Marine Biology Commons^™

Island Invasion: The Silent Crisis In Hawaii, Sophia Janssen

Pomona Senior Theses

Keeping out invasive species may, upon first review, seem like a trivial environmental cry from ecologists and deep environmentalists; a belated wish to return to an undeveloped world where nature was pristine. However invasive species create problems that impact all of us and can have far more severe consequences than changing a stunning landscape. These problems are heightened in islands like Hawaii, where the fragile ecosystems have developed over centuries of evolution and adaptation. The introduction of a disease-carrying mosquito can put the people of Hawaii at risk to many vector-born illnesses and create an epidemic, taking human life. The …

Parasitic Dinoflagellate Hematodinium Perezi Prevalence In Larval And Juvenile Blue Crabs Callinectes Sapidus From Coastal Bays Of Virginia, H. J. Small, J. P. Huchin-Mian, K. S. Reece, K. M. Pagenkopp Lohan, Mark J. Butler Iv, J. D. Shields

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium perezi infects the American blue crab Callinectes sapidus and other decapods along the Eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of the USA. Large juvenile and adult blue crabs experience high mortality during seasonal outbreaks of H. perezi, but less is known about its presence in the early life history stages of this host. We determined the prevalence of H. perezi in megalopae and early benthic juvenile crabs from multiple locations along the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula. The DNA of H. perezi was not detected in any megalopae collected from several locations within …

Editorial: Advances In The Biology And Conservation Of Marine Turtles, Sara M. Maxwell, Annette C. Broderick, Peter H. Dutton, Sabrina Fossette-Halot, Mariana M.P.B. Fuentes, Richard D. Reina

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

(First Paragraph) Marine turtles have been the subject of research over many decades, inspired by their unique life history and necessitated by their declining populations from a suite of human impacts including direct harvest, bycatch in marine fisheries, pollution, and climate change. Despite this, much about marine turtle biology has remained a mystery (Godley et al., 2008; Rees et al., 2016; Wildermann et al., 2018), but the rate of scientific discovery is increasing rapidly. As research techniques and conservation practices expand, the marine turtle research community has kept abreast of these developments and their application to marine turtles. In this …

Phylogenetic, Genomic, And Biogeographic Characterization Of Anovel And Ubiquitous Marine Invertebrate-Associated Rickettsiales Parasite,Candidatus Aquarickettsia Rohweri, Gen. Nov., Sp. Nov, J. Grace Klinges, Stephanie M. Rosales, Ryan Mcminds, Koty H. Sharp

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Bacterial symbionts are integral to the health and homeostasis of invertebrate hosts. Notably, members of the Rickettsiales genus Wolbachia influence several aspects of the fitness and evolution of their terrestrial hosts, but few analogous partnerships have been found in marine systems. We report here the genome, phylogenetics, and biogeography of a ubiquitous and novel Rickettsiales species that primarily associates with marine organisms. We previously showed that this bacterium was found in scleractinian corals, responds to nutrient exposure, and is associated with reduced host growth and increased mortality. This bacterium, like other Rickettsiales, has a reduced genome indicative of a parasitic …

Scaphanocephalus-Associated Dermatitis As The Basis For Black Spot Disease In Acanthuridae Of St. Kitts, West Indies, Michelle M. Dennis, Adrien Izquierdo, Anne Conan, Kelsey Johnson, Solenne Giardi, Paul Frye, Mark A. Freeman

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Acanthurus spp. of St. Kitts and other Caribbean islands, including ocean surgeonfish A. bahianus, doctorfish A. chirurgus, and blue tang A. coeruleus, frequently show multifocal cutaneous pigmentation. Initial reports from the Leeward Antilles raised suspicion of a parasitic etiology. The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence of the disease in St. Kitts’ Acanthuridae and describe its pathology and etiology. Visual surveys demonstrated consistently high adjusted mean prevalence at 3 shallow reefs in St. Kitts in 2017 (38.9%, 95% CI: 33.8−43.9) and 2018 (51.5%; 95% CI: 46.2−56.9). There were no differences in …

In The Eye Of The Storm: Houston After Hurricane Harvey, Brandon Tolentino-Serrano

Pomona Senior Theses

Situated in one of the wettest climates in America, Houston, TX has had a long history of heavy rains and unprecedented floods. Unfortunately, floods have become more common over the last few decades as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of hurricanes around the globe. To complicate matters further, Houston has quickly sprawled to accommodate over 2.5 billion people. Rapid urbanization has rendered the landscape even more susceptible to floods through excess concretization and watershed disturbance. This thesis traces the history of the Bayou City in relation to the damages caused by Hurricane Harvey. By mapping out the original …

Changing Oceanic Conditions On The Foraging Patterns Of Cassin’S Auklets, Ptychoramphus Aleuticuschanging Oceanic Conditions On The Foraging Patterns Of Cassin’S Auklets, Ptychoramphus Aleuticus, Clare Flynn

Pomona Senior Theses

Cassin’s auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) reproductive success has been monitored on Southeast Farallon Island (SEFI) for the past 45 years. Their productivity has varied with oceanic conditions. The purpose of this study is to connect how oceanic conditions affect Cassin’s auklet foraging behaviors. The California Current System (CCS) can normally maintain high plankton productivity, and thus high seabird productivity, because of coastal upwelling. I hypothesized that lower upwelling and/or higher sea surface temperatures (SSTs) lead Cassin’s auklets to spend more time on intensive foraging behaviors such as flying and diving, and have less time to spend resting. I also hypothesized that …

Seagrass Ecosystems: A Career-Long Quest To Understand Their Inner Workings, Kenneth L. Heck Jr

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Four decades of research findings associates on the ecology of seagrasses and their animal and plant associates are described here, along with some of the major changes and advances that have taken place in our understanding of the inner workings of these amazingly productive and diverse ecosystems. Of primary importance are shifts in the recognition of: 1) the importance of the nursery role of seagrasses and how it can be quantified; 2) the importance of direct herbivory in the trophic ecology of seagrass-dominated ecosystems; and 3) the primacy of consumer effects in determining the abundance of algal epiphytes that colonize …

Spatial Variability In Recruitment Of Chilipepper Rockfish (Sebastes Goodei) In The California Current System, Laura K. Solinger

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Properly describing variability in population dynamics (e.g., growth, fecundity, recruitment) is expected to improve management of important fisheries stocks (Maunder & Piner, 2014). As recruitment to most fish stocks is determined during early life history stages (Houde, 1997; Iles & Beverton, 2000), and early life history stages are influenced by oceanographic conditions (Bjorkstedt et al. 2002; Laidig, 2010), understanding how environmental stochasticity influences recruitment deviations has potential to improve estimates of stock productivity and how productivity might change over time to support more effective management. Chilipepper Rockfish (Sebastes goodei) are an important commercial species that is managed as …

Seaweed Community Structure Along Environmental Gradients In An Ocean-Dominated Estuary, Saskia A. Raether

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Macrophyte community structure in estuaries that have been modified by the addition of hard substrata are poorly documented, especially in relation to the physical and environmental gradients that shape them. Therefore, this study describes the summer macrophyte flora that occurs on hard and soft substrata throughout Humboldt Bay, CA and tests how the macrophyte communities correlate to measures of horizontal and vertical environmental gradients. The percent cover of macroalgae, vascular plants, cyanobacteria, lichens, diatom film, sessile invertebrates, and substratum types were quantified during the summers of 2017 and 2018 at eleven intertidal locations in the bay and outer coast. Horizontal …

Development Of A Biomarker Panel For Identifying Stressed Marine Mammals, Laura Pujade

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Increasing anthropogenic disturbance in marine ecosystems such as fishing, oil-drilling, and noise pollution can have detrimental effects on the reproduction and survival of apex predators such as marine mammals. Stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in increased circulating glucocorticoid (GCs) hormones, which alter expression of target genes encoding metabolic enzymes and other mediators of stress. Prolonged HPA axis stimulation may increase catabolism of nutrient stores and suppress immune and reproductive functions, impacting the fitness of marine mammals. GCs measurements are used to identify wild animals experiencing stress. However, these measurements may not be sensitive enough to distinguish between an …

Rapidly Expanding Nuclear Arsenals In Pakistan And India Portend Regional And Global Catastrophe, Owen B. Toon, Charles G. Bardeen, Alan Robock, Lili Xia, Hans Kristensen, Matthew Mckinzie, R. J. Peterson, Cheryl S. Harrison, Nicole S. Lovenduski, Richard P. Turco

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Pakistan and India may have 400 to 500 nuclear weapons by 2025 with yields from tested 12- to 45-kt values to a few hundred kilotons. If India uses 100 strategic weapons to attack urban centers and Pakistan uses 150, fatalities could reach 50 to 125 million people, and nuclear-ignited fires could release 16 to 36 Tg of black carbon in smoke, depending on yield. The smoke will rise into the upper troposphere, be self-lofted into the stratosphere, and spread globally within weeks. Surface sunlight will decline by 20 to 35%, cooling the global surface by 2° to 5°C and reducing …

Sweet Potato: A Potentially Profitable Summer Crop For South Texas Organic Farmers To Enhance Soil Biological Activity And Nutrient Release, Jahdiel Salazar, Josabeth Navarro, James Jihoon Kang, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Past, Present, And Future Perspectives Of Environmental Dna (Edna) Metabarcoding: A Systematic Review In Methods, Monitoring, And Applications Of Global Edna, Krista M. Ruppert, Richard J. Kline, Md. Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a novel method of assessing biodiversity wherein samples are taken from the environment via water, sediment or air from which DNA is extracted, and then amplified using general or universal primers in polymerase chain reaction and sequenced using next-generation sequencing to generate thousands to millions of reads. From this data, species presence can be determined, and overall biodiversity assessed. It is an interdisciplinary method that brings together traditional fieldbased ecology with in-depth molecular methods and advanced computational tools. As an emerging monitoring method, there are many pitfalls and roadblocks to be considered and avoided, but …

The Potential Use Of Seagrass Herbivory Patterns As An Indicator Of Herbivore Community Change After Tropical Marine Protected Area Establishment, John M. Carroll, Amber D. Stubler, Christopher M. Finelli, Bradley J. Peterson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Throughout the Caribbean, fishing pressure has decreased the abundance of many species, including both large predators and larger-bodied herbivores. In an effort to reverse these trends and reduce harvest pressure on vulnerable fish populations, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established throughout the Caribbean. Yet, the effort to monitor fish communities, is variable, and there are MPAs where no monitoring program exists. It is possible that other metrics may be used to determine whether the impact of MPA establishment. By comparing two seagrass herbivory experiments, one pre- and one post-MPA establishment, we provide evidence that the MPA established in Discovery …

Variability In Microphytobenthos Biomass And Carbon Isotopic Values In Shallow Coastal Waters Of The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Sharil N. Deleon, Jeffrey W. Krause, Ronald Baker

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Aquatic Acidification On Calcium Uptake In White River Shrimp Litopenaeus Setiferus Gills, Maria-Flora Jacobs

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research regarding aquatic acidification has examined the protonation of the carbonate and does not consider calcium to be a limiting factor. This is the first study to suggest that pH may affect the uptake of calcium in crustacean gills. This project describes ion transport mechanisms present in the cell membranes of white river shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus gill epithelium, and the effects of pH on the uptake of calcium by these means. Partially purified membrane vesicles (PPMV) of shrimp gills were prepared through a homogenization process that has been used previously to define ion transport in crab and lobster gill …

Characteristics And Mechanisms Of Coastal Upwelling In The Gulf Of Thailand, Pacharamon Sripoonpan

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The characteristics and mechanisms of coastal upwelling in the Gulf of Thailand was investigated through 2 approaches; 1) Ekman transport upwelling index (UIET) and sea surface temperature upwelling index (UISST), and 2) Hydrodynamics model DELFT3D-FLOW under the influences of tide, spatially varying wind, water temperature, salinity and river discharge. The UIET indicated favorable upwelling conditions along the west coast of the GoT mostly during northeast monsoon in January and 1st inter-monsoon in March, while the favorable upwelling condition indicated by UISST was found along the east coast during southwest monsoon in August and 2nd inter-monsoon in October. The model expressed …

Habitat Discontinuities Form Strong Barriers To Gene Flow Among Mangrove Populations, Despite The Capacity For Long Distance Dispersal, Rachel M. Binks, Margaret Byrne, Kathryn Mcmahon, Georgina Pitt, Kathy Murray, Richard D. Evans

Research Datasets

Mangrove forests are among the world’s most important ecosystems but are declining rapidly worldwide. Effective conservation management requires a better understanding of the patterns and drivers of gene flow across a range of spatial scales.

Despite the capacity for long distance propagule dispersal, field studies suggest that mangrove propagules tend not to disperse far from the release point, which has important implications for the impact of habitat discontinuities on gene flow. We use a comprehensive seascape genomics approach to investigate this concept in the world’s most widely distributed mangrove species, Avicennia marina.

Location 21 sites along 2400 km of Western …

Seagrass Sedimentary Deposits As Security Vaults And Time Capsules Of The Human Past, Dorte Krause-Jensen, Oscar Serrano, Eugenia T. Apostolaki, David J. Gregory, Carlos M. Duarte

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Seagrass meadows form valuable ecosystems, but are considered to have low cultural value due to limited research efforts in this field. We provide evidence that seagrass deposits play a hitherto unrealized central role in preserving valuable submerged archaeological and historical heritage across the world, while also providing an historical archive of human cultural development over time. We highlight three case studies showing the significance of seagrass in protecting underwater cultural heritage in Denmark, the Mediterranean and Australia. Moreover, we present an overview of additional evidence compiled from the literature. We emphasize that this important role of seagrasses is linked to …

Global Trends In Marine Plankton Diversity Across Kingdoms Of Life, Federico M. Ibarbalz, Nicolas Henry, Manoela C. Brandão, Severine Martini, Greta Busseni, Hannah Byrne, Luis Pedro Coelho, Hisashi Endo, Josep Gasol, Ann C. Gregory, FréDéRic Mahe ́, Janaina Rigonato, Marta Royo-Llonch, Guillem Salazar, Isabel Sanz-SáEz, Eleonora Scalco, Dodji Soviadan, Ahmed A. Zayed, Adriana Zingone, Karine Labadie, Joannie Ferland, Claudie Marec, Stefanie Kandels, Marc Picheral, Celine Dimier, Julie Poulain, Sergey Pisarev, Margaux Carmichael, Stephane Pesant, Marcel Babin, Emmanuel Boss, Daniele Iudicone, Olivier Jaillon, Silvia G. Acinas, Hiroyuki Ogata, Eric Pelletier, Lars Stemmann, Matthew B. Sullivan, Shinichi Sunagawa, Laurent Bopp, Colomban De Vargas, Lee Karp-Boss, Patrick Wincker, Fabien Lombard, Chris Bowler, Lucie Zinger

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The ocean is home to myriad small planktonic organisms that underpin the functioning of marine ecosystems. However, their spatial patterns of diversity and the underlying drivers remain poorly known, precluding projections of their responses to global changes. Here we investigate the latitudinal gradients and global predictors of plankton diversity across archaea, bacteria, eukaryotes, and major virus clades using both molecular and imaging data from Tara Oceans. We show a decline of diversity for most planktonic groups toward the poles, mainly driven by decreasing ocean temperatures. Projections into the future suggest that severe warming of the surface ocean by the end …

Seagrass Removal Leads To Rapid Changes In Fauna And Loss Of Carbon, Michael N. Githaiga, Anna M. Frouws, James G. Kairo, Mark Huxham

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Seagrass habitats are important natural carbon sinks, with an average of ~14 kg C m⁻² buried in their sediments. The fate of this carbon following seagrass removal or damage has major environmental implications but is poorly understood. Using a removal experiment lasting 18 months at Gazi Bay, Kenya, we investigated the impacts of seagrass loss on sediment topography, hydrodynamics, faunal community structure and carbon dynamics. Sediment pins were used to monitor surface elevation. The effects of seagrass removal on water velocity was investigated using Plaster of Paris dissolution. Sediment carbon concentration was measured at the surface and down to …

Seagrass Soil Archives Reveal Centennial-Scale Metal Smelter Contamination While Acting As Natural Filters, Anna Lafratta, O Serrano, Pere Masque, Miguel Mateo, Milena Fernandes, Sam Gaylard, Paul Lavery

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia hosts the world's largest single stream Pb-Zn smelter, which has caused environmental and health issues related to elevated metal concentrations in the surrounding environment. The area also has extensive seagrass meadows, occupying >4000 km². We reconstructed the fluxes of heavy metals over the last ~3000 years through a multi-parameter study of the soil archives formed by the seagrass Posidonia australis. Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations increased up to 9-fold following the onset of smelter operations in the 1880s, and the stable Pb isotopic signatures confirmed the smelter has been the main …

Role Of Carbonate Burial In Blue Carbon Budgets, V. Saderne, N.R. Geraldi, P.I. Macreadie, D.T. Maher, J.J. Middelburg, O. Serrano, H. Almahasheer, A. Arias-Ortiz, M. Cusack, B.D. Eyre, J.W. Fourqurean, H. Kennedy, D. Krause-Jensen, T. Kuwae, P.S. Lavery, C.E. Lovelock, N. Marba, P. Masqué, M.A. Mateo, I. Mazarrasa, K.J. Mcglathery, M.P.J. Oreska, C.J. Sanders, I.R. Santos

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Calcium carbonates (CaCO 3 ) often accumulate in mangrove and seagrass sediments. As CaCO 3 production emits CO 2 , there is concern that this may partially offset the role of Blue Carbon ecosystems as CO 2 sinks through the burial of organic carbon (C org ). A global collection of data on inorganic carbon burial rates (C inorg , 12% of CaCO 3 mass) revealed global rates of 0.8 TgC inorg yr −1 and 15–62 TgC inorg yr −1 in mangrove and seagrass ecosystems, respectively. In seagrass, CaCO 3 burial may correspond to an offset of 30% of the …

Adult Atlantic Sturgeon Population Dynamics In The York River, Virginia, Jason E. Kahn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sturgeon first appear in the fossil record in the Triassic Period just over 200 million years ago and are among the most primitive of the bony fishes. Despite their large size and historic presence along the East Coast, Atlantic sturgeon were not targeted for their meat and caviar as a commercial fishery until 1880. By 1905 they had declined to less than one percent of their pre-fishing abundance but the fishery continued. Prior to 1980, there had been very little research on Atlantic sturgeon, primarily limited to documenting landing location and poundage, maximum longevity, or weight of eggs per fish. …

Synthesis Report: Defining Thresholds And Indicators Of Primary Producer Response To Dredging-Related Pressures: Report Of Theme 5 Prepared For The Dredging Science Node, Paul Lavery, Kathryn Mcmahon, John Statton, Mat Vanderklift, Simone Strydom, Gary Kendrick

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Seagrasses form a small component of a diverse group of organisms termed ‘benthic primary producers’. Benthic primary producers are organisms that grow on the sea-bed that obtain some or all of their energy needs from photosynthesis. This includes animals such as scleractinian corals and some sponges that host microscopic intercellular algae, coralline and turf algae, and the larger seaweeds such as the kelps and sargassum. Seagrasses are marine flowering plants, more closely related to land plants than seaweeds and algae. Seagrasses live mostly in soft sediments, and can be found from the shallow intertidal zone through to a depth of …

The ‘Thing’ From This World, Sergio M. Pellis

Animal Sentience

Science progresses by making contrasts, and the living world is a gold mine of contrasts. Often disciplines become victims by focusing on too narrow a slice of that diversity, leading to a myopic view of how nature works. The relationships between the brain and behavior have been intensively studied in vertebrates, especially mammals, and we have become complacent in our assumptions about how behavior is constructed. As the target article by Mather (2019) shows, the relationship between the brain and behavior in octopuses forces us to reevaluate some of those assumptions.