Cetacean diversity at the west coast of La Palma Island (Canary Islands)

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 1289-1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Pérez-Vallazza ◽  
Rosana Álvarez-Vázquez ◽  
Laura Cardona ◽  
Clara Pintado ◽  
Joaquín Hernández-Brito
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
The West ◽  
Cetacean Species ◽  
Stenella Frontalis ◽  
La Palma ◽  
Ecological Features ◽  
Time Position ◽  
Government Data ◽  
Conservation Plans

Little is known about cetacean communities around La Palma Island. Therefore, and in order to determine the presence and distribution of the cetacean species on its west coast, daily censuses were carried out from November 2003 to April 2005. The platform used was a whale watching vessel certified by the Canary Government. Data collected included time, position, species identity, group size and, in some cases, the presence of calves and/or any other outstanding parameter. During the study period, 570 sightings were made, with a mean sighting success of 1.7 sightings per day, showing a high cetacean presence in the area. Thirteen species and one genus (Globicephala spp.) were positively matched, three of them included in the Mysticeti suborder and the other ten in the Odontoceti one. The four most sighted species, in decreasing order, correspond to Tursiops truncatus, Steno bredanensis, Globicephala spp. and Stenella frontalis. Diversity of sighted species shows a moderate peak during spring time, which is in agreement with the presence of occasional species. Most sightings were located off the central west coast of the island, exceeding 1.5 nautical miles. This is particularly outstanding in relation to Franja Marina de Fuencaliente SCI, where 90% of all sightings were located outside its boundaries. High cetacean presence and diversity off the west coast of La Palma Island seem to be connected with oceanographic and ecological features. Results gained provide, for this region, baseline data on cetacean populations and a useful tool in conservation plans.

scholarly journals New species and records of Ulmeritoides (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from Costa Rica

Zootaxa ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 1010 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
SOCORRO ÁVILA A. ◽  
R. WILLS FLOWERS
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Type Locality ◽  
The West ◽  
Temporary Streams ◽  
La Palma ◽  
Species Type ◽  
Santa Elena

Ulmeritoides acosa new species (type locality: La Palma, Costa Rica) and Ulmeritoides chavarriae new species (type locality: Santa Elena, Parque Nacional Santa Rosa, Costa Rica) (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) are described from imagos and nymphs. Both species occur along the west coast of Costa Rica, and both are adapted to living in temporary streams. Additional localities are given for Ulmeritoides guanacaste Domínguez and Ulmeritoides tifferae Domínguez, and a key is given for adults and nymphs of the four Costa Rican species of Ulmeritoides.

scholarly journals Patterns and Trends in Cetacean Occurrence Revealed by Shorewatch, a Land-Based Citizen Science Program in Scotland (United Kingdom)

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Gutiérrez-Muñoz ◽  
Alice E. M. Walters ◽  
Sarah J. Dolman ◽  
Graham J. Pierce
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphin ◽  
Minke Whale ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Harbor Porpoise ◽  
The West ◽  
Cetacean Species ◽  
Risso's Dolphin

Shorewatch is a citizen science project, managed by Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), that records the occurrence of cetaceans during regular, standardized watches from a series of locations along the coast of Scotland (United Kingdom). Observer training and a clearly defined protocol help deliver a valuable source of information about cetacean occurrence and activity along the coast. Between 2005–2018, over 52000 watches generated over 11000 sightings of at least 18 cetacean species. Generalized Additive Models based on sightings for the five most commonly sighted species (bottlenose dolphin, harbor porpoise, minke whale, Risso’s dolphin, and common dolphin), at those sites with the longest time series, demonstrated seasonal, geographical and year-to-year differences in their local occurrence and relative abundance. Bottlenose dolphins are mainly present at observation sites located on the east coast of Scotland, being uncommon on the west coast, while harbor porpoise and minke whale are principally present at sites located on the west coast. The seasonality observed in cetacean occurrence is consistent with peak abundance in summer months described by previous studies in the area. Mean depth around the observation sites is the static variable that apparently has the greatest influence on species presence and number of sightings, except for Risso’s dolphin. All the species except bottlenose dolphin showed upward trends in occurrence and number of sightings over the period 2012–2018. Evidence of temporal autocorrelation was found between results from consecutive watches at the same site on the same day as well as between results from consecutive days at the same site. The power to detect declines in local abundance over a 6-year period depends on the underlying sighting rate of each cetacean species, the number of watches performed and the rate of decline. Simulations performed to determine the power to detect a decline suggest that the current intensity of observation effort in some observation sites, of about 2500 watches per year, may offer good prospects of detecting a 30% decline of the most frequently sighted species (95% of the time) over a 6-year period, although a more even distribution of observation effort in space and time is desirable. The data could potentially be used for monitoring and 6-yearly reporting of the status of cetacean populations.

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) restoration on the west coast of Sweden using seeds

2016 ◽  
Vol 546 ◽  
pp. 31-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Infantes ◽  
L Eriander ◽  
PO Moksnes
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
Zostera Marina ◽  
The West

Changes in soil quality following humping/hollowing and flipping of pakihi soils on the West Coast, South Island New Zealand

2007 ◽  
pp. 265-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.M. Thomas ◽  
M.H.Beare C.D. Ford ◽  
V. Rietveld
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
The West ◽  
Organic Matter Quality ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Soil C

Humping/hollowing and flipping are land development practices widely used on the West Coast to overcome waterlogging constraints to pasture production. However, there is very limited information about how the resulting "new" soils function and how their properties change over time following these extreme modifications. We hypothesised that soil quality will improve in response to organic matter inputs from plants and excreta, which will in turn increase nutrient availability. We tested this hypothesis by quantifying the soil organic matter and nutrient content of soils at different stages of development after modification. We observed improvements in soil quality with increasing time following soil modification under both land development practices. Total soil C and N values were very low following flipping, but over 8 years these values had increased nearly five-fold. Other indicators of organic matter quality such as hot water extractable C (HWC) and anaerobically mineralisable N (AMN) showed similar increases. With large capital applications of superphosphate fertiliser to flipped soils in the first year and regular applications of maintenance fertiliser, Olsen P levels also increased from values

From Hard Money to Branch Banking

2016 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-44
Author(s):  
Larry Schweikart ◽  
Lynne Pierson Doti
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Gold Rush ◽  
Test Case ◽  
The West ◽  
Branch Banking

In Gold Rush–era California, banking and the financial sector evolved in often distinctive ways because of the Gold Rush economy. More importantly, the abundance of gold on the West Coast provided an interesting test case for some of the critical economic arguments of the day, especially for those deriving from the descending—but still powerful—positions of the “hard money” Jacksonians.

GEODIVERSIDADE E A PRÁTICA DE CAMPOS (ROTEIROS ESCOLARES) NO LITORAL COMO SUBSÍDIOS AO ENSINO DE GEOGRAFIA (FÍSICA)

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 1006-1018
Author(s):  
Ana Alexandre Santos Rodrigues ◽  
Francisco Asis Aquino Bezerra Filho ◽  
Jáder Onofre de Morais ◽  
Lidrana De Souza Pinheiro
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Classical Literature ◽  
The West ◽  
Field Practice ◽  
Teachers And Students

As práticas de campo proporcionam aos discentes uma proximidade com o cotidiano. A metodologia proposta no estudo sugere uma divulgação simplificada do conhecimento cientifico da Planície Litorânea de Almofala, propondo rotas de acesso didáticas para práticas de campo que auxiliem os professores das escolas de Itarema. Para a complementação teórica foram considerados como base os inventários da Geodiversidade cientifica do litoral oeste do estado do Ceará, realizados no âmbito do projeto PRONEX. Isso foi feito por pesquisadores de várias Instituições de Ensino Superior do Ceará, e a literatura clássica local. Enquanto resultados discutidos, considerou-se que estes roteiros de práticas de campo podem ser estabelecidos e decididos em conjunto, entre professores e alunos. Tendo como base o mapa interpretativo dos roteiros, com intuito de realizar o reconhecimento e entendimento da dinâmica costeira.Palavras-chave: Educação; Geodiversidade; Planície Litorânea. ABSTRACTField practices provide students with a closeness to daily life. The methodology proposed in the study suggests a simplified dissemination of scientific knowledge of the Almofala Coastal Plain, proposing didactic access routes for field practices that help teachers of Itarema schools. For theoretical complementation, the inventories of the scientific geodiversity of the west coast of the state of Ceará, carried out under the PRONEX project were considered. It was done by researchers from various Higher Education Institutions in Ceará, and its local classical literature. As results discussed, it was considered that these field practice roadmaps can be jointly established and decided between teachers and students. Based on the interpretative map of the roadmaps, in order to recognize and understand the coastal dynamics.Keywords: Education; Geodiversity; Coastal plain. RESUMENLas prácticas de campo ofrecen a los estudiantes una cercanía a la vida diaria. La metodología propuesta en el estudio sugiere una divulgación simplificada del conocimiento científico sobre la llanura costera de Almofala, proponiendo rutas de acceso didáctico para prácticas de campo que ayudan a los docentes de las escuelas de Itarema. Para la complementación teórica fueron considerados como información base los inventarios de la geodiversidad científica de la costa oeste del estado de Ceará, realizados en el ámbito del proyecto PRONEX. Fue realizado por investigadores de varias instituciones de educación superior en Ceará, y la literatura clásica local. En cuanto a los resultados discutidos, se consideró que estas hojas de ruta de prácticas de campo pueden ser establecidas y escogidas conjuntamente entre docentes y estudiantes, con base en el mapa interpretativo de ruta, con el fin de reconocer y comprender la dinámica costera de esta región.Palabras clave: Educación; Geodiversidad; Llanura costera.

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