Combining fishing and acoustic monitoring data to evaluate the distribution and movements of spotted ratfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hydrolagus colliei</Emphasis>

Direct and indirect methods have been used to describe patterns of movement of fishes, but few studies have compared these methods simultaneously. We used 20 years of trawl survey data and 1 year of acoustic telemetry data to evaluate the vertical and horizontal movement patterns of spotted ratfish Hydrolagus colliei in Puget Sound, WA, USA. Densities of large ratfish (≥30 cm) were higher at the deepest depths trawled (70 m) during daylight hours, whereas densities were similar across depth zones (to 10 m) at night. Acoustic tracking of ratfish showed distinct diel patterns of movement and activity level; ratfish moved into shallow, nearshore habitats at night from deeper, offshore habitats during the day and made ~3 times more moves at night than day in shallow habitats. Broader spatial patterns depended on where ratfish were tagged: one tag group remained in one general location with few excursions, whereas a second tag group moved within a 20-km band with some individuals moving >90 km. These data will help inform food web models’ abilities to quantify interspecific interactions between ratfish and other components of their community.     

Shell ecophenotype in the blue mussel (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mytilus edulis</Emphasis>) determines the spatial pattern in foraging behaviour of an oystercatcher (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Haematopus ostralegus</Emphasis>) population

When feeding on blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) either stab into the mollusc’s gaping valves or hammer through its dorsal or ventral shell. Whilst the selectivity of hammering and stabbing oystercatchers for specific prey morphologies has been well studied, the way in which the effects of environment on M. edulis morphology can in turn affect feeding methods of H. ostralegus is very poorly understood. Based on morphological analyses on randomly selected shells from three intertidal zones, this study failed to detect differences in morphology or distribution of dorsally and ventrally hammered shells but confirms the finding of previous authors that hammering oystercatchers select thinner mussels than stabbing birds. Additionally, we show that this difference in optimal prey morphology can lead to spatial patterns in oystercatcher feeding behaviour. Whilst at the low intertidal and higher mid intertidal zones, characterised by comparatively thick shells, most empty shells had apparently been stabbed, hammering was the dominant feeding behaviour at the lower mid intertidal zone, where shells were thinner. Preference of hammering birds for smaller mussels was not ubiquitous. Sagittal shell shape was predominantly influenced by allometric growth effects and had only minor effect on prey selection. All oystercatchers preferred less inflated mussels, with the degree of shell inflation gradually increasing with higher intertidal elevation. Our results illustrate the importance of small-scale patterns in prey ecophenotypes in determining the distribution and feeding dynamics of wading birds.     

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.     

Emergence of an oocytic circumnuclear ring in response to increasing day length in Atlantic herring (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clupea harengus</Emphasis>)

Understanding physiological and environmental variables that initiate sexual maturity would provide fundamental information on life history dynamics. The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of the common circumnuclear ring (CNR), an oocytic structure similar to the Balbiani body, which appears just prior to oocyte development as a predictor of first maturation in Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). The relative roles of physiology (e.g. fat) and photoperiod as triggers of maturation were also investigated. Samples were collected in May 2008 (72°26′–73°84′N/11°26′–18°40′E) and February 2009 (56°12′–59°45′N/00°25′–03°06′W). These data suggested that thresholds in body size may influence the decision to mature. We also found that short days (winter solstice) may be the photoperiod trigger for a first-decision window for both Norwegian spring-spawning (NSS) and North Sea autumn-spawning (NSAS) herring. The second-decision window for NSAS herring maturation appears to be triggered by longer days (spring equinox), while a decreasing rate of day lengthening may trigger NSS herring maturation. So, photoperiodic cycle is a key determinate of the timing of maturation in Atlantic herring.     

Time and space: genetic structure of the cohorts of the common sea urchin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paracentrotus</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">lividus</Emphasis> in Western Mediterranean

Spatio-temporal variability in settlement and recruitment, high mortality during the first life-history stages, and selection may determine the genetic structure of cohorts of long-lived marine invertebrates at small scales. We conducted a spatial and temporal analysis of the common Mediterranean Sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus to determine the genetic structure of cohorts at different scales. In Tossa de Mar (NW Mediterranean), recruitment was followed over 5 consecutive springs (2006–2010). In spring 2008, recruits and two-year-old individuals were collected at 6 locations along East and South Iberian coasts separated from 200 to over 1,100 km. All cohorts presented a high genetic diversity based on a fragment of mtCOI. Our results showed a marked genetic homogeneity in the temporal monitoring and a low degree of spatial structure in 2006. In 2008, coupled with an abnormality in the usual circulation patterns in the area, the genetic structure of the southern populations studied changed markedly, with arrival of many private haplotypes. This fact highlights the importance of point events in renewing the genetic makeup of populations, which can only be detected through analysis of the cohort structure coupling temporal and spatial perspectives.     

Normalisation models for accounting for fat content in stable isotope measurements in salmonid muscle tissue

Stable isotope analysis is increasingly used in ecological studies. Because lipid content influences δ¹³C, lipids should be removed from lipid-rich samples before δ¹³C analysis. To account for differences in δ¹³C arising from differences in lipid content, relationships between lipid content, C:N ratio and Δδ¹³C with lipid removal can be used to normalise lipid content to uniform levels. We investigate these relationships for salmonid muscle and evaluate the suitability of previously published normalisation equations for these fish. Salmonids with a wide range of condition (muscle lipid content = 3–35% of dry weight) were considered. There were no consistent relationships between lipid content or C:N ratio and Δδ¹⁵N. There were linear relationships between C:N ratio and lipid content (L = −16.53 + 6.27 × C:N); C:N ratio and Δδ¹³C (Δδ¹³C = −1.87 + 0.65 × C:N); and lipid content and Δδ¹³C (Δδ¹³C = 0.01 + 0.10 × L), which should be used on salmonid stable isotope studies.     

A universal approach to estimate biomass and carbon stock in tropical forests using generic allometric models

Allometric equations allow aboveground tree biomass and carbon stock to be estimated from tree size. The allometric scaling theory suggests the existence of a universal power-law relationship between tree biomass and tree diameter with a fixed scaling exponent close to 8/3. In addition, generic empirical models, like Chave's or Brown's models, have been proposed for tropical forests in America and Asia. These generic models have been used to estimate forest biomass and carbon worldwide. However, tree allometry depends on environmental and genetic factors that vary from region to region. Consequently, theoretical models that include too few ecological explicative variables or empirical generic models that have been calibrated at particular sites are unlikely to yield accurate tree biomass estimates at other sites. In this study, we based our analysis on a destructive sample of 481 trees in Madagascar spiny dry and moist forests characterized by a high rate of endemism (> 95%). We show that, among the available generic allometric models, Chave's model including diameter, height, and wood specific gravity as explicative variables for a particular forest type (dry, moist, or wet tropical forest) was the only one that gave accurate tree biomass estimates for Madagascar (R2 > 83%, bias < 6%), with estimates comparable to those obtained with regional allometric models. When biomass allometric models are not available for a given forest site, this result shows that a simple height-diameter allometry is needed to accurately estimate biomass and carbon stock from plot inventories.     

Status,source identification,and health risks of potentially toxic element concentrations in road dust in a medium-sized city in a developing country

This study aims to determine the status of potentially toxic element concentrations of road dust in a medium-sized city (Rawang, Malaysia). This study adopts source identification via enrichment factor, Pearson correlation analysis, and Fourier spectral analysis to identify sources of potentially toxic element concentrations in road dust in Rawang City, Malaysia. Health risk assessment was conducted to determine potential health risks (carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks) among adults and children via multiple pathways (i.e., ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation). Mean of potentially toxic element concentrations were found in the order of Pb > Zn > Cr(IV) > Cu > Ni > Cd > As > Co. Source identification revealed that Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Cr(IV) are associated with anthropogenic sources in industrial and highly populated areas in northern and southern Rawang, cement factories in southern Rawang, as well as the rapid development and population growth in northwestern Rawang, which have resulted in high traffic congestion. Cobalt, Fe, and As are related to geological background and lithologies in Rawang. Pathway orders for both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks are ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation, involving adults and children. Non-carcinogenic health risks in adults were attributed to Cr(IV), Pb, and Cd, whereas Cu, Cd, Cr(IV), Pb, and Zn were found to have non-carcinogenic health risks for children. Cd, Cr(IV), Pb, and As may induce carcinogenic risks in adults and children, and the total lifetime cancer risk values exceeded incremental lifetime.