Movement patterns of the seastar Heliaster helianthus in central Chile: relationship with environmental conditions and prey availability

The rates and patterns of feeding and displacement of predators constitute two of the most important plastic behavioral responses that allow individuals to respond quickly to changes in abundance of their prey, predation risks and to rapid alterations in environmental conditions. In this study, we quantified seasonal and spatial variation in displacement (net changes in location in 12 or 24 h periods) and prey consumed of marked individuals of the keystone seastar Heliaster helianthus at six sites spanning 600 km along the coast of north-central Chile. We evaluated the hypotheses that: (1) at sites with low availability (cover) of the main prey, the mussel Perumytilus purpuratus, Heliaster displays larger displacements and consumes a greater proportion of other prey (e.g. mobile species) than at sites with high mussel cover, (2) daily displacements will be correlated with sea surface temperature (SST) and (3) increased wave action will reduce seastar daily displacement. Our results show that Heliaster displacement is higher at sites with lower availability of P. purpuratus; and at these sites, a larger proportion of Heliaster individuals are observed feeding, mostly on other prey (e.g. limpets), which could offset the higher costs associated with increased movement. In addition, wave forces affected the activity of Heliaster negatively. Contrary to our expectations, the daily displacements did not show any relationship with SST measured on the day or the previous days of the surveys, despite the fact that average displacement was generally higher in summer than in winter months. Future studies should examine Heliaster movement during single foraging excursions and determine whether these responses affect the growth and reproductive output of individuals. Such information is vital to understand how changes in prey abundance and environmental conditions alter the behavior and energy budget of this predator and its ability to control prey populations.     

三峡蓄水后长江口凤鲚汛期生物学特征及捕捞量变动

分别在长江南支南门至新河水域、北港水域和圆沙至九段沙水域设置调查断面，对三峡蓄水后（2003~2011年）长江口凤鲚汛期生物学特征、渔汛特征及捕捞量进行了持续调查，并将之与蓄水前（1997~2002年）调查数据进行了对比研究。调查期内凤鲚汛期绝对怀卵量变幅为3 404~26 850粒，平均为11 554粒；相对怀卵量变幅为347~1 582粒/g，平均为783粒/g；卵径变幅为053~106 mm，平均为078 mm。凤鲚全长变幅为139~155 mm，平均为146 mm；体长变幅为123~137 mm，平均为129 mm；体重变幅为120~158 g，平均为136 g；丰满度系数变幅为0387~0466，平均为0442。2003~2011年凤鲚全长小于140 mm的个体所占比例均值为3691%，140~180 mm的个体占比为5706%；体重小于12 g的个体占比为3957%，12~20 g的个体占比为4534%。长江口凤鲚渔汛出现时水温通常介于17℃~20℃，5月中下旬至6月中旬为旺汛期，各年5月捕捞量占比变幅为3059%~8376%，平均为6117%。调查期间长江口凤鲚汛期捕捞船数量变幅为63~278艘，平均为141艘；单船全汛捕捞量变幅为3679~5 0235 kg，平均为2 4412 kg；汛期总捕捞量变幅为232~1 2569 t，平均为4223 t。三峡蓄水后长江口凤鲚渔获规格和捕捞量均出现了不同程度的下降，与历史记录相比，其资源几近枯竭，捕捞价值基本丧失。建议立即对凤鲚实施禁捕，并尽快建立繁殖场和越冬场保护区。     

Metabolic pathway of Na2 75SeO3, o‐methyl‐75Se‐cinnamic acid and 75Se‐1‐flavone,tested as potential phytodrugs

Abstract

This communication describes the metabolic pathways of selenium containing compounds such as, sodium selenite (⁷⁵Se), o‐methyl‐⁷⁵Se‐cinnamic acid and ⁷⁵Se‐1‐flavone, by the plant Brasaica Oleracea to elucidate their role in selenium flavonoid biosynthesis.     

Assessment of an Interpretive Program for U.S. Coast Guard Personnel

Abstract: The goal of this research was to measure the effect of a print-based interpretive program on acceptance by U.S. Coast Guard personnel of an endangered-species protection program. We used a within-subjects design to measure changes in eight survey items measuring beliefs about endangered species. There were significant changes in three items. The initial attitude toward endangered species was a strong predictor of subsequent response in a "regression to the mean effect" in which the least change was found in subjects with the highest initial scores on attitude items. Our results suggest that the print-based program was effective at changing the most highly targeted attitudes, but had little effect on more general attitudes.     

Aluminium recovery vs. hydrogen production as resource recovery options for fine MSWI bottom ash fraction

Waste incineration bottom ash fine fraction contains a significant amount of aluminium, but previous works have shown that current recovery options based on standard on-step Eddy Current Separation (ECS) have limited efficiency. In this paper, we evaluated the improvement in the efficiency of ECS by using an additional step of crushing and sieving. The efficiency of metallic Al recovery was quantified by measuring hydrogen gas production. The ash samples were also tested for total aluminium content with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). As an alternative to material recovery, we also investigated the possibility to convert residual metallic Al into useful energy, promoting H₂ gas production by reacting metallic Al with water at high pH. The results show that the total aluminium concentration in the <4 mm bottom ash fraction is on average 8% of the weight of the dry ash, with less than 15% of it being present in the metallic form. Of this latter, only 21% can be potentially recovered with ECS combined with crushing and sieving stages and subsequently recycled. For hydrogen production, using 10 M NaOH at 1 L/S ratio results in the release of 6–11 l of H₂ gas for each kilogram of fine dry ash, equivalent to an energy potential of 118 kJ.     

Loud calls as a mechanism of social coordination in a fission–fusion taxon, the white-bellied spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth)

Spider monkeys (Ateles spp.) live in social groups that exhibit high levels of fission–fusion dynamics, in which group members form subgroups of varying sizes and compositions. Within these fluid societies, how individuals establish contact with dispersed group members with whom they might choose to associate remains unclear. Long-range vocalizations might facilitate interactions between group members and provide a means of social coordination in fission–fusion societies. We evaluated this possibility for one spider monkey vocalization, the loud call, by examining calling behavior, the relationship between loud calls and changes in subgroup size, and the response of individuals to distant calls and playback experiments in a single study group. We found that 82 % of loud calls were emitted within 30 min of a call from a different location, suggesting that individuals frequently emit loud calls in response to the calls of distant group members. Subgroups that emitted loud calls, especially those that responded to distant calls, were much more likely to experience an increase in subgroup size within an hour after calling than those that did not. Animals also approached distant loud calls more than they avoided or ignored these calls. Finally, playbacks of male calls demonstrated that females respond preferentially to the calls of some individuals over others. Taken together, these results provide support for the hypothesis that spider monkey loud calls function to facilitate and initiate interactions between dispersed group members and suggest that vocal signals can play an important role in influencing social interactions in fission–fusion societies.     

Effects of habitat and landscape fragmentation on humans and biodiversity in densely populated landscapes

Landscape fragmentation has often been seen as an only ecological problem. However, fragmentation also has a societal perspective, namely, in how humans perceive landscape fragmentation and in how landscape fragmentation potentially influences human well-being. These latter aspects have rarely been addressed so far. The inter-relationship of ecological and human dimensions of landscape fragmentation becomes especially evident when looking at the landscape where most people in industrial countries live, namely in suburban and urban areas. In these areas, landscape planners and environmental managers are confronted with the problem that landscapes should fullfil various functions, often with conflicting goals, e.g. nature reserves to enhance species richness vs. recreational areas for city-dwellers. We reviewed the ecological and sociological literature relevant for fragmentation in suburban and urban landscapes. In an interdisciplinary approach, we evaluated whether there are similarities and dissimilarities between the ecological and the human aspects of landscape fragmentation. We found important similarities. An example is that for both, humans and biodiversity, the loss of semi-natural areas has more drastic effects than the fragmentation of these areas per se. However, there are also relevant differences. We concluded that in densely populated landscapes a shift from responsive planning to an intentional design of environments is therefore needed.