Marine Biology Commons^™

Sex-Specific Personalities In The Purple Marsh Crab, Jillian Sterman, Jessica Barton, Panagiota Delmedico, Samantha Sweeney

DePaul Discoveries

Animals are considered to possess personalities when individuals differ in behavior, and these differences are consistent between situations. Several studies have identified personalities in diverse groups but less is known about personality variation between the sexes. In this study, we examined variation in two key personality traits (boldness, activity) in female and male purple marsh crabs (Sesarma reticulatum) using a semi-field approach. Specifically, we measured boldness and activity on two consecutive days using the same behavioral assays during each time point. Consistency (personality) was determined using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance based on Spearman correlation coefficients for each behavior. …

Effects Of Reduced Ph On Health Biomarkers Of The Seagrass Cymodocea Nodosa, Regan A. Mcenaney

DePaul Discoveries

Ocean acidification is a growing problem that may affect many marine organisms in the future. Within 100 years the pH of the ocean is predicted to decrease to 7.8, from the current ocean pH of around 8.1. Using phenolic acid levels as a stress indicator as well as respiration and chlorophyll content as a measure of health, the effect of lowering pH was tested on the seagrass, Cymodocea nodosa, in a controlled environment. Plant samples, water, and soil were taken from the Bay of Cádiz, Spain, and placed in aquaria in a temperature-controlled room. One control group was left …

On The Composistion Of Cymodocea Nodosa Root Exudate Under Artificial Blue, Green And Natural Light Conditions, Armand Martin, Ben Manriquez, Christian Pompa, Aaron Saper, Kyle A. Grice, Jason Bystriansky

DePaul Discoveries

Seagrasses are identified as a sentinel species: a good indicator of overall marine ecosystem health and function. At the rhizome, they are known to interact with marine bacteria by exchanging energy in the form of glucose and free amino acids secreted through root exudate in exchange for microbe-fixated nitrogen that can be utilized for plant growth. To analyze potential outcomes of possible future changes in light availability, an experiment was designed to collect and analyze the root exudate of Cymodocea nodosa under three light conditions (standard fluorescent light, blue LED, and green LED light). After 72 hours of treatment, the …

Evaluating Oyster Aquaculture’S Cost-Effectiveness As A Nitrogen Removal Best Management Practice – A Case Study Of The Delaware Inland Bays, Jefferson F. Flood

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Disease and overfishing have led to a dramatic decline in wild populations and subsequent harvests of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica over the past few decades in Delaware and other states along the Atlantic Coast. However, in addition to their value as food to consumers, oysters, whether wild populations or cultured stocks, can provide ecosystem services such as nutrient removal, which may result in localized water quality improvements. Consequently, recent policies in Delaware have sought to establish and grow an oyster aquaculture industry. However, a key challenge to achieving efficient levels of industry growth and water quality improvements is that …

Oxidative Stress, Genotoxicity, And Immune Response Biomarkers Measured In Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Collected Aboard Multiple R/V Weatherbird Ii Cruises In The Gulf Of Mexico From 2015-08-20 To 2017-07-30, Steven A. Murawski, Kristina Deak, Larry Dishaw

C-IMAGE data

This dataset contains oxidative stress, genotoxicity and immune response biomarkers measured in red snappers collected aboard the R/V Weatherbird II cruises WB-1602, WB-1603, WB-1701 and WB-1736 in the Gulf of Mexico from 2015-08-20 to 2017-07-30. The dataset contains the location, date and depth of sample collection. In addition it includes the fish species, fish biometric data (such as weight, sex, liver weight, gonad weight, fork and total length) and concentrations or percentages of biomarkers that indicate oxidative stress (plasma superoxide dismutase, plasma sorbitol dehydrogenase, plasma malondialdehyde), immune response (hematocrit and leukocrit percentages, differential white blood cell counts in whole blood, …

Changes In The Spatial Distribution And Anatomy Of A Range Shift For The Atlantic Surfclam Spisula Solidissima In The Mid-Atlantic Bight And On Georges Bank, Jeremy R. Timbs, Eric N. Powell, Roger Mann

Faculty Publications

The Atlantic surfclam Spisula solidissima supports one of the largest fisheries on the US northeast coast. Using ~30 yr of data from surfclam stock surveys, variance-to-mean ratios (VtMRs) were calculated both temporally and spatially for a range of surfclam size classes to determine the degree of patchiness. The VtMR declined from the 1980s to present in all regions (offshore Delmarva, New Jersey, Long Island, Southern New England, Georges Bank); however, VtMR rose with increasing clam size. Taylor’s power law (TPL) analysis corroborated the VtMR; the surfclam is highly patchy across its range. The surfclam’s proclivity for a patchy distribution varied …

Supplemental Fos Article Materials, Sarah Gumbleton, David W. Kerstetter, Amy Hirons, Christopher Blanar

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Datasets

This extended table documents the endoparasites found within great egrets, great blue herons, green herons, yellow-crowned night herons, black-crowned night herons and white ibis from this study and previous studies.

Leonardo And The Whale, Kay Etheridge

Biology Faculty Publications

Around 1480, when he was 28 years old, Leonardo da Vinci recorded what may have been a seminal event in his life. In writing of his travels to view nature he recounted an experience in a cave in the Tuscan countryside:

Having wandered for some distance among overhanging rocks, I can to the entrance of a great cavern... [and after some hesitation I entered] drawn by a desire to see whether there might be any marvelous thing within..."

[excerpt]

Ocean Acidification Refugia In Variable Environments, Lydia Kapsenberg, Tyler Cyronak

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Climate change refugia in the terrestrial biosphere are areas where species are protected from global environmental change and arise from natural heterogeneity in landscapes and climate. Within the marine realm, ocean acidification, or the global decline in seawater pH, remains a pervasive threat to organisms and ecosystems. Natural variability in seawater carbon dioxide (CO₂) chemistry, however, presents an opportunity to identify ocean acidification refugia (OAR) for marine species. Here, we review the literature to examine the impacts of variable CO₂ chemistry on biological responses to ocean acidification and develop a framework of definitions and criteria that connects …

High Heat Tolerance Is Negatively Correlated With Upper Thermal Tolerance Plasticity In North Eastern Pacific Nudibranch Mollusks, Eric J. Armstrong, Richelle L. Tanner, Jonathon H. Stillman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Rapid ocean warming may alter habitat suitability and population fitness for marine ectotherms. Susceptibility to thermal perturbations will depend in part on plasticity of a species’ upper thermal limits of performance (CT_max). However, we currently lack data regarding CT_max plasticity for several major marine taxa, including nudibranch mollusks, thus limiting predictive responses to habitat warming for these species. In order to determine relative sensitivity to future warming, we investigated heat tolerance limits (CT_max), heat tolerance plasticity (acclimation response ratio), thermal safety margins, temperature sensitivity of metabolism, and metabolic cost of heat shock in nine species …

Unexplored Diversity Of The Mesophotic Echinoderm Fauna Of The Easter Island Ecoregion, Ariadna Mecho, Erin E. Easton, Javier Sellanes, Matthias Gorny, Christopher Mah

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Easter Island ecoregion (EIE) is one of the most remote marine areas of the world and encompasses a vast and fragile ecosystem including oceanic islands and seamounts. In January 2014 and March 2016, a remotely operated vehicle was used to explore a subsurface peak off Easter Island (27.23°S, 109.48°W) and a seamount (26.92°S, 110.26°W), respectively located 10 km southwest and 98 km west of the island. More than 950 echinoderms were observed in the 5 h of video recorded during the seven dives conducted at depths between ~ 160 and 280 m. The communities of echinoderms observed at these …

Oxidative Stress, Genotoxicity, And Immune Response Biomarkers Measured In Golden Tilefish (Lopholatilus Chamaeleonticeps) Collected Aboard Multiple R/V Weatherbird Ii Cruises In The Gulf Of Mexico From 2015-08-17 To 2017-07-29, Steven Murawski, Kristina Deak, Larry Dishaw

C-IMAGE data

This dataset contains oxidative stress, genotoxicity, and immune response biomarkers measured in golden tilefish collected aboard the R/V Weatherbird II cruises WB-1602, WB-1603, WB-1701 and WB-1736 in the Gulf of Mexico from 2015-08-17 to 2017-07-29. The dataset contains the location, date and depth of sample collection. In addition it includes the fish species, fish biometric data (such as weight, sex, liver weight, gonad weight, fork and total length) and concentrations or percentages of biomarkers that indicate oxidative stress (plasma superoxide dismutase, plasma sorbitol dehydrogenase, plasma malondialdehyde), immune response (hematocrit and leukocrit percentages, differential white blood cell counts in whole blood, …

Evolving And Sustaining Ocean Best Practices And Standards For The Next Decade, Frank Muller-Karger

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The oceans play a key role in global issues such as climate change, food security, and human health. Given their vast dimensions and internal complexity, efficient monitoring and predicting of the planet’s ocean must be a collaborative effort of both regional and global scale. A first and foremost requirement for such collaborative ocean observing is the need to follow well-defined and reproducible methods across activities: from strategies for structuring observing systems, sensor deployment and usage, and the generation of data and information products, to ethical and governance aspects when executing ocean observing. To meet the urgent, planet-wide challenges we face, …

Expierience, Lukas Suess, Caleb Biggers, Chris Pestano, Gabriel Nguyen

Computer Engineering

The goal of this project is to create a realistic diving simulation to allow users to see what it is like to dive beneath the Cal Poly Pier. As it is now, the simulation includes a model of the pier, a few species, and the framework for user movement. These features were created by the previous project teams. Our team will make additions to the existing project such as more creatures and life. Before any additions are added, the existing code must be optimized. This project will show users how scientific surveys can be conducted, so the ability to conduct …

Tidalsim Senior Project Report, Kent Zhang, Colin Vandervoort

Computer Engineering

Throughout the course of this project, our team helped the Cal Poly Biological Sciences department refine an intertidal zone simulator. The aim of this device is to allow any marine biologist to easily simulate a vast range of tidal zones in order to test animal behaviors within these zones. Another goal of this project is to make each simulation tank independent from the others by using a single microcontroller to handle all inputs and outputs of the system as well as logging all relevant data. The current system is set up so that a separate microcontroller handles dissolved oxygen and …

Effects Of Barotrauma On Four Species Of Pacific Rockfishes (Sebastes Spp.), Lesley Salter

Master's Theses

Physoclistic fish, such as Pacific rockfishes (genus Sebastes), have closed swim bladders that help them regulate their buoyancy. When anglers catch these fish and reel them to the surface, gases within their swim bladder expand due to the decrease in pressure. This can cause their swim bladder to over inflate––a condition known as barotrauma. Overly buoyant fish experiencing barotrauma often struggle to swim back to dwelling depth if released at the ocean’s surface. These fish may experience high rates of mortality by thermal shock caused by the warmer surface temperatures, starvation, predation, or vision problems caused by barotrauma. Assisted …

Coral Microbiome Database: Integration Of Sequences Reveals High Diversity And Relatedness Of Coral-Associated Microbes, Megan J. Huggett, Amy Apprill

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Coral-associated microorganisms are thought to play a fundamental role in the health and ecology of corals, but understanding of specific coral-microbial interactions are lacking. In order to create a framework to examine coral-microbial specificity, we integrated and phylogenetically compared 21,100 SSU rRNA gene Sanger-produced sequences from bacteria and archaea associated with corals from previous studies, and accompanying host, location and publication metadata, to produce the Coral Microbiome Database. From this database, we identified 39 described and candidate phyla of Bacteria and two Archaea phyla associated with corals, demonstrating that corals are one of the most phylogenetically diverse animal microbiomes. Secondly, …

Padanaram Harbor Management Plan, Kristin Uiterwyk, Steve Bliven, Jack Wiggin, Allison Novelly, Kimberly Starbuck, Jack Carolan

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Padanaram Harbor Management Plan was developed over a two‐year period, from 2017–2019, by a broad spectrum of Dartmouth governmental officials, citizens of the Town, regional and state agency staff, and representatives of non‐governmental organizations. There was significant public involvement through open meetings and an online survey. During the entire process, drafts of elements of the Plan were posted on the website of the Planning Board as they became available. The work was supported in consultation with staff of the Urban Harbors Institute from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Funding was provided through a grant from the Massachusetts Seaport Economic …

Fallen Pillars: The Past, Present, And Future Population Dynamics Of A Rare, Specialist Coral–Algal Symbiosis, Andrea Chan, Cynthia L. Lewis, Karen L. Neely, Iliana B. Baums

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

With ongoing changes in climate, rare and ecologically specialized species are at increased risk of extinction. In sessile foundation fauna that reproduce asexually via fragmentation of existing colonies, the number of colonies does not reflect the number of genets and thus can obscure genotypic diversity. Colonies that are the product of fragmentation are not visually distinguishable from colonies that stem from sexual recruits. For this reason, molecular markers are necessary to assess genotypic variation and population structure in clonal organisms such as reef-building corals and their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates. For the rare Caribbean pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, and its endosymbiotic …

Toward The Ultrasonic Sensing Of Organic Carbon In Seagrass-Bearing Sediments, Gabriel R. Venegas, Abdullah Rahman, Kevin M. Lee, Megan S. Ballard, Preston S. Wilson

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Ten percent of all organic carbon (Corg) absorbed by the ocean each year is stored in seagrass-bearing sediments. The preservation of these carbon stores is considered a vital method to mitigate climate change. Seagrass-bearing sediments have been correlated with sediment geophysical properties yet have not been related to sediment acoustic properties. For this purpose, sediment cores were collected from a Thalassia testudinum seagrass meadow in South Texas, USA, where geophysical, acoustical, and Corg properties were measured. It is hypothesized that when deposits of Corg adsorb onto mineral surfaces and are stored in pore spaces, compliant layers between grain contacts and …

Density And Species Richness Of Macrofaunal Benthic Bivalves In North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina, Richard Hawley, Juliana Harding

Honors Theses

Marine benthic bivalves are consumed by higher trophic levels. Bivalve species richness and density depend on temperature, salinity, and location. Biweekly core samples were collected from Bly Creek from 12/2017 to 12/2018. Benthic macrofaunal bivalves were counted and identified to describe density and species richness. Bivalves were also photographed for species identification. Bivalves composed 0% to 17% of the total macrofauna. The maximum bivalve density (8,149 bivalves/m²) was recorded on December 23, 2018. The fewest bivalves were observed from December 2017 through March 2018. Eight bivalve species were recorded during 2018; at least one species was present year-round. …

Microplastics In Fiddler Crabs (Genus Uca), Gabrielle Forbes, Eric Rosch

Honors Theses

Microplastics, as defined by NOAA, are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long, which cannot be seen with the naked eye. The production of plastic products and plastic use has exponentially increased since the start of plastic usage. Consequently, the amount of plastic waste has also increased greatly. Plastic waste that has been thrown out by humans into the environment breaks down into microscopic pieces, causing harm to organisms that live there. The purpose of this study was to see if there were microplastics passing through fiddler crabs (genus Uca), collected from the marsh at Waties Island, SC. Fecal …

Demersal Fish Use Of Printed Oyster Shells As Nesting Habitat In North Inlet Estuary, Sc, Annie Boyd, Juliana Harding

Honors Theses

Temperate estuarine blenny species establish subtidal territories and nesting sites. Four blenny species co-occur in North Inlet, SC including the striped blenny, Chasmodes bosquianus, crested blenny, Hypleurochilus geminatus, feather blenny, Hypsoblennius hentzi, and freckled blenny, Hypsoblennius ionthas. All four fishes use empty oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shells as nesting sites. Current 3D printer technology was used to create standard nest substrates to describe relationships between blenny habitat use and nest site dimensions. Replicate printed shells of 2 gape widths (5, 7 mm) for each of 2 shell cavity volumes (22 mL, 15mL, Oyster A and …

The Effects Of Human Approach On Sanderling Foraging Behavior, Anne Hobdy, Eric Rosch

Honors Theses

During low tide, sanderlings (Calidris alba) forage on small invertebrates in the sand of the intertidal zone. As a result, these common shorebirds frequently come into contact with humans who visit the beaches for a variety of activities, such as fishing or jogging. Here, the effects of three different approach types (undisturbed, passive, and aggressive) on sanderling foraging behavior were examined to help understand how human activities may be affecting their ability to search for food. At two local beaches, locomotory rate was recorded in addition to obvious changes in initial behavior. Treatments were defined as follows: 1) …

Pathological Findings In Red Snapper Livers Collected Aboard Multiple R/V Weatherbird Ii Cruises In The North Central Region, Gulf Of Mexico From 2012-08-13 To 2017-08-01, Erin Pulster, S. Fogelson, Steven A. Murawski

C-IMAGE data

This dataset contains pathological findings in red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) livers collected aboard the multiple Weatherbird II cruises WB1304 (2012-08-13 to 2012-08-25), WB1403 (2013-08-15 to 2013-08-30), WB1502 (2014-08-05 to 2014-08-20), WB1602 (2015-08-15 to 2015-08-30), WB1736 (2017-07-18 to 2017-08-01) in the north central region of the Gulf of Mexico, post-Deepwater Horizon. The dataset includes the identified presence of histological changes and images of the gross and histological evaluations. Formalin-fixed tissues were individually evaluated for color, texture, size, shape, and consistency. Photographs were taken with a Sony-Cybershot camera (Sony Corporation, Minato, Tokyo, Japan). At least two photographs were taken of the samples …

Input, Output And Complete Run Files For The Atlantis Ecosystem Model Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Simulations Including Fish And Invertebrate Effects, Cameron Ainsworth, Lindsey N. Dornberger

C-IMAGE data

These data include input and output files from the Gulf of Mexico Atlantis model. The simulations are published in Dornberger et al., 2019. The dataset includes every file needed to recreate the simulations: 1) the 18 spatial forcing files needed to recreate the sensitivity analysis; these vary the oil sensitivity threshold K, the fish oil threshold and the invertebrate oil threshold. The file naming scheme indicates parameter values used. 2) the three .prm files needed to recreate the different levels of fishing mortality (F=0.5, 1, 2.0, 10), The F rate indicates an increase in fishing mortality across all fishing sectors …

A Review Of The Global Commercial Cephalopod Fishery, With A Focus On Apparent Expansion, Changing Environments, And Management, Corey Clark

HCNSO Student Capstones

Cephalopods are both important predators and prey in many marine environments and important fishery resources in many countries. The global fishery has expanded almost continuously from landings of 580,000 metric tonnes in 1950 to over 4 m.t. in 2007. Cephalopods are ecological opportunists with highly plastic biological characteristics and varied population dynamics. Nearly all commercially harvested species are short-lived and can reproduce quickly, enabling them to evolve more rapidly under high selection pressure relative to many fish competitors and predators. As a result, they may have the biological means to be successful under conditions of long-term global climate change. This …

Outplanted Acropora Cervicornis Enhances The Fish Assemblages Of Southeast Florida, Ellen Dignon Goldenberg

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Acropora cervicornis, commonly known as the staghorn coral has historically been a major contributor to reef structural complexity, providing habitat for many functionally important fish species throughout Florida and the Caribbean. Unfortunately, due to disease, bleaching, and local anthropogenic stressors, A. cervicornis populations have suffered drastic declines that have negatively impacted associated reef fish populations. In order to promote recovery, A. cervicornis fragments can be cultivated in nurseries and outplanted back onto reefs. This practice can effectively increase A. cervicornis abundance, but the long-term effects on local fish assemblages, and specifically functionally important grazing fishes, has not been assessed. …

Examining The Effect Of Interstitial Space On Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica): Applications Of Photogrammetry And Three-Dimensional Modeling, Bailie Lavan

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Global oyster populations have decreased by as much as 99% in the past century. Oysters are known ecosystem engineers, providing benthic habitat for macrofauna, linking benthic and pelagic food webs, improving water quality, and mitigating shoreline erosion. Restoration efforts are critical in re-establishing native oyster populations. In the Chesapeake Bay, where oyster loss is primarily due to severe over harvest, artificial substrates with geometric shapes are widely used in restoration efforts. However, natural oyster reefs form emergent shapes with a high degree of aggregation and many interstitial spaces (three-dimensional volumetric spaces between oysters within a reef). The lack of interstitial …

Nutrient Concentrations And Effects On Mill Run From Residential, Urban, And Industrial Stormwater Contamination, Melissa Carver

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Nutrients are introduced into the waters of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through various methods, mainly through point and non-point sources. Non-point sources would include agricultural means however, there are often other non-point sources that are often overlooked. Water runoff from stormwater is an important contributor to pollution entering various watersheds. Data was collected at 4 locations (the initial point of reference, residential, urban, and industrial) on Mill Run and 2 locations on Woodcock Creek, through surface water collection methods in dry and wet weather. Nitrate, Nitrite, Total Phosphorus, and Total Nitrogen were among the data collected. Total Phosphorus had an …