Carla Curran et al. Savannah State University The effect of the bopyrid isopod parasite Probopyrus pandalicola and/or the trematode Microphallus turgidus on the behavior of Palaemonetes pugio 100 High Tide 4.0 80 Abundance 3.6 Shrimp length (cm) Ovigerity 60 Length 3.2 The effect of seasonality and tidal stage on the abundance 40 2.8 of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio and P. vulgaris 20 2.4 0 2.0 and their parasites. Mar Apr May June July Shaiane Pinto Abiotic influences on the abundance of juvenile flatfishes Jennie Wiggins 2018 Purpose Results • To determine which abiotic factors (e.g., salinity, • The bay whiff Citharichthys spilopterus, blackcheek tonguefish temperature, wind speed/direction), if any, had an effect Symphurus plagiusa, and fringed flounder Etropus crossotus on the seasonal abundance of flatfish species in small were collected every season, while the other 4 species were tidally influenced creek near Savannah, GA only collected in the winter and spring • Salinity was generally Materials and Methods consistent from season • Monthly sampling using a 1 m wide beam trawl to season, but temperature • 3 sequential tows conducted at 2 min each varied seasonally ranging • Temperature and salinity recorded using thermometer from 14.1 ± 2.56 °C to and refractometer, respectively • Flatfishes counted, measured (1 mm TL), and identified 29.0 ± 1.79°C to species How well can you LISTEN to the data on mean abundance (you will hear 12 musical notes – one for each month) Higher pitch means more fish All Flatfish Transform: Square root Resemblance: S17 Bray-Curtis similarity 25 2D Stress: 0.18 Season Blackcheek Tonguefish Fall Winter Bay Whiff Spring 20 Summer Fringed Flounder Ocellated Flounder 15 Southern Flounder Summer Flounder 10 Mean Abundance 5 20 Blackcheek Tonguefish 0 15 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Blackcheek Tonguefish Contact information 10 30+ K-12 activities 5 Carla Curran Mean Abundance [email protected] 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec.