Marine Biology Commons^™

199952, David Kerstetter, Sean T. Wilms, Zachery Young, Brittany N. Savercool

PERC Post-Release Swordfish Survival sPAT Data

Datasets (and supporting material) from 28 sPAT electronic tags deployed on undersized swordfish as part of the MSMS thesis project of Zachery Young.

199951, David Kerstetter, Sean T. Wilms, Zachery Young, Brittany N. Savercool

PERC Post-Release Swordfish Survival sPAT Data

Datasets (and supporting material) from 28 sPAT electronic tags deployed on undersized swordfish as part of the MSMS thesis project of Zachery Young.

199950, David Kerstetter, Sean T. Wilms, Zachery Young, Brittany N. Savercool

PERC Post-Release Swordfish Survival sPAT Data

Datasets (and supporting material) from 28 sPAT electronic tags deployed on undersized swordfish as part of the MSMS thesis project of Zachery Young.

199947, David Kerstetter, Sean T. Wilms, Zachery Young, Brittany N. Savercool

PERC Post-Release Swordfish Survival sPAT Data

Datasets (and supporting material) from 28 sPAT electronic tags deployed on undersized swordfish as part of the MSMS thesis project of Zachery Young.

Sea Spray Generation Function Due To Shear-Induced Instabilities Of The Air-Sea Interface Under Tropical Cyclone Conditions, Alexander Soloviev, Breanna Vanderplow

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

The sea surface under tropical cyclone conditions is covered by whitecaps and whiteout material. The whitecap areas are formed by large breaking waves and occupy ~4% of the sea surface (Holthuijsen et al. 2012). These areas produce large amounts of bubble and spray but occupy only a relatively small faction of the sea surface. The whiteout material that covers the rest of the sea surface can be caused by shear-induced instabilities of the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) type (Soloviev et al. 2017). The KH type instabilities at the gas-liquid interface have been intensively studied in engineering applications such as atomization of the …

In Situ Carbon Uptake Of Marine Macrophytes Is Highly Variable Among Species, Taxa, And Morphology, Julian Jacobs, Lucian Himes, Florybeth Flores La Valle Dr.

Summer Undergraduate Research in Biology Program

Macroalgae form important coastal ecosystems and are considered to be highly

productive, yet individual macrophyte carbon uptake rates are

poorly documented and methodologies for in situ assessments of productivity

are not well developed. In this study, we employ a 13C enrichment method in

benthic chambers to calculate carbon uptake rates and assess d13C signatures of

a large stock of nearshore benthic macroalgae varying in taxa and morphology in

Southern California. Our objectives are to 1) identify the variability of carbon

uptake and inorganic carbon use among individuals of the same species or

morphology and speculate how macroalgae might respond to …

Responses Of A Pine Flatwoods Specialist Treefrog To Prescribed Fire, Ian Biazzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Coarse outcomes of prescribed fires are well-understood, but fine scale impacts on many assemblages are still unknown. When fire approaches, animals escape to unburned areas, hide in place, or are killed by fire. Treefrogs are unique in their use of trees for most of their adult nonbreeding activities. This reliance on uplands and three-dimensional landscape composition makes them a great model to study prescribed fire impacts. We focused analyses on an upland flatwoods specialist comprising 99% of our captures, the pinewoods treefrog Dryophytes femoralis. We assessed this species' responses to prescribed fire using two separate before-after-control-impact replicated field experiments in …

A Methodology For Statistical Mean Wave Climate Regime Characterisation In Oceanic Islands: The Case Of The Southern Coast Of Tenerife, Emilio Megías, Manuel García-Román

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Oceanic islands of volcanic origin tend to have peculiar characteristics, such as: exposure to many wave directions; grouping in archipelagos; steep coastal slopes; and small coastal shelves. All these features require certain considerations in wave climate studies. These types of studies, when wave spectra are not available and have to be performed with parametric data, can be unreliable without an adequate systematic treatment. In this work we propose a methodology consisting of pre-classification according to the peak period and subsequent separation into different sectors according to the geographical fetch. The island of Tenerife is the case study, and in particular …

The Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (Cbass): A Low Cost, Portable System For Standardized Empirical Assessments Of Coral Thermal Limits, Nicolas R. Evensen, Katherine E. Parker, Thomas A. Oliver, Stephen R. Palumbi, Cheryl A. Logan, James S. Ryan, Courtney N. Klepac, Gabriela Perna, Mark E. Warner, Christian R. Voolstra, Daniel J. Barshis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ocean warming is increasingly affecting marine ecosystems across the globe. Reef-building corals are particularly affected by warming, with mass bleaching events increasing in frequency and leading to widespread coral mortality. Yet, some corals can resist or recover from bleaching better than others. Such variability in thermal resilience could be critical to reef persistence; however, the scientific community lacks standardized diagnostic approaches to rapidly and comparatively assess coral thermal vulnerability prior to bleaching events. We present the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS) as a low-cost, open-source, field-portable experimental system for rapid empirical assessment of coral thermal thresholds using standardized temperature …

Extending Aerial Surveys Beyond Target Marine Mammal Species: An Application Of Strip Transect Methodology To Humpback Whale And Dugong Abundance Estimation In Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia, Jennah Tucker

Theses : Honours

Aerial surveys are commonly used to estimate abundance of marine mammal populations, to detect trends over time and inform conservation management. Estimating abundance in areas critical to a species’ survival and reproduction is important to assess that population’s status and its vulnerability. Aerial surveys allow relatively large areas to be covered over short periods of time which can be important for highly mobile species with wide-ranging movement patterns such as marine mammals. While aerial surveys are often designed for specific target species, information on additional non-target species is often recorded, as surveys are generally infrequent due to expense and logistical …

Effects Of Salinity Changes On Osmotic Properties And Oxidative Stresses In Razor Clam Solen Sp. In Don Hoi Lot Tidal Flat, Sappasith Dechkittithum

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Estuaries are important coastal ecosystems that serve as transition zones between freshwater and seawater. The Don Hoi Lot tidal flat, located in the upper Gulf of Thailand, is a crucial estuarine ecosystem in the country. However, this area faces increasing environmental challenges from both human activities and natural changes. The razor clam, Solen regularis, is a notable species in this region. This study examined how salinity variations impact the osmotic properties and antioxidant enzyme activities in five tissues (foot, mantle, adductor muscle, gill, and digestive gland) of the razor clam S. regularis collected from Don Hoi Lot. Razor clams were …

Effect Of In Situ Experimental Heating Of Artificial Mytilus Californianus Beds On Associated Invertebrate Communities In Northern California, Claire C. Windecker

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

With the continued progression of climate change, the role of foundation species as mediators of temperature stress for species living on and within them has become increasingly important. In the intertidal zone, a major foundation species is the California mussel, Mytilus californianus, which can help to limit thermal stress for species that live among aggregations of these mussels. The ability of mussels to limit thermal stress as temperatures increase, however, is still unclear. This study sought to experimentally manipulate surface temperatures of artificial mussel beds in situ to examine the effects that increased surface heating at a single site …

The Effect Of Blue Mussel (Mytilus Edulis) Extinction On Ecosystem Function In The Gulf Of Maine Rocky Intertidal, Sophia K. Montague

Honors Theses

Stressors associated with climate change including thermal stress and ocean acidification inhibit the growth and reproduction of many species, including the ecologically and economically important blue mussel species in the Gulf of Maine (GOM). Established scaling relationships between mussel size, abundance, and water filtration suggests that the decline of mussels will stunt GOM water filtration. This change in the rate of water filtration could have large effects on the abundance of phytoplankton, abundance of invertebrate larvae, abundance of nutrients and organic material, food web stability, and biodiversity. Overall, this thesis explores the effect of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) …

Biophysical Interactions Control The Progression Of Harmful Algal Blooms In Chesapeake Bay: A Novel Lagrangian Particle Tracking Model With Mixotrophic Growth And Vertical Migration, Jilian Xiong, Jian Shen, Qubin Qin, Michelle C. Tomlinson, Yinglong J. Zhang, Xun Cai, Fei Yi, Linlin Cui, Margaret R. Mulholland

OES Faculty Publications

Climate change and nutrient pollution contribute to the expanding global footprint of harmful algal blooms. To better predict their spatial distributions and disentangle biophysical controls, a novel Lagrangian particle tracking and biological (LPT-Bio) model was developed with a high-resolution numerical model and remote sensing. The LPT-Bio model integrates the advantages of Lagrangian and Eulerian approaches by explicitly simulating algal bloom dynamics, algal biomass change, and diel vertical migrations along predicted trajectories. The model successfully captured the intensity and extent of the 2020 Margalefidinium polykrikoides bloom in the lower Chesapeake Bay and resolved fine-scale structures of bloom patchiness, demonstrating a reliable …

Providing A Framework For Seagrass Mapping In United States Coastal Ecosystems Using High Spatial Resolution Satellite Imagery, Megan M. Coffer, David D. Graybill, Peter J. Whitman, Blake A. Schaeffer, Wilson B. Salls, Richard C. Zimmerman, Victoria Hill, Marie Cindy Lebrasse, Jiang Li, Darryl J. Keith, James Kaldy, Phil Colarusso, Gary Raulerson, David Ward, W. Judson Kenworthy

OES Faculty Publications

Seagrasses have been widely recognized for their ecosystem services, but traditional seagrass monitoring approaches emphasizing ground and aerial observations are costly, time-consuming, and lack standardization across datasets. This study leveraged satellite imagery from Maxar's WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 high spatial resolution, commercial satellite platforms to provide a consistent classification approach for monitoring seagrass at eleven study areas across the continental United States, representing geographically, ecologically, and climatically diverse regions. A single satellite image was selected at each of the eleven study areas to correspond temporally to reference data representing seagrass coverage and was classified into four general classes: land, seagrass, no …

Potential Interactions Between Diatoms And Bacteria Are Shaped By Trace Element Gradients In The Southern Ocean, Alexa R. Sterling, Laura Z. Holland, Randelle M. Bundy, Shannon M. Burns, Kristen N. Buck, P. Dreux Chappell, Bethany D. Jenkins

OES Faculty Publications

The growth of diatoms in the Southern Ocean, especially the region surrounding the West Antarctic Peninsula, is frequently constrained by low dissolved iron and other trace metal concentrations. This challenge may be overcome by mutualisms between diatoms and co-occurring associated bacteria, in which diatoms produce organic carbon as a substrate for bacterial growth, and bacteria produce siderophores, metal-binding ligands that can supply diatoms with metals upon uptake as well as other useful secondary compounds for diatom growth like vitamins. To examine the relationships between diatoms and bacteria in the plankton (diatom) size class (> 3 mu m), we sampled both …

Phytoplankton Thermal Trait Parameterization Alters Community Structure And Biogeochemical Processes In A Modeled Ocean, Stephanie I. Anderson, Clara Fronda, Andrew D. Barton, Sophie Clayton, Tatiana A. Rynearson, Stephanie Dutkiewicz

OES Faculty Publications

Phytoplankton exhibit diverse physiological responses to temperature which influence their fitness in the environment and consequently alter their community structure. Here, we explored the sensitivity of phytoplankton community structure to thermal response parameterization in a modelled marine phytoplankton community. Using published empirical data, we evaluated the maximum thermal growth rates (μ_max) and temperature coefficients (Q₁₀; the rate at which growth scales with temperature) of six key Phytoplankton Functional Types (PFTs): coccolithophores, cyanobacteria, diatoms, diazotrophs, dinoflagellates, and green algae. Following three well-documented methods, PFTs were either assumed to have (1) the same μ_max and …

Blacktip Shark (Carcharhinus Limbatus) Jaw, Laura D. Nicolas, David W. Kerstetter

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

Jaw from blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus)

Assessment Of Living Shorelines For Restoring Fish Habitats: A Case Study From Coastal Alabama, Claire Legaspi, Matheus De Barros, Alexandra Rodriguez, Ronald Baker

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Assessment Of The Spawning Potential Ratio Of Five Target Species Of The Coastal Gillnet Fishery In Guyana And Suriname, Tomas Willems, Elford Liverpool, Michael Hiwat

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Data—limited stock assessment methods have the potential to positively impact livelihoods of fishermen around the world by providing management recommendations that aim to optimize sustainable yields from fisheries. Some years ago, a novel length— based (LB) method was developed for the assessment of spawning potential ratio (SPR), a measure of the reproductive capacity of fish stocks. We applied the LB—SPR method to 5 important target species of the coastal gillnet fishery in Guyana and Suriname. Nebris microps (Smalleye Croaker; 32% SPR) and Macrodon ancylodon (King Weakfish; 34% SPR) had the highest spawning potential, but remained below the 40% target level …

The Impact Of Nutrient Depletion On The Effect Of Hhq On Emiliania Huxleyi, Marley Gonsalves

Honors Theses and Capstones

Emiliania huxleyi is a ecologically important, bloom-forming coccolithophore. HHQ is a bacteria compound that causes cell stasis in E. huxleyi that can lead to bloom termination. This study analyzed the role that nutrient depletion plays in this relationship. Results show that nitrogen depletion protects cells from the effects of HHQ, affecting bloom dynamics.

Investigating The Relationship Between Sea Ice Extent And Erignathus Barbatus Breeding Phenology In The Alaskan Arctic, Rachel E. Lewis

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Novel Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Encoding For Polyketide/Nrps-Producing Chemotherapeutic Compounds From Marine-Derived Streptomyces Hygroscopicus From A Marine Sanctuary, Hannah Ruth Flaherty

Honors Theses and Capstones

Nearly one out of six deaths in 2020, around ten million people, were caused by cancer, making it a leading cause of death worldwide (WHO, 2022). This major public health issue, in addition to the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, provides a high demand for the discovery of new pharmaceutical drugs to be used clinically to treat these conditions. The Streptomyces genus accounts to produce 39% of all microbial metabolites currently approved for human health, indicating its potential as an important species to study for antimicrobial and anticancer agents. The long linear genome of Streptomyces contains specialized sequences known as …

Closing Pit Lakes As Aquatic Ecosystems: Risk, Reality, And Future Uses, Mark A. Lund, Melanie L. Blanchette

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Mine pit lakes are formed when open-cut pits flood with water, and these lakes occur by the thousands on every inhabited continent. The remediation and closure of pit lakes is a pressing issue for sustainable development and provision of freshwater ecosystem services. While pit lakes can be spectacular examples of recreation and renewal, pit lakes may be better known for their poor water qualities and risks to communities and the environment. Often the public wants to simply “fill the pits in” to restore a terrestrial landscape, but this is not always possible. Therefore, planning for remediation and future uses is …

Methane Emissions In Seagrass Meadows As A Small Offset To Carbon Sequestration, Yvonne Y. Y. Yau, Gloria Reithmaier, Caludia Majtényi-Hill, Oscar Serrano, Nerea Piñeiro-Juncal, Martin Dahl, Miguel A. Mateo, Stefano Bonaglia, Isaac R. Santos

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass meadows are effective carbon sinks due to high primary production and sequestration in sediments. However, methane (CH4) emissions can partially counteract their carbon sink capacity. Here, we measured diffusive sediment-water and sea-air CO2 and CH4 fluxes in a coastal embayment dominated by Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean Sea. High-resolution timeseries observations revealed large spatial and temporal variability in CH4 concentrations (2–36 nM). Lower sea-air CH4 emissions were observed in an area with dense seagrass meadows compared to patchy seagrass. A 6%−40% decrease of CH4 concentration in the surface water around noon indicates that photosynthesis likely limits CH4 fluxes. Sediments …

Levels Of Autotrophy And Heterotrophy In Mesophotic Corals Near The End Photic Zone, Amy Carmignani, Veronica Z. Radice, Kathryn M. Mcmahon, Alex I. Holman, Karen Miller, Kliti Grice, Zoe Richards

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Mesophotic corals live at ~30-150 m depth and can sustain metabolic processes under light-limited conditions by enhancing autotrophy through specialized photoadaptations or increasing heterotrophic nutrient acquisition. These acclimatory processes are often species-specific, however mesophotic ecosystems are largely unexplored and acclimation limits for most species are unknown. This study examined mesophotic coral ecosystems using a remotely operated vehicle (Ashmore Reef, Western Australia at 40 – 75m depth) to investigate the trophic ecology of five species of scleractinian coral (from genera Leptoseris, Pachyseris, and Craterastrea) using stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) of host and symbiont tissues and protein concentration. Trophic strategies …

Examining The Connectivity Of Antarctic Krill On The West Antarctic Peninsula: Implications For Pygoscelis Penguin Biogeography And Population Dynamics, Katherine L. Gallagher, Michael S. Dinniman, Heather J. Lynch

CCPO Publications

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are considered a keystone species for higher trophic level predators along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) during the austral summer. The connectivity of these populations may play a critical role in predator biogeography, especially for central-place foragers such as the Pygoscelis penguins that breed along the WAP during the austral summer. Here, we used a physical ocean model to examine adult krill connectivity in this region using simulated krill with realistic diel vertical migration behaviors across four austral summers. Specifically, we examined krill connectivity around the Adélie gap, a 400 km long region along …

Microdebris Abundance, Distribution, And Ingestion By Sargassum-Associated Juvenile Fishes In The Gulf Of Mexico, Olivia L. Lestrade, Frank Hernandez

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Holopelagic Sargassum is a critical nursery habitat for the early life stages of many marine fishes, including several federally managed species in the United States and Caribbean. Sargassum is often aggregated along surface convergence features where microdebris (synthetic, semi—synthetic, and naturally—derived particles size) have also been found in relatively high concentrations. In this study, we collected microdebris from Sargassum and adjacent open water habitats (in 2018), and juvenile fishes from Sargassum (in 2017 and 2018) in the northern Gulf of Mexico to quantify habitat—specific microdebris concentrations and the degree to which Sargassum—associated juvenile fishes ingest microdebris. Microdebris concentrations within …

ไมโครพลาสติกปนเปื้อนในสิ่งแวดล้อมชายฝั่งทะเล ตำบลแสมสาร อำเภอสัตหีบ จังหวัดชลบุรี, ศิวนาถ แพ่งพันธ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ไมโครพลาสติกสะสมในสิ่งแวดล้อมทางทะเล เกิดจากการเสื่อมสภาพของขยะพลาสติกที่ถูกทิ้ง ซึ่งมีแนวโน้มเพิ่มขึ้นตามปริมาณการใช้งาน อีกทั้งยังกำจัดออกได้ยาก จึงเป็นปัญหาที่สำคัญที่ส่งผลกระทบต่อสิ่งแวดล้อมทางทะเล การศึกษานี้จึงศึกษาปริมาณ ขนาด รูปร่าง สี และชนิดพอลิเมอร์ของไมโครพลาสติกที่สะสมในพื้นที่ชายฝั่งทะเล ตำบลแสมสาร อำเภอสัตหีบ จังหวัดชลบุรี โดยเก็บตัวอย่าง ผิวดินในบริเวณสถานที่รองรับขยะ (DSS) ดินจากผิวถนน (RDS) และตะกอนพื้นทะเล (SED) เมื่อวันที่ 11 กุมภาพันธ์ และตัวอย่างตะกอนชายหาด (SAND) เมื่อวันที่ 25 มีนาคม 2566 นำมาสกัดหาปริมาณและระบุชนิดไมโครพลาสติกด้วยเครื่องฟูเรียร์ทรานฟอร์มอินฟราเรดสเปกโตรมิเตอร์ (FTIR) พบการสะสมในตัวอย่าง DSS > RDS > SAND > SED และมีปริมาณเฉลี่ยเท่ากับ 14,375 ± 49,245, 625 ± 593, 99.8 ± 75.3 และ 83.1 ± 50.4 ชิ้นต่อกิโลกรัมน้ำหนักแห้งตามลำดับ ส่วนใหญ่ (>70%) มีขนาดเล็กกว่า 1000 ไมโครเมตร และมีชนิดรูปร่างเป็นเส้นใย (63%) และชิ้นส่วนแตกหัก (26%) มีสีใส (30%) สีดำ (21%) และสีน้ำเงินเท่ากับสีเหลือง (16%) ส่วนพอลิเมอร์หลักที่พบได้แก่ PE PP และ PET ซึ่งเป็นพอลิเมอร์ที่พบได้ทั่วไปในผลิตภัณฑ์พลาสติกที่นิยมใช้ในชีวิตประจำวัน สอดคล้องกับลักษณะพื้นที่ที่เป็นชุมชนขนาดเล็กและมีกิจกรรมท่องเที่ยวเป็นสำคัญในพื้นที่ที่มีการทำประมงพบไมโครพลาสติกชนิดเส้นใย PA เป็นพอลิเมอร์ชนิดเด่น ซึ่งอาจเกิดจากการแตกหักจากตาข่ายดักปลาผลการศึกษาครั้งนี้บ่งชี้ได้ว่าไมโครพลาสติกที่สะสม ได้รับอิทธิพลมาจากกิจกรรมในพื้นที่ การเสื่อมสภาพของพลาสติกไม่เพียงแต่จะเพิ่มการแตกหักเป็นไมโครพลาสติกที่สามารถสะสมเข้าสู่ร่างกายและส่งผ่านในห่วงโซ่อาหารได้ แต่ยังสามารถปลดปล่อยสารเติมแต่งสู่สิ่งแวดล้อมได้ ดังนั้นตัวอย่างสิ่งแวดล้อมที่พบปริมาณไมโครพลาสติกมากที่สุด นำมาสกัดหาปริมาณสารเติมแต่ง ได้แก่ DMP, DEP, DAP, DiBP, DBP, BBP, DOA, DEHP, BHT, TPhP และ EPhP ด้วยเครื่องแก๊สโครมาโทกราฟฟีแมสสเปกโทรมิเตอร์ (GC-MS) พบสารกลุ่ม plasticizer ชนิด …

Porifera: Biology And Medicinal Properties, Emma L. Rayfield

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The focus of this thesis is the possibility of oceanic medicine through understanding the general biology of poriferans, their symbionts, medicinal properties, and how we could harvest sponges conservatively. It was necessary to understand the basic biology of poriferans regarding their structures, differences in their classes, and how they obtain nutrition, develop, and reproduce. The ecology of the poriferans was also researched including their larval and sessile stages and how their environment determines where they settle. Additionally, ecology was examined including how poriferans interact with symbionts and other organisms. This then was utilized to seek whether poriferans had useful medical …