Marine Biology Commons^™

Oyster Bed Mapping In The Great Bay Estuary, 2012-2013, Raymond E. Grizzle, Krystin M. Ward

PREP Reports & Publications

Six major oyster beds (reefs) in New Hampshire are mapped periodically to assess wild oyster populations in the Great Bay Estuary. Data on the spatial extent of the beds are combined with density and other measures to estimate the abundances of live oysters. The first objective of the present project was to determine the spatial extent of these six oyster beds, and to compare the 2012/2013 data with previous mapping efforts. A second objective was twofold: to map the extent of live oyster bottom at selected recent oyster restoration sites, and to map areas where oyster beds have been known …

The Embryonic Transcriptome Of The Red-Eared Slider Turtle (Trachemys Scripta), Nicholas J. Kaplinsky, Scott F. Gilbert, J. Cebra-Thomas, K. Lilleväli, M. Saare, Eric Yanbo Chang , '13, Hannah Elizabeth Edelman , '12, Melissa Afton Frick , '12, Yin Guan , '13, Rebecca Ming Hammond , '13, Nicholas Henry Hampilos , '13, David Selassie Bampo Opoku , '12, Karim Sariahmed , '13, Eric Alan Sherman , '13, Ray Hess Bair Watson , '13

Biology Faculty Works

The bony shell of the turtle is an evolutionary novelty not found in any other group of animals, however, research into its formation has suggested that it has evolved through modification of conserved developmental mechanisms. Although these mechanisms have been extensively characterized in model organisms, the tools for characterizing them in non-model organisms such as turtles have been limited by a lack of genomic resources. We have used a next generation sequencing approach to generate and assemble a transcriptome from stage 14 and 17 Trachemys scripta embryos, stages during which important events in shell development are known to take place. …

Ontogenetic Scaling Of The Olfactory Antennae And Flicking Behavior Of The Shore Crab, Hemigrapsus Oregonensis, Lindsay D. Waldrop

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Malacostracan crustaceans such as crabs flick antennae with arrays of olfactory sensilla called aesthetascs through the water to sense odors. Flicking by crabs consists of a quick downstroke, in which aesthetascs are deflected laterally (splayed), and a slower, reversed return stroke, in which aesthetascs clump together. This motion causes water to be flushed within and then held in between aesthetascs to deliver odor molecules to olfactory receptors. Although this odor sampling method relies on a narrow range of speeds, sizes, and specific arrangements of aesthetascs, most crabs dramatically change these during ontogeny. In this study, the morphometrics of the aesthetascs, …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns In Macrofaunal Diversity Components Relative To Sea Floor Landscape, Roman Zajac, Brittney R. Gibbons, Joseph M. Vozarik

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

We examined temporal changes in macrofaunal α- and β-diversity over several spatial scales (within patches, among patches, across landscapes and across regions) in Long Island Sound on the northeast USA coast. Regional ε-diversity was estimated at 144 taxa, however γ-diversity fluctuated over time as did α- and β-diversity components. Based on additive partitioning, patch- and region-scale β-diversity components generally had the highest contributions to γ-diversity; lower percentages were found at within-patch and landscape scales. Multiplicative diversity partitioning indicated highest species turnover at within- and among patch scales. For all partition results, within-patch and patch-scale β-diversity increased sharply when hypoxia impacted …

Estudios Científicos En El Estado De Hidalgo Y Zonas Aledañas, Volumen Ii, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott Monks

Zea E-Books Collection

Los 16 capítulos que conforman este libro son una contribución al conocimiento de la biodiversidad y conservación de los recursos naturales en el estado de Hidalgo, México.

Se aborda el derecho de propiedad intelectual en la biodiversidad, citando algunos ejemplos de México. Así mismo, se presenta un estudio de la biodiversidad y distribución de la herpetofauna en cuatro tipos de vegetación. Desde el punto de vista de la helmintología se presentan dos estudios de los helmintos parásitos de vertebrados silvestres; con nuevos registros de hospederos y localidades de algunas especies de helmintos para Hidalgo. También, se aborda el uso de …

Abundance, Distribution, And Habitat Of The Threatened Minnows Campostoma Ornatum And Notropis Chihuahua In The Trans-Pecos Region Of Texas, Seiji Miyazono, Christopher M. Taylor

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Rio Grande and its tributaries in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas have been impacted by a variety of anthropogenic activities such as dewatering and the introduction of nonnative species. These environmental manipulations have negatively affected the native fishes leading to extirpations and declining populations throughout the region. Campostoma ornatum and Notropis chihuahua inhabit tributary streams of the Rio Grande in the Trans-Pecos region and are considered as state-listed threatened species. Little is known about their status and ecological requirements in the region. We hypothesized that the distribution and abundance of these threatened minnows in these spring-fed habitats can be …

Assessing Physiological Thresholds For Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L.) Survival In The Face Of Climate Change, Carolyn Jane Ewers

Master's Theses

Seagrasses are well known for the important ecological roles they play in coastal marine waters worldwide. However, the severe rate of decline observed in seagrasses this century is expected to accelerate with climate change. Conservation efforts can be improved by quantifying physiological thresholds of seagrasses and using these estimates in modeling to forecast changes in distribution. This study examines the response of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) across current temperatures to look for early warning signs of vulnerability and to evaluate the ways we determine critical thresholds for survival. Whole eelgrass ramets, collected from three beds in Morro Bay, California, …

The Effect Of Temperature On Phenotypes Of The Invasive European Green Crab: Physiologic Mechanisms That Facilitate Invasion Success, Amanda Kelley

Dissertations and Theses

Invasion physiology is an emerging field that endeavors to understand the influence of physiological traits on the establishment of non-native species in novel environments. The invasive European green crab,Carcinus maenas, is one of the world's most successful aquatic invaders, and is currently distributed across temperate marine ecosystems globally. The work presented here explored the thermal physiology of this species, and has highlighted several physiological traits that have likely influenced establishment success.

Intraspecific comparisons of crabs sampled from the northern and southern edges of their recipient, or invaded range on the west coast of North America have identified both organismal and …

Fish And Decapod Community Structure In Estuarine Habitats Of The New Orleans Land Bridge, Including A Description Of The Life Cycle Of Tarpon (Megalops Atlanticus) In Southeastern Louisiana, William Stein Iii

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Estuarine marshes are generally considered to be productive but not necessarily diverse ecosystems. During 24 consecutive months, I collected 65,000 fishes and decapods comprising over 65 species from the New Orleans Land Bridge, an estuarine salt marsh. My research details the distribution of nekton across five contiguous but geomorphically different regions, which I defined as “Areas”. This factor “Area” was significant in explaining community composition differences in 11 of the 24 months I evaluated. That is, during those 11 months community structure was different among the Areas. Specific “month” was also found to be a significant factor as community structure …

Generalized Additive Models Used To Predict Species Abundance In The Gulf Of Mexico: An Ecosystem Modeling Tool, Michael Drexler, Cameron H. Ainsworth

C-IMAGE Publications

Spatially explicit ecosystem models of all types require an initial allocation of biomass, often in areas where fisheries independent abundance estimates do not exist. A generalized additive modelling (GAM) approach is used to describe the abundance of 40 species groups (i.e. functional groups) across the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) using a large fisheries independent data set (SEAMAP) and climate scale oceanographic conditions. Predictor variables included in the model are chlorophyll a, sediment type, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and depth. Despite the presence of a large number of zeros in the data, a single GAM using a negative binomial distribution was suitable …

Isolation And Partial Characterization Of Bioactive Fucoxanthin From Himanthalia Elongata Brown Seaweed: A Tlc-Based Approach, Gaurav Rajauria, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Seaweeds are important sources of carotenoids, and numerous studies have shown the beneficial effects of these pigments on human health. In the present study, Himanthalia elongata brown seaweed was extracted with a mixture of low polarity solvents, and the crude extract was separated using analytical thin-layer chromatography (TLC).The separated compounds were tested for their potential antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes bacteria using TLC bioautography approach. For bio-autography, the coloured band on TLC chromatogram was visualized after spraying with DPPH and triphenyltetrazolium chloride reagents which screen antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds, respectively, and only one active compound was screened …

Does Presence Of A Mid-Ocean Ridge Enhance Biomass And Biodiversity?, Imants G. Priede, Odd Aksel Bergstad, Peter I. Miller, M. Vecchione, Andrey Gebruk, Tone Falkenhaug, David S. M. Billett, Jessica Craig, Andrew C. Dale, Mark A. Shields, Gavin H. Tilstone, Tracey Sutton, Andrew J. Gooday, Mark E. Inall, Daniel O. B. Jones, Victor Martinez-Vicente, Gui Menezes, Tomasz Niedzielski, Thorsteinn Sigurdsson, Nina Rothe, Antonina Rogacheva, Claudia H. S. Alt, Timothy Brand, Richard Abell, Andrew S. Brierley, Nicola J. Cousins, Deborah Crockard, A. Rus Hoelzel, Age Hoines, Tom B. Letessier, Jane F. Read, Tracy Shimmield, Martin J. Cox, John K. Galbraith, John D. M. Gordon, Tammy Horton, Francis Neat, Pascal Lorance

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

In contrast to generally sparse biological communities in open-ocean settings, seamounts and ridges are perceived as areas of elevated productivity and biodiversity capable of supporting commercial fisheries. We investigated the origin of this apparent biological enhancement over a segment of the North Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) using sonar, corers, trawls, traps, and a remotely operated vehicle to survey habitat, biomass, and biodiversity. Satellite remote sensing provided information on flow patterns, thermal fronts, and primary production, while sediment traps measured export flux during 2007–2010. The MAR, 3,704,404 km² in area, accounts for 44.7% lower bathyal habitat (800–3500 m depth) in the …

As The Seas Rise: How Coastal Plants And Animals Will Be Affected By Sea Level Rise, Linda Walters, Sydney Katz

CEELAB Children's Books

Lottie the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Marshall and Marsha Marshgrass, and Ollie the Eastern Oyster are here to tell their stories. You'll learn about each of them and how their futures are threatened by sea level rise. So read this book, and get to know your coastline!

The Effects Of Refuge On Escape Responses Of Two Caribbean Goby Species, Russell P. Dauksis

Senior Honors Projects

The Effects of Refuge Abundance on Escape Responses of the Bridled Goby (Coryphopterus glaucofraenum)

Russell P. Dauksis

Major

Marine Biology

Advisor

Dr. Graham Forrester

Advisor Department

Natural Resources Science

Date

5-2012

Keywords

Escapology, marine ecology, functional morphology, animal behavior, predator-prey interactions, Bridled Goby, Coryphopterus glaucofraenum

Abstract

Interactions between predators and prey species are arguably the most pervasive and important events in ecology. Predators have strong effects on the distribution and abundance of prey in virtually all environments. In the long-term, it is therefore hardly surprising that selective mortality imposed by predators has shaped a wide array of prey behaviors …

Genetic Structure In The Coral, Montastraea Cavernosa: Assessing Genetic Differentiation Among And Within Mesophotic Reefs, Daniel A. Brazeau, Michael P. Lesser, Marc Slattery

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Mesophotic coral reefs (30–150 m) have recently received increased attention as a potential source of larvae (e.g., the refugia hypothesis) to repopulate a select subset of the shallow water (,30 m) coral fauna. To test the refugia hypothesis we used highly polymorphic Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers as a means to assess small-scale genetic heterogeneity between geographic locations and across depth clines in the Caribbean coral, Montastraea cavernosa. Zooxanthellae-free DNA extracts of coral samples (N = 105) were analyzed from four depths, shallow (3–10 m), medium (15– 25 m), deep (30–50 m) and very deep (60–90 m) from Little …

Habitat Characterization, Habitat Use And Associated Growth Of Juvenile Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion Nebulosus) In A Mississippi Bay System: Implications For Stock Enhancement Practices, Joseph Read Hendon

Dissertations

The spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is the most targeted recreational fishery species in Mississippi coastal waters. Consequently, the Seatrout Population Enhancement Cooperative stock enhancement program was initiated to investigate methods for supplementing this heavily exploited population. Given ecological data needs for both wild and hatchery-reared (HR) juveniles of the species, habitat mapping, directed sampling and a caging study were conducted. Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), oyster shell and non-vegetated substrates were mapped at water depths < 2 m in Point aux Chenes Bay, Mississippi, using a sidescan sonar, which provided more accurate estimations of habitat coverage, particularly for SAV, compared to point-based sampling. Applying habitat strata delineated from sidescan mapping, late-juvenile spotted seatrout [125 - 275 mm total length (TL)] were sampled in SAV, marsh-edge and non-vegetated habitats as part of a seasonal gill net survey conducted in 2011 and 2012. Spotted seatrout ranging from 138 to 485 mm TL were collected using a smallmesh gill net, and 65% of collected individuals fell within the targeted late-juvenile size range. Overall mean catch-per-unit-effort of C. nebulosus did not differ for abundance or biomass between years, but both metrics were significantly higher in SAV habitats. Employing cage enclosures that …

Community Metrics And Trophic Dynamics In Tidal Creeks In An Anthropogenically Fragmented, Coastal Landscape, Michael Robert Lowe

Dissertations

Salt marsh landscapes are among the most anthropogenically altered ecosystems in the world. Urbanization (i.e., accumulation of impervious cover and man made structrues) of the coastal landscape can disrupt the delivery of numerous ecosystem services. Among the many services provided by salt marsh habitats, they serves as the primary habitats for distinct macroinfauna (i.e., benthic and epibenthic macrofauna) and nekton (i.e., fish and decapod crustaceans) assemblages. In this dissertation, I used a number of metrics to test the overarching hypothesis that coastal urbanization has negative consequences for salt marsh faunal assemblages. Chapter I uses a landscape ecology approach to show …

A Springtime Source Of Toxic Pseudo-Nitzschia Cells On Razor Clam Beaches In The Pacific Northwest, Barbara Hickey, Vera Trainer, P. Kosro, Nicolaus Adams, Thomas Connolly, Nancy Kachel, Susan Geier

Faculty Publications

Concentrations of domoic acid (DA) above the regulatory limit in Washington coast razor clams are usually higher on northern beaches from summer to fall. Recent field studies have confirmed that the primary source of toxic Pseudo-nitzschia (PN) cells in those seasons is a semi-retentive topographically trapped seasonal eddy located offshore and north of the clamming beaches. Another semi-retentive coastal feature, Heceta Bank, that has been shown to support toxic PN cells in summer, is located south of Washington’s clamming beaches. In this paper we present evidence to demonstrate that Heceta Bank, although not a likely source of toxic cells to …

Comparative Visual Function In Predatory Fishes From The Indian River Lagoon, D. Michelle Mccomb, Stephen M. Kajiura, Andrij Horodysky, Tamara M. Frank

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Visual temporal resolution and spectral sensitivity of three coastal teleost species (common snook [Centropomus undecimalis], gray snapper [Lutjanus griseus], and pinfish [Lagodon rhomboides]) were investigated by electroretinogram. Temporal resolution was quantified under photopic and scotopic conditions using response waveform dynamics and maximum critical flicker fusion frequency (CFF_max). Photopic CFF_max was significantly higher than scotopic CFF_max in all species. The snapper had the shortest photoreceptor response latency time (26.7 ms) and the highest CFF_max (47 Hz), suggesting that its eyes are adapted for a brighter photic environment. In contrast, the …

Scottish Nephrops Survey Phase Iii: Evaluation Of Measures For Reducing Bycatch And Discards In A Nephrops Fishery, Rosanna Milligan, Amaya Albalat, Douglas Neil

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.