Marine Biology Commons^™

Using Stable Isotope Analysis To Study Zooplankton Trophic Ecology In San Francisco Estuary, Steven C. Westbrook, Julien Moderan, Wim Kimmerer

STAR Program Research Presentations

Zooplankton biomasses in estuaries are often high and represent an important food source for fish, like theendangered Delta Smelt. Human interferences (nitrates from crops, freshwater flow alteration, invasive species introduction…) have altered the structure of the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) ecosystem. We use stable isotope analysis to improve our knowledge of the planktonic food web in the SFE and gain insights into its evolution over the past decades. Every living thing has a specific isotopic signature. For example, in the plankton we study exists Carbon 13 and Carbon 12. Carbon 13 is different only because it has one extra neutron, …

Functional Response Of Protected Larval Stage Delta Smelt (Hypomesus Transpacificus), Jorge Ruiz, Lindsay Sullivan, Wim Kimmerer, Joan Lindberg

STAR Program Research Presentations

Delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) is a protected slender-bodied fish endemic to the San Francisco Estuary. Smelt prey upon various zooplankton including the copepods such as Pseudodiaptomus forbesi. This experiment studied the prey maximum feeding rate of 2 larval stages (21 DHP, 35 DPH) of Delta smelt on various concentrations of P. forbesi. The copepod prey was offered at 7 different concentrations (2No./L–120No./L). After feeding was terminated the free prey and ingested prey were counted and analyzed to find the feeding rate of Delta smelt. Maximum feeding rate was found to be at much higher prey densities …

Developing Monitoring Methods For Leptasterias Spp. As Sentinel Species In Detecting Local Environmental Changes, Zachary Sturbaum, Kathryn Nuessly, Riley J. Smith, C. Sarah Cohen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Leptasterias spp., a six-rayed sea star, is found in rocky intertidal habitats ranging from Alaska to central California. Leptasterias spp. can be monitored on a broad scale throughout their range by a variety of means using timed counts and random plot censusing in order to detect both large-scale and local-level changes in the environment due to climate change, land-based human activity, or other environmental events. Leptasterias brood their young externally until the embryos grow into fully developed juveniles. These juveniles disperse by crawling away, limiting their dispersal potential. This localized dispersal provides an opportunity to use Leptasterias spp …

The Bathypelagic Biome Of The Atlantic Ocean: Character And Ecological Discreteness Of The Fish Fauna, Tracey Sutton, Odd Aksel Bergstad, Ann Bucklin, Scott E. Burghart, April B. Cook, Tone Falkenhaug, T. L. Hopkins, F. M. Porteiro, Sigrid Schiel, Joseph J. Torres, M. Vecchione, Peter Wiebe

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

Recent global synthetic analyses have revealed that marine taxonomic inventories are far from complete, nowhere more so than in the deep-pelagic ocean. At over a billion km3, it is the largest biome on Earth, yet only a tiny fraction of the biogeographic records include the bathypelagic fauna. This data gap served as the impetus for recent deepwater surveys, many of which have altered our perceptions of pelagic ecosystems. Here we examine data from four deep-pelagic (0-5000+ m) sampling programs in the Atlantic (60°N-25°S) in order to assess the character of bathypelagic fish communities with respect to faunal distinctiveness and ecological …

Testing The Salinity Tolerance Levels Of Similar Invasive Species Found In The San Francisco Bay, Julia M. Smith, C. Sarah Cohen, Elizabeth Sheets

STAR Program Research Presentations

Testing the salinity tolerance levels of similar invasive species found in the San Francisco Bay

Julia Smith^1,2, Elizabeth Sheets², and C. Sarah Cohen²

¹Department of Teacher Education, California State University, Sacramento ²Department of Biology and Romberg Tiburon Center, San Francisco State University

Three non-indigenous colonial ascidian species, Botrylloides violaceus, Botrylloides diegensis, and Botryllus schlosseri, have become well established in San Francisco Bay. Two species, B. violaceous and B. schlosseri, are globally distributed, and understanding the salinity ranges and tolerances of these successful invaders in their introduced habitats is important for …

The Breathing Of The Bays, Jamie Vaudrey, Margaret (Peg) A. Van_Patten (Editor)

Wrack Lines

Bays in Long Island Sound and beyond have natural rhythms like breathing. Stress can impact the health of these natural ecosystems. While Long Island Sound has been examined for the extent of hypoxia in the summer, small embayments have not been examined carefully. In this article, two researchers investigate the oxygen, or lack of, in small bays of Long Island Sound.

Characterization Of Benthic Communities, Gregory A. Piniak, Shay Viehman, Christine M. Addison, Nicole D. Fogarty

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

The Consumption Of Dha During Embryogenesis As An Indicative Of The Need To Supply Dha During Early Larval Development: A Review, Joana Figueiredo, Junda Lin, Justin Anto, Luis Narciso

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The establishment of an adequate larval diet for crustacean and fish often involves a series of time-consuming and expensive trial and errors. Despite being nutritionally poor, rotifers and Artemia are the most commonly used preys in larviculture. Whether (and to what extent) the prey needs to be enriched with essential fatty acids differs from species to species. We hypothesized that the DHA content of a newly spawned eggs and its consumption through embryogenesis can be a good indicator of the need to enrich the prey with DHA. In order to assess this hypothesis, we performed a search in the scientific …

Likely Effectiveness Of Netting Or Other Capture Programs As A Shark Hazard Mitigation Strategy In Western Australia, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Success And Failure Of Oyster Populations: Periodicities Of Perkinsus Marinus, And Oyster Recruitment, Mortality, And Size, Thomas M. Soniat, John M. Klinck, Eric N. Powell, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

Ten-year time series (1992 to 2002) of salinity, Dermo disease, and size-class structure and mortality measured for an eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) population at a reef in Bay Tambour, Terrebonne Parish, LA, were analyzed using wavelet techniques to determine dominant frequencies and correlations. Along the Gulf Coast of the United States, Dermo disease (caused by Perkinsus marinus) responds to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate signal through its response to salinity. During the La Nina portion of ENSO, decreased rainfall leads to an increase in salinity, which triggers a rise in Dermo disease prevalence and intensity, producing increased oyster mortality. …

The Consumption Of Dha During Embryogenesis As An Indicative Of The Need To Supply Dha During Early Larval Development: A Review, Joana Figueiredo, Junda Lin, Justin Anto, Luis Narciso

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The establishment of an adequate larval diet for crustacean and fish often involves a series of time-consuming and expensive trial and errors. Despite being nutritionally poor, rotifers and Artemia are the most commonly used preys in larviculture. Whether (and to what extent) the prey needs to be enriched with essential fatty acids differs from species to species. We hypothesized that the DHA content of a newly spawned eggs and its consumption through embryogenesis can be a good indicator of the need to enrich the prey with DHA. In order to assess this hypothesis, we performed a search in the scientifc …

Nutritional Content Of Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca Monocerata) Bill Loads, Dustin Taylor, Ron Heintz

STAR Program Research Presentations

Nutritional Content of Rhinoceros Auklet Bill Loads

Dustin E Taylor

Abstract

An adult Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) can only catch and carry a limited amount of prey to their nestlings after a foraging trip. The auklets therefore must maximize their efficiency by bringing back the most proportionally nutritious prey items to their nestlings. The prey carried back to the nesting sites (known as a ‘bill load’) can contain whole fish, as well as parts, most commonly fish heads. This study is aimed to determine whether returning with just heads to the nestlings was proportionally more nutritious than bringing …

Effects Of Pristane On Growth Of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha), Brielle D. Kemis, Bonita Nelson

STAR Program Research Presentations

Pristane is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon that is generated by copepods in marine ecosystems. Organisms that eat copepods do not readily metabolize pristane, which causes it to accumulate throughout the marine food web. Understanding how pristane affects marine fish is essential because pristane is often used as a bioindicator in lab studies and may be influencing results in those studies. Also, this hydrocarbon may significantly reduce growth of marine fish in the wild. A previous study indicated that pristane is an appetite suppressant and growth retardant in fish. However, the study implemented a feeding regime with unnaturally high levels of …

Evaluating Macrobenthic Indicators Of Organic Enrichment And Hypoxia Within The Coastal Mississippi Hypoxic Zone, Daneen P. Menke

Master's Theses

Macrobenthic communities offer effective indicators of biotic integrity, but their use for distinguishing anthropogenic from natural stress is tricky because coastal taxa are eurytolerant. Effective coastal management calls for benthic indicators that respond to specific stressors, apply across different habitats, and reflect ecosystem function. Macrobenthic process metrics based on body-size descriptors should reflect ecosystem function and be useful for assessing the effects of eutrophication. Functional trait analysis should reflect the functional diversity of the community. Coastal Mississippi experienced widespread and sustained hypoxia throughout summer 2008. Site 6 located on the 10-m isobath in the center of the 2008 hypoxic zone …

Phase Speciation Of Carbohydrates And Dioxins In Rivers And Coastal Waters In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Kusumica Mitra

Master's Theses

Dissolved carbohydrates (d-CHO), including monosaccharide (MCHO) and polysaccharides (PCHO), and particulate carbohydrates (p-CHO) are major components of natural organic matter and play an important role in biogeochemical cycles of carbon and other trace elements in marine environments. This study aimed to examine the abundance and partitioning of CHO between dissolved and particulate phases and their seasonal variations in the Mississippi Sound/Bight and Lake Pontchartrain. Laboratory mixing experiments were also carried out to examine the behaviour of CHO species along a salinity gradient. The phase partitioning of dioxin among three different phases, i.e., colloidal organic matter, particulate organic matter and sediments, …

Determining The Trophic Role Of Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia Patronus) Using Carbon And Nitrogen Stable Isotopes, Zachary Olsen

Master's Theses

Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) play multiple roles in the Gulf of Mexico coastal ecosystem as filter feeders and as an important food source for many recreationally and economically important finfish. Gulf menhaden also support a large commercial fishery, and little is known about the impact of fishing on the role of this species as a filter feeder in the food web. This study examines the spatial, temporal and ontogenetic dynamics of food selectivity and trophic role observed in Gulf menhaden. The most important dietary item for juvenile fish was found to be phytoplankton (75.7% dietary composition) while that of subadults …

Anode Material Testing For Marine Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells, Andrew John Quaid

Master's Theses

Research on the power production of the microbial fuel cell has increased in the past decade. The sediment microbial fuel cell is a type of fuel cell that uses the environment of submerged sediments to provide a natural voltage difference. The fuel cell is comprised of an anode buried in the sediment and a cathode that is held in the overlying water column. The process of electron transfer to the anode is catalyzed by anaerobic bacteria in the sediment. The anaerobic bacteria have that are able to catalyze the electron transfer have been termed exoelectrogenic. The increase in scientific research …

A Multi-Gene Phylogeny Of Cephalopoda Supports Convergent Morphological Evolution In Association With Multiple Habitat Shifts In The Marine Environment, Annie R. Lindgren, Molly S. Pankey, Frederick G. Hochberg, Todd H. Oakley

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The marine environment is comprised of numerous divergent organisms living under similar selective pressures, often resulting in the evolution of convergent structures such as the fusiform body shape of pelagic squids, fishes, and some marine mammals. However, little is known about the frequency of, and circumstances leading to, convergent evolution in the open ocean. Here, we present a comparative study of the molluscan class Cephalopoda, a marine group known to occupy habitats from the intertidal to the deep sea. Several lineages bear features that may coincide with a benthic or pelagic existence, making this a valuable group for testing hypotheses …

Bait Effects In Sampling Coral Reef Fish Assemblages With Stereo-Bruvs, Stacey R. Dorman, Euan S. Harvey, Stephen J. Newman

Fisheries Research Articles

Baited underwater video techniques are increasingly being utilised for assessing and monitoring demersal fishes because they are: 1) non extractive, 2) can be used to sample across multiple habitats and depths, 3) are cost effective, 4) sample a broader range of species than many other techniques, 5) and with greater statistical power. However, an examination of the literature demonstrates that a range of different bait types are being used. The use of different types of bait can create an additional source of variability in sampling programs. Coral reef fish assemblages at the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia, were sampled using …

Shellfish Tissue Monitoring In Piscataqua Region Estuaries 2010 And 2011, New Hampshire Department Of Environmental Services, Matthew A. Wood, Philip R. Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

The goal of this project was to provide data for two PREP indicators of estuarine condition: TOX1 and TOX3. These two indicators report on “Shellfish tissue concentrations relative to FDA standards” and “Trends in shellfish tissue contaminant concentrations”, respectively. Both of these indicators depend on data from the Gulfwatch Program. In particular, TOX3 requires annual data at benchmark sites to assess trends. In 2010 and 2011, PREP supported the collection and analysis of tissue samples from benchmark mussel sites in Hampton-Seabrook Harbor and Dover Point.