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MOLLUSKS AS ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS: EXPLORING ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL DRIVERS OF BIOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY USING MOLLUSKS THROUGH SPACE AND TIME By SAHALE CASEBOLT A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2017 © 2017 Sahale Casebolt To my parents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my advisor, Dr. Michał Kowalewski, as well as members of my dissertation committee (Dr. Mark Brenner, Dr. Doug Jones, Dr. Ellen Martin, Dr. Gustav Paulay, and Dr. Tom Frazer), for support and assistance with completion of this dissertation. I also thank the numerous graduate students, post docs, and museum staff members whose comments, feedback, and suggestions were helpful throughout my time as a graduate student. These people include, but are not limited to: Jackie Wittmer, Carrie Tyler, Troy Dexter, Austin Hendy, Adiel Klompmaker, Alexis Rojas, Katherine Cummings, Katherine Estes, Roger Portell, John Slapcinsky, Felipe Opazo, Savanna Barry, Shamindri Tennakoon, Kris Kusnerik, and Laura Cotton. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 7 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 8 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DISSERTATION ................................................................... 12 2 SPECIES-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN MORPHOLOGICAL VARIABILITY AND DISPARITY WITHIN THE GENUS ANADARA (BIVALVIA) ........................... 17 Abstract for Chapter 2 ............................................................................................. 17 Introduction for Chapter 2 ....................................................................................... 18 Materials and Methods for Chapter 2 ...................................................................... 21 Specimen Selection and Imaging ..................................................................... 21 Museum Lots: Sampling Units of Individual Populations .................................. 23 Shell Shape Measurement ............................................................................... 24 Measuring Morphological Variability ................................................................. 26 Results for Chapter 2 .............................................................................................. 27 Morphospecies Ordination ................................................................................ 27 Morphological Variation and Disparity: Intra-population Morphological Variation ........................................................................................................ 29 Morphological Variation and Disparity: Intraspecific Morphological Variation ... 30 Morphological Variation and Disparity: Intraspecific Disparity .......................... 31 Morphological Variation and Disparity: Interspecific Morphological Variation ... 32 Confounding Factors: Allometry and Sampling Coverage ................................ 33 Discussion for Chapter 2 ......................................................................................... 34 Landmark-Based Discrimination of Morphospecies ......................................... 34 Morphological Variability................................................................................... 35 Intraspecific and Interspecific Variation and Disparity ...................................... 38 The Potential Role of Geography in Morphological Variation ........................... 38 Summary for Chapter 2........................................................................................... 39 3 MOLLUSK SHELLS ARCHIVE SPATIAL STRUCTURING WITHIN BENTHIC COMMUNITIES AROUND SUBTROPICAL ISLANDS ........................................... 47 Abstract for Chapter 3 ............................................................................................. 47 Introduction for Chapter 3 ....................................................................................... 48 Materials and Methods for Chapter 3 ...................................................................... 50 Study Area ........................................................................................................ 50 5 Sampling Methods ............................................................................................ 50 Analytical Methods ........................................................................................... 53 Results for Chapter 3 .............................................................................................. 55 Taxonomic Composition of the Samples .......................................................... 55 Taxon Abundance and Occurrence Patterns .................................................... 56 Tests of Statistical Significance and Beta Diversity .......................................... 60 Multivariate Ordination ..................................................................................... 61 Species Dominance and Evenness Patterns .................................................... 63 Beta Diversity ................................................................................................... 63 Pairwise Comparisons and Spatial Structuring ................................................. 64 Discussion for Chapter 3 ......................................................................................... 65 Taxonomic Composition of Molluscan Assemblages ....................................... 65 Small and Large-scale Spatial Structuring........................................................ 65 The influence of Energy Level on Molluscan Assemblages.............................. 66 The Influence of Seagrass Habitat on Mollusk Assemblages ........................... 69 Evenness and Species Dominance Patterns .................................................... 72 Summary for Chapter 3........................................................................................... 73 4 SPATIAL BIODIVERSITY PATTERNS IN SEAGRASS-ASSOCIATED MOLLUSK COMMUNITIES ALONG FLORIDA’S GULF COAST ........................... 87 Abstract for Chapter 4 ............................................................................................. 87 Introduction for Chapter 4 ....................................................................................... 88 Materials and Methods for Chapter 4 ...................................................................... 90 Site Selection and Collection Methods ............................................................. 90 Sample Processing .......................................................................................... 91 Analytical Methods ........................................................................................... 92 Results for Chapter 4 .............................................................................................. 93 Sample Taxonomic Composition and Rank Abundance .................................. 93 Richness and Evenness ................................................................................... 94 Statistical Significance ...................................................................................... 95 Rarefaction Curves ........................................................................................... 96 Discussion for Chapter 4 ......................................................................................... 96 Summary for Chapter 4........................................................................................... 99 5 CONCLUDING REMARKS ................................................................................... 115 APPENDIX A LIST OF SAN SALVADOR MOLLUSK TAXA AND TOTAL OCCURRENCES ..... 118 B LIST OF SEAGRASS-ASSOCIATED FLORIDA GULF COAST MOLLUSK TAXA .................................................................................................................... 123 LIST OF REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 126 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................... 142 6 LIST OF TABLES Table page 2-1 Multivariate tests for pairwise differences between species centroids (δ2).. ....... 28 2-2 Morphological variation (δ1) within species. ........................................................ 31 2-3 Intraspecific and interspecific disparity (δ2) measured as mean pairwise. .......... 32 3-1 List of transect localities, sample numbers, and corresponding environmental .. 51 3-2 Taxa found only on the windward side of the island. Columns show the total .... 58 3-3 Taxa found only on the leeward side of island. Columns show the total shell .... 59 3-4 Beta diversity as measured in all data, and within groups of samples. ............... 61 4-1 Median evenness and diversity values for each of the five estuaries. ................ 95 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 2-1 Representative specimens of the seven Anadara taxa included ........................ 41 2-2 A regional map of localities of the 359 Anadara specimens analyzed here ........ 42