Female mound-building mice prefer males that invest more in building behavior,even when this behavior is not observed

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology - Members of a social group must behave similarly for a group to persist. One way for this behavioural similarity to occur is through the contagious spread of...     

Evolution of a beach nourishment project using dredged sand from navigation channel,Dunkirk, northern France

The largest beach replenishment project ever in France was completed in February 2014 in Dunkirk on the coast of northern France. A volume of 1.5 × 10⁶ m³ of sand extracted from a navigation channel was placed on the beach to build up a 150 to 300 m wide supratidal platform in front of a dike, called « Digue des Alliés », which protects several residential districts of Dunkirk from marine flooding. High resolution topographic surveys were carried out during 2½ years to monitor beach morphological changes, completed by a hydrodynamic field experiment conducted in February 2016. Approximately ?138,200 m³ of sand, corresponding to 9.2% of the initial nourishment volume, were eroded over the nourishment area in about 2 years. An obvious decrease in erosion eastward with a shift from erosion to accumulation was observed, suggesting an eastward redistribution of sand. This longshore sand drift is beneficial for the eastward beach of Malo-les-Bains where most of the recreational activities are concentrated. Hydrodynamic measurements showed that waves and wave-induced currents play a major role on the longshore sand redistribution compared to tidal flows. Strong relationships were observed between cumulative offshore wave power and beach volume change during distinct beach survey periods (R² = 0.79 to 0.87), with more significant correlations for northerly waves. A slight decrease in erosion during the second year compared to the first year after nourishment suggests that the loss of sand should decrease after an initial phase of rapid readjustment of the beach shape towards equilibrium.     

Données biologiques et biométriques sur les lithodes Lithodes murrayi (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) des îles Crozet (SW océan Idien)

Large numbers of Lithodes murrayi collected by traps and trawls during Cruise MD.03 (1974) of M.S. Marion-Dufresne around Crozet Islands, have been studied, and comparisons made with other species of lithodid crabs. After statistical analysis of data relative to some body parts of males and females, and calculation of length-weight relationships, various aspects of reproduction are discussed: size at sexual maturity, size distribution of females in relation to their reproductive condition, fecundity (which is shown to be low), and egg-size variations. Analysis of the diet revealed a great diversity of prey, including algae, as well as necrophagous and other opportunistic tendencies, which are comparable with similar results obtained for the king crab Paralithodes camtschatica. Four groups of parasites or associated animals have been recorded for the first time from L. murrayi: rhizocephalans (acting as castrating agents), isopods, hydroids and polychaetes (spirorbs). Finally, the prospects of successful commercial fishing of L. murrayi are briefly discussed.     

Surface functionalization of natural hydroxyapatite by polymerization of β-cyclodextrin: application as electrode material for the electrochemical detection of Pb(II)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A composite material prepared by polymerization of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the surface of natural hydroxyapatite using citric acid as cross...     

A critical review of effect modeling for ecological risk assessment of plant protection products

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A wide diversity of plant protection products (PPP) is used for crop protection leading to the contamination of soil, water, and air, which can have...