Mote Marine Laboratory

Mr. Culter joined Mote in May 1979.  Current position: Benthic Ecology Program Manager. As a senior scientist and manager of the Benthic Ecology Program, Mr. Culter has specialized in marine/estuarine ecology and environmental assessment utilizing benthic invertebrates as environmental indicators of stress.

Mr. Culter is currently conducting the first scientific study of spring and sinkhole features on the west Florida continental shelf utilizing mixed gas scuba diving technology.  In 2010 he conducted an investigation of patch reefs off Sarasota and Manatee Counties as an educational training for student interns.  He is an experienced scientific diver and organized the first scientific dives conducted on the deep coral reef (~225 - 250 ft.), Pulley Ridge, which took place in June 2005.

Recently completed projects include; a study of barnacle intrusion into the Crystal, Homosassa and Withlacoochee Rivers, assisting with the development of a tidal creek index for Sarasota County, a benthic biodiversity survey of the Charlotte Harbor NEP study area, investigations related to potential impacts of fresh water withdrawals from the Alafia River and the Peace River.  He was also co-principal investigator for benthic studies conducted in many other Florida river estuaries.  In 2010 he assisted NOAA with emergency collections of shellfish for the potential impacts of oil contamination from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  He was the project manager for multidisciplinary studies of 316(a)&(b) studies (operational impacts of power plants) for Tampa Electric Company. Other estuarine studies have included collection of data for the Tampa Bay Water DeSal facility evaluation of desalinization plant discharge effects in Antigua, a survey of nearshore hard-bottom areas of Gasparilla Island, and evaluation of benthic recovery at sand borrow sites.  Mr. Culter has provided expert assistance to SWFWMD for the evaluation of the benthos of the lower Hillsborough River, baseline tidal river studies on numerous river systems of Florida, and many monitoring studies of beach nourishment effects including nearshore reef systems of Longboat Key.  Mr. Culter served as an invited instructor for Mudflat Fauna for a DEP workshop and for mollusk taxonomy for an EPA Region IV Marine Invertebrate Workshop in Athens, Georgia.  He was an invited instructor to the International Society of Aquatic Medicine, in 1997 and 1999 for the topics of environmental assessment, and coral diseases and global climate change.  Mr. Culter authored a "Manual for Identification of Marine Invertebrates" published by the EPA.

Mr. Culter has served as a pre-qualified expert for the Expert Assistance Pool for the South Florida Water Management District. Mr. Culter served as a member of the Sarasota County Environmentally Sensitive Lands Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Technical Advisory Committees for the Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Programs.  He is an active member of The Explorers Club, FN97.

Mr. Culter has over 33 years experience in coastal, estuarine and freshwater benthic ecology, and has a strong educational background in statistics, population biology, community ecology, and invertebrate biology and taxonomy.  Mr. Culter qualified as an expert witness in benthic ecology for legal proceedings in 1989, 1990 and 1992.

M.S. Zoology, Marine Invertebrate Ecology, University of South Florida, Tampa         
B.S. Biology, Invertebrate Zoology, University of South Florida, Tampa   
Biology Premed program, University of Cincinnati

Selected Reports and Publications

Culter, J.K. 2010. Evaluation of the spatial extent, density and growth rates of barnacles in Crystal, Homosassa and Withlacoochee Rivers, Florida. Mote Technical Report submitted to the SWFWMD.

Culter, J.K. (In Prep). Tidal Water Circulation within Karst Features of the west Florida Shelf Carbonate Platform.

Haubois A.-G., Sengco M., Pierce R., Culter J.; Bricelj V.M. 2008. Trophic transfer of brevetoxins to the benthic macrofaunal community during a bloom of the harmful dinoflagellate Karenia brevis in Sarasota Bay, Florida. (In Review: Submitted to the journal Harmful Algae).

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.

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 4^th 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 4^th 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 4^th 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 4^th 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. 2001.   An Evaluation of Nearshore Rock Habitat & Artificial Reef Survey Off Gasparilla Island. MML Technical Report number 764, to Humiston & Moore Engineers.

Culter, J.K. 2001.  Dissolved Oxygen Surveys for the TECO Big Bend Power Facility Intake and Discharge Canals, October 2000 - June 2001. MML Technical Report No. 762 submitted to Tampa Electric Company.

Culter, J.K. and E.D. Estevez. 2001.  Benthic Macroinvertebrate and Mollusc Indicators. Phase II, Final Report for Peace River Regional Water Supply Facility Hydrobiological Monitoring Program. WUP No. 2010420.03.  MML Technical Report number 744.

Culter, J.K.  2001.  Tampa Electric Company Intake Canal Bathymetry & Currents.  A technical Report submitted to Tampa Electric Company. Mote Technical Report No. 746.

Culter, J.K.  2001.  Salinity and benthic macroinvertebrate zonation in the lower Peace River, southwest Florida.  Estuarine Research Federation annual meeting, poster presentation. November  2001.

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.  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.

Department: Directorate of Marine Biology & Conservation