The objectives of the study were to attempt to differentiate among potential sources of nutrients contributing to past algae blooms occurring off the coast of northern Broward and Palm Beach Counties in Florida. To accomplish this, hermatypic reef-building corals were collected from different depths and latitudes over an area extending from the southern part of Broward County to the southern portion of Palm Beach County. The CaC03 skeletons of these corals were X-rayed and then sampled using their internal annual density growth increments as chronological guides. The trace element barium and the isotopes of carbon and oxygen isotopes were measured allowing chemical time series to be developed. Measurements of the trace metal barium in coral skeletons were performed to assess the contribution of cold, organic-rich waters to the past summertime algal blooms (higher skeletal concentrations than in control sites during that time). Skeletal isotopic measurements of these corals were also conducted to possibly record oxygen enrichment (deeper cold waters) and carbon (deeper, organic and nutrient-rich waters) depletion. Results demonstrate historical Ba levels in corals and variability among species, seasons, years, and sites. The study did not reveal a straightforward relationship between algal bloom events and the measured chemical parameters through increases or decreases that coincided with known recent algae blooms. Possible sources of the nutrients and the logic of how nutrient sources might be differentiated by our measurements are discussed. If the source of nutrients is coastal runoff or point source, then shallow corals nearest the inlets should record the highest barium levels (because this element is also concentrated in riverine effluents), particularly during the wet season (summertime).

The purpose of this study was to examine central effects of H1 histamine receptor antagonist, CPA on a fish. A two part study was conducted using goldfish, Carassius auratus. The first study consisted of examining the reinforcing effects of CPA on behavior. The hypothesis for this experiment is that CPA has a positive effect on reinforcement. That is, that CPA, when administered to goldfish, can reinforce a specific behavioral response. The behavior response was tested by the preference for either a white or black compartment in an aquarium. The test method consisted of 1) habituating fish to the experimental tank in a 20 min session; 2) 24 h later, establishing the less preferred of two compartments for each fish in a 10 min test; 3) confining each fish, 24h later, in the less preferred compartment for 25 min after an i.p injection of either one of the four doses of CPA 0.1,0.4,1.0,4.0 mg/kg of body weight or vehicle control (n=18 for each group); 4) reexamining the behavioral preference, 24 h after injection, in a second 10 min test. Analysis of results found a significant difference between compartment preference before and after treatment (KWANOVA, p=0.00027). Groups that received 1.0 and 4.0 mg/kg of CPA spent significantly more time in the drug paired compartment, while the group that received 0.4 mg/kg of CPA spent less (SNK, p<0.05). These findings support the hypothesis that CPA can act as a reinforcing agent in goldfish and it appears the histaminergic system may have an inhibitory role in the reinforcing process. The hypothesis for the second experiment is that CPA can enhance learning and memory. The second study tested the effects of CPA on memory traces and learning behavior. The study consisted of two injection schedules, one of fish injected immediately after training (Immediate Group, n=36) and the other of fish injected three hours after training (Delayed Group, n=36). Fish of both injection schedules were tested in a feeding model that consisted of an experimental tank, half black and half white, with a feeder located in each compartment. The test method consisted of 1) Training Day. A food pellet was placed in the feeder in one of the tank's compartments, either black or white. Fish were allowed to explore the tank until food was located and eaten or until 10 min had elapsed. Time to begin feeding was recorded. Fish were then injected i.p. with either vehicle (n=18) or 1.0 mg/kg of body weight of CPA (n=18) either immediately or 3 hours post training; 2) Test Day. 24 h later, a food pellet was placed on the same side as the Training Day. Fish were allowed to explore the tank until the food was located and eaten. Time to begin feeding was recorded; 3) Reversion Test Days 1-4. Four days of reversal procedure were tested 24 h apart. Fish were tested in the same fashion, but the location of the food pellet was reversed. On the Test Day the time to begin feeding for vehicle injected fish was significantly greater than those injected with CPA (MW, p=0.0112). Similarly, the vehicle group took longer to begin feeding than the CPA group on the first Reversion Test Day (MW, p=0.0261). Subsequent reversion session did not show any significant difference (MW, p>0.05). With the Delayed Group although there was a significant difference among experiment sessions (ANOVA, p=1.23E-0I5), there was not a difference between drug and vehicle (ANOVA, p=0.68). Multiple comparisons revealed there was no significant difference between vehicle and drug for any experimental session (MW, p>0.05). These results suggest that CPA can affect learning and memory. The results of the Immediate Group compared to the Delayed Group indicate that the mechanism of enhancement occurs before memory consolidation is final. Taken together these two studies indicate that CPA has not only a reinforcing effect in goldfish, but also has the ability to improve learning and memory.

The composition, abundance, and variability of the protist community in Port Everglades (Florida) estuary system was studied between September 1995 and August 1996. Surface water samples were collected from a fixed station in the port every two weeks and were examined using a modified Utermohl procedure to determine species composition and abundance. At the time the water samples were collected, a CTD cast was made to determine the surface salinity and water temperature, and to obtain a profile of the water column. The Secchi Depth was also measured at the time of the sample collection. Two hundred and eighty four species were identified during the course of the study. There were 187 diatom species, 51 dinoflagellate species, 8 chlorophyte species, 19 tintinnid species, 15 cyanophyte species, 1 silicoflagellate species, 1 chrysophycean species, 1 foraminiferan species, and 1 euglenophyte species identified as being at least present in the samples. The diatoms were the most abundant and most common species identified over the course of the year with the largest numbers being found during the rainy seasons. The most abundant diatom species were Skeletonema costatum, Pseudonitzschia pungens, and Thalassionema nitzschiodes. Protoperidinium pellucidum was the most abundant dinoflagellate present in the samples. The greater than 20 micrometer cell abundance ranged from a high of 3.67 x 105 cells liter-1 during the rainy season to a low 00.22 x 103 cells liter-1 during the dry season. The smaller than 20 micrometer cell abundance ranged from a high of 4.56 x 107 cells liter-1 during the rainy season, to a low of 1.23 x 106 cells liter-1 during the dry season. Species diversity was calculated using the Shannon index for each sample date. It ranged from a low of 0.0626 during the rainy season to a high of 1.51 towards the end of the dry season. Patterns exhibited by the 25 most abundant species identified during the study, the surface water temperature, and the salinity were evaluated using principal components analysis. Results of the analysis revealed one factor accounting for 22.0% of the variability. This factor exhibited a significant positive correlation with salinity, (r - 0.40), and distinguished between organisms with high and low salinity preferences. Two dinoflagellate species, one of the ciliate species, and three diatom species had high positive factor loadings for this principal component.

The optical front of the Gulf Stream off southeast Florida is an abrupt and distinct visual boundary between green coastal water and deep blue Gulf Stream water. The goal of the research presented in this thesis was to describe phytoplankton biomass and composition in relation to the position and strength of this optical front. Twenty-seven cruises were conducted off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida between July 1990 and March 1992. On each cruise, a transect of vertical CTD casts was conducted across the front to a depth of 100 m. Estimates of vertical frontal strength (buoyancy frequency) and horizontal frontal strength (salinity and density gradients across the front) were calculated from the CTD data. Biological samples were collected at three stations, one at the front and one on each side of the front, for the estimation of chlorophyll concentration by fluorometry and for the microscopic enumeration of the microplankton. Results showed that chlorophyll concentration estimates were not correlated with the estimates of vertical frontal strength, horizontal frontal strength or the distance of the front from shore (via the Spearman rank-order correlation). Chlorophyll concentrations at the Gulf Stream station were significantly lower than those at both the inshore and front stations, but chlorophyll concentrations at the front were not significantly different from those inshore (via the Kruskal-Wallis H test) Chlorophyll concentrations at the front, however, were elevated above average during the late summer/early fall when the mixed layer depth was shallower than average. Total microplankton abundance did not differ significantly between the three stations. However, when the microplankton were divided into major taxonomic categories, significant differences in abundances between the three stations were detected. In general, abundances were highest near shore and declined offshore. Except for a weak correlation between Pyrrhophyta and the salinity gradient across. the front, abundances of microplankton groups did not correlate with the physical variables measured. Scenarios that might explain these results are discussed.

No description available.

No description available.

A macroinvertebrate study was conducted from May 10, 2000 through August 22, 2000 in controlled mesocosm experiments at the northern Alternative Treatment Technologies (ATT) site of Stormwater Treatment Area-1 West (STA-1W) in Palm Beach County, Florida. Weekly variations in macroinvertebrate communities were observed to evaluate abundance, richness, density, and taxonomic/functional group composition with respect to vegetation type (submergent or emergent dominated systems) and recovery response following a period of drydown. Weekly samples were collected following the reflooding of drydown systems from four mesocosms designated as submergent/flooded, submergent/drydown, emergent/flooded, and emergent/drydown using samplers specifically designed to utilize the mesocosm vegetation as substrate and to prevent loss of organisms associated with the retrieval of other sampling devices. These sampling modifications appear to have resulted in macroinvertebrate densities that exceed those found in recent Everglades’ studies. Vegetation type appeared to influence macroinvertebrate communities, with the structurally heterogeneous habitat of the emergent mesocosms having a statistically greater abundance of organisms even though dissolved oxygen concentrations were below the generally accepted critical level for macroinvertebrate tolerance (4 mg/L) in the emergent mesocosms. Crustaceans dominated emergent mesocosms (67 and 73% for emergent/flooded and emergent drydown, respectively), followed by gastropods (27 and 43% for emergent/flooded and emergent/drydown, respectively), while odonates dominated submergent mesocosms (50and 34% for submergent/flooded and submergent/drydown, respectively). Gastropods were the second-most dominant taxonomic group in the submergent/flooded mesocosm (37%). However, crustaceans were the second most dominant group in the submergent/drydown mesocosm (32%), with gastropods comprising 31% of the total community. The collector/gatherer groups (collector/gatherers, collector/gatherer-grazers, and collector/gatherer-filterers) dominated the emergent mesocosms, while predators dominated the submergent mesocosms. Both emergent and submergent/drydown mesocosms showed significantly increased abundances when compared with continuously flooded mesocosms, but relationships were not observed between hydrology and dominant taxonomic group and functional feeding group. Recovery was not observed during the study period. While functional group composition was similar to other Everglades studies, densities were highly inflated and taxonomic structure was not comparable because of differences in experimental design.

Holaxonian octocorals are diverse and abundant on many marine hard substrates and, within this group, members of the Plexauridae are an important component of tropical reef assemblages. In the most recent morphological revision of octocorals, Bayer (1981) included the Paramuriceidae (as Stenogorgiinae) within the plexaurids based on a lack of distinguishing characters. As a result, the Plexauridae now comprises 31 genera and occurs throughout the tropics as well as at higher latitudes to depths of at least 900 m. To begin to understand historical relationships within this now large and diverse assemblage, and to test the monophyly of the family and some of its component genera, DNA sequences of two mitochondrial loci (msh1 and ND2, ~1212 bp) from 40 species in 21 genera from deep and shallow waters in the tropical western Atlantic, West and East Pacific (plus 5 taxa in the closely related Gorgoniidae and two outgroups) were analyzed. Results recover three strongly supported clades that correspond roughly to the Plexauridae, Paramuriceidae and Gorgoniidae, though their mutual relationships remain unclear. Representatives of several genera appear to be scattered among the 3 "families"; e.g., Hypnogorgia sp. (Paramuriceidae) falls within a clade consisting of both Pacific and Atlantic Muricea spp. (Plexauridae), while Swiftia sp., Scleracis sp. and an Atlantic Thesea sp. (all Paramuriceidae) group with the gorgoniids. Some Atlantic and Pacific species of several plexaurid and paramuriceid genera were monophyletic (Muricea spp., Bebryce spp.), while others were not (Echinomuricea spp., Thesea spp., Villogorgia spp.). These molecular results indicate that current octocoral taxonomy needs revision.

Chapter 2 Aerial photographs from 1937-2000 of Bahía Salina del Sur on Vieques, Puerto Rico were analyzed to detect and describe spatial changes in the areal cover of seagrass beds in Bahía Salina del Sur. The images were pre-processed to minimize noise and unsupervised classification was used to detect areas colonized by seagrass. The number of individual seagrass patches, direction, and characteristic of growth were quantified and described. Through the 64 years encompassed by this study, an 85.84% increase in seagrass coverage was observed. The time course of increase was best described by a 2nd order polynomial function (R2 = 0.91). Between 1937-2000, the spatial expression of the seagrass patchiness went through discrete episodes characterized by the expansion in the number and spatial extent of small patches, which was subsequently followed by an increase in patch size and agglomeration of small patches to form large homogeneous areas. Patch growth was limited only by proximity to boundaries (i.e. coastline and reef structures) and a fluctuating physical environment. This study suggests that the increase in seagrass cover is linked to the synergy of hurricane impacts, decrease in grazers, and the protective geomorphology of Bahía Salina del Sur. Conversely, a decrease in areal cover only occurred in concert with known anthropogenic impacts. This study shows that the analysis of a shallow-water benthic system using airborne remote sensing can provide a robust understanding of a biota’s variation in time and space that is useful for both environmental managers and decision makers. Chapter 3 Since the late 1970’s Acroporid coral communities declined drastically throughout the Caribbean. Their decline was to such an extent that both Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis were placed on the Candidate Species List of the Endangered Species Act. The demise of Acroporids in Vieques has been attributed primarily to an epizootic event of White Band Disease, and hurricane impacts. A synergy between hyperspectral AISA imagery and a SHOALS-LIDAR bathymetry dataset was utilized to detect areas presently or previously occupied by A. palmata. Classified hyperspectral imagery was draped over LIDAR bathymetry to create a three-dimensional model of the seafloor. The maximum holding-capacity of the environment for A. palmata was calculated from bathymetry using literature values for their vital and optimal ranges, defined as reefal areas of 1 to 5 m and <1 to 17 m in depth respectively. It is established in the literature that the 1970’s represented a period of climax for A. palmata in the Caribbean, at which point it is believed to have occupied 49.8% of its optimal range on Vieques and extensive mono-specific thickets of A. palmata were widespread. Since then, area coverage of A. palmata has decreased by as much as 99.99%. Most presently living A. palmata occur in waters deeper than their optimal range. Critical habitat for A. palmata in Vieques was defined as those areas of 2 to 17 m in depth. Our findings are in concert with the well-documented Caribbean-wide coral demise over the last two decades.

This paper will identify drinking water as a limited resource in a coastal community and recommend a Coastal Zone Management (CZM) protocol. It will include a global perspective and a United States (national) and County (regional) response to drinking water challenges. This perspective will include international comparisons of water as a decreasing global commodity and reflect security issues through a Threat and Risk Analysis, which will focus on biological contamination, accidental and terrorist initiated. The analysis will include a literature review and economic comparisons of municipal “tap” water costs vs. national and regional trends towards commercial bottled waters. This paper has five primary objectives. The first three are to define the sources of Broward County drinking water, provide usage by industry and municipalities and project future costs based on population growth, alternate sourcing and infrastructure costs to include protecting water sources and delivery systems. The fourth objective is to utilize a literature review to present the economic impact of the commercial bottled water industry, its effects on local water usage, projected costs, markets, and regional growth. The fifth objective considers a specific industry, Coca Cola, which is one of the largest receivers of Broward County drinking water. The conclusion includes a review of the impact of alternate water source costs incorporating security and threat assessment costs. Analysis compares Broward County municipal water prices with commercial bottled water consumer pricing via a survey format. The paper presents an economic based model of resource management, which includes recommendations for future strategies with which municipal authorities and professional water managers can maximize freshwater resource within a Coastal Zone Management paradigm.