Accommodation space limits plant invasion: Ammophila arenaria survival on New Zealand beaches

Purpose

Ammophila arenaria (marram grass) may invade remote beach-dune systems by the marine dispersal of rhizomes. In New Zealand, and elsewhere, the conservation of the remaining dune systems of high conservation value would be advanced by predicting where this species might successfully establish and undertaking appropriate surveillance. This paper examines the ability of A. arenaria to sustain growth in the stressful back-beach environment.

Methods

Shoots developed from rhizomes were subjected to burial, depth, salt spray and desiccation treatments in the glasshouse. Plants were also subjected to salt water inundation. Two field populations of A. arenaria were surveyed for a period of almost 3 years, following rhizome stranding in July 2007.

Results

Shoots were able to emerge from depths of up to 40 cm. Rhizomes failed to produce shoots when the moisture content of rhizomes was less than 18.25 %, which occurred after 3 days of drought. The survival of buried plants was significantly reduced compared to non-buried plants when burial exceeded 80 % of the plant height. No plants survived when burial exceeded 100 % of the plant height. No tillers survived without water for more than 3 weeks. Exposure to salt spray had no effect on shoot survival. Immersion in seawater significantly reduced survival—exposure to seawater, equivalent to only one high tide immersion event, was sufficient to reduce plant survival in the glasshouse.

Conclusions

Burial, desiccation and salt-spray may, on occasion, be responsible for either preventing the regeneration of A. arenaria rhizomes or limiting the survival of the resultant plants, but exposure to wave activity determines the viability of a population.     

The effects of partial mortality on the fecundity of three common Caribbean corals

The recent intensification of human disturbances in the Caribbean has increased the prevalence of partial mortality on coral colonies. Partial mortality can change colony size by directly shrinking colonies or by splitting colonies into fragments. A reduction in colony size can also adversely affect fecundity and fitness as internal resources shift away from reproduction toward colony maintenance. This study aimed to determine whether three Caribbean coral species, Siderastrea siderea, Montastraea faveolata, and Diploria strigosa, along the reef tract in Puerto Morelos, Mexico (20^o52′N, 86^o51′W), continued to dedicate resources to reproduction when colonies were fragmented to pre-maturation size. Contrary to expectations, eggs were found in colonies that were smaller than the maturation size and had been subjected to partial mortality. The continued dedication of resources toward reproduction, even in the smallest colonies, suggests that resource trade-offs away from reproduction are not as rigid as previously suggested in stressed corals.     

Ecological niche segregation among five toothed whale species off the NW Iberian Peninsula using ecological tracers as multi-approach

This study aims to assess niche segregation among the five main toothed whales that frequent the NW Iberian Peninsula waters: the common dolphin, the harbour porpoise, the bottlenose dolphin, the striped dolphin and the long-finned pilot whale. We used cadmium (Cd) and stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) as ecological tracers to assess degree of segregation in diet/trophic level and in foraging habitat, over various time-scales. δ¹³C values highlighted different habitats, while Cd concentrations highlighted feeding differences between oceanic and neritic species. Moreover, δ¹⁵N values suggest different trophic levels of prey targeted within oceanic and neritic species. Hence, results revealed long-term ecological segregation among five toothed whales that coexist in the NWIP and demonstrated the ability of ecological tracers to discriminate ecological niches among closely related species.     

Detection of coastal mud odors by loggerhead sea turtles: a possible mechanism for sensing nearby land

For sea turtles, an ability to detect land masses from a considerable distance away, and to distinguish coastal areas from the open sea, might be adaptive. The loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, can detect airborne odorants associated with food. To investigate whether sea turtles can also detect odors associated with land, we studied the responses of juvenile loggerheads to odors from coastal mud. Turtles were tested in a water-filled arena in which odorants could be introduced to the air above the water surface. Turtles exposed to air that had passed over a cup containing mud spent more time with their noses out of the water than did control turtles exposed to air that had passed over a cup containing distilled water. The results demonstrate for the first time that loggerheads can detect airborne odorants associated with land, an ability that might play a role in foraging, navigation, or both.     

Comparison of methods for determining key marine areas from tracking data

There is an urgent need to identify key marine areas for conservation, particularly in the high seas. A range of techniques have been applied to tracking data from higher predators, particularly seabirds and pinnipeds, to determine the areas of greatest use. This study compared three commonly used methods—kernel, first-passage time and state-space modelling—and a new approach, minimum displacement rate, for the analysis of data from the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans of Bird Island, South Georgia, tracked during the chick-rearing period. Applied to a single track, these four models identified similar marine areas as important. The greatest similarity in areas identified occurred when model assumptions were shared (such as slow speed indicating spatial preference) even when methods modelled these assumptions differently (e.g. Bayesian inference versus cumulative density surface). A gridded overlap approach applied to all tracks revealed core areas not apparent from results of any single analysis. The gridded approach also revealed spatial overlap between methods based on different assumptions (e.g. minimum displacement rate and kernel analysis) and between individuals. Although areas identified as important by kernel and first-passage time analysis of a single track were biased towards resting locations during darkness, this does not negate the requirement for their protection. Using the gridded overlap approach, two distinct core regions were identified for the wandering albatross; one close to the breeding colony and another 800 km to the North–West in the high seas. This convenient and pragmatic approach could be applied to large data sets and across species for the identification of a network of candidate marine protected areas in coastal and pelagic waters.     

Temporal and spatial variability in coral recruitment on two Indonesian coral reefs: consistently lower recruitment to a degraded reef

Corals are the primary reef-building organisms, therefore it is key to understand their recruitment patterns for effective reef management. Coral recruitment rates and juvenile coral abundance were recorded in the Wakatobi National Marine Park, Indonesia, on two reefs (Sampela and Hoga) with different levels of environmental degradation (12.5 vs. 44 % coral cover with high and low sedimentation rates, respectively) to examine consistencies in recruitment patterns between years and seasons. Recruitment was measured on multiple panels at two sites on each reef (6–7 m depth) and cleared areas of natural reef. Although coral recruitment was twofold higher in 2008–2009 than in 2007–2008, and seasonal differences were identified, consistent significant differences in recruitment rates were found between the two reefs even though they are separated by only ~1.5 km. Recruitment rates and juvenile abundance were lower on the more degraded reef. These patterns are likely a consequence of differential pre- and post-settlement mortality as a result of the high sedimentation rates and degraded conditions and possibly reduced larval supply.     

Hierarchical patch choice by an insectivorous bat through prey availability components

Food availability does not only refer to the abundance of edible items; accessibility and detectability of food are also essential components of the availability concept. Constraints imposed by a habitat’s physical structure on the accessibility and detectability of food have been seldom treated simultaneously to the abundance of prey at the foraging patch level in observational studies. We designed a research that allowed decoupling the effects of microhabitat structure and prey abundance on foraging patch selection of the trawling insectivorous long-fingered bat (Myotis capaccinii). The use of different patches of river was surveyed by radiotelemetry during three periods of the bat’s annual cycle, and prey abundance was accordingly measured in and out of the hunting grounds of the tracked bats by insect traps emulating the species’ foraging. Bats preferentially used river stretches characterised by an open course and smooth water surfaces, i.e. they used the most suitable patches in terms of prey accessibility and detectability, respectively. In addition, prey abundance in the selected river stretches was higher than in others where bat activity was not recorded, although the latter also offered good access and prey detection possibilities. Bats also shifted foraging stretches seasonally, likely following the spatiotemporal dynamics of prey production over the watershed. We suggest that the decisions of bats during the patch choice process fitted a hierarchical sequence driven first by the species’ morphological specialisations and ability to hunt in unobstructed spaces, then by the detectability of prey on water surfaces and, finally, by the relative abundance of prey.     

Photosynthetic and morphological photoacclimation of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa to season, depth and leaf position

The photoacclimation capacity of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa was evaluated considering temporal (i.e. seasonal) and spatial (i.e. depth and within-leaf position) factors of variation. Changes along the leaf were measured in a population growing along a depth gradient (from intertidal to subtidal) in Cadiz Bay (Southern Spain) from 2004 to 2005. Photoacclimation was evaluated by photosynthesis (P–E curves), pigment content and leaf morphology. Plants of Cymodocea nodosa showed large physiological and morphological plasticity (mean %CV = 35.8 ± 3.4) according to the three factors considered. Seasonal patterns appeared for photosynthesis, respiration, pigment content and morphology. Nevertheless, seasonal patterns were not consistent with depth or leaf portions. The resulting data set offered different information depending on the analysis conducted; when only one factor (season, depth or leaf portion) was considered, some tendencies observed in the 3-way full design were masked. Accordingly, considering spatio–temporal variability is crucial when describing photoacclimation and estimating productivity in seagrass meadows.     

Bright turquoise as an intraspecific signal in the chameleon grasshopper (Kosciuscola tristis)

Bright colours often communicate important information between conspecifics. In sexually dichromatic species where males exhibit bright colours, two hypotheses are often invoked to explain the function of the colour. First, if a male’s bright colour contains information about his quality, females may prefer brighter males. Equally, male colour may reliably provide other males with information about fighting ability or resource holding potential. In such circumstances, brighter males may win altercations and/or males may use rival colour to assess their likelihood of winning an interaction. In the chameleon grasshopper (Kosciuscola tristis), males but not females turn bright turquoise when their body temperature exceeds 25 °C. In this study, we tested whether the turquoise phase of colour change has a signaling role in inter- and intrasexual contexts. We predicted that females would prefer bright turquoise males over dull males, but found no evidence from several choice experiments to support this hypothesis. We also predicted that brighter males would win more fights than duller males. Whilst we did not find that brighter males won more fights in staged experiments, we found that the brightness of males who chose to enter fights was significantly correlated with their opponents’ brightness. Our results suggest that the brightness of males’ turquoise phase may provide competitors with important information about their rival’s fighting ability.