Host ecology and biogeography drive parasite community composition in Atlantic killifishes.

Understanding the mechanisms of parasite community assembly can be confounded by phylogenetic distance among host species. Addressing this requires focusing on parasite communities within closely related taxa. Thus, we took a macroecological approach to examining parasite community structure within Killifish species in the genus Fundulus to disentangle the effects of host phylogeny and ecological variables.

Age, growth and maturity of the yellow stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis), a biannually reproductive tropical batoid.

Urobatis jamaicensis is a coastal batoid species affected by habitat loss and small-scale exploitation from fisheries and the aquarium trade, yet the life-history information available is limited. This is the first study to assess the vertebral centra from 195 stingrays to estimate age and growth patterns, and compare them with the biannual reproductive pattern previously reported for this species. Age-at-size data were compared using five different growth models and found a two-parameter von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF), the Gompertz model and a modified VBGF fit best for males, females and sexes combined, respectively.

Accumulation of the Toxic Metal Mercury in Multiple Tissues of Marine-Associated Birds from South Florida.

One of the best studied global "hot spots" for ecological mercury (Hg) contamination is south Florida (USA), where elevated Hg concentrations in environmental media and regional wildlife were first described over thirty years ago. While Hg contamination has lessened in this region, it is still critical to monitor Hg uptake and potential risks in south Florida wildlife, especially in marine-associated birds, which are known to accumulate potentially toxic Hg levels. In this study, total Hg (THg) concentrations were measured in liver, kidney, muscle, and feathers of 101 individuals from seven species of south Florida birds: brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis, double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auratus, herring gull Larus argentatus, laughing gull Leucophaeus atricilla, northern gannet Morus bassanus, royal tern Thalasseus maximus, and osprey Pandion halietus.

Stable isotopes and community surveys reveal differential use of artificial and natural reefs by South Florida fishes.

Artificial reefs may enhance the biological production of reef-associated flora and fauna, but their trophic structure relative to that of natural reefs remains understudied. We assessed trophic relationships by 1) comparing reef fish communities and 2) comparing δC and δN in 43 fish species from both artificial reef sites and adjacent natural reef tracts in Broward County, Florida. We tested the effect of sampling location (artificial, first, and second reef), general feeding strategy (herbivore, omnivore, invertivore, and carnivore), phylogeny, and standard length on δC and δN.

Ports and pests: Assessing the threat of aquatic invasive species introduced by maritime shipping activity in Cuba.

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are biological pollutants that cause detrimental ecological, economic, and human-health effects in their introduced communities. With increasing globalization through maritime trade, ports are vulnerable to AIS exposure via commercial vessels. The Cuban Port of Mariel is poised to become a competitive transshipment hub in the Caribbean and the intent of this study was to evaluate present and potential impacts AIS pose with the likely future increase in shipping activity.

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of mercury and methylmercury in four sympatric coastal sharks in a protected subtropical lagoon.

Mercury bioaccumulation is frequently observed in marine ecosystems, often with stronger effects at higher trophic levels. We compared total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) from muscle with length, comparative isotopic niche, and diet (via δC and δN) among four sympatric coastal sharks in Florida Bay (USA): blacknose, blacktip, bull, and lemon. Mercury in blacknose and blacktip sharks increased significantly with size, whereas bull and lemon sharks had a high variance in mercury relative to size.