Seagrass Preference Among Pinfish In The Lower Laguna Madre,
2025
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Seagrass Preference Among Pinfish In The Lower Laguna Madre, Nathaniel Garza
Theses and Dissertations
Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) is a common estuarine fish species found from Massachusetts to the Yucatan, Mexico. As juveniles, pinfish spend a significant portion of their life in coastal seagrasses which provide both shelter from predators and food. Along the Texas coast, there are three major species of seagrass- turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme) and shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) that differ in structural complexity. The goal of this study was to determine if pinfish associate more with one seagrass species than the others. A year-long field study was completed using twelve sample sites in the Lower Laguna Madre, …
Population Structure Of Red Drum (Sciaenops Ocellatus (Linnaeus, 1766)) In Two Systems In The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico,
2025
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Population Structure Of Red Drum (Sciaenops Ocellatus (Linnaeus, 1766)) In Two Systems In The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Sandra Antonia Leal
Theses and Dissertations
Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) are an economically significant species of fish inhabiting the Gulf of Mexico. There are limited studies assessing S. ocellatus population structure focused on the southern coast of Texas. A total of 1,008 fish were collected over one year on a quarterly basis at South Bay (SB) and Holly Beach (HB) in the Lower Laguna Madre (LLM) of Texas to assess population structure. Juvenile S. ocellatus utilize the water systems of the LLM as a nursery ground and were more abundant at SB (n = 718) than HB (n = 290). The most abundant age classes were …
Taxonomy Of Endophytic Fungi Associated With Vallisneria Neotropicalis,
2025
University of South Alabama
Taxonomy Of Endophytic Fungi Associated With Vallisneria Neotropicalis, Md. Arafat Rashid
Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)
This study presents the first comprehensive taxonomic and ecological investigation of endophytic fungi (EF) associated with the submerged aquatic macrophyte Vallisneria neotropicalis in the southern United States. Over a 12 month period, from April 2023 to March 2024, leaf samples were collected from two distinct sites in Mobile Bay, Alabama a disturbed, brackish Causeway location and a cleaner, less impacted site at Meaher State Park. Using culture dependent methods, a total of 257 fungal endophytes were isolated from 1,200 leaf segments. All isolates belonged to the phylum Ascomycota, distributed across 3 classes, 6 orders, 10 families, and 19 taxa. The …
Interactions Between Black, Brown, Blue And Green Carbon From Terrestrial To Marine Ecosystems: A Critical Review,
2025
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Interactions Between Black, Brown, Blue And Green Carbon From Terrestrial To Marine Ecosystems: A Critical Review, Allison White, Richard Kline, Md. Saydur Rahman
School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications
Black and brown carbon are byproducts of the incomplete combustion of biomass or fossil fuels. These light-absorbing aerosols influence climate by altering the radiative balance through the absorption and scattering of sunlight, exacerbating global climate change. Their subsequent deposition on terrestrial and marine environments affects surface albedo, snow and ice melt, and biogeochemical processes, leading to further environmental consequences. In contrast, green and blue carbon refer to carbon stored in terrestrial vegetation and marine ecosystems, respectively. These ecosystems play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by sequestering atmospheric carbon; however, they are increasingly threatened by climatic disturbances, anthropogenic activities, …
The Transition Zone Hypothesis On Biodiversity Of The Indian River Lagoon System, Florida,
2025
Florida Institute of Technology
The Transition Zone Hypothesis On Biodiversity Of The Indian River Lagoon System, Florida, Richard L. Turner
Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications
The Indian River Lagoon System (IRL) is regarded as having a high level of biodiversity. The level of biodiversity is often attributed in part to the 2-degree latitudinal span (251 km) of the IRL and to its position in a transitional zone between tropical and temperate biotic provinces. This hypothesis was tested for submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) based on a recent treatise (Littler, Littler, and Hanisak, 2008). Five of seven species of seagrass are tropical, and two have either a broad or very narrow latitudinal distribution; the transition-zone hypothesis does not hold for seagrasses. Most macroalgae (131 spp.) are tropical/subtropical; …
Evaluation Of Ocean Lidar Enhancement Through Miniaturization And Gated Pmt-Based Range Extension,
2025
Old Dominion University
Evaluation Of Ocean Lidar Enhancement Through Miniaturization And Gated Pmt-Based Range Extension, Chandler Austin Slater
OES Theses and Dissertations
Oceanographic lidar systems remotely characterize the vertical structure of the upper ocean by recording the light backscattered from a laser pulse as it propagates through the water column. Historically these systems have been constrained by limited detection ranges, often capturing only a portion of the illuminated water column, typically fading to noise around the 10% isolume. A primary constraint has been the limited dynamic range of digitizers, which inhibits the ability to resolve both intense near-field and faint far-field backscatter signals within a single acquisition. To address this, we developed a novel optical lidar system incorporating gated photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) …
Benthic Infaunal Responses To Shoreline Restoration,
2025
Florida Institute of Technology
Benthic Infaunal Responses To Shoreline Restoration, Jessica Lauren Cline
Theses and Dissertations
In the age of increasing urban coastal sprawl, natural shorelines are being replaced by hard armoring structures, which result in the loss of valuable ecosystem services. Hybrid living shorelines, areas that include limited and less intensive armoring strategies paired with the integration of plants and other natural materials, present an opportunity to marry the need for more aggressive stabilization with the continued preservation of ecosystem functions and biological communities. This project uses benthic infauna to evaluate the success of a living shoreline installation in Palm Bay, Florida. The deployment features experimental treatments of breakwaters and red mangroves to explore how …
Seagrass Carbon Standing Stock In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: The Role Of Seagrass Beds In Mississippi As Potential Blue Carbon Sinks,
2025
The University of Southern Mississippi
Seagrass Carbon Standing Stock In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: The Role Of Seagrass Beds In Mississippi As Potential Blue Carbon Sinks, Devan Hildebrand
Master's Theses
Organic carbon stored in marine ecosystems is known as blue carbon. Seagrass beds have the ability to contribute to global blue carbon standing stocks through the uptake and sequestration of carbon from the water column. Through coastal management and conservation best practices, blue carbon habitats have the potential to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Although widely studied, knowledge gaps exist on the sediment carbon standing stock of seagrasses. I aim to better understand how persistent seagrass meadows surrounding barrier islands in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico contribute to long-term blue carbon standing stocks. Subaqueous sediment cores were collected …
Isolation Of The 2019 Bonnet Carré Spillway Effects On The Habitat Suitability Of Brown Shrimp (Farfantepenaeus Aztecus) And Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Using A Modeling Approach,
2025
University of Southern Mississippi
Isolation Of The 2019 Bonnet Carré Spillway Effects On The Habitat Suitability Of Brown Shrimp (Farfantepenaeus Aztecus) And Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Using A Modeling Approach, Mallory Dyson
Master's Theses
In 2019, an unprecedented flood year, the Bonnet Carré Spillway (BCS) was opened on two separate occasions (February 27th to April 11th, and May 10th through July 27th) diverting a volume 6 times the volume of Lake Pontchartrain into the surrounding coastal waters of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The goal of this research was to determine the spatio-temporal influence of these freshwater releases on two economically and ecologically important species (Farfantepenaeus aztecus and Callinectes sapidus) with variable responses to salinity and temperature depending on the age class. The Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) …
Life History And Distribution Of Two Species Of Cownose Ray, Rhinoptera Bonasus And Rhinoptera Brasiliensis, In Mississippi Coastal Waters,
2025
The University of Southern Mississippi
Life History And Distribution Of Two Species Of Cownose Ray, Rhinoptera Bonasus And Rhinoptera Brasiliensis, In Mississippi Coastal Waters, Anna Millender
Master's Theses
Historically, the American Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) was considered the only rhinopterid residing in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM); however, recent studies have confirmed the presence of the Brazilian Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera brasiliensis) throughout this region. The current study investigated the life history and distribution of both species within Mississippi waters, an area that previously represented a data gap for both species. From April 2016 – July 2025, 193 R. bonasus and 94 R. brasiliensis were analyzed to describe the reproductive biology. Reproductive timing, mating, gestation length, and parturition were similar among species. Although more …
Global Estimates Of Seagrass Blue Carbon Stocks In Biomass And Net Primary Production,
2025
Edith Cowan University
Global Estimates Of Seagrass Blue Carbon Stocks In Biomass And Net Primary Production, Enric Gomis, Simone Strydom, Nicole R. Foster, Diana Montemayor, Miguel A. Mateo, Eduard Serrano, Karina Inostroza, Roisin Mccallum, Anna Lafratta, Chanelle L. Webster, Caitlyn L. O’Dea, Nicole E. Said, Natasha Dunham, Rachele Bernasconi, Axel Werner, Federico Vitelli, Viena Puigcorbé, Alexandra D’Cruz, Cristian Salinas, Kathryn M. Mcmahon, Glenn A. Hyndes, Paul S. Lavery, Albert Pessarodona, Carlose M. Duarte, Oscar Serrano
Research outputs 2022 to 2026
Seagrass meadows play a key role in the global carbon cycle through storing carbon in their biomass and soils. However, the lack of global assessments of carbon stocks in seagrass biomass and net primary production (NPP) limits our understanding of their role in the carbon cycle. Here, we provide global estimates of biomass carbon stocks and NPP encompassing seagrasses with different life-history strategies, across bioregions and 66 countries. Seagrass meadows show up to 800-fold differences in biomass across different life-history strategies and bioregions (mean ± SE; 1551 ± 40 kg C ha−1), whereas seagrass NPP (5833 ± 557 …
Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Neurocranium,
2025
Nova Southeastern University
Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Neurocranium, Gabriella K. Flora, David W. Kerstetter
All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series
No abstract provided.
Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna Mokarran) Chondrocranium, Female,
2025
Nova Southeastern University
Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna Mokarran) Chondrocranium, Female, Nicholas Burchett, Michelle Bassali, Marissa Rosas, Rileigh Gonzalez, David W. Kerstetter
All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series
No abstract provided.
Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus Itajara) Vertebrae,
2025
Nova Southeastern University
Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus Itajara) Vertebrae, Nicholas Burchett, David W. Kerstetter, Rileigh Gonzalez, Sierra Rafacz, Ema Nagel
All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series
No abstract provided.
Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena Hippurus) Neurocranium,
2025
Nova Southeastern University
Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena Hippurus) Neurocranium, Ameer Tolani, David W. Kerstetter
All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series
No abstract provided.
Ladyfish (Elops Saurus) Neurocranium,
2025
Nova Southeastern University
Ladyfish (Elops Saurus) Neurocranium, Kaylee M. Blanchard, David W. Kerstetter
All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series
No abstract provided.
Great Barracuda (Sphyraena Barracuda) Neurocranium,
2025
Nova Southeastern University
Great Barracuda (Sphyraena Barracuda) Neurocranium, Preston J. Toutant, Tyler I. Anderson, Luke M. Mckeon, David W. Kerstetter
All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series
No abstract provided.
Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Neurocranium,
2025
Nova Southeastern University
Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Neurocranium, Sophia Oliveira, Charlotte Gifford, David W. Kerstetter
All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series
No abstract provided.
Effects Of Photo-Oxidized Crude Oil On Gulf Killifish Early Life Stages,
2025
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Effects Of Photo-Oxidized Crude Oil On Gulf Killifish Early Life Stages, Charles Campbell
LSU Master's Theses
Photo-oxidation of spilled crude oil generates polar compounds that can heighten toxicity to marine fish embryos. We investigated the effects of photo-oxidized crude oil on early life stages of Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) by exposing embryos under flow-through conditions to water-accommodated fractions of four oil treatments: fresh oil unexposed to either sunlight or weathering referred to as dark control (DC), a UV-light oxidized whole oil (LT), the polar fraction extracted from LT (Pol) and the remnants after extracting the Pol from LT (NP). Oil loadings of 0.38–3.00 g oil/kg water were tested. Total PAH concentrations and chemical profiles …
European Seabass (Dicentrarchus Labrax) Neurocranium,
2025
Nova Southeastern University
European Seabass (Dicentrarchus Labrax) Neurocranium, Gianna Dib, Logan A. Murphy, Esmeralda Orozco, David W. Kerstetter
All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series
No abstract provided.
