publications
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1969.6/86489
Browse
Browsing publications by Type "text"
Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item An Overview of Marine Biodiversity in United States Waters(PLOS, 2010) Fautin, Daphne; Dalton, Penelope; Incze, Lewis S.; Leong, Jo-Ann C.; Pautzke, Clarence; Rosenberg, Andrew; Sandifer, Paul; Sedberry, George; Jr, John W. Tunnell; Abbott, Isabella; Brainard, Russell E.; Brodeur, Melissa; Eldredge, Lucius G.; Feldman, Michael; Moretzsohn, Fabio; Vroom, Peter S.; Wainstein, Michelle; Wolff, NicholasMarine biodiversity of the United States (U.S.) is extensively documented, but data assembled by the United States National Committee for the Census of Marine Life demonstrate that even the most complete taxonomic inventories are based on records scattered in space and time. The best-known taxa are those of commercial importance. Body size is directly correlated with knowledge of a species, and knowledge also diminishes with distance from shore and depth. Measures of biodiversity other than species diversity, such as ecosystem and genetic diversity, are poorly documented. Threats to marine biodiversity in the U.S. are the same as those for most of the world: overexploitation of living resources; reduced water quality; coastal development; shipping; invasive species; rising temperature and concentrations of carbon dioxide in the surface ocean, and other changes that may be consequences of global change, including shifting currents; increased number and size of hypoxic or anoxic areas; and increased number and duration of harmful algal blooms. More information must be obtained through field and laboratory research and monitoring that involve innovative sampling techniques (such as genetics and acoustics), but data that already exist must be made accessible. And all data must have a temporal component so trends can be identified. As data are compiled, techniques must be developed to make certain that scales are compatible, to combine and reconcile data collected for various purposes with disparate gear, and to automate taxonomic changes. Information on biotic and abiotic elements of the environment must be interactively linked. Impediments to assembling existing data and collecting new data on marine biodiversity include logistical problems as well as shortages in finances and taxonomic expertise.Item Ecology of nesting seabirds on the Campeche Bank Islands, southeastern Gulf of México(Smithsonian Institute, 2002) Tunnell, J.W.; Chapman, B.R.Seabirds of the Campeche Bank islands in the Gulf of Mexico were surveyed during 1986. Eight of 12 permanently emergent islands had active seabird nesting colonies during the study period from winter through summer. Nine species of colonial seabirds nested on the islands: Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, Magnificent Frigatebird, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Sooty Tern, and Brown Noddy. Descriptions of colony locations in relation to vegetation or other island features along with bird censuses and historical records are presented. These large seabird populations in the southern Gulf of Mexico appear to have remained fairly stable, and they should be surveyed on a regular basis and protected.Item Four Regional Marine Biodiversity Studies: Approaches and Contributions to Ecosystem-Based Management(PLOS, 2011) Ellis, Sara L.; Incze, Lewis S.; Lawton, Peter; Ojaveer, Henn; MacKenzie, Brian R.; Pitcher, C. Roland; Shirley, Thomas C.; Eero, Margit; Jr, John W. Tunnell; Doherty, Peter J.; Zeller, Brad M.Item Liljeborgiid Amphipods from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea(Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, 1979) D. McKinney, LThe family Liljeborgiidae is represented in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea by two genera and five species. One species, Listriella barnardi Wigley, 1963, has previously been described from the east coast of North America. The remaining four species, Liljeborgia bousfieldi, Listriella quintana, Listriella bahia, and Listriella carinata are described as new species. L. bousfieldi appears closely related to the Hawaiian liljeborgiids while the listriellas appear more closely related to the east coast members of their genus.Item Population dynamics of the nonindigenous brown mussel Perna perna in the Gulf of Mexico compared to other world-wide populations(InterResearch, 2001) Hicks, David W.; Tunnell, John W.; McMahon, Robert F.Texas Gulf of Mexico populations of the marine mytilid Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) were sampled monthly on Fish Pass Jetty (FP) (27°41¹N) from September 1993 to February 1995 and Mansfield Pass Jetty (MP) (26°34¹N) from March 1994 to June 1995 within 1 yr of initial colonization. Population density and mussel size distributions allowed identification of annual cohorts. Mean individual tissue and shell ash-free dry weights (AFDW) from subsamples allowed estimation of cohort standing crop shell + tissue biomass. FP was dominated by the 1993 cohort, while 1992 and 1993 cohorts dominated MP. At both sites, poorly recruited 1994 cohorts had negligible biomass or production. FP 1993 cohort density declined from 15000 to 1000 m-2 while those of the 1992 and 1993 MP cohorts declined from 1000 to 100 and 2000 to 1000 m-2, over their respective sampling periods. First-year shell growth was 42 and 53 mm at FP and MP, respectively. AFDW biomass and monthly productivity at both sites remained constant through time. Mean annual FP AFDW biomass = 1.95 kg m-2 and production = 2.44 kg m-2 yr-1; respective values for MP were 1.35 kg m-2 and 1.86 kg m-2 yr-1. Spawning periods, marked by reduced mean individual production, extended from March to October at temperatures >18 to 20°C. The MP 1993 cohort did not reproduce. Gamete release accounted for 76 and 74% of total production in the 1993 FP and 1992 MP cohorts, respectively. Laboratory spawned mussels lost 60% of tissue AFDW regardless of sex. Growth rate, biomass, productivity and reproductive effort in Texan populations were similar to those of other P. perna populations, suggesting that North American Gulf of Mexico shores can support this species.Item US-Cuba Scientific Collaboration: Emerging Issues and Opportunities in Marine and Related Environmental Sciences(Oceanography Society, 2012) Machlis, Gary; Frankovich, Thomas A.; Alcolado, Pedro M.; García-Machado, Erik; Hernández-Zanuy, Aida Caridad; Hueter, Robert E.; Knowlton, Nancy; Perera |, Erick; Jr, John W. TunnellDespite diplomatic nonrecognition, vast political differences, a long-standing trade embargo, and strict limitations on travel, US-Cuban scientific collaboration is on the rise. In December 2011, independent US scientists traveled to Havana, Cuba, for a series of scientific discussions with members of the Cuban scientific community. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Cuban Academy of Sciences facilitated the trip. One topic for discussion concerned emerging issues and opportunities in marine and related environmental sciences. Shared resources (e.g., Gulf of Mexico fisheries) and high connectivity between US and Cuban ecosystems via regional oceanic and atmospheric circulations underscore the importance of increased US-Cuban cooperation in this field