Marine Biology Commons^™

Extreme Water Velocities: Topographical Amplification Of Wave-Induced Flow In The Surf Zone Of Rocky Shores, Mark Denny, Luke Miller, M. Stokes, L. J. H. Hunt, B. S. T. Helmuth

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Water velocities as high as 25 m s-1 have been recorded in the surf zone of wave-swept rocky shores-velocities more than twice the phase speed of the breaking waves with which they are associated. How can water travel twice as fast as the waveform that initially induces its velocity? We explore the possibility that the interaction of a wave with the local topography of the shore can greatly amplify the water velocities imposed on intertidal plants and animals. Experiments in a laboratory wave tank show that interactions between bores refracted by a prowlike beach can produce jets in which the …

Acoustic Communication In Two Freshwater Gobies: Ambient Noise And Short-Range Propagation In Shallow Streams, Marco Lugli, Michael L. Fine

Biology Publications

Noise is an important theoretical constraint on the evolution of signal form and sensory performance. In order to determine environmental constraints on the communication of two freshwater gobies Padogobius martensii and Gobius nigricans, numerous noise spectra weremeasured from quiet areas and ones adjacent to waterfalls and rapids in two shallow stony streams. Propagation of goby sounds and waterfall noise was also measured. A quiet window around 100 Hz is present in many noise spectra from noisy locations. The window lies between two noise sources, a low-frequency one attributed to turbulence, and a high-frequency one (200–500 Hz) attributed to bubble …

An Ecosystem-Based Approach To Management: Using Individual Behaviour To Predict The Indirect Effects Of Antarctic Krill Fisheries On Penguin Foraging, Suzanne Alonzo, Paul Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Summary 1. Changes in species' abundance and distributions caused by human disturbances can have indirect effects on other species in a community. Although ecosystem approaches to management are becoming increasingly prevalent, they require a fuller understand- ing of how individual behaviour determines interactions within and between species. 2. Ecological interactions involving krill are of major importance to many species within the Antarctic. Despite extensive knowledge of the ecosystem that they occupy, there is still incomplete understanding of the links between species and the effect of environmental conditions on these interactions. In this study, we extended a behavioural model used previously …

Stormwater Management Bmp Report And Website: Innovative Stormwater Treatment Technologies Bmp Manual, Steve Couture

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) received money in 2001 from the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) to create a manual and a website of Innovative Stormwater Treatment Technology Best Management Practices. The money was used to partially fund an intern position dedicated to the project and printing of the manual. The result of this project is an accessible resource to assist communities and developers in the selection of the best available stormwater treatment retrofits

A Monte Carlo Demographic Analysis Of The Silky Shark (Carcharhinus Falciformis): Implications Of Gear Selectivity, Lawrence R. Beerkircher, Mahmood S. Shivji, Enric Cortes

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Histidine-Decarboxylase Knockout Mice Show Deficient Nonreinforced Episodic Object Memory, Improved Negatively Reinforced Water-Maze Performance, And Increased Neo- And Ventro-Striatal Dopamine Turnover, Ekrem Dere, Maria A. De Souza-Silva, Bianca Topic, Richard E. Spieler, Helmut L. Haas, Joseph P. Huston

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The brain's histaminergic system has been implicated in hippocampal synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory, as well as brain reward and reinforcement. Our past pharmacological and lesion studies indicated that the brain's histamine system exerts inhibitory effects on the brain's reinforcement respective reward system reciprocal to mesolimbic dopamine systems, thereby modulating learning and memory performance. Given the close functional relationship between brain reinforcement and memory processes, the total disruption of brain histamine synthesis via genetic disruption of its synthesizing enzyme, histidine decarboxylase (HDC), in the mouse might have differential effects on learning dependent on the task-inherent reinforcement contingencies. Here, we investigated …

Assessment Of The Coral Reefs Of The Turks And Caicos Islands (Part 2: Fish Communities), Kaho Hoshino, Marilyn Brandt, Carrie Manfrino, Bernhard Riegl, Sascha C. C. Steiner

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Ecologically and commercially significant coral reef fishes were surveyed at 28 sites in the Turks and Caicos Islands during August 1999. Our results constitute the first quantitative census of these fishes and can serve as baseline information for subsequent studies. Their density and size generally were highest off West Caicos and lowest in Mouchoir Bank. Herbivore density overall showed no correlation with macroalgal index (a proxy for biomass) or live stony coral cover, but surgeonfish density was positively correlated with macroalgal index. Species richness of these select fishes was positively correlated with the species richness of stony corals that were …

Assessment Of The Coral Reefs Of The Turks And Caicos Islands (Part 1: Stony Corals And Algae), Bernhard Riegl, Carrie Manfrino, Casey Hermoyian, Marilyn Brandt, Kaho Hoshino

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Major constituents of the benthic reef community (stony corals, algae) were assessed in 28 reefs on the Caicos, Turks and Mouchoir Banks. Living stony coral cover ranged from 8-28%, averaging 18% overall. Montastraea annularis and M. faveolata of “intermediate” sizes (cm) dominated all examined reefs. Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis were scarce. The most frequently recruiting scleractinians were Porites astreoides and Agaricia agaricites; Montastraea recruits were uncommon. Old partial-colony mortality (overall mean = 23%) was greater than recent partial-colony mortality (mean = 3%). Crustose coralline algae and turf algae were generally more abundant than macroalgae. Mouchoir Bank, with the …

The State Of Coral Reef Ecosystems Of The United States And Pacific Freely Associated States: 2002, Donna D. Turgeon, Rebecca G. Asch, Billy Causey, Richard E. Dodge, Walter Jaap, Kenneth Banks, Joanne Delaney, Brian Keller, Richard E. Spieler, Cruz A. Matos, Jorge R. Garcia, Ernesto Diaz, Don Catanzaro, Caroline Rogers, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Richard Nemeth, Herman Taylor, Marcia Taylor, George P. Schmahl, Margaret W. Miller, David A. Gulko, James E. Maragos, Alan Friedlander, Cynthia L. Hunter, Russell E. Brainard, Peter Craig, Robert H. Richmond, Gerry W. Davis, John Starmer, Michael Trianni, Peter Houk, Charles E. Birkeland, Ahser Edward, Yimnang Golbuu, Jay Gutierrez, Noah Idechong, James E. Maragos, Gustav Paulay, Andrew Tafileichig, Nancy Vander Velde

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Called for by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force’s (USCRTF) National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs, this is the first biennial report on the condition of coral reefs. It is the scientific baseline for subsequent reports on the health of U.S. coral reef ecosystems that are to be used by NOAA and others to evaluate the efficacy of coral reef conservation and management practices. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service led the development of this report. It was authored by 38 experts and supported by 79 contributors from government agencies and non-governmental organizations across the nation …

Habitat Standardization Of Cpue Indices: Research Needs, C. Phillip Goodyear, David Die, David W. Kerstetter, Donald Olson, Eric Prince, Gerald P. Scott

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Habitat standardization for billfish CPUE offers a potentially useful alternative to the statistical procedures used in the past. However, most of the assumptions of the current habitatstandardization methodology remain untested and some are not consistent with current knowledge about the behavior of billfish. This paper outlines research required to ensure the methods for habitat standardization produce robust estimates of CPUE.

Habitat Preferences Of Istiophorid Billfishes In The Western North Atlantic: Applicability Of Archival Tag Data To Habitat-Based Stock Assessment Methodologies, John E. Graves, David W. Kerstetter, Brian E. Luckhurst, Eric D. Prince

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

The Japanese pelagic longline fishery, which has a broad temporal and spatial coverage in the Atlantic Ocean, provides an important time series used in assessments of istiophorid billfishes. Past assessments of Atlantic blue marlin and white marlin by the ICCAT SCRS indicate a pronounced decrease in stock abundance of both species over the past fifty years. The current biomass of the white marlin is estimated to be 15% of that necessary for maximum sustainable yield (BMSY), while blue marlin are estimated to be at 0.4 BMSY. Over the past fifty years Japanese pelagic longline fishing operations have moved from shallow …

Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, Fl 2003 Report, Curtis M. Burney, Stefanie Ouellette

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Status Of Coral Reefs Of Little Cayman, Grand Cayman And Cayman Brac, British West Indies, In 1999 And 2000 (Part 1: Stony Corals And Algae), Carrie Manfrino, Bernhard Riegl, Jerome L. Hall, Robert Graifman

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A benthic assessment of the isolated Cayman Islands was completed at 42 sites. Major changes in the reef community structure were documented by comparison with earlier studies. Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis, once abundant as shallow framework builders, were uncommon. Diseased stony corals were seen in >90% of the study sites, with the highest averages in Little Cayman, especially at Bloody Bay which is one of the most highly regulated marine parks in the Cayman Islands. The Montastraea annularis species complex accounted for two-thirds of the diseased corals which, along with other massive species, were affected largely by white-plague …

Marine Biological Monitoring In Broward County, Florida: Year 3 Annual Report, David S. Gilliam, Richard Dodge, Richard E. Spieler, Lance K. B. Jordan, Jamie A. Vernacchio

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

A study has been undertaken to monitor Broward County, Florida (southeast Florida) coral communities, reef fish assemblages and sedimentation rates in relation to possible effects from a proposed extensive beach renourishment (restoration) project. Coral communities and reef fish assemblages will be monitored at a total of 23 stations distributed offshore Broward County. This monitoring effort will characterize and quantify populations of scleractinian (stony) corals, octocorallian (gorgonian) corals, sponges, and reef fishes. In addition, sediment traps located at each station will be sampled and analyzed.

This document reports the data collected during the third year of this project. Coral communities and …

Growth And Survivorship Of Meandrina Meandrites And Montastrea Cavernosa Transplants To An Artificial Reef Environment, And The Effectiveness Of Plugging Core Holes In Transplant Donor Colonies, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The growth and survivorship of two species of scleractinian coral transplants, Meandrina meandrites and Montastrea cavernosa, were investigated. Identically sized replicate transplants were obtained from the second reef, off Dania Beach, using a hydraulic drill fitted with a 4” core barrel. The transplants were fixed to Reef Ball™ substrates using an adhesive marine epoxy. Drill holes in the donor corals (core holes) were filled with concrete plugs to prevent the detrimental effects of bioeroders. Control corals, of comparable size to both the donor colonies and the transplant corals, were selected for comparison. The transplant corals, donor corals, and controls …

The Uss Arizona And Bunker C Fuel Oil: An Environmental Study, Amanda M. Graham

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Before the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, the USS Arizona's 4,630-ton fuel tanks have been filled with Bunker C fuel oil, a No. 6 fuel oil. Currently the ship remains in the place where it sank as the USS Arizona memorial site in Pearl Harbor, HI. A significant amount of oil remains in the ship today and 1-2 L is leaking per day from several different locations (Murphy and Russell, personal communication). The focus of this study was to conduct a preliminary environmental assessment of the oil leaking from the USS Arizona, and to determine if aerobic microbial …

The Role Of Long Distance Dispersal Versus Local Retention In Replenishing Marine Populations, Robert K. Cowen, Claire B. Paris, Donald B. Olson, John L. Fortuna

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Early models and evidence from genetics suggested that long distance dispersal of larvae is likely a common event leading to considerable population connectivity among distant populations. However, recent evidence strongly suggests that local retention is more the rule, and that long distance transport is likely insufficient to sustain marine populations over demographic timescales. We build on earlier model results to examine the probability of larval dispersal to downstream islands within different regions of the Caribbean at varying distances from source populations. Through repeated runs of an ocean circulation model (MICOM), coupled with a random flight model estimating larval sub-grid turbulent …

The Interaction Of Retention, Recruitment, And Density-Dependent Mortality In The Spatial Placement Of Marine Reserves, Jennifer E. Caselle, Scott L. Hamilton, Robert R. Warner

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Population density can affect rates of mortality and individual growth. We measured these for the non-exploited bluehead wrasse, Thalassoma bifasciatum, at three sites around St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Previous work demonstrated that differences in the degree of larval retention in these sites results in very large differences in recruitment intensity. Post-settlement mortality differed among sites and was positively related to recruitment density. Post-settlement growth differences were small. Because of strong mortality effects early in life, adult densities and size/age distributions differed among sites and did not reflect differences in recruitment rate. The site with the highest retention and …

Fishery Management Measures Instituted At Discovery Bay, Jamaica, With Special Reference To Establishment Of The Fisheries Reserve, Jeremy Woodley, Zsolt Sary, Peter Gayle

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Jamaican north coast coral reef fish stocks have been over-exploited. The Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP) began in 1988 to help fishers at Discovery Bay to introduce management measures. Social and cultural constraints included poverty and distrust among fishers. FIP initiated: 1) an education programme in reef fisheries and the possibilities of local management; 2) encouragement of a Discovery Bay Fishermens’ Association; in 1994, Association members agreed on a voluntary protected area within Discovery Bay; 3) a Reserve Planning Group, representing all users of the bay; 4) contract with Fishermens’ Association: grant funds were transferred to it to employ rangers; 5) …

State Of Our Estuaries 2003, New Hampshire Estuaries Project

PREP Reports & Publications

New Hampshire’s estuaries are dynamic, complex systems that greatly influence the Seacoast’s economy, communities, quality of life and environment.To understand how these systems function and to gauge their relative health, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) tracks key environmental indicators and evaluates their status against a set of management goals. This report communicates the status of 12 of the 30 environmental indicators tracked by the NHEP. For each indicator it provides the reader with the associated NHEP management goal, explanation of supporting data, and some of the NHEP supported activities that help achieve the management goal.

Winter 2003, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Small-Scale Spatial And Temporal Variability In Growth And Mortality Of Fish Larvae In The Subtropical Northcentral Gulf Of Mexico: Implications For Assessing Recruitment Success, Bruce H. Comyns, Richard F. Shaw, Joanna Lyczkowski-Shultz

Faculty Publications

Extensive plankton collections were taken during seven September cruises (1990-93) along the inner continental shelf of the northcentral Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Despite the high productivity and availability of food during these cruises, significant smallscale spatial variability was found in larval growth rates for both Atlantic bumper (Chloroscombrus chrysurus, Carangidae) and vermilion snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens, Lutjanidae). The observed variability in larval growth rates was not correlated with changes in water temperature or associated with conspicuous hydrographic features and suggested the existence of less-recognizable regions where conditions for growth vary. Cruise estimates of mortality coefficients (Z) for larval Atlantic bumper (n=32,241 …

Estimating Queen Conch (Strombus Gigas) Home Ranges Using Acoustic Telemetry: Implications For The Design Of Marine Fishery Reserves, Robert A. Glazer, Gabriel A. Delgado, James A. Kidney

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Marine reserves (MRs) may function as a vital tool in the conservation and management of marine resources if source populations are managed for the benefit of those downstream. Consequently, it is critical to evaluate the home range of marine animals to ensure that MRs are large enough to protect source populations. We used acoustic telemetry to study movements of adult queen conch (Strombus gigas) within aggregations at two sites in the Florida Keys from June 1997 through July 1998. A total of 68 conch were tagged and tracked for up to one year. Latitude and longitude of each …

A Caribbean-Wide Survey Of Marine Reserves: Spatial Coverage And Attributes Of Effectiveness, Richard S. Appeldoorn, Kenyon C. Lindeman

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Fully-protected marine reserves can function at several spatial scales, from a single area encompassing few habitats, to local networks of many habitats, to large-scale networks connected by larval dispersal. However, the amount, spatial distribution, and associated administrative attributes of Caribbean marine reserves are collectively unknown. We compiled information on reserves from 21 countries in order to 1) assemble a spatial framework to aid development of networks of reserves at the most effective spatial scales, and 2) aid policy makers in establishing reserves that are science-based and possess optimal management attributes. Since 1961 there have been over 50 reserves established in …

A Biooptical Model Of Irradiance Distribution And Photosynthesis In Seagrass Canopies, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

Although extremely vulnerable to coastal eutrophication, seagrasses represent important structuring elements and sources of primary production in shallow waters. They also generate an optical signature that can be tracked remotely. Accurate knowledge of light absorption and scattering by submerged plant canopies permits the calculation of important plant- and ecosystem-level properties, including rates of photosynthesis, vegetation abundance, and distribution. The objectives of this study were to develop a realistic, yet simply parameterized two-flow model of plane irradiance distribution through a seagrass canopy submerged in an optically active water column, to evaluate its performance against in situ measurements, and to explore the …

Shifting Baselines, Marine Reserves, And Leopold's Biotic Ethic, James A. Bohnsack

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Different human expectations and environmental ethics are key factors preventing the creation of marine reserve networks. People are skeptical about the benefits of no-take marine reserves because they have adjusted to scarcity and have low expectations about the productive capability of marine ecosystems. Pauly (1995) described this as a shifting baseline in which each generation sets its expectations based on its direct experiences and discounts experiences of previous generations. I show evidence of a declining Caribbean baseline based on Nassau grouper landings from Cuba and the U.S., and review common and often conflicting types of conservation ethics existing in North …

Improving Applications Of Science In Mpa Design And Management: Workshop Report, K.C. Lindeman, R.S. Appeldoorn

Gulf and Caribbean Research

This workshop was convened as part of the Symposium on Caribbean Marine Protected Areas: Practical Approaches to Achieve Economic and Conservation Goals, held at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 12–17 November 2001. The workshop used the scientific theme of the MPA Symposium, “Connectivity at Multiple Spatial Scales”, as a starting point to identify existing and underutilized tools that can improve the application of science to MPA management. The spatial themes of the earlier session, crossshelf habitat connectivity among demersal life stages and oceanic connectivity among larval stages, were applied …

Habitat Connectivity In Coastal Environments: Patterns And Movements Of Caribbean Coral Reef Fishes With Emphasis On Bluestriped Grunt, Haemulon Sciurus, Jim Beets, Lisa Muehlstein, Kerri Haught, Henry Schmitges

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Habitat connectivity within tropical marine seascapes may be greatly dependent on the movement of large organisms, particularly fishes. Using visual and trap sampling within two small bays in Virgin Islands National Park/Biosphere Reserve, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, we documented that large coral reef fishes, particularly large adult grunts, which shelter by day on coral reefs and make nocturnal feeding migrations into seagrass beds, accounted for the greatest biomass and abundance of fishes sampled in seagrass habitat. Using passive tags and sonic telemetry, we documented the nocturnal migration patterns of large adult grunts (bluestriped grunts, Haemulon sciurus), which are …

Habitat Connectivity In Reef Fish Communities And Marine Reserve Design In Old Providence-Santa Catalina, Colombia, R.S. Appeldoorn, A. Friedlander, J. Sladek Nowlis, P. Usseglio, A. Mitchell-Chui

Gulf and Caribbean Research

On the insular platform of Old Providence/Santa Catalina, Colombia, we compared nearshore lagoonal patch reefs to those on the northern bank distant from the islands to determine the importance of habitat connectivity to fish community structure. Nearshore patch reefs had greater proximity to mangrove, seagrass and rocky shore habitats, and they had significantly more individuals. Nearshore reefs also tended to have a greater total biomass, more species, a higher proportion of predators of mobile invertebrates and small fishes, and a lower proportion of herbivores. Biomass of snappers and grunts at nearshore sites was four times greater compared to bank sites, …

Community Capacity Building In The Designation Of The Tortugas Ecological Reserve, Joanne M. Delaney

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The remote Tortugas region of the Florida Keys, located over 225 km from the continental United States, is an area of high coral diversity, excellent water quality, and productive fisheries. Located at the juncture of major ocean currents, the Tortugas potentially serves as a source and sink for marine larvae. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary initiated a process in 1998 to create a fully protected ecological reserve in the Tortugas to conserve these resources. Reserve design emphasized community input and consensus-based decision-making. Critical to success was a diverse working group of stakeholders and government agencies. In July 2001, after …