Sediments of a portion of the central Oregon shelf between 17 and 339 m have been examined for modern foraminifera. Eighty-three samples were collected from 33 stations along three traverses located between 43° 16'N and 43° 50'N. One hundred fifty-five benthic and nine planktonic species are recognized. Fifty-six benthic species occur with a frequency of more than two percent in at least one sample. Benthic species are grouped into four distinct bathymetric faunas. Elphidiella hannai and Buccella spp. are indicative of Fauna A (17-50 m). Fauna B (50-100 m) is characterized by Buliminella elegantissima and Elphidium magellanicum. In the rocky area off Cape Arago Cassidulina californica, C. limbata, Cibicides fletcheri, and C. lobatulus become dominant. Spiroplectammina biformis, Textularia earlandi, and Trifarina angulosa are important species of Fauna C (100-175 m). Abundant species of Fauna D (175-339 m) include Eggerella advena, Epistominella exigua, and Uvigerina juncea. Species diversity increases offshore to a maximum of about 35 benthic species near 100 m and then decreases slightly with depth. Standing crop is low nearshore, rises to a maximum of approximately 300 specimens per 20 cm³ between 125 and 150 m, and then declines. Total benthic population reaches a maximum of approximately 6000 specimens per sample between 150 and 175 m. Values then decrease to about 2000 specimens at 339 m. A maximum of 15 to 20 percent live benthic specimens occurs near 50 m. Planktonic foraminifera constitute less than ten percent of the total population. Maximum percentages generally occur shoaler than 100 m, while maximum specimens per sample occur at the deepest stations. Porcelaneous specimens do not exceed six percent of the benthic population. Agglutinated foraminifera are more abundant than calcareous specimens deeper than 100 m. The frequency of occurrence of a species may vary by as much as 25 percentage points from samples collected approximately 15 cm apart. Statistical analysis of selected species indicates that sampling density was not too close along any one traverse, although the traverses possibly could have been spaced farther apart. Miscellaneous biofacies trends indicate that: thecamoebians are most abundant between 50 and 125 m; statoliths and otoliths occur most frequently between 75 and 2OO m; highest ostracod values are found between 25 and 150 m; and radiolarians generally exceed foraminifera deeper than 250 m. / Graduation date: 1967

Graduation date: 1986

The high productivity of Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUE), some of the most productive ecosystems in the globe, is attributed to the nutrient rich waters brought up through upwelling. Climate change scenarios for coastal upwelling systems, predict an intensification of coastal upwelling winds. Associated with intensification in upwelling are biogeochemical changes such as ocean hypoxia and ocean acidification. In recent years, the California Current System (CCS) has experienced the occurrence of nearshore hypoxia and the novel rise of anoxia. This has been attributed to changes in the intensity of upwelling wind stress. The effects of some of the more severe hypoxia and anoxia events in the CCS have been mass mortality of fish and benthic invertebrates. However, the impacts on zooplankton in this system are not known. Meroplankton, those organisms which have a planktonic stage for only part of their life cycle, are an important component of zooplankton communities. The larval stage of benthic invertebrates forms an important link between benthic adult communities and planktonic communities. Larvae serve to disperse individuals to new locations and to link populations. They are also food for fish and planktonic invertebrates. This important life stage can spend long periods in the plankton (from days to months) where environmental conditions can affect larval health, subsequent settlement and recruitment success, and juvenile health. This research assesses the role of hypoxia and larval survivorship, and the relationship between individual abundance and community structure of larvae to environmental factors in the field. In laboratory experiments (Chapter 2), a suite of 10 rocky intertidal invertebrate species from four phyla were exposed to low oxygen conditions representative of the nearshore environment of the Oregon coast. Results revealed a wide range in tolerances from species with little tolerance (e.g. the shore crab Hemigrapsus oregonensis) to species with high tolerance (e.g. the California mussel Mytilus californianus). The differential responses across larvae to chronic hypoxia and anoxia potentially could affect their recruitment success and consequently, the structure and species composition of intertidal communities. Field studies (Chapter 3 & 4) explore the relationship between environmental variables and larval abundance and community structure. Chapter 3 focuses on broad taxonomic groups, while Chapter 4 focuses on larval decapods in particular. Fine focus was devoted to decapod larvae, due to laboratory findings of heightened sensitivity to hypoxia of decapod crabs. A finding that is also supported in the literature. The goal of field studies was to identify the environmental parameters that structure meroplankton and larval decapod communities and identify which of these parameters play a significant role in influencing larval abundance. A number of environmental variables contributed to meroplankton assemblage structure and larval decapod assemblage structure. These included distance from shore, depth, date, upwelling intensity, dissolved oxygen, and cumulative wind stress. Some of these factors occurred frequently in larval abundance models. In Chapter 3, individual abundance across broad taxonomic groups was most commonly explained by upwelling intensity while in Chapter 4, individual abundance of different decapod species was explained by cumulative wind stress, which is a proxy for upwelling intensity. The prominent role of upwelling related factors in explaining individual abundance is important considering climate change projections of an increased intensification of upwelling winds in EBUE. / Graduation date: 2012 / Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from Jan. 6, 2012 - Jan. 6, 2013

Interannual variability of Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) occurrence in the northern California Current System is largely unknown. In Oregon, the distribution of this versatile predator and what is influencing their range expansion from Mexico is poorly understood due to the recent nature of their "invasion" and a lack of monitoring. Humboldt squid are large predators that have the potential to affect ecosystem structure and fisheries because of their high-energy demands and ability to exploit a variety of oceanographic conditions and prey sources. Developing baseline distribution information is a critical first step to assess their potential ecological, social, and economic impacts, and to develop models to predict future range expansion. This study has two main objectives: (1) to document where and when Humboldt squid have been present in Oregon through cooperative fisheries research, and (2) to correlate the sightings with oceanographic conditions using a geographic information system (GIS) and species distribution modeling (SDM). I conducted 54 interviews with local fishermen and aggregated their squid sightings with available fishery-independent survey and fishery-dependent observer data from the National Marine Fisheries Service. I compiled a total of 339 Humboldt squid sightings, reported for the years 2002-2011 from the Oregon coast to 131�� west longitude. Correlation analyses were performed for Humboldt squid sightings and sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll a content (chla), sea surface height anomalies (SSH), dissolved oxygen at 30 m depth (30 m DO), and sea surface salinity (SSS) using a GIS, nonparametric multiplicative regression (NPMR) habitat modeling, and maximum entropy modeling (Maxent). Results indicate that oceanographic conditions have the potential to influence Humboldt squid occurrence, and in Oregon, sightings vary temporally and spatially. Combining the sightings from fishermen and scientific surveys greatly enhanced the spatial extent of the data. Humboldt squid were most frequently observed between 124.4��W and 125��W in proximity to the shelf-break at the 200 m isobath, with peak sightings (116) recorded in 2009 and the fewest (6) reported in 2003 and 2011. The highest occurrence of Humboldt squid were observed at a SST of 10.5-13.0��C, 0.26-3.0 mg m����� chla content, -4.0-1.0 m SSH anomalies, 32.2-32.8 psu SSS, and at 3-4.5 ml L����� and 6-7 ml L����� 30 m depth DO. Maps of estimated likelihood of occurrence generated by NPMR were consistent with overlayed observations from fishermen, which were not used in the model because they were limited to presence-only information. An interdisciplinary approach that incorporates cooperative fisheries research and ecosystem-based management is necessary for monitoring Humboldt squid in Oregon. Traditional methods are insufficient because Humboldt squid are data-poor, highly migratory, and are main predators of many commercially important fisheries in Oregon. Based on my findings, sightings recorded by fishermen covered a much larger area over a longer time frame than the scientific survey and observer data, and excluding their knowledge would have led to a different interpretation of Humboldt squid distribution and environmental tolerances. Although there is uncertainty in the data from potential map bias or misidentification of smaller Humboldt squid, incorporating sightings from fishermen with traditional fisheries research increases the quantity and quality of information. Cooperative monitoring for Humboldt squid could include training in species identification and sea condition reporting in logbooks. Future "invasions" are likely, and more eyes on the water will improve our understanding of the behavior and impacts of Humboldt squid on coastal resources. / Graduation date: 2013

Nearshore hypoxia within the Northern California Current (NCC) system is a seasonal phenomenon caused by coastal upwelling and occurs mainly during late-summer and early fall. The effects of low oxygen levels on fish and invertebrate communities, particularly during early-life history stages, however, are poorly known for this area. I investigated the effects of hypoxia on the density, community structure, vertical and horizontal distribution of fish larvae and juveniles, as well as body condition of juveniles, along the central Oregon and Washington coasts during the summers of 2008 - 2011. During this sampling period, bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) values ranged from 0.49 to 9.85 ml l�����, and the number of hypoxic (e.g., < 1.4 ml l�����) stations sampled was low compared to 2002 and 2006 (only 54 sampling stations for the ichthyoplankton study out of 493, and only 12 stations out of 90 for the benthic juvenile study). From the ichthyoplankton study, I found that the overall density of fish larvae increased as bottom-DO values increased; however, the effect on individual species density was limited. Between 44.65 ��N and 46.00 ��N (~Florence, OR ��� Astoria, OR), fish larvae altered their vertical distribution when bottom-DO was low by rising in shallower water layers. From the benthic juvenile study, I found that English sole (Parophrys vetulus), butter sole (Isopsetta isolepis), speckled sanddab (Citharichthys stigmaeus) and Pacific sanddab (Citharichthys sordidus) dominated the catch with annual variation in abundances. Species composition, abundance and length had strong relationships with depth. Species abundance for English sole (< 75 mm), speckled sanddab (<100 mm) and Pacific sanddab also increased with increased bottom-DO. However, the body condition of butter sole (< 75 mm) and of large speckled sanddab (���100 mm) increased with decreased bottom-DO. Overall my research elucidates important patterns of larval and juvenile fish distribution within the NCC during summer. In both studies I have found a limited effect of DO on abundance, distribution and community assemblages. Variables other than DO, such as depth, season and location, dominated the explained variance of the intervening multivariate and univariate analysis. However, due to the paucity of samples during hypoxic events, continued monitoring of nearshore larval and juvenile species over varying hypoxic conditions is necessary for understanding the impact of hypoxia on these communities and subsequent adult populations. / Graduation date: 2013