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Date of Award
Fall 2024
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Department or Program Affiliation
Biology-Marine and Estuarine Science
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Strom, Suzanne L., 1959-
Second Advisor
Arellano, Shawn M.
Third Advisor
Olson, M. Brady (Michael Brady)
Abstract
Rhizaria are a diverse group of large (~50 µm to 5 mm) hetero- and mixotrophic amoeboid marine protists that are often overlooked due to their lower abundances and wide size range relative to other plankton, and fragility. Despite the global distribution of these unique protists, the fundamentals of their biology and ecology are poorly understood due to an insufficient number of datasets and differing methodologies. Rhizaria have been a missing puzzle piece of the protist community in the northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA). Understanding their ecology will provide a more complete picture of trophodynamics in this subarctic marine ecosystem. The NGA is a variable yet productive region that is experiencing a long-term warming trend. Therefore, it is important to monitor protist assemblages because a shift in community composition could reverberate up to higher trophic levels and impact food web resiliency. Changes in food web dynamics could also affect the viability of Alaskan fisheries, an industry of high impor
Type
Text
Keywords
Rhizaria, Radiolaria, Foraminifera, Cercozoa, northern Gulf of Alaska, ecology, abundance, biogeography, diversity, trophodynamics
Publisher
Western Washington University
OCLC Number
1463949391
Subject – LCSH
Radiolaria--Ecology--Alaska--Alaska, Gulf of;Foraminifera--Ecology--Alaska--Alaska, Gulf of;Marine protozoa--Alaska--Alaska, Gulf of;Marine ecology--Alaska--Alaska, Gulf of;Food chains (Ecology)--Alaska--Alaska, Gulf of
Geographic Coverage
Alaska, Gulf of (Alaska)
Format
application/pdf
Genre/Form
masters theses
Language
English
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Recommended Citation
Blais, Jaime, "Rhizaria marine protists are unexpectedly abundant and exhibit taxonomic and trophic diversity in the northern Gulf of Alaska" (2024). WWU Graduate School Collection. 1337.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/1337