Home range ecology of Naso unicornis (Bluespine Unicornfish): Use of acoustic telemetry to define foraging interactions with an invasive alga, Gracilaria salicornia, in a marine reserve
| dc.contributor.author | Bierwagen, Stacy Lynn | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-02-24T02:40:45Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-02-24T02:40:45Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, 2014. | |
| dc.description.abstract | Blooms of non-indigenous marine macroalgae have been reported throughout the Hawaiian Islands over the past 30 years. Successful invaders have dominated regions on both the Eastern and Western shores of Oahu. In Kaneohe Bay, a particular species of rhodophyte, Gracilaria salicornia , has successfully monopolized macroalgal communites throughout the Southern portion and is currently distributed to the most Northern regions of the bay. In a healthy reef community, herbivorous grazers play a large role in maintaining coral dominance by containing overgrowth of indigenous algae by grazing. Because of this known association, other studies have suggested that marine protected areas may carry the capacity to suppress overgrowth of successful invaders via promoting increased biomass of herbivorous reef fish. The interactions of Naso unicornis , bluespine unicornfish, with G. salicornia have never been addressed in a field capacity. By determining whether these fish select for habitats covered with G. salicornia and actively graze on the invasive macroalgae, we can determine whether or not this species-specific interaction exists. Recent studies also suggest that herbivorous reef fish contribute to the dispersal of some macroalgal species via gut passage. We used a combination of active tracking with underwater visual census to determine habitat selectivity and residence of N. unicornis in a marine protected area in Kaneohe Bay. After confirming that N. unicornis selects for and grazes G. salicornia , we collected the fecal fragments to determine regenerative capacity once passed through the gut. Using a pulse amplitude modulation fluorometer along with observation, we were able to determine fluorescence at different stages of growth post-egestion. | |
| dc.format.extent | 71 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Home range ecology of Naso unicornis (Bluespine Unicornfish): Use of acoustic telemetry to define foraging interactions with an invasive alga, Gracilaria salicornia, in a marine reserve Bierwagen, Stacy Lynn. University of Hawai'i at Hilo, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2014 | |
| dc.identifier.isbn | 9781321473629 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10790/2644 | |
| dc.language.iso | en-US | |
| dc.publisher | Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, 2014. | |
| dc.subject | Conservation | |
| dc.subject | Biological sciences | |
| dc.subject | Acoustic telemetry | |
| dc.subject | Gracilaria salicornia | |
| dc.subject | Invasive algae | |
| dc.subject | Naso unicornis | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Naso unicornis | |
| dc.title | Home range ecology of Naso unicornis (Bluespine Unicornfish): Use of acoustic telemetry to define foraging interactions with an invasive alga, Gracilaria salicornia, in a marine reserve | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| dc.type.dcmi | Text | |
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