Fauna, Flora, And Land Cover Changes Over The Last Two Decades In The Mobile-Tensaw River Delta,
2024
University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
Fauna, Flora, And Land Cover Changes Over The Last Two Decades In The Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, Gabriel De Oliveria, Steven R. Schultze, Guilherme Mataveli
Technical Reports
A technical report documenting ecosystem changes to the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta region due to urban expansion over approximately two decades (2001-2019).
199965,
2024
Nova Southeastern University
199965, David Kerstetter
PERC Albacore sPAT Data
Datasets (and supporting material) from 4sPAT electronic tags deployed on albacore caught by pelagic longline gear in the western North Atlantic.
199953,
2024
Nova Southeastern University
199953, David Kerstetter
PERC Albacore sPAT Data
Datasets (and supporting material) from 4sPAT electronic tags deployed on albacore caught by pelagic longline gear in the western North Atlantic.
199949,
2024
Nova Southeastern University
199949, David Kerstetter
PERC Albacore sPAT Data
Datasets (and supporting material) from 4sPAT electronic tags deployed on albacore caught by pelagic longline gear in the western North Atlantic.
199946,
2024
Nova Southeastern University
199946, David W. Kerstetter
PERC Albacore sPAT Data
Datasets (and supporting material) from 4sPAT electronic tags deployed on albacore caught by pelagic longline gear in the western North Atlantic.
Using Single Cell Genomics To Explore The Impact Of Marine Viruses On Microbial Respiration.,
2024
University of Connecticut - Storrs
Using Single Cell Genomics To Explore The Impact Of Marine Viruses On Microbial Respiration., Paxton Tomko
MCB Articles
Viral metabolic reprograming of marine prokaryotes, through the use of virally encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), plays a critical role in marine ecosystem function by influencing biochemical cycles and genetic diversity in these environments. Despite the fundamental role viruses play in global environmental ecosystems, they remain an understudied aspect of microbial ecology and evolution, in part due to the methods available for studying virus host interactions in natural systems. Thus far, metagenomic analyses have been used to study the interactions of virus host pairs, but these types of analyses have their limitations in accurately linking viruses to hosts, or culture-based …
Late Summer Plankton Community Variation In Near Shore Environments,
2024
University of San Diego
Late Summer Plankton Community Variation In Near Shore Environments, Aidan Jacobs-Walker
Copley Library Undergraduate Research Awards
Phytoplankton communities have profound impacts on ecosystem health and function. In the Southern California Bight, hydrographic conditions play a key role in determining the composition of phytoplankton communities. This study conducted hydrographic and plankton community analyses of the nearshore environment off Dana Point, California, during late September. Similar to other studies in the SCB during fall, we observed weakly stratified, oligotrophic waters dominated by dinoflagellates under 10 μm. However, the recorded plankton abundances onshore vs. offshore deviated from the “green ribbon” typical of the SCB, in which phytoplankton are much more abundant onshore than offshore. Additionally, while the onshore community …
Spatial Variation In Mercury Contamination In Freshwater Fish Species Across Rhode Island,
2024
Roger Williams University
Spatial Variation In Mercury Contamination In Freshwater Fish Species Across Rhode Island, David L. Taylor, Brianna Lotti, Jonathan Serbst, Jim Lake, Alan Libby, Mariel Sorlien
Student Research Symposium
Fish provide essential nutrients and proteins beneficial to human health, yet may pose certain risks due to contaminants in edible tissues. For example, mercury (Hg) is a widespread toxicant that bioaccumulates in fish muscle (filet) tissue. Accordingly, federal and state government agencies issue consumption advisories to minimize diet related Hg exposure. Fish consumption advisories, however, often fail to account for small-scale spatial variations in Hg contamination, especially in freshwater fishes. This study examined site-specific Hg concentrations in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), pumpkinseed sunfish (L. gibbosus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), chain pickerel (Esox niger), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens), all of …
Maternal Mercury Transfer From Pregnant Spiny (Squalus Acanthias) And Smooth (Mustelus Canis) Dogfish To Their Pups Through Differing Reproductive Strategies,
2024
Roger Williams University
Maternal Mercury Transfer From Pregnant Spiny (Squalus Acanthias) And Smooth (Mustelus Canis) Dogfish To Their Pups Through Differing Reproductive Strategies, David L. Taylor, Maxwell Ajemian, Abrielle Remick
Student Research Symposium
Mercury (Hg) is a bioaccumulative contaminant that can be transferred from pregnant females to developing embryos (i.e., intrauterine maternal Hg transfer); thus, leading to health deficits in offspring. This study examined Hg transfer in the ovoviviparous spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and viviparous smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis). Female dogfish were collected from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island Sound, and Block Island Sound via rod & reel, gillnet, and trawling. In the laboratory, intrauterine pups were excised from pregnant dogfish, after which samples of mother and pup muscle tissue were analyzed for total Hg concentrations ([Hg] in ppm dry weight) using automated atomic-absorption …
Mercury Content In The Baleen Plates Of Rorqual Whales,
2024
Roger Williams University
Mercury Content In The Baleen Plates Of Rorqual Whales, David L. Taylor, Ava Cieplinkski, Max Ajemian, Matthew Savoca
Student Research Symposium
Mercury is a persistent environmental contaminant posing significant risks to wildlife health due to its propensity for bioaccumulation in organismal tissues. This study investigated total mercury concentrations in the baleen plates of rorqual whales (Family Balaenopteridae), specifically the Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), Blue whale (B. musculus), and Rice’s whale (B. ricei). Archived baleen samples were sourced from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and analyzed for total mercury (Hg) content (ppm dry weight) using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Male Fin and Blue whales from the Antarctic, South Pacific region (1947-1948), with body lengths ranging from 21 to 24 m, exhibited …
The Methane-Oxidizing Microbial Communities Of Three Maar Lakes In Tropical Monsoon Asia,
2024
University of Santo Tomas, Manila
The Methane-Oxidizing Microbial Communities Of Three Maar Lakes In Tropical Monsoon Asia, Iona Eunice C. Bicaldo, Karol Sophia Agape R. Padilla, Tzu Hsuan Tu, Wan Ting Chen, Milette U. Mendoza-Pascual, Carmela Vannette B. Vicera, Justine R. De Leon, Kamille N. Poblete, Eleanor S. Austria, Mark Louie D. Lopez, Yuki Kobayashi, Fuh Kwo Shiah, Rey Donne S. Papa, Noboru Okuda, Pei Ling Wang, Li Hung Lin
Environmental Science Faculty Publications
Methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) is a group of planktonic microorganisms that use methane as their primary source of cellular energy. For tropical lakes in monsoon Asia, there is currently a knowledge gap on MOB community diversity and the factors influencing their abundance. Herewith, we present a preliminary assessment of the MOB communities in three maar lakes in tropical monsoon Asia using Catalyzed Reporter Deposition, Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization (CARD-FISH), 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and pmoA gene sequencing. Correlation analysis between MOB abundances and lakes’ physicochemical parameters following seasonal monsoon events were performed to explain observed spatial and temporal patterns in MOB diversity. …
Short-Term Temporal Trends Of A Coral Reef In Samana (Dominican Republic): The Value Of A Permanent Monitoring Program To Identify Drivers Of Rapid Change,
2024
The Nature Conservancy, Caribbean Division
Short-Term Temporal Trends Of A Coral Reef In Samana (Dominican Republic): The Value Of A Permanent Monitoring Program To Identify Drivers Of Rapid Change, Aldo Croquer, Someira Zambrano, D. Yasmín Evangelista-Perez, Samuel King, Sergio Guendulain-Garcia, Maria F Villalpando, Rita Sellares-Blasco
Gulf and Caribbean Research
Permanent monitoring programs are valuable to identify drivers of ecosystem trends. For example, in 2021, we reported the first record of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (sctld) along the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, affecting major reef—building coral species with a prevalence above 30%. However, a few sites such as Carenero remained unaffected by sctld for almost 2 years. The average coral cover in this site was about 18—25% (mean 18.3% ± sd 1.5), and disease prevalence did not exceed 7% in the coral community. During the first quarter of 2022, a few colonies (
Quantifying Public Support For Culling Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster Spp.) On The Great Barrier Reef,
2024
James Cook University
Quantifying Public Support For Culling Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster Spp.) On The Great Barrier Reef, Stewart Lockie, Henry A. Bartelet, Brent W. Ritchie, Lintje Sie, Gillian Paxton
Quantitative Methods and Information Technology Faculty Publications
Population surges of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) (Acanthaster spp.) are a leading cause of coral cover loss on Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR). While COTS culling has been undertaken since 2012 little is known about how the public perceive COTS culling or how perceptions vary among social groups. Drawing on survey data collected in 2018 and 2022 we test the relative influence of demographic variables, social and institutional variables, and beliefs concerning the risks and benefits of culling, on public acceptance for the culling of COTS on the GBR. In contrast with previous research suggesting a polarization of views, we found …
A Preliminary Investigation Of Adherence To Shell Length Regulations And Adaptive Capacity Of The Turneffe Atoll Queen Conch (Aliger Gigas) Fishery, Belize,
2024
Boston University
A Preliminary Investigation Of Adherence To Shell Length Regulations And Adaptive Capacity Of The Turneffe Atoll Queen Conch (Aliger Gigas) Fishery, Belize, Elsa M. K. Brenner, Vincent Sollitto, Vincent Baribeau, Rebecca Branconi, Paul Simonin
Gulf and Caribbean Research
No abstract provided.
Lessons From An Iconic Grouper: Sex, Science, And Serendipity,
2024
University of Hong Kong
Lessons From An Iconic Grouper: Sex, Science, And Serendipity, Yvonne J. Sadovy De Mitcheson
Gulf and Caribbean Research
From a common little damselfish and spectacular grouper aggregations, to disappearing reef fishes and the dark side of the international seafood trade, my journey has passed through a fascinating and worrying period of change in the way we view and treat our oceans. Although much of my career has been in the Indo—Pacific, I focus here mainly on my professional ‘roots’ in the Caribbean and on the Nassau Grouper Epinephelus striatus, a species that kept me curious, taught me patience, never to assume and always to stay hopeful. This fish is almost an obsession; why can we not better safeguard …
The Influence Of Intracellular Photosymbiosis On The Evolution And Function Of Cnidarian Immunity,
2024
University of Texas at Arlington
The Influence Of Intracellular Photosymbiosis On The Evolution And Function Of Cnidarian Immunity, Madison A. Emery
Biology Dissertations - Archive
Intracellular photosymbiosis with Symbiodiniaceae is facilitated by cnidarian immunity as it is required for symbiont recognition and is subsequently suppressed to maintain stable intracellular symbiosis. To date, it is unclear how the cnidarian-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis influences immune gene repertoires, immune gene expression, and disease pathology across its independent evolutions. To address these knowledge gaps, my dissertation approaches studying the cnidarian-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis through a comparative lens to determine how it shapes immune gene evolution and immune responses in divergent symbiotic cnidarian species. In chapter two I survey eight non-symbiotic and seven symbiotic cnidarians proteomes for four families of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) …
Coral Scar Investigation: An Application Of Machine Learning And Computational Biology Methods To Understand Coral Holobiont Response To Various Tissue Loss Diseases,
2024
University of Texas at Arlington
Coral Scar Investigation: An Application Of Machine Learning And Computational Biology Methods To Understand Coral Holobiont Response To Various Tissue Loss Diseases, Emily W. Van Buren
Biology Dissertations - Archive
Coral disease is one of the biggest challenges facing coral reefs that actively changes biodiversity resulting in coral decline. With the rising threat of diseases, corals require biomarkers that reflect the immune systems and differences between common coral tissue loss diseases to best assist in coral restoration efforts. To obtain these biomarkers, my dissertation leverages two previously published datasets from two tissue loss disease exposure studies to investigate genes that are relevant for coral immune pathways, disease susceptibility, and classification between the diseases. In Chapter 2, I use comparative computational biology tools and protein assays to identify the melanin cascade …
Corals In Crisis: A Transcriptomic Investigation Of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease,
2024
University of Texas at Arlington
Corals In Crisis: A Transcriptomic Investigation Of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, Kelsey M. Beavers
Biology Dissertations - Archive
Coral reefs face existential threats due to climate change and human activities. The combined effects of ocean warming, overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction have fundamentally altered the functionality of coral reefs and are driving a drastic increase in the prevalence and severity of coral disease outbreaks. Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has emerged one of the most devastating disturbances to Caribbean reef ecosystems on record. Despite notable progress, the cellular mechanisms driving SCTLD pathogenesis remain poorly understood. To address this issue, my dissertation investigates the gene expression, histopathology, immune protein activity, and symbiont community dynamics involved in SCTLD progression …
Characterizing The Habitat Use Of Pacific Coast Feeding Group Gray Whales (Eschrichtius Robustus) And The Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Their Benthic And Planktonic Invertebrate Prey In Northern California,
2024
Cal Poly Humboldt
Characterizing The Habitat Use Of Pacific Coast Feeding Group Gray Whales (Eschrichtius Robustus) And The Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Their Benthic And Planktonic Invertebrate Prey In Northern California, Robyn E. Norman
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
As opportunistic foragers, the Eastern North Pacific population (~20,000) of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) feed on diverse benthic and planktonic invertebrates in northern Alaska foraging grounds before they undertake one of the largest yearly migrations of any mammal to breed in Baja California, Mexico. While most of the population travels to the summer foraging grounds in Alaska, a sub-group of whales (~230) called the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) summer between British Columbia, Canada, and northern California. The diet of PCFG whales typically includes high-density and/or high-caloric prey items like mysids and diverse species of amphipods, yet a …
Using Biological Parameters And Traditional Ecological Knowledge To Study The Status Of Spirinchus Starksi (Night Smelt) In Northern California,
2024
Cal Poly Humboldt
Using Biological Parameters And Traditional Ecological Knowledge To Study The Status Of Spirinchus Starksi (Night Smelt) In Northern California, Z. Zenobia
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Night smelt spawns from central California to southeast Alaska, on the shore of sandy beach surf zones at night. This species is a vital part of regional food webs and, in California, is fished commercially primarily in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. It has cultural importance for dietary and subsistence needs to the Tribes across the coast, as well as inland. The objectives of this thesis are as follow: study the status of the population of night smelt in Humboldt and Del Norte counties by (A) comparing the abundance, length, weight, age, sex ratio, and timing of reproduction of the …
