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Fish assemblages and habitat use across a shoreface sand ridge in southern New Jersey
Descriptive
TitleInfo
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Title
Fish assemblages and habitat use across a shoreface sand ridge in southern New Jersey
Name
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Vasslides
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James
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James Vasslides
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author
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Kenneth
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Advisory Committee
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Kenneth W Able
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chair
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(type = family)
Grassle
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Judith
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Advisory Committee
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Judith Grassle
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internal member
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(type = family)
Taghon
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Gary
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Advisory Committee
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Gary Taghon
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internal member
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(type = family)
Grothues
NamePart
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Thomas
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
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Thomas Grothues
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outside member
Name
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Rutgers University
Role
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degree grantor
Name
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NamePart
Graduate School - New Brunswick
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school
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Text
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theses
OriginInfo
DateCreated
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2007
DateOther
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(type = degree)
2007
Language
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(authority = ISO 639-3:2007);
(type = text)
English
PhysicalDescription
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electronic
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application/pdf
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text/xml
Extent
xiv, 92 pages
Abstract
(type = abstract)
Shoreface sand ridges are prominent components of the inner-continental shelf landscape which may serve as sources for sand material for ongoing beach replenishment projects. In order to determine if these ridges provide unique habitats for fish on the inner continental shelf an analysis of two historic trawl surveys on Beach Haven Ridge (1991-1995 beam trawl and 1997-2006 otter trawl) and a 2006 otter trawl survey from two other sand ridges in the immediate vicinity was conducted to determine if species abundance, richness, and assemblages differed on and away from the ridges. The abundance and food habits of three dominant sciaenid species from Beach Haven Ridge were also examined to ascertain if feeding was influenced by habitat.
Overall species abundance and richness displayed a bimodal distribution across the inlet to offshore transects, with the highest values on either side of the ridges regardless of gear type. Canonical Correspondence Analysis identified three species assemblages; inshore ([less than] 5 meters depth), near-ridge, and offshore ([greater than] 14 meters depth), with variation in the species composition between gear types. The beam trawl assemblages differed primarily in the presence or absence of species while the otter trawl assemblages were differentiated based on the relative abundance of shared species. Environmental factors that corresponded with the assemblage changes included depth, temperature, distance from the top of the ridge, and habitat complexity.
The abundance of the three sciaenid species investigated was highest in the habitats in the immediate vicinity of the sand ridge, with all three species absent from samples from the top of the ridge. The mean relative stomach fullness of each species was similar in each habitat, but the diets of all three species varied among the habitats.
In summary, this study documented higher fish abundances associated with sand ridges (but not on top of the ridge) and the presence of a distinct species assemblage when compared to the surrounding inner continental shelf. Furthermore, sand ridges appear to provide enhanced foraging opportunities for a variety of feeding modes. As such, sand ridges may be an important aspect of the inner continental shelf landscape and deserve special management considerations.
Overall species abundance and richness displayed a bimodal distribution across the inlet to offshore transects, with the highest values on either side of the ridges regardless of gear type. Canonical Correspondence Analysis identified three species assemblages; inshore ([less than] 5 meters depth), near-ridge, and offshore ([greater than] 14 meters depth), with variation in the species composition between gear types. The beam trawl assemblages differed primarily in the presence or absence of species while the otter trawl assemblages were differentiated based on the relative abundance of shared species. Environmental factors that corresponded with the assemblage changes included depth, temperature, distance from the top of the ridge, and habitat complexity.
The abundance of the three sciaenid species investigated was highest in the habitats in the immediate vicinity of the sand ridge, with all three species absent from samples from the top of the ridge. The mean relative stomach fullness of each species was similar in each habitat, but the diets of all three species varied among the habitats.
In summary, this study documented higher fish abundances associated with sand ridges (but not on top of the ridge) and the presence of a distinct species assemblage when compared to the surrounding inner continental shelf. Furthermore, sand ridges appear to provide enhanced foraging opportunities for a variety of feeding modes. As such, sand ridges may be an important aspect of the inner continental shelf landscape and deserve special management considerations.
Note
(type = degree)
M.S.
Note
(type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-92).
Subject
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Topic
Ecology and Evolution
Subject
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Fishes--Habitat
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TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
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rucore19991600001
Identifier
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http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.2/rucore10001600001.ETD.16787
Identifier
ETD_250
Identifier
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doi:10.7282/T36M376W
Location
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(displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
NjNbRU
Subject
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Geographic
New Jersey
Genre
(authority = ExL-Esploro)
ETD graduate
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Rights
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The author owns the copyright to this work.
Copyright
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Copyright protected
Availability
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Open
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Name
James Vasslides
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Copyright holder
Affiliation
Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
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Non-exclusive ETD license
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Author Agreement License
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I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
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