Predictive Habitat Model for the Snapping Shrimp Genus <i>Alpheus</i> in the Coastal Southeastern United States

<p>The present study focused on factors influencing <em>Alpheus</em> distribution in the Gulf of Mexico and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. The objectives were to perform a biogeographical analysis of the currently known <em>Alpheus</em> species distribution, develop a spatially explicit predictive model, and experimentally verify the importance of substrate as a key modeling variable through a laboratory-based substrate choice study. Significant predictor variables included in the final model for the Gulf of Mexico were Shepard code, seabed class, the quadratic artificial reef term, the quadratic shore term, the distance to shore, the indirect predictors of longitude and latitude, and three interaction terms (longitude and latitude, quadratic reef term and quadratic shore terms, and Shepard code and distance to shore). The predicted probabilities of snapping shrimp absence were comparable to those found in the training data set for the Gulf of Mexico. The AUC indicated that the best model built on the Gulf of Mexico training data set was not able to predict snapping shrimp distribution in the northwestern Atlantic better than a random prediction. The laboratory study verified that the snapping shrimp <em>Alpheus heterochaelis</em> exhibit a significant preference for substrates in a manner consistent with the results of the biogeographical analysis. The present study elucidates relationships among environmental characteristics and genus level spatial distribution of snapping shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico, but not the northwestern Atlantic. Further refinement of this model will enable more accurate prediction of snapping shrimp distribution.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biological Sciences

Year dc:date.available

2010

Author dc:creator

• Anderson, Laura Catherine

Contributors dc:contributor

• Patricia Biesiot
• Ray Bauer
• Robb Diehl

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/391

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1462