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Seagrass responses to long-term light reduction by brown tide in upper Laguna Madre, Texas: Distribution and biomass patterns Seagrass responses to long-term light reduction by brown tide in upper Laguna Madre, Texas: Distribution and biomass patterns

A brown tide caused by a very dense bloom of an as yet undescribed species of the new class Pelagophyceae was first reported in upper Laguna Madre, Texas, USA, in June 1990 and has been there continuously through December 1995. No change in response to reduced light was evident in the distribution of the seagrass Halodulewrightii along transects sampled before the brown tide in 1988 and...
Authors
Christopher P. Onuf

A metabolism-based trophic index for comparing the ecological values of shallow-water sediment habitats A metabolism-based trophic index for comparing the ecological values of shallow-water sediment habitats

We determined fluxes of oxygen and nutrients between water and sediments at 21 sites primarily in Virginia and North Carolina estuaries, over the past 15 yr. These sites represented broad ranges in salinity, tidal amplitude, hydrology, nutrient availability, turbidity, light availability, depth, sediment grain size, and anthropogenic disturbance. In general, we found that...
Authors
W.M. Rizzo, S. K. Dailey, G. J. Lackey, R.R. Christian, B. E. Berry, R. L. Wetzel

Analysis of a Lake Superior coastal food web with stable isotope techniques Analysis of a Lake Superior coastal food web with stable isotope techniques

Food-web components of a Lake Superior coastal wetland and adjacent offshore waters were examined with stable isotope ratio techniques for carbon and nitrogen. We found distinct carbon isotope ratio signatures for organisms collected in the wetland and from offshore. Both food-web groups seemed to be based on carbon fixed by phytoplankton. Compared to offshore organisms, the wetland food...
Authors
Janet R. Keough, Michael E. Sierszen, Cynthia Hagley

Ecosystem management: A decision support GIS approach Ecosystem management: A decision support GIS approach

This paper describes a new approach using decision support GIS for handling information in ecosystem management. Technical research efforts resulted in specialized spatial decision support systems for wetland restoration planning, wetland permit analysis, and wildlife research and management. These applications are briefly presented to illustrate the usage of the methodology. With its...
Authors
Wei Ji

Lipid and water depletion in migrating passerines following passage over the Gulf of Mexico Lipid and water depletion in migrating passerines following passage over the Gulf of Mexico

Lipid depletion is currently believed to be the primary factor limiting flight duration of migrating birds in North America, while the influence of water loss is thought to be small. Three migrating species of passerines, wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), Swainson's thrush (Catharus ustulatus), and summer tanager (Piranga rubra) were captured during the 1993 spring migration just after...
Authors
P.L. Leberg, T. J. Spengler, Wylie C. Barrow

Food availability and feeding preferences of breeding fulvous whistling-ducks in Louisiana ricefields Food availability and feeding preferences of breeding fulvous whistling-ducks in Louisiana ricefields

Expansion of the breeding distribution of the Fulvous whistling-duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) into the southeastern United States after the mid-1800s coincided with the establishment of rice (Oryza sativa) cultures in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. In southern Louisiana, where approximately 80% of rice is aerially seeded in water, Fulvous whistling-ducks are suspected of feeding extensively...
Authors
William L. Hohman, Timothy M. Stark, Joseph L. Moore

Biomass patterns in seagrass meadows of the Laguna Madre, Texas Biomass patterns in seagrass meadows of the Laguna Madre, Texas

The Laguna Madre of Texas supports the most extensive seagrass meadows in the western Gulf of Mexico, In 1988 seagrasses covered 730 km2 or about three-quarters of the embayment. Halodule wrightii dominated the entire upper laguna, and total biomass was quite uniform near 160 g˙m-2 throughout. Four species shared dominance in the lower laguna. Where present mean biomass of Thalassia...
Authors
Christopher P. Onuf

Denitrification in a South Louisiana wetland forest receiving treated sewage effluent Denitrification in a South Louisiana wetland forest receiving treated sewage effluent

Although denitrification has the potential to reduce nitrate (NO3a??) pollution of surface waters, the quantification of denitrification rates is complex because it requires differentiation from other mechanisms and is highly variable in both space and time. This study first measured potential denitrification rates at a wetland forest site in south Louisiana before receipt of secondary...
Authors
R.G. Boustany, C.R. Crozier, J.M. Rybczyk, R.R. Twilley

Age determination in manatees using growth-layer-group counts in bone Age determination in manatees using growth-layer-group counts in bone

Growth layers were observed in histological preparations of bones of known-age, known minimum-age, and tetracycline-marked free-ranging and captive Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris), substantiating earlier preliminary findings of other studies. Detailed analysis of 17 new case histories showed that growth-layer group (GLG) counts in the periotic bone were consistent with...
Authors
M. Marmontel, T. J. O'Shea, H. I. Kochman, S.R. Humphrey
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