The limited knowledge of the deep-sea is a paramount concern, affecting our ability to assess the overall health of the ocean’s ecosystem. Technology has made deep-sea fishing more accessible, but management plans cannot be implemented on ecosystems lacking fundamental information of the biology and species within them. Comprehensive ecological studies are needed to identify factors that may influence the distribution and abundance of the faunal groups that are becoming commercially relevant. This observational study was conducted over a 3-year period to provide an assessment of physical, environmental, and biological factors that drive benthic and benthopelagic community structure and function in Exuma Sound, the Bahamas. The use of deep-sea traps allowed the identification of the ecological community to the highest degree of taxonomy. A series of 115 deep-sea traps were sampled from 360 to 1480 meters deep from spring 2014 to spring 2017. During this study, two new species were discovered Booralana maxeyorum and Booralana sp. nov. Crustaceans dominated the catch (98%) with Teleosts (1.2%) and Elasmobranchs (0.1%) contributing the rest. Baited Remote Underwater Video Survey can also provide additional information about the ecosystem dynamics. The video surveys can help gather data on food availability and foraging behavior in the deep-sea. Baited video sampling will help describe the present conditions and distribution patterns in benthic communities of the deep-water of the Exuma Sound. The temperature might be a determining factor in the species that are present at different depths. A Total of 14 deep-sea BRUV surveys were conducted from depths of 651 to 1397 meters from fall 2013 to spring 2017. The BRUV recruited 22 different species within sample ranges of 651 to 1397 m, and 19 different families. Dominant taxa were Booralana sp., Bathynomus giganteus, Synaphobranchus sp., Simenchelys parasitica, Centrophorus sp., and Squalus cubenis. The deep-sea of the Gulf of Mexico are especially susceptible to anthropogenic influences due to location, abundant petrochemical resources, and easy access to fisheries. The magnitude and long term effects of these insults on the deep-sea are unknown. A more recent event, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred on April 20th 2010 when methane gas erupted 1500 m below the surface northern Gulf of Mexico causing the most massive oil spill in US history. The benthic communities with acute damage have not been assessed for damage to the community structure and population size. A Total of 422 deep-sea sets were collected from depths of 184 to 2002 meters between April 2011 and April 2017. The total catch from the traps was 2898 individual animals, 1832 invertebrates from 27 species and 12 families. No benthic invertebrates were found in April 2011 and 2012 sampling immediately after the oil spill. There was a gradual increase in the subsequent years, with highest values in 2015. Then the CPUE tapered off in 2016 and 2017. The sampling was dominated by three species, Bathynomus giganteus (BGIG), Chaceon quinquedens (CQUI), Raymanninus shcmitti (RSCH). There is a preference to the geographic area which could be caused by access to nutrients, depth and sediment type. The more extended timescale measurements of impacts from the oil spill were evident to the most abundant invertebrate species. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester 2019. / April 16, 2019. / Baited Remote Underwater survey, Deep-sea, Exuma Sound, Gulf of Mexico, Trapping / Includes bibliographical references. / R. Dean Grubbs, Professor Directing Thesis; Jeffrey P. Chanton, Committee Member; Markus Huettel, Committee Member; Edward J. Brooks, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_709339 |
| Contributors | Violich, Mackellar A. (Mackellar Annalyse) (author), Grubbs, R. Dean (Professor Directing Thesis), Chanton, Jeffrey P. (Committee Member), Huettel, Markus (Committee Member), Brooks, Edward J. (Committee Member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, master thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (135 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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