Data base formation and assessment of biotic and abiotic parameters associated with artificial reefs

There is a critical need for accurate data in order to make decisions regarding the construction, emplacement, and further development of artificial reefs in the State of Florida. This study looked a biotic and abiotic parameters of articifial reefs. A data matrix listing reefs on the vertical axis and the associated biotic and a biotic data or attributes available from published and non-pub1ished sources on the horizontal axis created: 1) a compilation of what data were available; 2) an indication of the completeness and extensiveness of the data; 3) a summary of the descriptive statistics of the data; 4) a preliminary analysis of the relationship among the biotic and abiotic parameters through correlation analysis; 5) some preliminary modeling of the artificial reefs to form the basis of prediction through stepwise and multiple linear regression analysis. (29pp.

Osteological Notes on the Genus Centropristis (Pisces: Serranidae)

Osteological examination of Centropristis striata, C. ocyurus and C. philadelphica reveals characters which may be useful in defining the genus. The medially elongate subocular shelf appears unique for the genus among other Serraninae examined. Species may be distinguished on the basis of otoliths, supraoccipital-parietal ridges, shape of vomerine toothpatch and other characters. C. striata shows increased frontal bone ossification (hyperostosis) which is apparently correlated with sex reversal and is a male secondary sex characteristic. C. striata is the most specialized species while C. philadelphica is the least specialized. C. fusculus is retained in the genus until a skeleton is available

Estuarine Artificial Reefs to Enhance Seagrass Planting and Provide Fish Habitat

Small 25-m2 artificial reef sets were deployed 1 m deep in Choctawhatchee Bay, FL, to determine the ability of reefs to aid in the establishment of newly planted Ruppia maritima (widgeon grass) while providing habitat for estuarine fishes. Seagrass survival and coverage were examined for reef configurations and compared with control plots. Visual surveys conducted from June 1996 to May 1997 indicated that the artificial reefs had no effect on the survivorship or growth of the planted R. maritima. The artificial reefs attracted juvenile and young adult fishes and had significantly more species, higher diversity, more individuals, and greater total biomass of fishes per area than did the nonreef controls. The 22 fish species observed at the reefs were typical estuarine residents in the area. Young gray snapper, Lutjanus griseus (a recreationally and commercially important species), was abundant at the reefs. Although the artificial reefs did not increase seagrass planting success, these artificial reefs may increase the number of fishes surviving to adulthood by providing protective habitat

Development of an Epifaunal Assemblage on an Estuarine Artificial Reef

Twelve Polyolefin™ cones were placed in Choctawhatchee Bay, Okaloosa County, Florida, on 20 Oct. 1987, as an artificial reef to examine the succession of the associated epibenthic invertebrate assemblage and its relationship to environmental factors. Ninety-five epifaunal settling plates with individual surface areas of 706.5 cm2 were removed from the reefs. The epifaunal settling plates bore 124,893 organisms from 90 taxa. The number of taxa and individuals associated with the reef gradually increased from deployment in Oct. to a maximum in June. Species diversity tended to increase through the 12-mo study. Coverage by the epifauna stabilized after 4 mo of deployment, A canonical correlation model attributed 86% of the variation in taxa abundance to variation in the independent variables equatorial moon position, salinity, temperature, reef module surface area, absolute time from noon, and vertical height of each settling plate above the substrate. Initial colonizers were typically motile organisms that were gradually succeeded by sedentary organisms. Arborescent bryozoans may have created a complex microhabitat, which facilitated the colonization of grazing species such as gastropods

An Investigation of the Reproductive Mode of the Pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides Linnaeus (Osteichthyes: Sparidae)

The majority of sparids studied have shown evidence of hermaphroditism. The reproductive mode of the pinfish was investigated using museum and field collections of pinfish (n = 974) distributed in size from 13 to 276 mm SL. The observed female to male sex ratio of 1.3:1.0 was not significantly different from uniformity. Males were distributed in size from 63 to 252 mm SL (x̄ = 127 mm); females were distributed from 57 to 276 mm (x̄ = 119 mm). Individuals of undetermined sex occurred to 178 mm SL. Although the mean lengths of the sexes differed significantly, overlapping length-frequency distributions suggested gonochoristic development. Gonadosomatic indices (GSI) indicated spawning occurs between October and March in pinfish. Contrary to the predominance of hermaphroditism in sparids, histological investigation of the gonads of 106 specimens supported gonochorism as the reproductive mode in pinfish

Feeding Guilds Among Artificial-Reef Fishes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

To examine the diets of 25 demersal artificial-reef-associated fish species, 540 fishes were collected with spears and hand-nets off Panama City, Florida, in the summer of 1993. Fishes were preserved whole in the field. Stomach contents were later analyzed by frequency of occurrence, numerical abundance, and percent volume. These measures were combined into an Index of Relative Importance (IRI). The data set was then analyzed with cluster and detrended correspondence (DCA) analyses. Forage items of the reef fishes were dominated by fishes, xanthid crabs, unidentified items, squids, polychaetes, and penaeid shrimps. The DCA and cluster analysis revealed that these 25 artificial reef fishes could be organized into seven feeding guilds: lower structure pickers, ambush predators, lower structure crustacean predators, upper structure pickers, upper structure predators, water column pickers, and reef-associated open-water feeders. All of the demersal gamefish in this study were in the same feeding guild (i.e., reef-associated openwater feeders). Species in this feeding guild were associated with artificial reefs diurnally and foraged away from reefs nocturnally. Our data indicate that many important artificial-reef-associated fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico obtain most of their energy foraging away from the artificial reef structure

TIGER read-out for the new CGEM inner tracker off the BESIII experiment

TIGER (Torino Integrated GEM Electronics for Read-out) will be the innovative on detector electronics for the upgrade of the inner tracker in the BESIII experiment. The chip will allow the analogue read-out of the CGEM strips, making the merging of two different signal reconstruction algorithms possible improving the performance with respect to the main drift chamber (MDC) currently installed

The Pelagic - Sargassum Ichthyofauna of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

A total of 2857 fishes comprising 15 families and 40 species was collected at 62 localities in the eastern Gulf of Mexico between 1971 and 1976. The fauna was dominated by the Carangidae, Balistidae, and Syngnathidae. Monacanthus hispidus was the most abundant species and comprised 84.5% of the total fauna. Species diversity (H\u27) was variable within the Gulf and low in comparison with the western Atlantic Sargassum - associated ichthyofauna. Index of Affinity was high within the Gulf due to the abundance of M. hispidus. Perhaps conditions associated with community dispersal, for which M. hispidus is better adapted, permit this species to dominate this community. Additionally, species diversity differences may be due to substrate area or clumpsize

Visual Census of Reef Fish Assemblages: A Comparison of Slate, Audio, and Video Recording Devices

Fish assemblage data were recorded using slate, audio, and video techniques with a point-count visual census technique under controlled conditions. The community variables (number of species, number of individuals, and species diversity) describing the assemblage were generally similar for all three recording methods but audio recorded parameters were higher in magnitude. Slate and audio techniques were more similar to each other than each was to video with regard to the assemblage variables. Community resemblances were high for pairwise comparisons for all three recording methods. Users should be aware that certain species are more likely to contribute to differences in faunal comparisons than others. The simultaneous recording of fish assemblage date in situ using audio/video is recommended