Composition and abundance of resident marsh-surface nekton: comparison between tidal freshwater and salt marshes in Virginia, USA

Yozzo, David J.; Smith, David E.

doi:10.1023/a:1003105930199

Cited by 29 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Studies have documented that G. affinis is more common in freshwater than in brackish marsh (Yozzo and Smith 1998), and P. latipinna is more tolerant of higher salinities than G. affinis (Nordlie, 2006); however, we have found that both fragmentation and SAV coverage also influence this relationship. Peterson and Turner (1994) documented the distribution of P. latipinna across the marsh surface by describing its use of the marsh interior.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

“…For all four species, we observed that, at low levels of SAV coverage, densities are generally low in all marsh types and both levels of fragmentation. However, the highest densities were observed at high levels of SAV coverage in non-fragmented brackish marsh and may be attributed to the fact that brackish areas generally lack dense SAV in the shallow subtidal zone (Yozzo and Smith 1998;Chabreck 1971). The positive relationship between SAV and nekton density in brackish marsh ponds that we observed is similar to the positive relationship between SAV and nekton biomass reported in (Kanouse et al 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interactions of Salinity, Marsh Fragmentation and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation on Resident Nekton Assemblages of Coastal Marsh Ponds

Hitch

Purcell

Martin

et al. 2011

Estuaries and Coasts

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Increases in relative sea level are fragmenting the emergent vegetation of Louisiana's coastal marshes. Nekton abundance is likely impacted by salinity and whether emergent vegetation is replaced by submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) or open water. To assess these effects, we sampled nekton densities along a salinity gradient (categorized as freshwater, intermediate, and brackish marsh) in fragmented and non-fragmented areas. Total nekton density increased strongly with SAV in brackish marsh but only weakly in freshwater marsh (F 2,238 =10.03, p< 0.0001). Freshwater and intermediate marshes had higher nekton densities when fragmented than when nonfragmented; this relationship was reversed in brackish marsh (F 2,238 =8.89, p=0.0002). Fragmentation, SAV, and salinity interacted to affect the densities of Gambusia affinis, Poecilia latipinna, Cyprinodon variegates, and Lucania parva. Our results suggest that the presence of both emergent vegetation and SAV was necessary for maintaining high nekton densities, with this combination being especially important in brackish marshes.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions of Salinity, Marsh Fragmentation and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation on Resident Nekton Assemblages of Coastal Marsh Ponds

Hitch

Purcell

Martin

et al. 2011

Estuaries and Coasts

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“…The killifish Fundulus heteroclitus is able to adjust its physiology to compensate for extremes in all of these physical parameters (Burnett et al, 2007), but is perhaps most notable for its ability to acclimate to salinities from nearly four times that of seawater down to freshwater (Griffith, 1974). Within Atlantic coast estuarine habitats, F. heteroclitus is the numerically dominant vertebrate (Yozzo and Smith, 1997;Sweeney et al, 1998), and their extreme osmotic plasticity enables them to exploit osmotic niches that span the continuum from marine to freshwater. We apply a comparative approach, together with a physiological genomics experimental design, to explore the functional genomic mechanisms that enable this extreme physiological flexibility and account for subtle differences in hypo-osmotic tolerance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salinity- and population-dependent genome regulatory response during osmotic acclimation in the killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) gill

Whitehead

Roach

Zhang

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

128

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SUMMARYThe killifish Fundulus heteroclitus is abundant in osmotically dynamic estuaries and it can quickly adjust to extremes in environmental salinity. We performed a comparative osmotic challenge experiment to track the transcriptomic and physiological responses to two salinities throughout a time course of acclimation, and to explore the genome regulatory mechanisms that enable extreme osmotic acclimation. One southern and one northern coastal population, known to differ in their tolerance to hypo-osmotic exposure, were used as our comparative model. Both populations could maintain osmotic homeostasis when transferred from 32 to 0.4p.p.t., but diverged in their compensatory abilities when challenged down to 0.1p.p.t., in parallel with divergent transformation of gill morphology. Genes involved in cell volume regulation, nucleosome maintenance, ion transport, energetics, mitochondrion function, transcriptional regulation and apoptosis showed population-and salinity-dependent patterns of expression during acclimation. Network analysis confirmed the role of cytokine and kinase signaling pathways in coordinating the genome regulatory response to osmotic challenge, and also posited the importance of signaling coordinated through the transcription factor HNF-4. These genome responses support hypotheses of which regulatory mechanisms are particularly relevant for enabling extreme physiological flexibility. Supplementary material available online at

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“…Miller et al 1985, Russell & Garrett 1985, McIvor & Odum 1988, Robertson & Duke 1990, Paterson & Whitfield 1996, Vance et al 1996, Lyse et al 1998, Yozzo & Smith 1998. However, this view is by no means universal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature I review relates to a diversity of shallow water, estuarine habitats such as salt marshes (Morton et al 1987, Yozzo & Smith 1998, mangroves (Morton 1990), and unvegetated habitats . These habitats differ substantially in their complexity, and so, potentially, in the extent of refuge from predation they provide (Weinstein 1985, Everett & Ruiz 1993, Gotceitas & Fraser 1995, Sheaves 1996, Jordan et al 1997, Rooker et al 1998a.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are there really few piscivorous fishes in shallow estuarine habitats?

Sheaves¹

2001

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Shallow estuarine habitats throughout the world are recognised as valuable nursery grounds for juvenile fishes. It is often suggested that this is due, at least in part, to the occurrence of low numbers of piscivorous fishes in these habitats. This idea is not confined to particular habitat types, but has been used in reference to a range of habitats, including both vegetated and unvegetated areas. I evaluate the proposition that there are few piscivorous fishes in shallow estuarine habitats, and suggest that the proposition is ill-defined, with little unequivocal supporting or contradictory evidence. To make any sense, the proposition must be evaluated relative to some other habitat, something often not addressed in previous studies. Additionally, including the full range of potentially piscivorous fishes is important if the role of predation is to be understood. Most studies have considered only large piscivorous fishes. This is unfortunate when the proposition logically relates to an advantage for small juvenile fishes. There is considerable evidence that, in addition to large piscivorous fishes, small juvenile fishes are extensively preyed upon both by juveniles of the large piscivorous species and by a range of other small species that include a large component of fish in their diets. In addition, many of the prey species may, themselves, switch opportunistically to piscivorous feeding. Not only are small piscivores numerous, but because of their size they are much more likely to access shallow waters than large piscivores. Even when the full range of piscivorous fishes are considered, it is not clear that the question of the abundance of piscivores in shallow waters should be the real focus of interest. Rather the crucial question is whether or not predator-induced mortality is reduced in shallow estuarine habitats.

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Composition and abundance of resident marsh-surface nekton: comparison between tidal freshwater and salt marshes in Virginia, USA

Cited by 29 publications

References 24 publications

Interactions of Salinity, Marsh Fragmentation and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation on Resident Nekton Assemblages of Coastal Marsh Ponds

Interactions of Salinity, Marsh Fragmentation and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation on Resident Nekton Assemblages of Coastal Marsh Ponds

Salinity- and population-dependent genome regulatory response during osmotic acclimation in the killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) gill

Are there really few piscivorous fishes in shallow estuarine habitats?

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