Marine Biology Commons^™

Distribution Of The Marsh Periwinkle Littorina Irrorata (Say) In A Virginia Salt Marsh, R. Wyle Crist, William C. Banta

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Littorina irrorata varies over its geographic range in maximum size, preferred elevations relative to tidal datum planes, and in the type of vegetation it inhabits. On Wallops Island, Virginia, postlarvae of Littorina irrorata with shell lengths < 5 mm long live almost exclusively in dead, curled-up leaves of Spartina alterniflora at elevations near mean tide level, below elevations occupied by larger conspecifics. Snails longer than 5 mm in length increase in average size with decreasing elevation. This distribution is opposite to that found by Hamilton (1978) in a marsh in Florida. No difference was found in our study area in growth rate of marked snails at two different elevations, so the size-elevation …

Effects Of Saltwater Intrusion From The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal On The Benthos Of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Jane A. Junot, Michael A. Poirrier, Thomas M. Soniat

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A study of the benthos of southern Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, was conducted from July 1976 to July 1978. Seven offshore stations and three stations in the New Orleans Marina complex were sampled seasonally. Offshore stations formed a transect from the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (I.H.N.C.). A west to east gradient of increasing salinity and salinity stratification was evident.

Faunal differences among stations were assessed using indices of diversity, biological dominance, pollution, and station homogeneity. The fauna of the marina stations had a low species diversity and was dominated by annelids, indicative of a stressed environment. …

Community Structure Of Diatoms Epiphytic On Pneumatophores Of The Black Mangrove, Avicennia Germinans, In A Louisiana Salt Marsh, Robert S. Maples

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The taxonomy, diversity, and similarity of diatom assemblages epiphytic on pneumatophores of black mangrove, Avicennia germinans (L.) L., in southeastern Louisiana were investigated. A total of 109 taxa representing 27 genera were identified in samples from five sites. The most abundant taxa were Nitzschia brittonii Hagelstein, Nitz. frustulum (Kutz.) Grun., Navicula diserta Hust., Denticula subtilis Grun., and Amphora tenuissima Hust. Comparisons with previous studies indicate that the diatom flora epiphytic on A. germinans in this study is much more characteristic of temperate salt marshes than of subtropical mangrove communities.

Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Peracardia) Of The Gulf Of Mexico. Iii. On The Occurrence Of Teleotanais Gerlachi Lang, 1956 (Nototanaidae) In The Eastern Gulf, Jurgen Sieg, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Teleotanais gerlachi Lang, 1956, a euryhaline member of the family Nototanaidae, known from Brazil and El Salvador, is reported from the eastern Gulf of Mexico (west coast of Florida) and the west coast of Africa (Nigeria). The species is diagnosed and illustrated. Differences between Teleotanais and the superficially similar genus Paratanais (Pantanaidae) are briefly compared and discussed.

Taxonomy And Distribution Of Edotea (= Tropedotea) Lyonsi (Menzies And Kruczynski, 1983) N. Comb. (Crustacea: Isopoda: Idoteidae), Gary D. Goeke, Richard W. Heard Jr.

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Tropedotea lyonsi Menzies and Kruczynski, 1983, is reported from the waters off Alabama southeastward to Cape Romano, Florida. The monotypic genus Tropedotea was recently erected on the basis of coxal plates of pereonites V to VI1 visible in dorsal view and a reduced number of articles in both antennae. Pereonites V to VI11 are also visible in dorsal view in Edotea Guérin-Ménéville, 1843, and the number of articles in antenna 1 and 2 of Tropedotea Menzies and Kruczynski, 1983, is the same as in Edotea. Hence Tropedotea lyonsi is assigned to the genus Edotea and Tropedotea is designated a …

Introgressive Hybridization In A Population Of Astyanax Fasciatus (Pisces: Characidae) At La Cueva Chica, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Size And Distribution Of Resting Eggs In A Natural Population Of The Rotifer Brachionus Plicatilis, Terry W. Snell, Brian E. Burke, Stuart D. Messur

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Resting eggs of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis were collected from the sediments of a brackish-water pond near Tampa, Florida. These core samples were examined for resting egg density and size. Resting egg density decreased exponentially from the surface down to 7 cm in the sediments at all stations, with depth in the sediments accounting for 42.3% of the total variance. The maximum resting egg density recorded was 194 RE/cm³ with no significant differences in density among stations. Resting eggs were found to be significantly larger in the top 2 cm of sediment than resting eggs from deeper in the …

Frequency Distribution Patterns And Partitioning Of Copper, Iron And Zinc In Selected Tissues Of The Black Mullet (Mugil Cephalus), Charles J. Venuto, John H. Trefry

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Copper, iron and zinc concentrations were determined for muscle, gill and liver tissue from 45 black mullet (Mugil cephalus) collected in Turkey Creek, an embayment of the Indian River Lagoon, Florida. In the liver, Fe concentrations (2420+ 1040 jig/g, dry wt) were higher than for Cu (510 ± 350 fig/g) and Zn (330 ± 120ng/g). Gill tissue iron levels (380 ± 140/xg/g) were greater than those for Zn (96 ± 26 jtg/g) and Cu (6.3 ± 4.4 fig/g). Muscle tissue concentrations were lowest with Fe values (19 ± 15/tg/g) greater than thosefor Zn (13.5 ± 4.9 fig/g) and Cu (1.1 …

Phytoplankton Studies Within The Virginia Barrier Islands. Iii. Phytoplankton Composition In A Saline Pond On Smith Island, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The phytoplankton that characterized the Smith Island pond was diverse, with several species of diatoms, dinoflagellates and blue-green algae dominant throughout the year. A total of 146 spp. were noted, predominantly composed of ultra and nanoplankters, that includes representatives from coastal waters. The island ponds are considered eutrophic habitats whose composition is influenced by overwash conditions and in turn introduce populations to surrounding pools and water channels.

A Key To The Porcellanid Crab Zoeae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) Of The North Central Gulf Of Mexico And A Comparison Of Meristic Characters Of Four Species, Robert C. Maris

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A taxonomic key is provided for the two zoeal stages of five genera and six species of the Porcellanidae (Crustacea: Anomura) from the north central Gulf of Mexico. Measurements, carapace structures, and appendages are compared among zoeal specimens of Euceramus praelongus Stimpson, 1860; Petrolisthes armatus (Gibbes, 1850); Polyonyx gibbesi Haig, 1956; and Porcellana sigsbeiana A. Milne-Edwards, 1880. Positive correlations are noted between rostral spine length and carapace length in E. praelongus (zoeae I) and P. sigsbeiana (zoeae I) and in posterior spine lengths and carapace length in E. praelongus (zoeae I) and P. gibbesi (zoeae I).

Evaluation Of A Leased Oyster Bottom In Mississippi Sound, John Supan

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Twenty-four pairs of spat plates, strategically located on a 600-ha (1500-a) oyster lease, were monitored biweekly to determine the rate of oyster spatfall. Spatfall occurred from May 6 to July 31 and again from August 15 to October 24, 1979. The greatest spatfall occurred from August 15 to September 4, 1979. Data from shell bags that accompanied the spat plates indicated a maximum growth of 3.2 cm in two months. Oyster spat which attached to the planted cultch materials on the leases grew up to 7.9 cm during the 17-month sampling period, ending December 11, 1979. The lease area is …

A Historical Note Concerning Salt In Vertebrate Blood And In The Sea, Gordon Gunter

Gulf and Caribbean Research

In 1902 and 1903 G. von Bunge and A. B. Macallum became impressed independently with the similarity between the salt content of ocean water and vertebrate blood. Von Bunge’s ideas concerned NaCl and were stated in a physiology text. Macallum’s ideas, related mostly to the proportions of Na, K, and Ca in sea water and blood, were set forth in a series of papers ending in 1926. Bayliss (1927) and Pearse and Gunter (1957) accepted this thesis. Conway (1943, 1945) questioned it on the grounds that the salts from land erosion do not correspond to those in the sea. However, …

Ex-Vessel Value And Size Composition Of Reported May - August Catches Of Brown Shrimp And White Shrimp From 1960 To 1981 As Related To The Texas Closure, Charles Wax Caillouet Jr., Dennis Brian Koi

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Indices were used to test for trends in ex-vessel price spread (value per shrimp by size category), size composition, and ex-vessel value composition of the reported May-August catches (inshore and offshore combined) of brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) and white shrimp (P. setiferus) from the Texas coast, the Mississippi River to Texas, and Pensacola to the Mississippi River, from 1960 to 1981. Levels of reported May-August catch and ex-vessel value of the catch also were examined for the same period. Statistical tests were conducted to determine if 1981 was an outlier as compared to other years, in …

Multilinear Models For The Prediction Of Brown Shrimp Harvest In Mississippi Waters, Frederick C. Sutter Iii, J.Y. Christmas

Gulf and Caribbean Research

A multilinear regression analysis of water temperature, salinity, and number of postlarval brown shrimp in nursery areas was used to predict the June and July commercial harvest of brown shrimp in Mississippi waters. A total of 80.2% of the variation in harvest was accounted for by this model. When an effort variable was added to the equation, the amount of variation explained by these parameters increased to 85.4%. The coefficients of the two multilinear equations were recalculated exclusive of the data set for the last year to test the predictive capabilities of the models. For that year, the first model …

An Unusually Small Egg-Carrying Callinectes Sapidus In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, With Comments On The Barnacle Loxothylacus Texanus, Robin M. Overstreet, Harriet M. Perry, Gerald Adkins

Gulf and Caribbean Research

This communication reports the smallest verified egg-carrying specimen of Callinectes sapidus. With a carapace 20 mm long by 47 mm wide, the female measures considerably less than most other mature individuals, but about the same as an average-sized individual infected with an adult specimen of the rhizocephalan Loxothylacus texanus.

Monitoring Defecation Activity Of Infaunal Deposit Feeders, Fred C. Dobbs

OES Faculty Publications

An inexpensive, reliable thermistor device capable of monitoring infaunal foraging activity was built and used in the laboratory to examine effects of temperature on sediment reworking by the maldanld polychaete Clymenella torquata. The worm defecated at least once per hour 55.0 % (12.0 "C) to 88.2 % (5.5 "C) of the time. Defecation rate was linearly and positively related to temperature. Estimated volume of sediment ejected per defecation (0.015 ml) did not change with temperature. Results are compared with previous reworking studies of C. torquata.

Immediate Effects Of A Storm On Coastal Infauna, Fred C. Dobbs, Joseph M. Vozarik

OES Faculty Publications

Effects of storms on benthic infaunal communities have thus far been inferred rather than documented; especially lacking are studies examining immediate effects. To this end, the water column and 2 subtidal benthic sites were sampled before and after Storm David in September 1979. There were large post-storm increases in the numbers of infaunal species and individuals in the water column, presumably due to turbulent benthic boundary conditions. At the benthic stations, there were no pre vs. post-storm differences in the density of infauna; however, the number of species decreased at 1 station. There were storm-associated changes in the rank order …

Responses Of Estuarine Infauna To Disturbance. I. Spatial And Temporal Variation Of Initial Recolonization, Roman N. Zajac, Robert B. Whitlatch

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Responses to disturbance of estuarine infauna were studied to test the hypothesis that seasonality, the estuarine environmental gradient and sediment composition would significantly affect recolonization. The study was conducted in a small estuary located in southeastern Connecticut, USA, using controlled disturbance experiments and sampling of the ambient infauna. Species composition in experimental plots and ambient sediments usually did not differ, either on a seasonal or areal basis. Numerically dominant species usually included the polychaetes Streblospio benedicti, Capitella spp. and Polydora ligni, and the oligochaete Peloscolex gabriellae. Other species included the polychaetes Scoloplos fragilis, Hobsonia florida and Nereis …

Responses Of Estuarine Infauna To Disturbance. Ii. Spatial And Temporal Variation Of Succession, Roman N. Zajac, Robert B. Whitlatch

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Infaunal successional patterns in Alewife Cove, a small estuary in southeastern Connecticut, USA, varied significantly seasonally and along the estuarine environmental gradient. Each study site exhibited different patterns of change in species composition and abundance. However, suites of species found during succession did not differ greatly from those found in ambient sediments. Species which exhibited the most variable population changes during succession were numerically dominant tubiculous polychaetes (Streblospio benedicti, Capitella spp., Polydora ligni], and an oligochaete (Peloscolex gabriellae). Other species which exhibited significant activity were the polychaetes Scoloplos fragilis, Hobsonia florida and Nereis virens, the hemichordate Saccoglossus kowaleski, and the …

Initial Changes In Fish Species Composition In Two New Lakes Of The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Alabama-Mississippi, Tom J. Timmons

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Number 13 (October 1982), Southern Fishes Council

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

Initial Changes in Fish Species Composition in Two Lakes of the Tennessee - Tombigbee Waterway, Alabama-Mississippi. By T.J. Timmons, 4 pp.

Environmental Influence On The Migratory Behavior Of The Brown Shrimp In Pamlico Sound North Carolina, Michael Andrew Matylewich

OES Theses and Dissertations

Environmental conditions in the nursery areas during times of development affect the migratory behavior of the brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) by influencing growth and natural mortality. A linearized logistic model and a multiple linear model are used to relate environmental factors (week number, water temperature, salinity, air temperature, precipitation, net heating degree days, river discharge) to the cumulative proportion of catch and catch-per-unit-effort, respectively. Multiple regression analysis yielded equations containing the week number, the water temperature and an interaction term as the independent variables. Predictions of total annual yield and total annual catch-per-unit-effort are made using the migratory …

The Effects Of Salinity On Growth And Survival Of The Blue Tilapia Oreochromis Aureus (Steindachner) (Pisces Cichlidae), Maylon Lowell White Jr.

OES Theses and Dissertations

The growth rate of the blue tilapia, Oreochromis aureus, was measured in fresh water, 15 ‰ salinity, and 30 ‰ salinity. The fish were given a hormone-treated feed to sex-reverse the females. Acclimations were achieved by raising the salinity only 5 ‰ per day. A biofilter and frequent water changes were used to maintain water quality in each 40 1 system. Synthetic sea salts were used to achieve desired salinity. The fish were grown for 87 days at 27°-30° C.

So significant difference in growth rate occurred among the three treatments. Salinity did not influence mortalities. All fish appeared to …

Vol. 6 No. 1 (1982): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Vol. 6 No. 1 (1982): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Books Received And Book Notices, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Book Listing for the Vol 6, No 1 Fall Edition of the Pacific Studies Journal

Eugene Ogan's Review Of Solange Petit Skinner's The Nauruans, Eugene Ogan

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Quantitative Reef Assessment Studies In Bermuda: A Comparison Of Methods And Preliminary Results, Richard E. Dodge, Alan Logan, Arnfried Antonius

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

To compare in quantitative terms both ecological characteristics of the stony coral fauna at various reef sites in Bermuda and available assessment methodologies, we present a study of four separate methods at each of three reef sites. Three plotless (Intersected-length, Quarter point, Point) and one quadrat (Belt-quadrat) methods were employed. Each technique gave similar results but had inherent advantages and disadvantages which involve trade-offs in quantity and type of information generated and time required for use.

Pooling of method results revealed that total coral coverage was highest at North Rock (26%), intermediate at Three Hill Shoals (17%), and lowest at …

Feeding Behavior Of Three Species Of Spionid Polychaetes, Thomas Lane Stokes Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Observations of feeding behavior of three species of spionid polychaetes (Paraprionospio pinnata, Polydora ligni, and Streblospio benedicti) were performed in currents ranging from 0 to 10 cm/sec over fine and coarse sediments and in high and low suspended particle loads. These interface feeders may suspension feed, deposit feed, or both simultaneously using a pair of anterior tentaculate feeding palps. P. ligni and S. benedicti were found to alter their palp behaviors in response to experimental manipulations. P. ligni reacted strongly to currents by suspension feeding with coiled palps. S. benedicti reacted strongly and complexly to food particle type and availability. …

Determining The Uptake And Possible Assimilation Of The Plant Component Of Spartina Detritus By Palaemonetes Pugio Using A Rapid Radiolabeling Method, Michael Peter Crosby

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Assimilation of the plant components of Spartina alterniflora detritus by the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, was investigated in a laboratory feeding study. A new radiolabeling procedure was utilized to label the sterilized detritus with ¹⁴C. Organic carbon values were calculated for both S. alterniflora and P. pugio. The grass shrimp were found to assimilate significantly the detritus, with an assimilation efficiency of approximately 14%, and an approximate ingestion rate of 2.508 x l0^-4mg C detritus/mg C shrimp hour^-l occurred. It is hypothesized that coprophagous activity may be important to the completion of digestion of …