E-scape: Consumer-specific landscapes of energetic resources derived from stable isotope analysis and remote sensing.

Energetic resources and habitat distribution are inherently linked. Energetic resource availability is a major driver of the distribution of consumers, but estimating how much specific habitats contribute to the energetic resource needs of a consumer can be problematic. We present a new approach that combines remote sensing information and stable isotope ecology to produce maps of energetic resources (E-scapes). E-scapes project species-specific resource use information onto the landscape to classify areas based on energetic importance. Using our E-scapes, we investigated the relationship between energetic resource distribution and white shrimp distribution and how the scale used to generate the E-scape mediated this relationship. E-scapes successfully predicted the size, abundance, biomass, and total energy of a consumer in salt marsh habitats in coastal Louisiana, USA at scales relevant to the movement of the consumer. Our E-scape maps can be used alone or in combination with existing models to improve habitat management and restoration practices and have potential to be used to test fundamental movement theory.

A Salinity-Temperature Sensor Based on Microwave Resonance Reflection.

We developed and tested a microwave in situ salinity sensor (MiSSo) to simultaneously measure salinity and temperature within the same water sample over broad ranges of salinity (S) (3−50 psu) and temperature (T) (3−30 °C). Modern aquatic S sensors rely on measurements of conductivity (C) between a set of electrodes contained within a small volume of water. To determine water salt content or S, conductivity, or C, measurements must be augmented with concurrent T measurements from the same water volume. In practice, modern S sensors do not sample C and T within the same volume, resulting in the S determination characterized by measurement artifacts. These artifacts render processing vast amounts of available C and T data to derive S time-consuming and generally preclude automated processing. Our MiSSo approach eliminates the need for an additional T sensor, as it permits us to concurrently determine the sample S and T within the same water volume. Laboratory trials demonstrated the MiSSo accuracy of S and T measurements to be <0.1 psu and <0.1 °C, respectively, when using microwave reflections at 11 distinct frequencies. Each measurement took 0.1 µs. Our results demonstrate a new physical method that permits the accurate S and T determination within the same water volume.

Limiting factors for queen conch (Lobatus gigas) reproduction: A simulation-based evaluation.

Queen conch are among the most economically, socially, and culturally important fishery resources in the Caribbean. Despite a multitude of fisheries management measures enacted across the region, populations are depleted and failing to recover. It is believed that queen conch are highly susceptible to depensatory processes, impacting reproductive success and contributing to the lack of recovery. We developed a model of reproductive dynamics to evaluate how variations in biological factors such as population density, movement speeds, rest periods between mating events, scent tracking, visual perception of conspecifics, sexual facilitation, and barriers to movement affect reproductive success and overall reproductive output. We compared simulation results to empirical observations of mating and spawning frequencies from conch populations in the central Bahamas and Florida Keys. Our results confirm that low probability of mate finding associated with decreased population density is the primary driver behind observed breeding behavior in the field, but is insufficient to explain observed trends. Specifically, sexual facilitation coupled with differences in movement speeds and ability to perceive conspecifics may explain the observed lack of mating at low densities and differences between mating frequencies in the central Bahamas and Florida Keys, respectively. Our simulations suggest that effective management strategies for queen conch should aim to protect high-density reproductive aggregations and critical breeding habitats.