Term of Award
Spring 2007
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Biology
Committee Chair
Daniel F. Gleason
Committee Member 1
Bruce Schulte
Committee Member 2
Sophie George
Committee Member 3
Todd Deal
Abstract
The allocation of chemical defenses to regions most at risk to predator attack may provide adequate protection at minimal metabolic cost. This study examined chemical defense allocation within three sponge species from a temperate reef by investigating the predictions that: concentrations of chemical defenses are 1) higher in the outer 2 mm of the sponge tissue, 2) positively correlated with tissue nutritional quality, 3) negatively correlated with sponge structural components, and 4) varied enough to have differential effects on predator deterrence. The concentrations of chemical defenses varied within Ircinia felix and Aplysina fulva, but were equal throughout I. campana. There were, however, no consistent positive or negative correlations between chemical defenses and nutritional quality or structural components and no clear correlation between chemical defense concentration and predator deterrence. Together, these results suggest the need for a reevaluation of currently accepted ideas regarding chemical defense allocation within sessile prey.
Recommended Citation
Freeman, Christopher John, "Are Chemical Defenses Allocated within Sponges to Defend Regions Most at Risk to Predator Attack?" (2007). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 720.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/720
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No