Coastal salt marshes support a diversity of nekton and facilitate critical ecosystem functions but are threatened by shoreline development and climate change. Therefore, coastal ecosystem managers have begun incentivizing the use of living shorelines (LS), erosion control structures incorporating native plantings, to mitigate ecological consequences of marsh loss. However, post-restoration climate changes may shift habitat templates and negate positive effects of ecosystem restoration. I evaluated the ecology nekton along LS, natural marshes, hardened shorelines and greyed shorelines within Biloxi Bay, Mississippi, during a high freshwater discharge (HFD) period by comparing nekton assemblage (using species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and relative abundance), trophic structure (using physical diets and stable isotope analysis), and their responses to abiotic shifts along an estuarine gradient. Overall, I noted a decrease in richness and diversity during HFD and a more homogenous nekton assemblage along the estuarine gradient. No benefit to nekton assemblage was detected along LS, although habitat type was broadly less influential in predicting the relative abundance of common nekton during HFD. Although trophic structure varied by season and estuary position, organisms along natural marshes showed more dependence on benthic and intertidal resources whereas LS functioned intermediately between natural marshes and developed shorelines. This study will help managers to further understand the efficacy of LS in areas prone to frequent disturbance or climate change, and calls attention to important considerations when implementing a LS that may serve to improve monitoring efforts and furthers our understanding of the efficacy of this restoration strategy.
","abstract_html":"<p>Coastal salt marshes support a diversity of nekton and facilitate critical ecosystem functions but are threatened by shoreline development and climate change. Therefore, coastal ecosystem managers have begun incentivizing the use of living shorelines (LS), erosion control structures incorporating native plantings, to mitigate ecological consequences of marsh loss. However, post-restoration climate changes may shift habitat templates and negate positive effects of ecosystem restoration. I evaluated the ecology nekton along LS, natural marshes, hardened shorelines and greyed shorelines within Biloxi Bay, Mississippi, during a high freshwater discharge (HFD) period by comparing nekton assemblage (using species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and relative abundance), trophic structure (using physical diets and stable isotope analysis), and their responses to abiotic shifts along an estuarine gradient. Overall, I noted a decrease in richness and diversity during HFD and a more homogenous nekton assemblage along the estuarine gradient. No benefit to nekton assemblage was detected along LS, although habitat type was broadly less influential in predicting the relative abundance of common nekton during HFD. Although trophic structure varied by season and estuary position, organisms along natural marshes showed more dependence on benthic and intertidal resources whereas LS functioned intermediately between natural marshes and developed shorelines. This study will help managers to further understand the efficacy of LS in areas prone to frequent disturbance or climate change, and calls attention to important considerations when implementing a LS that may serve to improve monitoring efforts and furthers our understanding of the efficacy of this restoration strategy.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Schumacher, Glenn"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Kevin Dillon","Dr. Michael Andres","Dr. Mark Peterson"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:33Z","subjects":["Estuary","Coastal","Living Shorline","Shoreline Developement","Trophic Structure","Stable Isotope Analysis","Marine Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/921","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Kevin Dillon","Dr. Michael Andres","Dr. Mark Peterson"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Schumacher, Glenn"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-07-13T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Estuary","Coastal","Living Shorline","Shoreline Developement","Trophic Structure","Stable Isotope Analysis","Marine Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/921"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Coastal salt marshes support a diversity of nekton and facilitate critical ecosystem functions but are threatened by shoreline development and climate change. Therefore, coastal ecosystem managers have begun incentivizing the use of living shorelines (LS), erosion control structures incorporating native plantings, to mitigate ecological consequences of marsh loss. However, post-restoration climate changes may shift habitat templates and negate positive effects of ecosystem restoration. I evaluated the ecology nekton along LS, natural marshes, hardened shorelines and greyed shorelines within Biloxi Bay, Mississippi, during a high freshwater discharge (HFD) period by comparing nekton assemblage (using species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and relative abundance), trophic structure (using physical diets and stable isotope analysis), and their responses to abiotic shifts along an estuarine gradient. Overall, I noted a decrease in richness and diversity during HFD and a more homogenous nekton assemblage along the estuarine gradient. No benefit to nekton assemblage was detected along LS, although habitat type was broadly less influential in predicting the relative abundance of common nekton during HFD. Although trophic structure varied by season and estuary position, organisms along natural marshes showed more dependence on benthic and intertidal resources whereas LS functioned intermediately between natural marshes and developed shorelines. This study will help managers to further understand the efficacy of LS in areas prone to frequent disturbance or climate change, and calls attention to important considerations when implementing a LS that may serve to improve monitoring efforts and furthers our understanding of the efficacy of this restoration strategy.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Effects of shoreline development and freshwater discharge on nekton assemblage and trophic structure in a northern Gulf of Mexico estuary"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Kevin Dillon","Dr. Michael Andres","Dr. Mark Peterson"],"dc:creator":["Schumacher, Glenn"],"dc:date.available":["2023-07-13T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Coastal salt marshes support a diversity of nekton and facilitate critical ecosystem functions but are threatened by shoreline development and climate change. Therefore, coastal ecosystem managers have begun incentivizing the use of living shorelines (LS), erosion control structures incorporating native plantings, to mitigate ecological consequences of marsh loss. However, post-restoration climate changes may shift habitat templates and negate positive effects of ecosystem restoration. I evaluated the ecology nekton along LS, natural marshes, hardened shorelines and greyed shorelines within Biloxi Bay, Mississippi, during a high freshwater discharge (HFD) period by comparing nekton assemblage (using species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and relative abundance), trophic structure (using physical diets and stable isotope analysis), and their responses to abiotic shifts along an estuarine gradient. Overall, I noted a decrease in richness and diversity during HFD and a more homogenous nekton assemblage along the estuarine gradient. No benefit to nekton assemblage was detected along LS, although habitat type was broadly less influential in predicting the relative abundance of common nekton during HFD. Although trophic structure varied by season and estuary position, organisms along natural marshes showed more dependence on benthic and intertidal resources whereas LS functioned intermediately between natural marshes and developed shorelines. This study will help managers to further understand the efficacy of LS in areas prone to frequent disturbance or climate change, and calls attention to important considerations when implementing a LS that may serve to improve monitoring efforts and furthers our understanding of the efficacy of this restoration strategy.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/921"],"dc:subject":["Estuary","Coastal","Living Shorline","Shoreline Developement","Trophic Structure","Stable Isotope Analysis","Marine Biology"],"dc:title":["Effects of shoreline development and freshwater discharge on nekton assemblage and trophic structure in a northern Gulf of Mexico estuary"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:33Z"}