The Effects Of Human Approach On Sanderling Foraging Behavior,
2019
Coastal Carolina University
The Effects Of Human Approach On Sanderling Foraging Behavior, Anne Hobdy, Eric Rosch
Honors Theses
During low tide, sanderlings (Calidris alba) forage on small invertebrates in the sand of the intertidal zone. As a result, these common shorebirds frequently come into contact with humans who visit the beaches for a variety of activities, such as fishing or jogging. Here, the effects of three different approach types (undisturbed, passive, and aggressive) on sanderling foraging behavior were examined to help understand how human activities may be affecting their ability to search for food. At two local beaches, locomotory rate was recorded in addition to obvious changes in initial behavior. Treatments were defined as follows: 1) …
Pathological Findings In Red Snapper Livers Collected Aboard Multiple R/V Weatherbird Ii Cruises In The North Central Region, Gulf Of Mexico From 2012-08-13 To 2017-08-01,
2019
University of South Florida
Pathological Findings In Red Snapper Livers Collected Aboard Multiple R/V Weatherbird Ii Cruises In The North Central Region, Gulf Of Mexico From 2012-08-13 To 2017-08-01, Erin Pulster, S. Fogelson, Steven A. Murawski
C-IMAGE data
This dataset contains pathological findings in red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) livers collected aboard the multiple Weatherbird II cruises WB1304 (2012-08-13 to 2012-08-25), WB1403 (2013-08-15 to 2013-08-30), WB1502 (2014-08-05 to 2014-08-20), WB1602 (2015-08-15 to 2015-08-30), WB1736 (2017-07-18 to 2017-08-01) in the north central region of the Gulf of Mexico, post-Deepwater Horizon. The dataset includes the identified presence of histological changes and images of the gross and histological evaluations. Formalin-fixed tissues were individually evaluated for color, texture, size, shape, and consistency. Photographs were taken with a Sony-Cybershot camera (Sony Corporation, Minato, Tokyo, Japan). At least two photographs were taken of the samples …
Input, Output And Complete Run Files For The Atlantis Ecosystem Model Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Simulations Including Fish And Invertebrate Effects,
2019
University of South Florida
Input, Output And Complete Run Files For The Atlantis Ecosystem Model Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Simulations Including Fish And Invertebrate Effects, Cameron Ainsworth, Lindsey N. Dornberger
C-IMAGE data
These data include input and output files from the Gulf of Mexico Atlantis model. The simulations are published in Dornberger et al., 2019. The dataset includes every file needed to recreate the simulations: 1) the 18 spatial forcing files needed to recreate the sensitivity analysis; these vary the oil sensitivity threshold K, the fish oil threshold and the invertebrate oil threshold. The file naming scheme indicates parameter values used. 2) the three .prm files needed to recreate the different levels of fishing mortality (F=0.5, 1, 2.0, 10), The F rate indicates an increase in fishing mortality across all fishing sectors …
A Review Of The Global Commercial Cephalopod Fishery, With A Focus On Apparent Expansion, Changing Environments, And Management,
2019
Nova Southeastern University
A Review Of The Global Commercial Cephalopod Fishery, With A Focus On Apparent Expansion, Changing Environments, And Management, Corey Clark
HCNSO Student Capstones
Cephalopods are both important predators and prey in many marine environments and important fishery resources in many countries. The global fishery has expanded almost continuously from landings of 580,000 metric tonnes in 1950 to over 4 m.t. in 2007. Cephalopods are ecological opportunists with highly plastic biological characteristics and varied population dynamics. Nearly all commercially harvested species are short-lived and can reproduce quickly, enabling them to evolve more rapidly under high selection pressure relative to many fish competitors and predators. As a result, they may have the biological means to be successful under conditions of long-term global climate change. This …
Outplanted Acropora Cervicornis Enhances The Fish Assemblages Of Southeast Florida,
2019
Nova Southeastern University
Outplanted Acropora Cervicornis Enhances The Fish Assemblages Of Southeast Florida, Ellen Dignon Goldenberg
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Acropora cervicornis, commonly known as the staghorn coral has historically been a major contributor to reef structural complexity, providing habitat for many functionally important fish species throughout Florida and the Caribbean. Unfortunately, due to disease, bleaching, and local anthropogenic stressors, A. cervicornis populations have suffered drastic declines that have negatively impacted associated reef fish populations. In order to promote recovery, A. cervicornis fragments can be cultivated in nurseries and outplanted back onto reefs. This practice can effectively increase A. cervicornis abundance, but the long-term effects on local fish assemblages, and specifically functionally important grazing fishes, has not been assessed. …
Examining The Effect Of Interstitial Space On Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica): Applications Of Photogrammetry And Three-Dimensional Modeling,
2019
James Madison University
Examining The Effect Of Interstitial Space On Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica): Applications Of Photogrammetry And Three-Dimensional Modeling, Bailie Lavan
Masters Theses, 2010-2019
Global oyster populations have decreased by as much as 99% in the past century. Oysters are known ecosystem engineers, providing benthic habitat for macrofauna, linking benthic and pelagic food webs, improving water quality, and mitigating shoreline erosion. Restoration efforts are critical in re-establishing native oyster populations. In the Chesapeake Bay, where oyster loss is primarily due to severe over harvest, artificial substrates with geometric shapes are widely used in restoration efforts. However, natural oyster reefs form emergent shapes with a high degree of aggregation and many interstitial spaces (three-dimensional volumetric spaces between oysters within a reef). The lack of interstitial …
Nutrient Concentrations And Effects On Mill Run From Residential, Urban, And Industrial Stormwater Contamination,
2019
Nova Southeastern University
Nutrient Concentrations And Effects On Mill Run From Residential, Urban, And Industrial Stormwater Contamination, Melissa Carver
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Nutrients are introduced into the waters of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through various methods, mainly through point and non-point sources. Non-point sources would include agricultural means however, there are often other non-point sources that are often overlooked. Water runoff from stormwater is an important contributor to pollution entering various watersheds. Data was collected at 4 locations (the initial point of reference, residential, urban, and industrial) on Mill Run and 2 locations on Woodcock Creek, through surface water collection methods in dry and wet weather. Nitrate, Nitrite, Total Phosphorus, and Total Nitrogen were among the data collected. Total Phosphorus had an …
Analysis Of "Observer Effect" In Logbook Reporting Accuracy For U.S. Pelagic Longline Fishing Vessels In The Atlantic And Gulf Of Mexico,
2019
Nova Southeastern University
Analysis Of "Observer Effect" In Logbook Reporting Accuracy For U.S. Pelagic Longline Fishing Vessels In The Atlantic And Gulf Of Mexico, Thomas J. Morrell
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Commercial pelagic longline fishers within the U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean are required to report all fishing interactions per each gear deployment to NOAA’s Vessel Logbook Program of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center to quantify bycatch, increase conservation efforts, and avoid jeopardizing the existence of vulnerable species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). To provide additional accuracy, the Pelagic Observer Program (POP) of the SEFSC deploys professionally trained observers on longline vessels to produce a statistically reliable subset of longline fisheries data. A comparison of self-reported (“unobserved”) datasets versus observer-collected (“observed”) datasets showed a general consistency for …
Correlation Between Sei Whale Distribution And Chlorophyll-A Concentration In The Western North Atlantic,
2019
University of Rhode Island
Correlation Between Sei Whale Distribution And Chlorophyll-A Concentration In The Western North Atlantic, Dawn Parry
Senior Honors Projects
The sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is an endangered baleen whale species whose distribution and migratory movements are poorly understood. Sei whale populations were decimated by commercial whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries. Much of what is currently known about their distributions comes from historical whaling records. Visual sightings, which may be sporadic and limited by weather and access to remote locations, are the primary source of data for recent research. It is thought that sei whale distributions may be influenced by the distribution of their food, which consists of zooplankton (small crustaceans, like shrimp), small fish, and …
Options For Improving Dfad Recovery And Accountability To Minimize Marine Coastal Habitat Damage And Marine Litter,
2019
International Pole and Line Foundation
Options For Improving Dfad Recovery And Accountability To Minimize Marine Coastal Habitat Damage And Marine Litter, Adam Baske, M. Shiham Adam, David W. Kerstetter
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures
No abstract provided.
Concentrations Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Liver Tissue Of Golden Tilefish Collected Aboard Multiple R/V Weatherbird Ii Cruises In The Gulf Of Mexico From 2012-08-13 To 2017-08-01,
2019
University of South Florida
Concentrations Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Liver Tissue Of Golden Tilefish Collected Aboard Multiple R/V Weatherbird Ii Cruises In The Gulf Of Mexico From 2012-08-13 To 2017-08-01, Erin Pulster, S. M. Synder, Steven A. Murawski
C-IMAGE data
This dataset contains the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in liver tissue of golden tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) collected aboard multiple R/V Weatherbird II cruises WB1304 (2012-08-13 to 2012-08-25), WB1403 (2013-08-15 to 2013-08-30), WB1502 (2014-08-05 to 2014-08-20), WB1602 (2015-08-15 to 2015-08-30), WB1603 (2015-09-10 to 2015-10-02), WB1701 (2016-08-02 to 2016-09-09), and WB1736 (2017-07-18 to 2017-08-01) in the Gulf of Mexico during the Gulf of Mexico-wide surveys from 2012-2017. PAH was extracted from livers with a modified QuEChERS (Bond Elut, Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA) method optimized specifically for this study species. Extracts were analyzed using Agilent’s 7890B gas chromatograph (GC) …
Assessing The Influence Of Salt Marsh Enhancement On Nekton Communities,
2019
Montclair State University
Assessing The Influence Of Salt Marsh Enhancement On Nekton Communities, Evan Thomas Kwityn
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Resiliency projects are being implemented throughout coastal communities with the intention of reducing the loss of salt marsh habitat. Salt marsh enhancement projects may have the benefit of minimizing physical coastal impacts, but enhancement activities are not fully understood as a result of potential impacts on salt marsh ecosystems, particularly nekton or fish and decapod communities. Questions involving salt marsh enhancement remain in regard to negative impacts on nekton communities and hydrologic habitat connectivity. To evaluate the impacts of salt marsh enhancement in reference to nekton community structures, I compared nekton density in restored and non-restored locations on two salt …
Do Indirect Predator Cues Affect Behavior Of The Freshwater Clam Sphaerium Simile?,
2019
Montclair State University
Do Indirect Predator Cues Affect Behavior Of The Freshwater Clam Sphaerium Simile?, Jesse Bruce Eichler
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Freshwater bivalves provide important ecosystem services, like filtering water and cycling nutrients. Predators affecting the behavior of bivalve prey, therefore, could potentially impact the structure and function of ecological communities. Because little is known about the antipredator responses of sphaeriid clams, I examined the behavior of juvenile and adult freshwater clams, Sphaerium simile, when exposed to two types of indirect predator cues: effluent of a crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) and damaged conspecific clams. Adult clams responded to crayfish effluent by significantly reducing burrowing behavior. Juvenile clams, however, buried indiscriminately regardless of experimental treatment and significantly more often/more quickly than adults. These …
An Analysis Of Citizen Science And Its Effect On Marine Plastic Pollution,
2019
Syracuse University
An Analysis Of Citizen Science And Its Effect On Marine Plastic Pollution, Kathryn Munster
Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All
My Honors thesis is an analysis of pollution data to gain more insight about the growing problem of marine plastic pollution. I retrieved online datasets collected by the Clean Swell trash collection mobile application and then analyzed this data using the Python programming language. After my Python analysis, I used Tableau to create data visualizations. This paper analyzes the effect that citizen science has on plastic pollution. Syracuse University’s recycling and trash figures, provided by Syracuse Haulers, are also analyzed. The purpose of including Syracuse University’s data is to bring a local point of view to this project and possibly …
Comment On Rojas-Bracho And Colleagues (2019): Unsubstantiated Claims Can Lead To Tragic Conservation Outcomes,
2019
University of Arizona
Comment On Rojas-Bracho And Colleagues (2019): Unsubstantiated Claims Can Lead To Tragic Conservation Outcomes, Karl W. Flessa, Luis Calderon-Aguilera, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro, David L. Dettman, Gregory P. Dietl, David H. Goodwin, David K. Jacobs, Michal Kowalewski, Steven M. Nelson, Kirsten Rowell, Bernard R. Schone, Jansen A. Smith, Francisco Zamora-Arroyo
School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications
The vaquita’s decline is a tragic story indeed. However, the lack of action to prevent the extinction of this species is not due to unsubstantiated claims and scientific uncertainty.
Modelling Water Fluxes In Plants: From Tissues To Biosphere,
2019
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Modelling Water Fluxes In Plants: From Tissues To Biosphere, Maurizio Mencuccini, Stefano Manzoni, Bradley O. Christoffersen
School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications
Contents Summary 1207 I. Introduction 1207 II. A brief history of modelling plant water fluxes 1208 III. Main components of plant water transport models 1208 IV. Stand-scale water fluxes and coupling to climate and soil 1213 V. Water fluxes in terrestrial biosphere models and feedbacks to community dynamics 1215 VI. Outstanding challenges in modelling water fluxes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum 1217 Acknowledgements 1218 References 1218 SUMMARY: Models of plant water fluxes have evolved from studies focussed on understanding the detailed structure and functioning of specific components of the soil-plant-atmosphere (SPA) continuum to architectures often incorporated inside eco-hydrological and terrestrial biosphere …
Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Vocal Responses To Sonar And Spectrally Pink Background Noise,
2019
University of Southern Mississippi
Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Vocal Responses To Sonar And Spectrally Pink Background Noise, Maria Zapetis
Dissertations
As human populations rise, the level of man-made noise increases globally. Naval sonar and boat traffic are underwater sound sources of particular concern to marine mammal welfare. To better understand the impact of these noise increases on cetaceans, studies can explore animals’ behavioral changes in response to noise. Studies have investigated the ‘dose-response’ relationship between the received sound pressure level of sonar signals and the behavior of cetaceans in the wild, but exposure studies in controlled environments are limited. The studies in this dissertation examined bottlenose dolphin vocal modifications during various experimental noise treatments. Acoustic recordings previously obtained for bottlenose …
Effects Of Elevated Temperature On Gonadal Functions, Cellular Apoptosis, And Oxidative Stress In Atlantic Sea Urchin (Arbacia Punctulata),
2019
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Effects Of Elevated Temperature On Gonadal Functions, Cellular Apoptosis, And Oxidative Stress In Atlantic Sea Urchin (Arbacia Punctulata), Jackson B. Johnstone
Theses and Dissertations
Increasing surface sea water temperatures effect on growth, reproduction and development in marine organisms. Sea urchins are excellent indicator species and ideal model organisms to focus on. In this study, I tested the effect of higher temperatures on reproductive functions, heat shock protein (HSP, a chaperone protein produced by cells in response to heat stress) and nitrotyrosine protein (NTP, an indicator of reactive nitrogen species, RNS) expressions, cellular apoptosis, and ceolomic fluid (CF, a body fluid which regulates important physiological processes) conditions in Atlantic sea urchin at three different temperatures. Ten sea urchins were placed in each of six aquariums …
A Snapshot Of The Age, Growth, And Reproductive Status Of Gray Triggerfish (Balistes Capriscus, Gmelin 1789) On Three Artificial Reefs In The Northwest Gulf Of Mexico,
2019
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
A Snapshot Of The Age, Growth, And Reproductive Status Of Gray Triggerfish (Balistes Capriscus, Gmelin 1789) On Three Artificial Reefs In The Northwest Gulf Of Mexico, Adam M. Lee
Theses and Dissertations
Age, growth, and reproductive status of gray triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) were identified from 2015-2016 on artificial reefs in the northwest Gulf of Mexico. Individuals ranged from 232-432 mm fork length with and a mean fork length of 319 mm. Individuals from age 0.2 to 5.2 yrs were observed with a weight to length relationship of Wg = 1.1 x -104 x FL2.7 (r2 = 0.94, n = 112), where FL = fork length (mm) and Wg = weight (g). A von Bertalanffy growth equation of Lt = 326(1 - e - 0.9 (t + 1.71)) was calculated irrespective …
Ontogeny Of Similarity And Disparity In Length-At-Age Of Coral Reef Fishes In The Family Acanthuridae Between Marine Protected And Fished Areas,
2019
Florida Institute of Technology
Ontogeny Of Similarity And Disparity In Length-At-Age Of Coral Reef Fishes In The Family Acanthuridae Between Marine Protected And Fished Areas, Mathias Tjarko Cramer
Theses and Dissertations
Drastic reductions in the harvestable biomass of exploited fish populations on coral reefs and other marine coastal ecosystems have been hypothesized to be a consequence of astronomical and unrelenting fishing pressures, particularly in the coastal small-scale and sustenance fisheries of the world. It has recently been proposed that the causal relationship between fishing pressure and fish biomass is rooted in the negative effects of size-selective fishing mortality, which consequently instigates directional shifts in phenotype (i.e., fishing induced evolution). To mitigate the effects of unsustainable fishing pressures, parcels of traditional fishing grounds have been designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). To …
