Horse mackerel egg identification using DNA methodology

Egg identification in plankton samples is usually needed for purposes of stock assessment. Until recently, only morphological characters were used for identifying the eggs of different fish species. Late developmental stages are easily distinguishable due to pigmentation as well as egg and oil globule size range. However, for early stages, these characteristics are difficult to be discriminated and may overlap with other species. European horse mackerel species (Trachurus trachurus, T. mediterraneus, T. picturatus) overlap significantly in their spawning areas in some European waters. Because of the fact that their eggs are morphologically similar, genetic methodologies are needed to identify eggs and larvae to species correctly. In the present study, formalin‐ and ethanol‐preserved eggs were tested to estimate the efficacy of genetic methodologies for species identification of eggs when different preservatives are used. A 370‐bp fragment of cytochrome b was successfully amplified followed by restriction fragment analysis with two restriction enzymes aiming to identify the eggs to species. Horse mackerel egg identification was accomplished with the maximum success in ethanol‐preserved eggs. However, it seems that various preservatives had different effects on the DNA quality of eggs as genetic identification was less successful in formalin‐preserved eggs. Preserving in ethanol a part of the eggs obtained in plankton surveys is suggested for purposes of accurate genetic identification, even if their morphological features are distorted in time.     

Feasibility Analysis of the Use of Binary Genetic Algorithms as Importance Samplers Application to a 1-D DC Resistivity Inverse Problem

DC resistivity inverse problems are ill-posed. For the Vertical Electrical Sounding method the acceptable solutions lie in very narrow elongated-shape regions in the model space. To characterize this ensemble of solutions is a central question. In a Bayesian framework this issue is solved adopting as solution the so-called model posterior probability distribution. However, due to the nonlinearity of the problem, this distribution is not explicitly known, or it is difficult to calculate. Therefore, algorithms that efficiently sample the model space according to it (importance sampling) are very desirable. The main goal of this paper is to numerically explore the performance of binary genetic algorithms as posterior importance sampling strategies. Their behavior will be firstly analyzed using 2D synthetic posterior test functions bearing the relevant properties of the real geo-electrical inverse problem. The conclusions will be again checked through the histogram reconstruction of parameters in a synthetic VES case, and eventually, in a real, higher dimensional, sea-water coastal intrusion problem, by comparing the results with those obtained with a theoretically correct Metropolis-Hasting importance sampler (simulated annealing without cooling). Percentile curves are introduced as an effective tool for risk assessment. We show that binary genetic algorithms perform well under very general assumptions. When the roulette wheel is the selection method used, mutation is over 10%, and the algorithm does not incorporate elitism. The results do not depend on the values of the remaining tuning parameters. Finally, to improve the efficiency of the sampling strategy, we introduce a binary genetic algorithm with oriented search space. This is done with the help of linearization of the forward operator and singular value decomposition around the maximum posterior estimate. It is shown, also, that the logarithmic model parameterization is adequate for this task.     

Simulation of stratospheric ozone in global forecast model using linear photochemistry parameterization

The two types of ozone, the simulation with interactive (prognostic) ozone using linear photochemistry parameterization (LPP) (INTR) and the simulation with non-interactive ozone using ozone climatology (CLIM), were used in the global forecast model. These two types of ozone were compared with ozone observations from the Aura Microwave Lim Sounder (MLS) and ozonesondes from 16-30 September 2008. The INTR is sensitive to LPP schemes while less sensitive to the time average of initial ozone data. Among three LPP schemes, CARIOLLE, COPCAT, and LINOZ, the COPCAT produces ozone profiles with least differences from MLS and ozonesondes. CLIM overestimates MLS at 200-20 hPa while INTR with COPCAT scheme underestimates MLS ozone above 5 hPa. Over the Antarctic in the lower stratosphere CLIM overestimates MLS and ozonesondes whereas INTR underestimates MLS but overestimates the ozonesonde data. Thus, COPCAT agrees better with ozonesonde data than any other LPP schemes and CLIM. Changing the ozone distribution from CLIM to INTR affects temperature profiles mainly through the modification of differential radiative fluxes. The correlations between ozone, differential radiative fluxes, and temperature are distinguished by altitude (or pressure levels). The correlations are strong or moderate between 3-1000 hPa (lower atmosphere) and weak above 3 hPa (upper atmosphere). This study demonstrates that the simulation of ozone using an appropriate LPP scheme is excellent in overcoming the drawbacks of using climatological ozone profiles that poorly agree with observations in extreme ozone hole events.     

Managing coastal zone fisheries: A Mediterranean case study

Coastal fisheries are complex ecological and social systems, evolving in time with a shift from commercial towards recreational effort. We describe the coastal fisheries of Mallorca (W Mediterranean) and the management policies implemented to show the challenges faced at regional level to handle the different management tools used to conserve biodiversity and the social fabric in the coastal zone. Our example provides evidence of the complexity of fishing rights and how they can be adapted into practical fisheries management by combining fishing rights, open access recreational fishery, community-based management and biodiversity conservation.     

Geochemical modelling of the tonalitic and trondhjemitic granulites from the Itabuna-Salvador-Curaçá Block,Bahia, Brazil

The studied tonalitic and trondhjemitic granulites are located in the SSE granulitic domain of the São Francisco craton, Bahia, Brazil, where they represent most of the southern part of the Archean and Paleoproterozoic Itabuna-Salvador-Curaçá Block (ISCB). Chemically, the tonalitic and trondhjemitic granulites belong to a low-K calc-alkaline suite; their REE patterns are steep with strong LREE/HREE fractionation and no significant Eu anomaly. Garnet-bearing mafic granulites that occur as enclaves in the tonalitic and trondhjemitic granulites were derived from basalts and/or gabbros of tholeiitic affinity. Geochemical modelling showed that the tonalitic and trondhjemitic granulites were produced by moderate fractional crystallization of an assemblage of hornblende and plagioclase, with subordinate amounts of magnetite, apatite, allanite and zircon. The garnet-bearing mafic granulites would be the source of the magmas that generated these rocks. Partial melting left a residue made up of plagioclase, garnet, orthopyroxene and hornblende.     

Assessing the influence of afforestation with Eucalyptus globulus on hydrological response from a small catchment in northwestern Spain using the HBV hydrological model

Land use change as conversion pasture to forest produces several changes on hydrological cycle. In this paper, we analyse the effects on stream discharge of afforestation of a small watershed devoted to pasture using the HBV hydrological model. Streamflow data obtained over the first 10 years after planting were employed to evaluate the capacity of HBV model to simulate hydrological behaviour of catchment after afforestation. Obtained results indicate that the estimation of streamflow was accurate as reflected by statistics (R² = 0.90, NSC = 0.89 and PBIAS = 0.34). Afterwards, streamflow under pasture land use (if afforestation had not occurred) was simulated using hydrometeorological data collected during the period of study and model parameters optimized previously, together with two parameters, pcorr and cevpfo, that were adjusted for pasture conditions. The HBV model results indicate that afforestation produced a water yield reduction around 2000 mm (22% of total stream discharge) during the first 10 years of planting growth. The differences between forest and pasture land cover are increasing in all seasons year by year. The greatest streamflow reduction was observed in wet period (autumn and winter) with 76% of total reduction. In summer, streamflow reduction represents only 3% of total, however, represents 24.7% of discharge in this season. Streamflow reduction was related to increase of rainfall interception (mainly in wet periods) and the increase of evapotranspiration by plantation in dry periods. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Holocene volcanic history of Gran Canaria island: implications for volcanic hazards

Previous published data, combined with our results of 13 new radiocarbon ages and extensive geological fieldwork, indicate that during the past 11 ka 24 monogenetic basaltic eruptions occurred in the north sector of Gran Canaria. These eruptions can be grouped into three periods of eruptive activity: 1900–3200 ¹⁴C a BP; 5700–6000 ¹⁴C a BP; and an older period represented by only one eruption, El Draguillo, dated at 10 610 ± 190 ¹⁴C a BP. Archaeological studies have shown that the more recent eruptions affected prehistoric human settlements on the island. Field studies demonstrate that the eruptions typically built strombolian cones (30–250 m in height) and associated relatively long lava flows (100–10 350 m in length); a few eruptions also produced tephra fall deposits. The total erupted volume of these eruptions is about 0.388 km³ (46.1% as tephra fall, 41.8% as cinder cone deposits and 12.1% as lava flows). The relatively low eruption rate (～0.04 km³ ka^?1) during the past 11 ka is consistent with Gran Canaria's stage of evolution in the regional volcano‐tectonic setting of the Canary Archipelago. The results of our study were used to construct a volcanic hazards map that clearly delimits two sectors in the NE sector of Gran Canaria, where potential future eruptions would pose a substantial risk for densely populated areas. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.