| Early Life History Dynamics Team |
| The theme of our research is the early life history (ELH) stages of fishes and crustaceans. ELH stages of marine animals are critical in determining the status of adult populations as most species produce large numbers of eggs and larvae that are cast into the sea to spend days, weeks, months, and even years far from the site of the adult habitat. These ELH stages are generally pelagic and drift with currents over wide distances. Eventually as they become late larvae or early juveniles they return to nursery areas near adult habitats. This whole process is very complex and dynamic with many external events controlling populations. Our focus is on the process and determining what factors influence future population sizes with a long term goal of developing models to predict future population sizes. To accomplish this we study aspects of the ecology of these animals, with emphasis on the influence of oceanographic processes on ELH stages. |
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| Current research focuses on the South Florida Ecosystem - Florida Bay, the Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas, and the upstream marine ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Our primary target species are those that are vital to the ecology and the economy of the region: snappers (Lutjanus spp.), penaeid shrimp (Farfantespenaeus spp.), and spiny lobsters (Panulirus spp.). In addition we are taking a broad look at all ELH stages of fishes found in this region with a prime emphasis on bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) larvae that are found in the principal western Atlantic spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico. Annual ichthyoplankton surveys in the Gulf are part of a long-term, continuing program that commenced in 1980. Specialized studies of the South Florida Ecosystem started in 1990 with joint physical oceanography and plankton surveys along the continental shelf from the Florida Keys to the Dry Tortugas in an effort to determine the recruitment mechanisms from the Florida Current to the coastal zone of the Keys. The latest cruises were conducted in May and August of 2002 to investigate the potential of the semi-permanent Tortugas eddy and associated coastal eddies as retention and transport mechanisms for ELH stages <link to recent CIMAS reports on 2002 Gunter cruises CIMAS*>. More recently, the interest of the South Florida Restoration Program in ELH ecology provides us the opportunity to extend our effort further inshore to look specifically at coastal eddy processes and transport pathways from the Florida Current through the inter-island channels in the Keys and into Florida Bay <Jones et al 2001.pdf>. Finally, the NOAA Coral Reef Initiative enables us to study ELH processes from an organismal perspective with the use of elemental analysis to link a coral reef fish with habitats and environments over the course of its development based on elemental analyses <Lara et al 2003.pdf>. The group also participated in a cooperative project with Colombian colleagues in an effort to understand recruitment of south Caribbean species and with active participation in the Intra Americans Sea (ISA)
(http://www.iaslinks.org/.). Future work is planned to also look at upstream localities in the Mexican Caribbean with colleagues from Mexico. |
| The team is comprised of the following research scientists:
William J. Richards, Ph.D. is the team leader whose research interests are on the identification of ELH stages of fishes and ELH distribution and ecology. Dr. Richards is assembling an ELH fish identification guide entitled "Early stages of fishes of the western central North Atlantic". John T. Lamkin, Ph.D. focuses on broad aspects of larval bluefin tuna ecology, supervising the South Florida Restoration Project work and the Coral Reef Project. Thomas Jackson, M.S. works on larval fish identification and field work operations in Florida Bay. Maria M. Criales, Ph.D. is an Associate Scientist at the University of Miami working on recruitment and ELH stages of shrimp. Monica R. Lara, Ph.D. Research Scientist at the University of Miami's Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science focuses on ELH research on Florida Keys and elemental analysis of snapper otoliths. David L. Jones, M.S. is a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami and is focusing on biological oceanographic aspects of larval fish distribution especially labroid fishes as well as elemental analysis of fish otoliths. Cynthia Yeung, Ph.D. recently left to join the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, but continues her association with us with her work on spiny lobsters. Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D. a new post-doctoral staff person is planning on joining our team in late March, 2003. |
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