Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

For this research project, I examined mollusks from sediment cores obtained from the Chesapeake Bay, investigated whether it is possible to measure the effects of human disturbance over the last 400 years in preserved assemblages. To answer this question, I collected data on species composition, richness, abundance, size, and taphonomy for mollusks from two cores collected by the research vessel (R/V) Marion Dufresne and R/V Discovery from the upper Chesapeake Bay. I collected data on more than 10 species of mollusks from the upper 500 cm of the cores, then used statistical analyses to evaluate patterns in the molluscan assemblage over time. To my knowledge, a study such as this has never been attempted on mollusks from the bay. It has previously been thought that not enough shell material was present in the sediments from the bay to be able to conduct a study such as this (Cronin and Vann, 2003), but shell layers were abundant in the cores I worked with. My goal in this study is to determine what effects human disturbance has had on mollusks in the bay since colonization. In addition, studies like this one may be able to indicate the extent to which mollusks were disturbed by anthropogenic factors, and predict what their response to further disturbance may be.

Date Awarded

2006

Department

Geology

Advisor 1

Rowan Lockwood

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