Date of Award
Summer 8-2018
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Biological Sciences
Department
Biological Sciences
Major Professor
DeVries, Philip J.
Second Advisor
Soniat, Thomas M.
Third Advisor
Penz, Carla M.
Abstract
Salinity (S) and temperature (T) control every facet of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) life cycle, principally reproduction, development, growth, and mortality. Previous studies conducted in in the Breton Sound (BR) and Barataria (BA) estuaries have reported differences in growth and mortality rates between the basins. In the present study, environmental conditions were synchronized to compare growth and mortality rates between basins at similar combinations of T and S. Results indicate that when T and S are the same (synchronized), seasonal oyster growth and mortality rates differ between BR and BA. Seasonal analyses revealed that as salinities increased in both estuaries, growth rates generally increased, while mortality rates generally decreased. These findings suggest that basin-wide adaptations to local environmental conditions may exist.
Recommended Citation
Sehlinger, Troy, "Analysis of temperature and salinity effects on growth and mortality of oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in Louisiana" (2018). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2515.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2515
Included in
Biodiversity Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Population Biology Commons, Sustainability Commons, Water Resource Management Commons
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.