Coastal Sciences — Ph.D. Dissertations

Dissertations Completed in the Division of Coastal Sciences

2020

• Shen, Shuo
  Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Potential Drivers in the Aquatic Environments. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Wei Wu.

2019

• Jones, Elizabeth
  Molecular Responses to Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Contaminants in Estuarine Fish. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Joe Griffitt.
  

2018

• Pham, Linh Thuy
  Historical Change of Seagrasses in the Mississippi and Chandeleur Sounds. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Patrick D. Biber.

2017

• Russo, Corey
  A microbiomic approach to the characterization of the impacts and influences of viral, bacterial, and harmful algal bloom toxins on the Bottlenose dolphin. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Jay Grimes.
• Muhammad, Muhammad
  Epidemiology of White Spot Syndrome virus in the Daggerblade grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) and the Gulf sand fiddler crab (Uca panacea). Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Jeffrey Lotz
• Fayton. Thomas
  Taxonomy and systematics of Plagioporus (Trematoda), with descriptions of 10 new species from freshwater fishes of the nearctic.  Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Joe Griffitt.
• Antoni, Luca
  Population structure, connectivity, and phylogeography of two Balistidae with high potential for larval dispersal Balistes capriscus and Balistes vetula. Ph.D. Dissertation, Major Professor: Eric A. Saillant.
• Gillam, Kelsey Burns
  Combined ecophysiological effects of dissolved oxygen, temperature, and body size on the model polychaete, Capitella teleta. Ph.D. Dissertation, Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.

2016

• Fleer, Virginia
  Effects of trophic relationships on oyster reef restoration success in the Mississippi Sound. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.

2015

• Sempier, Stephen Hiller
  Spatial, temporal and demographical analysis of Gulf of Mexico research priorities, the effect of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Ph.D. Dissertation, Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.

2014

• Bardon Albaret, Agnès
  Characterization of the early development and quality of Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) eggs and larvae in aquaculture conditions. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Eric A. Saillant.
• Pulis, Eric E.
  Revision of 13 genera of Haploporidae (Trematoda). Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.
• Andres, Michael J.
  Clarification of the systematics of the Haploporoidea (Trematoda) with descriptions of new genera and species. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.

2013

• Lowe, Michael Robert
  Community metrics and trophic dynamics in tidal creeks in an anthropogenically fragmented, coastal landscape. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Hendon, John Read
  Habitat characterization, habitat use, and associated growth of juvenile Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in a Mississippi bay system: Implications for stock enhancement practices. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski (Research Director: Bruce H. Comyns).

2012

• Walker, Allison Kathleen
  Marine fungi of U. S. Gulf of Mexico barrier island beaches: Biodiversity and
  sampling strategy. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Darrell J. Grimes.
• Ray, Andrew James
  Management of biological and chemical constituents for the advancement of
  intensive, minimal-exchange, biofloc-based shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)
  aquaculture. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.
• Noriea, Nicholas Felix
  Genetic variation in potentially virulent Vibrio parahaemolyticus from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Darrell J. Grimes.
• Karels, Arthur Alan
  Effects of hypoxia and 4-tert-octylphenol on gene expression profiles of the Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus). Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Robert J. Griffitt.

2010

• Drumm, David Thomas 
  Systematic revision of the Kalliapseudidae (Crustacea : Peracarida : Tanaidacea) and the population genetic structure and phylogeography of a species along the southeastern and gulf coasts of North America. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• White, Kristine Nicolle Klebba
  Development of representative species-level molecular markers and morphological character analysis of leucothoid amphipods (Crustacea : Amphipoda). Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.

2009

• Holiday, Dan Martin
  Remote sensing of harmful algal blooms in the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay: Modelling and algorithm formation. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: William E. Hawkins (Research Director: Gregory A. Carter).
• Li, Shuzhao
  Bridging functional genomics and toxicogenomics through DNA microarrays in a fish model. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Marius Brouwer.
• Masson, Ignacio
  Experimental population dynamics of Amyloodinium ocellatum in the Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus and the Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz (Research Director: Reg Blaylock).
• Sanchez Rubio, Guillermo H. 
  Oceanic-atmospheric modes of variability and the effect on river flow and blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) abundance in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Ph.D. Dissertation, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Patricia Biesiot (Research Director: Harriet Perry).
• Sharp, Natasha 
  Bacterial cell wall components affect hemocyte composition and gene expression in Callinectes sapidus: An insight into effectors of immune function. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Marius Brouwer.

2008

• Foster, John Milton 
  Review of Polycheria, a symbiotic group of amphipods: ecology, distribution, and taxonomy. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.
• Li, Tiandao
  Gene expression profiles as molecular indicators of dissolved oxygen stress in grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio Holthuis 1949. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Marius Brouwer.
• Lucas, Kelly Lynn
  Evaluating vascular plant composition and species richness on Horn Island, Mississippi, using passive and active remote sensing in conjunction with ground based measurements. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: William E. Hawkins (Research Director: Gregory A. Carter).
• Ma, Hongwei 
  Yellow head virus (YHV): transmission and genome analysis. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.
• McLelland, Jerry 
  A systematic and taxonomic review of the family Pseudotanaidae (Crustacea: Peracardia: Tanaidacea) based primarily on morphometric cladistic analysis. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Richard W. Heard.

2007

• Bullard, Jr., Stephen Ashton 
  Ecology and evolution of fish blood flukes (Digenea: Aporocotylidae. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.
• Cook, Melissa 
  Population dynamics, structure and per-recruit analyses of Yellowedge Grouper, Epinephelus flavolimbatus, from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Bruce H. Comyns.

2006

• Curran, Stephen Socrates 
  Taxonomy and systematics of some freshwater and coastal trematodes from fishes on the Atlantic rim. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.
• Lemus, Jason Thomas 
  The effect of copepod density on cannibalism, survival, development rate and egg production and the implications for population growth rate and demographic of Acartia tonsa Dana. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.
• Vincent, Amanda Grey
  Experimental infection of necrotizing hepatopancreatitis bacterium (NHPB) in Kona stock Litopenaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp). Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Jeffrey M. Lotz.

2005

• Kuhl, Adam 
  The effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on sex differentiation in Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes) and the role of brain aromatase. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Marius Brouwer.
• McCall, Robin Karlheinz
  The importance of seagrass epiphytes in Big Lagoon, Florida, with emphasis on the diatoms (Bacillariophyceae). Ph.D. Dissertation, Marine Science. Major Professor: Stephen Lohrenz (Research Director: Cynthia A. Moncreiff).

2004

• Drury, Donna Marie 
  Effects of grass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) density manipulations and nutrient enrichment on widgeongrass (Ruppia maritima) condition, epiphyte load, and epiphyte functional groups. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Chet F. Rakocinski.

2001

• Blend, Charles Kenneth 
  Life history information on some strigeoids parasitizing pond-raised catfish: A synergism of morphology and molecules. Ph.D. Dissertation, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Robin M. Overstreet.
• Fulling, Gregory L. 
  Plankton patchiness and the associated distribution and growth of larval anchovies: An estuarine landscape perspective. Ph.D. Dissertation, Biological Sciences. Major Professor: Mark S. Peterson.
• Geter, David Roy
  Detoxification and mutagenic response in medaka (Oryzias latipes) exposed to MX, a drinking water carcinogen. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: William E. Hawkins.
• Soto, M. Andres 
  Epidemiology of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and Taura syndrome virus (TSV) in some penaeid shrimps. Ph.D. Dissertation. Major Professor: Jeffery M. Lotz.