SEMINAR: MBF 602 Seminar- Kathryn Shulzitski March 12th, 2010 4:00pm S/A seminar room

[Cary Rios <crios@rsmas.miami.edu>]

Larval reef fish assemblages in the Florida Keys and the influence of mesoscale eddies on larval distributions

 

            Most benthic marine organisms have a complex life cycle with pelagic larvae and relatively sedentary adults. The link between early life history stages is critical as larvae must return to suitable habitat to transition to a juvenile existence and eventually contribute to the reproductive potential of a population. The difficulty in directly observing dispersal events that occur during the pelagic larval phase hinders our understanding of the processes that are important in this transition between habitats. The objective of this study is to characterize distributions and abundances of reef fish larvae in the context of their physical environment to gain insight into such processes. Ichthyoplankton samples and physical data were collected during three cruises on the R/V Walton Smith. Sampling efforts targeted three generalized oceanographic zones denoted as inshore, eddy, and Florida Current (FC). Data from the first two cruises consistently show that coral reef fish larvae are most abundant in eddy and FC water masses. Additionally, each water mass is associated with a relatively unique larval assemblage. Satellite imagery, a shipboard ADCP, satellite-tracked drifters, and stationary current meters were all used to locate and describe an eddy that was present during our sampling effort. Preliminary data show variable larval distributions across the eddy which appear to be taxon-specific. Additional work will elucidate length and age distribution of larvae in and around the eddy as well as differences in growth. A greater understanding of larval distributions and abundance in relation to the dynamic physical environment will improve our understanding of the processes involved in population replenishment.

 

Kathryn Shulzitski

M.S. in Marine Biology in 2005, University of North Carolina Wilmington

Entered Ph.D. program Fall 2006

Advisor: Su Sponaugle

Cary Rios 
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