Oregon Sea Grant

Two species of burrowing shrimp occur in high densities in US West Coast estuaries, the ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, and the blue mud shrimp, Upogebia pugettensis. Both species of shrimp are considered ecosystem engineers as they bioturbate and irrigate extensive galleries within the sediment. While their burrows comprise a dominant habitat type in west coast estuaries, little is known about these shrimps’ diet and their role in estuarine food webs.

Marine microbes exhibit highly varied, often non-spherical shapes that have functional significance for essential processes, including nutrient acquisition and sinking rates. There is a surprising absence of data, however, on how cell shape affects grazing, which is crucial for predicting the fate of oceanic carbon. We used synthetic spherical and prolate spheroid microbeads to isolate the effect of particle length-to-width ratios on grazing and fate in the ocean.

Each year, over 45 countries export 30 million fish from coral reefs as part of the global marine ornamental aquarium trade. This catch volume is partly influenced by collection methods that cause mortality. This article evaluates how decompression and venting affect stress and mortality in the Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens).

Many multispecies models have assumed that prey density determines the per-capita predator consumption rates, following a functional response relationship. However, empirical evidence suggests that a predator’s diet can also be influenced by a variety of environmental factors, including interactions with other predators.

The December 2007 storm, otherwise known as the Great Coastal Gale of 2007, was a series of extratropical cyclones that brought highly unprecedented wind speeds and precipitation to the Oregon and Washington coasts of the United States.