Bellineth Valencia- PhD
- University of California, San Diego
Bellineth Valencia
- PhD
- University of California, San Diego
About
37
Publications
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Introduction
My research focuses on evaluating the responses of marine invertebrate communities to the variability in environmental conditions, with special interest on changes in their diversity and function. I have investigated the diversity of invertebrates in soft bottoms and coral reefs, as well as their importance in food-web dynamics. I have also worked with zooplankton communities in different temporal (seasonal to long-term) and spatial scales (coast to ocean).
Current institution
Publications
Publications (37)
Coral reef degradation is a worldwide and growing phenomenon triggering habitat transformation from live to dead coral fragments. Macroinvertebrates play key functions in coral reefs, yet research on the size distribution of their community attributes is limited, particularly in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). We assessed the size distribution...
We investigated the spatiotemporal variability of the ichthyoplankton assemblages along the northern Pacific coast of Colombia. This region is characterized by high biodiversity and important artisanal fisheries, yet knowledge of the dynamics of the early life history of fish is scarce. Three sites (north: 6.3◦N, central: 5.7◦N, south: 4.9◦N) were...
Phylliroe bucephala is a nudibranch notable for having a laterally compressed body and a pelagic lifestyle. Although P. bucephala is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, it has not been recorded in the Colombian Pacific. Here we report the presence of the species in the coastal zone of N...
Website con imágenes de algunos macroinvertebrados identificados en los arrecifes coralinos del PNN Gorgona, Pacífico colombiano
Knowledge about the diversity of coastal amphipods in the eastern tropical Pacific, including the Pacific coast of Colombia, is scarce. We characterized amphipod diversity in Bahía Málaga (intertidal and subtidal rocky shores, and sandy beaches) and Bahía Buenaventura (intertidal rocky shores, mangrove roots, and sandy beaches), two important estua...
El zooplancton marino agrupa una gran diversidad de animales que debido a su pequeño tamaño o poca capacidad de natación son transportados por las corrientes marinas. Entre los organismos del zooplancton podemos encontrar a los copépodos, a los gusanos flecha (quetognatos) y al krill (eufáusidos), los cuales pasan todo su ciclo de vida en la column...
Los arrecifes coralinos son ecosistemas heterogéneos en donde coexisten una gran cantidad de especies. Sin embargo, el público en general poco conoce sobre la diversidad de los invertebrados que habitan estos ecosistemas en el Pacífico colombiano, a pesar de que estos organismos representan la mayor parte de la diversidad en los arrecifes coralinos...
Complex interactions between microbial communities in the epipelagic and mesopelagic ocean drive variability in sinking carbon flux as part of the biological carbon pump. To investigate the relative contribution of dominant prokaryotic, protistan, and phytoplankton taxa to sinking particles, we used 16S/18S rRNA gene sequencing of particles collect...
We used 16S, 18S, plastid and ITS (for Synechococcus strains) sequencing to quantify relative microbial abundances in water‐column samples and on sediment‐trap‐collected particles across an environmental gradient in the California Current Ecosystem (CCE) spanning a > 60‐fold range of surface chlorophyll. Most mixed‐layer dominant eukaryotes and pro...
El arcoíris de Cortés, Thalassoma lucasanum, es un pez arrecifal abundante en el Pacífico Oriental Tropical (POT). A diferencia de otras especies del género Thalassoma que son reconocidas por ser limpiadoras, en T. lucasanum este comportamiento es poco frecuente, ya que se alimenta principalmente de invertebrados mediante forrajeo. No obstante, la...
El Pacífico colombiano es una región a la que se le ha atribuido un gran valor económico y ecológico. Sin embargo, los esfuerzos de investigación en esta región, especialmente en la zona costera norte del litoral chocoano, han sido escasos. Este libro presenta los resultados de la descripción de las condiciones oceanográfica costeras y la caracteri...
Hawkfishes are small demersal reef predators. Although their association with the coral substrate has been widely documented for some species, information regarding their feeding habits is limited, especially in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). We characterized the diet of the coral hawkfish Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus in Isla Gorgona (ETP) by vi...
The Cortez rainbow wrasse, Thalassoma lucasanum, is an abundant reef fish of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Unlike other species of the genus Thalassoma that are recognized as cleaners, in T. lucasanum this behavior is rare, since it feeds mainly on invertebrates through foraging. However, information on the trophic ecology of this species is...
The Synechococcus cyanobacterial population at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier in La Jolla, CA, shows large increases in abundance, typically in the spring and summer followed, by rapid declines within weeks. Here we used amplicon sequencing of the ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer region to examine the microdiversity within th...
Although zooplankton are recognized as important consumers of marine snow, our knowledge of the contribution of the small (<1 mm) zooplankton to the degradation of sinking particles, and therefore on the efficiency of the biological pump, is limited. To estimate the marine snow consumption by small aggregate-feeding copepods, we measured the daily...
Introduction: The effects of seasonal upwelling on the conditions of the water column and mesozoo-plankton communities are poorly understood in the coastal zones of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), despite the important role of upwelling events in the modulation of productivity in these zones. Objective: To evaluate the influence of seasonal upw...
Objectives:
Characterize the amphipods collected in esophageal lavages of the green turtle Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758).
Scope:
Increase the characterization of diversity of a poorly known group, but of great importance in benthic environments, in Colombia.
Methodology:
Amphipods were collected from esophageal lavages carried out on 77 green t...
Using size-fractionated mesozooplankton biomass data collected over 23 years (1994–2016) of increasing primary production (PP) at station ALOHA, we evaluate how changing environmental conditions affect mesozooplankton size structure, trophic cycling, and export fluxes in the subtropical north Pacific. From Generalized Additive Model (GAM) analysis,...
The environmental drivers of zooplankton variability are poorly explored for the central subtropical Pacific, where a direct bottom-up food-web connection is suggested by increasing trends in primary production and mesozooplankton biomass at Stn. ALOHA over the past 20 years (1994-2013). Here we use Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) to investigate...
Community structure and vertical distribution of the soft bottom macrofauna on Isla Gorgona, Colombian Pacific. Soft bottoms are important in marine ecosystems but their ecology have been less studied in the tropics than in temperate areas. This article describes the temporal, spatial, and vertical distribution of the community structure of subtida...
We studied the variation in abundance and biomass of plankton in the pelagic environment of Gorgona during October 2010 (rainy season) and March 2011 (dry season), and evaluated their correlation with hydrographic features of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and transparency. Surface waters during both periods were warmer (>26°C) and with lo...
Soft bottoms are important in marine ecosystems but their ecology have been less studied in the tropics than in temperate areas. This article describes the temporal, spatial, and vertical distribution of the community structure of subtidal soft bottom macrofauna on Isla Gorgona, Colombian Pacific. Samples were collected in March and June 2011 by co...
We studied the variation in abundance and biomass of plankton in the pelagic environment of Gorgona during October 2010 (rainy season) and March 2011 (dry season), and evaluated their correlation with hydrographic features of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and transparency. Surface waters during both periods were warmer (>26°C) and with lo...
The order Amphipoda is one of the most diverse within Peracarids, and comprises 6 950 described marine species. Amphipod research in the Caribbean Sea began in the late 1 800s, but has increased significantly since 1 980. In this study, we analized the amphipod biodiversity (Caprellidea, Gammaridea, Hyperiidea, and Ingolfiellidea) of the Caribbean...
The order Amphipoda is one of the most diverse within Peracarids, and comprises 6950 described marine species. Amphipod research in the Caribbean Sea began in the late 1800s, but has increased significantly since 1980. In this study, we analized the amphipod biodiversity (Caprellidea, Gammaridea, Hyperiidea, and Ingolfiellidea) of the Caribbean Sea...
The variability of hyperiid amphipod assemblages was analyzed based on seasonal (dry vs. wet) and spatial differences (neritic vs. oceanic) in the Panama Bight. Four oceanographic cruises were carried out during 2007–2008, two during the dry season (Feb. 2007 and Mar. 2008) and two during the wet season (Sep. 2007 and Sep. 2008). Cooler (o 20 1C) a...
Temporal variation of hyperiid amphipod structure assemblages was studied on Isla Gorgona, eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) off Colombia between September 2005 and August 2006. Forty-six species were found during the entire sampling period: Hyperioides sibaginis, Lestrigonus bengalensis, Phronimopsis spinifera, Tetrathyrus forcipatus and Paralycaea g...
Gorgona Island is the vastest insular area in the Colombian Pacific Ocean. This island, located 30 Km offshore, has a high biological and ecosystem diversity; Gorgona's coral reef is considered the best developed in the eastern tropical Pacific, being declared Natural National Park (PNN) in 1980. Despite its relevance in Colombian conservation poli...
A new species of talitrid amphipod, Chelorchestia colombiensis sp. nov., is described from the central zone of the Pacific coast of Colombia. Specimens examined were collected on the intertidal rocky shore associated with encrusting and filamentous algae. This new species of Chelorchestia differs from the other four described species, C. costarican...
In order to analyze the composition, abundance, and diversity of hyperiid amphipods at Punta Cruces and Cabo Marzo, on the northern Pacific coast of Colombia (eastern tropical Pacific), a sampling campaign was carried out in January 2008 that covered a nine-station sampling grid. Twenty species were found, of which Lestrigonus bengalensis and Hyper...
