http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/bnhm_ucb_moorea_2011/rss Recent eScholarship items from Student Research Papers, Fall 2011 Sat, 12 Sep 2026 19:13:37 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82z9b92j Coral Health and Disease: A Comparison of Cook's and Opunohu Bays in Mo'orea,French Polynesia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82z9b92j Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Shea, Alessandra https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3nj9p99r Defense of a multi functional territory against interspecific intruders by the damselfish Stegastes nigricans (Pisces, Pomacentridae) https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3nj9p99r Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Hamb, Alexandra https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1h2827rv THE VISUAL CUES USED BY THE LEMON PEEL ANGELFISH (CENTROPYGE FLAVISSIMA) TO DETERMINE THREAT https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1h2827rv Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Post, Jessica https://escholarship.org/uc/item/18g2s6gt Suspension feeders are sessile marine organisms dependent on plankton and organic particles transported by the water column for food. This study focused on the distribution of four suspension feeders (Dendropoma maxima, Spirobranchus giganteus, Heteractis magnifica, and Tridacna maxima) in Mo’orea, French Polynesia based on current, suspended particle abundance, and substrate type. Both D. maxima and S. giganteus were more frequently present at the site with highest current flow and suspended particle abundance. The positive correlation between current and suspended particle, or food, abundance suggests that a stronger current transports more organic particles to a set location than a weaker current. In comparison, H. magnifica and T. maxima abundance and occurrence were not related to current. This is because they are less reliant than D. maxima and S. giganteus on the current for suspension feeding. In comparison, all four species studied showed substrate preference. The distribution... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/18g2s6gt Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Hann, Courtney Helen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7x65s777 Coral health is an imperative aspect of coral reef ecosystems. Coral provides shelter, habitat, and nutrients for many organisms. Anthropogenic pollution that enters the oceans through runoff has negative effects on coral health such as inhibiting photosynthesis, growth, and reproduction. This study focuses on Cook’s and ‘Opunohu Bays in Mo’orea, French Polynesia. Each of the bays were assessed for substrate, algae, and coral composition as well as for a specific coral disease called Porites Trematosiasis (por trem) which is found exclusively on <em>Porites</em> coral heads. A total of forty-eight 10x10m plots were used to gather this information. The data indicate that sites were significantly better indicators for coral health and substrate difference as well as por trem than the bays, a comparison to past studies was made about the coral health and its change in the last twenty years. The coral health in Mo’orea has deteriorated in the past twenty years from natural causes... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7x65s777 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Shea, Alessandra https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7h7261w2 The hermit crab Dardanus pedunculatus and the sea anemone Calliactis tricolor engage in a mutualistic relationship in the tropical reef ecosystem of Mo’orea, French Polynesia. This mutualism is shaped by the pressures on D. pedunculatus individuals to acquire actively and compete for C. tricolor in the wild. D. pedunculatus exhibits a consistent trend in behavior when competing for and placing C. tricolor on its gastropod shell. Since C. tricolor seems to be a valuable resource to D. pedunculatus, this species engages in intraspecific competition. Experiments were designed to examine the behaviors of D. pedunculatus under laboratory conditions when competing for and placing their symbiont. D. pedunculatus individuals steal C. tricolor from one another, with larger D. pedunculatus dominating in these encounters. In contests between two D. pedunculatus individuals, competition is also based on size dominance. The size of the cheliped of the left-handed D. pedunculatus is the most... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7h7261w2 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Giraud, Camille https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7910219g Symbiosis of the Sea Star Shrimp (Periclimenes soror) and Cushion Star (Culcita novaeguineae): Host Fidelity, Host Finding, and Benefits https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7910219g Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Olliff, Eric Ryan Rich https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5qs3n2k7 Benthic invertebrates are vital not only for the place they hold in the trophic web of the marine ecosystem, but also for the incredible diversity that they add to the world. This is especially true of the dorid nudibranchs (family Dorididae), a group of specialist predators that are also the most diverse family in a clade of shell-less gastropods. Little work has been done on the roles that environment and behavior play on distribution patterns of dorid nuidbranchs. By carrying out habitat surveys, I found that two species of dorid nudibranchs (Chromodoris lochiandChromodorissp.) occupy different habitats in Cook’s Bay. Behavioral interaction tests showed that both species orient more reliably toward conspecifics than toward allospecifics.C. lochihas a greater propensity to aggregate thanChromodorissp. These findings indicated that the distribution patterns are a result of both habitat preference and aggregation behaviors. Further inquiry into these two areas is needed to make... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5qs3n2k7 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Hubner, Gwen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/56n206sn Social structure is key to a species' biology and ecology. Relations within a population can have important ftness consequences, but only recently have researchers been able to explicitly measure and quantify these relationships through network modeling. Social network analysis is the study of social groups as networks of nodes connected by social ties. In this study, network analysis is implemented to determine that there is a social structure within an aggregation of Himantura fai at feeding excursion sites. An ethogram defning H. fai behaviors is compiled. A sum of interactions network is subdivided into fve behavior networks to allow for further quantifcation of the relations within the aggregation. Size, color, and sex are found to be correlated to dominance, and an order of dominance is determined, with large females at the top and the smaller of both sexes at the bottom. To address the confounding factor of human presence at the study sites, the effects of feeding excursions... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/56n206sn Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Furst, Emmanuelle A. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3k0228kq BEHAVIORAL SYNDROMES IN JUVENILE DASCYLLUS TRIMACULATUS (THREE-SPOT DASCYLLUS) IN MO’OREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA: INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN SHYNESS/BOLDNESS https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3k0228kq Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Parkhouse, Tess https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3h60v5m1 The study of systems containing multiple invasive species has long been superseded by the study of invasive impacts on native species. However, systems containing more than one invasive are likely to see the presence of ecological effects as a result of the relationships between those species. These effects are likely to be magnified in situations where invasives occupy similar niches. In this study I examine the foraging behaviors of two sympatric invasive bird species to determine if there is partitioning in either how, or where they forage. I also investigate their behavioral responses to the introduction of novel food stations, and natural fluctuations in foraging group size and species composition. Lastly I examine both their interspecific and intraspecific interactions. Results show that partitioning is present for both foraging behaviors and certain substrates being foraged on. Additionally, behavior at feeding stations trended towards foraging as opposed to vigilance.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3h60v5m1 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Bates, Jennifer https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2vc5r6bc Defensive animal behavior is often a tradeoff between the energetic costs of defense and predator avoidance, with most animals choosing actions with the lowest energetic expense to evade their predators.Pholcus ancoralisis an introduced spider to Mo’orea, French Polynesia. I studied its defensive behaviors, with an emphasis on whirling, an energetically costly behavior which involves continual gyrations of the body. Different instars as well as females carrying egg sacs were disturbed with tactile, vibratory, and air movement stimuli to determine if larger instars and females with eggs have a higher whirling duration and frequency of defensive behaviors.P. ancoralisalso faced the potential spider predatorsThorelliola ensifera(Salticidae),Tangaroa tahitiensis(Uloboridae), andLeucauge granulata(Tetragnathidae) in a laboratory setting to determine if a higher whirling duration and higher frequency of defensive behaviors would lead to increased survivorship. The tactile stimulus elicited... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2vc5r6bc Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Chuang, Angela https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2r00j6bz <p>Epiphytic algae form complex communities on their macroalgae hosts. The brown algaPadina boryanaacts as a host for epiphytic algal communities, yet no studies have determined whether the community is host-specific.  To test for epiphytic host-specificity, four substrates were placed in Cook’s Bay for a three-week period and examined for epiphytic communities. My findings demonstrate that there is host-specificity and that substrate may influence the construction of epiphytic communities.</p><p>In addition to hosting epiphytes,P. boryanaexhibits phenotypic plasticity – it adopts different morphs in response to environmental conditions. In order to understand howP. boryanaresponds to its environment, I observed where the distinct morphs occurred and attempted a transplant experiment to induce morph change.  Furthermore, I compared the epiphytic communities on both morphs. My results support the hypothesis that the foliose morph occurs in shallower waters, while the turf morph... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2r00j6bz Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Flynn, Sierra Michelle https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0p22r9w3 The tropical sea urchin genus <em>Diadema</em>, is considered one of the most significant and abundant. Their population dynamics greatly influence the health of coral reefs. <em>Diadema</em> have anti-predator behavior and defenses that help them to maintain a stable population. I investigated the limited spatial vision in <em>Diadema savignyi</em>, by testing their directional orientation to a target representing a crevice space used to hide from predators. This is the fourth sea urchin echinoderm to demonstrate evidence of spatial vision, the first for the genus <em>Diadema</em>. Furthermore, my results demonstrate that <em>D. savignyi</em> use their spines to filter light to improve their spatial vision. <em>D. savignyi</em> which had their spines removed lost their spatial vision. However, in starting closer to the target, <em>D. savignyi</em> still oriented without spines, suggesting spatial vision is still possible. In a field and lab study on the emergence times of <em>D.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0p22r9w3 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 Frossard, Bryan Anthony https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8bv8v8nm <p>The process of plant recolonization takes place over a broad range of magnitudes and timescales. Studies of recolonization in tropical forest ecosystems are few in number making it an important addition to the ecological literature. To determine the effect of propagules and biotic factors such as sunlight, substrate and clearing level on the recolonizaton of plants, previosly-cleared plots were paired with adjacent, unmodifed plots in the forest. Species were identified in the plots and their abundance and presence or absence was compared to determine if one factor was more significant than another.The effect of propagules from the adjacent plot, sunlight availability and level of clearing were important determinants in what species were able to recolonize. Substrate did not show variation. Various biotic and abiotic factors are identifiable as determinants in recolonization but the complexity of interactions in tropical forest ecosystems makes predictions challenging.</p><p> </p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8bv8v8nm Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Yokum, Hannah Elizabeth https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7299f3zb Effects of Web Variation on Prey Capture in Tangaroa tahitiensis spiders (Araneae:Uloboridae) and the Influence of Substrate, Spider Size, and Maternal State on Web Characteristics https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7299f3zb Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Liew, Qi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0cc962gp  The role of mutualisms among invasive species in facilitating invasions remains relatively unexplored. Yet such interactions have high potential to alter intact community composition and function due to their positive fitness effects on the species involved. The following study explores an interaction that evolved independently among naturalized hibiscus and invasive ants and Hemiptera that colonized the island of Mo’orea, French Polynesia centuries apart.  For this study, a geographic survey was conducted across 7 plots, which revealed the relationship to be present across a broad range of habitats. Manipulative field experiments were also ran in order to classify the association as a mutualism, parasitism or commensalism. These experiments quantified changes in abundances and behaviors of ants and Hemiptera in response to different availabilities of sugar resources to ants. Results from these field experiments support the hypothesis that the relationship is indeed a mutualism,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0cc962gp Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000 Thayer, Lesley K