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2021

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Articles 271 - 300 of 359

Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Autonomous In Situ Calibration Of Ion‐Sensitive Field Effect Transistor Ph Sensors, Philip J. Bresnahan, Yuichiro Takeshita, Taylor Wirth, Todd R. Martz, Tyler Cyronak, Rebecca Albright, Kennedy Wolfe, Joseph K. Warren, Keaton Mertz Jan 2021

Autonomous In Situ Calibration Of Ion‐Sensitive Field Effect Transistor Ph Sensors, Philip J. Bresnahan, Yuichiro Takeshita, Taylor Wirth, Todd R. Martz, Tyler Cyronak, Rebecca Albright, Kennedy Wolfe, Joseph K. Warren, Keaton Mertz

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Ion‐sensitive field effect transistor‐based pH sensors have been shown to perform well in high frequency and long‐term ocean sampling regimes. The Honeywell Durafet is widely used due to its stability, fast response, and characterization over a large range of oceanic conditions. However, potentiometric pH monitoring is inherently complicated by the fact that the sensors require careful calibration. Offsets in calibration coefficients have been observed when comparing laboratory to field‐based calibrations and prior work has led to the recommendation that an in situ calibration be performed based on comparison to discrete samples. Here, we describe our work toward a self‐calibration apparatus …

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Assessment Of Monochloramine Toxicity On Three Small Coastal Organisms, Ashley K. Le Jan 2021

Assessment Of Monochloramine Toxicity On Three Small Coastal Organisms, Ashley K. Le

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Monochloramine ( is a secondary disinfectant used by water treatment facilities to eliminate lingering bacteria in basins, filters, and pipelines. While an effective disinfectant, monochloramine can have negative effects on aquatic organisms. Organis ms affected by the chemical can include species whose environment is near to effluent sites and aquaculture facilities that use tap water lines or has water intake pipes near to effluent sites. Three species commonly found in south Florida that are lik ely exposed to MCA by effluent sites or aquaculture facilities are mosquitofish Gambusia affinis pink shrimp Farfantepenaeus duorarum and the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria These …

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Ontogenetic Variation In Sciaenid Otolith Morphometry With Fish Size From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Thomas C. Ingalls Jan 2021

Ontogenetic Variation In Sciaenid Otolith Morphometry With Fish Size From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Thomas C. Ingalls

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Sciaenids are a diverse family of coastal fishes and their fisheries are an important industry in the United States. In the northern Gulf of Mexico this industry is dominated by six species, specifically, red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), black drum (Pogonias cromis), spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), sand seatrout (C. arenarius), Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), and spot (Leiostomus xathurus). Sagittal otoliths of all species were evaluated for changes in size and shape in relation to changes in fish total length and age across a variety of seasons and habitats. Evaluation …

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A Predator-Based Methodology For Studying Predator-Prey Relationships In Fishes, Ashley Vettese Jan 2021

A Predator-Based Methodology For Studying Predator-Prey Relationships In Fishes, Ashley Vettese

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Changes in the ocean including acidification, increasing temperatures, loss of habitat, and increased hypoxic events has the potential to change predator-prey relationships. These changes in single interactions can then have effects on population sizes, community structures, and changes in trophic cascades. Understanding how changing abiotic factors impact predator-prey relationships will be crucial for understanding what populations and communities will look like under future ocean conditions. In this review, the goals are to (1) summarize the current knowledge on how changing ocean conditions affect predator-prey relationships; (2) describe an example predator-based approach to examine how changing these changing factors impact predator-prey …

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Seasonal Occurrence, Horizontal Movements, And Habitat Use Patterns Of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon Typus) In The Gulf Of Mexico, Eric R. Hoffmayer, Jennifer A. Mckinney, James S. Franks, Jill M. Hendon, William B. Driggers, Brett J. Falterman, Benjamin Galuardi, Michael E. Byrne Jan 2021

Seasonal Occurrence, Horizontal Movements, And Habitat Use Patterns Of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon Typus) In The Gulf Of Mexico, Eric R. Hoffmayer, Jennifer A. Mckinney, James S. Franks, Jill M. Hendon, William B. Driggers, Brett J. Falterman, Benjamin Galuardi, Michael E. Byrne

Faculty Publications

In the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) form large aggregations at continental shelf-edge banks during summer; however, knowledge of movements once they leave aggregation sites is limited. Here we report on the seasonal occurrence of whale sharks in the northern GOM based on over 800 whale shark sightings from 1989 to 2016, as well as the movements of 42 whale sharks tagged with satellite-linked and popup satellite archival transmitting tags from 2008 to 2015. Sightings data were most numerous during summer and fall often with aggregations of individuals reported along the continental shelf break. Most sharks …

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Social Familiarity Improves Fast-Start Escape Performance In Schooling Fish, Lauren E. Nadler, Mark I. Mccormick, Jacob L. Johansen, Paolo Domenici Jan 2021

Social Familiarity Improves Fast-Start Escape Performance In Schooling Fish, Lauren E. Nadler, Mark I. Mccormick, Jacob L. Johansen, Paolo Domenici

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Datasets

Using social groups (i.e. schools) of the tropical damselfish Chromis viridis, we tested how familiarity through repeated social interactions influences fast-start responses, the primary defensive behaviour in a range of taxa, including fish, sharks, and larval amphibians. We focused on reactivity through response latency and kinematic performance (i.e. agility and propulsion) following a simulated predator attack, while distinguishing between first and subsequent responders (direct response to stimulation versus response triggered by integrated direct and social stimulation, respectively). In familiar schools, first and subsequent responders exhibited shorter latency than unfamiliar individuals, demonstrating that familiarity increases reactivity to direct and, potentially, …

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Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. 8: Galeommatoidea, Cardidae, & Tellinoidea, Timothy Campbell Jan 2021

Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. 8: Galeommatoidea, Cardidae, & Tellinoidea, Timothy Campbell

A Photographic Guide to the Gelasian (Early Pleistocene) Mollusca of Southeastern North Carolina

The Lower Waccamaw Formation contains a rich basal Pleistocene (early Gelasian, 2.4-2.0 million years old) fauna with an extreme abundance and diversity of mollusks (>90% of the fossils and 900+ species) in addition to various echinoderms, arthropods, annelids, corals, bryozoans, and vertebrates. Based upon the ranges of the extant species, the climate seems to have been warmer than today. This diverse subtropical fauna can be found in patches in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It is roughly equivalent to the modern fauna of central South Carolina to North Florida, however, there was dramatic faunal turnover about 1.7 …

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Lower Waccamaw Formation Review Copy Pt. Iii: Neogastropoda Incertae Sedis, Buccinoidea, & Muricidae, Timothy Campbell Jan 2021

Lower Waccamaw Formation Review Copy Pt. Iii: Neogastropoda Incertae Sedis, Buccinoidea, & Muricidae, Timothy Campbell

A Photographic Guide to the Gelasian (Early Pleistocene) Mollusca of Southeastern North Carolina

The Lower Waccamaw Formation contains a rich basal Pleistocene (early Gelasian, 2.4-2.0 million years old) fauna with an extreme abundance and diversity of mollusks (>90% of the fossils and 900+ species) in addition to various echinoderms, arthropods, annelids, corals, bryozoans, and vertebrates. Based upon the ranges of the extant species, the climate seems to have been warmer than today. This diverse subtropical fauna can be found in patches in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It is roughly equivalent to the modern fauna of central South Carolina to North Florida, however, there was dramatic faunal turnover about 1.7 …

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Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. Ii: Truncatelloidea, Vanikoroidea, Calyptraeidae, Cypraeoidea, Personidae, Ficidae & Xenophoridae, Timothy Campbell Jan 2021

Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. Ii: Truncatelloidea, Vanikoroidea, Calyptraeidae, Cypraeoidea, Personidae, Ficidae & Xenophoridae, Timothy Campbell

A Photographic Guide to the Gelasian (Early Pleistocene) Mollusca of Southeastern North Carolina

The Lower Waccamaw Formation contains a rich basal Pleistocene (early Gelasian, 2.4-2.0 million years old) fauna with an extreme abundance and diversity of mollusks (>90% of the fossils and 900+ species, of which I illustrate 743) in addition to various echinoderms, arthropods, annelids, corals, bryozoans, and vertebrates. Based upon the ranges of the extant species, the climate seems to have been warmer than today. This diverse subtropical fauna can be found in patches in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It is roughly equivalent to the modern fauna of central South Carolina to North Florida, however, there was …

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Red Drum And Spotted Seatrout Live-Release Tournament Mortality And Dispersal, T. Reid Nelson, Crystal Hightower, Sean P. Powers Jan 2021

Red Drum And Spotted Seatrout Live-Release Tournament Mortality And Dispersal, T. Reid Nelson, Crystal Hightower, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Although catch-and-release fishing tournaments undoubtedly reduce mortality of target species, postrelease mortality and fish stockpiling at release sites remain common concerns related to these tournaments. The impacts of liverelease tournaments on freshwater species have been widely studied. However, research on estuarine sport fishes is lacking even though catch-and-release tournaments targeting these species are prevalent and popular recreational fisheries exist. Therefore, we estimated the post-weigh-in mortality and dispersal of Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus and Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus released from the 2016–2018 Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo live-weigh-in categories using acoustic telemetry. To concurrently estimate overall post-weigh-in mortality and dispersal, we …

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Caribbean Fad Tracking Project Dataset, Erin E. Kimak, David W. Kerstetter, Thomas D. Pitchford Jan 2021

Caribbean Fad Tracking Project Dataset, Erin E. Kimak, David W. Kerstetter, Thomas D. Pitchford

Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology Lab Datasets

This dataset encompasses crowd-sourced reports of abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), particularly drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs) from citizen scientists around the North Atlantic Ocean and greater Caribbean region. Data collection did not involve survey efforts, but rather keyword searches of affiliated terms such as "bamboo raft" and "satellite buoy", as well as collection of reports via email and Facebook. Although this dataset is incomplete and an under representation of the total number of ALDFG dFADs as a result of widespread nature of stranding locations, it provides a minimum estimate of the numbers of FADs stranding in …

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Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. 6: Heterobranchia, Timothy Campbell Jan 2021

Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. 6: Heterobranchia, Timothy Campbell

A Photographic Guide to the Gelasian (Early Pleistocene) Mollusca of Southeastern North Carolina

The Lower Waccamaw Formation contains a rich basal Pleistocene (early Gelasian, 2.4-2.0 million years old) fauna with an extreme abundance and diversity of mollusks (>90% of the fossils and 900+ species) in addition to various echinoderms, arthropods, annelids, corals, bryozoans, and vertebrates. Based upon the ranges of the extant species, the climate seems to have been warmer than today. This diverse subtropical fauna can be found in patches in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It is roughly equivalent to the modern fauna of central South Carolina to North Florida, however, there was dramatic faunal turnover about 1.7 …

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Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. Iv: Volutoidea, Cancellariidae, Costellariidae, & Olivoidea, Timothy Campbell Jan 2021

Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. Iv: Volutoidea, Cancellariidae, Costellariidae, & Olivoidea, Timothy Campbell

A Photographic Guide to the Gelasian (Early Pleistocene) Mollusca of Southeastern North Carolina

The Lower Waccamaw Formation contains a rich basal Pleistocene (early Gelasian, 2.4-2.0 million years old) fauna with an extreme abundance and diversity of mollusks (>90% of the fossils and 900+ species) in addition to various echinoderms, arthropods, annelids, corals, bryozoans, and vertebrates. Based upon the ranges of the extant species, the climate seems to have been warmer than today. This diverse subtropical fauna can be found in patches in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It is roughly equivalent to the modern fauna of central South Carolina to North Florida, however, there was dramatic faunal turnover about 1.7 …

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Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. 7: Protobranchia, Pteriomorpha, Carditita, Lucinidae, Gastrochaenidae, Pharidae, & Hiatellidae, Timothy Campbell Jan 2021

Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. 7: Protobranchia, Pteriomorpha, Carditita, Lucinidae, Gastrochaenidae, Pharidae, & Hiatellidae, Timothy Campbell

A Photographic Guide to the Gelasian (Early Pleistocene) Mollusca of Southeastern North Carolina

The Lower Waccamaw Formation contains a rich basal Pleistocene (early Gelasian, 2.4-2.0 million years old) fauna with an extreme abundance and diversity of mollusks (>90% of the fossils and 900+ species) in addition to various echinoderms, arthropods, annelids, corals, bryozoans, and vertebrates. Based upon the ranges of the extant species, the climate seems to have been warmer than today. This diverse subtropical fauna can be found in patches in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It is roughly equivalent to the modern fauna of central South Carolina to North Florida, however, there was dramatic faunal turnover about 1.7 …

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Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. 5: Conoidea, Timothy Campbell Jan 2021

Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. 5: Conoidea, Timothy Campbell

A Photographic Guide to the Gelasian (Early Pleistocene) Mollusca of Southeastern North Carolina

The Lower Waccamaw Formation contains a rich basal Pleistocene (early Gelasian, 2.4-2.0 million years old) fauna with an extreme abundance and diversity of mollusks (>90% of the fossils and 900+ species) in addition to various echinoderms, arthropods, annelids, corals, bryozoans, and vertebrates. Based upon the ranges of the extant species, the climate seems to have been warmer than today. This diverse subtropical fauna can be found in patches in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It is roughly equivalent to the modern fauna of central South Carolina to North Florida, however, there was dramatic faunal turnover about 1.7 …

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Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. Ix: Ungulinidae, Chamidae, Cyrenidae, Veneridae, Mactroidea, Myida, & Anomalodesmata, Timothy Campbell Jan 2021

Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. Ix: Ungulinidae, Chamidae, Cyrenidae, Veneridae, Mactroidea, Myida, & Anomalodesmata, Timothy Campbell

A Photographic Guide to the Gelasian (Early Pleistocene) Mollusca of Southeastern North Carolina

The Lower Waccamaw Formation contains a rich basal Pleistocene (early Gelasian, 2.4-2.0 million years old) fauna with an extreme abundance and diversity of mollusks (>90% of the fossils and 900+ species) in addition to various echinoderms, arthropods, annelids, corals, bryozoans, and vertebrates. Based upon the ranges of the extant species, the climate seems to have been warmer than today. This diverse subtropical fauna can be found in patches in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It is roughly equivalent to the modern fauna of central South Carolina to North Florida, however, there was dramatic faunal turnover about 1.7 …

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An Exceptionally Small New Polycotylid Plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) With Raptorial Eyes From The Western Interior Seaway Of North America, Robert O’Brien Clark Jan 2021

An Exceptionally Small New Polycotylid Plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) With Raptorial Eyes From The Western Interior Seaway Of North America, Robert O’Brien Clark

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Polycotylidae is a family of plesiosaurian marine reptiles that evolved during the Early Cretaceous and radiated into multiple genera during the Late Cretaceous, achieving a worldwide distribution. Derived polycotylids of the subclade Polycotylinae have a gracile and elongated rostrum, homodont dentition, an extended mandibular symphysis, and foreshortened temporal fenestrae. In this thesis, I describe a small and highly derived new polycotylid taxon based on three specimens from the Campanian of the Western Interior Seaway in North America. A high number of maxillary teeth, fused neural arches, propodials with well-defined facets, and heavily remodeled cortical bone indicate the specimens are adults, …

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Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. I: Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, Vetigastropoda, Cerithoidea, Epitoniidae, Litorimidae, Naticidae, Vermetidae & Triphoroidea, Timothy Campbell Jan 2021

Waccamaw Mollusca Review Copy Pt. I: Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, Vetigastropoda, Cerithoidea, Epitoniidae, Litorimidae, Naticidae, Vermetidae & Triphoroidea, Timothy Campbell

A Photographic Guide to the Gelasian (Early Pleistocene) Mollusca of Southeastern North Carolina

The Lower Waccamaw Formation contains a rich basal Pleistocene (early Gelasian, 2.4-2.0 million years old) fauna with an extreme abundance and diversity of mollusks (>90% of the fossils and 900+ species, of which Iillustrate 743) in addition to various echinoderms, arthropods, annelids, corals, bryozoans, and vertebrates. Based upon the ranges of the extant species, the climate seems to have been warmer than today. This diverse subtropical fauna can be found in patches in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. It is roughly equivalent to the modern fauna of central South Carolina to North Florida, however, there was dramatic …

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Age, Growth, And Mortality Of Atlantic Tripletail In The North-Central Gulf Of Mexico, Amanda E. Jefferson, Matthew B. Jargowsky, Meagan N. Schrandt, Pearce T. Cooper, Sean P. Powers, John Dindo, J. Marcus Drymon Jan 2021

Age, Growth, And Mortality Of Atlantic Tripletail In The North-Central Gulf Of Mexico, Amanda E. Jefferson, Matthew B. Jargowsky, Meagan N. Schrandt, Pearce T. Cooper, Sean P. Powers, John Dindo, J. Marcus Drymon

University Faculty and Staff Publications

In the southeastern USA and the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Atlantic Tripletail Lobotes surinamensis are increasingly targeted by recreational anglers, indicating that stock status should be assessed. A critical need for such assessments is age-specific data; however, previous studies have drawn conflicting conclusions regarding the most appropriate structure for aging. Moreover, growth parameters and mortality rates for GOM Atlantic Tripletail are unknown. Therefore, the goals of this study were to (1) evaluate sagittal otoliths and first dorsal spines as aging structures; (2) model combined and sex-specific growth; and (3) estimate mortality rates for GOM Atlantic Tripletail. From 2012 to 2019, …

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Documentation Of Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops Atlanticus) Space Use And Move Persistence In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Facilitated By Angler Advocates, J. Marcus Drymon, Matthew B. Jargowsky, Michael A. Dance, Mitchell Lovell, Crystal L. Hightower, Amanda E. Jefferson, Andrea M. Kroetz, Sean P. Powers Jan 2021

Documentation Of Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops Atlanticus) Space Use And Move Persistence In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Facilitated By Angler Advocates, J. Marcus Drymon, Matthew B. Jargowsky, Michael A. Dance, Mitchell Lovell, Crystal L. Hightower, Amanda E. Jefferson, Andrea M. Kroetz, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus, hereafter tarpon) are facing a multitude of stressors and are considered Vulnerable by the IUCN; however, significant gaps remain in our understanding of tarpon space use and movement. From 2018 to 2019, citizen scientists facilitated tagging of 23 tarpon with SPOT tags to examine space use and movement across the northern Gulf of Mexico. Movement-based kernel densities were used to estimate simplified biased random bridge-based utilization distributions and a joint move persistence model was used to estimate a behavioral index for each fish. Tarpon showed consistent east–west movement from the Alabama/Florida border to Louisiana, and utilization …

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Characterization Of The Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus) Melanocortin-2 Receptor, Brianne Hoglin Jan 2021

Characterization Of The Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus) Melanocortin-2 Receptor, Brianne Hoglin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Among bony vertebrates, the melanocortin-2 receptor ortholog is unique among the family of five melanocortin receptors on the basis that it is dependent on its accessory protein, MRAP1, for trafficking and activation, and is selective for activation by ACTH alone. Previous studies on the MC2R orthologs of select cartilaginous fish, the elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii) and the red stingray (Dasyatis akajei), revealed divergent traits in a less obligatory relationship on MRAP1 and its ability to be activated by ACTH or the MSH-sized peptides. However, observed traits were not consistent between these two cartilaginous fish species, posing …

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Scalability And Performance Tradeoffs In Quantifying Relationships Between Elevation And Tidal Wetland Plant Communities, James R. Holmquist, Lisa Schile-Beers, Kevin Buffington, Meng Lu, Thomas J. Mozdzer, Jefferson Riera, Donald E. Weller, Meghan Williams, J Patrick Megonigal Jan 2021

Scalability And Performance Tradeoffs In Quantifying Relationships Between Elevation And Tidal Wetland Plant Communities, James R. Holmquist, Lisa Schile-Beers, Kevin Buffington, Meng Lu, Thomas J. Mozdzer, Jefferson Riera, Donald E. Weller, Meghan Williams, J Patrick Megonigal

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Elevation is a major driver of plant ecology and sediment dynamics in tidal wetlands, so accurate and precise spatial data are essential for assessing wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise and making forecasts. We performed survey-grade elevation and vegetation surveys of the Global Change Research Wetland, a brackish microtidal wetland in the Chesapeake Bay estuary, Maryland (USA), to both intercompare unbiased digital elevation model (DEM) creation techniques and to describe niche partitioning of several common tidal wetland plant species. We identified a tradeoff between scalability and performance in creating unbiased DEMs, with more data-intensive methods such as kriging performing better than …

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Understanding Changes In Marine Communities Through A Discretized, Size-Structured Matrix Model, Courtney Swanson Jan 2021

Understanding Changes In Marine Communities Through A Discretized, Size-Structured Matrix Model, Courtney Swanson

Senior Seminars and Capstones

We study a discretized, size-structured matrix model which calculates population in a marine community over time. A portion of this model is a discretized version of the McKendrick-von Foerster equation, so we spend some time studying the process of discretizing that equation. We implement a mini model containing 10 size categories instead of the original 50, and we looked at how the marine community behaves over 40 years. We discuss some of the challenges when implementing this model.

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Unexpected Role Of Communities Colonizing Dead Coral Substrate In The Calcification Of Coral Reefs, Manoela Romanó De Orte, David A. Koweek, Tyler Cyronak, Yuichiro Takeshita, Alyssa Griffin, Kennedy Wolfe, Alina Szmant, Robert Whitehead, Rebecca Albright, Ken Caldeira Jan 2021

Unexpected Role Of Communities Colonizing Dead Coral Substrate In The Calcification Of Coral Reefs, Manoela Romanó De Orte, David A. Koweek, Tyler Cyronak, Yuichiro Takeshita, Alyssa Griffin, Kennedy Wolfe, Alina Szmant, Robert Whitehead, Rebecca Albright, Ken Caldeira

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Global and local anthropogenic stressors such as climate change, acidification, overfishing, and pollution are expected to shift the benthic community composition of coral reefs from dominance by calcifying organisms to dominance by non-calcifying algae. These changes could reduce the ability of coral reef ecosystems to maintain positive net calcium carbonate accretion. However, relationships between community composition and calcification rates remain unclear. We performed field experiments to quantify the metabolic rates of the two most dominant coral reef substrate types, live coral and dead coral substrate colonized by a mixed algal assemblage, using a novel underwater respirometer. Our results revealed that …

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Evaluation Of Wave Attenuation And Shoreline Protection Provided By Us Atlantic And Gulf Coast Oyster Reef Living Shoreline Projects During Storm Events, Matthew Virden, Eric Sparks Jan 2021

Evaluation Of Wave Attenuation And Shoreline Protection Provided By Us Atlantic And Gulf Coast Oyster Reef Living Shoreline Projects During Storm Events, Matthew Virden, Eric Sparks

CREC Publications

No abstract provided.

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Disease Prevalence And The Population Genetic Structure Of Crassostrea Virginica Along The Georgia Coast, Sarah Batchelor Jan 2021

Disease Prevalence And The Population Genetic Structure Of Crassostrea Virginica Along The Georgia Coast, Sarah Batchelor

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is an ecologically important species that plays a role in protecting shorelines, water filtration, and providing habitat and food for various fish species. Perkinsus marinus and Haplosporidium nesloni are two pathogens currently affecting oyster populations. These pathogens have both been documented as causes of mass mortality events along the East coast. They greatly diminish the health of oysters, resulting in the degradation of oyster tissue, reduction in growth and reproductive ability, and may cause death. In this study, wild oysters were collected from eleven locations along the Georgia coast to investigate the presence, intensity, …

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Effects Of Invasional Meltdown On Community Structure In Marine Ecosystems In The Damariscotta Estuary Of Maine, Kate Lazzeri Jan 2021

Effects Of Invasional Meltdown On Community Structure In Marine Ecosystems In The Damariscotta Estuary Of Maine, Kate Lazzeri

Student Research Poster Presentations 2021

Basibiont organisms form the foundation of marine ecosystems by providing additional space for new species to settle on as epibionts. Invasive epibionts may take advantage of this new basibiont presence, which leads to many harmful effects on native organisms such as competition for both resources and food. In some cases, invasive species facilitate recruitment of other invasive organisms, a phenomenon referred to as invasional meltdown, but it is not known if invasion of new basibionts increases invasive epibiont occurrence. The purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: 1) does the invasion status of the basibiont alter …

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Yellowtail Snapper: Human-Ecological Relationships In The South Florida Fishery, Brent Stoffle, Amanda D. Stoltz Jan 2021

Yellowtail Snapper: Human-Ecological Relationships In The South Florida Fishery, Brent Stoffle, Amanda D. Stoltz

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

In 2018 over a period of five months researchers from National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) conducted a study with fishermen and local business owners who participate in the South Florida Yellowtail snapper fishery. Fishermen were asked about changes in their targeting strategies over the last several decades; and they perceive these changes to have altered the health and the biology of the snapper species. The changes are perceived as partially responsible for improving both the overall abundance of Yellowtail and having sped up its the growth and reproductive cycles. This is a case where …

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The Biomechanical Energetics Of Terrestrial Locomotion In California Sea Lions (Zalophus Californianus): Efficiency Of Quadrupedal Galloping, Sarah Kerr Jan 2021

The Biomechanical Energetics Of Terrestrial Locomotion In California Sea Lions (Zalophus Californianus): Efficiency Of Quadrupedal Galloping, Sarah Kerr

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Pinnipedia, an order of semi-aquatic marine mammals, adapted a body design that allows for efficient aquatic locomotion but limited terrestrial locomotion. Phocids (true seals) have reduced forelimbs and are unable to bring their hindlimbs beneath them during terrestrial locomotion. Otariids, like the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), have enlarged forelimbs and can bring their hindlimbs under the body to locomote quadrupedally on land. Due to these differences, phocids are expected to move on land with greater energetic costs compared to otariids. The mechanical costs of transport and power outputs of terrestrial locomotion were compared between the California sea …

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Resolving Variability In Size Structure In An Individual-Based Model For The North Pacific Krill, Euphausia Pacifica, Roxanne Robertson Jan 2021

Resolving Variability In Size Structure In An Individual-Based Model For The North Pacific Krill, Euphausia Pacifica, Roxanne Robertson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Individual-based models (IBMs) have emerged as a powerful tool for ecological research and are particularly well suited to studies of plankton ecology. In this thesis, I develop an IBM for the North Pacific krill, Euphausia pacifica, with the goal of replicating observed variability in size-structure in the northern California Current Ecosystem. Krill, and E. pacifica in particular, are central to the structure and function of the California Current Ecosystem. Their response to environmental forcing translates climate variability to higher trophic levels and underpins broader ecosystem responses. Recent observations indicate environmental and climate-related shifts in E. pacifica size distributions, which …

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