Spatial And Seasonal Patterns Of Above- And Belowground Vegetation Biomass And Potential Drivers In The Pascagoula River Delta, Ms,
2021
The University of Southern Mississippi
Spatial And Seasonal Patterns Of Above- And Belowground Vegetation Biomass And Potential Drivers In The Pascagoula River Delta, Ms, Evan Grimes
Master's Theses
Coastal wetlands provide a valuable wealth of services to the greater coastal ecosystem and human communities. However, threats such as sea level rise and conservation projects, such as freshwater diversions, have the potential to alter coastal wetlands in different ways. In this thesis, I describe the effects of inundation and nitrogen on vegetation productivity using a field-sampling approach and an in situ controlled mesocosm experiment, called a marsh organ. The West Channel of the Pascagoula River contained significantly higher belowground biomass than the East Channel, which is more anthropogenically modified. Vertical distribution of belowground biomass did not strongly vary between …
Empowering Hope-Based Climate Change Communication Techniques For The Gulf Of Maine,
2021
National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation
Empowering Hope-Based Climate Change Communication Techniques For The Gulf Of Maine, Aimee Bonanno, Megan Ennes, Jennifer A. Hoey, Emily Moberg, Sarah-Mae Nelson, Nette Pletcher, Richelle L. Tanner
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research
The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest warming marine areas on the planet: The industries and creatures that call it home face an unprecedented shift in their interactions and existence. Scientists, policy makers, and practitioners often want to communicate to the public about the seriousness of the situation to encourage mitigation and adaptation. Many standard communication strategies that rely on fear and scientific authority alone—rather than comprehensive explanations that include solutions—can leave audiences feeling overwhelmed and disengaged, instead of hopeful and motivated to act. In this practice bridge, we showcase a social science research-based climate change communication “tool-kit” …
Effects Of Human Footprint And Biophysical Factors On The Body-Size Structure Of Fished Marine Species,
2021
University of Western Australia
Effects Of Human Footprint And Biophysical Factors On The Body-Size Structure Of Fished Marine Species, Nestor E. Bosch, Jacquomo Monk, Jordan Goetze, Shaun K. Wilson, Russell C. Babcock, Neville Barrett, Jock Clough, Leanne M. Currey-Randall, David Fairclough, Rebecca Fisher, Brooke A. Gibbons, David Harasti, Euan S. Harvey, Michelle R. Heupel, Jamie Hicks, Thomas H. Holmes, Charlie Huveneers, Daniel Ierodiaconou, Alan Jordan, Nathan A. Knott, Hamish A. Malcolm, Dianne L. Mclean, Mark G. Meekan, Stephen J. Newman, Ben Radford, Matthew J. Rees, Benjamin J. Saunders, Conrad W. Speed, Michael J. Travers, Corey Wakefield, Thomas Wernberg, Tim Langlois
Fisheries Research Articles
Marine fisheries in coastal ecosystems in many areas of the world have historically removed large-bodied individuals, potentially impairing ecosystem functioning and the long-term sustainability of fish populations. Reporting on size-based indicators that link to food-web structure can contribute to ecosystem-based management, but the application of these indicators over large (cross-ecosystem) geographical scales has been limited to either fisheries-dependent catch data or diver-based methods restricted to shallow waters (<20 m) that can misrepresent the abundance of large-bodied fished species. We obtained data on the body-size structure of 82 recreationally or commercially targeted marine demersal teleosts from 2904 deployments of baited remote underwater stereo-video (stereo-BRUV). Sampling was at up to 50 m depth and covered approximately 10,000 km of the continental shelf of Australia. Seascape relief, water depth, and human gravity (i.e., a proxy of human impacts) were the strongest predictors of the probability of occurrence of large fishes and the abundance of fishes above the minimum legal size of capture. No-take marine reserves had a positive effect on the abundance of fishes above legal size, although the effect varied across species groups. In contrast, sublegal fishes were best predicted by gradients in sea surface temperature (mean and variance). In areas of low human impact, large fishes were about three times more likely to be encountered and fishes of legal size were approximately five times more abundant. For conspicuous species groups with contrasting habitat, environmental, and biogeographic affinities, abundance of legal-size fishes typically declined as human impact increased. Our large-scale quantitative analyses highlight the combined importance of seascape complexity, regions with low human footprint, and no-take marine reserves in protecting large-bodied fishes across a broad range of species and ecosystem configurations.
Investigating Local Adaptation To Hypoxia Stress In The Eastern Oyster Through Comparative Transcriptomics,
2021
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Investigating Local Adaptation To Hypoxia Stress In The Eastern Oyster Through Comparative Transcriptomics, Heather Nichole Smith
LSU Master's Theses
Climate change represents one of the most important challenges to biodiversity, therefore it is important to understand the mechanisms that allow species to respond to rapid environmental change. Here, we compared two populations of eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, from the Gulf of Mexico to study the mechanisms underlying hypoxia tolerance. Using a common garden experiment and comparative transcriptomics, we identified sets of genes involved in the hypoxia response and found differences in both the timing and baseline expression of hypoxia-responsive genes between tolerant and sensitive populations, consistent with a scenario of local adaptation. These genes include the signaling transcription factor …
Testing A Global Standard For Quantifying Species Recovery And Assessing Conservation Impact,
2021
University of Oxford
Testing A Global Standard For Quantifying Species Recovery And Assessing Conservation Impact, Molly K. Grace, H Resit Akcakaya, Elizabeth L. Bennett, Thomas M. Brooks, Anna Heath, Simon Hedges, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Michael Hoffmann, Axel Hochkirch, Richard Jenkins, David A. Keith, Barney Long, David P. Mallon, Erik Meijaard, E J. Milner-Gulland, Jon Paul Rodriguez, P J. Stephenson, Simon N. Stuart, Richard P. Young, David Fairclough
Fisheries Research Articles
Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a “Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species’ progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 separate but interlinked components: a standardized method (i.e., measurement against benchmarks of species’ viability, functionality, and preimpact distribution) to determine current species recovery status (herein species recovery score) and application of that method to estimate past and potential future impacts of conservation based on 4 metrics ( …
Correction To: Latitudinal Variation In Monthly-Scale Reproductive Synchrony Among Acropora Coral Assemblages In The Indo-Pacific,
2021
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; Smithsonian Biology Institute
Correction To: Latitudinal Variation In Monthly-Scale Reproductive Synchrony Among Acropora Coral Assemblages In The Indo-Pacific, Jessica Bouwmeester, Alasdair J. Edwards, James R. Guest, Andrew G. Bauman, Michael L. Berumen, Andrew H. Baird
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
No abstract provided.
Saving The Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue Of Florida’S Pillar Corals,
2021
Nova Southeastern University
Saving The Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue Of Florida’S Pillar Corals, Karen L. Neely, Cynthia L. Lewis, Keri O’Neil, Cheryl M. Woodley, Jennifer Moore, Zach Ransom, Amelia Moura, Ken Nedimyer, David Vaughan
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
As stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) swept through the Florida Reef Tract, one of the most severely impacted species was the iconic pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus. As the species’ population experienced a precipitous decline, a collaborative rescue project collected colony fragments for safekeeping at onshore and offshore nursery facilities. Between 2015 and 2019, a total of 574 fragments representing 128 genotypes were collected. These are currently dispersed among five facilities where they continue to provide opportunities to (1) refine best husbandry practices for D. cylindrus, (2) develop treatment options for SCTLD that have been adapted for use …
A Large-Scale Experiment Finds No Evidence That A Seismic Survey Impacts A Demersal Fish Fauna,
2021
University of Western Australia
A Large-Scale Experiment Finds No Evidence That A Seismic Survey Impacts A Demersal Fish Fauna, Mark G. Meekan, Conrad W. Speed, Robert D. Mccauley, Rebecca Fisher, Matthew J. Birt, Leanne M. Currey-Randall, Jayson M. Semmens, Stephen J. Newman, Katherine Cure, Marcus Stowar, Brigit Vaughan, Miles J G Parsons
Fisheries Research Articles
Seismic surveys are used to locate oil and gas reserves below the seabed and can be a major source of noise in marine environments. Their effects on commercial fisheries are a subject of debate, with experimental studies often producing results that are difficult to interpret. We overcame these issues in a large-scale experiment that quantified the impacts of exposure to a commercial seismic source on an assemblage of tropical demersal fishes targeted by commercial fisheries on the North West Shelf of Western Australia. We show that there were no short-term (days) or long-term (months) effects of exposure on the composition, …
Seasonal Variation In The Feeding Ecology Of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares) From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico,
2021
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Seasonal Variation In The Feeding Ecology Of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares) From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Mitchell Shay Lovell
LSU Master's Theses
Highly migratory fishes (e.g., tunas, billfishes, and sharks) play a significant role in the structure and function of open-ocean ecosystems and a better understanding of the food web dynamics that support their populations is essential to improve management and conservation. Here, I use complementary approaches (stomach contents, DNA barcoding, & stable isotopes) to examine seasonal variability in the feeding ecology of sub-adult (70 – 100 cm; n = 371) and adult (100 – 160 cm; n = 206) yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) from the northern Gulf of Mexico over a one-year period (April 2019 – March 2020). Stomach …
Protistan Grazing Impacts Microbial Communities And Carbon Cycling At Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents,
2021
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Protistan Grazing Impacts Microbial Communities And Carbon Cycling At Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents, Sarah K. Hu, Erica L. Herrera, Amy R. Smith, Maria G. Pachiadaki, Virginia P. Edgcomb, Sean P. Sylva, Eric W. Chan, Jeffrey S. Seewald, Christopher R. German, Julie A. Huber
School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications
Microbial eukaryotes (or protists) in marine ecosystems are a link between primary producers and all higher trophic levels, and the rate at which heterotrophic protistan grazers consume microbial prey is a key mechanism for carbon transport and recycling in microbial food webs. At deep-sea hydrothermal vents, chemosynthetic bacteria and archaea form the base of a food web that functions in the absence of sunlight, but the role of protistan grazers in these highly productive ecosystems is largely unexplored. Here, we pair grazing experiments with a molecular survey to quantify protistan grazing and to characterize the composition of vent-associated protists in …
Impact Of Seawall Type On Mollusc Size And Diversity In South Water Caye Belize: A Case Study,
2021
University of Northern Colorado
Impact Of Seawall Type On Mollusc Size And Diversity In South Water Caye Belize: A Case Study, Morgan O. Orand, Ginger R. Fisher
Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado
The size and diversity of molluscs on and in front of artificial and natural sea walls in the tropical rocky intertidal of South Water Caye, Belize were investigated with the intent of determining the suitability of artificial surfaces to replace natural seawalls. Four seawalls, three artificial and one natural, were observed over a period of eight days. Mollusc size did not change based on distance from the wall for any of the walls. However, there were some significant differences in the species and number of molluscs in front of each wall as well as on the walls themselves. Measures of …
Comparative Study Of Leachate Characterization: Implication For Sustainable Environmental Management,
2021
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Comparative Study Of Leachate Characterization: Implication For Sustainable Environmental Management, Osakpolor Marvellous Omorogieva, Victory Itua Igberase
School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications
Understanding the sources of environmental stressors, the role of geology, climate and technology would provide a guide to solving the problems posed by such stressor. The study examine the sources of wastes in Ikhueniro open dumpsite located in Benin city, Nigeria and characterize the leachate emanating from it. This will assist in adequate design of managerial scheme to tackle the menace posed by it while putting into consideration the role of geology, climate and technology. The key objectives are to carry out field study, characterize wastes in the dumpsite and collect raw leachate emanating from the wastes heap in order …
Comparative Genomics Methods And Applications,
2021
University of new mexico
Comparative Genomics Methods And Applications, Emily N. Alden
Biomedical Sciences ETDs
Virtually all fields of biology have benefited from the advancements in comparative genomics technologies, specifically in the study of evolution. In this dissertation I develop and use comparative genomic technologies to investigate the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, assembly the first genome of the black lace domestic angelfish and identify germline genetic variants associated with altered breast cancer-specific survival. Our genome tiling array for the novel coronavirus presents a rapid and cost-effective method to sequence the entire viral genome and can be used to track the rapid evolution of viral variants in the population. The domestic angelfish is a member of the …
Leveraging Multiple Data Sources: How Catch Data, Metadata, And Genetic Samples Can Aid The Recovery Of Endangered Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis Pectinata),
2021
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Leveraging Multiple Data Sources: How Catch Data, Metadata, And Genetic Samples Can Aid The Recovery Of Endangered Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis Pectinata), Kelcee Smith
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The small population sizes characteristic of many imperiled species means that they are vulnerable to both demographic and genetic extinction threats. Responses to these threats (e.g., population trends, genetic diversity estimates) are often difficult to obtain, but critical for conservation. Thus, researchers studying imperiled species may have to consult multiple data sources, collaborate with a wide variety of stakeholders, or ask new questions about previously collected data. I used this approach to understand more about the United States (U.S.) population of Pristis pectinata, an endangered elasmobranch that has declined up to 95% due to habitat loss and bycatch in …
Liner Sailing Speed Optimization Considering Wind And Waves,
2021
College of Transportation, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
Liner Sailing Speed Optimization Considering Wind And Waves, Zhaokun Wei, Xinlian Xie, Tiantian Bao
Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan
This paper proposes a new sailing speed optimization problem considering sea conditions such as wind and waves for a container shipping company. Since wind and waves, as exterior factors, can reduce speed, more power is employed as compensation to maintain regular service frequency and avoid delay, resulting in additional bunker consumption and higher cost. Hence, it is necessary to optimize the sailing speed according to the wind and waves. A power model was built to determine the reduced speed caused by the wind and waves for quantifying the speed reduction. On the basis of the proposed model, we developed a …
A Bilevel Mathematical Approach For The Empty Container Repositioning Proble With A Sharing And Exchanging Strategy In Liner Shipping,
2021
Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan
A Bilevel Mathematical Approach For The Empty Container Repositioning Proble With A Sharing And Exchanging Strategy In Liner Shipping, Dung-Ying Lin, Chieh-Ju Juan
Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan
In the maritime industry, the management of empty containers is a significant issue whose costs account for a large proportion of the total world fleet running costs. To reduce repositioning activities and increase cost effectiveness, this paper proposes a solution framework considering empty container sharing and exchanging strategies to coordinate the shipping lines in a maritime transportation network. The proposed solution framework considers an empty container matching platform company and a group of shipping lines in a given shipping network. Because of the interactive relationship between the two parties, the proposed problem is formulated as a bilevel programming problem, and …
Investigating Model Solution Correctness For Parameter Uncertainty In Both Objective Function And Constraints,
2021
Department of Civil Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Investigating Model Solution Correctness For Parameter Uncertainty In Both Objective Function And Constraints, Shangyao Yan, Sin-Siang Wang, Chun-Yi Wang
Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan
To resolve engineering management problems encountered in the real world, optimization models are usually formulated with some parameter assumptions. Parameter uncertainty, which may arise due to changes in the environment or human error, may thus be incorporated into the objective function and the constraints. However, to simplify the modeling, the values of these parameters are usually set or projected as deterministic values. It is no wonder that the modelling results based on these inaccurate parameters are neither correct nor reliable. Thus, it is important to examine the correctness of the model results in relation to parameter uncertainty. This study aims …
Modular Design And Implementation Of An Automatic Power Factor Regulator For Energy Savings On Fishing Vessels,
2021
Department of Systems and Naval Mechatronic Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Modular Design And Implementation Of An Automatic Power Factor Regulator For Energy Savings On Fishing Vessels, Chien-Hsing Lee, Shih-Hsien Hsu, Joe-Air Jiang
Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan
This study describes the experiences of modular design and implementation of an automatic power factor regulator for improving energy efficiency on Taiwanese longline fishing vessels. The load capacities of such vessels are typically divided into three categories, depending on the gross tonnage or fish carrying capacity: less than 100 kW, from 100 kW to less than 250 kW, and larger than 250 kW. For attaining proper power factor improvement, a compensation unit with a total of 30 kVar, 60 kVar and 90 kVar was sized and assembled with capacitors of 10, 15 and 20 kVar to enable control within 12 …
Key Risk Factors Influencing Harbor Tugboat Operations For Kaohsiung Port,
2021
Department of Shipping and Transportation Management, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Key Risk Factors Influencing Harbor Tugboat Operations For Kaohsiung Port, Wen-Jui Tseng, Ji-Feng Ding, Chia-Ming Liu, Liou-Yuan Li
Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan
The harbor tugboat operation is a very important business and process of Kaohsiung port. To ensure the safety of harbor tugboat operations and to reduce the occurrence of accidents, it is an important issue to conduct a risk assessment of tugboat operations for Kaohsiung port. Hence, the main purpose of this paper is employ the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to evaluate key risk factors influencing the harbor tugboat operations for Kaohsiung port. At first, a total of three evalu-ation dimensions with 14 preliminary risk factors are gener-ated from literature and interviews of tugboat captains. We then applied the steps …
Free Vibration Analysis Of A Free-Free Single-Tapered Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements Using Modified Mode-Superposition Method (Mmsm),
2021
Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, National Chia-Yi University, Chia-Yi, Taiwan
Free Vibration Analysis Of A Free-Free Single-Tapered Beam Carrying Arbitrary Concentrated Elements Using Modified Mode-Superposition Method (Mmsm), Chia-Chin Wu
Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan
The literature contains scant information on the free vibration analyses of the loaded single-tapered beams (STBs) (i.e., STBs carrying concentrated elements (CEs)) Furthermore, even when such studies have been performed, they generally only consider the case of constrained (e.g., free-clamped (F-C)) beams. In other words, the problem of unconstrained (e.g., free-free (F-F)) loaded STBs has not yet to be addressed. Thus, the present study employs the modified mode-superposition method (MMSM) to investigate the free vibration characteristics of the F-F loaded STB carrying arbitrary various CEs. The investigation focuses particularly on the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the rigid-body motions …
