Oyster reef ecosystem services: Finfish utilization and trophic linkages Harris Creek, Maryland, USA

Oyster reefs provide habitat for finfish and their prey. Our project focused on determining the impacts of oyster reef restoration on finfish in the Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay. As a preliminary step, we examined the utility of using trawls in the place of gillnets to sample finfish but found that trawl samples were also highly variable and that the diets of finfish caught in trawls tended to be different than those caught in gillnets. Based on these findings and the fact that gillnets can be set within reef habitats, all remaining sampling was conducted using gillnets. To assess differences in finfish abundance on oyster reef compared to adjacent non-reef habitats, we used pairs of gillnets to determine catch per unit effort (CPUE). Of the species captured, only white perch showed significantly higher CPUE in reef habitats than in adjacent non-reef habitats. Using only data from on-reef sites, we examined the effect of reef type (restored vs. non-restored) on finfish CPUE. Reef type had no significant effect on CPUE for white perch or striped bass

A Randomized Cross-Over Trial Comparing the Effect of Intramuscular Versus Intranasal Naloxone Reversal of Intravenous Fentanyl on Odor Detection in Working Dogs

Fentanyl is a potent opioid used clinically as a pain medication and anesthetic but has recently seen a sharp rise as an illicit street drug. The potency of fentanyl means mucous membrane exposure to a small amount of the drug can expose first responders, including working canines, to accidental overdose. Naloxone, a fast-acting opioid antagonist administered intranasally (IN) or intramuscularly (IM) is currently carried by emergency personnel in the case of accidental exposure in both humans and canines. Despite the fact that law enforcement relies heavily on the olfactory abilities of canine officers, the effects of fentanyl exposure and subsequent reversal by naloxone on the olfactory performance of canines are unknown. In a block-randomized, crossover trial, we tested the effects of IN and IM naloxone on the abilities of working dogs to recognize the odor of Universal Detection Calibrant (UDC) prior to, and two, 24, and 48 h after intravenous fentanyl sedation and naloxone reversal. No detectable influence of fentanyl sedation and naloxone reversal on the dogs’ olfactory abilities was detected. We also found no difference in olfactory abilities when dogs received IN or IM naloxone. Together, results suggest no evidence that exposure to intravenous fentanyl followed by naloxone reversal impairs canine olfactory ability under these conditions

Integrated assessment of oyster reef ecosystem services: Macrofauna utilization of restored oyster reefs

Within the Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay, we evaluated relationships between basic oyster reef characteristics and the abundance and biomass of macrofauna. The eight sites selected for these studies included five restored oyster reef sites and three sites suitable for restoration that had not been restored. These sites encompassed a range of oyster biomass density and were spread throughout the sanctuary area. At each site one month prior to each of four sampling periods, divers filled four wire mesh baskets (0.1m2 surface area x 15 cm depth) with material from the site and embedded them so that the surface was flush with the surrounding substratum. In spring, early summer, late summer and fall of 2015, divers collected baskets and returned them to the laboratory where all macrofauna ≥1 mm were collected from each sample and their identity, abundance and biomass were determined. In addition to the abundance and biomass of oysters, we also assessed the amount of surface as the volume of live oysters along with that of any oyster shells whose surface was at least 50% oxic based on coloration (i.e. black shell was presumed to have been buried below the surface in anoxic conditions). Positive relationships were identified for all three reef characteristics and the three major macrofaunal groups examined. In the majority of seasons, the relationship between both biomass and abundance of the hooked mussel, Ischadium recurvum, as a power function of oyster tissue biomass density, oyster abundance per square meter and surface shell volume. The relationship between oyster reef characteristics and the biomass and abundance of the mud crab, Eurypanopeus depressus, and of the naked goby, Gobiosoma bosc, were always positive but were more variable than that for I. recurvum. These data demonstrate that relationships can be found between oyster reef characteristics and macrofauna abundance and biomass. They further demonstrate that, in many cases, simple measures of reef characteristics such as oyster abundance and shell volume can provide predictions of macrofauna abundance and biomass that are comparable to more labor intensive measures such as oyster tissue biomass

Characterization of Nursery Habitats used by Black Sea Bass and Summer Flounder in Chesapeake Bay and the Coastal Lagoons

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Integrated assessment of oyster reef ecosystem services: Fish and crustacean utilization and trophic linkages

Using a regression design that encompassed the continuum of oyster reef biomass density in Harris Creek, MD, from unrestored reefs to those restored reefs with the greatest oyster biomass, we examined finfish and crustacean utilization of these habitats. Of the eight sites studied, three had not been subject to any restoration activities and five had been planted in 2012 with juvenile oysters set on oyster shell. All sites were sampled in April, June, August, and October 2015. During each sampling period, we assessed abundance, total length and biomass of finfish and examined gut contents to assess the diets of selected finfish species. Of the species collected that were likely to use reefs as habitat or a foraging ground, only striped bass and white perch were sufficiently abundant to support robust statistical analyses. Regression analyses found no clear relationship between oyster biomass density and catch per unit effort, total length or biomass for striped bass or white perch. Analyses of the effects of sampling period and restoration status (restored versus non-restored sites) on fish utilization frequently found an effect of sampling period but rarely found an effect of restoration status. In all cases where differences were detected, they suggested greater utilization of non-restored sites. Overall, data were sparse and the power of statistical analyses was low. Analyses of striped bass and white perch diets suggest that they are using oyster reefs as a foraging ground. Although comparisons of the proportion of striped bass and white perch that contained prey in their stomachs found no difference between those caught on restored sites versus non-restored sites, gut contents of both species contained prey taxa that are likely more abundant on restored oyster reefs than nonrestored sites. As a percentage of total prey wet weight, polychaete worms were the most important component of striped bass diets in both April (50%) and August (47%). Of the polychaete worms identifiable to species, 100% were Alitta succinea, a species found in much greater abundance and biomass on restored oyster reefs than on comparable non-restored sites (Kellogg et al. 2013, Rodney and Paynter 2006). White perch diets were dominated by the ascidian Molgula manhattensis (52%), a species generally found in greater abundance on hard substrates including oyster reefs. Of the identifiable species of fish found in the stomachs of striped bass, 93% by weight were naked gobies (Gobiosoma bosc) or striped blennies (Chasmodes bosquianus), two species found in greater abundance and biomass on restored oyster reefs than nonrestored sites in Chesapeake Bay (Kellogg et al. 2013, Rodney and Paynter 2006). For white perch, naked gobies accounted for 95% of the identifiable fish species by weight. Direct comparisons of white perch and striped bass diets to the prey fields at each sampling site will be conducted as part of a companion project also funded by NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (Award #: NA13NMF4570209: Integrated assessment of oyster reef ecosystem services: Macrofaunal utilization, secondary production and nutrient sequestration). This companion project will also provide data on abundance, biomass and distribution of small, reef-associated species including naked gobies, striped blennies, and oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau)

Scaling Ecosystem Services to Reef Development : Effects of oyster density on nitrogen removal and reef community structure

Eighteen native oyster experimental reefs (16-m2 each) were restored using six oyster densities (0, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 250 adult oysters m-2) with three replicates of each density at each of two sites: one subtidal site in Onancock Creek, Virginia and one intertidal site in Hillcrest Oyster Sanctuary within The Nature Conservancy’s Virginia Coast Reserve. A science-based monitoring program explored quantitative relationships between structural and functional characteristics of these restored reefs. Structural parameters examined included oyster abundance, oyster size/biomass, surface shell volume, reef topographic complexity and sediment characteristics. Functional parameters included denitrification rates and macrofaunal abundance and biomass. Data were collected from the intertidal site during six sampling periods between April 2012 and July 2013 and from the subtidal site in April and June 2012. Relationships between reef structural parameters and functional parameters were complex and variable. As of July 2014, the intertidal reefs continue to serve as a platform for continued studies of the relationships between reef structural and functional characteristics

Evidence for Surface Water Ice in the Lunar Polar Regions Using Reflectance Measurements from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter and Temperature Measurements from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment

We find that the reflectance of the lunar surface within 5 deg of latitude of theSouth Pole increases rapidly with decreasing temperature, near approximately 110K, behavior consistent with the presence of surface water ice. The North polar region does not show this behavior, nor do South polar surfaces at latitudes more than 5 deg from the pole. This South pole reflectance anomaly persists when analysis is limited to surfaces with slopes less than 10 deg to eliminate false detection due to the brightening effect of mass wasting, and also when the very bright south polar crater Shackleton is excluded from the analysis. We also find that south polar regions of permanent shadow that have been reported to be generally brighter at 1064 nm do not show anomalous reflectance when their annual maximum surface temperatures are too high to preserve water ice. This distinction is not observed at the North Pole. The reflectance excursion on surfaces with maximum temperatures below 110K is superimposed on a general trend of increasing reflectance with decreasing maximum temperature that is present throughout the polar regions in the north and south; we attribute this trend to a temperature or illumination-dependent space weathering effect (e.g. Hemingway et al. 2015). We also find a sudden increase in reflectance with decreasing temperature superimposed on the general trend at 200K and possibly at 300K. This may indicate the presence of other volatiles such as sulfur or organics. We identified and mapped surfaces with reflectances so high as to be unlikely to be part of an ice-free population. In this south we find a similar distribution found by Hayne et al. 2015 based on UV properties. In the north a cluster of pixels near that pole may represent a limited frost exposure

Neutralino Dark Matter in Minimal Supergravity: Direct Detection vs. Collider Searches

We calculate expected event rates for direct detection of relic neutralinos as a function of parameter space of the minimal supergravity model. Numerical results are presented for the specific case of a $^{73}$Ge detector. We find significant detection rates ($R> 0.01$ events/kg/day) in regions of parameter space most favored by constraints from $B\to X_s\gamma$ and the cosmological relic density of neutralinos. The detection rates are especially large in regions of large $\tan\beta$, where many conventional signals for supersymmetry at collider experiments are difficult to detect. If the parameter $\tan\beta$ is large, then there is a significant probability that the first direct evidence for supersymmetry could come from direct detection experiments, rather than from collider searches for sparticles.Comment: 25 page REVTEX file including 9 PS figure

The Global Albedo of the Moon at 1064 nm from LOLA

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) measures the backscattered energy of the returning altimetric laser pulse at its wavelength of 1064 nm, and these data are used to map the reflectivity of the Moon at zero-phase angle with a photometrically uniform data set. Global maps have been produced at 4 pixels per degree (about 8 kilometers at the equator) and 2 kilometers resolution within 20 deg latitude of each pole. The zero-phase geometry is insensitive to lunar topography, so these data enable characterization of subtle variations in lunar albedo, even at high latitudes where such measurements are not possible with the Sun as the illumination source. The geometric albedo of the Moon at 1064 nm was estimated from these data with absolute calibration derived from the Kaguya Multiband Imager and extrapolated to visual wavelengths. The LOLA estimates are within 2 sigma of historical measurements of geometric albedo. No consistent latitude-dependent variations in reflectance are observed, suggesting that solar wind does not dominate space weathering processes that modify lunar reflectance. The average normal albedo of the Moon is found to be much higher than that of Mercury consistent with prior measurements, but the normal albedo of the lunar maria is similar to that of Mercury suggesting a similar abundance of space weathering products. Regions within permanent shadow in the polar regions are found to be more reflective than polar surfaces that are sometimes illuminated. Limiting analysis to data with slopes less than 10 deg eliminates variations in reflectance due to mass wasting and shows a similar increased reflectivity within permanent polar shadow. Steep slopes within permanent shadow are also more reflective than similar slopes that experience at least some illumination. Water frost and a reduction in effectiveness of space weathering are offered as possible explanations for the increased reflectivity of permanent shadow; porosity is largely ruled out as the sole explanation. The south polar crater Shackleton is found to be among the most reflective craters in its size range globally but is not the most reflective, so mass wasting cannot be ruled out as a cause for the crater's anomalous reflectance. Models of the abundance of ice needed to account for the reflectance anomaly range from 3 to 14% by weight or area depending on assumptions regarding the effects of porosity on reflectance and whether ice is present as patches or is well mixed in the regolith. If differences in nanophase iron abundances are responsible for the anomaly, the permanently shadowed regions have between 50 and 80% the abundance of nanophase iron in mature lunar soil