and echinoderm grazers, whose presence appears crucial for stemming the decline of coral reefs and enhancing their resilience. Virtually unknown, however, is the role of other macrograzers in coral reef ecosystems. This is the first study to examine the feeding ecology and grazer effect of the herbivorous West Indian spider crab (Mithrax spinosissimus) on inshore patch …

Benthic Habitat Mapping Of Miami-Dade County: Visual Interpretation Of Lads Bathymetry And Aerial Photography, Brian K. Walker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Environmental Indicator Report, Philip Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

The following sections contain the most recent data for the 42 indicators tracked by PREP. In some cases PREP funds data collection and monitoring activities; however data for the majority of indicators are provided by other organizations with monitoring programs. The details of the monitoring programs and performance criteria for the indicators are listed in the PREP Monitoring Plan (PREP, 2008).

Fisheries Research Report No.157 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 2003/2004 And 2004/2005, Simon De Lestang, E H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The 2003/2004 season produced the second highest catch recorded to date (13,684 tonnes), up markedly on the previous season’s catch of 11,415 t. Nominal effort in 2003/2004 (10,180,444 pot lifts) did not vary by nearly as much as did the catch, with total pot lifts declining only slightly (<1%) on the previous season. Season 2004/2005 produced a catch of 12, 236 tonnes, down on the previous season’s catch of 13,684 t. Similar to the catch, total nominal effort in 2004/2005 (9,789,671 pot lifts) also declined fairly substantially (4%) on the previous season. Recreational catches for the above two seasons were also down on their respective previous seasons by 52 and 11% each.

Puerulus settlement coast wide during 2003/2004 was below average, especially towards the southern and northern extremes of the fishery (Port Gregory and Jurien Bay south). This was also the case during the following season (2004/2005), although the poor settlement was more evenly spread across the entire fishery. Catch predictions from these …

Fisheries Research Report No. 174 - Spatial Scales Of Exploitation Among Populatons Of Demersal Scalefish : Implications For Management. Part 2: Stock Structure And Biology Of Two Indicator Species, West Australian Dhufish (Glaucosoma Hebraicum) And Pink Snapper (Pagrus Auratus) In The West Coast Bioregion, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC Report - Project 2003/052

EDITORS: R. Lenanton, J. StJohn, I. Keay, C. Wakefield, G. Jackson, B. Wise and D. Gaughan

West Australian dhufish is endemic to shelf waters of south-western Western Australia (WA). In contrast, snapper (known as “pink snapper” in WA) has a continuous distribution around the southern coastline of mainland Australia and in New Zealand. Dhufish and snapper are the two most important exploited demersal scalefish species in the West Coast Bioregion (WCB) of WA, which extends from Kalbarri (27°S) to Augusta (35°S). This study examined regional variation in the biology of the two species, their …

Aves Marinas Anidando En Islas De La Sonda De Campeche, Thor Morales, Enriqueta Velarde, Francisco Daniel Ruz, Edward O. Keith

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

Esta zona arrecifal, la más norteña del Golfo de México mexicano alberga las mayores colonias de anidación de aves marinas de la región. El último censo se realizó en 1986. En la zona se practica la pesca, turismo y explotación petrolífera, que potencialmente constituyen un riesgo para la biodiversidad del arrecife. La zona está pobremente estudiada y es importante obtener información sobre sus recursos para manejarlos adecuadamente. Nuestro objetivo es actualizar la información sobre las especies de aves marinas que anidan en las islas del Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes y Cayo Arenas. Se visitaron 6 islas a mediados de marzo …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 65 - A Review Of Management Arrangements For The Recreational Fishery For Demersal Scalefish In The West Coast Bioregion, Peter Neville, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

In December 2008, the Hon. Norman Moore, MLC, Minister for Fisheries, Western Australia appointed two independent experts to review a number of aspects relating to the west coast demersal scalefish recreational fishery; namely to assess separately:

1. the validity of the scientific advice on which management decisions have been made; and
2. options to manage recreational fishing of west coast demersal scalefish.

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 68 - A Quota Management System For The Western Rock Lobster Fishery, Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee (Rliac), Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

There has been much debate over the past two decades on the most appropriate long-term management framework for Western Australia’s Western Rock Lobster Fishery. More recently a debate over whether the fishery would be best managed under a Quota Management System (QMS) or the continuation of the current Input Control Management System (ICMS) culminated in an industry vote coordinated by the Western Rock Lobster Council (WRLC) in 2006 . The outcome of this vote resulted in industry support to retain the existing management system based on input controls2 , however, shortly after the vote there was a renewed level of …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 69 - An Input Control Management System For The Western Rock Lobster Fishery, Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee (Rliac), Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee (RLIAC), the Hon. Minister for Fisheries and the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia have commenced a process of assessing the options for future management of the Western Rock Lobster Fishery. As part of this assessment, an expert Panel has previously prepared an analysis of an optimal quota management system (QMS) suitable for the fishery. As the next step in the assessment of management options, RLIAC requested that an expert panel also advise them on the design characteristics of an improved input control management system (ICMS) for the fishery and to provide advice on the …

Alternative Life Cycle Strategies And Colonization Of Young Anurans By Gorgoderina Attenuata In Nebraska, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

Studies on life cycles and epizootiology of North American frog bladder flukes indicate that adult frogs become infected predominantly by ingesting tadpoles or other frogs that serve as second intermediate hosts for gorgoderid metacercariae. Other studies have indicated that newly metamorphosed frogs are rarely infected with these parasites because they are gape-limited predators that cannot feed on large intermediate hosts such as tadpoles and other frogs. We examined the role of potential intermediate hosts in the recruitment of the frog bladder fluke, Gorgoderina attenuata, to metamorphosed northern leopard frogs, Woodhouse’s toads, and bullfrogs from western Nebraska. We completed the …

Hydrodynamics Of Pulsed Jetting In Juvenile And Adult Brief Squid Lolliguncula Brevis: Evidence Of Multiple Jet 'Modes' And Their Implications For Propulsive Efficiency, Ian K. Bartol, Paul S. Krueger, William J. Stewart, Joseph T. Thompson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The dynamics of pulsed jetting in squids throughout ontogeny is not well understood, especially with regard to the development of vortex rings, which are common features of mechanically generated jet pulses (also known as starting jets). Studies of mechanically generated starting jets have revealed a limiting principle for vortex ring formation characterized in terms of a 'formation number' (F), which delineates the transition between the formation of isolated vortex rings and vortex rings that have 'pinched off' from the generating jet. Near F, there exists an optimum in pulse-averaged thrust with (potentially) low energetic cost, raising the question: do …

On The Mechanisms Of Episodic Salinity Outflow Events In The Strait Of Hormuz, Prasad G. Thoppil, Patrick J. Hogan

Faculty Publications

Observations in the Strait of Hormuz (26.26 degrees N, 56.08 degrees E) during 1997-98 showed substantial velocity fluctuations, accompanied by episodic changes in the salinity outflow events with amplitude varying between 1 and 2 psu on time scales of several days to a few weeks. These events are characterized by a rapid increase in salinity followed by an abrupt decline. The mechanisms behind these strong pulses of salinity events are investigated with a whigh-resolution (similar to 1 km) Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) with particular reference to the year 2005. In accordance with the observations, the simulated salinity events are …

Stakeholder Input And Meeting Summary Report, D. B. Truslow Associates

PREP Reports & Publications

The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Estuary Program, which is a joint local/state/federal program established under the Clean Water Act. PREP’s goal is to protect and restore the Great Bay Estuary watershed and Hampton-Seabrook Estuary watershed. The organization receives its funding from the EPA and is administered by the University of New Hampshire. PREP will complete its update of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) in early 2010. The first CCMP was released in 2000 when the organization was the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP). The NHEP management committee …

An Analysis Of Policies And Conservation Techniques To Reduce The Accidental Deaths Of Sea Turtle Hatchlings Due To Light Pollution In Broward County, Fl., Megan Wilson

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Light pollution is any excessive or obtrusive man made light source which disrupts the natural environment. Hatchling marine turtles are adversely affected by light pollution and therefore unlit nesting beaches are essential habitats for all marine turtle species. In Broward County, the most significant conservation issue facing nesting and hatchling marine turtles is the amount of light pollution present on urban sea turtle nesting beaches. The reduction of hatchling mortality from light pollution is an ongoing conservation goal of the State of Florida, Broward County, and the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Project (BCSTCP). Conservation techniques and policies intended to …

Year 14 Work Plan, Jennifer Hunter

PREP Reports & Publications

The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP), formerly called the New Hampshire Estuaries Project, is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National Estuary Program which is a joint local/state/federal program established under the Clean Water Act with the goal of protecting and enhancing nationally significant estuaries. PREP is housed at and administered through the University of New Hampshire. A 27-person Management Committee oversees the work of the program. The Management Committee has a diverse membership representing municipalities, planning commissions, state and federal natural resource management agencies, watershed groups, non-profit conservation organizations, energy producers, researchers, and fishermen. The Piscataqua Region …

Evaluation Of Groundwater Storage Monitoring With The Grace Satellite: Case Study High Plains Aquifer, Central United States, Gil Strassberg, Bridget Scanlon, D. Chambers

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Water scarcity is a critical issue in semiarid regions; however, regional groundwater monitoring is extremely limited. This study evaluates the ability of the GRACE satellites to monitor groundwater storage in the semiarid High Plains aquifer, United States (450,000 km² area), which is subjected to intense irrigation. GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage (TWS) is highly correlated with the sum of soil moisture (SM) and groundwater storage (GWS) (R = 0.96 for in situ measured SM from 78 stations and R = 0.95 for simulated SM with the Noah land surface model with root-mean-square difference of 38 mm and 36 mm, …

The Effects Of Climate Variability On The Structure Of The Phytoplankton Community In Tumaco Bay, Colombia, Ingrid Garcia-Hansen Honkala

Dissertations

Spatiotemporal variability in the diatom and dinoflagellate community structure and chlorophyll a (chl a) concentrations in Tumaco Bay during the 1993-2005 period was related clearly to seasonal and interannual variability in environmental conditions due to the migration of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITZC) and the influence of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. A total of 134 species of diatoms that belong to 57 genera, and 78 species of dinoflagellates that belong to 25 genera were identified during the survey. The diatom community was the dominant group in the waters of the bay, being the most abundant with the greatest …

Oceanic-Atmospheric Modes Of Variability And Their Effect On River Flow And Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Abundance In The Northcentral Gulf Of Mexico, Guillermo Humberto Sanchez-Rubio

Dissertations

Oceanic-atmospheric modes of variability occur on interdecadal, multidecadal, decadal, and interannual timescales and their influence on climate around the world has been confirmed. The present study investigates Mississippi River and Pascagoula River flows in response to the influence of one or more of the four oceanic-atmospheric modes of variability: the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). These modes of variability are present in phases: PDO warm (PDOw) and cold (PDOc), AMO warm (AMOw) and cold (AMOc), NAO positive (NAOp) and negative (NAOn), and ENSO warm …

Pulsed Jet Dynamics Of Squid Hatchlings At Intermediate Reynolds Numbers, Ian K. Bartol, Paul S. Krueger, William J. Stewart, Joseph T. Thompson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Squid paralarvae (hatchlings) rely predominantly on a pulsed jet for locomotion, distinguishing them from the majority of aquatic locomotors at low/intermediate Reynolds numbers (Re), which employ oscillatory/undulatory modes of propulsion. Although squid paralarvae may delineate the lower size limit of biological jet propulsion, surprisingly little is known about the hydrodynamics and propulsive efficiency of paralarval jetting within the intermediate Re realm. To better understand paralarval jet dynamics, we used digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) and high-speed video to measure bulk vortex properties ( e. g. circulation, impulse, kinetic energy) and other jet features [ e. g. average and …

New Hampshire Estuaries Probabilistic Monitoring Program In 2008, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) partnered in 2008 to implement the National Coastal Assessment in NH’s estuarine waters. USEPA provided the study design and field protocols. UNH collected the samples and field data at the designated sites in the estuary. Funding for this sampling effort was provided by the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, NHDES, and the New Hampshire Coastal Program. The purpose of this memo is to document the quality assurance checks that were performed by NHDES. The data were not collected as part …

Accuracy Assessment And Monitoring For Noaa Florida Keys Mapping Aa Roi-1 (Hawk Channel Near American Shoal), Brian K. Walker, Greg Foster

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

This report describes the methodologies, analyses, and results for an independent accuracy assessment of a thematic benthic habitat map produced by NOAA for the Florida Keys. It is an analysis of four regional accuracy assessments. Over the course of the Florida Keys mapping project, NOAA amended part of the classification scheme. The original scheme for mapping benthic cover was a tiered approach where certain benthic cover categories were given priority over others (e.g. coral was most important). Recently, this was modified to a dominant benthic cover scheme where the habitat is characterized by the single most dominant cover type and …

Eelgrass Distribution In The Great Bay Estuary For 2008, Frederick T. Short

PREP Reports & Publications

Eelgrass in the Great Bay Estuary in 2008 was found only in the Great Bay itself and Portsmouth Harbor. In 2008 there was a continued loss of eelgrass biomass in the Estuary. Virtually all the eelgrass in Little Bay and the Piscataqua River has died. Eelgrass in Great Bay itself experienced an increase in distribution from 2007 to 2008, primarily from the re-seeding of bare areas that had been de-vegetated by nuisance algae in previous years. However, Great Bay showed a decrease in eelgrass biomass in 2008. Portsmouth and Little Harbors experienced a slight decrease in both distribution and cover …

Markov Models For Linking Environments And Facies In Space And Time (Recent Arabian Gulf, Miocene Paratethys), Bernhard Riegl, Samuel J. Purkis

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Books and Book Chapters

This special publication Perspectives in Carbonate Geology is a collection of papers most of which were presented at a symposium to honor the 80th birthday of Bob Ginsburg at the meeting of Geological Society of America in Salt Lake City in 2005. The majority of the papers in this publication are connected with the study of modern carbonate sediments. Bob Ginsburg pioneered the concept of comparative sedimentology - that is using the modern to compare to and relate to and understand the ancient. These studies are concerned with Bob's areas of passion: coral reefs and sea-level; submarine cementation and formation …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 67 - Review Of Fisheries Research Report (177), Aldo Steffe, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

To provide a review of the Research Report (177) on recreational boat-based fishing in the West Coast Bioregion during 2005/06 including: • The appropriateness of the basic creel survey design used for deriving estimates of catch, effort and catch rates for this type of fishery. • An assessment of whether the assumptions, scope and omissions were suitably identified. • The robustness of the catch estimates, and any conclusions that were included in the report, and total and seasonal recreational catch estimates. These initial terms of reference were expanded to include some discussion on issues raised by (a) the WA Fisheries …

Spring 2009, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 66 - Scientific Review Of The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery, Western Australia, Michael O'Neill, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

In December 2008 the Hon Norman Moore MLC, Minister for Fisheries Western Australia appointed two independent experts to assess separately 1) the validity of scientific advice to management and 2) options to manage recreational fishing of west coast demersal scalefish. The following review (1) assesses the validity of research outlining the status of baldchin groper (Choerodon rubescens), West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) and snapper (Pagrus auratus) as described in the terms of reference. In addition to the terms of reference, an opinion was requested regarding the current appropriateness of the research advice (Wise et al 2007) and the resulting management …

A Bio-Optical Model For Syringodium Filiforme Canopies, Margaret A. Stoughton

OES Theses and Dissertations

Seagrasses are significant ecological and biogeochemical agents in shallow water ecosystems throughout the world. In many regions, seagrass meadows occupy a sufficient fraction of the coastal zone, and generate optical signatures that can be observed from space. Bio-optical models of light absorption and scattering by submerged plant canopies for certain species such as Thalassia testudinum and Zostera marina have successfully modeled the plane irradiance distribution and photosynthesis within the submerged canopies. Syringodium filiforme differs &om T. testudinttm and Z marina, in leaf morphology and canopy architecture. The objective of this study was to develop a radiative transfer model that …

Differential Response Of Amp Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) And Hsp70 To Temperature Stress In The Gastropod, Nucella Lapillus, Emily Zimmermann

All Theses And Dissertations

Populations of the gastropod Nucella lapillus are polymorphic for shell color, with light-colored shells predominating on warmer, wave-protected shores and dark-colored shells limited primarily to cooler, wave-exposed shores. During thermal stress, darker shells attain higher body temperatures than lighter shells. These results suggest that heat stress may determine field distribution patterns. However, there is currently little evidence of physiological consequences of thermal stress in these organisms. Following the guiding hypothesis that heat stress leads to cellular energy depletion, we explored whether the central energy regulator AMP-activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) is activated by heat stress. We compared this response in both …

2008 Great Bay Organic Nitrogen (Pon & Don) And Light Extinction (Par) Monitoring Program, Jonathan Pennock

PREP Reports & Publications

This project takes advantage of these existing monitoring activities to collect and analyze for particulate organic nitrogen (PON), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) at existing sample sites in the New Hampshire seacoast region. When combined with existing dissolved inorganic nitrogen measurements, PON and DON allow the entire Total Nitrogen (TN) pool to be quantified. PAR measurements provide an estimate of the light availability in the system.