Recent csgc_rcr items

Adaptive Management of Marine Protected Areas: Predicting Responses to MPA Implementation for Comparison to Monitoring Data

Fri, 15 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Adaptive Management of Marine Protected Areas: Predicting Responses to MPA Implementation for Comparison to Monitoring Data

Noroviruses in coastal waters: Implications for seafood cultivation and human health

Tue, 2 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Noroviruses in coastal waters: Implications for seafood cultivation and human health

Controlling Marine Invasive Species: The case of the Indo-Pacific Lionfish Invasion in the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean

Wed, 21 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Our hypothesis is that modeling features common to marine biological invasions, like the ability of the invader to disperse over long distances, will call for invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) control policies that diverge from those that are efficient based on models geared towards terrestrial and freshwater species, and that these differences will be economically significant.

Controlling Marine Invasive Species: The case of the Indo-Pacific Lionfish Invasion in the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean

Fri, 16 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Exploting marine actinomycete diversity for natural product discovery

Fri, 16 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The project hypotheses have not changed. We continue to address questions related to the diversity and distributions of MAR4 actinomycetes in marine sediments, the relationships between who these bacteria are (phylogeny), the types of secondary metabolites they produce, and the mechanistic biochemistry responsible for their biosynthesis.

Assessing selected Pacific Oyster stocks for disease resistance in Tomalas Bay, California

Thu, 1 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Assessing selected Pacific Oyster stocks for disease resistance in Tomalas Bay, California

MPA-Based Collaborative Techniques to Improve Management of Nearshore Fisheries

Thu, 1 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

MPA-Based Collaborative Techniques to Improve Management of Nearshore Fisheries

Effects of Freshwater Flow and Population Connectivity on Benthic Community Dynamics in the San Francisco Estuary

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Climate change and water diversions have greatly modified freshwater outflow into the San Francisco Estuary, changing the Estuary’s salinity regime. These climate- and water diversion-driven changes in salinities may have a wide range of impacts on important components of the San Francisco Estuary including the distribution of threatened/endangered species, the success of habitat restoration and the management of invasive species. Previous work has shown significant variation in the recruitment and survival of numerous species throughout the Estuary linked to freshwater outflow levels.

Patch Dynamics of Nutrients, Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Chlorophyll near the Tijuana River

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The overall project goal is improved understanding of the physical and biological controls on nearshore (0-15 m water depth) patchiness of nutrients, fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and chlorophyll (chl) near the Tijuana River.

Investigating Sources, Transformations and Fates of Brominated Compounds in the Coastal Environment

Thu, 4 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Methoxylated and hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO- and OH-PBDEs) and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs) found in marine biota in the coastal environment are not derived from the anthropogenic, PBDE flame retardant compounds.

Sea Urchin Gonad Index a Key to Understanding Secondary Production in the Restoration of Giant Kelp Forests off Palos Verdes

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Red and purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and S. purpuratus) that live in persistent barrens are perennially starved and will have lower gonad indices (the proportion of the weight of the whole urchin that is comprised of the weight of its gonad) than their counterparts living in persistent kelp forests. Establishing sea urchin gonad indices can be use as a measure of fishery-related secondary production in nearshore rocky reef ecosystems because gonad condition is linked to the quality of the urchin's diet and correlated with environmental conditions on a fine spatial scale.

High-Throughput Molecular Identification of Fish Eggs and Larvae

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Ichthyoplankton surveys can reveal the location, timing and intensity of spawning activity for many fish species and are widely used to assess fisheries resources. However, the utility of these surveys is limited by the fact that many eggs and larvae cannot be identified to the species level using morphology alone. This project was motivated by the hypothesis that fish eggs and larvae can be more accurately identified by species specific DNA sequences than by morphology alone.

Cross-shelf Larval Migrations Regulating Larval Supply and Connectivity in a Network of Marine Reserves

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

1. Does larval transport and recruitment vary markedly across an upwelling cell? 2. Do interspecific differences in larval behavior affect transport and recruitment? 3. How far from natal populations do larvae with different dispersal “strategies” travel at and away from a major upwelling center? 4. How should spatial variation in larval transport affect the placement, size, spacing and evaluation of MPAs across upwelling cells?

Connectivity of West Coast Marine Sanctuaries: Tracking Sooty Shearwaters Throughout Dynamic Upwelling Ecosystems in the California Current System

Fri, 4 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

We propose that as a super-abundant, top-level-predator, Sooty Shearwaters are an ideal California Current Ecosystem (CCE) bioindicator species. Sooty Shearwaters dominate the CCE avifauna during the spring-summer 'upwelling season' and depend on massive amounts of energy-dense forage fishes (anchovy, sardine, krill). We hypothesize that Sooty Shearwater distribution (and abundance), and residency patterns, are related to upwelling dynamics (i.e., offshore transport, upwelling retention, wind-stress curl) that structure and control bottom-up productivity and energy transfer through the CCE foodweb.

Making Restoration More Efficient: Testing the Contributions of Planting Diversity and Introduced Plant Legacy Effects to Recovering Coastal Ecosystems

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Hypothesis: Plant invaders with an architecture that is novel to the invaded system, will dramatically alter the abiotic and biotic environment through changes to physical properties, primary production food sources and/or living space.

Hypothesis: The addition of organic litter and higher planting diversity, characteristics of a mature system, would lead to faster ecosystem development of soils, plant communities and invertebrate communities after the removal of plant invaders than no litter addition and a monoculture.

Reefs that Rock and Roll: Critical Assessment of Rhodolith Bed Habitat

Thu, 2 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The main hypotheses of this proposal are that 1) a novel benthic marine habitat exists, rhodoliths, exists that has been unrecognized in prior surveys and 2) that human induced disturbance is degrading this common coastal California benthic habitat - rhodolith beds. These beds are diverse and threatened marine habitats that are common in Southern California should be included in coastal protection, monitoring and management decisions. By determining the distribution, measuring habitat metrics and determining the common sources of disturbance in beds around Catalina Island, the information can be used to inform the Southern California MPA process.

Paradigm or Paradox: Can we Attribute Species Changes to Global Climate Change in Light of Decreasing Water Temperatures in Central California?

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The main goal of this study was to gather information about historical changes in water temperature and species composition, in order to identify variables that will enable us to predict changes in water temperatures and species abundances in California caused by global climate change. Our primary objectives were to (1) review the existing published and unpublished data sets to refine our understanding of trends in sea surface temperature in central California; (2) review fish and climate data sets to determine if we could identify how species abundances changed relative to changes in water temperatures and basin-scale environmental indices; and (3) identify recent changes in species abundances in central California that are related to water temperatures.

Long-term Faunal Changes in California Nudibranchs: Climate Change and Local Ocean Health

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

(1) The abundance, species richness, and community composition of nudibranchs in central California has changed significantly in the past 30 to 70 years.(2) The observed changes are consistent with those predicted by climate variability on interannual and decadal time scales. Specifically, during warm phases: (a) the proportional abundance and speciesrichness of southern species should increase, as northern species decline, and (b) geographic ranges should shift poleward. The reverse of these should occur during periods of cooling. Further, these changes should be apparent at multiple, widespread sites (otherwise, more localized environmentalfactors, and not broad scale climate factors, would be implicated as the cause).(3) Long-term, anthropogenic climate warming is superimposed on natural climate variation, and its biological signal (similar to that described above for natural periods of warming) should be apparent bycomparing the abundance, species richness, and community composition...

Estimating the Impact of Invasive Spartina densiflora on Primary Productivity in Humboldt Bay

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Invasive dense-flowered cordgrass (Spartina densiflora) is impacting the primary productivity of Humboldt Bay salt marshes.

A Comprehensive Oyster Disease Survey in California

Fri, 6 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The goal of this project was to investigate and document the presence of disease agents in cultured and wild oyster populations throughout California. This is the first comprehensive survey to be conducted since that of Katkansky and Warner in the late 1960s to early 1970s (Katkansky and Warner, 1974). Particular emphasis was placed on detection of the agent of Denman Island Disease (Mikrocytos mackini, Farley et al., 1988). This pathogen of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) was detected in the State of Washington in 2002, and many California oyster growers receive seed from Washington State. All major populations of farmed and feral commercial oysters and wild native oysters Ostrea lurida were targeted for sampling. Sufficient numbers from each population were collected so that relatively rare pathogens should have been detected when they are present.

Parasites as Indicators of Coastal Wetland Health

Fri, 6 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Trematodes can provide a powerful and cost-effective ecological indicator tool to assess and monitor biodiversity in estuarine habitats.

Solid Phase Absorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) and Nutrient Loads: Testing a New Tool for Algal Toxin Monitoring in Fresh, Brackish and Coastal Ecosystems

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We are interested in testing a new methodology called Solid Phase AbsorptionToxin Tracking (SPATT), which is a man-made resin that passively captures algal toxins in water; it can be thought of as a man-made, passive, sentinel “mussel”.This technology was developed in New Zealand (MacKenzie et al. 2004), and is inlimited use in the UK (Turrell et al., 2007) and Australia (Takahashi et al.,2007), but has not yet been tested in the US. Our hypothesis was that this resin, deployed using the same methodology as described by others (outside the US), would passively capture domoic acid, providing an integrated time-series of toxin levels in the coastal ocean.

A Novel Approach to Evaluating Patterns of Vertical Distribution in Cryptic Larvae: Application of Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) and a Large-Particle Cell Sorter

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We hypothesized that differences in the distribution of adult mussels are the result of differences in the selection pressures ontheir larvae, such that the vertical distribution of larvae from the inner bay species (M. senhousia) facilitates bay retention, while that of the open-coast species (M. californianus) enhancesalongshore dispersal.

Transferrable Antibiotic Resistance Plasmids in Urban Coastal Wetlands

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The overarching hypothesis driving this research is that antibiotic resistance genes released into the natural environment through urban storm water may persist, creating a reservoir of resistance genes that have the potential to return to the human community through various vectors such as birds, insects, and fish. The specific aim of this Program Development grant is to assess the diversity of multidrug-resistance plasmids in sediments of two urban wetlands.

Collaborative Fisheries Research in Support of Ecosystem-‐Based Salmon Management in Northern California

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The state of the Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) fishery in California is imperiled. One of the proposed mechanisms for recent population declines and fisheries closures is environmental variation having deleterious effects on prey availability and the ocean survival of Sacramento River fall Chinook (Lindley et al. 2009). To address this hypothesis, we analyzed collaborative fisheries research data (stomach samples obtained from commercial and recreational fisherman) on Chinook salmon diet in central California during the early-mid 1980s and mid 2000s. We compared this information with historic diet records for this population from 1955. Salmon diet composition changed significantly through time, with a decline in diet diversity. Specifically, previously important prey groups including juvenile rockfish (Sebastes spp.), krill (Euphausiidae), Pacific herring (Clupea pallesi) and market squid (Loligo opalsecens) were either greatly reduced...

Evaluating the Functional Recovery of Restored Coastal Wetland in Southern California

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Within the Huntington Beach Wetlands (HBW), we hypothesized that Brookhurst and Magnolia Marshes (marsh areas isolated from tidal influence for approximately 100 years) would have significantly different physical characteristics (salinity, temperature, moisture, sediment parameters), more terrestrial plant, algal, invertebrate and microbial communities and altered food web structure from neighboring Talbert Marsh (a marsh area whose tidal connect was restored 20 years ago). In addition, we hypothesized that once Brookhurst Marsh was restored (Summer 2009), these differences would decrease and with time, resemble those of Talbert Marsh. This restoration of structure and function will occur on differing time scales; we predicted that physical parameters would quickly become similar while algal, invertebrate and microbial communities would begin to change on a month-year time scale. Changes to the plant community and the food web structure are anticipated to occur on a year-decadal...

Shelter Use, Movement, and Home Range of Spiny Lobsters in San Diego County

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The California spiny lobster is an ecologically and economically important species in southern California coastal waters. In San Diego County, commercial lobster landings average approximately 500,000 pounds per year with a subsequent value of ca. $5 million, and recreational fishing for lobsters is a valued part of life in San Diego for many people. Lobsters are a major predator of benthic invertebrates along the southern California coastline, and they act as a keystone species by preying upon competitively dominant mussels on rocky shorelines and sea urchins that consume kelp, thereby promoting the existence of diverse shoreline communities. Despite the fact that P. interruptus has supported a fishery in California for over 100 years and may presently be overfished, we have relatively little fishery-independent information on lobster population dynamics and behavior that could be used to implement conservation efforts. Our goal in this research was to fill some of...

Economic Evaluation of Tradable Property Rights

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Economists have for decades advocated transferable property rights, in which the total annual allowable catch is divided into shares, which are then tradable, as a market mechanism to decrease overcapacity. Tradable property rights, or individual transferable quotas (ITQs), are a significant departure from command-and-control regulations that impose combinations of gear restrictions, season limitations, license limitations and trip limits. While in theory tradable property rights have clear economic advantages over command and control, Federal fisheries managers face the challenge of evaluating and ranking regulatory options in a world of complexity and uncertainty.

The goal of this project is to describe the changes in the composition of the Mid-Atlantic surf clam fishery, which has been regulated with first command and control and then tradable property rights. The data analysis indicates that while there were changes in the structure of the clam industry, the introduction...

Ecology and Trophic Interactions of Jumbo Squid (Dosidicus gigas) in the California Current Ecosystem

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Humboldt squid have recently demonstrated a range expansion into the waters off California from the previous northern extent of their range in Mexico. In this new environment, we expected the vertical and horizontal migratory behavior and the diet to be generally similar those previously documented in Mexico. However, we also expected significant differences in diet and reproductive activity, with potentially great impacts on ecosystems in the California Current System. In particular, consumption of numerous ecologically and economically important species could greatly affect both nearshore and offshore environments and fisheries in the California Current System. We hypothesize that mechanisms driving the range expansion include tolerance of environmental variability and flexibility in diet.

Validation of a New Method for Population Assessment of Pacific Salmonids Using Genetic Markers

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The goal of the proposed research project is to evaluate a novel method of efficient genetic tagging through an experiment with Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from California’s Central Valley. The proposed parentage-based tagging (PBT) experiment has four components: marker discovery, development of analysis tools, implementation of the parent database, and assignment of known offspring and mixed fishery samples. Utilizing new methods for large scale parentage assignment, the collection of genetic information from a parental breeding generation can be used to “tag” the offspring cohort. When this is done at a hatchery or at a weir, the entire breeding population of a stock or population can be sampled, and the entire next generation tagged. Offspring can be non-lethally sampled during their seaward migration, in fisheries, and upon return to spawn (at hatcheries or instream). Genotyping is followed by high confidence parentage assignment wherein...

Krill and Krill Predators: Ecosystem-Based Management in the Gulf of the Farallones-Cordell Bank Krill Production Domain

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We will test the primary hypothesis that coastward advection of bottom cold-salty water during intense wind-driven upwelling provides conditions conducive forE. pacifica(the more oceanic species) to move onto the continental shelf where they become abundant and available to predators “early” in the season each year. As a corollary, we will test the hypothesis that as upwelling relaxes “later” in the season each year,E. pacificamoves offshore where it is less available to predators, andT. spinifera(the more coastal species) develops, becoming the dominant euphausiid in shelf waters and predator diets.

Novel, Post-Translationally Modified Peptide Antibiotics from Solitary Tunicates

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Although the pharmaceutical industry has “mined” the world of soil bacteria,streptomycetes and fungi to find novel antimicrobial molecules, the emergence of resistant superbugs necessitates identifying new antibiotic sources. Recent research into the innate immune system has focused attention on antimicrobial peptides – molecules that equip animals to resist infection without assistance from antibodies and other accoutrements of adaptive immunity. In recent years, potent antimicrobial peptides have been identified in the blood cells (hemocytes) of horseshoe crabs, shrimp, mussels and tunicates ("sea squirts"). Our studies centered on three tunicates (Styela clava, Styela plicata and Ciona intestinalis) that are abundant in Southern California's shallow waters.

The Role of Symbiotic Metabolites in the Development of Toxic Phytoplankton Blooms

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Most phytoplankton, including the toxic species of interest, cannot be grown axenically and require cohabitabing,associated, or symbiotic bacterial partners. However we have been able to prepare stable binary cultures of phytoplankton of interest with just a single species of bacteria (most of which are species of Marinobacter). While we recognize the culturable bacteria that we have isolated and are now studying are not necessarily qualitatively orquantitatively representative of the bacterial population associated with the phytoplankton in the wild, the ability to produce viable binary phytoplankton/bacterial cultures represents a critically important experimental tool. While other non-culturable bacteria could be quantitatively more important inhabitants of the "phycosphere" in the wild, our ability to ascertain the specific chemical determinants supplied by these bacteria and necessary tophytoplankton survival would be severely limited or impossible with such a heterogeneous...

Parentage in White Sturgeon

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We hypothesize that the addition of six microsatellite loci to an existing panel of eight microsatellite loci will increase the accuracy rate of parentage assignment of farmed white sturgeon to 95%.

Development of Novel Stable Isotope Approaches to Evaluate Carbon Flow in a Restored Coastal Wetland in Southern California

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We hypothesized there would be differences in the microbial and infaunal communitiesprimarily responsible for degrading macrophyte vs. microalgal carbon. Specifically we predicted that:

The invertebrate community degrading macrophyte-derived carbon will be significantly different from those degrading algal-derived carbon.

The microbial communities (bacteria and fungi) degrading macrophyte-derived carbon will be significantly different from those not using this carbon source.

Climate change and restoration factors affecting fecal pathogen dynamics in wetland systems

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

This project has three main hypotheses: 1) Increased water temperatures, decreased salinity, and increased flow rate will enhance transport of protozoal oocysts through wetland systems. 2) Larger vegetation, increased vegetation density, and increased wetland length will enhance retention of protozoal oocysts in wetland systems. 3) Factors found to maximize protozoal retention in the laboratory-based models will also significantly affect protozoal transport in a natural and constructed wetland.

Exploring the Impact of Avian Predators on Central California Salmonids

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Avian predators, Western Gulls in particular, are having significant impacts on juvenile salmonid populations along the central California coast. Exclusion efforts can reduce predator impact and increase juvenile salmonid survival.

Extending the Use of Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking to the Land-Sea Interface

Mon, 3 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are an escalating problem in coastal ecosystems, inflicting massive economic losses on commercial fisheries and causing death and illness to both humans and marine fauna. Paralleling the rise of marine HAB problems, cyanobacteria (previously identified as "blue-green algae") have a worldwide distribution and can form extensive blooms in freshwater and estuarine habitat. Microcystins are fast becoming a global health concern, with severe and recurrent blooms with toxin elaboration reported globally, including central California. Until recently, microcystin intoxication was considered a public health issue mainly of freshwater habitat, reflected by the vast body of published literature on potential human health risks due to microcystin exposure in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and freshwater aquaculture. In contrast, monitoring of marine water and seafood for similar risks has been limited, despite confirmation of outflows of microcystin-contaminated freshwater...

Developing the capability to monitor and predict upwelling along the California coast using an ocean circulation model

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Coastal ocean forecasting models can be used to monitor and predict coastal upwelling.

Trophic ecology of the Gopher Rockfish (Sebastes carnatus): providing baseline information for monitoring marine protected areas

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Gopher Rockfish diets will differ inside vs. outside of marine protected areas (MPAs) due to higher Gopher Rockfish densities inside MPAs.

Detecting, Characterizing and Determining the Biological Response to Regime Shifts off the California Coast

Tue, 9 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

First, using one method of change detection analysis called the cumulative sum, it is possible to detect and characterize regime shifts along the California coast using sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and other variables. Second, physically-determined regime shifts and changes in ocean climatology, determined largely through detailed temperature time-series, can be linked to corresponding changes in biological communities, particularly phytoplankton, which exhibit rapid generation times.

Harnessing the Pharmaceutical Potential of Marine Cyanobacteria

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

We hypothesize that the secondary metabolite pathways in cyanobacteria can be manipulated by applying transcriptional promoters, either of a genetic or chemical nature (elicitors), to produce more secondary metabolites with potential pharmaceutical utility.

Understanding connectivity to sustain and manage coastal resources

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

We seek to test hypotheses about rates of self seeding, the role of passive circulation and behavior in larval transport, and to identify regional source and sink populations in mytilid mussels. We assessed temporal variability in connectivity patterns for Mytilus spp, using experiments conducted previously (in 03, 04, 05, 06, and 07) and during this grant (08–10), compared results to passive transport predictions corrected for larval supply, and synthesize the information to generate generalized conceptual models of open coast, inner and outer bay connectivity patterns in Southern California.

Transport of Ghost Shrimp as Live Bait: Potential Effects on Impacted Southern California Populations

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The bait industry in Southern California imports live ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, from Oregon and Washington. Though ghost shrimp occur naturally in Southern California, southern populations may be genetically different from northern ones.

A Field Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Black Brant Geese Grazing on Eelgrass Growth and the Animals in an Eelgrass Bed

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds and other seagrass ecosystems around the world are recognized for their trophic support, nursery, refuge, water quality and recreational functions (Williams and Heck 2001).

Ecological Impacts of Beach Grooming on Exposed Sandy Beaches

Tue, 8 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Kelp and phytoplankton washed ashore by tides and waves support a rich diversity of shore life. On many of the most popular sandy beaches in California, however, local municipalities regularly rake up litter and kelp in a process called beach grooming. The ecological consequences of this process on plants and animals that live and forage in regularly raked areas are evaluated. The information gathered may help guide and improve the state's beach maintenance practices.

Dispersion in the Surfzone: Tracer Studies for Water Quality and Ecology

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Measurement of the spatial and temporal scales of nearshore chlorophyll-a (chl) is critical to our ability to understand or predict dense, and potentially harmful blooms of phytoplankton along the California Coast. Patchiness in chl may result from patchiness in nutrient availability, swimming or sinking, predation, or transport and mixing by breaking waves, currents, internal waves and tides. We performed a study during the Fall 2006 Huntington Beach (HB06) experiment to investigate the biological and physical factors that affect phytoplankton patchiness. Autotrophic phytoplankton require light and nutrients to survive. However, the nearshore euphotic zone (the critical depth for photosynthesis) is often nutrient-depleted due to uptake and planktonic growth. In order to sustain populations, phytoplankton rely on delivery of new nutrients from below the euphotic zone through upwellling or vertical mixing. or 2) terrestrial sources (from rain, ground water, tidal flushing or...

California spiny lobsters and benthic community structure in Southern California: top-down and bottom-up interactions

Fri, 1 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We hypothesize that: spiny lobster movement behavior is governed by a combination of forces acting from the bottom-up (i.e. food availability) and from the top-down (i.e. risk of predation); and that spiny lobsters significantly influence the structure of benthic communities in kelp forest and seagrass habitat.

Understanding submarine groundwater discharge and its influence on coastal water quality along the California Coast

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We proposed directed field and modeling research to address the following hypotheses: (H1) Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), its quality, and the percentage that is fresh versus saline, is modulated by season, tides, and wave conditions; (H2) the chemical (nutrient, carbon, trace metal) and biological (human health indicators) composition of SGD is affected by land use and geology; (H3) human health indicators and nutrients can be freely transported through the beach aquifer and are not removed via interactions with the sediments, and (H4) SGD impacts the water quality of the nearshore environment at a level comparable to surficial runoff.

Investigating the Limits of Native Oyster Recovery and Restoration

Thu, 3 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The project hypotheses were as follows: A. Oyster recruitment will be higher at inner bay sites than the outer bay sites and density of recruits will be positively associated with adult oyster density. B. Mortality due to predators will be greater in the inner bay than the outer bay sites. C. Introduced predators have a greater per capita impact on oysters than native predators. D. Growth rates of oysters will be higher in the inner bay than the outer bay. E. Mortality due to overgrowth by space competitors will be higher in the inner bay than the outer bay. F. Oyster growth and survival will be higher at inner bay sites and will show a positive linear increase with increasing temperature and phytoplankton abundance.

Nematode Community Analysis for Monitoring Meiofaunal Response to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Restoration Project

Wed, 12 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The Bolsa Chica Wetlands have undergone extensive engineering works in 2004-2007 to restore different levels of tidal action in different sectors of the wetlands. Different properties of nematode communities can be used to make management decisions and evaluate restoration success. Published studies have shown among others that nematode abundance increases, while their diversity and evenness decrease, in conditions of nutrient enrichment. From past observations we hypothesize that the following spatial and temporal patterns will occur in Bolsa Chica:

- From the beginning of our sampling efforts, we expect to find that Outer Bolsa Bay harbors fewer nematodes, but more species and more equitable numbers per species, compared to Inner Bolsa Bay.

- As the effects of tidal restoration kick in, we expect to find progressively more species and evenness but lower abundance in the full tidal restoration area.

- As the effects of tidal restoration kick in, we expect...

Sec.I: Age, growth, and radiometric age validation of the blackgill rockfish, Sebastes melanostomus; Sec.II: Age validation of the canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger) using the disequilibria of lead-210 and radium-226

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract Section I: As nearshore fish populations decline, many commercial fishers have shifted effort to deeper continental slope habitats to target fishes for which biological information is limited. One such fishery that developed in the northeastern Pacific Ocean in the early 1980s was for the blackgill rockfish, Sebastes melanostomus, a deep- dwelling (300-800 m) species that congregates over rocky pinnacles, mainly from Southern California to southern Oregon. Growth zone-derived age estimates from otolith thin sections were compared to ages obtained from the radioactive disequilibria of 210Pb, relative to its parent, 226Ra, in otolith cores of blackgill rockfish. Age estimates were validated up to 41 years, with a strong pattern of agreement supporting a longevity exceeding 90 years. Age and length data fitted to the von Bertalanffy growth function indicate blackgill rockfish are slow-growing (k = 0.040 females, 0.068 males) and that females grow slower than males, but...

Understanding the Pathogenesis of Streptococcus iniae Infection in Fish and Development of an Effective Vaccine for Use in Aquaculture

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

S. iniae infection has emerged as a serious fish health and economic problem in intensive U.S. aquaculture operations. Current antibiotic options are few and possess severe practical limitations and potential adverse environmental impacts. We believe the major factor contributing to the large burden of S. iniae disease in aquaculture is the lack of fundamental knowledge of S. iniae virulence factors and the fundamental pathogenesis of infection.

Tackling Ecological Complexity and Climate Change: Matches and Mismatches in the Seasonal Cycle of California's Marine Flora and Fauna

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Matches and mismatches in predator needs and prey availability account for changing reproductive success of top predators (fish and seabirds) in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME).

Assessing changes in life history traits and reproductive function of CA sheephead across its range: historical comparisons and the effects of fishing

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Project Hypotheses The specific predictions can be summarized as: P1: Life history parameters will vary across the range of this species and spatial differences in life histories will be determined by population density, sex ratios, environmental factors, and fishing pressure. P2: Fish collected in this study will be smaller and younger than fish collected from previous times (historical collections from 1970-1980) and the effects will be greatest at sites where fishing is intense (i.e. southern California vs. Baja California). P3: Fish collected in this study will change sex from female to male at a younger age and smaller size than previous times, especially at sites where fishing is intense (as predicted by size advantage model). P4: As a result of P3 (females mature younger and smaller), operational sex ratios will increase (also predicted by size advantage model). P5: Stricter harvest limits may have initiated recovery in heavily exploited populations and may result...

Binational Studies Leading to an Ecosystems-based Management Strategy for Common Thresher Shark in the Southern California Bight (SCB).

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Survey of the Mexican SCB Sector Artisanal and Commercial Shark Fisheries Hypotheses: a) Common thresher sharks represent a substantial portion of the catch of artisanal and commercial shark fisheries in the Mexican SCB sector. b) Exploitation of common threshers and other elasmobranchs is important to the economy of northern Baja California and, by extension, is directly linked to U.S. fishery management. Mexican SCB Longlining Survey Hypotheses: a) Thresher shark nursery grounds extend south throughout the Mexican sector of the SCB. b) Juvenile threshers in Mexican SCB waters will exhibit seasonal patterns of abundance similar to those observed in the California SCB (i.e. higher abundance in early Spring and Summer when pupping is thought to occur). Tracking and Archival Tagging Hypotheses: a) Juvenile thresher sharks utilize distinct inshore areas as nursery grounds and have a strong preference for continental shelf waters. b) Within these nursery grounds, juveniles have...

Enhancement of fertilization success in abalone: Increasing effectiveness of transplanting and out-planting recovery strategies

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

This study tests the very general hypothesis that field fertilization success in red abalone is a predictable function of the hydrodynamic regime, and the density, sex ratio and spacing of animals within aggregations.

Project Goals and Objectives (1) To determine the hydrodynamic mechanisms that facilitate fertilization of abalone inhabiting coastal waters; (2) To establish the optimal adult density, spacing and sex ratio to maximize fertilization success within a given flow regime; (3) To identify optimal field environments for transplanting or out-planting abalone aggregations, as well as natural abalone distributions that likely experience little or no reproductive success.

Enhancement of Growth Rates and Swimming Performance in Juvenile Marine Finfish in Aquaculture

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We hypothesize that exercise enhances growth of hatchery-reared white seabass by reducing stress and modulating key growth-regulatory factors, and that this will be associated with positive effects on swimming performance. It is secondarily hypothesized that positive effects of exercise on growth and swimming performance will be applicable to other marine finfish, including California yellowtail and California sheephead.

Assessing Withering Syndrome Resistance in California Black Abalone: Implications for Conservation and Restoration: Part II

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Hypothesis: Quantitative real-time PCR can be used to quantify loads of the WS rickettsial bacterium (infection intensity) in abalone.

Hypothesis: Juvenile black abalone recruiting on the California Channel Islands are more resistant to WS than are black abalone in northern Central California that have not experienced high disease (WS) selection pressure.

NOTE: only abstract of study available at this time pending publication of papers. For further information, please contact Carolyn S. Friedman (carolynf@u.washington.edu) or Glenn VanBlaricom (glennvb@u.washington.edu ).

Biomedical Development of New Marine Microbial Resources

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Unique marine actinomycetes reside in ocean sediments and represent a resource for drug discovery. Genome sequences can be mined for new biosynthetic genes and their products.

Oyster Disease Research Program: Building Gene Expression-Based Predictors of Oyster Summer Mortality Syndrome

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) fisheries on the U.S. West Coast, Mexico, France and Japan, are significantly impacted by high rates of oyster mortality in the summer months, in California ranging from 52-63%. This summer mortality syndrome (SMS) occurs predominantly in near-market ready oysters and seems to impact reproductive females the most. There is an urgent need for studies to investigate the metabolic and molecular basis of the syndrome, with the goal of identifying, and then producing summer mortality-resistant stocks. The specific hypotheses that we are testing is that changes in hemocyte gene expression could be used as a predictor of the onset of summer mortality, and that these changes in gene expression could be used as a predictor of the onset of the syndrome as well as providing insights into the pathophysiological basis of the disease.

Collecting Sea Palms: Planning for Sustainable Use in a Variable Environment

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Sea palm harvesting is a largely unregulated cottage industry centered along the rugged rocky coast of Sonoma County, California. The project's scientists tested different harvesting practices to identify those that were most sustainable, given the plant’s growth and reproductive cycles.

Developing New Management Techniques for Sharks in the Drift Gillnet Fishery of the Southern California Bight

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The Southern California Bight (SCB) is a contiguous geographical region that extends from Point Conception, California to northern Baja California and west into the California Current. This region’s productive ecosystem supports various recreational and commercial fisheries, some of which target pelagic sharks. For example, the common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) comprises the largest commercial shark fishery in California waters (the California drift gillnet fishery, or CA-DGF. Mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) are also taken in large numbers.

The biology and status of pelagic sharks within the SCB have implications for California’s marine resource sustainability. In addition, the SCB is known to be an important nursery area for these and other pelagic shark species. It is thus important to learn what defines mako and thresher shark essential habitat (i.e., the specific areas important for the growth and survival of these species). The objectives for this grant were...

Assessing withering syndrome resistance in California black abalone: Implications for conservation and restoration

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Our overall research objectives were to (1) assess population trends along San Nicolas Island and in Monterey County; (2) optimize black abalone spawning methods; (3) develop and validate a real-time PCR assay for quantification of RLP loads (infection intensity); and (4) examine if progeny of surviving black abalone along the California islands are more resistant to WS than are animals without this disease pressure. At UCSB we were focused primarily on objective (2). We tested the following hypotheses to fulfill our objectives.

Hypothesis 1: Black abalone spawning requires environmental conditions similar to their intertidal and shallow subtidal habitat, and not standard methods that were developed for subtidal species. Hypothesis 2: Quantitative real-time PCR can be used to quantify loads of the WS rickettsial bacterium (infection intensity) in abalone. Hypothesis 3: Juvenile black abalone recruiting along the California Channel Islands are more resistant to WS than...

Modeling Water and Sediment Quality in the Coastal Ocean

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The overall goal of the research project is to develop a model of water and sediment quality capable of forecasting environmental events occurring over small space and time scales in the coastal zone, including embayments, harbors, and shoreline regions.

Bomb carbon in the yelloweye rockfish, Sebastes ruberrimus, as a chronological benchmark for age validation of commercially important fishes

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The overall goals of this study were to (1) establish a chronological benchmark for bomb radiocarbon in the waters of southeast Alaska by determining radiocarbon levels in otoliths of the yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus), for which age was validated, (2) validate the age of quillback rockfish (S. maliger), bocaccio rockfish (S. paucispinis), cowcod (S. levis), and canary rockfish (S. pinniger) using the yelloweye rockfish radiocarbon chronology, (3) provide a basis for future age and growth studies of marine fishes in the northwest Pacific using the radiocarbon record, and (4) apply the technology to sharks (e.g. validate the age and ageing methodology of the shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, and investigate its application to the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias).

California Sea Grant funded publications that pre-date and resulted from this study are listed below. Please contact Allen H. Andrews at allen.andrews@noaa.gov.

Andrews, A.H., K.H. Coale, J.L....

Radiometric age validation and demographic analysis of commercially important, long-lived rockfishes

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

As nearshore fish populations decline, many commercial fishers have shifted effort to deeper continental slope habitats to target fishes for which biological information is limited. One such fishery that developed in the northeastern Pacific Ocean in the early 1980s was for the blackgill rockfish, Sebastes melanostomus, a deepdwelling (300-800 m) species that congregates over rocky pinnacles, mainly from southern California to southern Oregon. Growth zone-derived age estimates from otolith thin sections were compared to ages obtained from the radioactive disequilibria of 210Pb, relative to its parent, 226Ra, in otolith cores of blackgill rockfish. Age estimates were validated up to 41 years, with a strong pattern of agreement supporting a longevity exceeding 90 years. Age and length data fitted to the von Bertalanffy growth function indicate blackgill rockfish are slow-growing (k = 0.040 females, 0.068 males) and that females grow slower than males, but reach a greater length....

Initial Steps Towards Evaluating the Potential Disease Impacts of Propagated Marine Fish on Wild Stock: Examination of a New Herpes-like Virus

Fri, 7 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The project hypothesis is that with the development and application of the appropriate tools for pathogen detection, we can gain major initial insights into the potential impacts of diseases among propagated fish upon wild fish populations.

The Role of Symbiotic Bacterial Siderophores in the Development of Toxic Phytoplankton Blooms

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Research Hypothesis. The working hypothesis of this proposal is that a) phytoplankton growth can be controlled by the availability of the essential micronutrient iron b) symbiotic bacteria produce iron-binding compounds (siderophores) that can be utilized by the plankton to provide the iron needed for prolific growth, c) bacterially produced boron containing molecules may also contribute to control of phytoplankton growth d) a more complete understanding of this process could provide a means to predict where, when and under what conditions heavy growth of these organisms would occur.

Sizing fish with an acoustic system

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Observation of acoustic scatter from fish at multiple views can be used to estimate their size and orientation in situ.

Testing Ballast Water Treatment at a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The main goal of the project was to investigate the feasibility of treating ships' ballast water in existing municipal wastewater treatment plants (= publicly-owned treatment works or POTWs). The main objectives included identifying and characterizing the limiting factors that could restrict the volume of ballast water that can be treated at POTWs; and test, in a series of laboratory experiments, the effectiveness of standard municipal wastewater treatment in removing or killing ballast water organisms. We worked with staff of the City and County of San Francisco to analyse the effects of treating ballast water at San Francisco's Southeast Treatment Plant (SETP) as a model. We report here on the experimental tests and analyses of the effectiveness of treating ballast water organisms in POTWs.

Assessing Environmental Control of Domoic Acid Production by the Planktonic Diatom Pseudo-nitzschia australis in California Waters

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This Sea Grant project focused on domoic acid production by the toxin-producing diatoms (Pseudo-nitzschia australis and P. multisieries) in coastal California waters. There were two major aspects of our work: 1) the development of a laboratory HPLC assay for measuring domoic acid and the tracking of DA in a field mortality event using the HPLC assay, and 2) developing continuous culture facilities and examining the nutrient physiology of Pseudo-nitzschia species.

Molecular and Biochemical Characterization of Microbial Symbiont Bioactivities in Sepioid and Loliginid Squids

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Previous research on characterization of the microbial community associated with the accessory nidamental gland (ANG) and egg sheath (ES) of the squid relied mostly on molecular techniques (i.e. analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA sequence) with the majority of the symbionts being uncultured. Although these studies and previous work in our lab provided valuable initial descriptions of the ANG microbial community, it was evident that a more extensive attempt at cultivation and molecular characterization of the ANG and ES bacteria was warranted and also necessary for describing any potent bioactivies against fungi or other bacteria.

QUANTATITIVE PCR ASSAY FOR MARINE BACTERIA

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Monitoring the bacterial flora in coastal marine waters by conventional techniques has been difficult as most of the bacteria do not readily grow on culture plates and their morphologies are virtually identical in the microscope. Molecular techniques, particularly characterizing bacteria using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of their small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) genes, has dramatically improved the ability to identify bacteria from environmental samples. Identification of bacteria by PCR amplification is specific and very sensitive. However, it is exactly these properties of PCR amplification which make it difficult to determine the amount of each individual bacterial species in the population.

Eradicating Arundo Donax from California Ecosystems: Establishing the Most Effective Timing of Mechanical and Chemical Procedures

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Arundo donax (giant reed) is a tall grass that is native from the lower Himalayas and invaded the Mediterranean region, prior to its introduction in the America's (Rieger and Kreager, 1989; Granval, et al., 1993; Abissy and Mandi, 1999). It is suspected to first have been introduced to the United States in the 1700s, and in the Los Angeles area in the 1820s by Spanish settlers (Bell, 1993, Iverson, 1993 #1573). Its primary use was for erosion control in drainage canals. A number of other uses for Arundo have been identified. It is the source of reeds for single-reed wind instruments such as clarinet and the saxophone (McFadden and others 1992, Popov and others 1990; Perdue 1958, Van Der Wegen and others 1991). In Europe and Morocco Arundo is used for waste-water treatment (Abissy and Mandi, 1999), such as nutrient and heavy metal removal, and water volume evapotrans-piration. The high rate of evapotranspiration by stands of this species, used as a benefit in these countries,...

Expression of Recombinant Proteins in Microalgae

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Our initial objectives in this project were three-fold. I. Express functional antibodies in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii II. Express functional antibodies in the nucleocytoplasmic compartment of C. reinhardtii and III. Define optimal parameters for the large scale culture of antibody producing strains of C. reinhardtii.

Post-invasion Genetic Structure of European Green Crab Populations on the US West Coast and Its Implications for Their Control

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

One of the most ecologically significant invaders in the coastal waters of the U.S.is the European green crab, Carcinus maenas. It is a voracious, generalist predator in its native range in Europe as well as invaded regions which include including South Africa, Australia, Japan, and both coasts of North America (reviewed in Grosholz and Ruiz 1995, Cohen et al. 1995, Geller et al. 1997). Previous work in its native range and in the eastern U.S. has provided much evidence for its strong control over the abundance of benthic organisms in soft sediment communities (e.g. Ropes 1968, Reise 1977, 1985, Morgan et al. 1980, Jensen and Jensen 1985, Tettlebach 1986). Furthermore, work in Bodega Bay Harbor, CA has documented significant changes in the local food web as the direct result of green crab predation: Grosholz et al (2000) found 5- to 10-fold declines in the abundances of previously abundant invertebrate taxa. Lafferty & Kuris (1996) estimated that the annual net value of...

Control of Rickettsial Infections in White Sea Bass (Atractoscion nobilis)