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R/P-29
Effects of low dissolved oxygen in the Chesapeake Bay. II. Trophic interactions in a zooplankton-fish larvae-nekton assemblage (Original title: Effects of low dissolved oxygen levels in the Chesapeake Bay on behavior, growth and survival of fish larvae)
Principal Investigator:
Edward D. HoudeStart/End Year:
1990 - 1994Institution:
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceCo-Principal Investigator:
Denise L. Breitberg, Academy of Natural Sciences Estuarine Research CenterTopic(s):
- Fisheries
Description:
The proposed research will provide data on behavior, growth and survival needed to assess the impact of anoxic and hypoxic waters in the Chesapeake Bay on mortality of larval fishes. We will determine whether larvae of two important forage species avoid oxygen-poor water in a stratified water column, as well as effects of low DO on growth, survival, swimming behavior and susceptibility to predation -- factors likely to influence larval mortality when hypoxic waters are not avoided. In addition, we will compare results of laboratory experiments with samples collected to examine the relationship between DO and larval distributions in the field.
Funding Start Year
1990
Funding End Year
1994
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Featured Fellow
Nina Santos
Nina Santos is a Ph.D. student at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. For her dissertation, she is focused on small shrimp-like crustaceans called mysids – an understudied yet important part of many estuarine and coastal food webs.
Featured Research Project
Developing a habitat model for mysids, an important link in Chesapeake Bay food webs
Mysids are important mesozooplankton prey for many species of fish in Chesapeake Bay and are an important link in transferring energy from lower to upper trophic levels. Mysids also serve as biological vectors for benthic-pelagic coupling due to their diel vertical migration and omnivorous prey-switching behavior, which makes mysids important regulators of food web architecture. Despite their central role in coastal food webs, surprisingly little is known about mysid ecology and dynamics in Chesapeake Bay.
