Moore, Jon A.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill had widespread impacts that were seen across the surface of the ocean, deep-sea, and seafloor. To assess damages, NOAA and GoMRI established the Offshore Nekton Sampling and Analysis Program (ONSAP) and the Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (DEEPEND) projects. This response effort would create a vast dataset and collection of samples to aid in understanding the deep-sea of the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Genus Melamphaes (Family Melamphaidae), are a group of minimally characterized and understudied fish. This thesis will assess vertical ecology and migratory patterns, variations in specimen size and sampling gear, and introduce species that are newly identified to inhabit the area. The findings suggest that majority of Melamphaes participate in diel vertical migration and sampling equipment has significant impacts on specimen size. Four unreported species of Melamphaes have now been documented in this region, increasing previously reported diversity.

Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) are an exclusively brackish water turtle found along the east coast of the United States. Very little is known about the Florida east coast diamondback terrapin (M. t. tequesta). This study examined wild terrapins in the central Indian River Lagoon to establish baseline population parameters for the species in this region. Morphometrics were assessed for the sampled animals, reinforcing findings of sexual dimorphism for the species. Acoustic monitoring was used to investigate terrapin occupancy and habitat use. Occupancy differed seasonally, with the highest occupancy in the summer and fall, lower occupancy in the spring, and the lowest occupancy in the winter. Terrapins were detected most commonly and spent a high percentage of their time in the southern portion of the study site. Reference blood chemistry values were established for the population. This study provided baseline information on a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Florida.

Antibiotic resistance among bacteria is a portentous global concern, which threatens the ability of medical professionals to successfully treat bacterial infections. In Bermuda, there is no wastewater treatment plant; therefore, about 4.3x106 L per day of untreated sewage is released into the ocean through two marine outfalls. Water samples were collected from 12 sample sites (outfalls, offshore sites, and onshore beach sites near the outfalls) over 4 sampling events between August and October, 2013. Water samples were analyzed for the presence of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus sp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotic susceptibility of each purified isolate was tested and classified using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute standards. PCR analysis confirmed the presence of at least one methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolate. Documentation of antibiotic resistant bacteria in Bermudian waters supports the need for improved sewage treatment to ensure safe recreational use of these areas.

Gopher tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) burrows provide a unique microhabitat used by hundreds of vertebrate and invertebrate species. Prior to this study, limited information was available regarding burrow commensal species in southeast Florida, especially for invertebrate taxa. This study is an in-depth investigation of vertebrate and invertebrate gopher tortoise burrow commensals and is the first to document obligate invertebrate commensals (OIC) in this region. The objective was to test a variety of noninvasive methods effective for surveying commensals, compile an account of species dependent on gopher tortoise burrows in southeast Florida, accumulate information on threatened, endangered, and invasive species, add to the distributional information on OIC’s, and present information to land managers. Three pine flatwoods and three scrub habitats, with varying degrees of management were surveyed. Eighty-nine species were identified. This study was a substantial step toward documenting gopher tortoise burrow commensals in this region.

Bioturbators serve as ecosystem engineers, influencing community dynamics of the environments in which they are endemic. Currently, the bioturbator, Holothuria arenicola, a species of burrowing sea cucumbers, is listed as data deficient by the IUCN. These animals may affect the structure and function of seagrass beds, which are critical habitats for various species. To assess the ecological role of H. arenicola , I conducted field surveys, calculated mound, and analyzed mound nutrient levels. I gathered data through monitoring study plots, conducting Bran-Blanquette seagrass surveys (Fourqurean et al., 2001), capturing GoPro video, and collecting samples. Results indicate an insignificant difference between nutrient levels and the ambient environment. However, a positive correlation between seagrass density and active mounds correlation is suggestive of a non-nutrient related ecological relationship between burrowing sea cucumbers and seagrass density. Follow-up studies are needed to further asses the ecological role of H. arenicola on seagrass beds.

Sea turtles, like all marine vertebrates, can host considerable populations of epibionts, i.e., externally-attached symbiotic organisms on the skin and shell. These organisms can form facultative, obligate, and sometimes endemic commensal relationships with sea turtles, whose outer surface provides an insular, mobile substrate for their colonization and dispersal. Juvenile hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, living off Florida’s east coast can develop considerable epibiotic growth. I analyzed 236 photographs of 213 hawksbill turtles from SE Florida to document colonization patterns, relative abundance, and ecology of macroscopic commensals, including sea turtle barnacles (Chelonibia spp.), fire coral (Millepora spp.), and sponges (Porifera). I found that the epibionts increased significantly in overall abundance with turtle size. Hawksbill epibionts may reflect turtle movement and dispersal and can serve as a model for studying successional processes of epibiotic colonization.