Marine Biology Commons^™

Coral Reef Restoration Methods In The Caribbean And Florida Keys, Melissa Wagner

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

There has been a massive decline in coral population worldwide, but the Caribbean Sea has been particularly impacted. The Caribbean was once the home to millions of branching coral, Acropora, but has seen severe degradation in the past few decades due to climate change, pollution, coral disease, bleaching events, overfishing, coastal development and other disturbances. Coral reef restoration has since expanded rapidly with thousands of coral nurseries in the Caribbean alone and has become an important process in maintaining coral reefs in our oceans today. Corals help protect our shorelines, maintain biodiversity in our oceans, provide jobs for fisheries …

Sentience In Decapods: Difficulties To Surmount, Michael L. Woodruff

Animal Sentience

In the target article Crump et al. present 8 criteria to assess whether decapods experience pain. Four of these -- sensory integration, motivational trade-offs, flexible self-protection, and associative learning -- could be used to assess sentience in general. In this commentary I discuss difficulties with using these criteria to provide evidence of sentience in decapods, particularly if this evidence is to change public opinion and policies. These difficulties are lack of evidence, the potential to eventually explain the neurobiological basis of the behaviors chosen as criteria, thereby eliminating any explanatory work for sentience, and the reluctance to bring animals that …

Role Of Biological Clocks In Ant Behavioral Plasticity And Parasitic Manipulation Of Ant Behavior, Biplabendu Das

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Living organisms exhibit daily rhythms as a way to anticipate predictable fluctuations in their environment. Such daily rhythmicity is the phenotypic outcome of oscillating genes and proteins, driven by an endogenous biological clock. Clock-controlled behavioral rhythms are inherently "flexible" since their phase, amplitude, and period can change throughout an animal's life hallmarked by changes in so-called chronotype. How this inherent plasticity of clock-controlled rhythms is linked to plasticity of behavior is still an open question in biology. Characterizing the various mechanistic links between plasticity of the animal clock and behavioral state will not only shed light on the molecular underpinnings …

Juvenile Dispersal And Genetic Connectivity In The Sea Turtle 'Lost Years', Katrina Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Juvenile dispersal is a life history strategy found across taxa and habitat types. In this dissertation, I examine juvenile dispersal in an evolutionary context and explore the conditions that support high dispersal, which necessitates subsequent ontogenetic habitat shifts. I use a sea turtle study system to evaluate the genetic and behavioral patterns associated with juvenile dispersal and ontogenetic shifts in marine environments. Specifically, I focus on four sea turtle species found in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico in the early life stage known as the 'lost years': green turtles (Chelonia mydas), Kemp's ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii), loggerheads (Caretta caretta), and hawksbills …

River Report. State Of The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, Contaminants, 2022., Environmental Protection Board, City Of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Gerry Pinto, Gretchen Bielmyer-Fraser, John Burr, Dale Casamatta, Charles Closmann, Brian P. Zoellner, Ashley Johnson, An-Phong Le, William Penwell, Radha Pyati

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

Variation Of Larval Traits And Copper Tolerance In An Invasive Cryptic Species Complex (Watersipora: Bryozoa), Jason A. Lopiccolo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Many factors contribute to the potential of a non-indigenous species to invade an area and become established. For bryozoan colonies of the cryptic species complex Watersipora (Neviani, 1896), this may include larval characteristics such as settlement rate, competency of metamorphosis, swimming duration, and the ability to tolerate copper, a common component in marine anti-fouling paints. Two common groups of Watersipora that occur along the California coast are W. subatra Clade A and an undescribed new species, Clade N. The goal of this research work was to discover what differences, if any, exist in the larval traits and copper tolerances of …

Phylogenetic And Geographic Relationships Of Cheilostome Bryozoans In The Eastern Pacific, Hannah E. Lee

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The phylum Bryozoa is an incredibly diverse group of marine invertebrates with a widespread global distribution that is well suited for evolutionary studies but whose phylogenetic relationships are still poorly understood. Although recent studies on bryozoan taxonomies and phylogenies have increased, there is still a lack of assessment of species found at shallow water (<1 m) to intertidal depths. In this study, I aimed to expand the taxonomic sampling and assessment of the phylogenetic diversity of cheilostome bryozoans along the California coastline by utilizing mitochondrial DNA as well as inferring potential correlations between species presence and dispersal range both within and between rocky outer coast and sheltered harbor habitats. Illumina high-throughput sequencing was used to produce mitogenomes for cheilostome bryozoan samples collected off rocks from two rocky intertidal sites and off settlement panels from two harbor sites. Phylogenetic analyses generated evolutionary hypotheses of species relationships alongside geographic mapping of their distribution. This study identified 15 distinct species that represent 10 different families to form the first comprehensive phylogeny for multiple bryozoan families in California across a total range of approximately 973 km of coastline. Three genetically distinct species were found at multiple sites that are separated by a combination of rocky shores and sandy beaches, which indicates that the dispersal range of these species are not limited by geographic barriers along the coast of California. These results provide a future opportunity for further integration of this data with the phylogenies generated in this study to examine more robust evolutionary hypotheses for the phylogenetic and geographic relationships of Californian bryozoan species.

Final Report Floating Upwelling System Harvest Road Oceans, Robert Michael, Scott Bennett

Fisheries Occasional Publications

A Floating Upwelling System or FLUPSY is a mechanical system for the culture of seed stock during the nursery stage of commercial bivalve production.

Examining Ecological Succession Of Diatoms In California Current System Cyclonic Mesoscale Eddies, Zuzanna M. Abdala, Sophie Clayton, Sveinn V. Einarsson, Kimberly Powell, Claire P. Till, Tyler H. Coale, P. Dreux Chappell

OES Faculty Publications

The California Current System is a diatom-dominated region characterized by seasonal coastal upwelling and additional elevated mesoscale activity. Cyclonic mesoscale eddies in the region trap productive coastal waters with their planktonic communities and transport them offshore with limited interaction with surrounding waters, effectively acting as natural mesocosms, where phytoplankton populations undergo ecological succession as eddies age. This study examines diatom community composition within two mesoscale cyclonic eddies that formed in the same region of the California Current System 2 months apart and in the California Current waters surrounding them. The diatom communities were analyzed in the context of shifting environmental …

Photorespiration In Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L.): A Photoprotection Mechanism For Survival In A Co₂-Limited World, Billur Celebi-Ergin, Richard C. Zimmerman, Victoria J. Hill

OES Faculty Publications

Photorespiration, commonly viewed as a loss in photosynthetic productivity of C3 plants, is expected to decline with increasing atmospheric CO₂, even though photorespiration plays an important role in the oxidative stress responses. This study aimed to quantify the role of photorespiration and alternative photoprotection mechanisms in Zostera marina L. (eelgrass), a carbon-limited marine C3 plant, in response to ocean acidification. Plants were grown in controlled outdoor aquaria at different [CO₂]aq ranging from ~55 (ambient) to ~2121 μM for 13 months and compared for differences in leaf photochemistry by simultaneous measurements of O₂ flux and …

A Subsurface Eddy Associated With A Submarine Canyon Increases Availability And Delivery Of Simulated Antarctic Krill To Penguin Foraging Regions, K. Hudson, M. J. Oliver, J. Kohut, Michael S. Dinniman, John M. Klinck, M. A. Cimino, K. S. Bernard, H. Statscewich, W. Fraser

OES Faculty Publications

The distribution of marine zooplankton depends on both ocean currents and swimming behavior. Many zooplankton perform diel vertical migration (DVM) between the surface and subsurface, which can have different current regimes. If concentration mechanisms, such as fronts or eddies, are present in the subsurface, they may impact zooplankton near-surface distributions when they migrate to near-surface waters. A subsurface, retentive eddy within Palmer Deep Canyon (PDC), a submarine canyon along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), retains diurnal vertically migrating zooplankton in previous model simulations. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the presence of the PDC and its associated subsurface eddy increases …

Simulated Response Of St. Joseph Bay, Florida, Seagrass Meadows And Their Belowground Carbon To Anthropogenic And Climate Impacts, Marie Cindy Lebrasse, Blake A. Schaeffer, Richard C. Zimmerman, Victoria J. Hill, Megan M. Coffer, Peter J. Whitman, Wilson B. Salls, David D. Graybill, Christopher L. Osburn

OES Faculty Publications

Seagrass meadows are degraded globally and continue to decline in areal extent due to human pressures and climate change. This study used the bio-optical model GrassLight to explore the impact of climate change and anthropogenic stressors on seagrass extent, leaf area index (LAI) and belowground organic carbon (BGC) in St. Joseph Bay, Florida, using water quality data and remotely-sensed sea surface temperature (SST) from 2002 to 2020. Model predictions were compared with satellite-derived measurements of seagrass extent and shoot density from the Landsat images for the same period. The GrassLight-derived area of potential seagrass habitat ranged from 36.2 km2 …

Biofilm Harvesters In Coastal Settings Of The Early Palaeozoic, Nora Noffke, M. Gabriela Mángano, Luis A. Buatois

OES Faculty Publications

The ichnogenera Syringomorpha and Daedalus are here interpreted as products of infaunal biofilm harvesters. This study investigated: (1) Syringomorpha nilssoni and Syringomorpha isp. from the Cambrian Series 2‐Miaolingian Campanario Formation, northwest Argentina; and (2) Daedalus halli from the Floian Grès et Schistes de la Cluse de l’Orb Formation, Montagne Noire, France. Syringomorpha nilssoni occurs in sandy to mixed intertidal to lower shoreface deposits, whereas Syringomorpha isp. in the lower intertidal zone. Daedalus halli occurs in a lagoon and intertidal to lower shoreface sands of a barrier island. Syringomorpha and Daedalus comprise a vertical J‐shaped causative burrow and deep spreite. These …

Tying Policy To System: Does The Ross Sea Region Marine Reserve Protect Transport Pathways Connecting The Life History Of Antarctic Toothfish?, Julian Ashford, Michael Dinniman, Cassandra Brooks, Lian Wei, Guoping Zhu

OES Faculty Publications

A central objective of the Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area (MPA) is to protect areas important to the life cycle of Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni), a top fish predator and by far the region’s most important commercial species. Juvenile toothfish predominate in deep basins along the inner continental shelf, whereas adults are found mostly along the continental slope and spawning areas on the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. The inner basins connect to the continental slope via glacial troughs and predictable transport along each trough results in exchange with the Antarctic Slope Current as it flows westward. From the slope, …

Bio-Go-Ship: The Time Is Right To Establish Global Repeat Sections Of Ocean Biology, Sophie Clayton, Harriet Alexander, Jason R. Graff, Nicole J. Poulton, Luke R. Thompson, Heather Benway, Emmanuel Boss, Adam Martiny

OES Faculty Publications

In this article, we present Bio-GO-SHIP, a new ocean observing program that will incorporate sustained and consistent global biological ocean observations into the Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP). The goal of Bio-GO-SHIP is to produce systematic and consistent biological observations during global ocean repeat hydrographic surveys, with a particular focus on the planktonic ecosystem. Ocean plankton are an essential component of the earth climate system, form the base of the oceanic food web and thereby play an important role in influencing food security and contributing to the Blue Economy. Despite its importance, ocean biology is largely under-sampled in …

Imaging Technologies Build Capacity And Accessibility In Phytoplankton Species Identification Expertise For Research And Monitoring: Lessons Learned During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sophie Clayton, Leah Gibala-Smith, Kathryn Mogatas, Chanel Flores-Vargas, Kayla Marciniak, Maci Wigginton, Margaret R. Mulholland

OES Faculty Publications

As primary producers, phytoplankton play an integral role in global biogeochemical cycles through their production of oxygen and fixation of carbon. They also provide significant ecosystem services, by supporting secondary production and fisheries. Phytoplankton biomass and diversity have been identified by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) as Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), properties that need to be monitored to better understand and predict the ocean system. Phytoplankton identification and enumeration relies on the skills and expertise of highly trained taxonomic analysts. The training of new taxonomic analysts is intensive and requires months to years of supervised training before an analyst …

The Atlantic Surfclam Fishery And Offshore Wind Energy Development: 1. Model Development And Verification, Daphne M. Munroe, Eric N. Powell, John M. Klinck, Andrew M. Scheld, Sarah Borsetti, Jennifer Beckensteiner, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

Competing pressures imposed by climate-related warming and offshore development have created a need for quantitative approaches that anticipate fisheries responses to these challenges. This study used a spatially explicit, ecological-economic agent-based model integrating dynamics associated with Atlantic surfclam stock biology, decision-making behavior of fishing vessel captains, and fishing fleet behavior to simulate stock biomass, and fishing vessel catch, effort and landings. Simulations were implemented using contemporary Atlantic surfclam stock distributions and characteristics of the surfclam fishing fleet. Simulated distribution of fishable surfclam biomass was determined by a spatially varying mortality rate, fishing by the fleet was controlled by captain decisions …

Screening Ocean Samples From Georgia For The Presence Of Msx And Dermo Using Pcr And Qpcr Methods, Olivia Michelle Williams

Honors Theses and Capstones

This Senior Thesis project aimed to be able to screen samples that came in from a PhD student in Georgia for the presence of two oyster diseases, MSX and Dermo. This study was done using PCR followed by visualizing on E-gels for initial presence of disease. These were then followed by qPCR and visualization on Criterion gels. These Criterion gels were able to be analyzed in order to calculate the pg/uL of MSX and Dermo in the original ocean samples. Since the samples were sent in over the course of February-August ‘21 the presence over time was also able to …

Patch Dynamics Driven By Wave Exposure In Subtidal Temperate Seaweeds Are Exacerbated By Warming Oceans, Yannick Mulders, Lydiane Mattio, Julia C. Phillips, Paul S. Lavery, Gary A. Kendrick, Thomas Wernberg

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Over the past decades, ocean temperatures have been steadily increasing and are projected to continue to do so, stressing many temperate marine organisms. Changing temperatures do not affect ecosystems in isolation, but interact with many other factors in shaping ecological communities. We investigated the changes over 2 decades in subtidal temperate seaweed communities over a wave exposure gradient in Western Australia, a global warming hotspot. We found higher diversity in the seaweed community and a higher proportion of biomass of species with a warm affinity (expressed as the tropicalization index: TI) over time. There was no decline in biomass of …

Tropicalization Of Seagrass Macrophytodetritus Accumulations And Associated Food Webs, Gilles Lepoint, Glenn A. Hyndes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass, systems export significant amounts of their primary production as large detritus (i.e. macrophytodetritus). Accumulations of exported macrophytodetritus (AEM) are found in many areas in coastal environment. Dead seagrass leaves are often a dominant component of these accumulations, offering shelter and/or food to numerous organisms. AEM are particular habitats, different from donor habitats (i.e. seagrass meadow, kelp or macroalgae habitats) and with their own characteristics and dynamics. They have received less attention than donor habitats despite the fact they often connect different coastal habitats, are the place of intense remineralization processes and shelter associated detritus food web. As for seagrass …

Validation Of The Use Of Clathromorphum Compactum Growth And Skeletal Δ18o As A Proxy For Seawater Conditions, Teagan Mcmahon

Pitzer Senior Theses

Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are important organisms that create benthic habitat in the photic zone of oceans worldwide. CCAs mechanisms of photosynthesis and calcification may, in some cases, make them vulnerable to climate change and ocean acidification. Therefore, CCA are important not only for their ecological role within ecosystems but also for their ability to indicate the effects that ocean acidification and climate change may have on other marine calcifying organisms. Some species of CCA are known to be useful recorders of paleo oceanic conditions. These climate archives and reconstructions of past environmental conditions are important for understanding past changes …

Sheepshead (Archosargus Probatocephalus) Neurocranium, Andrew J. Hartmann, Steven Peterson, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Neurocranium from Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)

An Antimicrobial Polydopamine Surface Coating To Reduce Biofouling On Telemetry Tags Used In Marine Conservation Practices, Ariana Smies

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Satellite telemetry tags are used to track the migration patterns of large cetaceans. These tags penetrate the dermis and remain embedded in the underlying blubber tissue. As the dermis of cetaceans is host to a diverse microbiome, and it is impossible to clean the skin before implanting the devices, the potential for infection is increased when the tags penetrate through the skin. H₂O₂ is a potential antimicrobial agent that, in addition to showing broad-spectrum efficacy against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, can promote wound healing outcomes by promoting proliferative factors and peptides that protect against oxidative stress. However, …

The Atlantic Surfclam Fishery And Offshore Wind Energy Development: 2. Assessing Economic Impacts, Andrew M. Scheld, Jennifer Beckensteiner, Daphne M. Munroe, Eric N. Powell, Sarah Borsetti, Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

The Atlantic surfclam (Spisula solidissima) fishery generates approximately USD 30 million in landings revenues annually, distributed across ports throughout the US Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Overlap between areas of Atlantic surfclam harvests and offshore wind energy leasing make the fishery vulnerable to exclusion and effort displacement as development expands in the region. An existing integrated bioeconomic agent-based model, including spatial dynamics in Atlantic surfclam stock biology, heterogeneous captain behaviour, and federal management processes, was extended to incorporate costs and revenues for fishing vessels and processors and used to evaluate the potential economic effects of offshore wind development on the …

Assessment Of Temperature Optimum Signatures Of Corals At Both Latitudinal Extremes Of The Red Sea, Guilhem Banc-Prandi, Nicolas R. Evensen, Daniel J. Barshis, Gabriela Perna, Youssouf Moussa Omar, Maoz Fine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Rising ocean temperatures are pushing reef-building corals beyond their temperature optima (T_opt), resulting in reduced physiological performances and increased risk of bleaching. Identifying refugia with thermally resistant corals and understanding their thermal adaptation strategy is therefore urgent to guide conservation actions. The Gulf of Aqaba (GoA, northern Red Sea) is considered a climate refuge, hosting corals that may originate from populations selected for thermal resistance in the warmer waters of the Gulf of Tadjoura (GoT, entrance to the Red Sea and 2000 km south of the GoA). To better understand the thermal adaptation strategy of GoA corals, …

A Characterization Of The Sandy Beach Surf Zone Fish Community And Their Ecology In Northern California And The Effects Of Marine Protected Areas, Katie B. Terhaar

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Historically written off as dull and homogenous, the dynamics of the sandy beach surf zone remains under studied world-wide. Northern California has been no exception to this global standard, as the sandy beach surf zone ecosystem in this region has yet to be characterized, and the effect of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on the fish and macroinvertebrate community fully ascertained.

Considered data-poor by local wildlife officials, commercially, recreationally and culturally important Amphistichus rhodoterus (redtail surfperch) and common Hyperprosopon ellipticum (silver surfperch) utilize the sandy beach surf zone in Northern California. Little is known about the effect of various environmental factors, …

Saturating Relationship Between Phytoplankton Growth Rate And Nutrient Concentration Explained By Macromolecular Allocation, Jongsun Kim, Gabrielle Armin, Keisuke Inomura

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Phytoplankton account for about a half of photosynthesis in the world, making them a key player in the ecological and biogeochemical systems. One of the key traits of phytoplankton is their growth rate because it indicates their productivity and affects their competitive capability. The saturating relationship between phytoplankton growth rate and environmental nutrient concentration has been widely observed yet the mechanisms behind the relationship remain elusive. Here we use a mechanistic model and metadata of phytoplankton to show that the saturating relationship between growth rate and nitrate concentration can be interpreted by intracellular macromolecular allocation. At low nitrate levels, the …

Kinorhynch Diversity In The Southern Gulf Of Mexico And A Description Of Dracoderes Chaac Sp. Nov., Stephen C. Landers, Kellan Hoffman, Nuria Sanchez, Martin Sorensen

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Sediment collections from the southern Gulf of Mexico between the Texas—Mexico border and the Yucatán Peninsula have resulted in many new kinorhynch species distribution records and the finding and taxonomic description of a new species, Dracoderes chaac sp. nov. This study focused on the non—echinoderid members of the Phylum Kinorhyncha, many of which are rare or restricted to only a few locations. A total of 136 specimens were identified from 24 sediment stations, distributed among the following species: Antygomonas gwenae, Campyloderes vanhoeffeni, Centroderes readae, Condyloderes flosfimbriatus, Co. rohalorum, Cristaphyes panamensis, Dracoderes chaac sp. nov., …

Temporal And Spatial Occurrence Of Karenia Brevis Blooms In The Northcentral Gulf Of Mexico, Jonathan Jackson, Yee Lau, Paul Mickle, Just Cebrian

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.

Life History Of Swordfish, Xiphias Gladius, Caught In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Anna K. Millender, Jeremy M. Higgs, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Michael J. Andres, James S. Franks

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The current study examined 93 Swordfish, Xiphias gladius, (64 females, 27 males, 2 unknown) ranging in size from 77.6–246.3 cm lower jaw fork length (LJFL) from the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Samples were collected between March and August in 2005–2007, 2017–2019 and 2021. Age estimates of 51 Swordfish resulted in a maximum observed age of 11 years (205.0 cm LJFL) and 7 years (190.4 cm LJFL) for females and males, respectively. Observed and back—calculated length—at—age data were fitted to 4 growth models (2— and 3— parameter von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, and logistic). The 2—parameter von Bertalanffy was the model …