Publications by authors named "Thomas A Frankovich"
Article Synopsis
- Phytoplankton composition and biomass were studied in the C-43 Canal of southwest Florida, which receives regulated discharges from Lake Okeechobee, revealing dominance of harmful cyanobacteria during high discharge periods in spring and summer.
- Conversely, during low discharge periods in mid-summer and autumn, phytoplankton biomass decreased, leading to increased dinoflagellate populations, with notable first records of Dinophysis baltica and Parvodinium goslaviense in Florida.
- The findings suggest that managing water discharge rates can significantly impact phytoplankton dynamics and help mitigate harmful algal blooms in the canal and its downstream coastal areas.
Our understanding of the importance of microbiomes on large aquatic animals-such as whales, sea turtles and manatees-has advanced considerably in recent years. The latest observations indicate that epibiotic diatom communities constitute diverse, polyphyletic, and compositionally stable assemblages that include both putatively obligate epizoic and generalist species. Here, we outline a successful approach to culture putatively obligate epizoic diatoms without their hosts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpizoic diatoms form an important part of micro-epibiota of marine vertebrates such as whales and sea turtles. The present study explores and compares the diversity and biogeography of diatom communities growing on the skin and shell of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from four different localities: Adriatic Sea (Croatia), Ionian Sea (Greece), South Africa and Florida Bay (USA) using both light and scanning electron microscopy. We observed almost 400 diatom taxa belonging to more than 100 genera.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOver 35 macroalgae have been documented growing epizoically on sea turtles, and macroalgae are also known to grow on the West Indian Manatee, but the number and identity of these latter species have not been determined. Analysis of DNA sequences of 12 samples collected from different manatees captured in three areas of Florida indicated that they represented a single undescribed species within the Rhodomelaceae genus Melanothamnus. Morphological analysis revealed Melanothamnus characteristics but also a previously undescribed combination of character states.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUntil now only one group of diatoms, the Bacillariaceae, was known to contain heterotrophic representatives. We show that a second group, represented by species in the genus Tursiocola, has undergone evolutionary loss of photosynthesis within the Bacillariophyta. Heterotrophy was evidenced by the presence of only apochlorotic cells in live and motile specimens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A field experiment in Florida Bay explored how seagrass epiphyte communities reacted to added nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients.
- While variations in the epiphyte community were largely due to environmental differences over time and space, phosphorus (P) additions notably increased red algae-cyanobacterial complexes and green algae while decreasing diatoms.
- The addition of nitrogen (N) alongside P showed similar but weaker effects on diatoms and red algae, with the most significant changes occurring in the summer and primarily in eastern Florida Bay.