Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences

Nova Southeastern University

Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 1 - 30 of 1113

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

How Can Generative Ai (Genai) Enhance Or Hinder Qualitative Studies? A Critical Appraisal From South Asia, Nepal, Niroj Dahal Mar 2024

How Can Generative Ai (Genai) Enhance Or Hinder Qualitative Studies? A Critical Appraisal From South Asia, Nepal, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative researchers can benefit from using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), such as different versions of ChatGPT—GPT-3.5 or GPT-4, Google Bard—now renamed as a Gemini, and Bing Chat—now renamed as a Copilot, in their studies. The scientific community has used artificial intelligence (AI) tools in various ways. However, using GenAI has generated concerns regarding potential research unreliability, bias, and unethical outcomes in GenAI-generated research results. Considering these concerns, the purpose of this commentary is to review the current use of GenAI in qualitative research, including its strengths, limitations, and ethical dilemmas from the perspective of critical appraisal from South Asia, Nepal. …


History Of Clover Leaf Syndrome, Isabella Perez Feb 2024

History Of Clover Leaf Syndrome, Isabella Perez

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the history of clover leaf syndrome and describe the newest advancements made to treat it. Clover leaf syndrome is more formally referred to as Kleeblattschadel syndrome. Information was gathered from several scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, and was condensed down into the key takeaways. This syndrome impacts the formation of the skull due to premature fusion of its sutures, creating a tri-lobar skull that resembles a clover leaf. This premature fusion is referred to as a type of craniosynostosis and has been linked to causing several other health complications ranging in severity. This is …


199965, David Kerstetter Jan 2024

199965, David Kerstetter

PERC Albacore sPAT Data

Datasets (and supporting material) from 4sPAT electronic tags deployed on albacore caught by pelagic longline gear in the western North Atlantic.


199953, David Kerstetter Jan 2024

199953, David Kerstetter

PERC Albacore sPAT Data

Datasets (and supporting material) from 4sPAT electronic tags deployed on albacore caught by pelagic longline gear in the western North Atlantic.


199949, David Kerstetter Jan 2024

199949, David Kerstetter

PERC Albacore sPAT Data

Datasets (and supporting material) from 4sPAT electronic tags deployed on albacore caught by pelagic longline gear in the western North Atlantic.


199946, David W. Kerstetter Jan 2024

199946, David W. Kerstetter

PERC Albacore sPAT Data

Datasets (and supporting material) from 4sPAT electronic tags deployed on albacore caught by pelagic longline gear in the western North Atlantic.


Addressing Water Hyacinth (Pontederia Crassipes) Impacts On Aquatic Biota In Lake Okeechobee, Joseph Salerno Dec 2023

Addressing Water Hyacinth (Pontederia Crassipes) Impacts On Aquatic Biota In Lake Okeechobee, Joseph Salerno

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The incursion of water hyacinth, Pontederia crassipes in Lake Okeechobee has resulted in management systems to be implemented to reduce the coverage of the invasive macrophyte. Its residence in the Lake Okeechobee ecosystem and the effects it has on organisms in the lake, whether it be positive or harmful is unknown. This study attempted to assess the potential effects that water hyacinth has on aquatic biota in Lake Okeechobee. Biotic data were collected on open water, water hyacinth covered, and native vegetation covered habitats via hook-and-line fishing, electrofishing, baited minnow traps, and the sampling of plant roots over a thirteen-month …


Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Internal Transcribed Sequences (Its) As Dna Barcodes To Estimate Fungal Diversity, Jailisa Linares Dec 2023

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Internal Transcribed Sequences (Its) As Dna Barcodes To Estimate Fungal Diversity, Jailisa Linares

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Universal phylogenetic markers such as the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed sequences (ITS), specifically ITS1 and ITS2, are routinely used to estimate fungal diversity in environmental samples. However, numerous studies report differences in the performance and efficacy of ITS1 and ITS2 in documenting fungal diversity. To better understand the implications of using ITS1 versus ITS2, a comprehensive representation of the diverse fungal taxa was necessary to conduct a meta-analysis of their use across multiple fungal taxa. In order to address this, a thorough literature review was conducted to compare and contrast the use of ITS1 and ITS2 as effective DNA barcodes. …


Cytokine Data For Cytokine Profile Assessment From Peruvian Pinniped (Arctocephalus Australis And Otaria Byronia) Plasma, Mykenzee Munaco, Milton Levin, Michael Adkesson, Susana Cárdenas-Alayzad, Dimitrios G. Giarikos, Amy C. Hirons Aug 2023

Cytokine Data For Cytokine Profile Assessment From Peruvian Pinniped (Arctocephalus Australis And Otaria Byronia) Plasma, Mykenzee Munaco, Milton Levin, Michael Adkesson, Susana Cárdenas-Alayzad, Dimitrios G. Giarikos, Amy C. Hirons

SECLER Data

Large colonies of two vulnerable, sympatric pinniped species, Peruvian fur seals (Arctocephalus australis Peruvian subpopulation; PFS) and South American sea lions (Otaria byronia; SASL), reside and reproduce in Punta San Juan, Peru (PSJ) where they are exposed to stressors such as contaminants and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The use of cytokines as immune biomarkers can be indicative of an animal’s health and function by allowing for the assessment of an individual's cytokine balance as type I helper T cells (Th1) or type II helper T cells (Th2) dominant. Utilizing archived pinniped plasma samples from 2009-2019 …


Measures And Models Of Visual Acuity In Epipelagic And Mesopelagic Teleosts And Elasmobranchs, Eleanor M. Caves, Tracey Sutton, Eric J. Warrant, Sönke Johnsen Aug 2023

Measures And Models Of Visual Acuity In Epipelagic And Mesopelagic Teleosts And Elasmobranchs, Eleanor M. Caves, Tracey Sutton, Eric J. Warrant, Sönke Johnsen

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Eyes in low-light environments typically must balance sensitivity and spatial resolution. Vertebrate eyes with large "pixels" (e.g., retinal ganglion cells with inputs from many photoreceptors) will be sensitive but provide coarse vision. Small pixels can render finer detail, but each pixel will gather less light, and thus have poor signal relative-to-noise, leading to lower contrast sensitivity. This balance is particularly critical in oceanic species at mesopelagic depths (200–1000 m) because they experience low light and live in a medium that significantly attenuates contrast. Depending on the spatial frequency and inherent contrast of a pattern being viewed, the viewer’s pupil size …


Improving The Design And Conduct Of Aquatic Toxicity Studies With Oils Based On 20 Years Of Croserf Experience, Wa Stubblefield, M Barron, G Bragin, Me Delorenzo, B De Jourdan, B Echols, Dp French-Mccay, P Jackman, Jr Loughery, Tf Parkerton, D. Abigail Renegar, Jl Rodriguez-Gil Aug 2023

Improving The Design And Conduct Of Aquatic Toxicity Studies With Oils Based On 20 Years Of Croserf Experience, Wa Stubblefield, M Barron, G Bragin, Me Delorenzo, B De Jourdan, B Echols, Dp French-Mccay, P Jackman, Jr Loughery, Tf Parkerton, D. Abigail Renegar, Jl Rodriguez-Gil

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Laboratory toxicity testing is a key tool used in oil spill science, spill effects assessment, and mitigation strategy decisions to minimize environmental impacts. A major consideration in oil toxicity testing is how to replicate real-world spill conditions, oil types, weathering states, receptor organisms, and modifying environmental factors under laboratory conditions. Oils and petroleum-derived products are comprised of thousands of compounds with different physicochemical and toxicological properties, and this leads to challenges in conducting and interpreting oil toxicity studies. Experimental methods used to mix oils with aqueous test media have been shown to influence the aqueous-phase hydrocarbon composition and concentrations, hydrocarbon …


Fun Azores: A Functional Trait Database For The Meio-, Macro-, And Megafauna From The Azores Marine Park (Mid-Atlantic Ridge), Neus Campanyà-Llovet, Amanda E. Bates, Daphne Cuvelier, Eva Giacomello, Diana Catarino, Andrew J. Gooday, Björn Berning, Blanca Figuerola, Manuel A. E. Malaquias, Carlos J. Moura, Joana R. Xavier, Tracey Sutton, Laurence Fauconnet, Sofia P. Ramalho, Bárbara De Moura Neves, Gui M. Machado, Tammy Horton, Andrey V. Gebruk, Kirill Minin, Joël Bried, Tina Molodtsova, Mónica A. Silva, Anna Dilman, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Eudriano F. S. Costa, Jameson Clarke, Helen R. Martins, Christopher K. Pham, Marina Carreiro-Silva, Ana Colaço Jul 2023

Fun Azores: A Functional Trait Database For The Meio-, Macro-, And Megafauna From The Azores Marine Park (Mid-Atlantic Ridge), Neus Campanyà-Llovet, Amanda E. Bates, Daphne Cuvelier, Eva Giacomello, Diana Catarino, Andrew J. Gooday, Björn Berning, Blanca Figuerola, Manuel A. E. Malaquias, Carlos J. Moura, Joana R. Xavier, Tracey Sutton, Laurence Fauconnet, Sofia P. Ramalho, Bárbara De Moura Neves, Gui M. Machado, Tammy Horton, Andrey V. Gebruk, Kirill Minin, Joël Bried, Tina Molodtsova, Mónica A. Silva, Anna Dilman, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Eudriano F. S. Costa, Jameson Clarke, Helen R. Martins, Christopher K. Pham, Marina Carreiro-Silva, Ana Colaço

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Trait-based approaches that complement taxonomy-based studies have increased in popularity among the scientific community over the last decades. The collection of biological and ecological characteristics of species (i.e., traits) provides insight into species and ecosystem vulnerability to environmental and anthropogenic changes, as well as ecosystem functioning. Here, we present the FUN Azores trait database, describe our approach, evaluate its scope, compare it to other marine trait databases, and explore the spatial distribution of its traits with “functional maps.” While most of the available trait databases to date contain essential information to understand the functional diversity of a taxonomic or functional …


Ecomorphology Of A Predatory Deep-Sea Fish Family: Does Trophic Specialization Drive Hyperspeciation?, Ryan P. Mcgonagle, David Kerstetter, Danté Fenolio, Tracey Sutton May 2023

Ecomorphology Of A Predatory Deep-Sea Fish Family: Does Trophic Specialization Drive Hyperspeciation?, Ryan P. Mcgonagle, David Kerstetter, Danté Fenolio, Tracey Sutton

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Two of the main drivers of speciation among aquatic vertebrates are physical isolation (e.g., lakes and streams) and micro-niche availability (e.g., tropical reefs). In both regards, the mesopelagic domain of the open ocean, Earth’s second largest cumulative ecosystem (behind only the bathypelagic domain), would seem retardant. Ocean circulation makes isolation rare on both contemporary and geological time/space scales, and the lack of substrate precludes stable micro-niches. Paradoxically, some pelagic taxa demonstrate much higher-than-expected species richness on regional scales. A prime example is the dragonfish family Stomiidae, the most speciose family of mesopelagic fishes, owing largely to the subfamily Melanostomiinae (scaleless …


Phylogeny And Taxonomy Of Himerometroidea (Echinodermata: Crinoidea), Kristian H. Taylor, Gregory W. Rouse, Charles G. Messing May 2023

Phylogeny And Taxonomy Of Himerometroidea (Echinodermata: Crinoidea), Kristian H. Taylor, Gregory W. Rouse, Charles G. Messing

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Himerometroidea is a clade of chiefly shallow-water, tropical, feather-star crinoids that is currently divided, based on morphology, into four families comprising 119 extant species in 31 genera. Our molecular phylogenetic results, based on three mitochondrial (CO1, 16S, CytB) and two nuclear (ITS and 28S) markers for 55 accepted species in 23 of the extant genera, allow for six clades within Himerometroidea to be given family ranks. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference analyses recovered largely congruent topologies with varying nodal support. A new classification revises generic placements among five families: Himerometridae, Colobometridae, and Mariametridae, all retained, and Pontiometridae and …


Heavy Metal Content In Eggs From Wild And Managed-Care Humboldt Penguins, Mya Daniels-Abdulahad Apr 2023

Heavy Metal Content In Eggs From Wild And Managed-Care Humboldt Penguins, Mya Daniels-Abdulahad

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The Humboldt penguin, Spheniscus humboldti, has been recognized as a Vulnerable species (IUCN) for nearly two decades, with annual population declines of more than 10% largely attributed to pervasive anthropogenic activity occurring throughout the species’ range of Peru and Chile. Due to recent mining expansions near the species’ largest Peruvian rookery, located at the Punta San Juan (PSJ) reserve, the exposure of breeding individuals to elevated concentrations of trace elements (e.g., heavy metals) in the marine environment is a preeminent concern. While heavy metal toxicity is dependent on metal species, dose, route of exposure, and the physiologic parameters of …


Movement, Behavior, And Trophic Ecology Of A Pelagic Predator Guild In The Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, Ryan Keith Logan Mar 2023

Movement, Behavior, And Trophic Ecology Of A Pelagic Predator Guild In The Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, Ryan Keith Logan

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Pelagic apex predators exert strong influences on ecological communities, and often support valuable commercial or recreational fisheries worldwide. Yet, due to their rarity and pelagic lifestyle, many species, such as billfishes, have proven particularly difficult to study at resolutions necessary to define dynamics of recovery from fishery interaction, physical interaction with environmental features and prey exploitation, and competitive interactions among other billfish predators. This leads to a paucity of knowledge on billfish ecology and habitat use, and hinders management efforts. With the ever-improving and miniaturization of technology and oceanographic datasets, the ability to define and quantify these interactions of fish …


Age, Growth And Maturity Of The Yellow Stingray (Urobatis Jamaicensis), A Biannually Reproductive Tropical Batoid., Jessica Schieber, Daniel P. Fahy, John K. Carlson, David W. Kerstetter Mar 2023

Age, Growth And Maturity Of The Yellow Stingray (Urobatis Jamaicensis), A Biannually Reproductive Tropical Batoid., Jessica Schieber, Daniel P. Fahy, John K. Carlson, David W. Kerstetter

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Urobatis jamaicensis is a coastal batoid species affected by habitat loss and small-scale exploitation from fisheries and the aquarium trade, yet the life-history information available is limited. This is the first study to assess the vertebral centra from 195 stingrays to estimate age and growth patterns and compare them with the biannual reproductive pattern previously reported for this species. Age-at-size data were compared using five different growth models and found a two-parameter von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF), the Gompertz model, and a modified VBGF fit best for males, females and sexes combined, respectively. Maturity was achieved before one year. However, …


Holocene Evolution Of Parabolic Dunes, White River Badlands, South Dakota, Usa, Revealed By High-Resolution Mapping, Paul Evans Baldauf, Gregory S. Baker, Maraina Miles, Patrick Burkhart, Allen Gontz, Madeline Rinka, Michael Levenson Jan 2023

Holocene Evolution Of Parabolic Dunes, White River Badlands, South Dakota, Usa, Revealed By High-Resolution Mapping, Paul Evans Baldauf, Gregory S. Baker, Maraina Miles, Patrick Burkhart, Allen Gontz, Madeline Rinka, Michael Levenson

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The White River Badlands (WRB) of South Dakota record eolian activity spanning the late Pleistocene through the latest Holocene (21 ka to modern), reflecting the effects of the last glacial period and Holocene climate fluctuations (Holocene Thermal Maximum, Medieval Climate Anomaly, and Little Ice Age). The WRB dune fields are important paleoclimate indicators in an area of the Great Plains with few climate proxies. The goal of this study is to use 1 m/pixel-resolution digital elevation models from drone imagery to distinguish Early to Middle Holocene parabolic dunes from Late Holocene parabolic dunes. Results indicate that relative ages of dunes …


Larval Dispersal Patterns And Connectivity Of Acropora On Florida’S Coral Reef And Its Implications For Restoration, Samantha King, Antoine Saint-Amand, Brian K. Walker, Emmanuel Hanert, Joana Figueiredo Jan 2023

Larval Dispersal Patterns And Connectivity Of Acropora On Florida’S Coral Reef And Its Implications For Restoration, Samantha King, Antoine Saint-Amand, Brian K. Walker, Emmanuel Hanert, Joana Figueiredo

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Since the 1980s, populations of Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata have experienced severe declines due to disease and anthropogenic stressors; resulting in their listing as threatened, and their need for restoration. In this study, larval survival and competency data were collected and used to calibrate a very high-resolution hydrodynamic model (up to 100m) to determine the dispersal patterns of Acropora species along the Florida’s Coral Reef. The resulting connectivity matrices was incorporated into a metapopulation model to compare strategies for restoring Acropora populations. This study found that Florida’s Coral Reef was historically a well-connected system, and that spatially selective restoration …


Insights From The Management Of Offshore Energy Resources: Toward An Ecosystem-Services Based Management Approach For Deep-Ocean Industries, M. Emilia Bravo, Miriam I. Brandt, Jesse M. A. Van Der Grient, Thomas G. Dahlgren, Patricia Esquete, Sabine Gollner, Daniel O. B. Jones, Lisa A. Levin, Craig R. Mcclain, Bhavani E. Narayanaswamy, Tracey Sutton, Lissette Victorero, Erik E. Cordes Jan 2023

Insights From The Management Of Offshore Energy Resources: Toward An Ecosystem-Services Based Management Approach For Deep-Ocean Industries, M. Emilia Bravo, Miriam I. Brandt, Jesse M. A. Van Der Grient, Thomas G. Dahlgren, Patricia Esquete, Sabine Gollner, Daniel O. B. Jones, Lisa A. Levin, Craig R. Mcclain, Bhavani E. Narayanaswamy, Tracey Sutton, Lissette Victorero, Erik E. Cordes

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The deep ocean comprises complex ecosystems made up of numerous community and habitat types that provide multiple services that benefit humans. As the industrialization of the deep sea proceeds, a standardized and robust set of methods and metrics need to be developed to monitor the baseline conditions and any anthropogenic and climate change-related impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem services. Here, we review what we have learned from studies involving offshore-energy industries, including state-of-the-art technologies and strategies for obtaining reliable metrics of deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem function. An approach that includes the detection and monitoring of ecosystem services, with …


Sea Spray Generation Function Due To Shear-Induced Instabilities Of The Air-Sea Interface Under Tropical Cyclone Conditions, Alexander Soloviev, Breanna Vanderplow Jan 2023

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

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

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


Examining The Relationship Between Stomiiform Fish Morphology And Their Ecological Traits, Mikayla L. Twiss Dec 2022

Examining The Relationship Between Stomiiform Fish Morphology And Their Ecological Traits, Mikayla L. Twiss

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Trait-based ecology characterizes individuals’ functional attributes to better understand and predict their interactions with other species and their environments. Utilizing morphological traits to describe functional groups has helped group species with similar ecological niches that are not necessarily taxonomically related. Within the deep-pelagic fishes, the Order Stomiiformes exhibits high morphological and species diversity, and many species undertake diel vertical migration (DVM). While the morphology and behavior of stomiiform fishes have been extensively studied and described through taxonomic assessments, the connection between their form and function regarding their DVM types, morphotypes, and daytime depth distributions is not well known. Here, three …


Larval Ecology Of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus): New Insights From Otolith Microstructure, Biotic, And Abiotic Analyses From The Gulf Of Mexico And Mediterranean Sea, Estrella Malca Dec 2022

Larval Ecology Of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus): New Insights From Otolith Microstructure, Biotic, And Abiotic Analyses From The Gulf Of Mexico And Mediterranean Sea, Estrella Malca

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT), Thunnus thynnus, spawn in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the Mediterranean Sea (MED). Spawning occurs within narrow temporal and environmental parameters. Efforts to characterize growth of ABT in wild conditions revealed a wide range of growth variability during the early life stages. This series of studies examined potential biotic and abiotic influences of larval growth from seven ABT cohorts, and identified several key drivers of growth for this commercially valuable species. A detailed investigation of larval dynamics using otolith microstructure was conducted as follows. First, companion growth curves and stable isotope analysis from the same …


Workshops Report For Mesophotic And Deep Benthic Community Fish, Mobile Invertebrates, Sessile Invertebrates And Infauna, Rachel Bassett, Stacey L. Harter, Randy Clark, Ian Zink, Katherine Hornick, Jennifer Hart, Hanna Bliska, Melissa Carle, Tracey Sutton, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Jill Bourque, Martha Nizinski, Nancy Prouty, Stephanie Sharuga, Alicia Caporaso, Jennifer Le, Jennifer Herting, Cheryl Morrison, Matthew Poti Dec 2022

Workshops Report For Mesophotic And Deep Benthic Community Fish, Mobile Invertebrates, Sessile Invertebrates And Infauna, Rachel Bassett, Stacey L. Harter, Randy Clark, Ian Zink, Katherine Hornick, Jennifer Hart, Hanna Bliska, Melissa Carle, Tracey Sutton, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Jill Bourque, Martha Nizinski, Nancy Prouty, Stephanie Sharuga, Alicia Caporaso, Jennifer Le, Jennifer Herting, Cheryl Morrison, Matthew Poti

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Two workshops with subject matter experts in the appropriate fields, were held in November and December 2021 to elicit guidance and feedback from the broader mesophotic and deep benthic scientific community. These workshops focused on best practices/approaches and identifying data gaps relative to habitat assessment and evaluation goals of the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Community (MDBC) restoration portfolio. The first workshop was a combined effort of the Habitat Assessment and Evaluation (HAE) Project Team and the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Program. Industrial Economics, Inc. (IEc) provided extensive workshop planning, organizing, execution, and facilitation support during all stages of the workshop. Based …


Mesoptroph, A Database Of Trophic Parameters To Study Interactions In Mesopelagic Food Webs, Mónica A. Silva, Catarina T. Fonseca, M. Pilar Olivar, Ainhoa Bernal, Jérôme Spitz, Tiphaine Chouvelon, Sigrún Jonasdottir, Ana Colaço, Vanda Carmo, Tracey Sutton, Gui Menezes, Tone Falkenhaug, Odd Aksel Bergstad, Sergi Pérez-Jorge Nov 2022

Mesoptroph, A Database Of Trophic Parameters To Study Interactions In Mesopelagic Food Webs, Mónica A. Silva, Catarina T. Fonseca, M. Pilar Olivar, Ainhoa Bernal, Jérôme Spitz, Tiphaine Chouvelon, Sigrún Jonasdottir, Ana Colaço, Vanda Carmo, Tracey Sutton, Gui Menezes, Tone Falkenhaug, Odd Aksel Bergstad, Sergi Pérez-Jorge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Mesopelagic organisms play a crucial role in marine food webs, channelling energy across the predator-prey network and connecting depth strata through their diel vertical migrations. The information available to assess mesopelagic feeding interactions and energy transfer has increased substantially in recent years, owing to the growing interest and research activity in the mesopelagic realm. However, such data have not been systematically collated and are difficult to access, hampering estimation of the contribution of mesopelagic organisms to marine ecosystems. Here we present MesopTroph, a georeferenced database of diet, trophic markers, and energy content of mesopelagic and other marine taxa compiled from …


Unexpected Opportunities For Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris) Education And Citizen Science, Yvanna M. Strait, Amy Hirons Nov 2022

Unexpected Opportunities For Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris) Education And Citizen Science, Yvanna M. Strait, Amy Hirons

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) mainly resides within the state's coastal waters, but sharing this habitat with thousands of watercrafts, either registered, unregistered, or visiting, has proven challenging for its survival. The future of manatee research among scientists and citizen scientists has strong potential. By taking advantage of venues of opportunity such as boat shows, not only is local population data gathered, but a stronger positive relationship with the public is forged. When people feel they have a stake in the conservation of a species or habitat, they will likely become and remain engaged.


Spatial Variation In Hard Bottom Coral Communities Of The Coastal West Florida Shelf, Nicole Blank, Sandra D. Brooke, Brian K. Walker Oct 2022

Spatial Variation In Hard Bottom Coral Communities Of The Coastal West Florida Shelf, Nicole Blank, Sandra D. Brooke, Brian K. Walker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Hard bottom coral and sponge communities differ along portions of the West Florida Shelf (WFS) in species occurrence, diversity, and/or size. However, the composition and spatial distribution of these communities are not well understood. Community transitions have been proposed in the central portion of the WFS around Tampa Bay, Cedar Key, and as far south as Charlotte Harbor, but supporting data are sparse. Fifteen sites in three regions of Florida were surveyed for species distribution, density, and demographics. Distinct communities were found between St Teresa, Hudson, and Tarpon Springs. Coral and sponge densities were highest off Tarpon Springs followed by …


Roundup And Glyphosate’S Impact On Gaba To Elicit Extended Proconvulsant Behavior In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Akshay Naraine, Rebecca Aker, Isis Sweeney, Meghan Kalvey, Alexis Surtel, Venkatesh Shanbhag, Ken Dawson-Scully Aug 2022

Roundup And Glyphosate’S Impact On Gaba To Elicit Extended Proconvulsant Behavior In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Akshay Naraine, Rebecca Aker, Isis Sweeney, Meghan Kalvey, Alexis Surtel, Venkatesh Shanbhag, Ken Dawson-Scully

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

As 3 billion pounds of herbicides are sprayed over farmlands every year, it is essential to advance our understanding how pesticides may influence neurological health and physiology of both humans and other animals. Studies are often one-dimensional as the majority examine glyphosate by itself. Farmers and the public use commercial products, like Roundup, containing a myriad of chemicals in addition to glyphosate. Currently, there are no neurological targets proposed for glyphosate and little comparison to Roundup. To investigate this, we compared how glyphosate and Roundup affect convulsant behavior in C. elegans and found that glyphosate and Roundup increased seizure-like behavior. …


Benthic Community Dynamics And Stony Coral Demographics In Florida In Relation To Acute Disturbances And Chronic Pressures, Nicholas P. Jones Aug 2022

Benthic Community Dynamics And Stony Coral Demographics In Florida In Relation To Acute Disturbances And Chronic Pressures, Nicholas P. Jones

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The persistence of coral reef communities is threatened by a suite of pressures operating at varying spatial and temporal scales. In general, acute disturbances (short term stochastic events such as marine heatwaves or hurricanes) and chronic pressures, such as ocean warming, have caused the most significant changes to stony coral assemblages (order Scleractinia) and continue to impair recovery potential. Additionally, many coral reefs are subject to local chronic anthropogenic pressures resulting in poor water quality or sedimentation, which further impact stony corals and shape benthic community structure, particularly near urbanized coastlines. For the viability of communities on coral reefs, a …


Further Flattening Of A Degraded, Turbid Reef System Following A Severe Coral Bleaching Event, Andrew G. Bauman, Fraser A. Januchowski-Hartley, Aaron Teo, Peter A. Todd Jul 2022

Further Flattening Of A Degraded, Turbid Reef System Following A Severe Coral Bleaching Event, Andrew G. Bauman, Fraser A. Januchowski-Hartley, Aaron Teo, Peter A. Todd

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Increasing incidence of severe coral bleaching events caused by climate change is contributing to extensive coral losses, shifts in species composition and widespread declines in the physical structure of coral reef ecosystems. With these ongoing changes to coral communities and the concomitant flattening of reef structural complexity, understanding the links between coral composition and structural complexity in maintaining ecosystem functions and processes is of critical importance. Here, we document the impacts of the 2016 global-scale coral bleaching event on seven coral reefs in Singapore; a heavily degraded, turbid reef system. Using a combination of field-based surveys, we examined changes in …