Female ornaments signal own and offspring quality in a sex‐role‐reversed fish with extreme male parental care

Although female ornaments have been described in many taxa, the full spectrum of information conveyed by such traits together with the potential male fitness benefits are far from fully understood. Here, we used a sex‐role‐reversed species, the black‐striped pipefish, Syngnathus abaster, where females are the ornamented sex and intensively compete for mates who present an extreme form of paternal care (male pregnancy). We investigated what information is conveyed by female traits and if males are using it during mate choice. We further assessed which traits would reflect offspring quality at birth. We found that although body length generally portrays information on female reproductive potential (gonadosomatic index and oocyte diameter), it does so indirectly. Different aspects of the female traits, such as stripe width and trunk broadness, were found to be better direct indicators. When size is kept constant, males prefer females with wider stripes. Moreover, stripe coloration was found to reflect offspring quality as darker‐striped females produced larger newborns. Our observations suggest that in a species with exclusive paternal care, independently from the male's direct investment in reproduction, female contribution decisively impacts male fitness. Thus, at least in sex‐role‐reversed species such as the black striped pipefish, female ornaments can be selected in an analogous way to those of males in species with conventional sex roles (i.e. by mate choice).     

Copepod assemblages in a highly dynamic equatorial estuary on the Brazilian Amazon Coast

This study describes the spatial and temporal dynamics of the copepod fauna in the estuary of the Caeté River, a highly dynamic environment characterized by a unique set of hydrological and hydrodynamic attributes. This ecosystem is part of the Amazon Coastal Zone (ACZ), which sustains one of the world's largest continuous tracts of mangrove forest. In the present study, a predominance of high‐energy conditions characterized by macrotides and strong tidal currents was observed throughout the year. Salinity (0.03 ± 0.05–40.00 ± 0.84) and temperatures (26.43 ± 0.10–30.08 ± 0.43 °C) were higher than during the rainy season at all sampling stations. The highest chl‐a concentration (3.92 ± 1.47–17.63 ± 2.60 mg·m^?3) was recorded at the most oligohaline (innermost) station during the rainy season, while no spatial or seasonal pattern was found in dissolved nutrient concentrations, except for phosphates, which exhibited the highest concentrations during the dry season. A total of 22 copepod taxa was identified, of which the most abundant were Oithona hebes, Oithona oswaldocruzi, Acartia tonsa, Paracalanus quasimodo, Euterpina acutifrons and Pseudodiaptomus marshi. Copepodites and nauplii were also recorded. Mean total copepod abundance varied from 710.73 ± 897 individuals (ind.)·m^?3 at the inner station to 236,486 ± 398,360 ind.·m^?3 near the mouth of the estuary (outermost station). The results reflected rainfall‐influenced oscillations in hydrological variables, mainly salinity, which determined shifts in the distribution of copepods and their community structure within the study area. This pattern may be typical of estuaries in the ACZ with similar hydrodynamic and hydrological attributes that are not influenced by the Amazon River plume.     

On the 3-D inversion of vertical electrical soundings: Application to the South Ismailia area—Cairo desert road, Cairo, Egypt

A code for 3-D resistivity modelling and inversion of vertical electrical soundings has been developed based on the finite-element technique and regularisation method. Synthetic data were used to test the effectiveness of the code and to examine the resolving capability of the Schlumberger array in investigating 3-D resistivity distributions. The code was applied to experimental data set constituted by 35 Schlumberger soundings collected near the Cairo city in order to study the subsurface resistivity distribution. The results have shown that valuable imaging of the subsurface resistivity distribution can be constructed even when the vertical electrical soundings are acquired in a sparse field data set.     

Numerical modeling of the Patos Lagoon coastal plume,Brazil

The Southern Brazilian Shelf (SBS) is a freshwater-influenced region, but studies on the dynamics of coastal plumes are sparse and lack in space-time resolution. Studies on the dynamics of the Patos Lagoon plume are even more limited. The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of the principal physical forcing for the formation and behavior of the Patos Lagoon coastal plume. The study is carried out through 3D numerical modeling experiments and empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. Results showed that the amount of freshwater is the principal physical forcing controlling the plume formation. The Coriolis effect enhances the northward transport over the shelf, while the tidal effects contribute to intensify horizontal and vertical mixing, which are responsible for spreading the freshwater over the shelf. The wind effect, on the other hand, is the main mechanism controlling the behavior of the Patos Lagoon coastal plume over the inner SBS in synoptic time scales. Southeasterly and southwesterly winds contribute to the northeastward displacement of the plume, breaking the vertical stratification of the inner continental shelf. Northeasterly and northwesterly winds favor ebb conditions in the Patos Lagoon, contributing to the southwestward displacement of the plume enhancing the vertical stratification along and across-shore. The EOF analysis reveals two modes controlling the variability of the plume on the surface. The first mode (explaining 70% of the variability) is associated to the southwestward transportation of the plume due to the dominance of north quadrant winds, while the second mode (explaining 19% of the variability) is associated to the intermittent migration of the plume northeastward due to the passage of frontal systems over the area. Large scale plumes can be expected during winter and spring months, and are enhanced during El Niño events.     

Molecular and biochemical biomarkers responses in the mussel Mytilus edulis collected from Southern Brazil coast

Marine ecosystems are typically subjected to a variety of stressors containing complex xenobiotics mixtures. This study aims to evaluate the responses of molecular and biochemical biomarkers in the mussel Mytilus edulis providing data for environmental monitoring programs development in Southern Brazil. Mussels were collected at a polluted site, near Patos Lagoon outfall, and at a control site. Gills, muscle and mantle samples were used for biomarker determinations. Mussels collected at the polluted site significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities and decreased catalase (CAT) activity. Moreover, an increase in sod1, gstπ and hsp70 mRNA expression was observed. Overall, biochemical and molecular biomarkers responses were observed, but these responses varied depending on the analyzed tissue. These results indicate possible contaminants effects on organisms and the need for effective environmental monitoring programs in this ecosystem.     

Modeling Coastal Salinity in Quasi 2D and 3D Using a DUALEM‐421 and Inversion Software

Rising sea levels, owing to climate change, are a threat to fresh water coastal aquifers. This is because saline intrusions are caused by increases and intensification of medium‐large scale influences including sea level rise, wave climate, tidal cycles, and shifts in beach morphology. Methods are therefore required to understand the dynamics of these interactions. While traditional borehole and galvanic contact resistivity (GCR) techniques have been successful they are time‐consuming. Alternatively, frequency‐domain electromagnetic (FEM) induction is potentially useful as physical contact with the ground is not required. A DUALEM‐421 and EM4Soil inversion software package are used to develop a quasi two‐ (2D) and quasi three‐dimensional (3D) electromagnetic conductivity images (EMCI) across Long Reef Beach located north of Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The quasi 2D models discern: the dry sand (<10 mS/m) associated with the incipient dune; sand with fresh water (10 to 20 mS/m); mixing of fresh and saline water (20 to 500 mS/m), and; saline sand of varying moisture (more than 500 mS/m). The quasi 3D EMCIs generated for low and high tides suggest that daily tidal cycles do not have a significant effect on local groundwater salinity. Instead, the saline intrusion is most likely influenced by medium‐large scale drivers including local wave climate and morphology along this wave‐dominated beach. Further research is required to elucidate the influence of spring‐neap tidal cycles, contrasting beach morphological states and sea level rise.     

Geoweb Services for Sharing Modelling Results in Biodiversity Networks

Biodiversity researchers in different institutions deal with predictive models for species distribution. These models are useful for biodiversity conservation policies. Species distribution modelling tools need large datasets from different sources and use many algorithms. To improve biodiversity science, scientists need to share models, data and results, and should be able to reproduce experiments from others. This article presents a geoweb service architecture that supports sharing of modelling results and enables researchers to perform new modelling experiments. We show the feasibility of the proposed architecture by developing a set of prototype services, called Web Biodiversity Collaborative Modelling Services – WBCMS. They provide a set of geospatial web services that support the sharing of species distribution models. The article includes an example of a model instance that explains the WBCMS prototype. We believe that WBCMS shows how to set up a cooperative research network on biodiversity research.     

Effect of artificial reefs (southern Portugal) on sediment–water transport of nutrients: Importance of the hydrodynamic regime

The present study investigates the differences between nutrient fluxes and particulate organic matter within an artificial reef system (AR) deployed in August 2002 off Faro (Algarve, Southern Portugal) and in a non-reef area (NRA), and how fluxes and suspended material may be affected by the hydrodynamic regime. Surveys to collect sediment cores, suspended/settled particles and overlying water samples were carried out by divers, from March (2006) to October (2007) in AR and NRA. Sediment cores and settled particles were collected to determine grain size, organic and inorganic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content. Overlying water and pore water samples were analysed for ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, silicate, dissolved organic nitrogen, dissolved organic phosphorus and chlorophyll a. Results from the period studied showed that: (1) the benthic export of dissolved N, P and Si was 2–3 times higher at AR; (2) the particulate organic carbon (POC), nitrogen (PON) and phosphorus (POP) in suspended/settled particles were about 1.5 times higher at AR; (3) at both AR and NRA, the benthic export of dissolved N, P and Si, during a calm weather period, was 2–4 times higher than during or immediately after a storm event; and (4) at both sites, particulate organic compounds (POC, PON and POP) increased about 20 times during a storm event. These findings suggest that both the nutrients transport from sediment to water column and the quantity/quality of suspended/settled particles were highly dependent on the existence of reef structures and on the hydrodynamic regime.