cucumbers, Holothuria arenicola, on seagrass beds of Abaco, Bahamas - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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cucumbers, Holothuria arenicola, on seagrass beds of Abaco, Bahamas - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Apr 12, 2023 173 likes •431 views

Effect of burrowing sea cucumbers, Holothuria arenicola, on seagrass beds of Abaco, Bahamas Liberty Boyd*, Elizabeth Stoner, Pamela Murata, Stephanie Archer, Katherine Comer Santos, Michael Hiethaus, and Elizabeth Whitman Green Sea Turtle,

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Effect of burrowing sea cucumbers, Holothuria arenicola, on seagrass beds

  • f Abaco, Bahamas

Liberty Boyd*, Elizabeth Stoner, Pamela Murata, Stephanie Archer, Katherine Comer Santos, Michael Hiethaus, and Elizabeth Whitman

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Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas

Gary Brennand, National Geographic

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Seagrass Diversity

Dominant seagrasses species in the Bahamas (Phillips et al., 1982)

  • 1. Thalassia testudinum – turtle grass
  • 2. Halodule wrightii – shoal grass
  • 3. Syringodium filiforme – manatee grass

1 2 3

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Holothuria arenicola Semper

Mosher, 1980

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Mosher, 1980

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How is H. arenicola effecting seagrass beds in Abaco, Bahamas?

What are the dynamics of H. arenicola mounds in seagrass beds? How does H. arenicola effect nutrient availability in the seagrass beds? Is sea turtle grazing influenced by the presence of H. arenicola mounds? What is the behavior of H. arenicola when exposed from their mounds?

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Study Site 1: Hills Creek Study Site 2: Snake Creek

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Methods- Observational Plots

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Study Site 1: Hills Creek

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Study Site 2: Snake Creek

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Methods- Seagrass Sampling

>1 meter

Seagrass Near and Far Fecal Pellets Sediment Near and Far

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Methods- Turtle Grazing Exclusion Deceives

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Methods- GoPro Video

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Results- Observational Plots

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Results- Observational Plots

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Results- Nutrient Analysis

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Results-Turtle grazing activity based on canopy height of T. testudinum

5 10 15 20 25 30 5 10 15 20

Blade Height (cm)

Canopy Height in Hills Creek

cage

  • pen

5 10 15 20 25 30 5 10 15 20 25 Blade Height (cm)

Canopy Height in Snake Creek

cage

  • pen

Site 1 Hills Creek: t=1.34; df=38, P= 0.19 Site 2 Snake Creek: t=0.65, df=42, P=0.52

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Results- GoPro Video

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Discussion

  • Burrowing sea cucumbers add little to no extra nutrients to
  • seagrass. This could be linked to the microbial community in their

guts.

  • The species has no significant impact on green sea turtle grazing

preferences.

  • H. arenicola mounds may be a competitor for space for seagrass

beds.

  • Visual observations in the field leads us to believe there is some

alternative relationship between seagrass and burrowing sea cucumbers.

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Discussion

David Kirkland/Design Pics/Corbis

In Andros, Bahamas, one Chinese company, SUNCO Wholesale Seafood Ltd., was granted access to harvest

  • ver 5,000 sea cucumbers daily.

(Bahamas B2B, 2010)

BIS photo/ Gladstone Thurston

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Future Studies

  • Test Dissolved Oxygen levels in the sediments to measure the

effects of bioturbation in seagrass beds

  • Acquire more data on H. arenicola mounds and seagrass beds in

Abaco

  • Extend the study to evaluate H. arenicola populations throughout

the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico

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Acknowledgements

Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College Foundation Florida Atlantic University Life Long Learning Society Florida Atlantic University Alumni Association Ryley Parent Laura Thornton Maximillian Theo

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