Seasonal occurrence and growth of benthic algae in the Patos Lagoon estuary, Brazil

The seasonal occurrence of 94 benthic algal species, including Cyanophyta, was observed on a monthly basis over one year in the Patos Lagoon estuary (32°S, 52°W), Brazil, and showed three patterns of algal periodicity. An aseasonal group of 46 species was present throughout the year and two groups of 24 species each occurred either during summer and fall or winter and spring. The seasonal growth of 55 green, brown and red algae was correlated with monthly variations of salinity, water temperature, daylength and light radiation energy, which were measured daily in the estuary. Summer/fall peak growth was observed in 15 algae most of which correlated significantly with high salinities alone or in combination with other factors during this period. Growth peak of 11 species in winter/spring was principally a function of low water temperatures alone or together with a reduced light regime.Both periodicity of benthic algae and their seasonal growth, as a more sensitive measure of their floristic affinity, demonstrated the presence of cool temperate and tropical elements in this flora typical for warm temperate biogeographic regions. Correlations between seasonal variation of algal growth and selected environmental parameters aided in the evaluation of causal factors for algal seasonality.     

GIS-based mapping for marine geohazards in seabed fluid leakage areas (Gulf of Cadiz, Spain)

This paper applies, for the first time in offshore deepwater, a method based on geographic information systems for seafloor susceptibility assessment as a first approach to marine geohazard mapping in fluid leakage areas (slope instabilities, gas escapes, seabed collapses, pockmarks, etc.). The assessment was carried out in a known seabed fluid-flow province located on the Iberian margin of the Gulf of C??diz, Spain. The method (based on statistical bivariate analysis) creates a susceptibility map that defines the likelihood of occurrence of seafloor features related to fluid flow: crater-like depressions and submarine landslides. It is based on the statistical index (Wi) method (Van Westen in Statistical landslide hazard analysis. ILWIS 2.1 for Windows application guide. ITC Publication, Enschede, pp 73?C84, 1997), in which Wi is a function of the cartographic density of seafloor features on ??factor maps??. The factors selected monitor the seafloor??s capability to store and transfer hydrocarbon gases and gravitational instability triggers: geology-lithology, gas hydrate stability zone thickness (temperature, pressure?Cwater depth and geothermal gradient), occurrence of diapirs, proximity to faults or lineaments, and slope angle of the seafloor. Results show that the occurrence of seafloor features related to fluid flow is highest where the factors ??gas source and storage?? and ??pathways of fluid escape?? converge. This means that they are particularly abundant over diapirs in contourite deposits, in the vicinity of faults, and inside theoretical gas hydrate stability fields thinned by warm undercurrents. Furthermore, the submarine landslides located on the Palaeozoic-Toarcian basement are not related to fluid leakage. This methodology provides helpful information for hazard mitigation in regional selection of potential drill sites, deep-water construction sites or pipeline routes. It is an easily applied and useful tool for taking the first step in risk assessment on a regional scale for vast areas where fluid leakage may be present, the geological model is known, and the geologically hazardous features have already been mapped.     

Thermal insulation of the intertidal zone by the ice foot

Few studies have looked at the ecological significance of the ice foot in intertidal habitats. During the 2007 winter, we quantified the hourly variation of temperature at the intertidal zone and at the upper, dry coast on the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Nova Scotia, Canada) using submersible data loggers. While air temperature dropped to − 20 °C at the peak of the winter, intertidal temperature was never below − 7 °C during the winter. In fact, for almost two months when the ice foot was stable, temperature ranged only between − 2.4 °C and − 1.1 °C at the intertidal zone. The intertidal values are higher than published values of lethal temperature for cold-water intertidal invertebrates and seaweeds. Thus, the ice foot may prevent these organisms from experiencing lethal levels of thermal stress, contributing to their long-term persistence in these environmentally stressful habitats.     

Reef microhabitats mediate fish feeding intensity and agonistic interactions at Príncipe Island Biosphere Reserve,Tropical Eastern Atlantic

The benthic assemblage of reefs provides an important resource of food and habitat for reef fishes. However, how benthic composition mediates reef fishes' biotic interactions at isolated environments such as oceanic islands remains largely unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of four different reef microhabitats over biological interactions of fishes in an understudied oceanic island, Príncipe Island. For that, we recorded a total of 46 Underwater Remote Videos (RUVs) to document benthic composition and fishes' trophic and agonistic interactions. We used benthic cover estimates to group the samples into four microhabitats (dominated by epilithic algal matrix [EAM], sand/rock, corals and sponges), then quantified fishes' trophic and agonistic interactions in each microhabitat. All microhabitats presented a different structure of trophic and agonistic interactions of the fish assemblage. Feeding pressure (FP) and agonistic interactions were higher on the EAM microhabitat and lower in coral microhabitat. Herbivores were the main responsible group for the FP in all microhabitats. Territorial damselfishes used microhabitats differently for both trophic and agonistic interactions. We demonstrated that reef fish diversity and intensity of biotic interactions varied according the spatial distribution of benthic resources, which suggests that benthic composition plays an important role on structuring biological interactions at isolated reef systems.     

Disentangling exploitation of the intertidal grazer Phorcus sauciatus (Gastropoda: Trochidae) in an oceanic archipelago: Implications for conservation

Harvesting of intertidal grazers such as topshells is known to affect negatively the exploited populations by altering population structure and decreasing abundance. Phorcus sauciatus has a wide geographic distribution in the North‐eastern Atlantic Ocean and is subject to increasing levels of harvesting pressure due to the expansion of human population on coastal areas. The effect of proximity to human settlements and coastal accessibility on the size structure and abundance of P. sauciatus populations was examined in Madeira archipelago. Mean size, proportion of reproductive individuals, and abundance of this species were generally smaller in areas closer to human settlements and in more accessible coastal areas. Marine protected areas returned the highest mean sizes evidencing their effectiveness in preserving the size structure of this species. The results highlight the necessity to regulate the harvest of P. sauciatus in Madeira archipelago, as well as the implementation of management measures aiming at the sustainable exploitation and conservation of this species, exploited in this region since the early 15th century.     

Behaviour of colloidal trace metals (Cu, Pb and Cd) in estuarine waters: An approach using frontal ultrafiltration (UF) and stripping chronopotentiometric methods (SCP)

The frontal cascade ultrafiltration (UF) technique in conjunction with stripping chronopotentiometry (SCP) has been evaluated for determining the colloidal distribution of Cu, Pb and Cd in estuarine waters. Metallic concentrations in seven size fractions (0.45 μm–0.22 μm; 0.22 μm–300 kDa; 300–50 kDa; 50–30 kDa; 30–10 kDa; 10–5 kDa; <5 kDa) were determined with the aim to investigate their changes along the salinity gradient of the Penzé system (NW France). These data, completed by analysis of the total dissolved metals at 10 stations over the whole freshwater–seawater mixing zone, provided some insights in the removal and addition processes that affect Cu, Pb and Cd in estuaries.     

Summer phytoplankton blooms in the oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre: Historical perspective and recent observations

The export of organic matter from the oceanic euphotic zone is a critical process in the global biogeochemical cycling of bioelements (C, N, P, Si). Much of this export occurs in the form of sinking particles, which rain down into the unlit waters of the deep sea. Classical models of oceanic production and export balance this gravitational loss of particulate bioelements with an upward flux of dissolved nutrients, and they describe reasonably well those areas of the ocean where deep winter mixing occurs. The surface waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), however, are strongly stratified and chronically nutrient-depleted, especially in summer. Nevertheless, there is ample evidence that blooms of phytoplankton and subsequent pulses of particle export occur during the height of summer stratification in these waters, especially to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands. These blooms impact regional bioelemental cycling and act as a food source to the deep-sea benthos. We review here numerous published observations of these events in the NPSG, and present new data collected at Station ALOHA (22.75°N, 158°W) during the first 176 cruises of the Hawaii Ocean Time-series program (1988-2005), along with results from transect cruises conducted in the region in 1996 and 2005. We suggest that the summer phytoplankton bloom can be considered a frequent, perhaps annual feature in the northeastern NPSG, and that its perceived stochastic nature is a manifestation of chronic undersampling in time and space. The bloom is typically dominated by only a few genera of large diatoms and the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium. It appears to be consistently supported by dinitrogen fixation, but the fate of the organic matter produced during the summer depends critically on the species composition of the responsible diazotrophs. We estimate that the summer bloom is responsible for up to 38% of N₂ fixation and up to 18% of N-based new production annually at Station ALOHA. We hypothesize that the spatial distribution, timing and magnitude of the bloom may be determined largely by the physical and biological processes controlling new phosphorus delivery into the euphotic zone during the summer and the preceding winter.     

Population biology of Excirolana armata (Dana, 1853) (Isopoda,Cirolanidae) on an exposed sandy beach in Southeastern Brazil

The reproductive biology and population dynamics of the cirolanid isopod Excirolana armata (Dana, 1853) were analysed through monthly samples from December 2003 to November 2005 on Una beach, São Paulo state (24° S), in Southeastern Brazil. Sampling was performed along three transects established from the base of foredunes to the waterline. On Una beach, E. armata showed continuous reproduction with higher abundances of ovigerous females in winter and spring (July–November) with a higher peak of juveniles in spring (November 2004). The fecundity ranged from 2 to 18 eggs/embryos per female, depending on the female length. The incubation period was estimated as 2 months. The life span of males and females was nearly 1 year. The short life span and the high energetic expenditure inherent to reproduction with maternal care, probably kept females from producing more than one brood in their lifetime. When comparing the population of E. armata on Una beach (24° S) with populations in Southern Brazil (32° S), Uruguay (34° S) and Argentina (36° S), it was verified that several biological population traits (length of the smallest juvenile, length of the largest individual, length of the smallest and largest ovigerous females, range of fecundity and life span) tended to increase at higher latitudes, whereas other traits (instantaneous rate of mortality and the curvature parameter of von Bertalanffy growth function) tended to decrease. However, comparing E. armata on Una beach (24° S) with a population situated at a close latitude (25° S), unexpected differences in relation to population structure and to growth demonstrated and reinforced the importance of density‐dependent factors over life history traits of E. armata on dissipative beaches.