Marine Biology Commons^™

Body And Tail Coordination In The Bluespot Salamander (Ambystoma Laterale) During Limb Regeneration, Cassandra M. Donatelli, Keegan Lutek, Keshav Gupta, Emily M. Standen

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Animals are incredibly good at adapting to changes in their environment, a trait envied by most roboticists. Many animals use different gaits to seamlessly transition between land and water and move through non-uniform terrains. In addition to adjusting to changes in their environment, animals can adjust their locomotion to deal with missing or regenerating limbs. Salamanders are an amphibious group of animals that can regenerate limbs, tails, and even parts of the spinal cord in some species. After the loss of a limb, the salamander successfully adjusts to constantly changing morphology as it regenerates the missing part. This quality is …

Comparison Of Fish Assemblages Aggregated By Artificial Reefs Using Scuba Diving And Acoustic Surveys, Hsueh-Jung Lu, Jia-Rong Lin, Ting-Chieh Huang, Sunarti Sinaga

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

To determine the aggregation effect of artificial reefs (ARs), we conducted surveys in 16 artificial reefs in Taiwan by using the scientific echo sounder, Simrad EY-60 (200 KHz), along with sighting by scuba divers. Scuba diving was conducted within the reef structures (r ¼ 20 m), whereas acoustic surveys were conducted over a wider range (r ¼ 100 m), with five repeating transects over the ARs. We compared the results obtained from the two methods among 16 artificial reefs in the coastal waters of Taiwan to determine the consistency of the quantitative information between the two methods and to investigate …

Study On The Behavior Of Peled (Coregonus Peled ) Around A Set Net By Ultrasonic Biotelemetry System In A Plateau Lake, China, Jing Liu, Keiichi Uchida, Leiming Yin, Yong Tang, Yoshinori Miyamoto, Binbin Xing

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Sayram Lake is a plateau cold-water lake located in northwestern China. Peled (Coregonus peled ) was introduced to Sayram Lake from Russia in 1998. The behavior characteristics of peled in Sayram Lake are important for fishery resource proliferation, effective fishing, and sustainable development. In this study, we used an ultrasonic biotelemetry system to track the fish around a large-scale set net in Sayram Lake. The purpose of this study is to study the behavior characteristics of the peled and to provide suggestions for the improvement of the set net. The results showed that the fish released in the playground of …

Penguins Past And Present: Trace Elements, Stable Isotopes, And Population Dynamics In Antarctic And Sub-Antarctic Penguins And Seals, Allyson K. Kristan

LSU Master's Theses

Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic are remote regions where the impacts from climate change and anthropogenic activities are increasingly apparent. Previous studies show that the Antarctic is warming and has been affected by anthropogenic contaminants. Marine predators such as penguins and seals are commonly used in these regions as sentinels of ecosystem health as predator tissues can be used as non-invasive proxies of diet, population trends, and contaminant exposure. This thesis includes two separate studies which investigate the influence of climate change and human activity on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic ecosystems. First, Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) eggshell samples were collected …

In-Depth Analysis Of N2o Fluxes In Tropical Forest Soils Of The Congo Basin Combining Isotope And Functional Gene Analysis, Nora Gallarotti, Matti Barthel, Elizabeth Verhoeven, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Marijn Bauters, Simon Baumgartner, Travis W. Drake, Pascal Boeckx, Joachim Mohn, Manon Longepierre

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Primary tropical forests generally exhibit large gaseous nitrogen (N) losses, occurring as nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O) or elemental nitrogen (N2). The release of N2O is of particular concern due to its high global warming potential and destruction of stratospheric ozone. Tropical forest soils are predicted to be among the largest natural sources of N2O; however, despite being the world’s second-largest rainforest, measurements of gaseous N-losses from forest soils of the Congo Basin are scarce. In addition, long-term studies investigating N2O fluxes from different forest ecosystem types (lowland and montane forests) are scarce. In this study we show that …

Seasonal Dynamics In Fish Distribution And Abundance Revealed By An Acoustic Survey In Coastal Waters Of The Suzu Area, Kochi Prefecture, Japan, Yanhui Zhu, Kenji Minami, Yuka Iwahara, Kentaro Oda, Koichi Hidaka, Osamu Hoson, Koji Morishita, Sentaro Tsuru, Masahito Hirota, Hokuto Shirakawa, Kazushi Miyashita

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

For Japan's fishery, it is essential to conduct sustainable and efficient fishery owing to the decline in fish catch as well as the fisher population. To obtain information that contributes to sustainable and efficient fishery, we researched appropriate set-net locations with regard to fish distribution, abundance, and environmental characteristics. We conducted surveys from 2017/5 to 2018/2 in the Suzu coastal area, Kochi Prefecture, where the only main industry is set-net fishery. We investigated the seasonal relationships between fish school characteristics, including distribution and size, and marine environmental conditions in the Suzu coastal area, using a quantitative echo sounder (KSE300 SONIC, …

Development Of A Biomass Assessment Method Using Fisheries Echo Sounder For Monitoring Whitebait Fishery In Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, Kenichi Kobayashi, Yanhui Zhu, Daichi Oshiyama, Kenji Minami, Hokuto Shirakawa, Kazushi Miyashita

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Coastal fisheries constitute the second most important sector in fishery production in Japan, following offshore fisheries. Thus, spatial evaluation of coastal fishing grounds and understanding of the changes in biomass are important for the sustainable use of fishing resources. For the assessment of spatial fish biomass, a quantitative echo sounder is used, but such a device is not mass produced and involves a high cost. In the present study, we examined the feasibility of biomass assessment using typical commercial fisheries echo sounders that are widely used and cheaper than quantitative echo sounders. Therefore, we aimed to verify the validity of …

Acoustic Survey For Estimating Density Of Anchovy Schools In The South Sea Of Korea, Eunbi Min, Eun-A Yoon, Sung-Tae Kim, Seong Yong Moon, Hyun Woo Kim, Shelly Salim, Taejong Kang, Doo-Jin Hwang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

No abstract provided.

Estimating The Sampling Efficiencies Of A Framed Midwater Trawl And Ring Net For Zooplankton Using An Acoustic Method, Zhen Lu, Tohru Mukai, Yasuzumi Fujimori, Kohji Iida

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

It is well known that there is bias using different sampling gear, such as a framed midwater trawl (FMT) and a ring net, when measuring the density and length distribution of target species. This limit is characterized by the sampling efficiency of the gear. Acoustic monitoring can be used to determine the sampling efficiencies of this gear, as its noninvasive, wide-range sweeps provide more reliable estimates of absolute abundance of the target species. The density measured by the gear can then be standardized by multiplying the initial density measurement by the derived sampling efficiency. In this study, we compared the …

In Situ Broadband Acoustic Measurements Of Age-0 Walleye Pollock And Pointhead Flounder In Funka Bay, Hokkaido, Japan, Kohei Hasegawa, Naizheng Yan, Tohru Mukai

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Measurements of the broadband acoustic backscattering from fish should improve acoustic discrimination between species. The pulse compression processing of broadband systems can be used to measure acoustic backscattering with high range resolution and improve signal-to-noise ratio. This may increase opportunities for in situ target strength (TS) measurements, the preferred method of collecting TS data. To evaluate the availability of TS spectra for acoustic discrimination, three Simrad EK80 wideband transceivers and split-beam transducers of 70, 120, and 200 kHz were used to collect in situ frequency responses of TS from age-0 juvenile walleye pollock and pointhead flounder, a swimbladderless flat-fish, distributed …

Volume Scattering And Echo Integration In Fisheries Acoustics Revisited, Masahiko Furusawa

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Echo integration is the most important method in fisheries acoustics. The basis of the method is volume scattering theory, and the theory assumes that many fish are randomly and homogeneously distributed broader than a beam spread. In actual acoustic surveys, however, we encounter various distributions for which these assumptions do not hold. It is the echo integration method that hypothetically fulfills these assumptions. In this paper, we review the volume scattering theory and the echo integration method historically and theoretically and confirm their bases. We then point out some misunderstandings affected by historical constraints such as the persistence of time …

Construction Of Dichotomous Taxonomic Keys For San Francisco Bay Planktonic Diatoms, Ria Angelica Laxa

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Planktonic diatoms exhibit high biodiversity in marine systems and make a significant contribution to water column primary productivity. This makes research on planktonic diatoms particularly important in measuring the health of coastal marine ecosystems. At the University of San Francisco (USF), undergraduate research has been conducted since September 2015 to study planktonic diatoms in San Francisco Bay. A previous study by Keith (2018), Planktonic Diatom Species Succession in San Francisco Bay, documented changes in species diversity over time, observing seasonal patterns in species richness as well as the effect of environmental factors such as salinity, temperature, and rainfall on species …

Increased Connectivity And Depth Improve The Effectiveness Of Marine Reserves, Jordan Goetze, Shaun K. Wilson, Ben Radford, Rebecca Fisher, Tim Langlois, Jacquomo Monk, Nathan A. Knott, Hamish A. Malcolm, Leanne M. Currey-Randall, Daniel Ierodiaconou, David Harasti, Neville Barrett, Russell C. Babcock, Nestor E. Bosch, Danny Brock, Joachim Claudet, David Fairclough, Stephen J. Newman, Michael J. Travers, Corey Wakefield

Fisheries Research Articles

Marine reserves are a key tool for the conservation of marine biodiversity, yet only ~2.5% of the world's oceans are protected. The integration of marine reserves into connected networks representing all habitats has been encouraged by international agreements, yet the benefits of this design has not been tested empirically. Australia has one of the largest systems of marine reserves, providing a rare opportunity to assess how connectivity influences conservation success. An Australia-wide dataset was collected using baited remote underwater video systems deployed across a depth range from 0 to 100 m to assess the effectiveness of marine reserves for protecting …

Incorporating Life Into Living Shorelines: Can Gulf Ribbed Mussels Reduce Shoreline Erosion And Enhance Restoration Practices?, Jordan Logarbo

LSU Master's Theses

The gulf ribbed mussel (Geukensia granosissima) exists throughout the Gulf of Mexico and influences biotic and abiotic environmental attributes as an ecosystem engineer. Ribbed mussels are an important component of marsh ecosystems providing services including filtering particulate matter, depositing and transforming nutrients in the system, increasing soil strength via byssal threads and providing structure via their shells.

The spatial distribution of mussels along the marsh edge of Sister Lake, LA was investigated via a broad survey of 150 sites, in relation to elevation, exposure and vegetation percent cover. This survey was followed by a second survey at a …

Effects Of Synthetic Estrogen (17Α-Ethinyl Estradiol) On Male Fiddler Crab Aggression, Micayla Shirley

Honors College Theses

Pharmaceuticals, including hormones and antibiotics, are considered contaminants due to their widespread use and release into the environment. Hormones, like the synthetic estrogen used in oral contraceptives (17α-ethinylestradiol), are present in freshwater and marine systems, but with relatively unknown effects on the organisms that live there. Ethinylestradiol (EE2) accumulates in waterlogged soil (sediment) with potential to harm sediment-dwelling animals. For example, fiddler crabs (Uca pugilator) are vital members of salt marsh communities. Their burrowing adds oxygen to sediments and cycles nutrients, and they are an important food resource to birds and raccoons. Male fiddler crabs are territorial, aggressively …

The Potential Influence Of Abiotic Conditions On Mussel Species Abundance In San Francisco Bay, Alexandra G. Farrell, M. Christina Vasquez Dr.

Honors Thesis

Climate change has negatively altered seawater conditions, which may have severe implications for marine ecosystems. Mussels are susceptible to environmental changes since they are primary consumers and filter-feeding bivalves. Two species of particular interest to the West Coast of the U.S. are Mytilus galloprovincialis and M. trossulus. M. trossulus is native to the California Coast and was historically prevalent from Southern California to Washington. However, with increased shipping and rising seawater temperature, M. galloprovincialis, an invasive species from the Mediterranean, pushed the species range of M. trossulus poleward. M. trossulus is more tolerant of cold seawater with variable salinity while …

Assessing The Occurrence Of Trichechus Manatus Latirostris In Mobile Bay, Alabama Using Edna, Elora Pierce

Honors Theses

In the past several decades Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) have begun to expand their summer range into the northern Gulf of Mexico. Because this is a recent occurrence, not much is known about their habitat use and distribution in this region. Citizen-sourced sighting data suggests that Florida manatees frequent subembayments of Mobile Bay, Alabama, reaching a sighting peak in August. To assess the occurrence of manatees in this area environmental DNA surveys were used from winter (February 19-20) and summer (August 21-22) of 2018. At each of the 21 sites ranging from the mouth of Mobile Bay, …

Trophic Ecology Of Mesopelagic Fish Larvae And Juveniles In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Emily Gipson

Master's Theses

The deep-pelagic environment encompasses ocean waters below 200 m depth, and comprises 90% of the volume of the Gulf of Mexico. Deep-pelagic fishes are important prey for many oceanic consumers, but relatively little is known about their early life history, including larval fish trophic ecology. An understanding of the role deep-pelagic fish larvae have in oceanic food webs is important in the development of ecosystem models that examine the connectivity (via vertical migrations) between the deep-pelagic and epipelagic environments with respect to trophic interactions, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. In this study, archived plankton samples collected during 2010 and 2011 …

Results Of The Non-Lethal Smart Drumline Trial In South-Western Australia Between 21 February 2019 And 20 February 2021, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

An Assessment On Microplastic Pollution In The Resacas Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Wesley D. Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

Microplastic pollution is a serious issue that impacts most aquatic environments. Microplastics have the potential to cause numerous detriments to the fitness and reproductive capability of many organisms. The resacas of the Lower Rio Grande are an understudied area that could be sinks for large congregations of microplastics. We analyze microplastic pollution in two species of fish as well as the sediment and water of eleven different pools from four resaca systems. We find that microplastics are present in every pool sampled.

Altogether 218 microplastic pieces are found from the water, sediment and fish samples. We find that microplastics are …