Benthic Ecology

Jim Culter

Jim Culter

Senior Scientist, Program Manager

Mr. Culter joined Mote Marine Laboratory in 1979 to develop a Benthic Ecology Program specializing in marine/estuarine ecology and environmental assessment with emphasis on benthic habitats and invertebrate ecology. He is currently involved in bay scallop research and restoration. His career has focused on power plant impacts, benthic ecology of tidal rivers and estuaries, seagrass and hydrological surveys, a benthic biodiversity survey of the greater Charlotte Harbor estuary, studies of karst features (blue holes) of the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Culter is the chair of the Mote Diving Control Board and a deep trimix (100 meters) certified diver and organized a team of scientific technical divers to conduct the first scientific scuba dives on Pulley Ridge, 2005, the deepest coral reef (225-250 ft.) in the continental U.S., for the purpose of collecting research materials.

Education

B.S., Biology, Invertebrate Zoology, University of South Florida M.S., Zoology, Marine Invertebrate Ecology, University of South Florida Deep Trimix Scientific Diver, Technical Diving International

Publications

Culter, J.K., E.R. Hall, G. Byrd, and C. Cole. 2023. Diving Techniques for Exploration of Submarine Karst Features of the West Florida Continental Shelf. p 1-13. In: Diving for Science 2023. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences 40th Scientific Symposium. D. Scott-Ireton and A. Verde, Eds. University of West Florida, Pensacola.

Kurtz, B.E., J.E. Landmeyer and J.K. Culter. 2023. Precipitation, submarine groundwater discharge of nitrogen, and red tides along the southwest Florida Gulf coast. Heliyon. 2023 May 6;9(5):e16046. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16046.

Patin,N.V., Z.A. Dietrich, A. Stancil, M. Quinan, J.S. Beckler, E.R. Hall, J. Culter, C.G. Smith, M. Taillefert, F.J. Stewart. 2021.
Gulf of Mexico blue hole harbors high levels of novel microbial lineages. ISME J. 2021 Aug;15(8):2490. doi: 10.1038/s41396-021-00996-w.

Crosby, M.P., Lausche, B., Culter, J. (2018). Community-Based Scallop Restoration: A Model for Knowledge Circulation Theory. In Sato, T., Chabay, I., Helgeson, J. (Eds.), Transformations of Social-Ecological Systems: Studies in Co-creating Integrated Knowledge Toward Sustainable (pp. 77-94). Springer, Singapore. doi:10.1007/978-981-13-2327-0_5

Alexandridis, K., Takemura, S., Webb, A., Lausche, B., Culter, J., Sato, T. (2018). Semantic knowledge network inference across a range of stakeholders and communities of practice. Environ. Modell. Softw., 109, 202-222. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2018.08.026

Culter, J.K., J.R. Leverone and M.C. Crosby. 2014. Recent Bay Scallop Restoration Activities in Sarasota Bay: Combining Science-Based Strategies and Community Involvement. National Shellfish Association 2014 Symposium, Jacksonville Florida.

Culter, J.K., C. Bowen, J. Ryan, J. Perry, R. Janneman, W. Lin. 2013. Exploration of Deep Hole, Myakka River State Park, Florida. In: Proceedings Joint International Scientific Diving Symposium, American Academy of Underwater Sciences and European Scientific Diving Panel. Curacao, October 24-27, 2013.

Bricelj , V.M., Haubois A.-G., M. Sengco, R. Pierce, Culter J., D.M. Anderson. 2012. Trophic transfer of brevetoxins to the benthic macrofaunal community during a bloom of the harmful dinoflagellate Karenia brevis in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Harmful Algae: 16:27-34.

Culter, J.K. and J.R. Leverone. 2008. Benthic Invertebrate Species Richness & Diversity at Different Habitats in the Greater Charlotte Harbor System. Charlotte Harbor Watershed Summit, March 25-27, 2008, Edison College Punta Gorda, FL.

Culter, J.K., K. B. Ritchie, S. A.. Earle, D. E. Guggenheim, R. B. Halley, K. T. Ciembronowicz, A. C. Hine, B. D. Jarrett, S. D. Locker, and W. C. Jaap. 2006. Pulley Reef: a deep photosynthetic coral reef on the West Florida Shelf, USA Coral Reefs (electronic publication of Springer-Verlag) DOI 10.1007/s00338-006-0097-6.

S.A. Grabe, J.K. Culter, and A. Janicki. 2008. Community Structure of the Benthos of Shell Creek and the Lower Peace and Myakka Rivers. Poster. . Charlotte Harbor Watershed Summit, March 25-27, 2008, Edison College Punta Gorda, FL.

Culter, J.K., M.R. Sengco, J. Sprinkel, R.H. Pierce and D.M. Anderson. 2003. Benthic Response to application of phosphatic clay for the removal of Karenia brevis from the water column, Sarasota Bay, Florida. Poster presentation, with printed abstract. Second Symposium on Harmful Marine Algae in the U.S., December 9-13, Woods Hole Massachusetts. 1 Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, Florida 34236-1096, USA, 2Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02540, USA.

Culter, J.K., and J.M. Sprinkel. 2003. Dissolved oxygen monitoring in the real and variable world, a case study of spatial and temporal variance. Poster presentation, with printed abstract. BASIS 4, The 4th Tampa Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium. October 27-30.

Culter, J.K., J.M. Sprinkel, and G. Kirkpatrick. 2003. Effects of entrainment and temperature increase on Phytoplankton; A novel use of HPLC pigment analysis and particle size analysis. Oral presentation, with printed abstract. BASIS 4, The 4th Tampa Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium. October 27-30.

Culter, J.K., and J.M. Sprinkel. 2003. Effects of thermal effluent on the benthos of the Big Bend Area of Hillsborough Bay. Poster presentation, with printed abstract. BASIS 4, The 4th Tampa Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium. October 27-30.

Culter, J.K., J.M. Sprinkel, and E. Estevez. 2003. An investigation of relationships between freshwater inflows and benthic macroinvertebrates in the Alafia River Estuary. Poster presentation, with printed abstract. BASIS 4, The 4th Tampa Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium. October 27-30.

Coultas, C.L., Culter, J.K., and F Reygadas. 2001. Soil Development under Black Mangroves on Isla Contoy, Q.R. Mexico. Soil Survey Horizons 42(2):37-42. Culter, J.K. 1992. Effects of the Anclote Power Plant thermal effluent on the Seagrass Thalassia testudinum. Florida Scientist v. 55. Suppl. 1, p. 10.

Culter, J.K. and J. Leverone. 1992. Effects of the Anclote Power Plant Thermal Effluent on Seagrass Associated Infauna. Florida Scientist v. 55. Suppl. 1, p. 15.

Culter, J.K., M.R. Milligan, J.R. Leverone, S. Mahadevan. 1991. Comparison of benthic macroinfauna among natural and planted Spartina alterniflora (Gramineae) and Halodule wrightii (Potamogetonacea) from Tampa Bay. In: Treat, S.F.; Clark, P.A., eds. Proceedings, Tampa bay Area Scientific Information Symposium 2. 1991 February 27 - March 1; Tampa, Fla. 528 p.

Leverone, J.R, J.K. Culter, J.S. Sprinkel, M.R. Milligan, S. Mahadevan. 1991. Evaluation of long term studies of the benthic community in the vicinity of Big Bend, Tampa Bay. In: Treat, S.F.; Clark, P.A., eds. Proceedings, Tampa Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium 2. 1991 February 27 - March 1; Tampa, Fla. 528 p.

Culter, J.K. and J.L. Simon. 1987. Sex ratios and the occurrence of hermaphrodites in the inarticulate brachiopod, Glottidia pyramidata (Stimpson) in Tampa Bay, Florida. Bulletin of Marine Science Vol. 40 (2):193-197. Southward, E.C. and J.K. Culter. 1986. Discovery of Pogonophora in warm shallow waters of the Florida shelf. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. (28):287 289.

Culter, J.K. 1986. Manual for Identification of Marine Invertebrates. A Guide to Some Common Estuarine Macroinvertebrates of the Big Bend Region, Tampa Bay, Florida. EPA/600 4 86/002, January 1986.

Awards & Honors

1997 Elected to The Explorers Club, National Fellow

2009 Keynote Speaker, Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Meeting: "Technical Diving and the Blue Holes of the Gulf of Mexico."

Coral reefs provide more than $2.7 trillion in services to economies worldwide—but we're losing these important ecosystems quickly. Mote scientists are spearheading coral reef restoration using cutting-edge science.