HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Theses and dissertations from the graduate programs of Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography at Nova Southeastern University.
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Thesis: The Role of Bacterial Symbionts and Bioluminescence in the Pyrosome, Pyrosoma atlanticum, Alexis Berger
Thesis: Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Analysis of Mangrove Ecosystems Using GIS, Kayla Caldwell
Thesis: Fish Assemblages Associated with a Newly Deployed Eco-Engineered Artificial Seawall in the Intercoastal Waters of Port Everglades, Olmo Cinti
Thesis: Examination of Parasite Assemblages in Killifish of the Genus Fundulus Across the Atlantic Coast of the United States and Canada, Derek Garvey
Thesis: A Temporal Analysis of the Euphausiid Assemblage in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, with Notes on Seasonal Reproduction, Nathan A. La Spina
Thesis: Predation Efficiency and Prey Choice of Estuarine Organisms Under Varying Anthropogenic Light Types and Intensities, Carmen Montalvo
Thesis: Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella frontalis) and Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Nearshore Distribution, Bimini, The Bahamas, Skylar L. Muller
Thesis: Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Essential and Non-Essential Elements Recorded in Western Arctic Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus), Samantha L. Shore
Thesis: Comparative Study of the Effects of Light on Photophore Ultrastructure from Two Families of Deep-Sea Decapod Crustaceans: Oplophoridae and Sergestidae, Jamie E. Sickles
Dissertation: Understanding the Toxicity of Single Hydrocarbons, Oil, and Dispersed Oil: A Species Sensitivity Assessment for Five Atlantic Coral Species, Nicholas R. Turner
Thesis: An Investigation into the Factors Influencing Growth and Survival of Caribbean Acroporid Corals in a Floating Nursery, Cassie M. VanWynen
Thesis: The Microscopic Threat with a Macroscopic Impact: Microplastics Along the Southeast Florida Reef Tract, Emma Wightman
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
Thesis: The Association between Stomach Fullness and Vertical Migration Behavior in Deep-Pelagic Crustaceans and Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico, with Notes on Microplastic Ingestion, Ryan P. Bos
Thesis: Determining how risk effects predator-prey interactions of marine communities in the nearshore environment of South Bimini, The Bahamas, Kendall Brancart
Thesis: A Comparison of Circle and J Hook Performance within the Grenadian Pelagic Longline Fishery, Anthony G. Burns
Thesis: Nutrient Concentrations and Effects on Mill Run from Residential, Urban, and Industrial Stormwater Contamination, Melissa Carver
Thesis: Shallow- water hardbottom communities support the separation of biogeographic provinces on the west- central Florida Gulf Coast, Shelby Eagan
Thesis: Assessment of Heavy Metals in Subsistence-Harvested Alaskan Marine Mammal Body Tissues and Vibrissae, Pilar M. Ferdinando
Thesis: Characterization of Bacterial Communities in Biscayne Bay Through Genomic Analysis, Eric Fortman
Thesis: Desperate Coral Larvae? Behavioral Responses to Settlement Cues in Aging Agaricia agaricites Larvae, Helena Sasha Fulmore
Thesis: Outplanted Acropora cervicornis enhances the fish assemblages of Southeast Florida, Ellen Dignon Goldenberg
Thesis: A characterization of a Southeast Florida stony coral assemblage after a disease event, Nicole K. Hayes
Thesis: Spatial and Temporal Trends of Southeastern Florida's Octocoral Comunity, Alexandra Hiley
Thesis: Sargassum Infauna Community Structure in the Florida Straits and Gulf Stream, Dayna S. Hunn
Thesis: Optimizing restoration site selection along the Florida Reef Tract for the coral species Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata, Samantha King
Thesis: Timing and Potential Drivers of Symbiont Selection in the Early Life Stages of the Massive Starlet Coral Siderastrea siderea, Sarah G. Koerner
Thesis: Optimizing lighting regimes for rearing Orbicella faveolata and Acropora cervicornis recruits, Paul D. Kreh
Thesis: Comparisons of Five DNA Repair Pathways Between Elasmobranch Fishes and Humans, Lucia Llorente
Thesis: Analysis of "Observer Effect" in Logbook Reporting Accuracy for U.S. Pelagic Longline Fishing Vessels in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, Thomas J. Morrell
Thesis: Microbial Analysis of Surfactant-Associated Bacteria in the Sea Surface Microlayer and Remote Sensing of Associated Slicks, Georgia Parks
Thesis: The Sedimentology of Cay Sal Bank - an Incipiently Drowned Carbonate Platform, Luis Ramirez
Thesis: Effects of deposited sediment and turbidity on survival and growth of Orbicella faveolata recruits, Morgan Stephenson
Thesis: Inferred Function and Dynamics of Microbial Communities from the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Deepesh Tourani
Thesis: Reconstruction of Northeastern Pacific Ocean Holocene Production Using Marine Mammal Archaeofauna, Andrea M. Traffichini
Thesis: Spatial and temporal trends in the Xestospongia muta (giant barrel sponge) population on the Southeast Florida Reef Tract, Alanna D. Waldman
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
Thesis: Indirect Effects of Ocean Warming and Acidification on the Realized Recruitment of Agaricia agaricites, Allan Anderson
Thesis: Pathogen Transmission Techniques and Genotypic Resistance to Disease in the Threatened Coral, Acropora cervicornis, Megan Bock
Thesis: Empirical Validation and Comparison of the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) Between the Gulf of Mexico and the Tongue of the Ocean, Cynthia A. Cleveland
Thesis: Ecological Correlates of Community Structure in Seagrass-Associated Fishes in North Biscayne Bay and Port of Miami, Florida, Elizabeth F. Colhoun
Dissertation: Turbulent and Electromagnetic Signature of Small- and Fine-scale Biological and Oceanographic Processes, Cayla Whitney Dean
Thesis: A Comparison of Benthic Habitats and Faunas Between the Miami Terrace (Proposed Calypso Pipeline Site) and the Pourtales Terrace (Coral Habitat of Particular Concern), Laura Dell
Thesis: Microbial Ecology of South Florida Surface Waters: Examining the Potential for Anthropogenic Influences, Chase P. Donnelly
Thesis: Uncovering the Role of Propagule Pressure in Determining Establishment Success Using a Synthetic Biology Approach, Michael D. Dressler
Thesis: Peruvian Pinnipeds as Archivists of ENSO Effects, Mickie Rae Edwards
Thesis: Genetic Population and Evolutionary Dynamics of the Angel Sharks, Squatina spp., Cristin Keelin Fitzpatrick
Thesis: Characterization of the Bioluminescent Symbionts from Ceratioids Collected in the Gulf of Mexico, Lindsay L. Freed
Dissertation: Population dynamics of the threatened staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, and the development of a species-specific monitoring protocol, Elizabeth Goergen
Thesis: Parasitic Indicators of Foraging Strategies in Wading Birds, Sarah Gumbleton
Thesis: Ecophysiology of lionfish metabolic and visual systems: Are there physiological limits to inshore invasion?, Aaron Hasenei
Thesis: Identifying Disease-Resistant and Thermal-Tolerant Genotypes in the Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora cervicornis, Morgan V. Hightshoe
Thesis: Spatiotemporal Change in the Benthic Community of Southeast Florida, Nicholas P. Jones
Thesis: Patterns in Caribbean Coral Spawning, Anna C. Jordan
Dissertation: Environmental Controls on Depositional Patterns of Isolated Carbonate Platforms, Jeremy M. Kerr
Thesis: Optimization of Light Irradiance During the Early Life of Sexually-Produced Porites astreoides and Agaricia agaricites Recruits, Nicholas J. McMahon
Thesis: The relationship of endoparasite diversity and feeding ecology in the seabird complex of South Florida, Michael Nakama
Thesis: Assessment of Metals in Tissues of Marine-Associated Birds in South Florida, Caitlyn A. Nay
Thesis: A Temporal Analysis of a Deep-Pelagic Crustacean Assemblage (Decapoda: Caridea: Oplophoridae and Pandalidae) in the Gulf of Mexico After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Devan Nichols
Thesis: The Assemblage Structure and Trophic Ecology of a Deep-Pelagic Fish Family (Platytroctidae) in the Gulf of Mexico, Michael Novotny
Thesis: Population Dynamics and Genotypic Richness of the Threatened Acropora spp. and their Hybrid in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hannah F. Nylander-Asplin
Thesis: Early Life History Response of Reef Building Coral, Orbicella faveolata, to Ocean Acidification and Warming, Kelly A. Pitts
Thesis: Species Richness, Diversity, and Abundance of Sponge Communities in Broward County, Florida, 2000-2015, Jessica Price
Thesis: Identification and spatiotemporal dynamics of tuna (Family: Scombridae; Tribe: Thunnini) early life stages in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico, Nina Pruzinsky
Thesis: Effects of ocean warming, sedimentation, and parental genotype on the post-settlement survival and growth of Acropora cervicornis recruits, Jena Robbins
Thesis: Heavy Metal Accumulation in Seagrasses in Southeastern Florida, Erin Smith
Thesis: Evaluating the Efficacy of Using Geomorphology as a Surrogate to Benthic Habitat on the Miami Terrace, Kim D. Smith
Thesis: Age and Growth of Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus) in Southeast Florida, Ian A. Towne
Thesis: Rare Parthenogenic Reproduction in a Common Reef Coral, Porites astreoides, Alicia A. Vollmer
Thesis: The role of ontogenetic habitat shifts on the parasite communities of five South Florida fishes, Brittany Nicole White
Thesis: Microbiome Diversity of Coastal Tidal Floodwater in Southeastern Florida, Marissa Wickes
Thesis: Trophic Ecology and Parasitism of a Mesopelagic Fish Assemblage, Matthew Woodstock
Thesis: Genomic Analysis of Acropora cervicornis Mucus and Sediments in the Florida Keys Tavernier Nursery, Rachel Zimmerman
Theses/Dissertations from 2017
Thesis: Reef Fish Assemblage Biogeography Along the Florida Reef Tract, Cory Ames
Thesis: Emerging Hotspot Analysis of Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) Mortality (1974-2012), Crystal Ann Bass
Thesis: Environmental Factors Affecting Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Nesting, Hatching, and Incubation Patterns in Broward County, Florida, Zoey Ellen Best
Thesis: Mapping the Spatial-Temporal Variation in Ras Ghanada Seagrass Meadows and Sand Shoals between 1996, 2006 & 2012, Ryan Brookbank
Thesis: Evaluating the Ecological Status of the Introduced Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus) in Florida: Forecasting Presence and Population Expansion Using Computational Geographic Information Systems, Noah G. Cohen
Thesis: The Relationship between Near Shore Hardbottom Exposure and Benthic Community Composition and Distribution in Palm Beach County, FL, Kristen A. Cumming
Thesis: "The Effects of Ocean Warming and Sedimentation on the Survival and Growth of Acropora cervicornis" and "Differential Prevalence of Chimerism during Embryogenesis in Corals", Hayley De Marchis
Thesis: Investigating the Effect of Mechanical Beach Cleaning on Nesting, Hatching and Emergence Success of Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Green (Chelonia mydas) Sea Turtles in Broward County, Florida, Megan A. Earney
Thesis: Differential Use of Two Warm-Water Effluents by the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and Temporal Distributions throughout Broward County, Florida, Laura F. Eldredge
Dissertation: The Biannual Cycle and Reproductive Morphology of the Yellow Stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1817), with a Comparative Analysis from Batoid Reproductive Literature, Daniel P. Fahy
Thesis: Evidence of Intermittent Residency in the Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus)., Megan Foley
Thesis: Coral vs. Macroalgae: Relative Susceptibility to Sedimentation and Ocean Warming, Ashton J. Galarno
Thesis: Variable Patterns in Spur and Groove Reef Morphology Explained by Physical Controls and their Relevance for Platform-Top Sedimentology, Robert C. Gardiner Jr
Thesis: Variation in Coral Recruitment and Juvenile Distribution Along the Southeast Florida Reef Tract, Leah M. Harper
Thesis: A Comparison of the Ichthyofaunal Trophic Ecology at Selected Limestone Artificial Reef Sites and Adjacent Natural Reef Sites, Joseph R. Hornbeck
Thesis: DNA Analysis of Surfactant-Associated Bacteria in a Natural Sea Slick in the Gulf of Mexico Observed by TerraSAR-X, Kathryn Howe
Thesis: Microbial Community Richness Distinguishes Shark Species Microbiomes in South Florida, Rachael Cassandra Karns
Dissertation: Exploring the Potential for Artificial Reefs in Coral Reef Restoration: Responses and Interactions of Associated Biota to Varying Experimental Treatments in the Mexican Caribbean, Audie Kirk Kilfoyle
Thesis: Effects of Ocean Warming and Acidification on Fertilization Success and Early Larval Development in the Green Sea Urchin, Lytechinus variegatus, Brittney L. Lenz
Thesis: Caecidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in Broward County, Florida, Andres S. Lester-Coll
Thesis: Distribution and Condition of Stony Corals in The Veracruz Reef System National Park: A Management Perspective, Mauricio López Padierna
Thesis: Growth of Orbicella faveolata in La Parguera, Puerto Rico, Darren B. Marshall
Thesis: Assessing the Rate and Extent of Transgenerational Acclimation and Adaptation to Ocean Warming, Abby C. Nease
Thesis: Age and Growth of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) near the South Ari Atoll, Maldives, Cameron T. Perry
Thesis: Forecasting the Spread and Invasive Potential of Apple Snails (Pomacea spp.) in Florida, Stephanie A. Reilly
Thesis: Nuclear Genome Size Diversity Of Marine Invertebrate Taxa Using Flow Cytometric Analysis, Kyle Roebuck
Thesis: Microbial and Genomic Analysis of Environmental Samples in Search of Pathogenic Salmonella, Jorie L. Skutas
Thesis: Bacterial Communities Associated with Healthy and Diseased Acropora cervicornis (Staghorn Coral) Using High-Throughput Sequencing, Charles Walton
Theses/Dissertations from 2016
Thesis: Population Fluctuation of the Nodular Coral Psammocora stellata in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: An Indicator of Community Resilience and Implications for Future Management, Kathryn Brown