Marine Biology Commons^™

Spatial Patterns Of Estuarine Habitat Type Use And Temporal Patterns In Abundance Of Juvenile Permit, Trachinotus Falcatus, In Charlotte Harbor, Florida, Aaron J. Adams, David A. Blewett

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The life history of many marine fishes is a 2-phase cycle: juveniles and adults make up a demersal phase, whereas larvae are planktonic. Determining ontogenetic patterns of habitat type use of the demersal phase has important management and habitat conservation implications for species that use coastal habitat types as juveniles. Juvenile permit, Trachinotus falcatus, are presumed to be limited to beaches exposed to open ocean, but few studies have addressed juvenile permit use of estuarine habitat types. Ten years of fisheries-independent monitoring data from a subtropical estuary were analyzed to determine habitat type use patterns and seasonality of juvenile …

Nhdes Shellfish Program Activities, Jan -Dec 2004, Nash, C, Chris Nash, Matt Wood

PREP Reports & Publications

This report summarizes the activities of the NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Shellfish Program for the period of January 2004 to December 2004. The NHDES Shellfish Program conducts a number of activities to minimize the health risks associated with consuming shellfish, and to continue to comply with National Shellfish Sanitation Program guidelines. Among basic program functions is a routine water quality monitoring program, which involved the collection of nearly 800 samples at over 70 sites in 2004, the results of which are used to ensure that assessments of water quality for all areas are kept up-to-date. Weekly “red tide” …

Ambient Rivers And Shellfish Tissue Monitoring In New Hampshire Estuarine Watersheds 2003, Natalie Landry, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

The Department of Environmental Services received funding from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) to conduct monitoring activities in 2003. The activities involved water monitoring in tidal tributaries and contaminant analyses of mussel tissue. These monitoring activities were completed with the overall purpose of improving the understanding of water quality trends and the concentrations of toxic contaminants in shellfish tissue. The Department of Environmental Services, in cooperation with the University of New Hampshire Jackson Estuarine Lab and others, completed all tasks as planned. This report includes the sample collection information, field data, and laboratory data, with the exception of contaminant …

Winter 2004, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Summer 2004, Nova Southeastern University

Currents

No abstract provided.

Artificial Reef Matrix Structures (Arms): An Inexpensive And Effective Method For Collecting Coral Reef-Associated Invertebrates, Todd L. Zimmerman, Joel W. Martin

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Collecting reef-associated invertebrates usually involves disturbance of the reef area, often damaging the habitat and sometimes damaging live corals. We introduce a nondestructive, inexpensive, and effective method for collecting coral reef-associated invertebrates using approximations of small coral heads constructed of concrete, PVC pipes, nylon cleaning pads, and other materials easily obtainable in most tropical (coral-rich) countries. An example showing the effectiveness of the method is presented based on fieldwork in the eastern Caribbean.

Morphological Characteristics Of The Carapace Of The Hawksbill Turtle, Eretmochelys Imbricata, From Cuban Waters, Mari Kobayashi

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766), from Cuban waters of the Caribbean were analyzed to determine the relationships between straight carapace length (SCL) and either straight carapace width (SCW) or body weight (Wt). The regression equations were SCW = 0.9136(SCL)^0.951 (R² = 0.923, n = 315) and Wt = 4.17 x 10^–4(SCL)^2.68 (R² = 0.798, n = 289), respectively. The regression equations between the first costal width (C1W) and either SCW or Wt were SCW = 3.223(C1W)^0.847 (R² = 0.919, n = 156) and Wt = 1.416 x 10^–2(C1W)^{2.426 …}

Helminths From Dormitator Maculatus (Pisces: Eleotridae) In Alvarado Lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico, And Supplemental Data For Clinostomum Complanatum Rudolphi, 1814 From Egretta Caerulea (Aves: Ardeidae), Jesus Montoya-Mendoza, Rafael Chavez-Lopez, Jonathan Franco-Lopez

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Fishes are important hosts of helminths with aquatic life stages, yet little information is available on host-parasite relationships in tropical low salinity ecosystems. In this paper we report helminth parasites of the fat sleeper, Dormitator maculatus, in the Alvarado lagoon system, Veracruz. Mexico. Four parasite species were recorded from D. maculatus, including trematode metacercariae of Clinostomum complanatum, as well as nematode larvae of Spyroxis sp. and Camallanus sp. and adults of Neochinorhynchus golvani. In addition, we obtained adult C. complanatum from the esophagus of the little blue heron, Egretta caerulea. Dormitator maculatus is a new …

A Characterization Of The Shallow-Water Coral Reefs And Associated Habitats Of Puerto Rico, Matthew S. Kendall, Curtis R. Kruer, Ken R. Buja, John D. Christensen, Ernesto Diaz, Robert A. Warner, Mark E. Monaco

Gulf and Caribbean Research

We mapped bottom types and shelf zones of 1600 km² or about one fourth of Puerto Rico’s insular shelf from the shoreline to the shelf edge. Overall map accuracy for these bottom types is estimated as 93.6% correct. Maps were produced through visual interpretation of benthic features using orthorectified aerial photographs within a Geographic Information System with customizable software. The maps are one component of an integrated mapping and monitoring program underway by NOAA and its partners in the US Coral Reef Task Force to assess all US reef ecosystems. Maps are currently being used to enhance coastal research …

Interactive Regulation Of Dissolved Copper Toxicity By An Estuarine Microbial Community, Christina L. Dryden, Andrew S. Gordon, John R. Donat

OES Faculty Publications

Cultured marine microorganisms under copper stress produce extracellular compounds having a high affinity for copper (copper-complexing ligands). These ligands are similar in binding strength to those found in natural waters, but few studies have examined the relationship between copper, copper-complexing ligand concentrations, and natural microbial populations. A series of in situ experiments in the Elizabeth River, Virginia, revealed that an intact estuarine microbial community responded to copper stress by production of extracellular, high-affinity copper-complexing ligands. The rate of ligand production was dependent on copper concentration and resulted in a reduction of the concentration of free cupric ions, Cu²⁺, …

Advection, Krill, And Antarctic Marine Ecosystems, Eileen E. Hofmann, Eugene J. Murphy

CCPO Publications

Advective processes are recognized as being important in structuring and maintaining marine ecosystems. In the Southern Ocean advective effects are perhaps most clearly observed because the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) provides a connection between most parts of the system, including open ocean and continental shelf regions. The ACC also provides a mechanism for large-scale transport of plankton, such as Antarctic krill (Euphousia superba Dana), which is an important component of the Southern Ocean food web. This overview provides a summary of recent observational and modelling results that consider the importance of advection to the Southern Ocean ecosystem and, in particular, …

Formation Of A Stress-Induced Check Mark On The Otoliths Of Juvenile Fishes: Implications For Mesocosm Studies, Thomas R. Reinert, Donald M. Baltz

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Daily otolith increment widths of spot Leiostomus xanthurus and spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus were examined experimentally in field mesocosms for 5 to 7 days in various habitat types. Daily otolith increments were used as a surrogate for daily somatic growth so that growth prior to capture and handling could be examined. For both species, possible effects of habitat types were confounded by an overall decrease in daily increment widths during the experimental period when compared to increment widths prior to capture. Several spotted seatrout inadvertently captured during mesocosm deployment provided a means for assessing if there was a significant mesocosm …

The First Larval Stage Of Microprosthema Semilaeve (Von Martens, 1872) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Stenopodidea) Obtained In The Laboratory, Joel W. Martin, Joseph W. Goy

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The first larval stage of Microprosthema semilaeve (von Martens, 1872) is described from ovigerous females collected off Sombrero Key, Florida Keys, USA, and Guana Island, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean. The larvae are characterized by a broad, triangular telson bearing posterolateral spines and an “anomuran seta,” a first maxilliped that differs markedly from the very similar (to each other) second and third maxillipeds, and the presence of the first pereiopod as a swimming appendage upon hatching, as is apparently true of all stenopodidean first stage larvae. Characters of the larvae are compared to those described from the Indian Ocean by Raje …

Stomatopoda (Crustacea: Hoplocarida) From The Shallow, Inshore Waters Of The Northern Gulf Of Mexico (Apalachicola River, Florida To Port Aransas, Texas), John M. Foster, Brent P. Thoma, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Six species representing the order Stomatopoda are reported from the shallow, inshore waters (passes, bays, and estuaries) of the northern Gulf of Mexico limited to a depth of 10 m or less, and by the Apalachicola River (Florida) in the east and Port Aransas (Texas) in the west. With the exception of the “live bottom” gonodactylid, Neogonodactylus bredini (Manning), these predatory crustaceans usually inhabit burrows in mud, sand-mud, and sand substrata in coastal and shelf waters. The species treated in this paper are Neogonodactylus bredini (Manning), Lysiosquilla scabricauda (Lamarck), Bigelowina biminiensis (Bigelow), Coronis scolopendra Latreille, Squilla empusa Say, and Gibbesia …

First Record Of Bonefish, Albula Vulpes, From Mississippi Coastal Waters, K.J. Cuevas, James S. Franks, M.V. Buchanan

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Bonefish (Albula spp.), Family Albulidae, occur worldwide in coastal waters of tropical and warm temperate seas (Crabtree et al. 1997), and 2 species, A. vulpes and A. nemoptera, are recognized from the western Atlantic Ocean (Rivas and Warlen 1967). The normal range of A. vulpes in the western Atlantic extends from Bermuda to Brazil, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, Central America and the Antilles (Hildebrand 1963), but in US waters, A. vulpes typically occurs off south Florida (Crabtree et al. 1997). In contrast, A. nemoptera has been reported from Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Jamaica and Hispaniola (Uyeno et al. …

Notes On Aquarium Brood Release And Feeding Of The Opossum Pipefish, Microphis Brachyurus Lineatus, Sarah Frias-Torres

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The opossum pipefish, Microphis brachyurus lineatus, is a migratory syngnathid with a salmon-like life history (Frias-Torres 2002). Adults breed in freshwater and oligohaline habitats associated with emergent vegetation, mostly Panicum sp. and Polygonum sp.; breeding occurs during the wet season (May to November) (Gilmore and Hastings 1983). In southern Mexico, opossum pipefish associate with Ruppia maritima, and reproduction is year-round (Miranda-Marure et al. 2004). Pelagic juveniles are found in the Atlantic Ocean and are associated with Sargassum sp. (Böhlke and Chaplin 1968). Juveniles eventually recruit into oligohaline habitats. The species range is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to New …

Predators And The Distribution And Abundance Of Blennies On Offshore Petroleum Platforms, Tommy J. Rauch

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Predation may be important in structuring fish assemblages but studies of the intensity of predation on marine fish assemblages are uncommon. Predator avoidance behavior was used to identify the predators of an assemblage of blennies found on offshore petroleum platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The distribution of predators was then compared with the distribution of 3 species of blennies to see if predation intensity was related to the vertical zonation of blennies. Predator approaches and blenniid activity were compared in low and high surface current events. Results did not support a hypothesis of predation controlling the distribution and …

Endocrine-Disrupting Effects Of Cattle Feedlot Effluent On An Aquatic Sentinel Species, The Fathead Minnow, Edward Orlando, Alan Kolok, Gerry Binzcick, Jennifer Gates, Megan Horton, Christy Lambright, L. Earl Gray Jr., Ana M. Soto, Louis J. Guilette

Biology Faculty Publications

Over the last decade, research has examined the endocrine-disrupting action of various environmental pollutants, including hormones, pharmaceuticals, and surfactants, in sewage treatment plant effluent. Responding to the growth of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and the pollutants present in their wastewater (e.g., nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and hormones), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed a new rule that tightens the regulation of CAFOs. In this study, we collected wild fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed to feedlot effluent (FLE) and observed significant alterations in their reproductive biology. Male fish were demasculinized (having lower testicular testosterone synthesis, altered head morphometrics, and smaller …

A Modelling Study Of The Influence Of Environment And Food Supply On Survival Of Crassostrea Gigas Larvae, Eileen E. Hofmann, Eric N. Powell, Eleanor A. Bochenek, John M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

A biochemically based model was developed to simulate the growth, development, and metamorphosis of larvae of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas). The unique characteristics of the model are that it: (1) defines larvae in terms of their protein, neutral lipid, polar lipid, carbohydrate, and ash content; (2) tracks weight separately from length to follow larval condition; and (3) includes genetic variation in growth efficiency and egg quality to better simulate cohort population dynamics. The model includes parameterizations for filtration, ingestion, and respiration, which determine larval growth rate, and processes controlling larval mortality and metamorphosis. Changes in larval tissue …

Lagrangian Modelling Studies Of Antarctic Krill (Euphausia Superba) Swarm Formation, Eileen E. Hofmann, A. G. Edward Haskell, John M. Klinck, Cathy M. Lascara

CCPO Publications

A two-dimensional Lagrangian particle model was developed to examine the spatial distribution of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). The time-dependent location of particles, which represent krill individuals, is determined by random diffusion, foraging activity, and movement induced by the presence of neighbours. Foraging activity is based on prescribed food conditions and is such that krill swim slower and turn more frequently in areas of high food concentration. The presence or absence of neighbours either disperses krill, if the local concentrations become too dense, or coalesces krill, if concentrations become too dilute, respectively. Predation on krill is included and affects …

Pisces (Fishes): Amblyopsidae, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Temporary Par Reduction On The Seagrass Amphibolis Griffithii (Black) Den Hartog, Paul R. Mackey

Theses : Honours

Declines in seagrass health and distribution are commonly caused through human induced reductions in the availability of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). These reductions can result from a variety of human-induced perturbations, including channel dredging. The impetus for the research was driven by the broad-scale degradation of the ecologically important southern-Australian endemic seagrass Amphibolis griffithii (Black) den Hartog in Champion Bay, Geraldton, Western Australia. The study investigated the affects of reduced PAR on A. griffithii and identified responses that may be useful in developing management triggers to minimise the impact of PAR limitation events. The study was carried out during late …

The Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins In Marine Environment Determined Using Liquid Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry Techniques, Patricia Fernández Puente

Theses

A highly specific and sensitive LC-MS/MS analytical method was developed and validated using gradient reversed phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC- MS/MS), interfaced using turbo-assisted electrospray ionisation (ESI) in negative mode for the analysis of DSP (okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxins (DTXs) and pectenotoxins (PTXs)) toxins in a variety of samples. There were no matrix effects present, proved by the good reproducibility achieved and the linearity of the calibration curves (r" > 0.999) in spiked mussel samples and standards. A DSP toxin profile study was conducted with bulk phytoplankton and mussels samples from the west coast of Ireland. All the samples were …

Characterization Of Association Patterns Of Coastal Migratory Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops Truncatus, In The Nearshore Waters Of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Holly Fearnbach

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, commonly occur in fission-fusion social systems. For this study, I analyzed photo-identification data from 1994 to 1999 to describe association patterns of bottlenose dolphins in the nearshore waters of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Bottlenose dolphins are present seasonally (late April until early November) in these waters and individuals are considered to be members of the North Atlantic coastal migratory stock. I selected 78 individuals for detailed analyses from the 972 dolphins identified in the study area. Those chosen as “select” dolphins had been sighted at least five times in three of the six study years; all …

Morphology Predicts Suction Feeding Performance In Centrarchid Fishes, Andrew M. Carroll, Peter C. Wainwright, Stephen H. Huskey, David C. Collar, Ralph G. Turingan

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Suction feeding fish differ in their capacity to generate subambient pressure while feeding, and these differences appear to relate to morphological variation. We developed a morphological model of force transmission in the fish head and parameterized it with measurements from individual fish. The model was applied to 45 individuals from five species of centrarchid fishes: Lepomis macrochirus, Lepomis punctatus, Lepomis microlophus, Micropterus salmoides and Pomoxis nigromaculatus. Measurements of epaxial cross-sectional area, epaxial moment arm, buccal area and buccal area moment arm were combined to estimate pressure generation capacity for individual fish. This estimation was correlated with pressure measured in fish …

Recent Occurrence Of The Smalltooth Sawfish, Pristis Pectinata (Elasmobranchiomorphi: Pristidae), In Florida Bay And The Florida Keys, With Comments On Sawfish Ecology, Gregg R. Poulakis, Jason C. Seitz

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Encounters with the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, in Florida Bay and the Florida Keys were documented by soliciting information from anyone who might have encountered them in these areas. Each person who had information was asked the same series of questions to determine the date and location of the encounter, estimated total length (ETL), and habitat characteristics. A total of 1,632 sawfish encounters occurring between 1990 and 2002 were reported to us (89% occurred between 1998 and 2002). Sawfish were encountered during the day and night. Most sawfish were probably immature when encountered. The smallest sawfish (<1 m ETE) were found in <2.4 m of water and virtually all larger immature sawfish (1.1-2.9 m ETE) were found in <10 m of water. The largest sawfish (>3 m ETE) …

Phytoplankton Composition Within The Tidal Freshwater-Oligohaline Regions Of The Rappahannock And Pamunkey Rivers In Virginia, Harold G. Marshall, Lubomira Burchardt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Rappahannock River is a major river system across north central Virginia prior to entering the Chesapeake Bay. In contrast, the Pamunkey River is smaller in size and joins the Mattoponi River to form the York River, which flows parallel to the Rappahannock before it also flows into Chesapeake Bay. A unique mixing area for both flora and environmental conditions exists in the tidal freshwater-oligohaline region of both rivers. This is a dynamic mixing section where freshwater and estuarine species are subject to the interaction of river flow and daily tidal rhythms. The phytoplankton composition in this region of the …

Summary Of Coastal And Estuarine Monitoring Programs In New Hampshire (2004), Trowbridge, P, Prep

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) compiles data from many coastal and estuarine monitoring programs to assess the status and trends of environmental indicators in the Great Bay and Hampton/Seabrook Harbor. The full list of NHEP environmental indicators has been published in the NHEP Monitoring Plan. http://www.state.nh.us/nhep/publications/pdf/nhepmonitoringplan-nhep-04.pdf The following catalog is a summary of the coastal and estuarine monitoring programs that provide data for NHEP indicators or for State water quality assessments. This list is limited to long-term monitoring programs that do not have an end date.

Great Bay Coast Watch: A Citizen Water Monitoring Program Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Manual, 2004, B Sharon Meeker, Ann S. Reid, Jeff Schloss, Anita Hayden, Amber Perkins, Steve Cooper

PREP Reports & Publications

The Great Bay Coast Watch is citizen volunteers, working within the UNH Cooperative Extension/NH Sea Grant Program, protecting the long-term health and natural resources of New Hampshire’s coastal waters and estuarine systems through monitoring and education projects.

The purpose of this document is to present step-by-step instructions for conducting water quality testing in support of the Great Bay Coast Watch (GBCW).

Diel Vertical Distribution Of Atlantic Croaker, Micropogonias Undulatus, Larvae In The Northcentral Gulf Of Mexico With Comparisons To Red Drum, Sciaenops Ocellatus, Bruce H. Comyns, Joanne Lyczkowski-Shultz

Faculty Publications

Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulates (Linnaeus, 1766) larvae < 6 mm showed a distinct pattern of vertical stratification in inner-shelf waters (< 25 m depth) of the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Discrete-depth plankton collections were taken at night, early morning after daylight, and at mid-day or early afternoon at 1, 5, and 11–16 m. No consistent pattern among cruises was evident in the vertical stratification of Atlantic croaker larvae found in mid-day and afternoon collections, but at night the highest abundances were observed at the deepest depths sampled. Atlantic croaker larvae were least abundant in surface waters (1 m) at night. Of the 66,913 Atlantic croaker larvae collected, only 346 specimens (< 1%) were found in 1 m collections at night, and 266 of these larvae were from a single collection of large specimens (mean = 6.7 mm). By morning the vertical distribution of larvae suggested that Atlantic croaker had moved up in the water column, and highest abundances were usually found at 5 m. There was no indication that patterns of larval distribution reflected hydrographic stratification within the water column, prey availability, size of larvae, or moonlight intensity.