Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) are one of Oregon’s most common coastal predators, numbering between 10,000 and 12,000 individuals (Brown et al. 2005b). They consume more than 149 species or types of marine prey within the Pacific Northwest, which include a large variety of commercially important fisheries species. Despite...
The Nearshore Assessment Tool for Alaska: Southeast (NATAK-SE) is a standardized protocol for rapidly assessing the habitat and functions of a particular marine or estuarine shore segment (intertidal zone and immediately adjoining upland) anywhere in Southeast Alaska. It consists of data forms and a spreadsheet. It has a Rapid component...
The study related the density of herbivores to the length and density of Prionitis spp. in Oregon’s coastal tidepools. Oregon’s coastal rocky intertidal tidepools contain a variety of species interactions, including algal grazing by herbivores. The red branched algae Prionitis spp. is found throughout the rocky intertidal in the low...
Coral reef ecosystems are the most diverse on earth, and their subsistence is being threatened by natural and adverse anthropogenic patterns and processes. In an effort to understand and protect these marine environments, several programs have outlined strategies and initiatives. For example, the United States Coral Reef Task Force’s Mapping...
Marine bacteria play vital roles in every niche of the ocean, from small-scale symbioses to large-scale productivity and the regulation of Earth’s climate. Recent advances in molecular tools now allow us to probe the genetic potential of entire microbial communities. The next step is linking these diverse communities to the...
Phytoplankton and microzooplankton comprise the base and the first link of the marine food web, respectively. These microbes are key drivers of marine carbon and nutrient cycles. Phytoplankton convert atmospheric CO₂ into organic carbon, and microzooplankton consume phytoplankton, packaging phytoplankton carbon into particulate forms that have a variety of fates:...
Most benthic marine organisms have a bipartite life with an early pelagic stage that enables dispersal of offspring, connecting spatially separated populations, and a late stage where individuals reside in a benthic habitat. Settlement of pelagic offspring to bottom associated substrates is the process that connects the two life history...
The effects of Marine protected areas (MPAs) on adult fish populations depend on the degree of protection provided, which is partly a function of MPA size and the spatial extent of fish movements. The Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve (RRMR) and MPA, located on the south coast of Oregon near Port...
For hundreds of years, coastal and marine ecosystems have experienced increasing threats due to the cumulative effects of increasing population growth and dependence on these ecosystems. Thus, there has been increased enthusiasm to mitigate the negative effects of human actions through the use of cleaner sources of energy, like marine...
Efficient foraging strategies result in a predator spatially overlapping with its prey, foraging in the most profitable patches, and minimizing the time transiting between patches. Previous studies investigating baleen whale foraging strategies have generally focused on investigating spatial overlap with prey patches, patch profitability or movement within feeding grounds. The...