The next step in shallow coral reef monitoring: Combining remote sensing and in situ approaches

Most current coral reef management is supported by mapping and monitoring limited in record length and spatial extent. These deficiencies were addressed in a multidisciplinary study of cyclone impacts on Aboré Reef, New-Caledonia. Local knowledge, high thematic-resolution maps, and time-series satellite imagery complemented classical in situ monitoring methods. Field survey stations were selected from examination of pre- and post-cyclone images and their post-cyclone coral communities documented in terms of substrata, coral morphologies, live coral cover, and taxonomy. Time-series maps of hierarchically defined coral communities created at spatial scales documenting the variability among communities (29-45 classes) and suggesting the processes that affected them. The increased spatial coverage and repeatability of this approach significantly improved the recognition and interpretation of coral communities’ spatio-temporal variability. It identified precise locations of impacted areas and those exhibiting coral recovery and resilience. The approach provides a comprehensive suite of information on which to base reef-scale conservation actions.     

Seismotectonic of the Azores-Alboran region

New seismicity and focal-mechanism data from the area of the Azores Islands, in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, to the Alboran Sea and the southern part of Spain are presented.As a consequence of the different characters in the focal-mechanism solutions and b-values associated, the area has been divided in four different parts, namely, Mid-Atlantic and Terceira Ridge, Azores—Gibraltar fault, Gulf of Cadiz, Alboran Sea and Betica. The last two form the interaction between the Eurasian and African continental plates.The fracture zone is the locus of very large earthquakes with mechanisms showing a predominant right-lateral horizontal motion. Seismic foci in the continental interaction zone are spread over the whole region with mechanisms changing in character from west to east. It is suggested that this may be consequence of the behaviour of the Spanish Peninsula as a partly independent subplate. In the eastern part of the studied zone, the so-called Alboran plate may be considered as a buffer plate.     

Functional changes due to invasive species: Food web shifts at shallow Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds colonized by the alien macroalga Caulerpa racemosa

Multiple stable isotope analyses were used to examine the trophic shifts at faunal assemblages within the invading macroalga Caulerpa racemosa in comparison to established communities of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. Sampling of macrobenthic invertebrates and their potential food sources of algal mats and seagrass meadows in Mallorca (NW Mediterranean) showed differences in species composition of faunal and primary producers among seagrass and C. racemosa. Accordingly, changes in food web structure and trophic guilds were observed, not only at species level but also at community level. The carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures of herbivores, detritivores and deposit feeders confirmed that the seagrass provided a small contribution to the macrofaunal organisms. δ¹³C at the P. oceanica seagrass and at the C. racemosa assemblages differed, ranging from −6.19 to −21.20‰ and −2.67 to −31.41‰, respectively. δ¹⁵N at the Caulerpa mats was lower (ranging from 2.64 to 10.45‰) than that at the seagrass meadows (3.51–12. 94‰). Significant differences in isotopic signatures and trophic level among trophic guilds at P. oceanica and C. racemosa were found. N fractionation at trophic guild level considerable differed between seagrass and macroalgae mats, especially for detritivores, deposit feeders, and herbivores. Filter feeders slightly differed with a relatively lower N signal at the seagrass and CR values at community level and at trophic guild level were higher in the C. racemosa invaded habitats indicating an increase in diversity of basal resource pools. C. racemosa did seem to broaden the niche diversity of the P. oceanica meadows it colonised at the base of the food web, may be due to the establishment of a new basal resource. The extent of the effects of invasive species on ecosystem functioning is a fundamental issue in conservation ecology. The observed changes in invertebrate and macrophytic composition, stable isotope signatures of concomitant species and consequent trophic guild and niche breadth shifts at invaded Caulerpa beds increase our understanding of the seagrass systems.     

Rainfall variability,rainfed agriculture and degree of human marginality in North Guanajuato,Mexico

Mexico has a heterogeneous climate due to its geographical location. Half of the Mexican territory is dryland, mostly in the centre and north of the country, within which agriculture is the main activity in the primary production sector. At present, climate variability has a strong impact on Mexican agriculture. This study analysed rainfall variability, its impact on the agricultural productivity in terms of harvested quantity and productivity of 1996‐2014, and in parallel, the role that socioeconomic development plays on the well‐being of the population who live in areas with rainfed agriculture and a semi‐dry climate. The data obtained were analysed with the Statistical Analysis System. A positive correlation was found between rainfall and productivity (r = 0.76 for maize; r = 0.711 for beans). Rainfall variations therefore have a great impact on agricultural productivity, on food security and on the economy. Besides production losses, a parallel consequence is marginalization of the population because producers' income is increasingly reduced due to smaller crop volumes.     

Hydrochemistry and origins of mineralized waters in the Puebla aquifer system,Mexico

Significant upward movement of mineralized water takes place in the Puebla aquifer system. Preferential groundwater flow paths related to the geological structure and the lowering of the potentiometric surface are suspected to be the prime factors for this intrusion. A combined approach of geochemical and isotope analyses was used to assess the sources of salinity and processes that are controlling the changes in groundwater chemical composition in the Puebla aquifer. Geochemical and isotope data indicate that the likely source of increased solutes is mineralized water from the dissolution of evaporites of the Cretaceous age at the base of the Upper deep aquifer, which is deeper than the intakes of the shallow wells. Dedolomitization and cation exchange seems also to occur along flow paths where sulphate concentrations tend to increase. The deep regional flow paths controls the chemical stratification of groundwater in response to decreased heads through interconnecting vertical and horizontal pathways, such as in the Fosa Atlixco. The results also suggest that high sulphate concentrations originating in the Lower deep aquifer are currently affecting shallow production wells. It is concluded that hydrodynamic aspects together with hydrogeochemical characteristics need to be taken into account to correctly explain the hydrochemical evolution in the stratified aquifer.     

Temporal changes of mollusc populations from a Zostera marina bed in southern Spain (Alboran Sea), with biogeographic considerations

Molluscs associated with a Zostera marina bed from Cantarriján bay (Southern Spain, Alboran Sea) at 14–16 m depth were sampled monthly from October 1996 to September 1997. A total of 44,819 individuals belonging to 80 species were identified. In spite of the high species richness, only seven species of gastropods showed a dominance value (D) higher than 1%. Jujubinus striatus was the dominant species of the assemblage with 70.8% of the total abundance. The other dominant species were Rissoa membranacea (9.8%), Nassarius pygmaeus (5.8%), Mitrella minor (4%), Smaragdia viridis (1.9%), Rissoa monodonta (1.4%), Bittium reticulatum (1.3%). The dynamic pattern of the mollusc populations showed a temporal trend with monthly values of species richness and abundance ranging between 10 and 25 species and between 178 and 4412 individuals·222 m⁻². The species richness and abundance were higher in the spring and summer months than in the autumn and winter ones. The diversity (Shannon–Wiener, H’) follows a similar trend, with increases from April to September and decreases from October to March. H’ values (ranging from 0.45 to 3.10) are more influenced by the evenness (J) than by the species richness. A multivariate analysis (Cluster, Multi-dimensional Scaling) based on both presence/absence and quantitative data has also pointed out a temporal trend, with spring–summer samples significantly different from autumn–winter samples. The temporal changes in abundance seem related with the species’ biology, such as recruitment events, as well as to the canopy features and shoot density variation in the Zostera meadow. From the biogeographical point of view, most of the molluscs (65%) found in the Cantarriján bed, have a Lusitanian–Mediterranean distribution (sensu Ekman 1953 ). The proximity to Africa is shown by the presence of four species with a mainly West African distribution. Only R. membranacea has a typical Atlantic distribution, driven by that of Z. marina in NW Europe.     

Isoseismal map of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake obtained from Spanish data

The Royal Academy of History (RAH) of Spain collected very detailed information about the effects on the Spanish territory of the Lisbon, 1755 earthquake, reporting such information within a year after the shock. The data provided by the RAH has been thoroughly analyzed, deriving an M S K intensity value for each one of the localities (more than 1000) included in the report, and an isoseismal map has been obtained from such values. Observations reported, such as tsunami, surface effects, duration of shaking and effects on the population are also discussed. Finally, a comparison is made of the data with the results of recent investigations on the tectonics of the region.