On the shoals of giants: natural catastrophes and the overall destruction of the Caribbean’s archaeological record

In this paper I review a host of natural and cultural processes that have affected the preservation and integrity of archaeological sites on islands in the West Indies, many of which are located in low-lying coastal areas. Given the position of the Caribbean lithospheric plate—juxtaposed between four others—it is no surprise that by its very nature the region is volcanically active and frequently associated with earthquake and tsunami events. This makes coastal zones, and related archaeological sites in the region, highly susceptible to a wide range of destructive natural events. The high frequency of tropical systems (hurricanes and storms) in the Caribbean and rising sea level, coupled with human activities such as sand mining, development, and looting, makes the region’s archaeological record one of the most vulnerable and threatened in the world. Ongoing research is dedicated to understanding how past populations may have been affected by these events in the past.     

Seasonal patterns in fatty acids of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calanus hyperboreus</Emphasis> (Copepoda,Calanoida) from Cumberland Sound,Baffin Island,Nunavut

The marine copepod Calanus hyperboreus accumulates large quantities of lipids and essential fatty acids during summer months in Northern oceans. However, few data exist regarding their winter fatty acid profiles, which could be informative regarding the use of lipids by C. hyperboreus to successfully survive and reproduce during times of ice-cover and limited food. The present study compared fatty acids of C. hyperboreus between summer (August 2007 and 2008) and winter (early April 2008 and 2009) in Cumberland Sound, Canada. Summer samples from both years had significantly higher ∑polyunsaturated fatty acids and unsaturation indices (based on μg fatty acid mg dry tissue⁻¹) than winter samples and separated on a principal component analysis due to higher 18:2n-6, 18:4n-3, and 20:5n-3, consistent with phytoplankton consumption. Winter C. hyperboreus had significantly higher ∑monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) versus summer samples and separated on the principal component analysis due to higher proportions of 16:1n-7, 20:1n-9, and 22:1n-9, suggesting they were not actively feeding. Based on the seasonal fatty acid comparison, C. hyperboreus was catabolizing specific fatty acids (e.g. 20:5n-3), conserving others (e.g. 22:6n-3), and maintaining or increasing biosynthesis of certain MUFA (e.g. 18:1n-9) during winter. These findings provide insight into the seasonal strategy of acquisition (summer) and utilization (winter) of specific fatty acids by a key Arctic organism and could become important for monitoring changes in fatty acids associated with decreased ice-cover duration due to climate warming.     

Seasonal distribution patterns of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Caretta caretta</Emphasis>) following capture from a shipping channel in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Thirty-four juvenile loggerhead sea turtles captured by trawling from the Charleston, South Carolina (USA), shipping channel (32°42′N; −79°47′W) between May 2004 and August 2007 were tagged with satellite transmitters to assess the extent to which they remained near the capture location given their collection along a seasonal migratory corridor. Seventy-five percent of juveniles were classified as seasonal residents. Migrants predominantly swam north in the spring and nomads wandered south in the summer, but predictive indicators for non-resident status were not identified. All but one juvenile generally remained south of 34°N, within 40 km of shore, and in waters <30 m deep throughout the year. Nine of 14 loggerhead sea turtles monitored during the winter remained exclusively over the continental shelf, three briefly occurred in oceanic habitats, and two foraged extensively in oceanic habitats. Residents distributed >15 km from shore between spring and autumn were three times as likely to occur in oceanic habitats in winter. Modest seasonal movements contrasted with adults tagged at similar latitudes and with juveniles tagged further north and suggest distinct foraging groups within a regional foraging ground.     

Distributional patterns of adult male loggerhead sea turtles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Caretta caretta</Emphasis>) in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral,Florida, USA during and after a major annual breeding aggregation

Satellite transmitters were attached to 25 reproductively active and four inactive adult male loggerhead sea turtles (86.6–107.0 cm SCLmin) captured from the Port Canaveral, FL, USA shipping channel to assess horizontal and vertical distributions. During the breeding period, male loggerheads aggregated (44% of 755 turtle days) in a 117.6 km² core area that encompassed the shipping channel. Median dive duration during the breeding period was 27 min (IQR = 15–42 min) and males spent 4% (IQR = 3–5%) of the time at the surface, with significantly shorter dives associated with reproductively active males. Migrant and resident males dispersed concurrently, with residents shifting > 30 km east across the continental shelf over a more protracted departure schedule than migrants. Dive duration and time spent at the surface increased through the fall. Cluster analysis revealed the strongest association for dive duration with sea state during and after the breeding period, with significantly longer dives during more turbulent conditions. In contrast, univariate associations with surface interval duration were not elucidated.     

Aesthetascs in Lysmata spp. shrimp: sexual dimorphism and relationship with social environments

Aesthetascs are the olfactory receptor organs responsible for mate recognition in many decapod crustacean species. The number of aesthetascs varies greatly among species in different environments, but the functional significance of this variation is poorly understood. This study examined the relationship between social environment and the number of aesthetascs in six species of caridean shrimp in the genus Lysmata. Generally, the number of aesthetascs was greater in group-living species (L. boggessi and L. wurdemanni) than in low-density (L. ankeri and L. pederseni) and pair-living species (L. amboinensis and L. debelius). Aesthetascs are innervated by olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). The total number of ORNs is related to the sensitivity of olfactory odor detection, and it was higher in group-living species than in pair-living species. Sexual dimorphism in the number of aesthetascs was present in L. boggessi, L. wurdemanni, and L. ankeri but not in L. pederseni and L. amboinensis.     

The effect of pulsed versus gradual salinity reduction on the physiology and survival of Halophila johnsonii Eiseman

Plants of Halophila johnsonii Eiseman were exposed, in mesocosms, to either pulsed hyposalinity treatments of 30, 15, 10, and 8 or gradual salinity reductions of two every 2?days. When salinity was pulsed, survivorship (>80?%) and maximum quantum yields (>0.7) were high in the 30 and 15 salinity treatments, but both declined in the 10 and 8 salinity treatments. Leaf osmolality declined with respect to salinity treatment, but the difference between leaf and media osmolality remained relatively constant (675?±?177?mmol?kg^?1). In contrast, when salinity was gradually reduced, survivorship remained high from salinities of 30 to 4, and maximum quantum yields remained high from salinities of 30 to 6. Leaf osmolality declined linearly with respect to media osmolality and, similar to the pulsed treatments, the difference between leaf and media osmolality remained relatively constant from salinities of 30 to 2 (638?±?161?mmol?kg^?1). Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity declined over time in both pulsed and gradual salinity reduction. The results indicate that H. johnsonii is more tolerant of hyposalinity than has previously been reported and that gradually reducing salinity extended its low-salinity tolerance threshold by approximately a salinity of 10.     

Temporal patterns of populations in a warming world: a modelling framework

In this paper, we present an approach for describing the environmentally induced temporal pattern of structured populations by partial integro-differential equations. Populations are structured according to size or stage. Growth, energy allocation and stage transitions are affected by environmental conditions of which temperature, photoperiod, water depth and food supply were taken into account. The resulting modelling framework was applied to describe, analyse and predict alterations in populations with continuous development, populations with distinct state structures and interacting populations. Our exemplary applications consider populations of freshwater Amphipoda, Isopoda and Odonata. The model was capable of simulating life cycle alterations in dependence on temperature in interaction with other environmental factors: (1) population dynamics, (2) seasonal regulation, (3) water depth-dependent dispersal, (4) intraguild predation and (5) consumer-resource dynamics.     

Human lung injury following exposure to humic substances and humic-like substances

Among the myriad particles the human respiratory tract is exposed to, a significant number are distinctive in that they include humic substances (HS) and humic-like substances (HULIS) as organic components. HS are heterogeneous, amorphous, organic materials which are ubiquitous occurring in all terrestrial and aqueous environments. HULIS are a complex class of organic, macromolecular compounds initially extracted from atmospheric aerosol particles which share some features with HS including an aromatic, polyacidic nature. As a result of having a variety of oxygen-containing functional groups, both HS and HULIS complex metal cations, especially iron. Following particle uptake by cells resident in the lung, host iron will be sequestered by HS- and HULIS-containing particles initiating pathways of inflammation and subsequent fibrosis. It is proposed that (1) human exposures to HS and HULIS of respirable size (<10 µm diameter) are associated with inflammatory and fibrotic lung disease and (2) following retention of particles which include HS and HULIS, the mechanism of cell and tissue injury involves complexation of host iron. Human inflammatory and fibrotic lung injuries following HS and HULIS exposures may include coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, sarcoidosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as well as diseases associated with cigarette smoking and exposures to emission and ambient air pollution particles.     

Special needs hurricane shelters and the ageing population: development of a methodology and a case study application

Recent experience of hurricanes, particularly in the southeast United States, has heightened awareness of the multifaceted nature of and the challenges to effective disaster relief planning. One key element of this planning is providing adequate shelter at secure locations for people who evacuate. Some of these individuals will have ‘special needs’, yet there is little research on the relationship with shelter space. This study designed a geographic information systems‐based network optimisation methodology for the siting of special needs hurricane relief shelters, with a focus on the transportation component. It sought to find new locations for shelters that maximise accessibility by vulnerable populations, given capacity constraints, concentrating on the ageing population. The framework was implemented in a medium‐sized metropolitan statistical area in the state of Florida where data suggest a possible deficit in special needs shelter space. The study analysed options for increasing special needs shelter capacity, while considering potential uncertainties in transportation network availability.     

Post-larval development of two intertidal barnacles at elevated CO2 and temperature

Ocean acidification and global warming are occurring concomitantly, yet few studies have investigated how organisms will respond to increases in both temperature and CO₂. Intertidal microcosms were used to examine growth, shell mineralogy and survival of two intertidal barnacle post-larvae, Semibalanus balanoides and Elminius modestus, at two temperatures (14 and 19°C) and two CO₂ concentrations (380 and 1,000 ppm), fed with a mixed diatom-flagellate diet at 15,000 cells ml⁻¹ with flow rate of 10 ml⁻¹ min⁻¹. Control growth rates, using operculum diameter, were 14 ± 8 μm day⁻¹ and 6 ± 2 μm day⁻¹ for S. balanoides and E. modestus, respectively. Subtle, but significant decreases in E. modestus growth rate were observed in high CO₂ but there were no impacts on shell calcium content and survival by either elevated temperature or CO₂. S. balanoides exhibited no clear alterations in growth rate but did show a large reduction in shell calcium content and survival under elevated temperature and CO₂. These results suggest that a decrease by 0.4 pH_(NBS) units alone would not be sufficient to directly impact the survival of barnacles during the first month post-settlement. However, in conjunction with a 4–5°C increase in temperature, it appears that significant changes to the biology of these organisms will ensue.