Date of Award

12-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Program

Biological Sciences

Department

Biological Sciences

Major Professor

Traci Erin Cox

Second Advisor

Nicola Anthony

Abstract

Epibionts on seagrass leaves contribute substantially to productivity and trophic interactions in seagrass ecosystems. Differences in epibiont assemblages and factors that contribute to epibiont diversity have been little studied on the seagrass Halodule wrightii in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM). We used a metabarcoding approach to describe epibiont assemblages on H. wrightii leaves in four bays across the nGoM and to test whether epibiont assemblages differed spatially at local levels (within bays) or regional levels (from west to east). Furthermore, we tested if epibiont diversity was related to environmental conditions and/or seagrass productivity. Epibiont assemblages differed significantly between bays and between sites within bays. The diversity of non-diatom algal and animal epibionts was positively correlated with salinity and seagrass production. Our results show that each seagrass bed supported a relatively distinct assemblage of epibionts, which appear to be structured by both regional and local conditions.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

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