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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.

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