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Title: Productivity and Nutrition of Sargassum: A Comparative Ecophysiological Study of Benthic and Pelagic Species in Florida.
Creator: Feibel, Alison, Lapointe, Brian E., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies
Abstract/Description: Benthic algal species receive elevated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability as anthropogenic activities increase the loading of nutrients into coastal waters. Pelagic species could also be responding to this nutrient enrichment. This study compared the tissue nutrient content and productivity of three benthic and two pelagic species of Sargassum. We hypothesized that the benthic species would have a higher tissue nutrient content and productivity than the pelagic species and the...
Show moreBenthic algal species receive elevated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability as anthropogenic activities increase the loading of nutrients into coastal waters. Pelagic species could also be responding to this nutrient enrichment. This study compared the tissue nutrient content and productivity of three benthic and two pelagic species of Sargassum. We hypothesized that the benthic species would have a higher tissue nutrient content and productivity than the pelagic species and the pelagic species would have a higher tissue nutrient content and productivity than historic data. The tissue nutrient content and net productivity of the benthic and pelagic species were not significantly different indicating that the pelagic species are receiving high levels of nutrient availability comparable to that of the benthic species. Pelagic species in the current study exhibited significantly higher N:P ratios and net productivity than the historic data, suggesting a shift from N to P limitation and increased productivity.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004695, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004695
Subject Headings: Biotic communities, Environmental monitoring, Indicators (Biology), Marine algae -- Florida, Marine biology -- Florida, Sargassum
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The influence of prey identity and size on selection of prey by two marine fishes.
Creator: Main, Kevan L., Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Date Issued: 1985
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FCLA/DT/3353752
Subject Headings: Predators, Marine fishes, Lagodon rhomboides, Syngnathus floridae, Shrimps, Predation (Biology)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Assessment of multiple paternity for the queen conch, Strombus gigas.
Creator: Harris, Chris., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description: The commercially important queen conch, Strombus gigas, has been observed copulating with multiple partners and laying multiple egg masses during a reproductive season (Randall, 1964). While multiple paternity has been confirmed using microsatellite based genetic analysis for a variety of other gastropods, this technique has not been employed for S. gigas. Determining whether or not this species is capable of multiple paternity is important to understanding and maintaining genetic diversity...
Show moreThe commercially important queen conch, Strombus gigas, has been observed copulating with multiple partners and laying multiple egg masses during a reproductive season (Randall, 1964). While multiple paternity has been confirmed using microsatellite based genetic analysis for a variety of other gastropods, this technique has not been employed for S. gigas. Determining whether or not this species is capable of multiple paternity is important to understanding and maintaining genetic diversity of natural and captive populations. While an assessment of multiple paternity is the ultimate goal of this study, for my thesis, I have completed preliminary work which includes perfecting methods of tissue collection, DNA extraction, and DNA amplification with six non-labeled polymorphic microsatellite molecular markers, using cultured Strombus gigas animals. In addition, I collected tissue and extracted DNA from three wild S. gigas adult females and their egg masses from Pelican Shoal in the Florida Keys.
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Date Issued: 2008
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/77671
Subject Headings: Gastropoda, Habitat, Queen conch, Conservation, Biological diversity, Marine biology, Mariculture
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Effects of diet and sex ration on the reproductive output of the Florida fighting conch, Stombus alatus.
Creator: Gillette, Phillip, Shawl, Amber L., Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FCLA/DT/2144793
Subject Headings: Aquaculture, Marine animals --Florida, Sexual behavior in animals, Marine biology --Florida
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Conch in the classroom: integrating queen conch activities in the curriculum.
Creator: Shawl, Amber L., Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FCLA/DT/2144791
Subject Headings: Marine biology --Study and teaching --Florida, Queen conch, Marine sciences --Study and teaching --Florida
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Discovery of Loxosomella vivipara (Entoprocta: Loxosomatidae) in the Marine Sponge Hippospongia cf. gossypina (Porifera: Spongiidae) in the Florida Keys.
Creator: Plunkett, Rachel, Pomponi, Shirley A., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description: Populations of a marine invertebrate symbiont were found on the outer surface and internal spaces of a keratose sponge from a shallow bay in the Florida Keys in May 2014. A total of 24 specimens of the seagrass and reef-dwelling sponge were collected between May 2014 and August 2015 to provide material to identify both host and symbiont, and elucidate information on the nature of the association. Based on a morphological analysis via light microscopy, histology, and scanning electron...
Show morePopulations of a marine invertebrate symbiont were found on the outer surface and internal spaces of a keratose sponge from a shallow bay in the Florida Keys in May 2014. A total of 24 specimens of the seagrass and reef-dwelling sponge were collected between May 2014 and August 2015 to provide material to identify both host and symbiont, and elucidate information on the nature of the association. Based on a morphological analysis via light microscopy, histology, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and 99% similarity in aligned partial sequences from 28S and 18S nuclear ribosomal genes (rDNA), the symbiont was identified as the solitary entoproct Loxosomella vivipara Nielsen, 1966 (Entoprocta: Loxosomatidae). A partial sequence from the Internal Transcribed Spacer Region 2 (ITS2) of L. vivipara was registered to GenBank for the first time. The identity of the host sponge, based on a morphological investigation, is resolved as “velvet sponge” Hippospongia cf. gossypina Duchassing and Michelotti, 1864 (Demospongiae: Spongiidae). This is the first report of an entoproct commensal from Hippospongia cf. gossypina, a sponge that formerly had great commercial value when it was abundant throughout the Bahamas, Florida Keys and Gulf of Mexico. Other common sponge species at the study site were collected to investigate the host specificity of L. vivipara. Evidence that L. vivipara favorably selects the sponges Hippospongia cf. gossypina and Chondrilla nucula over other potential host sponges at the study site is provided. Commensalism is the most plausible justification for this relationship: L. vivipara is dependent on sponges for protection and food particles, while the sponges are unaffected by its presence. Further evidence of host-specific inquilinism is provided for L. vivipara associated with Hippospongia cf. gossypina, but not for L. vivipara associated with C. nucula. An inquilinistic association between an entoproct and sponge is a rare discovery only mentioned in one previous study. Sponge aquiferous qualities such as aperture and canal size, canal and choanocyte chamber arrangement, seawater pumping rate, and food particle size selection are likely factors that inhibit or enable inquilinism in sponge-entoproct associations – a potential topic for future researc
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004791, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004791
Subject Headings: Marine invertebrates--Florida., Sponges--Habitat--Florida., Marine resources--Florida--Management., Aquatic biology., Entoprocta--Classification.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Limitations on macroinvertebrate populations in South Florida weltands.
Creator: Knorp, Natalie E., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description: It can be difficult to disentangle the factors that determine population success in freshwater systems, particularly for organisms with disturbance-resistant life stages like aquatic invertebrates. Nevertheless, the effects of environmental variation and habitat structure on animal population success in wetlands are important for understanding both trophic interactions and biodiversity. I performed two experiments to determine the factors limiting crayfish (Procambarus fallax) and dragonfly ...
Show moreIt can be difficult to disentangle the factors that determine population success in freshwater systems, particularly for organisms with disturbance-resistant life stages like aquatic invertebrates. Nevertheless, the effects of environmental variation and habitat structure on animal population success in wetlands are important for understanding both trophic interactions and biodiversity. I performed two experiments to determine the factors limiting crayfish (Procambarus fallax) and dragonfly (Family: Libellulidae) populations in wetland environments. A simulation of a dry-disturbance and subsequent sunfish (Family: Centrarchidae) re-colonization revealed that crayfish populations are sensitive to sunfish, while dragonfly naiads seemed to be limited by other drying-related factors. A second manipulation revealed that small-bodied fishes and habitat structure (submerged vegetation) shaped dragonfly communities primarily through postcolonization processes.
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Date Issued: 2013
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3362485
Subject Headings: Wetland ecology, Wildlife conservation, Freshwater invertebrates, Ecology, Predation (Biology), Marine ecosystem management
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The Ascidian Styela plicata As a Potential Bioremediator of the Brown Tide Pelagophytes Aureoumbra lagunensis and Aureococcus anophagefferens.
Creator: Klarmann, Phyllis A., Hartmann, James X., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description: A brown tide bloom of the pelagophyte Aureoumbra lagunensis caused significant impacts to north Indian River Lagoon (IRL) in 2012-2013, including seagrass die-offs, fish kills, and reduced growth and grazing of ecologically important bivalves. There is potential for another pelagophyte, Aureococcus anophagefferens, to expand into this system. Filtration rates (FR) of the pleated tunicate Styela plicata exposed to Aureoumbra lagunensis and Aureococcus anophagefferens were measured against...
Show moreA brown tide bloom of the pelagophyte Aureoumbra lagunensis caused significant impacts to north Indian River Lagoon (IRL) in 2012-2013, including seagrass die-offs, fish kills, and reduced growth and grazing of ecologically important bivalves. There is potential for another pelagophyte, Aureococcus anophagefferens, to expand into this system. Filtration rates (FR) of the pleated tunicate Styela plicata exposed to Aureoumbra lagunensis and Aureococcus anophagefferens were measured against exposure to a control alga (Tisochrysis lutea) in order to determine its potential use as a bioremediator against these harmful algal blooms (HABs). In addition, whether S. plicata might serve as a vector of HABs was studied by culturing fecal deposits. Short-term exposure to HABs significantly reduced FR, whereas long-term exposure indicates comparable cell removal compared to the control. Vector potential of S. plicata was inconclusive. Results warrant further research to determine whether S. plicata can acclimate or respond to HAB conditions over time.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004513
Subject Headings: Algal blooms -- Florida -- Indian River Lagoon, Cyanobacterial blooms -- Toxicology, Estuarine ecology, Indian River Lagoon (Fla.) -- Environmental aspects, Marine bioremediation, Marine ecology, Marine pollution, Water quality biological assessment
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Ecosystem health and environmental influences on innate immune function in the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtle.
Creator: Sposato, Patricia L., Milton, Sarah L., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description: Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles recruit to nearshore environments as juveniles. These often degraded habitats are associated with emerging diseases such as green turtle fibropapillomatosis (GTFP), however there are few studies on immune function in sea turtles. The objective of this research was to quantify phagocytosis of the innate immune system by flow cytometry and compare levels between animals from a degraded habitat (the Indian River Lagoon, FL) to a...
Show moreLoggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles recruit to nearshore environments as juveniles. These often degraded habitats are associated with emerging diseases such as green turtle fibropapillomatosis (GTFP), however there are few studies on immune function in sea turtles. The objective of this research was to quantify phagocytosis of the innate immune system by flow cytometry and compare levels between animals from a degraded habitat (the Indian River Lagoon, FL) to a more pristine environment (the Trident Basin, Port Canaveral, FL), and across a range of temperatures. While in vitro temperatures did not alter rates of phagocytosis, it was higher in samples obtained in the summer than winter. Rates of phagocytosis in sea turtles with GTFP and from degraded environments with increased prevalence of GTFP were low compared to animals from the more pristine environment, suggesting that the environment can alter innate immunological function and thus contribute to the development of disease.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004333, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004333
Subject Headings: Developmental biology, Ecosystem management -- Florida, Loggerhead turtle -- Habitat -- Environmental aspects, Marine biodiversity conservation, Sea turtles -- Immunology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Phosphorus limitation in reef macroalgae of South Florida.
Creator: Kehler, Courtney., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies
Abstract/Description: Nitrogen (N) has traditionally been regarded as the primary limiting nutrient to algal growth in marine coastal waters, but recent studies suggest that phosphorus (P) can be limiting in carbonate-rich environments. To better understand the importance of P. alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) was measured in reef macroalgae in seven counties of south Florida ; several significant trends emerged : 1) APA decreased geographically from the highest values in Dada>Monroe>Palm Beach>St. Lucie...
Show moreNitrogen (N) has traditionally been regarded as the primary limiting nutrient to algal growth in marine coastal waters, but recent studies suggest that phosphorus (P) can be limiting in carbonate-rich environments. To better understand the importance of P. alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) was measured in reef macroalgae in seven counties of south Florida ; several significant trends emerged : 1) APA decreased geographically from the highest values in Dada>Monroe>Palm Beach>St. Lucie>Broward>Martin>Lee counties 2) APA varied temporally with increasing nutrient-rich runoff in the wet season 3) APA varied due to taxonomic division Phaeophyta>Rhodophyta>Chlorophyta 4) Nutrient enrichment experiments demonstrated that increased N-enrichment enhanced P-limitation while increased P decreased P-limitation. These results suggest that high APA observed in carbonate-rich waters of Dade County and low APA in Broward County resulted from high nutrient inputs associated with anthropogenic nutrient pollution.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358598
Subject Headings: Nitrogen, Environmental aspects, Coral reef ecology, Coral reef biology, Marine algae, Physiology, Algal communities, Physiology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A generalized stochastic birth/death population model based on Indian RiverLagoon dolphins.
Creator: Stonger, Jon, Noonburg, Erik G., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description: For over a decade, researchers at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) have conducted surveys of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population of Indian River Lagoon (IRL) in Florida. I have constructed a 4-stage population model using the statistical program R. The model is used to conduct a viability analysis by analyzing the relationship between birth, calf and adult survival rates. The power analysis compares survey frequency to expected confidence intervals in estimating...
Show moreFor over a decade, researchers at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) have conducted surveys of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population of Indian River Lagoon (IRL) in Florida. I have constructed a 4-stage population model using the statistical program R. The model is used to conduct a viability analysis by analyzing the relationship between birth, calf and adult survival rates. The power analysis compares survey frequency to expected confidence intervals in estimating abundance. The sensitivity analysis shows that the population is most sensitive to changes in adult survival, followed by birth rate and calf survival. The model shows a strong chance of viability over a 50 year time span. The population is vulnerable to long periods of decline if birth, calf or adult survival rates fall below certain thresholds. Overall, the model simulates the future impacts of demographic change, providing a tool for conservation efforts.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004163, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004163
Subject Headings: Animal populations -- Estimates, Bottlenose dolphin -- Florida -- Indian River Lagoon -- Geographical distribution, Indian River (Fla : Lagoon), Marine mammal populations -- Estimates -- Florida -- Mathematical models, Population biology, Stochastic processes
Format: Document (PDF)

FAU Theses and Dissertations (7)	+ -
HBOI Faculty Contributions (3)	+ -
Honors Student Theses (1)	+ -

Predation (Biology) (2)	+ -
Queen conch (2)	+ -
Algal blooms -- Florida -- Indian River Lagoon (1)	+ -
Algal communities (1)	+ -
Animal populations -- Estimates (1)	+ -

Aquaculture (1)	+ -
Aquatic biology. (1)	+ -
Biological diversity (1)	+ -
Biotic communities (1)	+ -
Bottlenose dolphin -- Florida -- Indian River Lagoon -- Geographical distribution (1)	+ -
Conservation (1)	+ -
Coral reef biology (1)	+ -
Coral reef ecology (1)	+ -
Cyanobacterial blooms -- Toxicology (1)	+ -
Developmental biology (1)	+ -
Ecology (1)	+ -
Ecosystem management -- Florida (1)	+ -
Entoprocta--Classification. (1)	+ -
Environmental aspects (1)	+ -
Environmental monitoring (1)	+ -
Estuarine ecology (1)	+ -
Freshwater invertebrates (1)	+ -
Gastropoda (1)	+ -
Habitat (1)	+ -
Indian River (Fla : Lagoon) (1)	+ -
Indian River Lagoon (Fla.) -- Environmental aspects (1)	+ -
Indicators (Biology) (1)	+ -
Lagodon rhomboides (1)	+ -
Loggerhead turtle -- Habitat -- Environmental aspects (1)	+ -
Mariculture (1)	+ -

Florida (2)	+ -
Florida Keys (1)	+ -

Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (7)	+ -
article (3)	+ -
thesis (1)	+ -

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