Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Investigating The Effect Of Mechanical Beach Cleaning On Nesting, Hatching And Emergence Success Of Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Green (Chelonia Mydas) Sea Turtles In Broward County, Florida, Megan A. Earney

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Sea turtles face many threats to their populations globally. Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) are listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List as Endangered. In Florida, loggerhead and green sea turtles nest along the coastline during April-September. Mechanical beach cleaning is an aesthetic service performed daily on some beaches in Florida to clean the wrack line and/or the entire beach of debris. Alterations made to beaches by methods such as mechanical beach cleaning have the potential to impact sea turtle nesting, hatching, and emergence success. Generalized …

Microbial Community Richness Distinguishes Shark Species Microbiomes In South Florida, Rachael Cassandra Karns

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The microbiome (microbial community) of individuals is crucial when characterizing and understanding processes that are required for organism function and survival. Microbial organisms, which make up an individual’s microbiome, can be linked to disease or function of the host organism. In humans, individuals differ substantially in their microbiome compositions in various areas of the body. The cause of much of the composition diversity is yet unexplained, however, it is speculated that habitat, diet, and early exposure to microbes could be altering the microbiomes of individuals (Human Microbiome Project Consortium, 2012b, 2012a). To date, only one study has reported on microbiome …

Reconciling The Challenge Of Aphanic Species Within Marine Conservation, Kerri L. Bolow

HCNSO Student Capstones

Aphanic species are those within a taxonomic complex that may not be readily distinguishable from other sympatric species. The existence of these species is becoming apparent at an increasing rate through the use of technological tools like molecular genetic analyses. A lack of clarity on the definitions of terms used to describe similar species, how these species are identified, and how prevalent they are can confound identification, description, and management of these organisms. This review collects and defines the terms used to describe these hidden species and suggests the use of the term aphanic for situations where additional information (and …

Shark Bycatch In Commercial Fisheries: A Global Perspective, Stephanie M. Bettis

HCNSO Student Capstones

Many shark species have global distributions and are caught incidentally in different types of fisheries. Over the last two decades, shark populations have declined tremendously, with one of the leading causes of this decline bycatch in primarily teleost fisheries. Bycatch occurs throughout the world’s fisheries, but is not well documented in terms of species composition and numbers of each species captured. Information on shark bycatch is spread through the primary and grey literature, but has not been compiled in summary to date. The goal of my capstone is to present global shark bycatch data and provide a comparative review to …

Bacterial Communities Associated With Healthy And Diseased Acropora Cervicornis (Staghorn Coral) Using High-Throughput Sequencing, Charles Walton

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral diseases were first noted in the 1960s and 1970s and have had major impacts globally on coral reef community structures. In the Caribbean, a major outbreak of white band disease has been considered responsible for the drastic decline of Caribbean Acroporids since the 1970s. In addition to white band disease, another more recently described condition known as rapid tissue loss (RTL) has had major impacts on Acropora cervicornis populations, specifically offshore Broward County Southeast Florida. While these diseases have contributed to the population decline, determining their etiologies has been elusive.

Coral diseases have been characterized by shifts in their …

The Biannual Cycle And Reproductive Morphology Of The Yellow Stingray, Urobatis Jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1817), With A Comparative Analysis From Batoid Reproductive Literature, Daniel P. Fahy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1816) is the most common elasmobranch encountered in the coastal waters of Southeast Florida. The objectives of the present research were to characterize the reproductive biology of a stable population distributed near the northern extent of the species range. Morphological analyses were conducted to determine the seasonal variation of macroscopic and microscopic development and structural organization of reproductive organs of male and female rays (excluding ovarian histology) during all stages of reproduction. This is the first study to document a seasonal biannual cycle for any elasmobranch, as well as, sexual synchrony with a …

Biogeophysical And Physiological Processes Drive Movement Patterns In A Marine Predator, Lucy A. Howey, Bradley M. Wetherbee, Emily R. Tolentino, Mahmood S. Shivji

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background

Blue sharks (Prionace glauca) are among the most abundant and widely distributed of oceanic elasmobranchs. Millions are taken annually in pelagic longline fisheries and comprise the highest component of auctioned fin weight in the international shark fin trade. Though studies of blue sharks outnumber those of other large pelagic sharks, the species’ complicated and sexually segregated life history still confound current understanding of Atlantic movement patterns. Lack of detailed information regarding movement and vertical behavior continues to limit management efforts that require such data for stock assessment and sustainable catch modeling. Therefore, this study aims to describe …

Southward Flow On The Western Flank Of The Florida Current, Alexander Soloviev, Amy Hirons, Christopher Maingot, Cayla Whitney Dean, Richard E. Dodge, Alexander E. Yankovsky, Jon Wood, Robert H. Weisberg, Mark E. Luther, Julian P. Mccreary

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A suite of long-term in situ measurements in the Straits of Florida, including the ADCP bottom moorings at an 11-m isobath and 244-m isobath (Miami Terrace) and several ADCP ship transects, have revealed a remarkable feature of the ocean circulation - southward flow on the western, coastal flank of the Florida Current. We have observed three forms of the southward flow - a seasonally varying coastal countercurrent, an undercurrent jet attached to the Florida shelf, and an intermittent undercurrent on the Miami Terrace. According to a 13-year monthly climatology obtained from the near-shore mooring, the coastal countercurrent is a persistent …

Characterize The Condition Of Previously Known And Newly Identified Large Dense Acropora Cervicornis Patches In Southeast Florida, Brian K. Walker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Historically, Acropora spp. are the major reef building corals seen throughout the Caribbean and parts of the Western Atlantic that can grow relatively rapidly in dominant mono-specific stands. Their rapid growth and fragmentation allows them to out compete other benthic organisms and form the major framework for entire reef zones. They are the most abundant and important species for reef accretion. Their branching morphologies provide important habitat for many other reef species and no other Caribbean coral species fills these ecosystem functions. Acroporids were once the dominant reef builder in the Caribbean and provided the majority of live coral cover, …

The Ocean's Vital Skin: Toward An Integrated Understanding Of The Sea Surface Microlayer, Anja Engel, Hermann W. Bange, Michael Cunliffe, Susannah M. Burrows, Gernot Friedrichs, Luisa Galgani, Hartmut Herrmann, Norbert Hertkorn, Martin Johnson, Peter S. Liss, Patrick K. Quinn, Markus Schartau, Alexander Soloviev, Christian Stolle, Robert C. Upstill-Goddard, Manuela Van Pinxteren, Birthe Zäncker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Despite the huge extent of the ocean's surface, until now relatively little attention has been paid to the sea surface microlayer (SML) as the ultimate interface where heat, momentum and mass exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere takes place. Via the SML, large-scale environmental changes in the ocean such as warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and eutrophication potentially influence cloud formation, precipitation, and the global radiation balance. Due to the deep connectivity between biological, chemical, and physical processes, studies of the SML may reveal multiple sensitivities to global and regional changes. Understanding the processes at the ocean's surface, in particular involving …

Coral Larvae Are Poor Swimmers And Require Fine-Scale Reef Structure To Settle, Tom Hata, Joshua S. Madin, Vivian R. Cumbo, Mark W. Denny, Joana Figueiredo, Saki Harii, Christopher J. Thomas, Andrew H. Baird

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Reef coral assemblages are highly dynamic and subject to repeated disturbances, which are predicted to increase in response to climate change. Consequently there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying different recovery scenarios. Recent work has demonstrated that reef structural complexity can facilitate coral recovery, but the mechanism remains unclear. Similarly, experiments suggest that coral larvae can distinguish between the water from healthy and degraded reefs, however, whether or not they can use these cues to navigate to healthy reefs is an open question. Here, we use a meta-analytic approach to document that coral larval …

Larval Rockfish Diversity Abundance Dynamics In Association With A Marine Protected Area In The Southern California Bight, Dustin Chen

Theses

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are areas aimed at protecting natural and cultural resources that are often proposed as a way to alleviate the effects of overfishing on populations of targeted species; these areas have varying degrees of fishing and recreational use restrictions. In order to assess MPA efficacy, it is important to determine the mechanisms by which the presence of MPAs affect reproductive output within and potentially even beyond their boundaries. I attempted to address this through studying the responses of rockfish (Sebastes spp.) larval abundances to the presence of the Cowcod Conservation Areas (CCAs) located within the Southern California …

Variable Patterns In Spur And Groove Reef Morphology Explained By Physical Controls And Their Relevance For Platform-Top Sedimentology, Robert C. Gardiner Jr

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Spur and groove (SaG) morphology is a common ornamentation of reef-armored Holocene carbonate platform margins. Composed of margin-normal promontories constructed of coral framestone, termed “spurs”, interleaved with similarly orientated gullies, “grooves”, this morphology varies based on a host of physical controls. Primarily, the surrounding oceanographic conditions as well as the size and shape of the platform the SaG is encompassing, directly influence the development and organization of SaG. Since grooves act as conduits for carbonate sediment transport, this study seeks to examine the relationship between SaG organization dictated by platform size and shape and how that in turn influences platform-top …

Do Halogenated Natural Products Bioaccumulate In Narragansett Bay?, Christine Gardiner, Anna Robuck, Rainer Lohmann

Senior Honors Projects

In recent decades, a new family of chemical compounds has begun to garner research attention—halogenated natural products, or HNPs. These chemicals are produced by algae, bacteria, worms, and sponges, and many are structurally similar to harmful manmade compounds, such as polychlorinated diphenyls (PCBs), or brominated flame retardants (PBDEs), which are known to cause cancer, reproduction issues, endocrine disruption, and death. While HNPs are produced naturally, they are still considered pollutants because of their bioaccumulative behavior and apparent toxicity.

Currently, there is limited research on their presence and effects, with a few studies from Europe and the Pacific highlighting their importance …

Age, Growth, And Reproduction Of Vermilion Snapper (Rhomboplites Aurorubens) In The North-Central Gulf Of Mexico, Trevor Dalton Moncrief

Master's Theses

Vermilion Snapper is a commonly harvested species of reef fish in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). It supports both a large commercial and popular recreational fishery, however knowledge of this fish’s life history is limited spatially. Non-linear curve fitting was used to estimate growth parameters and Akaike information criteria (AIC) was used to determine relative model fit. The 2-parameter von Bertalanffy growth function provided the best model fit and lowest AIC score. Histological examination indicated that Vermilion Snapper are batch spawners with asynchronous oocyte development. Additionally, 17% of Vermilion Snapper in the actively spawning phase containing 24 hour POF’s …

Environmental Factors Affecting Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta) Nesting, Hatching, And Incubation Patterns In Broward County, Florida, Zoey Ellen Best

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Reproductive success in loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles is strongly dependent on the effective placement and internal conditions of their nests. Embryos rely on optimal incubation conditions for proper development and growth, which determines how many hatchlings will emerge from the nest. The internal microclimate of each nest is delicately balanced and can be easily influenced by external environmental conditions. This study was designed to examine several environmental variables and determine their effects on sea turtle nesting numbers, hatching success, and incubation conditions in Broward County Florida. Over a span of 25 years (1991-2015), the Broward County Sea …

Geospatial Analysis Of Tursiops Truncatus, Common Bottlenose Dolphin, From Noaa Cetacean Stranding Data In Florida To Explore Human Fishery Impacts, Jamie S. Ahn

HCNSO Student Capstones

Cetacean strandings provide valuable biological and geographic information, including various human impacts to vulnerable populations. This study utilizes global information systems (GIS) to conduct geospatial analyses of common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, strandings impacted by fishery interactions in Florida from 2002 to 2014 along with summary statistics of the types of interaction and gear involved. In addition four human impact factors, average human population, average number of boat licenses, average number of fishing permits, and coastline length, were compared to the stranding densities per county for association and predictability. Four regions of stranding “hotspots” were identified, and all human impact …

Mapping The Spatial-Temporal Variation In Ras Ghanada Seagrass Meadows And Sand Shoals Between 1996, 2006 & 2012, Ryan Brookbank

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Seagrass meadows offshore Ras Ghanada, as elsewhere, are an important component to the ecosystem providing numerous benefits to both aquatic and human life. This work focused on mapping the spatial and temporal distribution of seagrass meadows offshore Ras Ghanada using aerial photography acquired in 1996 and high-resolution satellite images captured in 2006 and 2012. The movements of sand shoals were also tracked, so as to further explain the dynamics of this ecosystem, as it is the area between the shoal crests that hosts the best developed seagrass meadows. The natural limiting factor for seagrass on the Ras Ghanada coastal shelf …

Growth Of Orbicella Faveolata In La Parguera, Puerto Rico, Darren B. Marshall

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Reef-building corals are subject to high amounts of stress, including pollution and rising sea surface temperatures due to climate change. These factors can affect the ability of corals to produce their calcium carbonate skeletons. Evaluation of the effects of climate change may be facilitated by evaluation of records of coral skeletal growth over a long period of time. The aim of this study was to evaluate skeletal growth of the coral Orbicella faveolata in La Parguera, Puerto Rico over a 32-year period. For this, 14 Orbicella faveolata core samples were collected from corals at two reefs (1.2 km apart) in …

Assessing The Rate And Extent Of Transgenerational Acclimation And Adaptation To Ocean Warming, Abby C. Nease

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

A primary goal of climate change research is to determine if species will be able to persist in a warmer environment. Most studies predict climate change will cause many species to become extinct. However, these predictions are based on experiments where only a single life stage or generation of a species was exposed to predicted future conditions (i.e. shock treatments), and thus overlook the possibility of species adapting or acclimatizing to new environmental conditions over multiple generations. As a result, current projections of species persistence through climate change are likely to overestimate species extinction. In this study, the rate and …

Behavioral Response Of Small Everglades Fish To Hydrological Variation, Predator Cues And Parasites, J. Matthew Hoch, Stacey Spadafore, Dominique Olesen, Christopher A. Blanar

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

No abstract provided.

Using Knowledge Of Shark Biology And Behavior To Inform Management And Conservation Efforts For The Globally Distributed And Fishery Exploited Shortfin Mako (Isurus Oxyrinchus), Mark Rubinas

HCNSO Student Capstones

The shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) is a regionally endothermic lamnid shark with a circumglobal distribution in temperate and tropical waters. This species has special adaptations for a highly migratory, apex predator lifestyle, including specialized anatomical structures, the retia mirabilia, that allows maintenance of a higher than ambient internal body temperature, a higher percentage of red muscle fibers located closer to its body core compared to ectothermic sharks, and specialized dermal denticles to help achieve the remarkable swimming speeds for efficient predation. However, many parts of the life history of the shortfin mako are still unknown, and difficult to …

Behavioral Response Of Small Everglades Fish To Hydrological Variation, Predator Cues And Parasites, J. Matthew Hoch, Stacey Spadafore, Dominique Olesen, Christopher A. Blanar

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

No abstract provided.

Small-Scale Farming Of Sandfish (Holothuria Scabra) At Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar, Claire Hacker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The biological and social components of sandfish farming were studied at Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar. Measurement of temperature and depth, along with quadrat sampling of substrate and sea cucumbers, led to recommendations for future management of depth, biomass per area, disease and crabs, and substrate. Interviews revealed the role and potential benefits of sea cucumber farming for communities. Several barriers to, and complications with, the expansion of sea cucumber farming were also identified. This study provided information for improvement of this farm and hoped to spread knowledge of sandfish farming to Zanzibaris, who may benefit economically from the practice.

Coral-Excavating Sponge Cliona Delitrix: Current Trends Of Space Occupation On High Latitude Coral Reefs, Ari Halperin, Andia Chaves-Fonnegra, David S. Gilliam

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The recent increase in abundance of coral-excavating sponges is a threat to the health of coral reefs. However, the distribution and growth of these sponges are poorly documented on high latitude reefs where corals live in marginal environmental conditions. In this study, we characterize the current trends of space occupation of Cliona delitrix on high latitude reefs (26°N) in southeast Florida. C. delitrix densities were significantly higher on the deepest habitat of this reef tract (the outer reef) in response to a higher availability of coral substratum. Sponge growth rates increased with depth, and in relation to presence of tunicates …

Surveying The Distribution And Abundance Of Flying Fishes And Other Epipelagics In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Using Airborne Lidar, James H. Churnside, R J David Wells, Kevin M. Boswell, John A. Quinlan, Richard D. Marchbanks, Brandi J. Mccarty, Tracey Sutton

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Flying fishes (family Exocoetidae) are important components of epipelagic ecosystems and are targeted by fishing fleets in the Caribbean Sea and elsewhere. However, owing to their anti-predator behavior and habitats, their ecology, abundance, and distributions are only partially known. From September 20 to October 6, 2011, we conducted a series of surveys over a large area (approximately 75,000 km2) of the northern Gulf of Mexico (87°W–90.5°W, 28°N–30°N). The surveys used an airborne lidar and vessel-based sampling, supported by near real time satellite observations of oceanic conditions. The aerial survey was conducted from a fixed wing aircraft that flew repeated surveys …

Exploring The Potential For Artificial Reefs In Coral Reef Restoration: Responses And Interactions Of Associated Biota To Varying Experimental Treatments In The Mexican Caribbean, Audie Kirk Kilfoyle

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are being negatively impacted by various causes worldwide, and direct intervention is often warranted following disturbance to restore or replace lost ecosystem structure and function. An experimental coral reef restoration study involving standardized artificial reef modules (Reefballs^TM) was conducted in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in the towns of Puerto Morelos and Akumal. The purpose was to explore the use of artificial structure for restoration and mitigation applications in a highly diverse and dynamic Caribbean coral reef environment by applying and evaluating the performance of select experimental treatments hypothesized to accelerate development of the associated biota. The first …

A Comparison Of The Ichthyofaunal Trophic Ecology At Selected Limestone Artificial Reef Sites And Adjacent Natural Reef Sites, Joseph R. Hornbeck

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Artificial reefs may enhance the biological production of reef-associated flora and fauna, but their trophic structure relative to that of natural reefs remains understudied. We assessed trophic dynamics by comparing δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N in 43 fish species from artificial and natural reef tracts of Broward County, Florida. We tested the effect of sampling location (artificial, first, and second reef), general feeding strategy (herbivore, omnivore, planktivore, invertivore, and carnivore), phylogeny, and standard length. For all samples, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N ranged from -19.5 to -13.1‰ and 6.7 to 13.3‰, respectively. Lower trophic level feeding …

Presence/Absence And Density Data For Epipelagic Tows From 48 Stations In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico From R/V Blazing Seven Cruises Lf2015a And Lf2015b June 2015 And July 2015, Jay R. Rooker, R.J. David Wells

DEEPEND Datasets

Larval catch data after the oil spill is being used to improve our understanding of the causes of temporal variability as it relates to the Deep Water Horizon oil spill (DWHOS). Bongo and neuston net tows were conducted at 48 stations in both June and July, 2015 in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Cruise data collected at each site included latitude/longitude, date, time and environmental data (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen). The occurrence and density of selected epipelagic (e.g., billfishes, tunas, dolphinfishes, flyingfishes) and deep pelagic (e.g., lanternfishes, bristlemouths, marine hatchetfishes) fish larvae were quantified and are being used to extend …

Age And Growth Of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon Typus) Near The South Ari Atoll, Maldives, Cameron T. Perry

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) has a global distribution in warm to warm temperate oceans, and is a species of high conservation concern currently categorized as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Despite its dire conservation status and concerns about the growing number of ecotourism interactions with this species worldwide, relatively little information is available on key aspects of whale shark biology such as growth rates, reproductive rates, survival rates and breeding habitats. In particular, critical information such as age and growth of whale sharks is needed to improve the management and …