Marine Biology Commons^™

Larval Fish Mortality And Vertical Chlorophyll Structures: Reexamination Of The Stable Ocean Hypothesis In The Southern California Current, Brendan D. Turley

Theses and Dissertations

The natural mortality of fishes is an important component for understanding population dynamics. The larval stages of pelagic fishes living in the open ocean are particularly vulnerable to high rates of mortality, and fluctuations in these rates are thought to exert a large influence on the number of fish maturing into the spawning population. Early stage larval fishes are thought to undergo a critical period after hatching when they must find food or succumb to starvation. While the availability of suitable food for larval fishes is, on average, too low in the open ocean to support survival, patchy distributions of …

Hepatobiliary Analyses Suggest Chronic Pah Exposurein Hakes (Urophycis Spp.) Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Rachel Struch, Erin Pulster, Andrea D. Schreier, Steven Murawski

C-IMAGE Publications

Prior to theDeepwater Horizon oil spill, we lacked a comprehensive baseline of oil contamination in the Gulf of Mexico’s sediments, water column, and biota. Gaps in prespill knowledge limit our ability to determine the aftereffects of the Deepwater Horizon blowout or prepare to mitigate similar impacts during future oil spill disasters. We examined spatio temporal differences in exposure to and metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 2 hake species (Urophycis spp.)to establish a current baseline for these ecologically important, abundant, and at‐risk demersal fishes. Gulf hake (Urophycis cirrata) and southern hake (Urophycis floridana) were …

Biliary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (Pah) Equivalents For 92 Species Of Fish Collected Aboard Multiple Research And Fishing Vessels In The Gulf Of Mexico From 2011-08-16 To 2018-08-22, Erin Pulster, S. Synder, Steven A. Murawski, Brigid Carr, Justin Mrowicki, Madison Schwaab, R. Struch, G. Toro-Farmer

C-IMAGE data

This dataset contains biliary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) equivalents for 92 species of fish collected aboard multiple research and fishing vessels (R/V Weatherbird II, F/V Pisces, F/V Offshore Account, LA Wildlife & Fisheries) in the Gulf of Mexico from 2011-08-16 to 2018-08-22. Several species of fish ad sharks were obtained during the 2011-2018 C-IMAGE demersal and pelagic longline cruises. Fish livers were removed and biliary PAH equivalents were analyzed for naphthalene, phenanthrene and benzo(a)pyrene using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) methodology. The dataset contains the location, date, species of fish from which liver was examined, and the total …

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

C-IMAGE data

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

Concentrations Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Liver Tissue Of Golden Tilefish Collected Aboard Multiple R/V Weatherbird Ii Cruises In The Gulf Of Mexico From 2012-08-13 To 2017-08-01, Erin Pulster, S. M. Synder, Steven A. Murawski

C-IMAGE data

This dataset contains the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in liver tissue of golden tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) collected aboard multiple R/V Weatherbird II cruises WB1304 (2012-08-13 to 2012-08-25), WB1403 (2013-08-15 to 2013-08-30), WB1502 (2014-08-05 to 2014-08-20), WB1602 (2015-08-15 to 2015-08-30), WB1603 (2015-09-10 to 2015-10-02), WB1701 (2016-08-02 to 2016-09-09), and WB1736 (2017-07-18 to 2017-08-01) in the Gulf of Mexico during the Gulf of Mexico-wide surveys from 2012-2017. PAH was extracted from livers with a modified QuEChERS (Bond Elut, Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA) method optimized specifically for this study species. Extracts were analyzed using Agilent’s 7890B gas chromatograph (GC) …

Hepatic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Gulf And Southern Hake Collected Aboard Multiple R/V Weatherbird Ii Cruises In The Gulf Of Mexico From 2012-08-21 To 2015-09-24, Erin Pulster, Steven A. Murawski, Rachel Struch

C-IMAGE data

This dataset contains hepatic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Gulf and Southern Hake collected aboard multiple R/V Weatherbird II cruises in the Gulf of Mexico from 2012-08-21 to 2015-09-24. PAH was extracted from liver samples using a modified QuEChERS (Bond Elut, Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA) method optimized specifically for these study species. Extracts were analyzed using Agilent’s 7890B gas chromatograph (GC) coupled to a 7010 tandem mass spectrometer (MS/MS) operating in multiple reactions mode (MRM). The dataset contains the location, date, biometrics, and the total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) in livers. The cruise documentation was provided …

Spatial Structuring And Life History Connectivity Of Antarctic Silverfish Along The Southern Continental Shelf Of The Weddell Sea, Jilda Alicia Caccavo, Julian R. Ashford, Svenja Ryan, Chiara Papetti, Michael Schröder, Lorenzo Zane

OES Faculty Publications

A multi-disciplinary approach was employed to examine a physical-biological population hypothesis for a critical forage species, the Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarctica. Caccavo et al. (2018; Sci Rep 8:17856) had shown strong gene flow along the westward Antarctic Slope Current, in addition to spatially recurring length modes that provided evidence for episodic connectivity. In this paper, otolith nucleus chemistry from a subset of fish collected in the southern Weddell Sea as part of a hydrographic survey of the Filchner Trough system was used to test between connectivity scenarios. Nucleus chemistry, which reflects environmental exposure during early life, showed significant …

Blue Marlin (Makaira Nigricans) Horizontal Movements In The Western South Atlantic, Eduardo W. Wanick

HCNSO Student Capstones

Blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) have been documented to undertake long – and sometimes transoceanic – migrations, according to electronic pop-up satellite archival tag (PSAT) data obtained primarily in the western North Atlantic, with additional reported deployments from selected locations in the Pacific. Information on the movements of blue marlin in the South Atlantic, however, is lacking, despite evidence of spawning aggregations off the coast of Brazil during the Southern Hemisphere’s late spring and summer. Additionally, there are no reported long-term PSAT tag deployments on blue marlin in the western South Atlantic. Therefore, their movements in that large area …

Meta-Analytic Summary Of Parasites And Diseases Of Elasmobranchs Found In Florida Waters, Alexis S. Modzelesky

HCNSO Student Capstones

Elasmobranchs have conservational and commercial importance. There is a need for a more complete understanding of their health, due to their ability to shape trophic webs and their money-making potential with fishers and ecotourists. Sharks have been known to influence the strength of food webs, including reef ecosystems where many fish species are harvested for food. The investigation of pathogenic agents and diseases in elasmobranchs has been biased to favor those natural enemies that inhabit the digestive system and epidermal surfaces. Certain groups of parasites such as cestodes, copepods, and monogeneans, were most often recorded in this study. The bacterial …

Input, Output And Complete Run Files For The Atlantis Ecosystem Model Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Simulations, Cameron Ainsworth

C-IMAGE data

Data are complete input, output, and executable model run files for Atlantis simulations of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The model outputs in these folders describe simulations from 2010 to 2035; the spatial domain is the entire Gulf of Mexico. Simulations are published as Ainsworth, C.H., Paris, C.B., Perlin, N., Dornberger, L.N., Patterson, W., Chancellor, E., Murawski, S., Hollander, D., Daly, K., Romero, I.C., Coleman, F. and Perryman, H. 2018. Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill evaluated using an end-to-end ecosystem model. PLoS One, 13(1): e0190840 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190840

Stable Isotope (13c/15n) Data Of Meso- And Bathypelagic Nekton, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, March - September 2011, T. M. Richards, E. E. Gipson

DEEPEND Datasets

These data represent stable isotope values (13C/15N) of eight species of meso- and bathypelagic nekton collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico during spring (22-March to 11-April), summer (23-June to 13-July), and fall (8-September to 27-September) of 2011. The species examined in this study include: Anoplogaster cornuta, Chauliodus sloani, Coccorella atlantica, Gigantura chuni, Gigantura indica, Omosudis lowii, Photostomias guernei, and Stomias affinis. Isotope values are derived from white muscle tissue dissected from 212 individual fish that were collected using large mid-water trawls towed from the surface to depths of either 700 or 1400 m. The samples were collected as part …

Sentience In Fishes: More On The Evidence, Michael L. Woodruff

Animal Sentience

In my target article, I argued that the brains of ray-finned fishes of the teleost subclass (Actinopterygii) are sufficiently complex to support sentience — that these fishes have subjective awareness of interoceptive and exteroceptive sense experience. Extending previous theories centered on the tectum, I focused on the organization of the fish pallium. In this Response to the commentaries, I clarify that I do not propose that the fish pallium is, or must be, homologous to the mammalian neocortex to play a role in sentience. Some form of a functionalist approach to explaining the neural basis of sentience across taxa is …

The Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (Igf1) System As A Potential Biomarker For Nutritional Status And Growth Rate In Pacific Rockfish (Sebastes Spp.), Nicole L. Hack

Master's Theses

Growth performance in vertebrates is regulated by environmental factors including the quality and quantity of food, which influences growth via endocrine pathways such as the growth hormone (GH) / insulin-like growth factor somatotropic axis. In several teleost fishes, circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (Igf1) correlate positively with growth rate, and it has been proposed that plasma Igf1 levels may serve as an indicator of growth variation for fisheries and aquaculture applications. Here, I tested whether plasma Igf1 concentrations might serve as an indicator of somatic growth in olive rockfish (Sebastes serranoides), one species among dozens of rockfishes …

Habitat And Community Associations And The Population Dynamics Of A Temporary Coral-Reef Fish Ectoparasite, John Michael Artim

Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral reef is habitat constructed by the scleractinian coral after which the habitat is named. While scleractinian coral colonies are often meters in extent, they are composed of small individual organisms—typically on the scale of millimeters across. Coral reefs that include an abundance of many coral species support a diverse abundance of fish and conspicuous invertebrate life. These macro constituents of coral reefs—coral colonies, reef fish and conspicuous invertebrates—have been the primary focus for much of the existing body of coral reef ecology research. One of the inconspicuous and understudied coral reef invertebrate constituents are gnathiid isopod fish parasites. These …

Dredging Land Reclamation Causing Mucus Development In Massive Spherical Corals In The Spratly Islands, South China Sea: The Effects On China’S Fishing Industry, Tiffany K. Ho

UROP Posters

Images from Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative depicted huge masses of white coral mucus secreted from coral reefs in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, an area where several land reclamation projects are occurring. The purpose of this research was to understand how increased sedimentation levels from the dredging land reclamation method affects mucus development in massive corals, such as Acropora, located in these reefs. Journal articles that focused on the biology of coral mucus, bacterial communities associated with coral tissue, mucus, and seawater, coral mortality from different environment impacts, coral coverage of reefs in Spratly Islands, and symbiotic …

Pelagic Fish Diversity And Density On And Off Restored Oyster Reef Habitat, Danielle Mcculloch

Theses and Dissertations

The heterogeneity provided by structured habitats is important in supporting diverse and dense fish communities. The biogenic reefs created by the native Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, were once the dominant structural habitat in Chesapeake Bay, and have since declined to less than 1% of historic estimates. Conflicting results on the effects of oyster reef restoration on pelagic fish assemblages make further investigation necessary. Incorporating multiple sampling strategies may help elucidate oyster reef habitat influence on fish assemblages. This study used multi-panel gillnets, hydroacoustic technology, and day-night sampling to describe pelagic fish assemblages on and off oyster reef habitat in the …

Flight Of The Freshwater Fish, Michael H. Wilson

Capstones

Michael H. Wilson

Capstone Abstract

December 27, 2016

Flight of the Freshwater Fish

The Hudson River provides for millions of people as a path for commercial and private transportation, a source of food and energy, and perhaps most importantly for many living in the tri-state area as a destination for recreation and relaxation. The most overlooked feature of the river is how the wildlife shows clear signs of a changing climate and rapid environmental response to the impacts of global warming on the river.

Entire populations of fish species in the lower Hudson have been forced to leave the river …

Improving The Spatial Allocation Of Functional Group Biomasses In Spatially-Explicit Ecosystem Models: Insights From Three Gulf Of Mexico Models, Arnaud Gruss, Elizabeth A. Babcock, Skyler Sagarese, Michael Drexler, David D. Chagaris, Cameron H. Ainsworth, Brad Penta, Sergio Derada, Tracey Sutton

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Spatially-explicit ecosystem models, such as Ecospace, Atlantis, and OSMOSE, are key tools for achieving ecosystem-based fisheries management in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In spatially-explicit ecosystem models, trophic interactions strongly depend on the way functional group biomasses are allocated spatially, which conditions patterns of spatial overlap between predators, prey, and competitors. Here, we review realized and ongoing improvements in the spatial allocation of functional group biomasses in Ecospace and OSMOSE models of the West Florida Shelf ("WFS Reef fish Ecospace" and "OSMOSE-WFS") and in the Atlantis model of the GOM ("Atlantis-GOM"). A habitat capacity model, which defines the spatial distribution …

Pah Analysis: Muscle And Liver Pah Concentrations In Longline Captured Fish, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, 2011-2013, Steven Murawski

C-IMAGE data

The data contained in the two spreadsheets in this dataset represent biliary PAH metabolite concentrations from selected species collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) during longline sampling. The 2011 data were analyzed at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC). All data from 2012 on were analyzed at Mote Marine Laboratory (MML). Sample collection and methods are described in Snyder et al. 2015, PAH-exposure in Gulf of Mexico Demersal Fishes, Post-Deepwater Horizon. Environmental Science and Technology, DOI 10.1021/acs.est.5b01870.

Summer 2015 Gis Analyst Internship At The Connecticut Department Of Energy & Environmental Protection, Old Lyme, Connecticut, Stuart R. Deland

Sustainability and Social Justice

I worked as the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Internee for the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) from May 18, 2015 through August 14th of the same year. I was stationed at the Old Lyme Field office and worked under the direct supervision of Deb Pacileo, my boss and GIS analyst for CT DEEP. My function in the agency was similar to my supervisor's as I had no single project that dominated my time, but was given a multitude of projects to create, edit, oversee, and produce. Some of these project included editing python scripts of former …

Accelerating Tropicalization And The Transformation Of Temperate Seagrass Meadows, Glenn A. Hyndes, Kenneth L. Heck, Jnr, Adriana Verges, Euan S. Harvey, Gary A. Kendrick, Paul Lavery, Kathryn Mcmahon, Robert J. Orth, Alan Pearce, Mathew Vanderklift, Thomas Wernberg, Scott Whiting, Shaun Wilson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Climate-driven changes are altering production and functioning of biotic assemblages in terrestrial and aquatic environments. In temperate coastal waters, rising sea temperatures, warm water anomalies and poleward shifts in the distribution of tropical herbivores have had a detrimental effect on algal forests. We develop generalized scenarios of this form of tropicalization and its potential effects on the structure and functioning of globally significant and threatened seagrass ecosystems, through poleward shifts in tropical seagrasses and herbivores. Initially, we expect tropical herbivorous fishes to establish in temperate seagrass meadows, followed later by megafauna. Tropical seagrasses are likely to establish later, delayed by …

A Missing Link In The Ionoregulatory Strategy Of Larval Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) And African Lungfish (Protopterus Annectens): A Closer Look Into The Role Of The Non-Gastric H+/K+-Atpase, Justine E. Doherty

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Fishes living in freshwater need to actively compensate for the diffusive loss of ions and osmotic gain of water. The gill is the primary organ of ion regulation and contains an array of ion transport proteins to help maintain homeostasis. Two of the more well studied ion pumps are the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) and vacuolar type proton ATPase (V-ATPase). This thesis focuses on another ion pump known as the non-gastric H⁺/K⁺-ATPase (ngHKA). The ngHKA (gene: atp12a) has not been found in any of the teleost fishes, indicating loss from that lineage. In …

What Would The Babel Fish Say?, Monica Gagliano

Animal Sentience

Starting with its title, Key’s (2016) target article advocates the view that fish do not feel pain. The author describes the neuroanatomical, physiological and behavioural conditions involved in the experience of pain in humans and rodents and confidently applies analogical arguments as though they were established facts in support of the negative conclusion about the inability of fish to feel pain. The logical reasoning, unfortunately, becomes somewhat incoherent, with the arbitrary application of the designated human criteria for an analogical argument to one animal species (e.g., rodents) but not another (fish). Research findings are reported selectively, and questionable interpretations are …

Viewing The Status Of Virginia’S Environment Through The Lens Of Freshwater Fishes, Paul L. Angermeier, Michael J. Pinder

Virginia Journal of Science

We summarize a range of topics related to the status of Virginia’s freshwater fishes, their reflection of environmental quality, and their contribution to human wellbeing. Since 1994 the list of extant Virginia fishes has lengthened from 210 species to 227 species, mostly due to taxonomic reorganizations. Virginia’s list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need currently contains 96 fish species, predominated by darters (32 species) and minnows (28 species). Increasing trends in species rarity and threats to fishes suggest that Virginia’s aquatic environment is becoming less hospitable for fishes. Prevailing anthropogenic threats to fishes include agriculture, urban development, mineral extraction, forestry, …

Evaluation Of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals In The Florida Coastal Pelagic Fish Complex Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Event, Rachel Hickey

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill event, there was a critical need to assess the effects of the oil and dispersant chemicals on the coastal pelagic fish complex in the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Straits. The objective of this study was to determine if spilled crude oil and dispersant chemicals have posed an ecological risk to the coastal pelagic fish complex through the detection of vitellogenesis. Crude oil containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dispersant chemicals and other estrogen-mimicking compounds are suspected to induce vitellogenin production in male and immature female fish, normally only produced by sexually mature …

Quantifying Florida Bay Habitat Suitability For Fishes And Invertebrates Under Climate Change Scenarios, Kelly A. Kearney, Mark J. Butler Iv, Robert Glazer, Christopner R. Kelble, Joseph E. Serafy, Erik Stabenau

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Florida Bay ecosystem supports a number of economically important ecosystem services, including several recreational fisheries, which may be affected by changing salinity and temperature due toclimate change. In this paper, we use a combination of physical models and habitat suitability index models to quantify the effects of potential climate change scenarios on a variety of juvenile fish and lobster species in Florida Bay. The climate scenarios include alterations in sea level, evaporation and precipitation rates, coastal runoff, and water temperature. We find that the changes in habitat suitability vary in both magnitude and direction across the scenarios and species, …

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites As A Biomarker Of Exposure To Oil In Demersal Fishes Following The Deepwater Horizon Blowout, Susan Susan Snyder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Deepwater Horizon blowout occurred on April 20th, 2010, releasing 4.9 million barrels of Louisiana crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Subsequent to the Deepwater Horizon blowout, sediment cores revealed oil on the northern GoM seafloor and abnormal skin lesions were seen in GoM fishes. Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a component of crude oil, in fish has been associated with many sublethal effects, including cancer and population-level effects. Using a biomarker of exposure to PAHs, this thesis evaluates inter-species, temporal and spatial differences in exposure to hydrocarbon contamination between three species of fish with varying levels …

Factors In Long-Term Algal Composition Of Cayman Reefs: Determining Effects Of Natural Disturbance And Grazer Pressures, Patrick J. Doughty

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Abstract. Current research shows a worldwide shift in the population dynamics of reefs attributed to increasing human disturbance. With increasing nutrient additions, competitive populations of turf and macroalgae bloom and dominate coral reefs leading to decreased health of the reef as a whole. Unfortunately, few studies have been done showing the long-term changes in algae composition on reefs. In order to find the significant factors in the long-term composition of algae on reefs, algae and fish abundance data were collected through the Lawrence University Marine Program and analyzed for this study. Algae were split into three functional groups: encrusting, turf …

Coral-Fish Dynamics And Interactions: A Case Study Of Grand Cayman, Eileen Shea Davis

Lawrence University Honors Projects

To better understand the ecological interactions of coral reefs, it is important to understand the mechanisms that control the distribution and abundance of reef-building corals as well as the mechanisms that control the diversity and abundance of the fish community that inhabits these reef habitats. The purpose of this study was to identify specific coral-fish interactions among the reefs of Grand Cayman in order to gain insight into the biological effects of fish on the assemblage of hard corals. Using data collected by the Lawrence University Marine Program (LUMP), a number of exploratory statistical analyses were run in order to …

Restoration Of Tryptophan Hydroxylase Functions And Serotonin Content In The Atlantic Croaker Hypothalamus By Antioxidant Treatment During Hypoxic Stress, Md. Saydur Rahman, Peter Thomas

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Antioxidants are prototypical scavengers of oxygen-free radicals and have been shown to prevent neuroendocrine dysfunction in vertebrates during oxidative stress. In the present study, we investigated whether antioxidant treatment can reverse hypoxia-induced down-regulation of hypothalamic tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) and serotonergic functions in Atlantic croaker. Hypothalamic neuronal contents of TPH-1 and TPH-2 proteins, serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and its precursor, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) as well as hypothalamic TPH-1 and TPH-2 mRNA expression and TPH activity were measured in croaker after exposure to hypoxia and treatment with pharmacological agents. Multiple injections of N-ethylmaleimide, a sulfhydryl alkylating agent, caused comparable decreases in hypothalamic TPHs functions …