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Thesis
EFFECTS OF PHOTOPERIOD AND ACCLIMATION TEMPERATURE ON CRITICAL THERMAL MAXIMA AND MINIMA OF DUSKY PIPEFISH, SYNGNATHUS FLORIDAE
University of West Florida
Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida
2015
Abstract
Dusky pipefish (Syngnathus floridae Jordan and Gilbert, 1882) living in shallow water environments in the northwest Gulf of Mexico are exposed to marked changes in seasonal and daily water temperatures. The study of temperature and photoperiod effects on syngnathid thermal tolerance, however, is limited and contradictory. In this study, Dusky pipefish were acclimated to temperature and photoperiod combinations representative of summer, winter, and spring/fall seasons in northern Florida. Critical thermal methodology (CTM) was used to test photothermal treatment effects on upper and lower temperature tolerance. Acclimation temperature and photoperiod were found to be statistically influential and interactive. Simple effects analyses determined acclimation temperature had a statistically significant effect on pipefish behavior, with thermal tolerance increasing with increasing temperature. Photoperiod effects were significant, but inversely related to day length, such that longer summer day lengths decreased thermal tolerance. These data suggest that thermal pipefish tolerance is influenced more by ambient water temperatures than by day length. Additional work on Dusky pipefish responses to fluctuating thermal regimens and increasing exposure time may provide a better understanding on the evolutionary selective pressures shaping the thermal ecology of Dusky pipefishes across their geographic range.
Details
- Title
- EFFECTS OF PHOTOPERIOD AND ACCLIMATION TEMPERATURE ON CRITICAL THERMAL MAXIMA AND MINIMA OF DUSKY PIPEFISH, SYNGNATHUS FLORIDAE
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Publisher
- University of West Florida
- Format
- text
- Copyright
- http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
- Identifiers
- 99380090759506600
- Academic Unit
- Biology
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Master of Science (MS)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida