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Monitoring seasonal and annual changes in the mesozooplankton community of the Indian River Lagoon, Florida
Title
Monitoring seasonal and annual changes in the mesozooplankton community of the Indian River Lagoon, Florida.
Creator
Kerr, Miranda Hoover., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
In estuaries, like the Indian River Lagoon, mesozooplankton have a vital role in the food web by connecting trophic levels. In this study, mesozooplankton abundance and species composition were monitored weekly on the incoming and outgoing tides from September 2006 to May 2009. For the incoming tide, the mean abundance was 2298.2 mesozooplankton/m3 (+/-325.2), and for the outgoing tide the mean abundance was 1180.0 mesozooplankton/m3 (+/-153.1). The mesozooplankton abundance on the incoming...
Show moreIn estuaries, like the Indian River Lagoon, mesozooplankton have a vital role in the food web by connecting trophic levels. In this study, mesozooplankton abundance and species composition were monitored weekly on the incoming and outgoing tides from September 2006 to May 2009. For the incoming tide, the mean abundance was 2298.2 mesozooplankton/m3 (+/-325.2), and for the outgoing tide the mean abundance was 1180.0 mesozooplankton/m3 (+/-153.1). The mesozooplankton abundance on the incoming tide was significantly greater than on the outgoing tide. The most abundant type of mesozooplankton was the copepod Acartia tonsa, representing 35.0% and 52.1% of the individuals on the incoming and outgoing tides respectively. Mesozooplankton abundance values were compared with environmental data obtained from the South Florida Water Management District. The strongest positive correlation was found between chlorophyll a concentrations and A. tonsa abundance, likely due to phytoplankton being the primary food source for A. tonsa.
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Date Issued
2009
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2783241
Subject Headings
Marine zooplankton, Ecology, Marine ecology, Marine ecosystem management
Format
Document (PDF)
The Role Of Disturbance In The Genotypic And Morphological Diversity Of Halodule Wrightii
Title
The Role Of Disturbance In The Genotypic And Morphological Diversity Of Halodule Wrightii.
Creator
Tiling, Kathryn A., Proffitt, C. Edward, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
Seagrasses are important foundation species in coastal ecosystems. Genetic diversity of seagrasses can influence a number of ecological factors including, but not limited to, disturbance resistance and resilience. Seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida are considered to be highly disturbed due to frequent events, like algal blooms, that impair water quality, reducing available light for seagrass growth. Halodule wrightii is a dominant seagrass throughout the IRL, but its genetic...
Show moreSeagrasses are important foundation species in coastal ecosystems. Genetic diversity of seagrasses can influence a number of ecological factors including, but not limited to, disturbance resistance and resilience. Seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida are considered to be highly disturbed due to frequent events, like algal blooms, that impair water quality, reducing available light for seagrass growth. Halodule wrightii is a dominant seagrass throughout the IRL, but its genetic diversity has only been quantified in a few Gulf of Mexico and Florida Bay populations and little is known about its potential ecological consequences. I quantified the genetic variation of H. wrightii using microsatellite markers in the southern IRL to determine: (i) how disturbance history influenced genetic diversity, (ii) if morphology of clones was, in part, genetically controlled and related to disturbance history, and (iii) if genotypes showed phenotypic plasticity in response to disturbances. In the IRL, H. wrightii populations exhibited moderate genetic diversity that varied with disturbance history. The disturbance history of a population was classified by the variance in the percent occurrence of H. wrightii over a 16-year period. Genotypic richness and clonal diversity of H. wrightii increased with increasing disturbance histories. Other genetic diversity measures (e.g., allelic richness, observed heterozygosity) did not change with disturbance history. These findings suggest that impacts to seagrass coverage over time can change the genotypic composition of populations. When different genotypes of H. wrightii were grown in a common garden, differences in leaf characteristics among genotypes provided evidence that morphological trait variation is, in part, explained by genetic variance. The disturbance history of genotypes did not directly affect morphological traits. However, significant genotype x site (within disturbance history) interactions found greater variation in shoot density and below ground traits of H. wrightii genotypes from sites of intermediate disturbance history. Traits of H. wrightii were shown to be phenotypically plastic. Significant genotype x environment interactions for shoot density and height demonstrated that genotypes responded differently by increasing, decreasing, and not changing sizes in response to light reduction. Genetic diversity of H. wrightii has strong implications for ecological function in coastal communities.
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Date Issued
2016
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004661, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004661
Subject Headings
Indian River (Fla. : Lagoon) -- Enviornmental conditions, Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (Fla.), Marine ecology -- Florida -- Indian River (Lagoon), Restoration ecology, Seagrasses -- Florida -- Indian River (Lagoon), Seagrasses -- Physiology
Format
Document (PDF)
The Ascidian Styela plicata As a Potential Bioremediator of the Brown Tide Pelagophytes Aureoumbra lagunensis and Aureococcus anophagefferens
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)