Cat Island Research Articles

Diet shift and site-fidelity of oceanic whitetip sharks Carcharhinus longimanus along the Great Bahama Bank

Identifying the driving forces behind oceanic pelagic shark movements is key to a bet- ter understanding of their life history. Some oceanic pelagic shark species have been shown to ag- gregate in specific regions to mate and/or exploit abundant food resources. The oceanic whitetip shark Carcharhinus longimanus, a subtropical, ectothermic, oceanic pelagic shark that has experi- enced severe population declines, aggregates seasonally around Cat Island (CI) in The Bahamas. Large pelagic teleosts (e.g. billfish, tunas, and dolphinfish) are abundant in this region and oceanic whitetips are anecdotally reported to feed heavily on recreationally caught teleosts. However, it was unknown whether feeding habits at CI substantially differ from longer-term feeding habits. We used tag-recapture to assess site-fidelity of adult oceanic whitetips to CI and stable isotope analysis (SIA) of 2 different tissues (blood plasma and white muscle) to compare short- and long-term feeding patterns. The relatively high recapture rate (20.3%) confirmed that individual whitetips ex- hibit site-fidelity to CI. The aggregation consisted of adult individuals; females were more common, more than half were gravid, and no physical or behavioral evidence of mating or parturition was ob- served at CI. SIA-based Bayesian mixing model estimates of short-term (near CI) diets showed more large pelagic teleosts (72%) than in long-term diets (47%), showing a spatiotemporal differ- ence in oceanic whitetip feeding habits. This suggests that availability of large teleost prey is a possible mechanism underpinning site-fidelity and aggregation of whitetips at CI. These results provide insight into the function of one of the last known aggregations of this once-abundant top predator.

Sediment capture in flood plains of the Mississippi River: A case study in Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

Abstract. To plan restoration of the Mississippi River Delta, it is imperative to know how much sediment the Mississippi River currently provides. Recent research has demonstrated that between Tarbert Landing and St Francisville on the Mississippi, as much as 67 million metric tons (Mt) per year is lost from river transport, of which ~16 Mt is muddy suspended sediment. So where does this sediment go? Two pathways for loss have been proposed: riverbed storage, and overbank deposition in regions that lack manmade levées. Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge, on the unleveed Mississippi River east bank near St Francisville, Louisiana, consists of undisturbed bottomland forest that is inundated most years by river flooding. To determine fluvial sediment accumulation rates (SAR) from flooding, pushcores 40–50 cm long were collected then dated by Pb-210 and Cs-137 geochronology. Preliminary data suggests that muddy sediment accumulation is 10–13% of muddy suspended sediment lost from river transport along this river reach.

Salt Marsh Sediment Biogeochemical Response to the BP Blowout.

The impact of the blowout on salt marshes was investigated by observing the biogeochemistry in salt marsh sediments along the Gulf Coast. High sulfide levels due to hydrocarbon loading, increased microbial activity, and microbial community shifts can lead to plant browning and mortality. Sediment biogeochemical processes that degrade enriched carbon pools through sulfate reduction are primarily responsible for the biodegradation of spilled hydrocarbons. An assessment of the impact of contamination on salt marshes at Skiff Island, LA, and Cat Island, Marsh Point, and Saltpan Island, MS, was achieved through sediment electrode profiling, microbial community profiling, and quantification of hydrocarbon contamination, which captured the spatial sedimentary biogeochemical response that affects salt marsh productivity. At western locations (Skiff and Cat Islands), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) ranged from 2183 to 2996 mg kg, which was more than double the TPH concentration observed at eastern locales. At eastern study locations (e.g., Marsh Point), sedimentary pore-water HS concentrations were higher (maximum value = 231 mg L) and detected further up in the sediment column than at western locales (e.g., Skiff Island). Similarly, anaerobic and aerobic microbial activity, as measured by C substrate utilization profiles and well-color development, was as high or higher at eastern locations as compared with western locations. These results indicate that other factors besides location or degree of contamination, perhaps sedimentary dynamics and physical processes specific to each marsh, should be considered when determining salt marsh response to hydrocarbon contamination.

Refining the link between the Holocene development of the Mississippi River Delta and the geologic evolution of Cat Island, MS: implications for delta-associated barrier islands

Abstract The geologic evolution of barrier islands is profoundly influenced by the nature of the deposits underlying them. Many researchers have speculated on the origin and evolution of Cat Island in Mississippi, but uncertainty remains about whether or not the island is underlain completely or in part by deposits associated with the past growth of the Mississippi River delta. In part, this is due to a lack of comprehensive geological information offshore of the island that could augment previous stratigraphic interpretations based on terrestrial borings. An extensive survey of Cat Island and its surrounding waters was conducted, including shallow-water geophysics (e.g., high-resolution chirp seismic, side-scan sonar, and swath and single-beam bathymetry) and both terrestrial and marine vibracoring. High-resolution seismic data and vibracores from south and east of the island show two horizontally laminated silt units; marine radiocarbon dates indicate that they are St. Bernard delta complex (SBDC) deposits. Furthermore, seismic data reveal that the SBDC deposits taper off toward the southern shoreline of Cat Island and to the west, morphology consistent with the distal edge of a delta complex. The sedimentology and extent of each unit suggest that the lower unit may have been deposited during an earlier period of continuous river flow while the upper unit may represent reduced or sporadic river flow. OSL dates from the island platform (beneath beach ridge complexes) indicate three stages of terrestrial evolution: island emergence resulting from relative sea-level rise (~ 5400 ybp) island aggradation via littoral transport (~ 2500–4000 ybp) and island degradation due to delta-mediated changes in wave direction (present– ~ 3600 ybp). Finally, the combination of terrestrial and marine data shows that portions of Cat Island that are lower in elevation than the central part of the island are younger and are likely underlain by a thin layer of deltaic sediments. This underscores the potential for increased future vulnerability of barrier islands that develop adjacent to major river delta complexes.

Large-scale carbonate platform development of Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas, and implications for associated reef geomorphology

The Bahama Archipelago consists of an arcuate chain of carbonate platforms. Average water depths on the platform-tops, such as the Great Bahama Bank (GBB), are typically 10m or less, with coral reef-rimmed margins, thick sediment accumulations, and the frequent occurrence of islands. There are, however, exceptions. For example, Cay Sal Bank (CSB), a little studied detached Bahamian carbonate platform with depths ranging from 30 to 7m, is only slightly deeper than the GBB, but devoid of islands, lacks platform-margin coral reefs and holds little sediment on the platform-top; the platform is incipiently drowned. CSB is interesting as it is conspicuously larger (6000sq.km) than other incipiently drowned platforms in the region, such as Serranilla Bank (1100sq.km) and the Cat Island platform (1500sq.km). Field and remote sensing data are assembled to provide insight into the sedimentology and geomorphology of the CSB. The influence of ocean climate, regional hydrodynamics, and Holocene flooding history are investigated to understand why platform-margin coral reef growth on CSB has been unable to keep pace with Holocene sea-level rise. A decade of regional sea-surface temperature data for the Bahamas report CSB to be situated in the same ocean climate regime as GBB. Temperature cannot explain the platform's different morphologies. The Florida Current has been evoked as a possible reason for the immature development of platform-top processes on the CSB, but numeric modeling suggests its influence to be restricted to the deep flanks of the bank. Further, sediment distribution on CSB, including infill patterns of karst depressions, suggest trade winds (easterlies) to drive platform-top hydrodynamics. By assembling a satellite-derived bathymetry map, it can be shown that CSB flooded earlier and at relatively higher rates of Holocene sea-level rise than its neighboring platforms. Flooding history is identified as the most feasible explanation for the atypical morphology of the CSB. By contrasting the present-day morphology of the CSB and the GBB, the work emphasizes how subtle differences in relative sea-level history can influence the growth of platform-margin coral reefs, features that in turn can conspire to set even closely neighboring carbonate platforms on divergent paths with regard to the development of marine landforms. This insight is relevant to interpreting the morphological diversity of carbonate platforms in the modern ocean and in the rock record.

Lipid biomarkers in ooids from different locations and ages: evidence for a common bacterial flora

Ooids are one of the common constituents of ancient carbonate rocks, yet the role that microbial communities may or may not play in their formation remains unresolved. To search for evidence of microbial activity in modern and Holocene ooids, samples collected from intertidal waters, beaches and outcrops in the Bahamas and in Shark Bay in Western Australia were examined for their contents of lipid biomarkers. Modern samples from Cat and Andros islands in the Bahamas and from Carbla Beach in Hamelin Pool, Western Australia, showed abundant and notably similar distributions of hydrocarbons, fatty acids (FAs) and alcohols. A large fraction of these lipids were bound into the carbonate matrix and only released on acid dissolution, which suggests that these lipids were being incorporated continuously during ooid growth. The distributions of hydrocarbons, and their disparate carbon isotopic signatures, were consistent with mixed input from cyanobacteria together with small and variable amounts of vascular plant leaf wax [C27 -C35 ; δ(13) C -25 to -32‰Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (VPDB)]. The FAs comprised a complex mixture of C12 -C18 normal and branched short-chain compounds with the predominant straight-chain components attributable to bacteria and/or cyanobacteria. Branched FA, especially 10-MeC16 and 10-MeC17 , together with the prevalence of elemental sulfur in the extracts, indicate an origin from sulfate-reducing bacteria. The iso- and anteiso-FA were quite variable in their (13) C contents suggesting that they come from organisms with diverse physiologies. Hydrogen isotopic compositions provide further insight into this issue. FAs in each sample show disparate δD values consistent with inputs from autotrophs and heterotrophs. The most enigmatic lipid assemblage is an homologous series of long-chain (C24 -C32 ) FA with pronounced even carbon number preference. Typically, such long-chain FA are thought to come from land plant leaf wax, but in this case, their (13) C-enriched isotopic signatures compared to co-occurring n-alkanes (e.g., Hamelin Pool TLE FA C24 -C32 ; δ(13) C -20 to -24.2‰ VPDB; TLE n-alkanes δ(13) C -24.1 to -26.2 -‰VPDB) indicate a microbial origin, possibly sulfate-reducing bacteria. Lastly, we identified homohopanoic acid and bishomohopanol as the primary degradation products of bacterial hopanoids. The distributions of lipids isolated from Holocene oolites from the Rice Bay Formation of Cat Island, Bahamas were very similar to the beach ooids described above and, in total, these modern and fossil biomarker data lead us to hypothesize that ooids are colonized by a defined microbial community and that these microbes possibly mediate calcification.

Complex Movements, Philopatry and Expanded Depth Range of a Severely Threatened Pelagic Shark, the Oceanic Whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) in the Western North Atlantic

Oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) have recently been targeted for conservation in the western North Atlantic following severe declines in abundance. Pop-up satellite archival tags were applied to 11 mature oceanic whitetips (10 females, 1 male) near Cat Island in the central Bahamas 1–8 May 2011 to provide information about the horizontal and vertical movements of this species. Another large female was opportunistically tagged in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Data from 1,563 total tracking days and 1,142,598 combined depth and temperature readings were obtained. Sharks tagged at Cat Island stayed within 500 km of the tagging site for ∼30 days before dispersing across 16,422 km2 of the western North Atlantic. Maximum individual displacement from the tagging site ranged from 290–1940 km after times at liberty from 30–245 days, with individuals moving to several different destinations (the northern Lesser Antilles, the northern Bahamas, and north of the Windward Passage). Many sharks returned to The Bahamas after ∼150 days. Estimated residency times within The Bahamas EEZ, where longlining and commercial trade of sharks is illegal, were generally high (mean = 68.2% of time). Sharks spent 99.7% of their time shallower than 200 m and did not exhibit differences in day and night mean depths. There was a positive correlation between daily sea surface temperature and mean depth occupied, suggesting possible behavioral thermoregulation. All individuals made short duration (mean = 13.06 minutes) dives into the mesopelagic zone (down to 1082 m and 7.75°C), which occurred significantly more often at night. Ascent rates during these dives were significantly slower than descent rates, suggesting that these dives are for foraging. The sharks tracked appear to be most vulnerable to pelagic fishing gear deployed from 0–125 m depths, which they may encounter from June to October after leaving the protected waters of The Bahamas EEZ.

Historical changes in seagrass coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands, northern Gulf of Mexico, determined from vertical aerial imagery (1940–2007)

Vertical aerial image data were used with an edge-detection procedure and visual image interpretation to determine yearly to decadal changes in seagrass (predominantly Halodule wrightii Ascherson) coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands. On Horn Island, seagrass coverage declined from 77 ha in 1940 to 19 ha in 1971, but returned to its 1940 value by 2006. Coverage on Petit Bois declined from 54 ha in 1940 to 8–19 ha from 1952 through 2007. On East Ship, seagrass coverage varied at 2–19 ha from 1963 to 2007. On West Ship, coverage dropped to zero in 2003, but by 2007 it had increased to approximate its 1975 value of 1.8 ha. On Cat Island, coverage increased from 22 ha in 2003 to 71 ha in 2007. There was no apparent negative impact of Hurricane Camille or Hurricane Katrina on seagrass coverage, which could vary annually by a factor of two or more.

Polygonal sandcracks: Unique sedimentary desiccation structures in Bahamian ooid grainstone

Abstract Sandcracks, which are ubiquitous in Holocene eolian and beach backshore carbonate grainstone on Alligator Point, Cat Island, Bahamas, resemble polygonal mudcracks, but formed in ooid sand without muddy matrix. In experiments on Cat Island beach sand, sediment surfaces cracked polygonally in the absence of mud or biofilms while drying at room temperature due to contraction generated by capillary effects related to surface tension attraction of interstitial water. Gravitational collapse of irregular open pores and repacking of sand grains due to loss of cohesion between particles caused by evaporation of water enhance the cracking process and appearance of polygons by providing space for cracks to expand. The polygons are held together by any remaining capillary moisture and associated meniscus cement, which precipitates as the sand dries. Polygonal sandcracks can be preserved by rapid lithification of carbonate sand, but have been documented only rarely from other localities because their formation requires well-sorted, well-rounded spherical grains rather than those making up the more common, heterogeneous skeletal and peloidal sediment in carbonate settings. Interpretation of this primary sedimentary desiccation structure provides new insights into sedimentation and diagenesis of ooid-rich deposits and can aid in recognizing ancient subaerial exposure horizons.

Channel Shoaling with Deepening of Houma Navigation Channel at Cat Island Pass, Louisiana

ROSATI, J.D. and LAWTON, C., 2011. Channel Shoaling with Deepening of Houma Navigation Channel at Cat Island Pass, Louisiana. In: Roberts, T.M., Rosati, J.D., and Wang, P. (eds.), Proceedings, Symposium to Honor Dr. Nicholas C. Kraus, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 59, pp. 256-265. West Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This study evaluated the potential increase in shoaling and associated sources of sediment as a result of proposed channel improvements for the Houma Navigation Channel in the vicinity of Cat Island Pass, Louisiana. Using morphologic change data and historical maintenance dredging rates, historical and forecasted with-deepening sediment budgets were developed. Conclusions from this study were that deepening the channel from 5.5 m to 6.1 m relative to Mean Low Gulf, a local low water datum, would increase the shoaling rate from the present 191,000 m 3 /year to 220,000 m 3 /year, and the likely source of shoaling would be sediment that is presently bypassed naturally. It was recommended that all environmentally-acceptable sediment dredged from Cat Island Pass be placed on the downdrift barrier island, East Island, part of the Isle Dernieres barrier island system. Clays and silts should be placed on the bayside of the island and sand similar to or coarser than the existing beach sand should be placed downdrift of the nodal zone on the Gulf side of East Island. Historically, sediment dredged from Cat Island Pass has been placed in designated dredged material disposal sites located 760 m west of the channel. Based on morphologic change in the region from 1980 to 2006, it appears that sediment may be transported from this placement site to deposit back into the channel. It is recommended that, if sediment cannot be placed on either East Island or Timbalier Island, that the dredged material disposal site be moved further to the west, away from the channel. Finally, based on movement of Timbalier Island and Cat Island Pass over the past 100 years, it is recommended that the channel be moved further to the west to avoid future impingement by Timbalier Island. Based on the results of this and other studies of the Houma Navigation Channel, channel realignment was approved in 2009, and authorization of the deepened channel is being requested during 2010.

Speleonectes kakuki, a new species of Remipedia (Crustacea) from anchialine and sub-seafloor caves on Andros and Cat Island, Bahamas

Speleonectes kakuki, a new species of Remipedia (Crustacea) from anchialine and sub-seafloor caves on Andros and Cat Island, Bahamas

Decadal-scale changes in seagrass coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands, northern Gulf of Mexico

Seagrasses provide habitat for a wide variety of aquatic species, and reduce coastal erosion via sediment stabilization. The areal coverage of seagrass beds on the Mississippi barrier islands appears to have declined substantially since the 1960s. However, difficulties in sampling benthic vegetation, differences among previous studies in survey methods, and a lack of data on year-to-year variation in coverage have impeded quantitative study of this decline. Thus, the goal of the present study was to utilize historical remote sensing data to quantitatively determine changes in seagrass (predominantly Halodule wrightii Ascherson) coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands. Analyses were limited to imagery acquired during late summer through autumn, when seagrass canopies remained fully developed and water turbidity was low. Given these conditions, seagrass beds were readily identifiable in older black-and-white to color aerial photographs as well as in more recent multi-spectral imagery.On Horn, the largest Mississippi island, seagrass coverage declined from 77 ha in 1940 to 19 ha in 1971. Coverage had returned to its 1940 value by 2006, but declined again in 2007. Seagrass coverage on Petit Bois, the most rapidly-migrating island, declined from 54 ha in 1940 to an approximately stable 8-19 ha from 1952 through 2007. Petit Bois was the only island for which decline in seagrass coverage corresponded with decline in island land area. On the smallest island, East Ship, seagrass coverage remained nearly constant at 16-19 ha from 1963-2007 despite dramatic reductions in land area during Hurricanes Camille (1969) and Katrina (2005). On West Ship, coverage dropped to zero in 2003 but increased by 2007 to slightly exceed its 1975 value of 18 ha. Data for Cat Island extended only from 2003-2007. Seagrass coverage more than tripled during this period, from 22 ha in 2003 to 71 ha in 2007. Protection from trawling may have been a significant factor in the post-1995 recovery of seagrass on Horn Island. The absence of a similar recovery on Petit Bois may be linked with its rapid westward migration in combination with a nearly 40% reduction in land area from 1940-2007. There was no discernable negative impact of Hurricane Camille or Hurricane Katrina on seagrass coverage. Methodological differences (e.g., mapping potential seagrass habitat rather than existing seagrass beds) are important in explaining the dramatic decline in seagrass coverage that is apparent when recent data are compared with results of earlier surveys.

Decadal-scale changes in seagrass coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands, northern Gulf of Mexico

AbstractSeagrasses provide habitat for a wide variety of aquatic species, and reduce coastal erosion via sediment stabilization. The areal coverage of seagrass beds on the Mississippi barrier islands appears to have declined substantially since the 1960s. However, difficulties in sampling benthic vegetation, differences among previous studies in survey methods, and a lack of data on year-to-year variation in coverage have impeded quantitative study of this decline. Thus, the goal of the present study was to utilize historical remote sensing data to quantitatively determine changes in seagrass (predominantly Halodule wrightii Ascherson) coverage on the Mississippi barrier islands. Analyses were limited to imagery acquired during late summer through autumn, when seagrass canopies remained fully developed and water turbidity was low. Given these conditions, seagrass beds were readily identifiable in older black-and-white to color aerial photographs as well as in more recent multi-spectral imagery.On Horn, the largest Mississippi island, seagrass coverage declined from 77 ha in 1940 to 19 ha in 1971. Coverage had returned to its 1940 value by 2006, but declined again in 2007. Seagrass coverage on Petit Bois, the most rapidly-migrating island, declined from 54 ha in 1940 to an approximately stable 8-19 ha from 1952 through 2007. Petit Bois was the only island for which decline in seagrass coverage corresponded with decline in island land area. On the smallest island, East Ship, seagrass coverage remained nearly constant at 16-19 ha from 1963-2007 despite dramatic reductions in land area during Hurricanes Camille (1969) and Katrina (2005). On West Ship, coverage dropped to zero in 2003 but increased by 2007 to slightly exceed its 1975 value of 18 ha. Data for Cat Island extended only from 2003-2007. Seagrass coverage more than tripled during this period, from 22 ha in 2003 to 71 ha in 2007. Protection from trawling may have been a significant factor in the post-1995 recovery of seagrass on Horn Island. The absence of a similar recovery on Petit Bois may be linked with its rapid westward migration in combination with a nearly 40% reduction in land area from 1940-2007. There was no discernable negative impact of Hurricane Camille or Hurricane Katrina on seagrass coverage. Methodological differences (e.g., mapping potential seagrass habitat rather than existing seagrass beds) are important in explaining the dramatic decline in seagrass coverage that is apparent when recent data are compared with results of earlier surveys.

Effects of Hurricane Katrina on tree regeneration in Taxodium distichum swamps of the Gulf Coast

Regeneration by seedling recruitment may be important in the long-term patterns of species composition in Taxodium forests, and most studies suggest that seedling recruitment may increase episodically following hurricanes. This study investigates the nature of regeneration in Taxodium swamps with various levels of damage by wind following Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in August 2005 in Louisiana and Mississippi. All sites had a fairly similar range of percent canopy cover following the storms (78.9 to 92.1% canopy cover). At Cat Island, the timing of the hurricane may have contributed to low recruitment of Taxodium distichum seedlings in the growing season following the hurricanes, as based on long-term presence data from 2003 to 2007. Sites at Pearl River had the highest total tree seedling density of the three locations. Jean Lafitte had the lowest level of tree seedling and sapling density and species richness, and may have been flooded more than the other sites. The invasive species, Triadica sebifera was recruited from the seedling into the sapling class at Jean Lafitte and Pearl River during the study. Overall, the patterns of tree recruitment following the hurricane were variable and depended on location, canopy cover, and flooding.

Speleonectes kakuki, a new species of Remipedia (Crustacea) from anchialine and sub-seafloor caves on Andros and Cat Island, Bahamas

A new species of the crustacean class Remipedia is described, illustrated and compared to closely related taxa. Speleonectes kakuki n. sp. inhabits at least four widely separated anchialine cave systems on the Great Bahama Bank. A total of ten specimens were collected from caves on Andros and Cat Island. Speleonectes kakuki can be distinguished from other species of remipedes by the presence of heteromorphic sternal bars and comparatively robust and pilose prehensile cephalic limbs. It is the first remipede to be collected from an offshore cave, whereas as all previously known remipede habitats are inland sites. The presence of remipedes in sub-seafloor caves is highly significant in that it suggests the anchialine habitat is much more extensive than previously thought and may extend for hundreds of kilometers beneath the shallow waters of limestone banks to link widely separated inland caves.

Effects of Hurricane Katrina on the forest structure of Taxodium distichum swamps of the Gulf Coast, USA

Abstract Hurricane Katrina pushed mixed Taxodium distichum forests toward a dominance of Taxodium distichum (baldcypress) and Nyssa aquatica (water tupelo) because these species had lower levels of susceptibility to wind damage than other woody species. This study documents the volume of dead versus live material of woody trees and shrubs of T. distichum swamps following Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Louisiana. Pearl River Wildlife Management Area near Canton, Mississippi had the highest winds of the study areas, and these forests were located in the northeast quadrant of Hurricane Katrina (sustained wind = 151 kph (94 mph)). Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve south of New Orleans had medium to high winds (sustained winds = 111 kph (69 mph) at the New Orleans lakefront). Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge had a lower level of winds and was positioned on the western edge of the storm. The forests at Pearl River and to a lesser extent at Jean Lafitte had the ...

Cover Photograph: Cat Island, Mississippi

Cover Photograph: Cat Island, Mississippi

Bahamian English or Bahamian Creole? A Socio-Historical Investigation

In this paper I propose to examine particular socio-historical conditions prevailing in the formative years of the Afro-Bahamian contact situation that contributed to the evolution of the Afro-Bahamian speech variety. Through such an investigation I attempt to shed some light on the question posed in the title, which seeks to identify the genesis of Afro-Bahamian, more specifically, the question of whether the linguistic system of the Bahamian slave society in the eighteenth century was genetically and topologically related to an English grammar or to an African grammar. A number of socio-historical factors were linguistically significant during the early years of colonization of the Bahama Islands which created a contact situation far removed from that of plantation colonialism in the Caribbean Islands. To this end I consider early settlement of the islands, the economic and social organization, the relative distribution of the African and English populations, codes of social interaction and settlement patterns. These factors, in varying degrees, contributed to the distinct acculturative processes resulting in a unique Afro-Bahamian speech variety, locally referred to as Bahamian dialect. Given the archipelagic nature of the Bahama Islands, and the relative isolation of one from the other during the eighteenth century, I further consider differences in socio-historical circumstances among the islands that contributed to differences in emerging linguistic system of the slave society. This investigation is confined to three areas: the northeast islands (Harbour Island and Eleuthera), New Providence and the southeast islands (Cat Island, Exuma, San Salvador, Long Island, Crooked Island and Caicos).

Habitat Condition and Associated Macrofauna Reflect Differences Between Protected and Exposed Seagrass Landscapes

Seagrass landscape configurations associated with different physical settings can affect habitat-structure and plant-animal relationships. We compared shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) habitat and macrofaunal variables between two fragmented seagrass landscapes at barrier-island locations subject to different disturbance regimes. Five seagrass habitat variables including above ground biomass (AGB), shoot number, per shoot biomass, epiphyte biomass and below ground biomass (BGB), differed significantly between the island landscapes. Per shoot biomass and epiphyte biomass also varied significantly over the seagrass growing season; and epiphyte biomass showed a strong landscape-time interaction. Abundances of microgastropods normalized to AGB differed significantly between landscapes. An inverse relationship between the abundance of microgastropods and epiphyte loading suggests a possible functional link. However, additional temporal mismatch between epiphyte loading and microgastropod abun- dance indicates that controls on epiphyte loading were complex. Seagrass habitat was more fragmented within the Cat Island (CI) landscape. Wind direction and strength imply that the CI landscape experienced more physical distur- bance than the Horn Island (HI) landscape. This study highlights some potential links involving landscape configura - tion, habitat structure, and macrofaunal associations which can be further addressed using hypothesis-driven research.

New species of epacteriscids (Copepoda, Calanoida) from anchialine caves in the Caicos Islands and the Bahamas

One new monotypic genus, Caiconectes, and one new species in each of the genera Azygonectes and Bofuriella are described from the Caicos Islands. In the Bahamas, a third new species of Bofuriella is described from Cat Island and the hitherto unknown female of Minnonectes melodactylus Fosshagen & Iliffe is recorded from Great Exuma Island. Caiconectes shows many plesiomorphic features, with some slight reductions in mouthparts, probably related to raptorial feeding. Swimming legs show maximum segmentation and setation; leg 1 has long and thin outer setae on the exopod, and the third segment of the endopod bears seven setae. The species is considered pelagic. The first male specimen of Azygonectes is described from A. plumosus sp. nov.; in both sexes, caudal seta V on the left side is approximately 2.5 times body length. The single female specimen of Bofuriella spinosa sp. nov. from Cat Island differs from other congeners in having a lateral genital aperture on the left side, and more setae on the mandibular endopod and on the coxal and basal endites of the maxillule. All cave calanoids hitherto described from the Caicos Islands are not recorded from any other parts of the Caribbean; thus pointing to an isolated position of the islands.