Marine Biology Commons^™

Assessing The Potential Bacterial Origin Of The Chemical Diversity In Calcareous Sponges, Elodie Quévrain, Mélanie Roué, Isabelle Domart-Coulon, Marie-Lise Bourguet-Kondracki

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The chemodiversity and cultivable bacterial diversity of temperate calcareous sponges were investigated in a time series of collection of two sponges, Leuconia johnstoni (Baerida, Calcaronea) collected from the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and Clathrina clathrus (Clathrinida, Calcinea) collected from the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, using combined chemical and microbiological approaches. Bacteria were visualized in tissue sections of these sponges with Gram staining and in situ hybridization. The sponge crude extracts revealed annually persistent biological activities against reference human pathogen strains: L. johnstoni extracts displayed antimicrobial activity against a Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus strain; C. clathrus extracts displayed a broad spectrum of antimicrobial …

Diversity Of Bacterial Communities On Sunken Woods In The Mediterranean Sea, Sandrine Bessette, Sonja K. Fagervold, Chiara Romano, Daniel Martin, Nadine Le Bris, Pierre E Galand

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Sunken woods are very rich and diverse ecosystems supporting large macrofaunal diversity and representing a source of carbon and energy for any heterotrophic organism able to consume plant material, and those relying on specialized microbial taxa. However, relatively little is known about the microbial communities that degrade sunken woods and produce reduced compounds that serve as energy sources for chemosynthetic lifestyles. The purpose of this study was to explore the bacterial diversity developing on and within sunken woods in a NW Mediterranean submarine canyon and its adjacent slope by using 16S rRNA genes survey. We described communities from Pine wood …

Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone: Structural Variants, Physiological Function, And Cellular Mechanism Of Action, Chi-Ying Lee, Kuo-Wei Tsai, Wei-Shiun Tsai, Jia-Ying Jiang,, Yan-Jhou Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) is a peptide hormone originally identified in the X-organ/sinus gland (XO/ SG) complex of the eyestalks. It belongs to the CHH family which also includes molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH), vitellogenesis-inhibiting hormone (VIH), and mandibular organinhibiting hormone (MOIH), and ion transport peptide (ITP). Multiple molecular variants of CHH are generated by both post-transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms. In addition to the XO/SG complex, CHH gene is widely expressed in many extra-eyestalk tissues. Functionally, available data indicate that CHH is involved with the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and stress-induced hyperglycemia. Several other physiological processes, including molting, ion and water balance, …

Hydrothermal Vent Effluents Affect Life Stages Of The Copepod Tisbe Sp, Hans-Uwe Dahms, Li-Chun Tseng, Derek Moo-Chul Shim, Jiang-Shiou Hwang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

We examined the environmental effects of various concentrations of hydrothermal vent (HV) effluents on growth, reproduction, and survivorship of the Tisbe sp. harpacticoid copepod that were retrieved from localities near the vent. Developmental stages (nauplii and copepodids) were exposed to various concentrations of HV effluents in a static renewal culture system. In the survivorship experiments, we tested 3 distinct developmental phases in HV effluent dilutions from 50% to 1%. The HV effluents considerably reduced the survivorship of the naupliar stages at concentrations of >1% (P < 0.05); all nauplii died at concentrations of 25% and 50%. The copepodids were considerably affected at concentrations of >1% in Tisbe sp. (P < 0.05), and no copepodid survived at 50% (P < 0.01). The adult females died at a 50% concentration in Tisbe sp. The developmental duration was not considerably affected in the naupliar or copepodid phases; however, it exhibited a trend of developmental delay. The naupliar development of Tisbe sp. was substantially delayed at a concentration of 10% (P < 0.01), whereas copepodids and adults only exhibited a trend of delayed development with increasing HV concentration. The endpoint mortality exhibited a greater sensitivity to chemical exposure than the endpoint development time. The early developmental stages of Tisbe sp. in both traits were more sensitive to HV effluents than advanced stages. Mortality was a useful toxicological endpoint compared that of developmental duration. We demonstrated that Tisbe sp. may be used in the monitoring of acute and life cycle effects of natural marine pollution caused by HV effluents.

Joint Report Of Peer Review Panel For Numeric Nutrient Criteria For The Great Bay Estuary New Hampshire Department Of Environmental Services June, 2009, Victor J. Bierman, Robert J. Diaz, W. Judson Kenworthy, Kenneth H. Reckhow

Additional Regional Technical Reports & Resources

This peer review was authorized through a collaborative agreement sponsored by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) and the Cities of Dover, Rochester and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The purpose was to conduct an independent scientific peer review of the document entitled, “Numeric Nutrient Criteria for the Great Bay Estuary,” dated June, 2009 (DES 2009 Report).

Perceived Risk Of Predation Affects Reproductive Life-History Traits In Gambusia Holbrooki, But Not In Heterandria Formosa, Shomen Kukherjee, Michael Heithaus, Joel C. Trexler, Jayanti Ray-Mukherjee, Jeremy Vaudo

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Key to predicting impacts of predation is understanding the mechanisms through which predators impact prey populations. While consumptive effects are well-known, non-consumptive predator effects (risk effects) are increasingly being recognized as important. Studies of risk effects, however, have focused largely on how trade-offs between food and safety affect fitness. Less documented, and appreciated, is the potential for predator presence to directly suppress prey reproduction and affect life-history characteristics. For the first time, we tested the effects of visual predator cues on reproduction of two prey species with different reproductive modes, lecithotrophy (i.e. embryonic development primarily fueled by yolk) and matrotrophy …

Regional Impact Of Submarine Canyons During Seasonal Upwelling, Thomas Connolly, Barbara Hickey

Faculty Publications

A numerical model of the northern California Current System along the coasts of Washington and British Columbia is used to quantify the impact of submarine canyons on upwelling from the continental slope onto the shelf. Comparisons with an extensive set of observations show that the model adequately represents the seasonal development of near-bottom density, as well as along-shelf currents that are critical in governing shelf-slope exchange. Additional model runs with simplified coastlines and bathymetry are used to isolate the effects of submarine canyons. Near submarine canyons, equatorward flow over the outer shelf is correlated with dense water at canyon heads …

Scaling-Up: A Fifth Year Of Restoring Oyster Reefs In Great Bay Estuary, Nh 2013 Annual Program Report, Ray Konisky, Raymond E. Grizzle, Krystin M. Ward, R. Eckerd, Kara Mcketon

PREP Reports & Publications

The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) in New Hampshire’s Great Bay Estuary has declined in the past decades, with local populations reduced due primarily to disease, excessive siltation, and past over-harvest. The loss of filtering oysters results in diminished ecological benefits for water quality, nitrogen control, and other services that healthy oyster populations provide. In support of management objectives to restore oyster populations, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) have combined for a fifth consecutive year of scaled-up methods to rebuild oyster reefs and populations. Since 2009, we have “planted” seasoned shell, primarily surf-clam …

Environews #8, Richard Philp

Data and Test Instruments

Crows are clever, sea turtles are shocked and tuna are heartsick..

On The Consistency Of Modis Chlorophyll $A$ Products In The Northern South China Sea, S. L. Shang, Q. Dong, Chuanmin M. Hu, G. Lin, Y. H. Li, S. P. Shang

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Chlorophyll a (Chl) concentrations derived from satellite measurements have been used in oceanographic research, for example to interpret eco-responses to environmental changes on global and regional scales. However, it is unclear how existing Chl products compare with each other in terms of accuracy and consistency in revealing temporal and spatial patterns, especially in the optically complex marginal seas. In this study, we examined three MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Chl data products that have been made available to the community by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) using community-accepted algorithms and default parameterization. These included the products derived …

Rna Viral Metagenome Of Whiteflies Leads To The Discovery And Characterization Of A Whitefly-Transmitted Carlavirus In North America, Karyna Rosario, Heather Capobianco, Terry Fei Fan Ng, Mya Breitbart, Jane E. Polston

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Whiteflies from the Bemisia tabaci species complex have the ability to transmit a large number of plant viruses and are some of the most detrimental pests in agriculture. Although whiteflies are known to transmit both DNA and RNA viruses, most of the diversity has been recorded for the former, specifically for the Begomovirus genus. This study investigated the total diversity of DNA and RNA viruses found in whiteflies collected from a single site in Florida to evaluate if there are additional, previously undetected viral types within the B. tabaci vector. Metagenomic analysis of viral DNA extracted from the whiteflies only …

Economic Impact Of The Commercial Fisheries On Local County Economies From Catch In All California National Marine Sanctuaries 2010, 2011 And 2012, Vernon R. Leeworthy, Desiree Jerome, Kelsey Schueler

Working Papers

This report estimates the economic impact of commercial fishing within all California National Marine Sanctuaries (CA NMS) according to the California Ocean Fish Harvester Economic Model (COFHE). The methodology applies county multipliers to estimates of harvest revenue from CA NMS in order to calculate output, income, value added and employment. This report also describes a profile of the commercial fish industry in the CA NMS. CA NMS includes all existing National Marine Sanctuary sites in California: Channel Islands (CINMS), Monterey Bay (MBNMS), Cordell Bank (CBNMS) and Gulf of the Farallones (GFNMS).

The three-year average for 2010 to 2012 finds that …

Measurement Of Hydrodynamic Force Generation By Swimming Dolphins Using Bubble Dpiv, Frank E. Fish, Paul Legac, Terrie M. Williams, Timothy Wei

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Constant And Periodic Experimental Hypoxic Stress On Atlantic Croaker Otolith Chemistry, John Mohan, Md. Saydur Rahman, Peter Thomas, Benjamin Walther

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The chemical composition of fish otoliths may provide information on the environmental exposure histories of fishes if ‘vital effects’ on element incorporation are minimal. In order to use redox-sensitive geochemical proxies, such as manganese, in otoliths to quantify sublethal exposure to hypoxia, the relative influence of endogenous and exogenous controls on otolith composition must first be validated. Controlled laboratory experiments were conducted on Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus to examine the response of otolith Sr:Ca, Ba:Ca, Mg:Ca, Mn:Ca, and Na:Ca ratios to either constant or periodic hypoxia treatments for 4 and 10 wk, respectively. Although fish somatic growth and condition were …

Post Disturbance Coral Populations: Patterns In Live Cover And Colony Size Classes From Transect Studies In Two Oceans, Claire A. Dolphin

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes data acquired in French Polynesia in the Pacific and The Bahamas (Atlantic), both oceans affected by recent, well documented and sequential disturbances. For the purposes of this study, a disturbance is defined as a perturbation of environmental, physical or biological conditions that causes a distinct change in the ecosystem. After several decades of coral bleaching events, biological change, and anthropogenic impacts, rapid assessments of the coral community were accomplished by collecting photo-transects across the reefs to extract size structure of the corals, percent live tissue cover and perform a faunal evaluation. Cluster analyses and spatial autocorrelation tests …

Palytoxin Poisoning Via Inhalation In Pediatric Siblings, Martha M. Rumore, Blaine M. Houst

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Introduction: Several cases of palytoxin poisoning have occurred during cleaning of aquariums.

Case Report: We report a case of palytoxin inhalational toxicity in pediatric siblings following secondary exposure to vapors from cleaning of an aquarium containing Zoanthids. Symptoms included fever, tachycardia, leukocytosis and elevated lactic dehydrogenase. Both patients received supportive treatment in the pediatric intensive care unit and were discharged after 48 hours. Symptoms also occurred in children’s parents including cleaning attendant.

Conclusion: Herein, we present a rare case of inhalational toxicity from palytoxin.

Evaluating Trends In Valve Shape In Eunotia By Comparing Fossil And Modern Species, Jordan Bishop-Genovesi

Environmental Studies Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Integrating Societal Perspectives And Values For Improved Stewardship Of A Coastal Ecosystem Engineer, Steven B. Scyphers, J. Steven Picou, Robert D. Brumbaugh, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Oyster reefs provide coastal societies with a vast array of ecosystem services, but are also destructively harvested as an economically and culturally important fishery resource, exemplifying a complex social-ecological system (SES). Historically, societal demand for oysters has led to destructive and unsustainable levels of harvest, which coupled with multiple other stressors has placed oyster reefs among the most globally imperiled coastal habitats. However, more recent studies have demonstrated that large-scale restoration is possible and that healthy oyster populations can be sustained with effective governance and stewardship. However, both of these require significant societal support or financial investment. In our study, …

Coastal Trapped Waves, Alongshore Pressure Gradients, And The California Undercurrent, Thomas Connolly, Barbara Hickey, Igor Shulman, Richard Thomson

Faculty Publications

The California Undercurrent (CUC), a poleward-flowing feature over the continental slope, is a key transport pathway along the west coast of North America and an important component of regional upwelling dynamics. This study examines the poleward undercurrent and alongshore pressure gradients in the northern California Current System (CCS), where local wind stress forcing is relatively weak. The dynamics of the undercurrent are compared in the primitive equation Navy Coastal Ocean Model and a linear coastal trapped wave model. Both models are validated using hydrographic data and current-meter observations in the core of the undercurrent in the northern CCS. In the …

Degradable Plastics And Their Potential To Affect Solid Waste Systems, Krista L. Thyberg, David J. Tonjes

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

Plastic waste forms a substantial part of municipal solid waste and has caused environmental concerns, particularly due to chemical contamination of the environment and effects from persistent litter. Plastics also complicate waste management processes, such as by having poor recovery rates through recycling, and causing contamination in composting operations. One potential means to address some of these challenges is through degradable plastics which, unlike conventional plastics, are designed to decompose at an accelerated rate in specific environments. Degradable plastics aim to address the end-of-life of plastic products and are intended to reduce the environmental impacts associated with their use and …