Download or read book Effects of Eelgrass Zostera Marina Habitat Loss on Epifaunal Abundance and Diversity written by Brendan J. Reed and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Impacts of Copper Contamination and Habitat Degradation on Eelgrass Zostera Marina Mesograzers written by and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exposure of contaminants in coastal areas has been on the rise with increasing urbanization of natural environments. These contaminants are known to effect organisms in multiple ways, such as directly increasing mortality, or indirectly altering many of their behaviors, such as sensing predators and foraging. Since seagrass habitats are heavily influenced by anthropogenic factors, organisms found in these ecosystems often experience constant exposure to non-degradable contaminants such as heavy metals. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) persistence is promoted by mesograzers (small crustaceans and gastropods) that control competing epiphytic algae growing on seagrass blades. Along with nutrient levels, this top-down control of a dominant competitor (algae) plays a substantial role in dictating eelgrass health, particularly at high levels of eelgrass structural complexity. However, mesograzers can be negatively affected by contaminants at high levels. I conducted a manipulative field experiment on epifaunal colonization of eelgrass in San Diego Bay, and a companion lab experiment on epifaunal grazing, to determine how epiphytic algae, the mesograzer community, and rates of herbivory are interactively affected by dissolved copper and habitat structural complexity. In the field, copper spiked plaster blocks and artificial seagrass units were used to create realistic pulse events of contamination for two levels of habitat structural complexity. I found that the abundance of epiphytic algae decreased with increasing copper, but that copper had no effect on epifaunal abundance or diversity, which responded strongly only to habitat structural complexity. In the lab experiment, I found complex interactive effects of copper concentration and habitat complexity on grass shrimp grazing rates. Low elevated levels of copper resulted in higher grazing in low complexity vs. high complexity eelgrass, in contrast to trends in ambient and high levels of copper as well as in previous experiments. In both low and high structural complexity eelgrass, grass shrimp grazing impact was highest when copper was elevated compared to ambient levels. In order to set effective regulations, understanding both the direct and indirect interactions between organisms and their environment is key in conserving and managing eelgrass habitat.
Download or read book Effects of Eelgrass Zostera Marina Habitat Fragmentation on the Epifaunal Community in San Diego Bay USA written by Danielle Healey and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book An Observational and Experimental Analysis of Eelgrass and Its Epifaunal Community in Bodega Harbor California written by Grace Ha and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seagrass - marine flowering plants that create underwater meadows through-out temperate and tropical coastal waters - are important foundation species, acting as key nursery grounds for many commercial and recreational fisheries, performing ecosystem functions including flow modification and sediment stabilization, and providing habitat to diverse and productive communities of marine life. Given the decline of seagrass globally, there is particular need for documenting and understanding the dynamics of seagrass ecosystems. Focusing on the eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) beds of Bodega Harbor, California, USA, I approached this task through methods that incorporated natural history, field research, statistical analysis, and taxonomy. In Chapter 1, I conducted a 16-month survey of eelgrass and its epifauna and analyzed species abundances in the context of the extreme warm-water event known as "The Blob" that occurred along the Californian coastline in 2014. My research found a diverse invertebrate assemblage comprising mostly native detritivore-grazers, which contrasted sharply with nearby San Francisco Bay, which has been dominated by invasive species. Invertebrate population dynamics correlated closely to that of the eelgrass they inhabited, and in general, both habitat and epifauna declines coincided with increasing seawater temperatures. In Chapter 2, I used eelgrass as a model system to test the role of camouflage in predator-prey interactions. I conducted field experiments, testing whether prey survival was affected by color-matching between prey and habitat, using the green amphipod, Ampithoe lacertosa and artificial habitats made of eelgrass, and clear, red, and green plastic ribbon. With seine nets and underwater video recordings, I also collected data on fish predator abundance and diversity. Although generalized linear regressions in-dicated habitat color significantly affected prey survival, greater color-matching did not predict greater prey survival. Further analysis using structural equation modeling indicated that the effect of habitat on prey survival was significantly mediated by fish density and, to a lesser degree, fish diversity. Even after taking these effects into account, I did not find survival to clearly correspond to increasing color-match between prey and habitat. These results were consistent with the equivocal conclusions of previous studies on the anti-predator hypothesis of camouflage, altogether suggesting further theory development and experimentation is needed to explain the frequency of apparent camouflage in nature. In Chapter 3, I described a new species of porcellidiid copepod - found during the epifaunal surveys I conducted in 2013-2014. This was the first porcellidiid copepod species to be described from North America, although porcellidiid copepods have been previously recorded in Northeast Pacific coastal surveys. Porcellidium species nova n. sp., can be distinguished by a deep cleft in the female genital double somite, a lack of plumulose setae and three coupling denticles (two bulbous denticulate pads and one smooth protrusion) on the male antennule, and clear coloration with purple/maroon bands across the first and last metasomes. I have provided a partial revision to a key to Porcellidium species, along with a discussion of the natural history and distribution of porcellidiid copepods along the Northeastern Pacific coastline.
Download or read book The Ecological Consequences of Genetic Diversity in Eelgrass Zostera Marina written by Anne Randall Hughes and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Edge Effects in Estuarine Habitat Mosaics written by and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seagrass is often one of several habitat types in estuarine seascape mosaics, but seagrass edge effect studies have rarely considered that neighboring habitat identity might create multiple ‘edge types’ each with unique effects on fauna. Restoration projects featuring multiple estuarine habitats may benefit from improved understanding of interactions between habitats at edges. I used an eelgrass (Zostera marina) and Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) living shoreline restoration experiment in southern California to test if eelgrass epifaunal community structure and predation risk vary with adjacent habitat (eelgrass-oyster and eelgrass-unvegetated sediment) and edge proximity (edge or interior). I found that effects of adjacent habitat and edge proximity on epifaunal density, richness, and diversity responses were site-specific, with oysters elevating richness and diversity in eelgrass at only one of three sites. Multivariate community analysis suggested that adjacent habitat and edge proximity altered epifaunal assemblages at that site only. Typical edge effect covariates such as habitat complexity and food availability did not appear to explain edge effects in epifaunal communities. Using tethering experiments, I found that predation risk for grass shrimp varied with adjacent habitat type and proximity to the edge, with interactive effects of adjacent habitat and edge proximity at two sites. Predation risk was lower in eelgrass patches adjacent to oysters than those adjacent to unvegetated sediments. My results suggest that after one year, oyster restoration has had moderate and variable effects on eelgrass epifaunal communities and predation risk. This living shorelines project is one of the first in southern California, and I recommend that more studies utilize restoration experiments to simultaneously test ecological theory and conserve habitats.
Download or read book Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on the Utilization of Eelgrass Zostera Marina by Mobile Epifauna and Macrofauna written by Scott R. Marion and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Oceanography and Marine Biology An Annual Review Volume 59 written by S J Hawkins and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2021-10-11 with total page 1054 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review remains one of the most cited sources in marine science and oceanography. The ever-increasing interest in work in oceanography and marine biology and its relevance to global environmental issues, especially global climate change and its impacts, creates a demand for authoritative refereed reviews summarizing and synthesizing the results of recent research. If you are interested in submitting a review for consideration for publication in OMBAR, please email the Editor in Chief, Stephen Hawkins, at [email protected]. For nearly 60 years, OMBAR has been an essential reference for research workers and students in all fields of marine science. This volume considers such diverse topics as the Great Barrier Reef Expedition of 1928-29, Mediterranean marine caves, macromedusae in eastern boundary currents, marine biodiversity in Korea, and development of a geo-ecological carbonate reef system model to predict responses of reefs to climate change. Seven of the peer-reviewed contributions in Volume 59 are available to read Open Access on this webpage (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9). An international Editorial Board ensures global relevance and expert peer review, with editors from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The series volumes find a place in the libraries of not only marine laboratories and oceanographic institutes, but also universities worldwide.
Download or read book Seagrasses of Australia written by Anthony W. D. Larkum and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-07-27 with total page 791 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book takes the place of “Biology of Seagrasses: A Treatise on the Biology of Seagrasses with Special Reference to the Australian Region”, co-edited by A.W.D. Larkum, A.J. MaCComb and S.A. Shepherd and published by Elsevier in 1989. The first book has been influential, but it is now 25 years since it was published and seagrass studies have progressed and developed considerably since then. The design of the current book follows in the steps of the first book. There are chapters on taxonomy, floral biology, biogeography and regional studies. The regional studies emphasize the importance of Australia having over half of the world’s 62 species, including some ten species published for Australia since the previous book. There are a number of chapters on ecology and biogeography; fish biology and fisheries and dugong biology are prominent chapters. Physiological aspects again play an important part, including new knowledge on the role of hydrogen sulphide in sediments and on photosynthetic processes. Climate change, pollution and environmental degradation this time gain an even more important part of the book. Decline of seagrasses around Australia are also discussed in detail in several chapters. Since the first book was published two new areas have received special attention: blue carbon and genomic studies. Seagrasses are now known to be a very important player in the formation of blue carbon, i.e. carbon that has a long turnover time in soils and sediments. Alongside salt marshes and mangroves, seagrasses are now recognized as playing a very important role in the formation of blue carbon. And because Australia has such an abundance and variety of seagrasses, their role in blue carbon production and turnover is of great importance. The first whole genomes of seagrasses are now available and Australia has played an important role here. It appears that seagrasses have several different suites of genes as compared with other (land) plants and even in comparison with freshwater hydrophytes. This difference is leading to important molecular biological studies where the new knowledge will be important to the understanding and conservation of seagrass ecosystems in Australia. Thus by reason of its natural abundance of diverse seagrasses and a sophisticated seagrass research community in Australia it is possible to produce a book which will be attractive to marine biologists, coastal scientists and conservationists from many countries around the world.
Download or read book World Atlas of Seagrasses written by Frederick T. Short and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seagrasses are a vital and widespread but often overlooked coastal marine habitat. This volume provides a global survey of their distribution and conservation status.
Download or read book Biofouling written by Simone Dürr and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-12-21 with total page 477 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biofouling (the colonisation of an interface by a diverse array of organisms) is almost always a problem where it occurs, as it negatively affects surfaces, the materials that they are made from and the structures that they form, and can even destroy them. This comprehensive book covers in detail in its first section the processes involved in marine , freshwater and medical biofouling including coverage of settlement by larvae and spores, biofouling community processes, epibiosis (biofouling on living organisms) and microbial fouling, including biofilms deleterious to human health. The book's second section, encompassing biofouling processes with industrial implications, includes coverage of biofouling on artificial substrata, paints and coatings technology for the control of marine biofouling, biofouling and antifouling in the maritime industries, such as shipping, offshore oil , and aquaculture, and in power stations and other industries. The impacts of both biofouling and biofouling control and details of current legislation of relevance to biofouling issues are fully covered. The book's final section looks at methods for the measurement of biofouling, and future prospects for biofouling, including in-depth coverage of the changes anticipated in biofouling worldwide due to global climate change, and likely future directions in antifouling research, technology and legislation. Biofouling, which includes contributions from many international experts, is an essential reference for all those working in the antifouling industry including those involved in formulation of antifouling products such as paints and other coatings. Aquatic biologists, ecologists, environmental scientists and lawyers, marine engineers, aquaculture personnel, chemists, and medical researchers will all find much of interest within this book. All universities and research establishments where these subjects are studied and taught should have copies of this important work on their shelves.
Download or read book The Causes and Consequences of Macroalgal Blooms on an Eelgrass Zostera Marina Community in Bodega Harbor CA written by Suzanne Victoria Olyarnik and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Quantifying Ecosystem Functions Through Fish and Epifaunal Invertebrate Communities in Newport Bay written by Cody Fees (Graduate student) and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Despite its recognized importance, significant areas of wetland habitat have been lost. With that loss, there has been a decline in native species and the functions they provide. One solution to overcome this loss of both organisms and functions has been restoration. My study assessed paired oyster and eelgrass restoration through response of fish and epifaunal invertebrates. Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) and eelgrass (Zostera marina) were restored, separately and paired, at four sites in Newport Bay, CA in 2016 and 2017. I monitored fish communities using baited camera traps and epifauna using oyster bed excavations (OSUs) for 3-years post-complete restoration. I hypothesized that both fish and epifaunal invertebrate abundance and diversity within restored habitats would increase through time due to maturation of structure-forming habitats of the oyster beds and eelgrass. Although site remained an important factor influencing the fish and epifauna communities, it is likely that this is due to variation in the restoration trajectory of the oyster beds and eelgrass at each site. Immediately post-restoration, one site, Shellmaker, was most often distinct from other sites due to its lack of eelgrass. As time progressed, the beds at Shellmaker remained most intact but eelgrass beds did develop. This meant that site differences remained for epifaunal invertebrates but fish communities reflects the treatments (mainly eelgrass presence). While additional monitoring is needed both on these communities and for other abiotic correlates, the restoration of oysters and eelgrass in a paired design appears to positively affect the fish and epifaunal communities within this southern California estuary over a 3-year time scale.
Download or read book The Effects of Mesograzer Biodiversity and Seagrass Structural Complexity on Eelgrass Ecosystem Function written by and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A central theory of community ecology is that increased biodiversity results in greater ecosystem function and stability. Many experiments have examined biodiversity-ecosystem function (BEF) relationships at the primary producer level, yet BEF relationships are equally pertinent at higher trophic levels. In seagrass ecosystems, mesograzers (small invertebrate herbivores) promote seagrass persistence by consuming competitively superior epiphytic algae that foul seagrass blades. Experiments in seagrass habitat suggest that mesograzer diversity is a primary driver of top-down control of epiphytic algae, but also that the relationship is temporally and spatially variable. The primary hypothesis of my study is that much of this variability may be due to differences in seagrass habitat structure through time and space. I worked in eelgrass (Zostera marina) habitat in San Diego Bay, California, USA, to test whether variability in eelgrass structural complexity (shoot density) affects relationships between mesograzer biodiversity and ecosystem function (grazing impact and secondary production). I also examined the functional roles of numerically dominant eelgrass epifauna, using a laboratory experiment and stable isotope analysis. Contrary to BEF theory, increased grazer diversity in laboratory mesocosms resulted in decreased grazing impact and facilitation of algal growth. Though some species combinations resulted in increased algal grazing, antagonistic relationships among the most influential grazing taxa resulted in reduced ecosystem function. Structural complexity promoted mesograzer top-down control of epiphytes, increased mesograzer secondary production, and altered epifaunal community composition. Effects of biodiversity and structural complexity on grazing corresponded to variability in diet and feeding behavior among dominant epifaunal taxa. My results demonstrate the importance of examining species-specific interactions when considering links between community structure and ecosystem function, and that environmental context, such as habitat structure, may have large effects on BEF relationships.
Download or read book Seagrass Ecology written by Marten A. Hemminga and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-10-19 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seagrasses occur in coastal zones throughout the world, in the part of the marine habitat that is most heavily influenced by humans. Decisions about coastal management therefore often involve seagrasses, but a full appreciation of the role of seagrasses in coastal ecosystems has yet to be reached. This book provides an entry point for those wishing to learn about the ecology of this fascinating group of plants, and gives a broad overview of current knowledge, complemented by extensive literature references to guide the reader to more detailed studies.
Download or read book Epifaunal Community Structure and Trophic Interactions in Eelgrass Zostera Marina Habitats of San Francisco Bay written by Lindsey Anne Carr and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Global Seagrass Research Methods written by F.T. Short and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2001-11-06 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thorough and informative volume presents a set of detailed, globally applicable techniques for seagrass research.The book provides methods for all aspects of seagrass science from basic plant collection to statistical approaches and investigations of plant-animal interaction. The emphasis is on methods that are applicable in both developing and developed countries. The importance of seagrasses in coastal and near shore environments, and ultimately their contribution to the productivity of the world's oceans, has become increasingly recognised over the last 40 years.Seagrasses provide food for sea turtles, nearly 100 fish species, waterfowl and for the marine mammals the manatee and dugong. Seagrasses also support complex food webs by virtue of their physical structure and primary production and are well known for their role as breeding grounds and nurseries for important crustacean, finfish and shell fish populations. Seagrasses are the basis of an important detrital food chain. The plants filter nutrients and contaminants from the water, stabilise sediments and act as dampeners to wave action. Seagrasses rank with coral reefs and mangroves as some of the world's most productive coastal habitat and strong linkages among these habitats make the loss of seagrasses a contributing factor in the degradation of the world's oceans.Contributors from around the world provide up-to-date methods for comparable collection of ecological information from both temperate and tropical seagrass ecosystems.
