Coast Of Massachusetts Research Articles

The Hydroids and MedusaeSarsia OccultaSp.Nov.,Sarsia TubulosaandSarsia Loveni

The discovery of a new species ofSarsiahydroid and its medusa and a comparison of this species withSarsia tubulosa(M. Sars) and S. loveni (M. Sars) have resolved a longstanding problem. In his detailed account of the hydroid and medusa Coryne mirabilis (now accepted as identical and synonymous withSarsia tubulosa), Louis Agassiz (1860-2, vol. 4, pp. 189-90, 203-4, P's- 17J i8) asserted that it undergoes a change of reproduction in winter and spring. He stated that in late winter the hydroid releases medusae but that in spring the gonophores no longer develop into normal medusae, being retained on the hydranths where they become sexually mature without mouth and tentacles. He based his conclusions on a series of hydroid colonies collected on the shore. Allman (1871-2, pp. 278-9) was strongly disinclined to accept Agassiz's assertion of the specific identity of the two forms of gonophore without stronger evidence, saying that, until the two kinds were found simultaneously or in succession on one colony kept under close observation in an aquarium, the identity of the two forms could not be accepted as proved. Mayer (1910, p. 55), from personal observation of colonies collected on the coast of Massachusetts, came to the same conclusion as Agassiz, but he did not say whether he had followed the succession in an aquarium or had observed one colony throughout, and accordingly his conclusion is subject to the same criticism.

Age-Related Differences in Ruddy Turnstone Foraging and Aggressive Behavior

Abstract The foraging behavior of fall migrant Ruddy Turnstones was studied on the Massachusetts coast on 2 different substrates, barnacle-covered rocks and sand and weed-littered flats. Foraging rates differed significantly between the 2 substrates. On each substrate the foraging and success rates of adults and juveniles differed significantly while the frequencies of success were similar for both age-classes. The observed differences in foraging rates of adults and juveniles may be due to the degree of refinement of foraging techniques. Experience in searching for and handling prey may be a primary factor accounting for these differences, and foraging performance probably improves with age and experience. Alternatively, the differences may be due to the presence of inefficient juveniles that do not survive to adulthood. Both adults and juveniles in the tail-depressed posture were dominant in aggressive interactions much more frequently than birds in the tail-level posture. In mixed flocks of foraging adult and juvenile turnstones, the four possible types of aggressive interactions occurred nonrandomly. Adult over juvenile interactions occurred more frequently than expected, and juvenile over adult interactions were never seen. A tentative explanation of this phenomenon may be that juveniles misinterpret or respond ambivalently to messages conveyed behaviorally by adults and thus become especially vulnerable to aggression by adults. The transiency of migrants made it unfeasible to evaluate the persistence of this nonrandom aggression.

Mass Stranding of the Long-Finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melaena, on Sable Island, Nova Scotia

On December 23, 1976 a herd of over 130 long-finned pilot whales, Globicephala melaena, became stranded on Sable Island, Nova Scotia (43° 58′N; 59° 48′W). Data on sex, length, and maximum girth, as well as skin and blubber samples for eventual hydrocarbon analysis were collected on January 15 and 16 from up to 116 carcasses. The herd was composed of at least 65 males and 34 females; 17 animals could not be sexed due to seagull damage. The possible reasons for the stranding are discussed. In particular, implications in the news media that the stranding was precipitated by the December 15 breakup of the oil tanker Argo Merchant off the Massachusetts coast are discounted. Key words: long-finned pilot whale; mass stranding; herd composition; Canadian Atlantic

Landward Migration of Barrier Island Sands Under Stable Sea Level Conditions: Plum Island, Massachusetts

ABSTRACT The origin and development of barrier islands systems has received much attention during the last decade as marine scientists have become more concerned with coastal environments. Plum Island, part of a barrier island system located off the northeastern coast of Massachusetts where sea level is believed to have remained stable for the last three thousand years, was selected to test the hypothesis that dune migration and longshore sediment transport patterns are causing its landward (west) development and migration, rather than the commonly accepted sea level hypothesis. Ninety-four surface sand samples taken from the top 2 to 3 inches (5-7 cm) and 94 subsurface sand samples from a 3-ft depth (1 m) were collected for statistical size analysis along six east-west traverses at o e mile intervals perpendicular to the island. Trend surface analysis was then performed with the graphic mean size values from the surface and subsurface samples to determine any consistent stratigraphic and geographic textural shifts between the surfaces. Comparison of the third-order surfaces indicates that the graphic mean grain size generally coarsens from the subsurface to surface. This shift appears to indicate that there is a general landward (west) shift through time in the graphic mean size distributions from the older subsurface to the younger surface. This shift is interpreted to be a direct response of the dune field to the predominant northeasterly storm conditions modified by longshore currents in an area of stable sea level. It is therefore concluded that a rising sea leve is not necessary for barrier island migration landward.

Effects of nitrate and ammonium enrichment on growth and nitrogen physiology in Fucus spiralis1

Growth and physiological responses of whole specimens of Fucus spiralis to nitrate and ammonium enrichment were measured in a continuous‐flow system using seawater from the Massachusetts coast. As physiological indicators of nitrogen status, total C and N, dark ammonium uptake, and respiratory stimulation by ammonium were examined in plant apices. Total nitrogen content and growth rate increased with the level of nitrate or ammonium addition, both supporting similar growth. Dark ammonium uptake was not as sensitive an indicator of nitrogen status as the respiratory stimulation by ammonium. Although the growth of F. spiralis may become nitrogen limited, plants did not exhibit severe nitrogen deficiency responses.

Suspended material transport: Narragansett Bay area, Rhode Island

Net circulation patterns and routes of suspended material transport in lower Narragansett Bay and its approaches were investigated utilizing sea-bed drifters, transmissometer measurements, grain size distributions, suspended material concentration data and compositional analyses. In general, seaward flowing near-surface currents carry silt through lower West and East Passages, west across the Bay mouths and then south along Point Judith Neck. Very fine silt is carried along this route with little deposition but medium silt settles toward the Bay mouths. At the entrances to Narragansett Bay, the landward-flowing direction of bottom currents is modified by coastal currents and topographic influences. Near-bottom suspended material is carried into all three Narragansett Bay passages as well as eastward and westward across the entrances. The westward setting component transports suspended matter from East and West Passage across the passage mouths, southward adjacent to Point Judith Neck and then westward into Block Island Sound. Coarse silt suspended by turbulence at East and West Passage mouths is deposited along this path in the sandy silt bed (McMaster, 1960) east of Point Judith Neck. Some of the very fine silt carried along this route may be deposited in the sandy silt bed as well as in Block Island Sound. The eastward component, influenced by the nearshore circulation in Buzzards Bay, flows along the south-eastern Massachusetts coast. Coriolis acceleration may cause the dextral movement of near-surface and near-bottom suspensates from the mouths of estuaries, based on results of this study and investigations of other workers.

Changes in the cestode fauna of the black duck, Anas rubripes (Brewster).

The cestode fauna of black ducks, Anas rubripes, was examined during the spring, summer, and fall in New Brunswick and during the winter along the coast of Massachusetts. Sixteen cestode species were recovered from ducks in New Brunswick and 6 of these were also found in ducks examined in Massachusetts during the winter. Changes in the cestode fauna are discussed in relation to the development of ducklings throughout the summer and the migration of these birds to the wintering grounds. These changes are discussed also in relation to changes in diet.

Variation of the Plasma Transferrin Protein in the Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus

Geographic and temporal variation of the transferrin blood plasma protein system in the meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus, was investigated by use of starch gel electrophoresis. Twenty-four collecting areas were chosen so as to form a sampling transect of more than 1600 miles extending from Jamestown, North Dakota, to Nantucket, Massachusetts, with a shorter, more finely sampled transect from Linesville, Pennsylvania, to Coxsackie, New York. Of four fields regularly sampled for temporal variation, only one (Ithaca II), showed significance (P < 0.01) and this was because of a single frequency change in May 1966. Nine additional fields were irregularly sampled for temporal variation, but all differences were nonsignificant. It can be questioned whether the change of frequency for one sampling period in Ithaca II was an actual temporal shift and, therefore, at present the change will not be regarded as biologically significant. An analysis of variance on samples from three fields wit4in a mile of each other at Ithaca, New York, resulted in high significance. If larger subsamples had been collected from the other areas, statistically significant microgeographic differences would probably have also been found. In spite of microgeographic and temporal variation in gene frequencies, there was a significant west-east trend of frequencies from North Dakota to Cape Cod. Frequencies deviating farthest from the regression line represented trapping areas with no subsamples. Most of the rare alleles in the study were found in eastern New York, perhaps as a result of isolation due to a formerly more discontinuous vole habitat in the east than in the midwest. Four islands off the Massachusetts coast and one off Rhode Island were also sampled. Except for two Tuckernuck and Nantucket the transferrin frequencies were all different. Similarity in frequency and gel pattern suggests that voles from Nantucket have restocked Tuckernuck relatively recently. Four of the five islands also exhibit a high degree of or complete homozygosity of one of the alleles, indicating a tendency towards or an actual state of fixation on each of the four islands. INTRODUCTION Variation of the blood plasma proteins has been demonstrated in many animals, especially since the development of gel electrophoresis in the mid-1950's. Smithies (1955) was the first to show group variations in the serum protein patterns of Caucasian and of African races of man, using starch gel electrophoresis. Other workers began sampling several groups of animals, with a great concentration on domestic stock. The outstanding investigator in this regard is Ashton, who demonstrated serum protein differences in cattle (1957), in sheep (1958a), in horses (1958b), in Zebu cattle (1959b), and in pigs (1960). Ashton (1959a) also looked at foetal mortality and beta1 Present address: Department of Biological Science, Robert College, Bebek P.K. 8, Istanbul, Turkey.

Arm Length and Arm Damage in Asterias rubens

DESPITE the relative abundance of Asterias rubens in English waters, detailed knowledge of its size range and regenerative powers is scant. Measurements of size arid growth rate have been made1–3 but without reference to limb damage. King4,5 noted that 11 per cent of the individuals of A. vulgaris observed off the coast of Massachusetts showed regeneration of one or more arms. Hancock6 noted that in laboratory conditions, both the stone crab, Hyas araneus and the common sunstar, Solaster papposus, preyed on A. rubens causing limb damage. This communication presents arm size distribution curves of Asterias rubens and the relation of arm damage to arm position and arm size.

Postglacial Change in Sea Level in the Western North Atlantic Ocean

Radioactive carbon determinations of the age of peat indicate that at Bermuda, southern Florida, North Carolina, and Louisiana the relative sea level has risen at approximately the same rate, 2.5 x 10(-3) foot per year (0.76 x 10(-3) meter per year), during the past 4000 years. It is proposed tentatively that this is the rate of eustatic change in sea level. The rise in sea level along the northeastern coast of the United States has been at a rate much greater than this, indicating local subsidence of the land. Between Cape Cod and northern Virginia, coastal subsidence of 13 feet appears to have occurred between 4000 and 2000 years ago and has continued at a rate of about 1 x 10(-3) foot per year since then. On the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, subsidence of 6 feet occurred between 4000 and 3000 years ago; since then sea level has risen at about the eustatic rate. Between 12,000 and 4000 years ago, sea level rose at an average of about 11 x 10(-3) foot per year. The part played by local subsidence or temporary departures from the average rate during this period is uncertain.

Experimental Field Study of Shell Abrasion

ABSTRACT Shells of Mercenaria mercenaria, Mya arenaria and Aequipecten irradians have been subjected to abrasion in three marine environments on the Massachusetts coast. Shells were exposed to moderate surf on a gravelly sand beach for 18 hours; to moderate surf on a sand beach for 100 hours; and to sublittoral conditions on a sand bottom in 30 feet of water for one year. Abrasion is greatest on the gravelly sand beach and least in the sublittoral zone. Species with more surface area per unit weight are more rapidly reduced on a percentage basis but those with less surface area per unit weight lose more shell material in absolute terms. Grain size is of overriding importance in determining the modification of valves by abrasion. Surf action modifies pelecypod valves much more slo ly than laboratory abrasion in rolling barrels. Furthermore, differential abrasion of various portions of the valve are common in surf but not in the laboratory. Exposure on a current swept sand bottom for one year results in little modification of valves, due to solution or abrasion. Valves placed in this environment gained weight due to encrusting organisms.

Holocene Submergence of the Eastern Shore of Virginia

Radiocarbon ages of basal peats 4500 years old or younger and the thickness of salt-marsh peat in the lagoon east of Wachapreague, Virginia, are nearly the same as those of equivalent samples from New Jersey and Cape Cod. This suggests that these coasts have had similar submergence histories. Data obtained from the coasts of Connecticut and northeastern Massachusetts indicate that the Atlantic coast of the United States has been differentially warped during the later Holocene.

Some Biological Observations on Fungi in Estuarine Sediments

(1962). Some Biological Observations on Fungi in Estuarine Sediments. Mycologia: Vol. 54, No. 2, pp. 181-193.

Ecological Studies of Marine Dermatitis‐Producing Schistosome Larvae in Northern New England

Schistosomne dermiatitis, recognized for over a quarter-century from fresh-water sources (Cort 1928, 1950), was first associated with the marine environment by IPenner (1950), and was studied in New England by Stunkard and Hinchliffe (1952) and Sindermann and Gibbs (1953). Cercariae of the avian schistosome Aiistrobilharzia zariilandis have been found to be responsible for buman dlerinatitis along the coasts of Long Island, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine. The mud snail Nassarits obsoletits (Nassa obsolcta) serves as an intermediate host for the wormi in this area, and several species of migratory l)irds have been implicated as definitive hosts, including the lesser scaupl duck (Price 1929), redbreasted merganser (Penner 1953), l)lack duck (Sindermaun unpublished data), and probably others. lxl)erimental infections have been obtained in canaries, pigeons, herring gulls, and domestic ducks (Stunkard and Hinchliffe 1952). Human derniatitis is acquired by contact with cercariae in inshore waters near mud snail aggregations, and is an occupational disease of clam diggers (Figure 1). WVith the inclusion of the inshore marine environment as a )otential cercarial contact area, the factors of salinity and intertidal habitat of the snail host have been added to ecological studies of dermatitis-producing schistosome larvae, and have been foutd to l)e important to the maintenance and limitation of the l)arasite ( Sinderman 1956, Sindermaun, Rosenifield and Strom 1957). The )resent report is a continuation of an attempt to elucidate the relationship of the larval avian schistosome WiLh its snail host in northern New England, and with changes in the physical environment. I'articular attention has been directed toward two ecological aspects of l)ul)lic health significance: (1) seasonal changes in larval schistosome incidence in mtid snails, and

Electronic control systems used on hydrographic surveys

During the years 1957 and 1958 I had command of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey ship Hydrographer while it was engaged on a survey of Georges Bank, which lies about 100 miles east of Cape Cod on the Massachusetts coast. (See Fig. 1.) This was a very interesting survey in that three electronic control systems were used to measure distance and furnish position control for the sounding lines. The principal system used was Raydist, and all the sounding lines run by the ship on the Bank were controlled by this system. In some of the deeper water around the edges of the Bank the electronic position indicator was used to control the sounding lines; and in the shoal areas on the Bank, which were too shallow for the ship, Shoran was used to control the position of the sounding launch.

RARE OR OTHERWISE INTERESTING MARINE ALGAE FROM THE NETHERLANDS

Thanks to many collaborators, C. Brakman, C. den Hartog, Dr P. Korringa, J. A. W. Lucas, A. Mulder, J. G. Slope, B. J. J. R. Walrecht a.o. who sent Algae for identification to the Rijksherbarium and gave information about habitats, it is possible now to add new data to Van Goor’s work on the Netherlands marine Algae. However, a complete review of the larger marine Algae occurring in that country can only be given after such genera as Enteromorpha, Monostroma, Ceramium, Callithamnion and Ectocarpus will have been revised for the Netherlands. A Rhodophycea unknown from the Netherlands up to that time was collected by C. den Hartog and A. Mulder in 1950. It was identified by the first collector. This Alga, Dasya pedicellata (Ag.) Ag. (syn. D. elegans (Mart.) Ag.), Dasyaceae, was collected in one of the canals in Zeeland, which contain seawater “Kanaal door Zuid-Beveland”, Island of Zuid-Beveland. It was found growing in a great abundance in the same canal by several collectors in 1951. This locality is remarkable, for the species usually occurs in warmer regions: Mediterranean, Atlantic from southern Spain to Canaries (Feldmann p. 94), Antilles (Borgesen p. 317), Atlantic coast of North America from Florida to Massachusetts (Taylor p. 355) and Pacific coast of Baja California (Dawson p. 56). In Zuid-Beveland the species was found growing at a depth of 1—1J m. Taylor records a depth of 1—4 m and Feldmann dragged it from 25—30 m in the Mediterranean; Funk (p. 456—457) also records this species at a great depth in the Mediterranean, though occasionally he found it at a depth of 10 m and even in one case near the water-mark.

Vitamin B12 content of soft- and hard-shell clams.

MICROBIOLOGICAL assays for vitamin B12 content were made on soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria) and hard-shell clams or quahaugs (Venus mercenaria) from the waters off the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Assays were also made on commercially canned clams, both whole and minced, and on calf, beef, and pig livers obtained through normal retail outlets.

Seaweed resources of North America and their utilization

From the coasts of Nova Scotia, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, California and Lower California, seaweeds are harvested that yield agar, algin, carrageenin and iridophycin for industrial use.

An Analysis of the Distribution of Fishes in the Streams of Western Massachusetts

D URING the summer of 1940 the author, assisted by Paul Belkin, made 400 collections of fishes from the streams of western Massachusetts, an area including the watersheds of the Connecticut, Hoosic, and Housatonic rivers. In attempting to explain the distribution of these fishes, historical and ecological factors are considered in relation to the habits and habitat preferences of the various species. Prior to 1940, no distribution study had been made, although four lists of fishes were published, as follows: In 1839, David Humphrey Storer published, as a state report, a list of the fishes of Later, between the years 1853 and 1867, he revised, extended, and fully illustrated this report under the title, A History of the of Massachusetts. Eighteen species or subspecies of fresh-water fishes were listed. Previous to Storer's report, Jerome Van Crowningshield Smith published in 1833 a Natural History of the of and also A Catalogue of the Marine taken on the Atlantic Coast of Massachusetts. He recorded 17 freshwater forms. This work was severely criticised by both Storer (1839: 347356) and Gill (1904: 327) for its inaccuracies. In 1879, George B. Goode and Tarleton H. Bean, in a report on the Fishes of Essex County, recorded 20 fresh-water forms. William C. Kendall (1908: 1-152) enumerated 35 species or subspecies for the state that live part or all of their lives in fresh water and 13 of these were from western The study just completed lists 46 species or subspecies of fishes, inclusive of anadromous and catadromous forms (see Table I). Of this number, 12 are classified as introduced and 34 as native, inclusive of the 5 sea-run forms. Contrasting ecological conditions exist between the western and eastern drainage systems of the Connecticut watershed. The Deerfield and Westfield river systems, of the western Connecticut drainage, are influenced by the high, rugged Berkshire Hills in which many of their tributaries rise. As a result, the streams are usually fast-flowing over stream beds of gravel, rubble, and boulders. The Millers and Chicopee river systems, of the eastern Connecticut drainage, rising from ponds and swamps of the relatively low, broad Worcester plateau, tend to be slow-flowing, over stream beds predominantly formed of sand and mud. The smaller tributary streams of the Connecticut, that have their origin in the foothills of the Berkshires and the Worcester plateau, reflect in miniature the typical flow and stream bed of the Connecticut River itself, as it meanders through its flood plain from north to south in The Housatonic and Hoosic river valleys, bordered on the east by the Berkshire Hills and on the west by the Taconic Range, portray all of the varied conditions of the Connecticut River valley. Native stream fishes in western Massachusetts may be classified into four distributional groups: (1) of general distribution, abundantly represented in all of the drainage systems; (2) fishes of general distribution sparsely represented in all of the drainage systems; (3) fishes of restricted

Sediments of Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts

ABSTRACT Cape Cod Bay, lying on the Massachusetts coast partly enclosed by Cape Cod, is in a glaciated region of low relief. Coarse sediments generally occur in areas exposed to wave and current action as in shallow water near shore or on shoals, and in the deep channel north of the tip of Cape Cod, which is swept by tidal currents. Fine sediments are restricted to the deeper water in the central portion of the Bay, and to the small, well-protected embayments of the shores. Most of the sediments are well sorted as compared with other shallow-water marine sediments. Within the Bay, the coarser materials generally have the highest degree of sorting while the finer sediments invariably are more poorly sorted. Fine-grained materials contain a small amount of organic matter and generally are stratified in layers 1 to 2 cm. thick. Sphericity of the pebbles varies but little and in a random manner, but roundness decreases with increasing depth of water. A previously described hard bottom zone in Massachusetts Bay was traced into Cape Cod Bay. This hard bottom consists of a concentrate of pebbles produced by wave and current erosion of glacial drift on the bottom under present conditions. The sediments studied are similar to those in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts Bay and San Francisco Bay, but they differ somewhat from those of the continental shelf, a more exposed environment, and from those of Barataria Bay, a more protected environment.