Harbor Island Research Articles

Exploring the Microwilderness of Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area: Terrestrial Invertebrate All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory

Between 2005 and 2011, we conducted a terrestrial invertebrate All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) in Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, in order to document as many arthropod and gastropod species as possible in the park, and to understand how species were distributed across habitats and islands. Professional scientists, students, and citizen scientists collected ∼160,000 invertebrates on 19 islands and peninsulas in the park, using a variety of trapping and collecting methods. More than 76,000 of these specimens were curated, identified, and databased, resulting in a total of 1732 distinct species and morphospecies. Of these, 232 species (13.4%) were species not native to North America. The introduced species included several new US and North American records, including 2 potential pests: Hishimonus sellatus (Mulberry Leafhopper) and the click beetle Athous haemorrhoidalis. Among native species, we documented several new state records, which expanded known ranges considerably in a few cases. Statistical estimates of absolute species richness for several representative taxa indicated that less-diverse groups (e.g., millipedes) were sampled almost completely by our methods, but additional sampling is needed to thoroughly inventory more-diverse taxa (e.g., ground beetles). The invertebrate ATBI lays the groundwork for future monitoring of focal groups such as pollinators.

Colonial ascidians from the Foveaux Strait region of New Zealand

ABSTRACTColonial ascidians collected from wharf piles and natural substrata from Bluff Harbour and Stewart Island in the South Island of New Zealand are described in this paper. Two species, Lissoclinum violaceum sp. nov. and Didemnum marineae sp. nov. are new to science and described for the first time. The ascidian fauna in this region is a mixed assemblage of southern species, species with a New Zealand-wide distribution, and two species with trans-Tasman affinities.www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:37DC0D4B-8FB9-4F1D-A5A0-E9CAB3203447

THE MATTER PERTAINING TO THE POSTMODERN TOURIST PRODUCTS REPRESENTING THE AREA OF THE OLD CITY OF JAKARTA

Cultural representation from the perspective of cultural studies is the concept of production, mediation, and reception. The common people know it as production, distribution, and consumption. The main topic of the present study is the appearance of the past in its current form. The appearance of the past using the cultural capital of the area is raised and packaged with new forms and meanings. The study focuses on the forms of the postmodern tourist products which represent the area of the Old City of Jakarta. The study uses the qualitative method in which the forms of the postmodern tourist products representing the area of the Old City of Jakarta are simply analyzed. The data were collected through observation, interview, documentation, and questionnaire. The data were analyzed interpretatively using the theory of cultural representation.
 The result of the study shows that the postmodern tourist products represent the area of the Old City of Jakarta in the forms of the production process, distribution process, and consumption process. They all strengthen the forms of the postmodern tourism products representing the area of the Old City of Jakarta. The products include City Tour, Heritage Trails; Junior Heritage Trails: Fun Learning in History; Sunda Kelapa Cycling Tour; Kampung Arab Cycling Tour; Marine Tourism (Wisata Bahari): Sunda Kelapa Harbour and Onrust Island; Jakarta Heritage Trails: Free Old City Tour; Chinatown Journey Experience Through The Eyes of History; Old City Adventure (Kelana Kota Tua); Going Along the Fortress of Batavia City; Jakarta Urban Legend Tour; Past Time Trip (Plesiran Tempoe Doeloe). The different tourist products have been created by the tourism agents, and are packaged in such a way starting from historical facts to mythological stories that they all have enriched the tourist attractions in the Old City of Jakarta.

A Preliminary Checklist of Fungi at the Boston Harbor Islands

Between December 2012 and May 2017, we conducted a fungal inventory at the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (BHI) in Massachusetts. We extensively sampled 4 sites (Grape Island, Peddocks Island, Thompson Island, and World's End peninsula) and occasionally visited 4 others for sampling (Calf Island, Great Brewster Island, Slate Island, and Webb Memorial State Park). We made over 900 collections, of which 313 have been identified. The survey yielded 172 species in 123 genera, 62 families, 24 orders, 11 classes, and 2 phyla. We report 4 species as new, but not formally described, in the genera Orbilia, Resupinatus, and Xylaria. Another collection in the genus Lactarius may be new to science, but further morphological and molecular work is needed to confirm this conclusion. Additionally, Orbilia aprilis is a new report for North America, Proliferodiscus earoleucus represents only the second report for the US, and Chrysosporium sulfureum, a common fungus of some cheeses, was discovered on woodlice (Crustacea: Malacostraca: Isopoda: Oniscidea). We discuss our findings in the light of DNA-based identifications using the ITS ribosomal DNA region, including the advantages and disadvantages of this approach, and stress the need for biodiversity studies in urbanized areas during all seasons.

Mammals of the Boston Harbor Islands: Permanent and Ephemeral Residents

I monitored the mammals of the Boston Harbor Islands through various means from 2010 to 2016 in order to create a baseline inventory of species and assess the possibility of additional, focused, research. I employed camera trapping, visitor sightings, and animal-sign surveys to assess the presence of medium- and large-sized mammals. Small mammals were more closely monitored on 2 of the islands—Bumpkin and Peddocks— using short-interval mark–recapture trapping. Small mammals appear to be permanent residents on the islands and undergo significant population fluctuations, which is unusual for insular populations. Medium and large species likely move between islands and the mainland. Larger species, i.e. Canis latrans (Coyote) and Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer), have been observed with offspring on some of the islands, while medium-sized mammals sighted were single adults. These islands offer a unique situation in which to study insular populations of mammals because the presence of larger animals varies while smaller species cannot move freely between islands or to the mainland.

Six-Legged Colonists: The Establishment and Distribution of Non-Native Beetles in Boston Harbor Islands NRA

Abstract Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area lies in a busy, urban harbor that has been receiving immigrants, both vertebrate and invertebrate, since the 17th century. As part of an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory conducted in the park from 2005 to 2011, we documented the abundance and distribution of native and non-native beetles across 15 islands and peninsulas in Boston Harbor. We hypothesized that proportions of non-native species on the islands would be high relative to the nearby mainland (Rhode Island) and other more isolated coastal islands in Massachusetts. We also compared distribution patterns between native and non-native species and tested the predictive value of island size and isolation for determining species richness on individual islands. Focusing on 6 beetle families, we documented 105 non-native beetles out of a total of 442 species. The proportion of non-native species was 2–3 times higher in Boston Harbor Islands than in Rhode Island for all 6 beetle families, as well as f...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in recreational marina sediments of San Diego Bay, southern California

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations were determined in surface sediments from three recreational marinas in San Diego Bay, California. Total PCB concentrations ranged from 23 to 153, 31–294, and 151–1387ngg−1 for Shelter Island Yacht Basin (SIYB), Harbor Island West (HW) and Harbor Island East (HE), respectively. PCB concentrations were significantly higher in HE and PCB group composition differed relative to HW and SIYB, which were not significantly different from each other in concentration or group composition. In marina sediments there was a predominance (82–85%) of heavier molecular weight PCBs with homologous groups (6CL-7CL) comprising 59% of the total. In HE 75% of the sites exceeded the effect range median (ERM), and toxicity equivalence (TEQ dioxin-like PCBs) values were higher relative to those of HW and SIYB, suggesting a potential ecotoxicological risk.

Automatic time-series quantification of bluff erosion using a single consumer grade camera as basis for erosion risk assessment and forecasts – a Boston Harbor Islands case study

Many communities along coastlines and riverbanks are threatened by water erosion and hence an accurate model to predict erosion events is needed in order to plan mitigation strategies. Such models need to rely on readily available meteorological data that may or may not be correlated with the occurrence of erosion events. Computing these correlations requires a quantified index that reports the magnitude of erosion events over time. This study introduces a method to create erosion indices using affordable consumer grade digital cameras. It is able to detect and quantify erosion using an image series obtained from just one such camera by segmenting each images instance into equally sized squares that can be preprocessed and analyzed separately. This approach isolates each image segment from noise and temporary disturbances that frequently occur throughout images taken with low cost cameras. In this fashion, noise may either be addressed locally or simply ignored if it is too extreme. After preprocessing, comparison of subsequent segments yields change matrices that form the basis for segment-specific erosion indices that are later combined into a composite value for the entire image instance. Whenever a segment instance is unavailable or unusable, the algorithm attempts to use neighboring instances whenever possible. When tested against human observation of erosion events during a 6 week period, the resulting index achieves a true positive rate of 67% while producing only a small number of false positives. Finally, the index is validated by significant correlation with various meteorological data streams.

Relationship Between Epibenthic Invertebrate Species Assemblages and Environmental Variables in Boston Harbor's Intertidal Habitat

Abstract The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area has an extensive intertidal zone, with 47% of the area composed of mixed-coarse substrate. Given anticipated climate-change impacts such as sea-level rise and ocean warming, and other stressors associated with the urban environment, the critical ecosystem functions (i.e., species habitat, food-web support) provided by this dominant mixed-coarse habitat of Boston Harbor, and elsewhere throughout the Northeast, have been and will likely be further altered. To evaluate the present-day epibenthic invertebrate communities and to determine what environmental factors of the mixed-coarse substrate affect community structure, we used a stratified random design to sample epibenthic macroinvertebrates along with various physical and environmental variables from the intertidal zone. Epibenthic macroinvertebrate species assemblages and diversity differed significantly between wave-exposed and wave-protected sites, with higher diversity present at protected si...

Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota) of the Boston Harbor Islands I: Species Parasitizing Coccinellidae and Staphylinidae, with Comments on Typification

This paper, based on a recent comprehensive sampling of insects, is the first report of Laboulbeniales from the New England region since the 1930s. We present 7 new records of laboulbenialean parasites on Staphylinidae (rove beetles) and Coccinellidae (lady beetles) from the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. These are Clonophoro- myces nipponicus Terada & I.I. Tav., Hesperomyces virescens Thaxt., Ilyomyces cf. mairei F. Picard, Laboulbenia philonthi Thaxt., Peyritschiella protea Thaxt., Stichomyces conoso- matis Thaxt., and Teratomyces actobii Thaxt. One of these parasite species, C. nipponicus, has not been found previously outside of its type locality in Japan. Examination of Roland Thaxter's 1891-1932 slides led to the designation of lectotypes for L. philonthi, P. protea, S. conosomatis, and T. actobii. The following synonymy is established: Teratomyces brevi- caulis Thaxt. = T. actobii. In addition, we discovered new localities for H. virescens (from Canada, Cuba, Guatemala, and Japan) and L. philonthi (from Canada, Grenada, Panama, Trinidad, and Venezuela).

Population Health of Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus polyphemus) at Harvested and Unharvested Beaches in South Carolina

The horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is a valuable species environmentally, commercially, and biomedically. The population genetic health of horseshoe crab populations in South Carolina has been relatively unstudied. This project is a part of a greater ongoing study examining the genetic health of horseshoe crab populations along the southern coast of South Carolina. A suite of 11 microsatellites was used to analyze the Coffin Point and Harbor Island horseshoe crab spawning sites. Genetic structure was analyzed along with various genetic health metric tests. Results indicated the two sites represent a single population (Jost's D=0.0019, p=0.2679; FST=0.0058, p=0.2385). The population analyses showed moderately high diversity (HE= 0.762), no inbreeding (FIS= ‐0.0057), and a high Ne value based on the lower 95% confidence interval obtained from linkage disequilibrium‐based estimates of Ne (Ne > 2240.7). These are all positive indicators for the adaptive potential of the population. The results of this study serve as an important baseline for future conservation and management of horseshoe crab populations.

Alteration of benthic communities associated with copper contamination linked to boat moorings

AbstractAlthough copper (Cu) is an essential element for life, leaching from boat paint can cause excess environmental loading in enclosed marinas. The effects of copper contamination on benthic macrofaunal communities were examined in three San Diego Bay marinas (America's Cup, Harbor Island West and East) in Southern California, USA. The distribution of Cu concentration in sediments exhibited a clear spatial gradient, with hotspots created by the presence of boats, which in two marinas exceeded the effect range medium (ERM). Elevated sediment Cu was associated with differences in benthic assemblages, reduced species richness and enhanced dominance in America's Cup and Harbor Island West, whereas Harbor Island East did not appear to be affected. At sites without boats there were greater abundances of some amphipods such as the species Desdimelita sp., Harpinia sp., Aoroides sp., Corophium sp., Podocerus sp., bivalves such as Lyonsia californica, Musculista senhousia, Macoma sp., and polychaetes such as Diplocirrus sp. In contrast, at sites with boats, densities of Pseudopolydora paucibranchiata, Polydora nuchalis, Euchone limnicola, Exogone lourei, Tubificoides spp. were enhanced. The limited impact on Harbor Island East suggests not only lower Cu input rates and increased water flushing and mixing, but also the presence of adequate defense mechanisms that regulate availability and mitigate toxic impacts. At all three marinas, Cu in tissues of several macrobenthic species exhibited Cu bioaccumulation above levels found in the surrounding environment. The annelids Lumbrineris sp. and Tubificoides spp., and the amphipod Desdimelita sp. contained high levels of Cu, suggesting they function as Cu bioaccumulators. The spionid polychaetes Polydora nuchalis and Pseudopolydora paucibranchiata had much lower Cu concentrations than surrounding sediments, suggesting they function as Cu bioregulators. The macrobenthic invertebrates in San Diego Bay marinas that tolerate Cu pollution (e.g. P. nuchalis, P. paucibranchiata, Euchone limnicola, Typosyllis sp., Tubificoides sp.) may function as indicators of high‐Cu conditions, whereas the presence of Cu‐sensitive species (e.g. Podocerus sp., Aoroides sp., Harpinia sp., Macoma sp., Lyonsia californica) may indicate healthier conditions (less Cu‐stressed). Parallel responses by faunas of Shelter Island Yacht Basin, also in San Diego Bay, suggest potential for development of regional Cu contamination assessment criteria, and call for functional comparisons with other marinas and coastal water bodies.

Historical reconstruction of mangrove expansion in the Gulf of Mexico: Linking climate change with carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands

There has been considerable interest in a recently recognized and important sink in the global carbon pool, commonly referred to as “blue carbon”. The major goal of this study was to determine the historical reconstruction of mangrove expansion (Avicennia germinans) into salt marshes (Spartina alterniflora) and its effects on carbon sequestration and soil chemistry in wetland soils of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. We used bulk stable isotopic, chemical biomarker analyses, and aerial imagery analysis to identify changes in OC wetland sources, and radiotracers (137Cs and 210Pb) for chronology. Soil cores were collected at two sites at Port Aransas, Texas (USA), Harbor Island and Mud Island.Stable isotopic values of δ13C and δ15N of all soil samples ranged from −26.8 to −15.6‰ and 1.8–10.4‰ and showed a significant trend of increasing depletion for each isotope from bottom to surface soils. The most depleted δ13C values were in surface soils at the Mud Island (Mangrove 2) location. Carbon sequestration rates were greater in mangroves and for the Mud Island Mangrove 1 and the Marsh 1 sites ranged from 253 to 270 and 101–125 g C m−2 yr−1, respectively. Lignin storage rates were also greater for mangrove sites and for the Mud Island Mangrove 1 and the Marsh 1 ranged from 19.5 to 20.1 and 16.5 to 12.8 g lignin m−2 yr−1, respectively. Τhe Λ8 and Λ6 values for all cores ranged from 0.5 to 21.5 and 0.4 to 16.5, respectively, and showed a significant increase from bottom to surface sediments. If regional changes in the Gulf of Mexico are to persist and much of the marsh vegetation was to be replaced by mangroves, there could be significant increases on the overall storage and sequestration of carbon in the coastal zone.

Brief Summary of Jetty Island History

More than 50,000 people annually come to a two-mile long, man-made island in Everett, Washington to relax on sandy beaches, wade in warm and shallow water, join guided nature hikes, watch wildlife, kayak around the perimeter and kite board with steady afternoon winds. Jetty Island is recognized today as one of Snohomish County’s top recreational and wildlife resources but if the founders of Everett had achieved their goals then the riprap jetty would have more closely resembled Seattle’s Harbor Island. Today’s Jetty Island is not only a top tourist destination but also a wildlife conservation area. Its sandy beaches, mud flat and salt water marshes provide important habitat not as readily available elsewhere in Snohomish River delta. It supports an abundance of wildlife, including bald eagles, Chinook salmon, osprey, bull trout, and blue heron. In fact, observers have identified 115 species of birds in the vicinity of the island. Everett’s treasured island may not have realized the potential envisioned by city founders but it stands in sharp contrast to Seattle’s Harbor Island, an industrialized and toxic Superfund site.

Analysis for the Port Ferry Operation and Control Alternatives by Using Traffic Micro Simulation Modeling

This Study performed an analysis of alternative means to control pre-boarding management for Port Aransas Ferry operations. This analysis represents the first stage of several analysis phases intended, in total, to provide results and associated recommendations for the complete storage, management, and traffic control of vehicles approaching and using the ferry system on both the City of Port Aransas and on the mainland approach from Harbor Island. Two planned improvements are under way and being investigated for improving the efficiency of the Port Aransas Ferry system. The first of these changes is the addition of two new and larger ferry boats in everyday operation. Another change being investigated for the ferry system is the reconfiguration and semi-automation of the Port Aransas Ferry landing.The investigation made use of the VISSIM traffic simulation model for ferry operation. The ferry boat was coded into the model so that realistic operations simulation could be performed and demonstrated in both 2-D and 3-D models. A special feature within VISSIM is the ability to custom-code traffic control using a built-in program known as VAP. The results demonstrate the 3-D ferry operation and the new informative automated control system. The performance measures show benefits for alternatives, on perspective of reduction in total vehicle delay and the queue length.

The Effects of Biogeography on Ant Diversity and Activity on the Boston Harbor Islands, Massachusetts, U.S.A

Many studies have examined how island biogeography affects diversity on the scale of island systems. In this study, we address how diversity varies over very short periods of time on individual islands. To do this, we compile an inventory of the ants living in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Boston, Massachusetts, USA using data from a five-year All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory of the region's arthropods. Consistent with the classical theory of island biogeography, species richness increased with island size, decreased with island isolation, and remained relatively constant over time. Additionally, our inventory finds that almost half of the known Massachusetts ant fauna can be collected in the BHI, and identifies four new species records for Massachusetts, including one new to the United States, Myrmica scabrinodis. We find that the number of species actually active on islands depended greatly on the timescale under consideration. The species that could be detected during any given week of sampling could by no means account for total island species richness, even when correcting for sampling effort. Though we consistently collected the same number of species over any given week of sampling, the identities of those species varied greatly between weeks. This variation does not result from local immigration and extinction of species, nor from seasonally-driven changes in the abundance of individual species, but rather from weekly changes in the distribution and activity of foraging ants. This variation can be upwards of 50% of ant species per week. This suggests that numerous ant species on the BHI share the same physical space at different times. This temporal partitioning could well explain such unexpectedly high ant diversity in an isolated, urban site.

Rediscovery of Bembidion (Lymnaeum) nigropiceum (Marsham) (= puritanum Hayward) in Massachusetts, with remarks on biology and habitat (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Bembidiini)

Bembidion (Lymnaeum) nigropiceum (Marsham) (=puritanum Hayward), a European species introduced into Massachusetts but presumed not to have become established, has been rediscovered during the Boston Harbor Islands All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory undertaken by the Museum of Comparative Zoology and the National Park Service. A summary is presented of treatment of this species in North America. Data on specimens collected are presented, along with observations on habitat and biology. Some speculations are presented about its highly specialized habitat in the gravel pushed up by high tide, which may act as a food-trapping sieve. A few words are included about future actions needed to resolve questions of distribution and behavior.

Carabid beetle diversity and distribution in Boston Harbor Islands national park area (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

As part of an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in Boston Harbor Islands national park area, an inventory of carabid beetles on 13 islands was conducted. Intensive sampling on ten of the islands, using an assortment of passive traps and limited hand collecting, resulted in the capture of 6,194 specimens, comprising 128 species. Among these species were seven new state records for Massachusetts (Acupalpus nanellus, Amara aulica, Amara bifrons, Apenes lucidulus, Bradycellus tantillus, Harpalus rubripes and Laemostenus terricola terricola—the last also a new country record; in passing we report also new state records for Harpalus rubripes from New York and Pennsylvania, Amara ovata from Pennsylvania, and the first mainland New York records for Asaphidion curtum). For most islands, there was a clear relationship between species richness and island area. Two islands, however, Calf and Grape, had far more species than their relatively small size would predict. Freshwater marshes on these islands, along with a suite of hygrophilous species, suggested that habitat diversity plays an important role in island species richness. Introduced species (18) comprised 14.0% of the total observed species richness, compared to 5.5% (17 out of 306 species) documented for Rhode Island. We surmise that the higher proportion of introduced species on the islands is, in part, due to a higher proportion of disturbed and open habitats as well as high rates of human traffic. We predict that more active sampling in specialized habitats would bring the total carabid fauna of the Boston Harbor Islands closer to that of Rhode Island or eastern Massachusetts in richness and composition; however, isolation, human disturbance and traffic, and limited habitat diversity all contribute to reducing the species pool on the islands relative to that on the mainland.

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).

Studies of E. coli and Coliform Bacteria Contamination in Mussels (Geukensia demissa) Collected from Guion Creek and Its Correlation to Water Flow Rate

Ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) were collected from a highly contaminated Guion Creek, Mamaroneck Harbor, NY and were compared with Harbor Island Park and Shore Acres Beach, for amounts of bacteria. Mussels were also collected from a pristine beach, Read Sanctuary, Rye. The water flow rate was measured at all sites. The results showed that the amount of E. coli and coliform bacteria recovered from mussels were significantly higher in Guion Creek and its water flow rate was significantly lower when compared to three other sites. On the contrary, the highest water flow rate and lowest amounts of bacteria were recovered from mussels collected at Read Sanctuary. A negative correlation of water flow rate with amounts of E. coli and coliform recovered from mussels at all sites was found. Results suggested that a slow water flow rate in Guion Creek might be one of the contributing factors to the high bacterial loads.