What Is The Devil's Hole Pupfish?

Sharks grow slowly and reproduce at a low rate. Their natural rate of replenishment is low, because they reproduce late in life and produce few offspring (Sims and Reid, 2002). If too many of a certain shark species is killed in a certain area, it is possible that that species may never recover. For example, the number of dusky sharks and sandbar sharks off the eastern United States decreased by more than 80% between 1985 and 1995. The sand tiger shark and the great white shark are threatened world-wide. Despite reproduction, little is known about the status, behavior patterns, and their migration patterns of most

Daphnia, also known as water fleas, are small crustaceans about 1mm-5mm long and are part of the freshwater zooplankton (Ebert 2005, Hutchinson 2005 & Clifford 1991). Daphnia can be found in most fresh water habitats such as freshwater springs, ponds and reservoirs and are the predominant food for planktivorous fish. Dapnia are ‘filter feeders’ meaning they feed on small particles suspended in the water which can include algae. It has been found that daphnia tend to migrate to the upper parts of the water at night and return to the lower parts of the water in the day to hide from predators (Ebert 2005) (Hutchinson 2005). Daphnia can reproduce through sexual reproduction and also asexual

An invasive species has entered Maryland’s waters and threatens to dramatically alter the balance of the aquatic ecosystem. The Northern Snakehead fish, native to Asia and Africa, is a voracious predator, competing with native fish at all stages of its life. The juveniles will consume zooplankton, insect larvae, small crustaceans and other fry fish. Adults eat fish, crustaceans, frogs, small reptiles and even birds and mammals. Snakeheads aggressively protect their young. They are also air-breathers which allow them to survive on land for as long as four days and migrate up to a quarter mile over land making control difficult. Snakeheads carry a disease, Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome, and there is concern this disease may be transmitted to native fish. The snakehead fish was probably intentionally released in the U.S. by aquarium owners and through the live food fish trade attempting to establish a local food source. To date, the snakehead fish is found in seven states with reproducing populations documented in Maryland and Florida. In Maryland, they have been captured in the Potomac River and tributaries. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Biological Resources Division of the U.S.G.S. are all involved in monitoring and eradicating the snakehead fish. Maryland anglers can help by learning to identify the snakehead fish and by removing it from the ecosystem. As further incentive, Maryland DNR has offered

The Daphnia have a wide variety of predators. Their main predators include smaller fish that can be found

Each spring, the Delaware Bay becomes the site of one of the most spectacular and ancient phenomena in the natural world: the spawning of horseshoe crabs and the flocking of ravenous shorebirds that depend on them.

The population dynamics of Daphnia magna are observed under three different conditions; low, medium, and high density. The effects of different population densities on the survivorship and reproduction of Daphnia are observed over a two-week period within a lab environment. Over the two week period, the numbers of parent Daphnia alive and dead are recorded daily, along with the amount of offspring produced each day. From the main parameter investigated, the net reproductive rate, the results of the experiment support that higher densities result in less successful reproduction and decreased fecundity. Values for the instantaneous growth rate of the populations also suggests that low and medium density populations allow for

Recently, various user groups have relied on horseshoe crabs for bait and nutrition. While concerns have arisen that the horseshoe crab populations are declining, management of the American species of horseshoe crabs has been surrounded by controversy (Davis et al., 2006). Historically, horseshoe crabs have been considered a “trash-fish”, not worthy of resources to establish their population data. As a result, reporting regulations and harvest restrictions associated with this fishery have been lacking (Baker et al., 2004).

Scientists speculate that rays diverged from sharks about 20 million years ago during the Jurassic period (Poortvliet, 2015). The Chilean Devil ray (Mobula tarapacana) is also a close relative to the Mobula ray, with the estimated time of divergence at 18.3 million years ago. The body shape of the devil rays we see today is from an evolutionary change of about five million years ago. The Spinetail Mobula Mobula japanica is the closest relative to the Mobula. These two species are so physically similar that distinguishing between the two can only be done by experts. However, it is spineless, which separates it from the Spinetail Mobula and the Devil Ray. Because Mobula mobular and Mobula japanica are so hard to distinguish from one another, some scientists speculate that the range in which Mobula mobular live and breed could be larger. The blips in the fossil record leave us

Daphnia are used to test water toxicity, they are a vital part of fresh water ecosystems. They are a food source for smaller fish and invertebrates and considered to be a consumer of algae and bacteria (Elbert, 2005). These small crustaceans range in size from 2-5mm long and are commonly referred to as water fleas. Daphnia belong to the group called Daphniidae, which is a relative of freshwater shrimp. It is easy to see the internal organs of daphnia because of a transparent taco shell like carapace. A carapace is the hard outer part of a shell or covering. A daphnia’s life span can range between 1-56 days. (Elenbaas, 2013; Clare 2002). The comfortable pH level for daphnia is between 7.2 and 8.5 (Clare, 2002).

The devil’s club plant is dangerous because it is covered in tons of spines. The spines cover every surface of the plant excluding the roots and the berries. Even the leaves are shielded by the plant’s stiff spines (Heutte). On the stem the spines are so close to each other that “they seem to compete with each other for space” (Heutte). The devil’s club’s spines break off once they enter skin or clothing. These spines would make life difficult for whoever it enters while it is in them (Turner).

Tasmanian devils have been rapidly decreasing in population since the year 1998. The Tasmanian devil only lives in the country Tasmania. Recently scientists have noticed that the devils have been suffering from a deadly disease called devil facial tumor disease. The tumor forms on the animals face or neck and causes them to not be able to eat or drink. The disease was first reported on the animals in 1998 in the north eastern region of Tasmania.

Anglerfish - The Anglerfish belongs to the same family as number two on our list. Many consider it to be one of the ugliest animals on the planet, let alone the deep sea. Maybe its because its eyes look like those googly eyes that you used for art projects in kindergarten; Or It could also be because it has sharp, jagged teeth that look like they haven’t been brushed in a few years. It’s quite possible that this thing gave you nightmares after you first watched Finding Nemo as a kid. Talk about a jump scare!

There is a common conception that due to the immense size of oceans and it’s species’ richness, species population decline is a rarity. However, such decline may result in a damaged marine ecosystem. A top predator that plays a key role in the marine ecosystem is the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus. This species is a warm blooded predator that are “highly migratory species that may reach a weight of 900 kg” (). The Western Northern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna migrate primarily to the Gulf of Mexico for spawning during late spring where “larvae are in preferred water temperature ranging from 20 degrees Celsius to 25 degree Celsius” (). They then migrate back to the northern West Atlantic for feeding where there “life span is an average of

The accidental introduction of larvae to the Galapagos Islands have resulted in weakening and killing of the nestlings (University of Washington, 2016). Females lay their eggs on nesting grounds where they usually hatch 12-13 days after incubation. With this, larvae find their way into the nostril cavities of nestlings, nibbling away for three days before migrating to the bottom of the nest where they remain out of view throughout the day (Kolbert, 2013). At night, they surface to feed on the nestlings’ blood where as many as 184 larvae are found in a nest at one time (Kolbert, 2013). Since the population density of the parasites is overwhelmingly immense the nestlings typically do not survive and if they do they end up deformed and struggle to eat (Kolbert, 2013).

Pterois volitans and Pterois miles, more commonly known as lionfish, are aquatic marine species native to the Indo-Pacific region (Carberry, 2014; Cote, Green, & Hixon, 2013; Hackerott et al., 2013; Kulbicki et al., 2012; Morell, 2010). Introduced to Florida in 1985, lionfish soon spread as an invasive species throughout the southeastern coasts of the United States and the Caribbean (Albins, 2015; Arias-Gonzalez, Gonzalez-Gandara, Cabrera, & Christensen, 2011; Bejarano, Lohr, Hamilton, & Manfrino, 2015; Carberry, 2014; Cote et al., 2013; S. Green, 2014; S. J. Green, Akins, Maljkovic, & Cote, 2012; Jud, Nichols, & Layman, 2015; Morell, 2010; Raymond, Albins, & Pusack, 2015; Ruiz-Carus, Matheson, Roberts, & Whitfield, 2006). Lionfish populations have grown exponentially in these coral reef ecosystems (Albins & Hixon, 2013; Arias-Gonzalez et al., 2011; Bayraktarov, Alarcon-Moscoso, Polanco, & Wild, 2014; Cote et al., 2013; Edwards, Frazer, & Jacoby, 2014; S. J.