Results of Biological Sampling Conducted for Impact Analysis for Long-Range Maintenance Dredging in the Norfolk Naval Complex
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Benthic Invertebrate Community Monitoring and Indicator Development for Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary
July 15, 2013 Final Report Project SR12-002: Benthic Invertebrate Community Monitoring and Indicator Development for Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary Gary L. Taghon, Rutgers University, Project Manager [email protected] Judith P. Grassle, Rutgers University, Co-Manager [email protected] Charlotte M. Fuller, Rutgers University, Co-Manager [email protected] Rosemarie F. Petrecca, Rutgers University, Co-Manager and Quality Assurance Officer [email protected] Patricia Ramey, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt Germany, Co-Manager [email protected] Thomas Belton, NJDEP Project Manager and NJDEP Research Coordinator [email protected] Marc Ferko, NJDEP Quality Assurance Officer [email protected] Bob Schuster, NJDEP Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring [email protected] Introduction The Barnegat Bay ecosystem is potentially under stress from human impacts, which have increased over the past several decades. Benthic macroinvertebrates are commonly included in studies to monitor the effects of human and natural stresses on marine and estuarine ecosystems. There are several reasons for this. Macroinvertebrates (here defined as animals retained on a 0.5-mm mesh sieve) are abundant in most coastal and estuarine sediments, typically on the order of 103 to 104 per meter squared. Benthic communities are typically composed of many taxa from different phyla, and quantitative measures of community diversity (e.g., Rosenberg et al. 2004) and the relative abundance of animals with different feeding behaviors (e.g., Weisberg et al. 1997, Pelletier et al. 2010), can be used to evaluate ecosystem health. Because most benthic invertebrates are sedentary as adults, they function as integrators, over periods of months to years, of the properties of their environment. -
Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology • Number 90
SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEOBIOLOGY • NUMBER 90 Geology and Paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina, III Clayton E. Ray and David J. Bohaska EDITORS ISSUED MAY 112001 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Smithsonian Institution Press Washington, D.C. 2001 ABSTRACT Ray, Clayton E., and David J. Bohaska, editors. Geology and Paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina, III. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, number 90, 365 pages, 127 figures, 45 plates, 32 tables, 2001.—This volume on the geology and paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine is the third of four to be dedicated to the late Remington Kellogg. It includes a prodromus and six papers on nonmammalian vertebrate paleontology. The prodromus con tinues the historical theme of the introductions to volumes I and II, reviewing and resuscitat ing additional early reports of Atlantic Coastal Plain fossils. Harry L. Fierstine identifies five species of the billfish family Istiophoridae from some 500 bones collected in the Yorktown Formation. These include the only record of Makairapurdyi Fierstine, the first fossil record of the genus Tetrapturus, specifically T. albidus Poey, the second fossil record of Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw and Nodder) and Makaira indica (Cuvier), and the first fossil record of/. platypterus, M. indica, M. nigricans Lacepede, and T. albidus from fossil deposits bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Robert W. Purdy and five coauthors identify 104 taxa from 52 families of cartilaginous and bony fishes from the Pungo River and Yorktown formations. The 10 teleosts and 44 selachians from the Pungo River Formation indicate correlation with the Burdigalian and Langhian stages. The 37 cartilaginous and 40 bony fishes, mostly from the Sunken Meadow member of the Yorktown Formation, are compatible with assignment to the early Pliocene planktonic foraminiferal zones N18 or N19. -
Trophic Transfer and Habitat Use of Oyster Crassostrea Virginica Reefs in Southwest Florida, Identified by Stable Isotope Analysis
Vol. 462: 125–142, 2012 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published August 21 doi: 10.3354/meps09824 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Trophic transfer and habitat use of oyster Crassostrea virginica reefs in southwest Florida, identified by stable isotope analysis Holly A. Abeels1,2, Ai Ning Loh1, Aswani K. Volety1,* 1Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Florida 33965, USA 2Present address: University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Brevard County Extension Service, Cocoa, Florida 32926, USA ABSTRACT: Oyster reefs have been identified as essential fish habitat for resident and transient species. Many organisms found on oyster reefs, including shrimp, crabs, and small fishes, find shelter and food on the reef and in turn provide food for transient species that frequent oyster reefs. The objective of this study was to determine trophic transfer on oyster reefs in a subtropical environment using stable isotope compositions. Water, sediment, particulate organic matter, vari- ous crustaceans, fishes, as well as oysters were collected at 2 sites in Estero Bay, Florida, during the wet and dry seasons, and processed for δ13C and δ15N stable isotope analyses. Differences in freshwater input (salinity) resulted in differences in carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios. Overall, fish and shrimp are secondary consumers, with crabs and oysters as primary consumers, and organic matter sources at the lowest trophic level. Results of the study further demonstrate that reef-resident organisms consume other organisms found on the reef and/or primary -
A New Species of Horseshoe Worm Discovered in Japan After a 62 Year Gap 4 April 2014
A new species of horseshoe worm discovered in Japan after a 62 year gap 4 April 2014 Phoronis vancouverensis that has long been disputed. This is Phoronis emigi, preserved in formalin. Credit: Dr. Masato Hirose The horseshoe worm is a worm-like marine invertebrate inhabiting both hard and soft substrates such as rock, bivalve shells, and sandy bottom. The name "horseshoe" refers to the U- shaped crown of tentacles which is called "lophophore." Horseshoe worms comprise a small This is a living Phoronis ijimai, extending its lophophore. phylum Phoronida, which contains only ten species Credit: Dr. Masato Hirose. decorating the bottom of the oceans. The new species Phoronis emigi, the eleventh member of the group described in the open access "It is necessary to use both internal anatomy and journal ZooKeys, comes after a long 62 year gap molecular data for reveal the global diversity of of new discoveries in the phylum. It is unique in the horseshoe worm. The known phoronid diversity still number and arrangement of body-wall muscle remains low, with all specimens reported from bundles and the position of the nephridia which is limited habitats and the localities by the limited the excretory organ of some invertebrates. The reports. Investigations at new localities or habitats new species is morphologically similar to sand- may yield additional species in the future", explains dwelling species Phoronis psammophila and it is Dr Masato Hirose, Atmosphere and Ocean also closely related to Phoronis hippocrepia, which Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Japan. inhabits hard substrate. The morphology of the topotypes for Phoronis More information: Hirose M, Fukiage R, Katoh T, ijimai is also described in this study after 117 years Kajihara H (2014) Description and molecular since its original description. -
Abstract Impact of Vessel Noise on Oyster Toadfish
ABSTRACT IMPACT OF VESSEL NOISE ON OYSTER TOADFISH (OPSANUS TAU) BEHAVIOR AND IMPLICATIONS FOR UNDERWATER NOISE MANAGEMENT By Cecilia S. Krahforst April 2017 Director of Dissertation: Joseph J. Luczkovich, Ph.D. Major Department: Coastal Resources Management ABSTRACT Underwater noise and its impacts on marine life are growing management concerns. This dissertation considers both the ecological and social concerns of underwater noise, using the oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) as a model species. Oyster toadfish call for mates using a boatwhistle sound, but increased ambient noise levels from vessels or other anthropogenic activities are likely to influence the ability of males to find mates. If increased ambient noise levels reduce fish fitness then underwater noise can impact socially valued ecosystem services (e.g. fisheries). The following ecological objectives of the impacts of underwater noise on oyster toadfish were investigated: (1) to determine how noise influences male calling behavior; (2) to assess how areas of high vessel activity (“noisy”) and low vessel activity (“quiet”) influence habitat utilization (fish standard length and occupancy rate); and (3) to discover if fitness (number of clutches and number of embryos per clutch) is lower in “noisy” compared with “quiet” sites. Field experiments were executed in “noisy” and “quiet” areas. Recorded calls by males in response to playback sounds (vessel, predator, and snapping shrimp sounds) and egg deposition by females (“noisy” vs. “quiet” sites) demonstrated that oyster toadfish are impacted by underwater noise. First, males decreased their call rates and called louder in response to increased ambient noise levels. Second, oyster toadfish selected nesting sites in areas with little or no inboard motorboat activity. -
Biology of the Oyster Sam Weller Was Speaking of the Flat Oyster (Ostrea Edulis) and the Poor in England
NOTE: To make this publication searchable, the text in this pdf was scanned from the original out-of-print publication. It is possible that the scanning process may have introduced text errors. If there is a question about accuracy, please check a copy of the orginal printed document at libraries or download an electronic, non- searchable version from the Pell Depository: http://nsgd.gso.uri.edu/aqua/ mdut81003.pdf Biology It’s a wery remarkable circumstance, sir,” said Sam, “that poverty and oysters always seems to go togeth - er.” “I don’t understand, Sam,” said Mr. Pickwick. “What I mean, sir,” said Sam, “is, that the poorer a place is, the greater call there seems to be for oysters. Look here, sir; here’s a oyster stall to every half- dozen houses. The streets lined vith ‘em. Blessed if I don’t think that ven a man’s wery poor, he rushes out of his lodgings and eats oysters in reg’lar despera - tion.” —Pickwick Papers, C. Dickens (1836) Biology of the Oyster Sam Weller was speaking of the flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) and the poor in England. At that time, about 500 million oysters were sold at Billingsgate every year, resulting in a cheap and readily available foodstuff (Gross and Smyth 1946). However, the production of the fishery declined throughout Europe until the oys- ter became too expensive for the poor. Eventually, flat oysters were maintained mainly by culture in areas representing only a portion of their former range. In discussing this decline, Gross and Smyth (1946) felt that two major and interre- lated causes for the decline were (1) overfishing and (2) the resultant conse- quence of a severely reduced population of oysters. -
Documenting Neotropical Diversity of Phoronids with DNA Barcoding of Planktonic Larvae
Received: 30 April 2018 | Revised: 25 January 2019 | Accepted: 17 February 2019 DOI: 10.1111/ivb.12242 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Documenting neotropical diversity of phoronids with DNA barcoding of planktonic larvae Rachel Collin1 | Dagoberto E. Venera‐Pontón1 | Amy C. Driskell2 | Kenneth S. Macdonald2 | Kit‐Yu Karen Chan3 | Michael J. Boyle4 1Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Panama Abstract 2Laboratories of Analytical Biology, National Phoronid larvae, actinotrochs, are beautiful and complicated organisms which have Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian attracted as much, if not more, attention than their adult forms. We collected acti‐ Institution, Washington, DC 3Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong notrochs from the waters of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Panama, and used University of Science and Technology, Clear DNA barcoding of mtCOI, as well as 16S and 18S sequences, to estimate the diversity Water Bay, Hong Kong of phoronids in the region. We discovered three operational taxonomic units (OTUs) 4Smithsonian Marine Station, Fort Pierce, Florida in the Bay of Panama on the Pacific coast and four OTUs in Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean coast. Not only did all OTUs differ from each other by >10% pairwise dis‐ Correspondence Rachel Collin, Smithsonian Tropical tance in COI, but they also differed from all phoronid sequences in GenBank, includ‐ Research, Institute, Unit 9100, Box 0948, ing the four species for which adults have been reported for the Pacific of Panama, DPO AA 34002, USA Email: [email protected] Phoronopsis harmeri, Phoronis psammophila, Phoronis muelleri, and Phoronis hippocre‐ pia. In each ocean region, one common OTU was more abundant and occurred more Present Address Kit‐Yu Karen Chan, Biology frequently than other OTUs in our samples. -
Morphological Correlates and Behavioral Functions of Sound Production in Loricariid Catfish, with a Focus on Pterygoplichthys Pardalis (Castelnau, 1855)
Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses Fall 1-17-2018 Morphological Correlates and Behavioral Functions of Sound Production in Loricariid Catfish, with a Focus on Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau, 1855) Monique Renee Slusher Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Biology Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Slusher, Monique Renee, "Morphological Correlates and Behavioral Functions of Sound Production in Loricariid Catfish, with a ocusF on Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau, 1855)" (2018). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 4155. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.6043 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Morphological Correlates and Behavioral Functions of Sound Production in Loricariid Catfish, With a Focus on Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau, 1855) by Monique Renee Slusher A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Biology Thesis Committee: Randy Zelick, Chair Bradley Buckley Luis A. Ruedas Portland State University 2017 Abstract The Neotropical catfish Pterygoplichthys pardalis produces a harsh stridulation sound upon manual capture. This stridulation sound is made on the abduction of the pectoral fin spine, and is accomplished by friction of a ridged dorsal condyle against a rough spinal fossa of the cleithrum in the pectoral girdle. The sound produced has an average frequency of 121 Hz, and is used with other anti-predator adaptations such as bony subdermal armor and defensive fin-spreading. -
Age, Growth and Mortality of the Toadfish, Halobatrachus Didactylus (Schneider, 1801) (Pisces: Batrachoididae), in the Bay of Cádiz (Southwestern Spain)
SCIENTIA MARINA 74(1) March 2010, 121-130, Barcelona (Spain) ISSN: 0214-8358 doi: 10.3989/scimar.2010.74n1121 Age, growth and mortality of the toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus (Schneider, 1801) (Pisces: Batrachoididae), in the Bay of Cádiz (southwestern Spain) JOSÉ LUIS PALAZÓN-FERNANDEZ 1, JENNIFER C. POTTS 2, CHARLES S. MANOOCH III 2 and CARMEN SARASQUETE 3 1 Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad de Oriente-Boca del Río, Isla de Margarita, Venezuela. E-mail: jose. [email protected]; [email protected] 2 Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, Beaufort Laboratory-NOAA-101 Pivers Island Road, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516-9722, USA. 3 Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía-CSIC, Polígono Río San Pedro, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, España. SUMMARY: Age, growth and mortality of the toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus, were determined by examination of the whole sagittal otoliths of fish sampled in the Bay of Cádiz (southwestern Spain) from March 1999 to March 2000. A total of 844 specimens (425 males, 416 females, and 3 of indeterminate sex), ranging from 95 to 470 mm in total length were ex- amined. Eighty-nine percent of the otoliths could be read allowing an age estimation. The opaque zone was formed between April and May coincident with the maximum reproductive peak, while the translucent zone formed mainly in summer-fall (June to December). Maximum ages for males and females were 12 and 10 years, respectively. The samples were dominated by 2- to 6-year-old specimens. Males matured at an age of approximately 2 years and females at 3 years. -
WEST COAST SPECIES of the PHYLUM PHORONIDA The
WEST COAST SPECIES OF THE PHYLUM PHORONIDA The following seven species of phoronid adults are known from southern and central California: Phoronis architecta Phoronopsis californica % Phoronis muelleri - 3G-5CV Phoronopsis harmeri Phoronis pallida ^Phoronis psammophila Phoronis vancouverensis With the exception of Phoronis muelleri the larvae of the above are also well known here. An additional nearly cosmopolitan species Phoronis ovalis occurs in Washington and two additional widely distributed species Phoronis australis and Phoronis hippocrepia are reported from our east coast. Two further "larval species" occur in southern California, a third such form is known from Hawaii, and there may be at least two additional unidentified larvae from east coast waters. There are no described adults to match with these larval forms, so additional adult forms await discovery and description. Two additional species names may be familiar to California workers: Phoronopsis viridis is now considered a synonym of Phoronopsis harmeri and Phoronis pacifica has never been identified since the inadequate type description The Genus Phoronis Members of this genus lack the epidermal fold known as the collar which is located at the base of the lophophore in members of the only other genus Phoronopsis. Although inconsequential and sometimes inconspicuous, the collar is the only morphological feature separating the genera. Adults of the genus Phoronis are usually smaller than those of Phoronopsis Phoronis ovalis: Not yet described from southern California, but probably here. Positive identification is easy since species is diminutive (usually less than 1 cm in length), with only about 24 tentacles which are arranged in a slightly indented circle. Burrows within calcareous substrates (limestone, mollusc shells, barnacles) in which it forms aggregations by asexual budding. -
Costa-Paiva Et Al. 2017)
GBE Broad Phylogenetic Occurrence of the Oxygen-Binding Hemerythrins in Bilaterians Elisa M. Costa-Paiva1,2,*, Carlos G. Schrago1,andKennethM.Halanych2 1Laboratorio de Biologia Evolutiva Teorica e Aplicada, Departamento de Gene´ tica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2Molette Biology Laboratory for Environmental and Climate Change Studies, Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University *Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]. Accepted: September 5, 2017 Data deposition: This project has been deposited at GenBank under accession numbers KY929214 to KY929271. Abstract Animal tissues need to be properly oxygenated for carrying out catabolic respiration and, as such, natural selection has presumably favored special molecules that can reversibly bind and transport oxygen. Hemoglobins, hemocyanins, and hemerythrins (Hrs) fulfill this role, with Hrs being the least studied. Knowledge of oxygen-binding proteins is crucial for understanding animal physiology. Hr genes are present in the three domains of life, Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota; however, within Animalia, Hrs has been reported only in marine species in six phyla (Annelida, Brachiopoda, Priapulida, Bryozoa, Cnidaria, and Arthropoda). Given this observed Hr distribution, whether all metazoan Hrs share a common origin is circumspect. We investigated Hr diversity and evolution in metazoans, by employing in silico approaches to survey for Hrs from of 120 metazoan transcriptomes and genomes. We found 58 candidate Hr genes actively transcribed in 36 species distributed in 11 animal phyla, with new records in Echinodermata, Hemichordata, Mollusca, Nemertea, Phoronida, and Platyhelminthes. Moreover, we found that “Hrs” reported from Cnidaria and Arthropoda were not consistent with that of other metazoan Hrs. Contrary to previous suggestions that Hr genes were absent in deuterostomes, we find Hr genes present in deuterostomes and were likely present in early bilaterians, but not in nonbilaterian animal lineages. -
Occurrence of Phoronopsis Californica and Phoronis Australis at Granada Coast (Spain, Western Mediterranean)
Cah. Biol. Mar. (1997) 38 : 273-276 Occurrence of Phoronopsis californica and Phoronis australis at Granada Coast (Spain, Western Mediterranean). Luis SÁNCHEZ TOCINO 1, Amelia OCAÑA 1 and José M. VIÉITEZ 2 1. - Depto.de Biología Animal y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, 18071 Granada (Spain) 2. - Depto. de Biología Animal, Universidad de Alcalá, 28871 Alcalá de Henares (Spain) Fax: 34 1 8855080 - E-mail: josem.vieitez @ alcala.es Adresse postale: José M. Viéitez. Depto. de Biología Animal. Universidad de Alcalá. 28871 Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain). Abstract: Phoronopsis californica was collected at the beach of Calabajío (Almuñécar, Granada) at 9 m depth in a Cymodocea nodosa meadow with a muddy sand sediment; this represents the first record of this species for the Mediterranean Sea. At others localities of the same Granada province, but at a greater depth, around 15 m, Phoronis australis has been found, into a tube-wall of Cerianthus membranaceus which is typical for this phoronid species. The new record from Granada coast, enlarges the distribution area of Phoronida in the Mediterranean Sea, particularly that of the genus Phoronopsis. Résumé : Phoronopsis californica a été récoltée, pour la première fois en Mer Méditerranée, près de la plage de Calabajío (Almuñécar, Province de Grenade) à une profondeur de 9 m dans un sable fin, légèrement vaseux d'une prairie à Cymodocea nodosa. Dans une autre localité de la même province, à une profondeur de 15 m, Phoronis australis a été rencontrée, dans la paroi de tubes de Cerianthus membranaceus, une situation caractéristique de cette espèce de phoronidien. Ces nouvelles signalisations des environs de Grenade élargissent la distribution géographique des phoronidiens, en particulier celle du genre Phoronopsis.