Through this work, I expect to understand how physicochemical factors such as salinity and temperature are able to affect different aspects of the ecology and physiology of “nursery” species, such as gray snapper. This species inhabits marine environments as an adult but frequents euryhaline areas as larvae and juveniles. Inshore grass bed areas and mangroves form the most important nursery areas for juveniles in search of shelter and few predators. As a result of the wide geographic and ecological range, this species is exposed to environmental extremes that may threaten its survival. Therefore, for my master’s thesis I will investigate whether juvenile and sub-adult gray snappers remain in low salinity areas due to the ecological benefits of these habitats or because a direct preference for this salinity range. The ultimate goal of my research is to incorporate the experimental results into management plans for this species in its natural environment.

This work is part of the M.S. thesis of
Xaymara M. Serrano-Vicente
Marine Biology and Fisheries
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
4600 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Florida, 33149
Phone: (305) 421-4149
E-mail: xserrano@rsmas.miami.edu