1,720,986 research outputs found
Reproduction and life history strategies of the common jellyfish, Aurelia aurita, in relation to its ambient environment
No full textThe scyphozoan Aurelia aurita (Linnaeus) is a cosmopolitan species, having been reported from a variety of coastal and shelf sea environments around the world. It has been extensively studied over the last 100 years or so, and examination of the literature reveals three striking features: (1) the presence of populations in a wide range of environmental conditions; (2) large inter-population differences in abundance and life history patterns over large and small spatial scales; and (3) inter-annual variability in various aspects of its population dynamics. A. aurita is clearly a highly flexible species that can adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions. While various physiological and behavioural characteristics explain how A. aurita populations can take advantage of their surrounding environment, they do not explain what governs the observed temporal and spatial patterns of abundance, and the longevity or lifespan of populations. Understanding these features is necessary to predict how bloom populations might form. In a given habitat, the distribution and abundance of benthic marine invertebrates have been found to be maintained by four factors: larval recruitment (sexual reproduction), migration, mortality and asexual reproduction. The aims of this review are to determine the role of reproduction and life history strategies of the benthic and pelagic phases of A. aurita in governing populations of medusae, with special attention given to the dynamic interaction between A. aurita and its surrounding physical and biological environment
Observations of resuspended diatoms in the turbid tidal edge
No full textObservations of resuspended diatoms in the shallow waters (<60 cm) of the turbid tidal edge are described for single sites on two tidal flats–the Molenplaat in the Westerschelde estuary, and the Hond in the Ems-Dollard estuary, The Netherlands. High concentrations of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) were observed in the trailing edge of the ebbing tide in water depths of <20 cm, after which concentrations decreased markedly. Peak mean values were 19 ? g chl-a l-1 in 10 cm of water at the Molenplaat, and 45 ? g chl-a l-1 in 5 cm of water at the Hond. Similar trends were observed on the flooding tide, although peak values were far less pronounced (6 and 30 ? g chl-a l-1 respectively). Microscopic examination of the diatom community within the turbid tidal edge at the Molenplaat revealed that peaks in biomass were caused by suspended benthic diatoms, as well as the large centric diatom Coscinodiscus sp., particularly on the ebb tide. Planktonic diatoms other than Coscinodiscus sp. were more randomly distributed and did not appear to follow any particular trend. It would seem that as the tide recedes, resuspended benthic diatoms and large Coscinodiscus sp. cells become concentrated in the shallow water. However, the virtual absence of Coscinodiscus sp. from the leading edge of the flooding tide suggests that most of the resuspended cells do not settle to the seabed, but are washed away into the channels. The small peak of benthic diatoms at the leading edge of the flood tide is most likely resuspended locally from the sediment, along with large numbers of diatom frustules
Day-night variation of cohesive sediment stability
No full textSurface sediment properties related to cohesive sediment stability were measured over 8 consecutive day- and night-time emersion periods at three upper intertidal sites on a mudflat in August 2003, during the transition from spring to neap tides. Significant differences between day- and night-time critical erosion shear stress (τc) and chlorophyll a were found. A high degree of temporal and spatial variability existed between the sediment properties. During the first half of the study period, a rhythmic day–night variation occurred between τc, chl a, colloidal-S- and EDTA-extracted carbohydrate. During the second part of the study, the magnitude of variation of these parameters diminished. Results showed that sediments were more stable during the day than at night. Differences between day- and night-time sediment stability were related not only to diatom migration, but also to wave energy during preceding immersion periods. No significant relationships existed between τc and either chl a, or colloidal-S- or EDTA-extracted carbohydrate sediment content. It is suggested that tidal phasing, in terms of both the time during the day at which low water spring and neap tides occur, as well as the duration of the emersion period, control the biomass dynamics. The tidal phasing effect is expected to be more pronounced on a cohesive intertidal flat where low water spring tides occur at noon and midnight. The results of this study will be of use in time-dependent estuarine models
Erodibility and erosion patterns of mudflat sediments investigated using an annular flume
No full textLaboratory flume experiments were carried out, to measure the effect of biota on erodibility of mudflat sediments. The experiments sought to reproduce the environment of the lower mudflat at Hythe, Southampton Water, Southern England; this is characterised by fine grain-size and a surface layer of very fluid mud. Natural sediments were used to produce settled beds in the Lab Carousel, an annular flume of 2 m diameter. The following bed conditions were investigated diatom biofilms; the addition of cockles (Cerastoderma edule); and abiotic sediment, obtained by the addition of sodium hypochlorite. The erosion threshold (τcrit, calculated with the TKE method) was in the range 0.02–0.20 Pa. Bioconsolidation increased τcrit considerably: compared to the abiotic sediment experiment, τcrit was 5–10 times higher depending on the biofilm development. The relationship between τcrit and water content of sediment (the best proxy for sediment compaction) was as good, or better than between τcrit and chlorophyll a (proxy for biofilm development). When cockles were introduced, τcrit was significantly lower (reduction by 50–75% compared with the diatom biofilm experiments), reflecting the surface disturbance by the bivalves. The biofilm erosion was characterised by a patchy pattern: the bed surface stayed mainly uneroded and erosion was visible only on a few elongated patches commencing at some weakness points of the biofilm, then progressing downstream. The results illustrate the importance of the surface heterogeneity: the irregularities of a natural bed (weak points of the biofilm, bioturbations, microrelief, larger roughness elements like shells or algae, etc.) have a determinant effect on the erodibility of biofilms. Such characteristics may have more influence than biofilm strength, because the erosion starts from the weaker areas.<br/
Testing the long-term stability of marine isoscapes in shelf seas using jellyfish tissues
No full textMaps of the spatial distribution of stable isotope ratios across wide geographic areas (isoscapes) are increasingly used to study mechanisms of nutrient flux, movements of animals, and to improve trophic information derived from stable isotope analyses. Isoscapes are usually constructed from reference samples collected from known geographic positions, a time consuming and costly process. In this study, we test the temporal stability of isoscapes of carbon and nitrogen isotopes across the North Sea over a ten-year period. Using jellyfish tissues as reference organisms, we show that hydrodynamic and biogeochemical processes controlling the distribution of carbon and nitrogen isotope values, and thus that the underlying isoscapes, are temporally stable. Remarkably, broad geographic variations in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope distributions across the North Sea are consistent with previously published variations seen in archaeological cod bones from the ninth to seventeenth centuries, despite dramatic changes in land use in the past 1,000 years. Stable isotope-based studies of trophic interactions or movements in animals with lifespans of a year or more in shelf ecosystems can consequently be referenced to previously published isoscape models, and do not require construction of temporally explicit isotope baseline corrections. Scyphomedusan jellyfish are excellent reference organisms for ecological stable isotope analyses in pelagic ecosystems, due to their widespread distributions, well-defined life histories, and fast tissue growth
Population ecology of Muggiaea atlantica (Cnidaria, Siphonophora) in the Western English Channel
Full text linkRecent observations suggest that the siphonophore Muggiaea atlantica is expanding its geographical distribution. The mechanisms behind this expansion remain unclear due to our limited knowledge of the species’ ecology. We modelled the functional relationship between the 2 main life-cycle stages of M. atlantica over a 5 yr period (2009?2013) in the Western English Channel. Our aims were to determine the key features of the species’ population dynamics and the influence of local environmental conditions on its population development. Our results highlighted a strong coupling between the timing of specific environmental conditions and the development of the M. atlantica population, thereby explaining interannual differences in the phenology of its blooms. Population development commenced with the initiation of eudoxid production by the overwintering polygastric stages. This reproductive event was linked to the onset of a spring temperature threshold, suggesting a critical basal limit of 10°C for eudoxid production. Interannual variability in the timing of this threshold modulated the degree of mismatch between the developing M. atlantica population and the availability of copepod prey. Unusually cold conditions in the spring of 2010 and 2013 limited the capacity for M. atlantica to initiate eudoxid production leading to poor trophic phasing and the production of single autumn cohorts. In contrast, warmer conditions during spring 2009, 2011, and 2012 facilitated earlier population development, optimal trophic phasing and the production of both summer and autumn cohorts. These findings represent an important addition to our understanding of the ecology of M. atlantica in the Northeast Atlanti
Microalgal mediation of ripple mobility
No full textThe interaction between physical and biological factors responsible for the cessation of ripple migration on a sandy intertidal flat was examined during a microalgal bloom period in late winter/early spring, as part of a wider study into the biostabilisation of intertidal sediments. Ripple positions and ripple geometry were monitored, and surface sediment was sampled, at weekly intervals over a 5-week period. Ripples remained in the same position for at least 4 weeks, during which time there was a progressive reduction in bedform height (smoothing) and deposition of some 1.5 cm sediment, mainly in the ripple troughs (surface levelling). The mean chlorophyll a (chl a) sediment content was 6.0 µg gDW?1 (DW: dry weight) (0–1 mm depth fraction), with a maximum value of 7.4 µg gDW?1 half way through the bloom. Mean colloidal-S carbohydrate (S: saline extraction) content was 131 µg GE gDW?1 (GE: glucose equivalent) (0–1 mm), with a maximum of 261 µg GE gDW?1 towards the end of the bloom. Important accessory pigments were peridinin (indicative of dinophytes) and fucoxanthin (diatoms). Stepwise multiple regression showed that peridinin was the best predictor of chl a. For the first time, in situ evidence for the mediation of (wave) ripple migration by microalgae is provided. Results indicate that diatoms, and quite possibly dinophytes, can have a significant effect on intertidal flat ripple mobility on a temporal scale of weeks. In addition, microalgal effects appear capable of effecting a reduction in bed roughness on a spatial scale of up to 10?2 m, with a subsequent reduction in bottom stress and bed erodability. It is suggested that a unique combination of environmental conditions, in conjunction with the microalgal bloom(s), promoted the initial cessation of ripple movement, and that stationary-phase, diatom-derived extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) (and possibly dinophyte-derived EPS) may have prolonged the condition. It is reasonable to suppose that ripple stabilisation by similar processes may have contributed to ripple mark preservation in the geological record. A conceptual model of sandy intertidal flat processes is presented, illustrating two conditions: (i) a low EPS/microalgae sediment content with low ripple stabilisation and preservation potential; and (ii) a high EPS/microalgae content with higher preservation potential.<br/
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
- …
