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 2016
Thesis: An Endemic Commensal Leucothoid Discovered in the Tunicate Cnemidocarpa bicornuta, from New Zealand (Crustacea, Amphipoda), Kaitlyn M. Brucker
Thesis: Geographic and Depth Distributions of Decapod Shrimps (Caridea: Oplophoridae) from the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico with Notes on Ontogeny and Reproductive Seasonality, Eric A. Burdett
Thesis: Beach Nourishment: Effects on the Hatching & Emergence Success Rates of Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and Green (Chelonia mydas) Sea Turtles, Jenna Caderas
Thesis: Systematic Patterning of Sediments in French Polynesian Coral Reef Systems, Andrew Calhoun
Thesis: Bacterial Indicators of Fecal Pollution: Exploring Relationships between Fecal Coliform and Enterococcus Groups in Central and South Florida Surface Waters, Shelby G. Craig
Thesis: The Vertical and Horizontal Distribution of Deep-Sea Crustaceans of the Order Euphausiacea (Malacostraca: Eucarida) from the northern Gulf of Mexico with notes on reproductive seasonality., Charles Douglas Fine
Thesis: Reef Fish Spatial Distribution and Benthic Habitat Associations on the Southeast Florida Reef Tract, Dana Fisco
Thesis: Changes in Tursiops truncatus Distribution and Behavior in the Drowned Cayes, Belize, and Correlation to Human Impacts, Jazmin Garcia
Thesis: Distribution, Abundance and Movement of Fish among Seagrass and Mangrove Habitats in Biscayne Bay, Patrick C. Goebel
Thesis: Coral Genotype Influence on Growth and Stress Resistance in Acropora cervicornis: Investigating Potential Energy Tradeoffs, Peter T. Grasso
Thesis: Establishing an Ecological Baseline of Macroinfaunal Assemblages in Nearshore Sediments of Southeast Florida, Candace Grimes
Thesis: Can Skeletal Morphology Support New Molecular Phylogenies of Antedonidae (Crinoidea: Comatulida)?, Brenna Hays
Thesis: An Evaluation of the Seagrass Habitat in North Biscayne Bay, Florida, in Relation to a Changing Environment and Urbanization in the Port of Miami Harbor Basin 2005-2011, Sara M. Jarossy
Thesis: Effects of EMF Emissions from Undersea Electric Cables on Coral Reef Fishes, Robert F. Jermain
Thesis: Population Demographics and Sexual Reproduction Potential of the Pillar Coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, on the Florida Reef Tract, Lystina Kabay
Thesis: Using Regression-Based Effect Size Meta-Analysis to Investigate Coral Responses to Climate Change, Niklas Alexander Kornder
Thesis: Transgenerational Effects of Thermal Stress: Impacts On and Beyond Coral Reproduction, Alyson Kuba
Thesis: Acoustic Repertoire of Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Bachelor Groups in the Waters Surrounding Ischia, Italy (Tyrrhenian Sea), Cristina M. Ledon
Thesis: Reproductive Ecology of Dragonfishes (Family: Stomiidae) in the Gulf of Mexico, Alex D. Marks
Thesis: Abundance and Diversity of Deep-Sea Crustaceans of Bear Seamount, New England Seamount Chain, Valerie Renee Miranda
Thesis: Can Twilight Reefs Usher In A New Dawn For Depauperate Shallow Coral Reefs?, Hunter KG Noren
Thesis: Ports, Prosperity, and Pests: Assessing the Threat of Aquatic Invasive Species Introduced by Maritime Shipping Activity in Cuba, Charleen O'Brien
Thesis: Artificial Reefs as Juvenile Fish Habitats in Marinas, Allison Patranella
Thesis: Characterization of the Marine Sponge Amphimedon compressa Microbiome Across a Spatial Gradient, Renee Michelle Potens
Thesis: Trophic Ecology of Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) From Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, David C. Roche
Thesis: A Comparison of Qualitative and Quantitative Data Collection Techniques to Assess Mapping Accuracy in the Florida Keys, Ian K. Rodericks
Thesis: Global Genetic Connectivity and Diversity in a Shark of High Conservation Concern, the Oceanic Whitetip, Carcharhinus longimanus, Cassandra L. Ruck
Thesis: Effects of Sedimentation on the Physiology and Oxidative Stress of Two Common Scleractinian Corals, Margaret E. Rushmore
Thesis: Sustainable Whale-watching for the Philippines: A Bioeconomic Model of the Spinner Dolphin (Stenella Longirostris), Allison Jenny Santos
Thesis: Coral Persistence to Ocean Warming via Developmental Acclimation, Heather L. Schaneen
Thesis: Effects of 17 β-estradiol and Progesterone on Acropora cervicornis and Porites astreoides Growth and Reproduction, Joshua L. Stocker
Thesis: Quantifying the Toxicity of 1-Methylnaphthalene to the Shallow-Water Coral, Porites divaricata, for Use in the Target Lipid Model, Nicholas Turner
Thesis: Coral recovery on phase-shifted reefs depend upon the type of macroalgae present, Justin N. Voss
Thesis: A Tale of Two Theories: Using an Engineered Strain of E. coli to Bridge the Gap Between Quorum Sensing and Diffusion Sensing, Cortney E. Wilson
Theses/Dissertations from 2015
Thesis: Ecology, Population Dynamics, and Sexual Characteristics of Commensal Leucothoid Amphipods with the Sponge Cliona varians in the Florida Keys (Crustacea: Amphipoda), Stephanie Lynn Andringa
Thesis: A Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) Spatial Metric with Respect to the Western North Atlantic Pelagic Longline Fishery, Max Appelman
Thesis: Thermal Preferences and Critical Temperature Regimes of the Western North Atlantic Invasive Lionfish Complex (Pterois spp.), Benjamin Barker
Thesis: Translocation of Acropora cervicornis Across Geographic Regions: Investigating Species Recovery and Restoration, Bradley Cody Bliss
Thesis: Connectivity of Coastal and Oceanic Ecosystems: Pelagic Habitat Use by Juvenile Reef Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico, Katie Bowen
Thesis: Caffeine Elicits Time Dependent Biphasic Response of Functional Recovery in Carassius auratus Hemilabyrinthectomy Lesion Model, Bethany Brockhoff
Thesis: The Our Florida Reefs Coastal Use Survey: An Online Survey to Support Stakeholder Management Recommendations for Southeast Florida, Amanda Rose Costaregni
Dissertation: Feasibility of Using Biofuel By-Products as a Sustainable Nutritional Resource for Aquaculture Production of Litopenaeus vannamei, Erik David DeMicco
Thesis: Time-Series Evaluation of Suspect Rickettsiales-like Bacteria Presence in Acropora cervicornis off of Broward County from Years 2001–2012, Steven Di Lauro
Thesis: Species Specific Microcalcification in Reef Building Caribbean Corals in Ocean Acidification Conditions, Ashley M. Dungan
Thesis: A Quantitative Assessment of the January 2010 Cold Spell Effect on Mangrove Utilizing Coral Reef Fishes from Biscayne National Park, Florida, Jeffrey M. Ellis
Thesis: Natural vs. Anthropogenic Sedimentation: Does Reducing a Local Stressor Increase Coral Resilience to Climate Change?, Francesca Fourney
Thesis: A Comparison of Infaunal Community Structure Between Pre- and Post Construction Sampling of Artificial FDOT Rock- Pile Reefs in Broward County, Florida, Joan Lorraine Guerra
Thesis: DNA Analysis of Surfactant Associated Bacteria in the Sea Surface Microlayer in Application to Satellite Remote Sensing Techniques: Case Studies in the Straits of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, Bryan Hamilton
Thesis: Feeding Ecology and Habitat Utilization of the Great Barracuda Sphyraena barracuda (Edwards 1771) in Southeast Florida, Noah R. Hansen
Thesis: Biodiversity and Ecological Dynamics of Sciophilous Benthic Communities on Artificial Plates: Emphasis on Reef Sponges, Caidra Elizabeth Hassanzada
Thesis: Evaluation of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the Florida Coastal Pelagic Fish Complex Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Event, Rachel Hickey
Thesis: Staghorn Coral, Acropora cervicornis, Restoration in South Florida: Growth and Survivorship of Outplanted Nursery Corals, Meaghan Johnson
Dissertation: Computer Modeling the Incursion Patterns of Marine Invasive Species, Matthew W. Johnston
Thesis: Modeling of Epizootics on Four Genera of Arabian Gulf Corals, John Alexander Kluge
Thesis: Cross-Shelf and Latitudinal Benthic Community Investigation in the Nearshore Habitats of the Northern Florida Reef Tract, Katelyn Klug
Thesis: Faunal Composition and Distribution of Pelagic Larval and Juvenile Flatfishes (Teleostei: Pleuronectiformes) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Connectivity Between Coastal and Oceanic Epipelagic Ecosystems, Lacey Malarky
Thesis: A Comparison of Macroinfaunal Community Structure between Artificial Concrete Boulder Reefs and Adjacent Natural Reefs in Broward County, Florida, Amber C. Metallo
Thesis: Estimating Growth and Mortality in Elasmobranchs: Are we doing it correctly?, Brian J. Moe
Thesis: Fine-Grained Bacterial Compositional Analsysis of the Port Everglades Inlet (Broward County, FL) Microbiome using High Throughput DNA Sequencing, Lauren M. O'Connell
Thesis: Land-Based Coral Nurseries: A Valuable Tool for Production and Transplantation of Acropora cervicornis, Keri L. O'Neil
Thesis: The Effects of Petroleum Pollutants on Sea Urchins Reproduction and Development, Kellie C. Pelikan
Dissertation: Histology and Ultrastructure of Montastraea cavernosa and Porites astreiodes During Regeneration and Recruitment: Anthropogenic Stressors and Transplant Success, Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar
Thesis: A Revision of the Genera of Charitometridae with Abruptly Expanded Genital Pinnules, Alois Romanowski
Thesis: Seasonal Warm-Water Refuge and Sanctuary Usage by the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in Kings Bay, Citrus County, Florida, Danielle C. Sattelberger
Thesis: Connectivity of Reef Fishes Between Mangroves and Coral Reefs in Broward County, Florida, Jennifer Savaro
Thesis: Feeding Ecology of the Invasive Lionfish (Pterois spp.) and Comparison with Two Native Species: Schoolmaster Lutjanus apodus (Walbaum, 1792) and Graysby Cephalopholis cruentata (Lacepède, 1802), Jesse J. Secord
Thesis: A Comparative Evaluation of Mitigation Wetlands in Broward County, Florida, Using Chironomid (Ditera) Pupal Exuviae: A Potential Technique for Assessing Mitigation Success, Ryan St. George
Dissertation: A Phylogenetic Revision of Superfamily Himerometroidea (Echinodermata: Crinoidea), Kristian Taylor
Thesis: Bacterial Community Dynamics In Marine Sponge Cinachyrella kuekenthali Under Irradiance and Antibiotics, Nidhi Vijayan
Thesis: Assessment of Nursery-Raised Acropora cervicornis Transplants in the Upper Florida Keys, Matthew Ware
Thesis: Acute and Chronic Effects of Large-Vessel Anchoring on Coral Reef Communities Inside a Designated Commercial Anchorage, Lauren Waters
Theses/Dissertations from 2014
Thesis: Reproductive parameters of two coastal pelagic fishes off southeast Florida: Blackfin Tuna Thunnus atlanticus and Little Tunny Euthynnus alletteratus, Sonia Ahrabi-Nejad
Thesis: Diet of the Antillean Manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in Belize, Central America, Aarin Conrad Allen
Dissertation - NSU Access Only: Population Connectivity in the Ocean: A Genetic View of Upper Trophic Level Fishes Displaying Contrasting Life Histories, Andrea M. Bernard
Thesis: Assessment of Macroinvertebrate Communities and Heavy Metal Contamination Along the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Robert Bernhard
Thesis: Conch Population Demographics and Habitat Association Near Port Everglades Inlet, Florida, Charlotte A. Berry
Thesis: The Detection of Amazonian Manatees (Trichechus inunguis) Using Side-Scan Sonar and the Effect of Oil Activities on Their Habitats in Eastern Ecuador, Caitlin E. Brice
Thesis: Prokaryotic Diversity of the Wastewater Outfalls, Reefs, and Inlets of Broward County, Alexandra Mandina Campbell
Thesis: A Principal Component Analysis of Vertical Temperature Profiles for Tracking Movements of Swordfish Xiphias gladius, Kathryn G. Carmody
Dissertation: Increase of Excavating Sponges on Caribbean Coral Reefs: Reproduction, Dispersal, and Coral Deterioration, Andia Chaves-Fonnegra
Thesis: Biophysical Interactions in the Straits of Florida: Turbulent Mixing Due to Diel Vertical Migrations of Zooplankton, Cayla Whitney Dean
Thesis: Post Disturbance Coral Populations: Patterns in Live Cover and Colony Size Classes from Transect Studies in Two Oceans, Claire A. Dolphin
Thesis: Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Hatchling Disorientation in Broward County, Florida, Allison Durland Donahou
Thesis: A Mitogenomics View of the Population Structure and Evolutionary History of the Basking Shark Cetorhinus maximum, Kimberly A. Finnegan
Thesis - NSU Access Only: Evaluating the Role of Seagrass Beds as a Food Resource in Port Everglades, Florida, Christina Gabriel
Thesis: Global Population Structure of the Dusky Shark and Geographic Sourcing of Shark Fins from Commercial Markets, Teagen K. Gray
Thesis: The Effects of an Extended Power Plant Shutdown on the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in Port Everglades, Florida, Christopher Grissett
Thesis: Distribution, Growth, and Impact of the Coral-Excavating Sponge, Cliona delitrix, on the Stony Coral Communities Offshore Southeast Florida, Ari Halperin
Thesis: Habitat and Seasonal Distribution of the North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) and Vertebrate Species Assemblages in Two Protected Areas of the Florida Everglades, Catherine Faye Hamilton
Thesis: Changes in Coral Community Composition at Devil's Crown, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador: A 7,700 Year Perspective, Katharine Jane Hendrickson
Thesis - NSU Access Only: An Evaluation of Inclusion Criteria for Highly Migratory Species in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Shawn Martin
Thesis: Reproduction and Population of Porites divaricata at Rodriguez Key: The Florida Keys, USA, John McDermond
Thesis: Trophic Dynamics and Feeding Ecology of the Southeast Florida Coastal Pelagic Fish Community, Travis Allan Moore
Thesis: Microbial Community Assembly found with Sponge Orange Band Disease in Xestospongia muta (Giant Barrel Sponge), Rebecca Mulheron
Thesis: Modeling Flightless Galapagos Seabirds as Impacted by El Nino and Climate Change, Brian Seth Putman
Thesis: Measuring Viability of the Red-Tide Dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedra Following Treatment with Ultraviolet (UV) Light, Scott Riley
Thesis: Long-Term Stony Coral Transplantation Success Offshore Southeast, Florida, USA, Theresa Elizabeth Robitaille
Thesis: Evidence of the Enemy Release Hypothesis: Parasites of the Lionfish Complex (Pterios volitans and P. miles) in the Western North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea, Kayelyn Regina Simmons
Dissertation: Molecular Ecology of Globally Distributed Sharks, Christine B. Testerman