Coral genera of New Caledonia

Although New Caledonia is surrounded by one of the 3 largest coral reef systems of the world, the published generic records indicate abnormally low coral diversity. Exploration of the reefs in the south-eastern part of the island, largely by means of SCUBA, has yielded specimens which increase the known genera and sub-genera by 50%. New Caledonia now ranks sixth among the coral provinces of the world, with at least 53 genera and sub-genera of reef-building corals. Many of the new records were made in a type of coral environment unlike any previously described. Comparison of the New Caledonia fauna with those of Fiji, the Grett Barrier Reef of Australia, and the Ryukyu Islands reaffirms the remarkable homogeneity of the Indo-Pacific coral faunas.     

Stable isotope ratio variations in non-scleractinian coelenterate carbonates as a function of temperature

Some coelenterates of the class Hydrozoa and some anthozoan coelenterates from the subclass Octocorallia secrete skeletons of calcium carbonate. Skeletal carbonates of three hydrozoans and of two octocorals were analyzed for the stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen. The results suggest that each of these coelenterates deposits CaCO₃ in oxygen isotopic equilibrium with seawater, and that at least one octocoral, Heliopora, has skeletal carbon in apparent isotopic equilibrium with atmospheric CO₂. Two of these coelenterates, Millepora and Helipora, are significant contributors to the construction of coral reefs. Whereas ¹⁸O of these corals is temperature dependent, ¹³C is not obviously related to temperature. The ¹⁸O-temperature relationship is not significantly different from the oxygen isotope paleotemperature scale developed by Epstein et al. (1953). These findings contrast with numerous analyses of the carbonate in scleractinian coelenterates, which have long been reported to deposit CaCO₃ skeletons whose carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions are not in equilibrium with the external sea-water environment.     

Activation energy for skeletal aragonite deposited by the hermatypic coral Platygyra spp.

Average radial growth rates of the hemispherical aragonite colonies deposited by the Indo-Pacific scleractinian reef coral Platygyra spp. were determined by measuring the thickness of density variations in the skeleton that are revealed by X-radiography. Ninety-one specimens from 21 localities were examined, but only 54 of these exhibited well-defined growth-banding. The apparent temperature dependence of growth rate is linear over the range 23.9° to 29.3°C, averaging 5.4±0.94 mm/year at 24°C, 8.0±0.42 mm/year at 27°C, and 9.7 ±0.58 mm/year at 29°C (90% confidence limits). Expression of the influence of temperature on growth rate in terms of the Arrhenius equation yields an activation energy of 20,680 cal/mole, which is comparable to values for typical biological reactions, but is only half that reported for skeletogenesis in another reef coral, Pocillopora damicornis, on the basis of controlled incubation studies involving ⁴⁵Ca uptake.     

Miscanthus × Giganteus straw and pellets as sustainable fuels and raw material for activated carbon

Miscanthus × Giganteus is an excellent candidate for energy cultivation. Here we report, for the first time, the results of the pyrolysis of Miscanthus × Giganteus straw or pellets both in tubular reactor (3–6 g) and in rotary kiln (10–30 g). At 400–600°C the fractions obtained from both reactors are: solid 16–25 (wt.%); liquids 25–40; water 15–20 and gases 15–50. GC-MS analyses of pyrolysis liquids reveal the occurrence of phenolic derivatives and ethanol from lignin, furanic and linear oxygenated compounds from cellulose and hemicellulose. Finally the chars produced by the pyrolysis of M×G pellets in rotary kiln present good calorific values close to 29,000 J/g. Additionally, activated carbons with a BET surface area as high as 800–900 m²/g are produced from pellets. These results indicate that chars have a good potential either for energy production, e.g. briquetting, or as adsorbents precursors.