Rhythms in larval release of the sublittoral crab Neopanope sayi and the supralittoral crab Sesarma cinereum (Decapoda: Brachyura)

Ovigerous females of the subtidal xanthid crab Neopanope sayi (Smith) and the high intertidal grapsid crab Sesarma cinereum (Bosc) were collected during the summers of 1986 and 1987 in the Beaufort, North Carolina (USA), area and brought into the laboratory, where rhythms in larval release were monitored. When crabs with late-stage embryos were put under a 14 h light:10 h dark cycle in an otherwise constant-environment room, an apparent tidal rhythm in release of larvae was observed for both species, with N. sayi releasing near the time of day and night high tides, and S. cinereum releasing around the time of night high tides. The time of sunset relative to high tide was a complicating factor, since larval release for both species was often concentrated around sunset when evening high tides fell several hours before sunset. When a group of N. sayi and S. cinereum were brought into the laboratory and placed under constant lowlevel light for 5 d, the release rhythm of the population persisted, thus implying that the rhythm is endogenous. Larval release near the time of high tide and often at night is common among brachyurans living in tidal areas, regardless of specific adult habitat, suggesting a common functional advantage. Possibilities include transport of larvae from areas where predation and the likelihood of stranding and exposure to low-salinity waters are high, as well as a reduced probability of predation on adult females. Results of the present study suggest that the importance of release after darkness may increase with increasing tidal height of the adult.     

The role of information in mate-choice copying in female sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna)

Female mate choice is a complex process involving both genetic and social factors. Extrinsic cues may play a role in determining how these factors interact. Mate-choice copying is a socially influenced mate-choice strategy in which females observe other females during mate choice and choose the same male as those females. Previous studies have shown that female sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) prefer larger over smaller males, and this preference is assumed to be genetically based. In this study we tested, first, whether sailfin molly females changed their mate preference in favour of smaller males when they could obtain more information by observing two model females sequentially for 5 min each or one model female for 20 min next to the smaller male. Second, we tested if females that had changed their preferences in favour of smaller males maintained this learned preference afterwards. In copying experiments, females changed their preferences in favour of smaller males both when they could observe two model females each for 5 min near by a smaller male and when they could observe one model female for 20 min near the smaller male. In the latter case, females maintained this learned preference for smaller males up to 5 weeks after the copying experiment. This shows that mate-choice copying has a long-lasting effect on mate-choice decisions in sailfin molly females and that mate-choice copying can serve as a mechanism for cultural inheritance of mate preferences in females.     

Diel and seasonal changes in the distribution of fish on a southeast Brazil sandy beach

The effect of diel and seasonal changes in the distribution of fishes on a subtropical sandy beach on the southeastern coast of Brazil were studied. Seine netting was carried out on both seasonal and diel scales between July 1998 and June 1999. A total of 46 fish species was recorded, six being numerically dominant: Anchoa tricolor, Gerres aprion, Harengula clupeola, Atherinella brasiliensis, Mugil liza and Diapterus rhombeus. Seasonal changes in abundance of dominant species were detected. Species dominant in winter were Anchoa tricolor, H. clupeola and Atherinella brasiliensis; in spring, Anchoa tricolor and G. aprion; in summer G. aprion and D. rhombeus; and in autumn M. liza and H. clupeola. Overall, diel patterns did not reveal any significant trends; however, if we consider each season separately, an increase in A. tricolor abundance was recorded during the day in winter/spring, being replaced at night by H. clupeola in winter, and by G. aprion in spring. Increases in number of individuals and biomass at sunset, and decreases during the night were recorded. The winter/spring inshore/offshore movements at diel scale performed by the three most abundant species demonstrate that diel fluctuation acts more at a species-specific level than at a structural one; in summer there was no evidence of diel movements due to a heavy influx of G. aprion and D. rhombeus, which use the area throughout day and night, increasing overall abundance. Seasonal movements seems to be related to ontogenetic change in species, while diel movements in the fish assemblage seem to be more related to physiological requirements, such feeding activity of each particular species, than to physico-chemical conditions.Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe     

土地处理技术在干旱-半干旱过渡带生态建设中的应用

土地处理系统是在干旱 -半干旱过渡区实现污水无害化、资源化的有效技术。内蒙古霍林河矿区污水土地处理系统设计与运行结果表明 ,该区具备推广土地处理技术的良好条件 ,土地处理系统应以慢速渗滤和污水资源利用型为主 ,实现污水处理与生态环境建设的结合。污水资源的利用有助于增加镶嵌型复合生态系统的稳定性 ,加速人工林的成林郁闭 ,增加林木蓄积量 ,改善干旱、半干旱地区的生态环境     

The performance of RAMS in representing the convective boundary layer structure in a very steep valley

Data from a comprehensive field study in the Riviera Valley of Southern Switzerland are used to investigate convective boundary layer structure in a steep valley and to evaluate wind and temperature fields, convective boundary layer height, and surface sensible heat fluxes as predicted by the mesoscale model RAMS. Current parameterizations of surface and boundary layer processes in RAMS, as well as in other mesoscale models, are based on scaling laws strictly valid only for flat topography and uniform land cover. Model evaluation is required to investigate whether this limits the applicability of RAMS in steep, inhomogeneous terrain. One clear-sky day with light synoptic winds is selected from the field study. Observed temperature structure across and along the valley is nearly homogeneous while wind structure is complex with a wind speed maximum on one side of the valley. Upvalley flows are not purely thermally driven and mechanical effects near the valley entrance also affect the wind structure. RAMS captured many of the observed boundary layer characteristics within the steep valley. The wind field, temperature structure, and convective boundary layer height in the valley are qualitatively simulated by RAMS, but the horizontal temperature structure across and along the valley is less homogeneous in the model than in the observations. The model reproduced the observed net radiation, except around sunset and sunrise when RAMS does not take into account the shadows cast by the surrounding topography. The observed sensible heat fluxes fall within the range of simulated values at grid points surrounding the measurement sites. Some of the scatter between observed and simulated turbulent sensible heat fluxes are due to sub-grid scale effects related to local topography.     

The Impact of the Hyperacid Ijen Crater Lake. Part I: Concentrations of Elements in Crops and Soil

In Asembagus (East Java, Indonesia) irrigation water is contaminated with effluent from the hyperacid Ijen Crater Lake resulting in a low pH and high levels of various elements. As a first step towards a risk assessment, locally produced food items (rice, maize, cassava leaf, cassava root, peanuts) were collected and concentrations of As, B, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, V, Zn were compared to samples from a reference area and with literature values. Further, concentrations in rice were compared to total soil concentrations in paddy fields. Compared to the reference area, food items produced in the contaminated area had increased levels of Cd, Co, Ni and Mn in particular, while levels of Mo were lower. In contrast, total soil concentrations of Cd and Mn in particular have decreased whereas especially Mo was increased. In combination with the observed soil acidification, it is likely that the bioavailable concentration of most elements in the contaminated soil is higher (except for Mo) due to an increased weathering rate and/or input via the contaminated irrigation water. In terms of human health, concentrations in foods were generally within normal literature values. However, it was observed that essential elements (in particular Fe) known for their inhibitory effects on e.g. Cd and Mn toxicity did not accumulate in crops whereas Cd and Mn did.     

Food and feeding habits of the herring Clupea harengus and the sprat C. sprattus in inshore waters of the west coast of Scotland

The food and feeding habits of the herring Clupea harengus L. and the sprat C. sprattus (L.) as 0-group and older fish in inshore waters of the west coast of Scotland, were studied from April, 1970 to March, 1972. The two species occurred together. The diets of 0-group herring and sprats are almost identical, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Their daily feeding rhythms also coincide. It is probable that competition between these two species in their first year of life could occur if the food supply is limiting. Changes in diet between 0-group and older fish are more pronounced in herring than in sprats. The diet itself is mainly crustacean in both clupeids, with copepods contributing the major share.     

A method to reconstruct anguilliform fishes from partially digested items

Estimating the amounts of resources consumed by individuals is important in many studies. For predators, allometric relationships can be used to extrapolate the size of preys from undigested remains found in the stomach and in the faeces. However, such equations are available for a limited number of species. Based on a large sample size gathered in New Caledonia on both predators (sea kraits) and their preys (anguilliform fishes), we provide the first allometric relationships that allow estimating accurately the mass and the size of various anguilliform fish species.     

Prodigiosin metabolites of a marine Pseudomonas species

The major pigment of a marine micro-organism was identified as prodigiosin on the basis of analytical and spectral data. Two minor pigments were tentatively assigned structures, from thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and mass spectral data, as prodigiosin homologs with 3-n-hexyl and 3-n-heptyl side-chains. The micro-organism was classified as a new Pseudomonas species on the basis of its morphological and biochemical characteristics. It was named Pseudomonas magnesiorubra (ATCC No. 21856).