Geographic and Depth Distributions, Ontogeny, and Reproductive Seasonality of Decapod Shrimps (Caridea: Oplophoridae) from the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Authors

Eric A. Burdett, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Charles Douglas Fine, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Tracey Sutton, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
April Cook, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Tamara Frank, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

ORCID

0000-0002-5280-7071

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Bulletin of Marine Science

ISSN

0007-4977

Publication Date

7-2017

Abstract

Presented here is the first description of the geographic and depth distributions of pelagic decapod shrimps in the area located around the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) samples collected from April to June 2011. This information is important in ecosystem models investigating trophic effects of the spill because pelagic decapod shrimps are consumed by organisms occupying higher trophic levels. One of the most abundant and diverse groups is the family Oplophoridae; however, past research on their distribution and reproductive biology has been limited. In the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), all previous studies have been conducted at Standard Station (27°N, 86°W). The present study: (1) provides data from a larger area of the northeastern GOM, where oplophorids have never been studied; (2) allows for comparisons of distributions and abundances of oplophorid species in both the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones by using a continuous data set; and (3) compares assemblages from two distinct bathymetric environments, slope (200- to 1000-m bottom depth) and offshore (>1000 m). Our post-spill data set can be compared with data obtained during future Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics (DEEPEND Consortium of the GOM) cruises to monitor changes, or lack thereof, in the assemblage after exposure to Deepwater Horizon oil and dispersants in the water column.

DOI

10.5343/bms.2016.1083

Volume

93

Issue

3

First Page

743

Last Page

767

Comments

©2017 Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science of the University of Miami

NSUWorks Citation

Eric A. Burdett, Charles Douglas Fine, Tracey Sutton, April Cook, and Tamara Frank. 2017. Geographic and Depth Distributions, Ontogeny, and Reproductive Seasonality of Decapod Shrimps (Caridea: Oplophoridae) from the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico .Bulletin of Marine Science , (3) : 743 -767. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/825.