Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Callianassa Trilobata (Crustacea: Thalassinidea) Influences Abundance Of Meiofauna And Biomass, Composition, And Physiologic State Of Microbial Communities Within Its Burrow, Fred C. Dobbs, James B. Guckert

OES Faculty Publications

Biochemical and traditional methods were used to determine the influence of Callianassa trilobata on microbiological and meiofaunal communities within its large, highly consolidated burrow. Sediment was collected from the lining of the shrimp's burrow, the burrow matrix, and ambient, subsurface sediment. The lining and matrix were composed of poorly sorted, fine-grained material compared to sandy ambient sediment. Meiofauna, predominantly nematodes, were most abundant in ambient sediment, not in the burrow as has been found for other species of macrofauna. Concentrations of chlorophyll a were very high in the lining, consistent with the suggestion that C. trilobata lines its burrow walls …

The Effects Of Siltation On Recruitment Of Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus Argus, William F. Herrnkind, Mark J. Butler, Richard A. Tankersley

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Fewer juvenile pinry lobsters were found in areas of the Florida Keys where their primary habitat was heavily silted as compared with similar, less silted habitat. Several hypotheses explaining this relationship were tested, and the time-to-metamorphosis was compared for settling pueruli within silted and nonsilted algae stands. Limited postlarval settlement and avoidance of silted algal habitats by juveniles, probably accounts for the paucity of young lobsters in heavily silted sites. In addition, although juvenile lobsters are nonselective predators, lower prey availability in silted algae probably promotes transciency which, in turn, causes increased mortality by predation while juveniles are exposed.

Evaluation Of Possible Reproductively Mediated Character Displacement In The Crayfishes, Orconectes Rusticus And O. Sanbornii, Mark J. Butler Iv

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Orconectes rusticus is replacing several species of crayfishes in north-central and northeastern North America, including O. sanbornii in Ohio. Recent evidence suggests that the species replacements may be driven by asymmetrical reproductive success favoring O. rusticus. Nonetheless, some sympatric associations appear locally persistent. Because crayfish demonstrate size assortative mating and there is a disparity in the sizes of the species, further divergence in the sizes of the species in sympatry could enhance reproductive isolation, ultimately providing a mechanism for character displacement. To test this hypothesis the size differentials between crayfish collected from allopatric and sympatric populations in east-central Ohio …

Consequences Of Thymidine Catabolism For Estimates Of Bacterial Production: An Example From A Coastal Marine Sediment, Kevin R. Carman, Fred C. Dobbs, James B. Guckert

OES Faculty Publications

Radioactively labeled thymidine (TdR) has been used extensively to measure bacterial production in aquatic environments, but critical assumptions of the TdR technique often have gone untested. In this study of a coastal marine sediment, the metabolic fate of methyl [³H]TdR and methyl [¹⁴C]TdR was at variance with the assumptions necessary for determining bacterial production. Only 2% of incorporated radioactivity was recovered in the DNA fraction of TCA-insoluble material following time-course incubations of l-300 min. At least the methyl group of TdR was extensively catabolized, as shown by copious production of ¹⁴C0₂. The temporal …

The Relationship Of Upwelling To Mussel Production In The Rias On The Western Coast Of Spain, Jack O. Blanton, Kenneth R. Tenore, F. Castillejo, Larry P. Atkinson, Franklin B. Schwing, Amy Lavin

CCPO Publications

We have calculated an upwelling index for each month over a 17-year period (1969-1985) for a point off the western coast of Spain. We interpret April through September values of the index to indicate the flux of nitrate-rich water in the Spanish Rias. The index representing the 6-month upwelling series has been correlated with an index representing the conditions of mussels grown during that season on rafts in Ria de Arosa. Two seasons represent extreme upwelling conditions over the 17-year sampling period: 1977 when the upwelling index was the highest, and 1983 when it was the lowest. A comparison of …

Is Growth Of Eelgrass Nitrogen Limited? A Numerical Simulation Of The Effects Of Light And Nitrogen On The Growth Dynamics Of Zostera Marina, Richard C. Zimmerman, Robert D. Smith, Randall S. Alberte

OES Faculty Publications

A numerical model of nitrogen uptake and growth was developed for the temperate seagrass Zostera marina L. Goals were to evaluate the relative effects of light and nitrogen availability on nitrogen uptake and partitioning between leaf and root tissue, and to estimate nitrogen concentrations in the sedment and water column required to saturate growth. Steady-state predictions are quite robust with respect to a range of parameter values justified by available data The calculations indicated that roots are probably more important in overall nitrogen acquisition in most light and nitrogen environments encountered in situ, but may contribute less than 50 …

Acceleration Of Nutrient Uptake By Phytoplankton In A Coastal Upwelling Ecosystem: A Modeling Analysis, Richard C. Zimmerman, James N. Kremer, Richard C. Dugdale

OES Faculty Publications

Studies of upwelling centers in the eastern Pacific suggest that maximum rates of nitrate uptake (light and nutrient saturated) increase, or shift-up, as newly upwelled water moves downstream. The rate of shift-up appears to be related to irradiance and the ambient concentration of limiting nutrient at the time of upwelling. A mathematical model was developed to evaluate effects of irradiance and initial nitrate concentration on temporal patterns of shift-up and subsequent time scales of nutrient utilization over a range of simulated upwelling conditions. When rates consistent with field studies were used, complete shift-up was possible only under certain conditions, and …

Validation Of The Otolith Increment Aging Technique For Striped Bass, Morone Saxatilis, Larvae Reared Under Suboptimal Feeding Conditions, Cynthia Jones, Edward B. Brothers

OES Faculty Publications

Striped bass, Morone saxatilis, larvae were reared in the laboratory for 97 days to validate the otolith increment aging technique for this species. Otolith-increment deposition rates were determined under optimal laboratory conditions for growth and under three conditions of restricted feeding and using both light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Under optimal laboratory conditions. increments were deposited daily from the fourth day after hatching through the first 2 months of life and were discernible with the light microscope. For larvae reared under restricted feeding regimes and readings done with the light microscope, counts did not reflect true age. Counts …

Deep Flow Variability In Central Drake Passage, John M. Klinck, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

A rotary empirical orthogonal function analysis of the currents measured in central Drake Passage during DRAKE 79 shows that the deep (2500 m) flow has the same spatial and temporal structure as the flow at 500 m, suggesting that current variability in this region penetrates to the bottom. However, comparison of the time amplitude of the corresponding modes indicates that the variability of the 2500 m flow resulting from north to south shifts in the location of the Polar Front lags that at 500 m by one to three days. This implies that the Polar Front slopes to the east …

Sediment Processing And Selective Feeding By Pectinaria Koreni (Polychaeta: Pectinariidae), Fred C. Dobbs, Teresa A. Scholly

OES Faculty Publications

Pectinaria (Lagis) koreni (Malmgren) is an abundant, deposit-feeding, infaunal inhabitant of shallow-water marine environments in northern Europe. Laboratory experiments were performed to quantify the polychaete's sediment processing in 2 distinct sediments, 1 fine-grained and high in combustibles, the other coarse-grained and low in combustibles. Gut passage time and time to pseudodefecation were predictable only in coarse-grained sediment. In both sediments, reworking rate increased with worm size and over time, although temporal patterns differed in the 2 sediments. The ratio of pseudodefecated sediment to defecated sediment did not differ significantly over time in either sediment, but the ratio was greater in …

Late Prehistoric And Protohistoric Large Mammal Zoogeography Of Virginia, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Evidence derived from18late prehistoric (middle and late Woodland Period) archeological sites, from several early historical accounts, and from the current understanding of the distribution of Virginia mammals indicates that the large mammal fauna of the Commonwealth has not changed substantially within the past 4,000 yrs. Some species (e.g., bison, elk, timber wolf, and mountain lion) have been extirpated since the settlement of Virginia by Europeans; some previously extirpated species (e.g., porcupine, coyote, and beaver) have been naturally or artificially reintroduced during the historical period, and others (e.g., woodchuck and red fox) probably have expanded their distributions as a result of …

In Situ Growth And Chemical Composition Of The Giant Kelp, Macrocystis Pyrifera: Response To Temporal Changes In Ambient Nutrient Availability, Richard C. Zimmerman, James N. Kremer

OES Faculty Publications

Temporal variations in growth of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera were examined in relation to ambient nutrient availability and chemical composition of mature blades, the primary site of nutrient and carbohydrate storage in M. pyrifera. The effect of nutrient availability on growth was well approximated by a Monod rectangular hyperbola, with growth saturating at ambient nitrate concentra- tions between 1 and 2 FM. M. pyrlfera was unable to generate nutrient reserves that would last beyond 30 d. Nitrogen reserves were stored as free amino acids, and generally constituted about 10 % of total tissue nitrogen. Total nitrogen content was …

Factors Regulating Settlement And Microhabitat Use By Spiny Lobsters Panulirus Argus, William F. Herrnkind, Mark J. Butler Iv

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Clumps of highly-branched red algae Laurencia spp. serve as important settling habitat for postlarval spiny lobsters Panulirus argus and as residence for early benthic-stage juveniles. Given choice between the 2 most abundant macrophytes in Florida Bay, Laurencia spp. and the seagrass Thalassia testudinum, postlarval and juvenile lobsters chose Laurencia spp. Postlarvae apparently use intricate algal architecture as a cue for settlement, whereas juveniles use both architecture and food abundance in selecting habitat. In tethering experiments, predation on juvenile lobsters was very high on open sand, much reduced in algal clumps and seagrass, and lowest in dense algal meadows. Predation …

Community Ecology, Robert K. Rose, Elmer C. Birney

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

COMMUNITIES with Microtus tend to be structurally simple, usually grasslands or tundra, and to have no more than two species of Microtus and rarely more than six species of small mammals. Microtus often dominates both numerically and in total small mammal biomass, especially at higher latitudes. The small mammal community is most influenced by Microtus through its fluctuations in density, and thus also in biomass, by its relatively high level of diurnal activity, and by its year-round activity. Other species of small mammals may be adversely affected because Microtus usually is larger and behaviorally dominant and also because the mere …

Microbial Manganese Reduction By Enrichment Cultures From Coastal Marine Sediments, David J. Burdige, Kenneth H. Nealson

OES Faculty Publications

Manganese reduction was catalyzed by enrichment cultures of anaerobic bacteria obtained from coastal marine sediments. In the absence of oxygen, these enrichment cultures reduced manganates when grown on either lactate, succinate, or acetate in both sulfate-free and sulfate-containing artificial seawaters. Sodium azide as well as oxygen completely inhibited microbial manganese reduction by these enrichment cultures, whereas molybdate had no effect on them. The addition of nitrate to the medium slightly decreased the rate of Mn²⁺ production by these enrichment cultures. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the manganese-reducing organisms in these enrichment cultures use manganates as terminal …

The Marine Biogeochemistry Of Selenium: A Re-Evaluation, Gregory A. Cutter, Kenneth W. Bruland

OES Faculty Publications

Vertical and horizontal profiles from the North and South Pacific Oceans demonstrate the existence of three species of dissolved selenium: selenite, selenate, and organic selenide (operationally defined). In surface waters, organic selenide makes up about 80% of the total dissolved selenium, selenite concentrations are uniformly low, and selenate concentrations rise with increased vertical mixing. The organic selenide maximum (thought to consist of seleno-amino acids in peptides) coincides with the maxima of primary productivity, pigments, bioluminescence, and dissolved free amino acids. Deep ocean waters are enriched in selenite and selenate, while organic selenide is nondetectable. In suboxic waters of the tropical …

Changes In The Lower Chesapeake Bay Food-Chain In Presence Of The Sea Nettle Chrysaora-Quinquecirrha (Scyphomedusa), David Feigenbaum, Michael Kelly

OES Faculty Publications

The abundance of 4 levels of the lower Chesapeake Bay food chain (Chlorophyll a, herbivores, ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, and Scyphomedusa Chrysaora quinquecirrha) were moni­tored twice weekly at 4 stations from May 10 through Sep 30, 1982 in the Lafayette and Elizabeth Rivers (Virginia). The herbivore standing stock, largely copepods, declined sharply in late May when M. Jeidyi appeared, but rebounded a month later when C. quinquecirrha medusae reduced the ctenophore population. Despite the additional presence of Aurelia aurita (Scyphomedusa) from Jul onward, herbivore abundance remained at moderate levels until the end of the study period. Phytoplankton abundance fluctuated …

Review Of Upwelling Off The Southeastern United States And Its Effect On Continental-Shelf Nutrient Concentrations And Primary Productivity, Larry P. Atkinson, James A. Yonder, Thomas N. Lee

CCPO Publications

Gulf Stream induced upwelling occurs along the length of the southeastern United States continental shelf break. Upwelling events are produced by northward propagating Gulf Streams frontal meanders and eddies and travel northwards with these features. Meanders and eddies occur throughout the year in a period band of 2-14 days; however, resultant upwellings can affect the shelf quite differently. During fall, winter, and spring, upwelling is restricted to the outer shelf by cross-shelf density distributions, but in the summer upwelled water may penetrate across as a subsurface intrusion if aided by upwelling-favorable winds. If water does penetrate across the shelf, it …

Breeding Birds In Cedar Stands In The Great Dismal Swamp, Karen A. Terwilliger, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Great Dismal Swamp located in the coastal plain on the Virginia- North Carolina border, has long been recognized as a vegetationally distinctive region with many unusual geological and biological features. Formerly at least twice the currently estimated size of 85,000 hectares (Carter 1979), the Great Dismal Swamp is still shrinking because of a dropping water table caused by more than 200 years of logging, ditching, and other human activities. In 1973, the Union Camp Corporation donated a 19,871-hectare tract located near Suffolk, Virginia. to The Nature Conservancy, which transferred the land to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This …

Episodic Nutrient Supply To A Kelp Forest Ecosystem In Southern California, Richard C. Zimmerman, James N. Kremer

OES Faculty Publications

Temporal patterns of nutrient input into a Southern California kelp forest were measured using traditional hydrocast sampling coupled with high frequency temperature profiling. Patterns of nutrient input were related to growth rates of Macrocystis pyrifera located in an adjacent kelp forest. There were 2 distinct components to the pattern of nutrient availability. The long term, or seasonal, component was consistent with large-scale storm-induced mixing and horizontal advection during winter months. In addition, vertical motions of the thermocline, bringing nutrients into the kelp forest, occurred throughout the year with a frequency of about 2 per day and were strongest during the …

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 …

An Evaluation Of Nutrient Sources To Onslow Bay, North Carolina, Larry P. Atkinson, Leonard J. Pietrafesa, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

Hydrographic and current meter data from Onslow Bay, North Carolina, were examined to determine the relative importance of various nutrient sources.

Upwelled Gulf Stream water is the major source of nutrients while rivers represent a minor, if not insignificant, source. In the summer during stratified conditions, the upwelled water penetrates across the shelf, but in the winter the upwelled water is restricted to the outer shelf. Nitrate flux across the 40 m isobath was calculated from continuous temperature and current records. Flux during the summer of 1976 was 2 μM m² sec^-1 which is considerably less than flux …

Organic N-Chloramines: Chemistry And Toxicology, Frank E. Scully, Jr., Maxwell A. Bempong

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The stability of aqueous solutions of organic N-chloramines, suspected of contaminating chlorinated water, has been studied. Two factors influence the decomposition of solutions of N-chloropiperidine and N-chlorodiethylamine: a spontaneous decomposition and photodecomposition. Since solutions of these compounds are relatively long-lived, a need for an analytical method for their identification is discussed. A new method is described which involves reaction of organic N-chloramines with arenesulfinic acid salts. The method gives high yields of stable arenesulfonamides. Several toxicological studies of N-chloropiperidine are described. The compound is mutagenic by Ames assay in Salmonella typhimurium strain TA 100 and does not require metabolic activation …

Role Of Gulf Stream Frontal Eddies In Forming Phytoplankton Patches On The Outer Southeastern Shelf, James A. Yoder, Larry P. Atkinson, Thomas N. Lee, Hongsuk H. Kim, Charles R. Mcclain

CCPO Publications

Continuous surface mapping of temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll along a 300-km segment of the Gulf Stream cyclonic front defined the spatial scales of a large diatom patch that persisted throughout a 10-day study. The patch was localized in the upwelled cold core of a Gulf Stream frontal eddy centered over the 200-m isobaths off Jacksonville, Florida, in April 1979. The µ g liter^-1 surface chlorophyll isopleth enclosed an area >1,000km² with an alongshore dimension of 130km. Surface chlorophyll exceeded 5µg liter^-1 within the upwelled cold core of the eddy, 10-100X higher than concentrations in Gulf Stream or …

Aspects Of Larval Ecology Of Squilla Empusa (Crustacea, Stomatopoda) In Chesapeake Bay, Steven G. Morgan

OES Faculty Publications

Larvae of Squilla empusa were collected from the plankton and were laboratory-reared in 16 combinations of temperature and salinity to determine their tolerances. Larvae survived longer and molted more frequently when reared at 25%, and 20° or 25° C, which corresponds to the natural conditions of Chesapeake Bay when the larvae were collected.

A 2 year planktonic survey conducted in the lower region of the bay by the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences was compared with a survey made at the bay mouth in 1976. The seasonal occurrence of Squilla empusa larvae extended from the last week of July until …

Phytoplankton Studies Within The Virginia Barrier Islands I. Seasonal Study Of Phytoplankton In Goose Lake, Parramore Island, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The phytoplankton of Goose Lake, an oligohaline lake on Parramore Island, was studied for one year. The populations consisted primarily of ultraplankton and nanoplankton-sized forms with diatoms and chlorophyceans dominant most of the year. A general pattern of seasonally higher cell concentrations in early summer and fall was noted, with an unidentified ultraplankton-sized component prominent throughout the collection period. A list of 154 species is given.

Additional Comments On Reproductive Strategies And Population Fluctuations In Microtine Rodents, Michael S. Gaines, William M. Schaffer, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Recently, Schaffer and Tamarin (1973) proposed a model relating changes in reproductive effort (RE) to fluctuating densities in microtine rodents (lemmings and voles). They assumed (and presented data supporting this assumption) that the major effect of increased crowding would be a reduction in survival among prereproductives, thereby lowering the effective fecundity (Schaffer and Rosenzweig 1977) of their parents. As a consequence, Schaffer and Tamarin argued that the optimal reproductive expenditure, E(N), should decline with increasing population size, N. They also deduced the shape of the zero-growth isocline, N*(E), for differing levels of RE and plotted both E(N) and N*(E) on …

Diurnal Distribution Of Phytoplankton From A Single Station At The Mouth Of The James River, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Eight sets of water samples were taken to a depth of 36 ft. during a 24-hr. period. A homogeneity was found in the vertical distribution of the total phytoplankton in samples from 7 of the 8 hydro-casts. Skeletonema costatum and Asterionella japonica were the most numerous phytoplankters in every sample, with the majority of their counts each exceeding 500, 000 cells per liter.

The Annual Distribution And Stratification Of Phytoplankton At Aurora Lake, Portage County, Ohio, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A 13-month study of a hard-water lake in northeast Ohio has provided a quantitative and qualitative record of the seasonal changes of the phytoplankton. Maximum production occurred during the summer and winter periods. The summer pulse was dominated by the cyanophyte species: Microcystis aeruginosa, Anabaena spiroides, A. circinalis, and Aphanizomenon flosaquae. The dominants of the winter pulse were the diatoms Fragilaria crotomensis and Asterionella formosa, which formed separate peaks under an ice cover in December and January, respectively. The January development extended into March with the highest concentrations for the year Being reached at approximately …