Microbial symbionts are a common life-history character of marine invertebrates and their developmental stages. Communities of bacteria that associate with the eggs, embryos, and larvae of coastal marine invertebrates are species-specific and correlate with aspects of host biology and ecology. The richness of bacteria associated with the developmental stages of coastal marine invertebrates spans four orders of magnitude from single mutualists to 1,000s of unique taxa. If the developmental stages of coastal species are broadly...

Microbes influence ecological processes, including the dynamics and health of macro-organisms and their interactions with other species. In coral reefs, microbes mediate negative effects of algae on corals when corals are in contact with algae. However, it is unknown whether these effects extend to larger spatial scales, such as at sites with high algal densities. We investigated how local algal contact and site-level macroalgal cover influenced coral microbial communities in a field study at two...

In a fast-changing world, polar ecosystems are threatened by climate variability. Understanding the roles of fine-scale processes, and linear and nonlinear effects of climate factors on the demography of polar species is crucial for anticipating the future state of these fragile ecosystems. While the effects of sea ice on polar marine top predators are increasingly being studied, little is known about the impacts of landfast ice (LFI) on this species community. Based on a unique...

Environment structure often shapes social interactions. Spatial attractors that draw multiple individuals may play a particularly important role in dispersed groups, where individuals must first encounter one another to interact. We use GPS data recorded simultaneously from five spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) within a single clan to investigate how communal dens and daily ranging patterns shape fission-fusion dynamics (subgroup splits and merges). We introduce a species-general framework for identifying and characterizing dyadic fission-fusion events and...

These are the observational data collected in 2017 from the North River estuary. Data files include the long-term (LT) CTD and Aquadopp measurements from April to July, the short-term (STI from April to May and STII in late July) CTD measurements, eight shipboard CTD and ADCP surveys in April, May and July, the ADV measurements in late July, the North River mid-estuary region bathymetry, and the North River discharge (from USGS measurements).

Animal biodiversity in the ocean’s vast mesopelagic zone is relatively poorly studied due to technological and logistical challenges. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analyses show great promise for efficiently characterizing biodiversity and could provide new insight into the presence of mesopelagic species, including those that are missed by traditional net sampling. Here, we explore the utility of eDNA for identifying animal taxa. We describe the results from an August 2018 cruise in Slope Water off the northeast...

High-frequency radar-based observations of surface currents along the east coast of Taiwan, obtained over a 50-day period in early 2017, are used to examine the occurrence, generation, and downstream advection of submesoscale eddies in the Kuroshio. Measured at an effective depth of 2 m and radial resolution of 3 km from four land-based HF radar systems spanning an 250-km along-stream distance, the surface current observations reveal the instantaneous position of the Kuroshio on hourly time...

Dissociation of methane hydrates due to ocean warming releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere. Dissociation of gas hydrates may have led to rapid and dramatic environmental changes in the past. Thus, understanding the impact of those events requires information about their timing and magnitudes. While the foraminiferal fossil record provides a powerful tool to understand past environmental conditions, seep-endemic foraminifera are unknown, which limits evaluation of seep-specific information. However, geographically widespread benthic...

Kelp forests are highly productive coastal habitats that serve as biodiversity hotspots and provide valuable ecosystem services. Despite being one the largest marine biomes, kelp forests have been drastically understudied relative to other marine systems. Notably, while the role of kelp as habitat-forming, or ‘foundation species’, is well-documented, a comprehensive understanding of kelp forest food web structure is lacking, particularly regarding the importance of kelp-derived energy/nutrients to consumers. Here, we provide a biogeographic perspective on...

Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) deployments have been conducted since June 2006 at the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO; 41° 19.5’ N, 70° 34.0’ W). IFCB, an automated submersible imaging-in-flow cytometer, is specially designed to operate in the ocean and image plankton and other particulate material approximately 5 to 200 micrometers in length. In conjunction with image acquisition, IFCB also uses a diode laser to measure the chlorophyll fluorescence and light scattering associated each imaged target. IFCB...

Time series of current velocity, water temperature, and salinity profiles, and near-bottom water depth from the 7-m, 12-m, 17-m, and 27-m site of an inner-shelf array deployed as part of the Stratification, Wind, and Waves on the Inner shelf of Martha’s Vineyard (SWWIM) study. There were 6 deployments of an array of four sites across the inner-shelf south of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The four sites are designated by nominal depth 7-m, 12-m (MVCO node), 17-m...

1. Cleaning symbioses on coral reefs are mutually beneficial interactions between two individuals, in which a ‘cleaner’ removes and eats parasites from the surface of a ‘client’ fish. A suite of behavioural and morphological traits of cleaners signal cooperation with co-evolved species, thus protecting the cleaner from being eaten by otherwise predatory clients. However, it is unclear whether cooperation between cleaners and predatory clients is innate or learned, and therefore whether an introduced predator might...

Oceanographic data acquired during the EXPORTS Cruise (29SG20210503) on board the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2021.

We present a novel application using unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS; drones) for structure-from-motion three-dimensional (3-D) photogrammetry of multiple, free-ranging animals simultaneously. Pinnipeds reliably haul-out on shore for pupping and breeding each year, accompanied by dramatic female-to-pup mass transfer over a short lactation period and males lose mass while defending mating territories. This provides a tractable study system for validating the use of UAS as a non-invasive tool for tracking energy dynamics in wild populations. UAS...

Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) is a leading research and engineering facility operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. MVCO has been collecting ocean and atmospheric data at 3 sites on and near Martha's Vineyard since 2001. A meteorological mast (met mast) on South Beach in Edgartown, MA has collected atmospheric data since May 31 2001. An Air Sea Interaction Tower (ASIT) has been collecting atmospheric and subsurface oceanic data since August 5, 2004. A seafloor...

Rhithropanopeus harrisii is a common estuarine crab native to the East and Gulf Coasts of North America. Here, it is found along a broad range of salinities, spanning from ~1 PSU to ~25 PSU along estuarine gradients. As part of a larger study on the species' potential use of low-salinity refuges from parasitism, we tested for differences in gene expression with salinity using crabs from three distinct estuarine reaches along the Pamlico River in North...

By shuffling biogeographic distributions, biological invasions can both disrupt long-standing associations between hosts and parasites and establish new ones. This creates natural experiments with which to study the ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions. In estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico, the white-fingered mud crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisii) is infected by a native parasitic barnacle Loxothylacus panopaei (Rhizocephala), which manipulates host physiology and behavior. In the 1960s, L. panopaei was introduced to the Chesapeake Bay and...

Many arthropods undergo a seasonal dormancy termed “diapause” to optimize timing of reproduction in highly seasonal environments. In the North Atlantic, the copepod Calanus finmarchicus completes one to three generations annually with some individuals maturing into adults, while others interrupt their development to enter diapause. It is unknown which, why and when individuals enter the diapause program. Transcriptomic data from copepods on known programs were analyzed using dimensionality reduction of gene expression and functional analyses...

We have developed a hollow core fiber optic sensor capable of measuring dissolved methane gas in liquids using only nanoliters of sample gas. The sensor is based on an anti-resonant hollow core fiber combined with a permeable capillary membrane inlet which extracts gas from the liquid for analysis.

Formation water geochemistry and gas geochemistry from 6 wells in the Olla Oil Field and 7 wells in the Nebo-Hemphill Oil Field Louisiana (Longitude range: -92.2297 to -92.1487, Latitude range: 31.83128 to 31.56586.), sampled in 2015. Formation water geochemistry for cation and anions and in mmol/l and ppm, these were measured at an internal ExxonMobil facility. Casing gases were used to make the remaining measurements. Stable noble gas isotopes (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) were...

Carcinus maenas is a globally invasive species which spreads and thrives across a range of temperate environments. In the northwestern Pacific, the species has spread across >12 degrees of latitude in 10 years from a single source, following its introduction <35 years ago. Using six locations spanning >1,500 km, we examined genetic structure and selection to temperature using 9,376 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) derived from cardiac transcriptome sequencing. Data in this repository includes information on...

This data was collected by a team led by Kirincich as part of a Metocean monitoring campaign sponsored by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). The campaign was designed to observe key atmospheric and ocean parameters at an existing offshore platform in the proximity of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Wind Energy Areas. The campaign supported the purchase and installation of a LIDAR wind profiler, two cup anemometers and a wind direction vane at the...

Synchrony in ecological systems, the degree to which elements respond similarly over time or space, can inform our understanding of how ecosystems function and how they are responding to global change. While studies of ecological synchrony are often focused on within-species dynamics, synchrony among species may provide important insights into how dynamics of one species are indicative of conditions relevant to the larger community, with both basic and applied implications. Ecological theory suggests there may...