Influence of moon phase on acoustic estimates of the abundance of fish performing daily horizontal migration in a small oligotrophic lake

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 581-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Gaudreau ◽  
Daniel Boisclair
Keyword(s):  
Littoral Zone ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Relative Number ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Pelagic Zone ◽  
Moon Phase ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Horizontal Migration ◽  
New Moon

We tested the influence of the moon phase on the relative number of fish performing daily horizontal migrations and we used this information to develop a sampling strategy that accounted for expected effects of the moon phase on fish behavior. Hydroacoustic surveys were performed over 3 days at each moon phase for the months of July and August (from the day before to the day after the new moon, the first and last quarter moon, and the full moon). Dace (Phoxinus eos × Phoxinus neogaeus) migrated from the littoral towards the pelagic zone at dusk and returned to the littoral zone at dawn. Their relative abundance (FRA) in the pelagic zone averaged 0.1 fish echo·m-3 during midday and 17.0 fish echoes·m-3 at night. The number of dace performing horizontal movements was eightfold larger during new-moon than full-moon nights. Simulations indicated that sampling fish populations six times during a 2-month period (once at full, new, and quarter moon; once during the day and once during the night) provided the most accurate estimates of FRA.

scholarly journals Morfometri Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, 1758 (Malacostraca : Portunidae) Pada Fase Bulan Yang Berbeda Di Perairan Betahwalang, Demak

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-210
Author(s):  
Errizal Machmud Putra ◽  
Rini Pramesti ◽  
Gunawan Widi Santosa
Keyword(s):  
Full Moon ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Moon Phase ◽  
Swimming Crab ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Portunus Pelagicus ◽  
Natural Factors ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Descriptive Method

Rajungan (Portunus pelagicus) merupakan komoditas unggulan Indonesia. Perairan Betahwalang, Kabupaten Demak memiliki sumberdaya rajungan yang  potensial dengan tingkat eksploitasi yang tinggi. Rajungan ini ditangkap setiap hari tanpa memperhatikan faktor alam berupa fase bulan yang menyebabkan menurunnya populasi. Informasi penangkapan berdasarkan fase bulan diperlukan agar populasi rajungan dapat terjaga. Tujuan Penelitian ini adalah mengkaji jumlah dan sebaran morfometri rajungan yang tertangkap pada fase bulan purnama dan bulan baru di perairan Betahwalang. Penelitian ini dilakukan dari November 2017 sampai Februari 2018 di perairan Betahwalang. Metode penelitian yang digunakan yaitu metode deskriptif. Penentuan lokasi penelitian berdasarkan area penangkapan rajungan di perairan Betahwalang. Pengambilan data dilakukan 8 kali dari tanggal 5 November 2017 sampai 18 Februari 2018. Pengambilan data berupa jumlah, lebar karapas, berat, jenis kelamin rajungan, dan parameter lingkungan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan total rajungan tertangkap yaitu 448 ekor, 296 ekor pada Bulan Purnama dan 152 ekor pada Bulan Baru. Morfometri rajungan ukuran ≤ 10 cm pada Bulan Purnama 190 ekor lebih banyak dari Bulan Baru 90 ekor. Rajungan ukuran > 10 cm pada Bulan Baru 106 ekor lebih banyak dari Bulan Baru 62 ekor. Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) is Indonesia's flagship commodity. The waters of Betahwalang, Demak Regancy have potential Blue Swimming Crab resources with high levels of exploitation.  The crabs are catched every day regardless of natural factors, such as the moon phase that causes the population to decline. Blue Swimming Crab catch’s information based on the moon phase is required for the population to sustaine. The purpose of this research is to study the amount and distribution of Blue Swimming Crab morphometry catched on the full and new moon phase in Betahwalang waters. The study was conducted from November  2017 till February 2018 in the waters of Betahwalang. The research method used was descriptive method. Determination of research location based on Blue Swimming Crab catching area in Betahwalang waters. The data were collected 8 times from November 5, 2017 till February 18, 2018. Data were collected in number, width of carapace, weight, sex, and environmental parameters. The results showed total of catched crabs, were 296 crabs on Full Moon, and 152 crabs on New Moon. Blue Swimming Crab morphometry size ≤ 10 cm on Full Moon was 190 crabs more than New Moon was 90 crabs. Then, in Size> 10 cm on New Moon was 106 crabs more than New Moon was 62 crabs.

Activity of Microtus pennsylvanicus related to moon phase and moonlight revealed by the sand transect technique

1969 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1183-1186 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Doucet ◽  
J. R. Bider
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Microtus Pennsylvanicus ◽  
Moon Phase ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Moon Phases ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Sampling Sequence ◽  
New Moon

Activity of Microtus pennsylvanicus was recorded as the number of crossings per day over a sand transect during four consecutive summers. Appropriate samples were selected to test the effects of both moon phases and moonlight on activity. Initially the results of tests comparing new moon to full moon phases showed that the voles were more active during new moon in only 3 of 10 discreet paired samples tested. However, when the effects of sampling sequence, phenology of population growth, date at which moon phases occurred, and, finally, the effect of climate were all considered as factors which could have affected the above results, it seemed reasonable to conclude that the new moon phase tended to be associated with higher activity. To establish if moonlight by itself, independent of phases, was a factor affecting the activity, tests were made during brightest and darkest nights of the lunar month and results indicated that moonlight did not affect the differences in activity found in the moon phase tests.

A preliminary study on the effect of lunar cycles on the spawning behaviour of the gilt-head sea bream, Sparus aurata

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 899-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarida Saavedra ◽  
Pedro Pousão-Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Full Moon ◽  
Sparus Aurata ◽  
Sea Bream ◽  
Environmental Cues ◽  
Moon Phase ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycles ◽  
Spawning Behaviour ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
New Moon

Environmental cues such as photoperiod and water temperature are often used by fish as a sign to begin reproduction. However, even after the reproductive cycle has started there are other signs, such as the moon phase that may affect the number of eggs laid by some fish species. The existence of a moon effect has never been investigated in any fish of the sparid family.In the present study, the effect of moon phase was observed on eggs laid by two Sparus aurata in indoor tanks over a four month period, from January to May, 2003. During this period a peak in eggs laid was observed around the Full Moon. A total of 8644 g and 5653 g of eggs were collected, 4535 g corresponding to the Full Moon and 2882 g to the New Moon.

Lunar Cycle Influences Reproductive Performance of Crossbred Brahman Cows Under Tropical Conditions

2021 ◽  
pp. 074873042098363
Author(s):  
Alejandro A. Aguirre ◽  
Roberto A. Palomares ◽  
Aitor D. De Ondiz ◽  
Eleazar R. Soto ◽  
Mariana S. Perea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Crossbred Cows ◽  
Lunar Phases ◽  
Tropical Conditions ◽  
Service Conception ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Postpartum Estrus

Evidence has accumulated over the years indicating that the moon influences some aspects of the reproductive activity in animals and humans. However, little is known about the influence of the lunar cycle on the reproductive performance of cows under tropical conditions, where the environment strongly affects reproduction. This retrospective study was conducted with the aim of assessing the influence of the lunar cycle on some reproductive traits of tropical crossbred cows managed in a pasture-based system. Data from 5869 reproductive records from two commercial farms localized in the Maracaibo Lake Basin of Zulia State, Venezuela, were analyzed. Variables studied were first service conception rate, calving frequency, first postpartum estrous frequency, and pregnancy frequency. In addition to the lunar cycle, the effects of farm, season, and predominant breed were also considered. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and general linear model from SAS. First service conception was affected by lunar phases and predominant breed, but not by farm or season. For frequencies of calving, first postpartum estrus, and pregnancy, there was no main effect of farm, season, and predominant breed, whereas the effect of lunar phases was highly significant. First service conception was significantly greater in waning than in crescent phase of the lunar cycle. Frequencies of calving, first estrus, and pregnancy were highly correlated and showed greater figures around full moon and new moon. In conclusion, lunar cycle influenced first service conception, attaining greater values in the waning phase of the moon cycle. Frequencies of calving, first postpartum estrus, and pregnancy in crossbred cows showed a clear bimodal rhythm, whose greatest values coincided with new moon and full moon.

Decapitated Lunar Goddesses in Aztec Art, Myth, and Ritual

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Milbrath
Keyword(s):  
Solar Eclipse ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Seasonal Transition ◽  
The Earth ◽  
New Moon ◽  
The Demonic

AbstractAztec images of decapitated goddesses link the symbolism of astronomy with politics and the seasonal cycle. Rituals reenacting decapitation may refer to lunar events in the context of a solar calendar, providing evidence of a luni-solar calendar. Decapitation imagery also involves metaphors expressing the rivalry between the cults of the sun and the moon. Huitzilopochtli's decapitation of Coyolxauhqui can be interpreted as a symbol of political conquest linked to the triumph of the sun over the moon. Analysis of Coyolxauhqui's imagery and mythology indicates that she represents the full moon eclipsed by the sun. Details of the decapitation myth indicate specific links with seasonal transition and events taking place at dawn and at midnight. Other decapitated goddesses, often referred to as earth goddesses with “lunar connections,” belong to a complex of lunar deities representing the moon within the earth (the new moon). Cihuacoatl, a goddess of the new moon, takes on threatening quality when she assumes the form of a tzitzimime attacking the sun during a solar eclipse. The demonic new moon was greatly feared, for it could cause an eternal solar eclipse bringing the Aztec world to an end.

Moonlight and the biting activity of Culex (Melanoconion) portesi Senevet & Abonnenc and C. (M.) taeniopus D. & K. (Diptera, Culicidae) in Trinidad forests

1975 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Full Moon ◽  
Light Trap ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Light Traps ◽  
Baited Traps ◽  
Suction Traps ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Phases Of The Moon ◽  
Increased Activity

AbstractThe biting activity of Culex (Melanoconion) portesi Senevet & Abonnenc and C. (M.) taeniopus D. & K. in a secondary seasonal marsh forest in Trinidad was studied by means of catches by six mouse-baited suction traps, and a single light-trap. The traps were cleared at hourly intervals between 17.00 h and 07.00 h on nights which approximated to the new, first quarter, full and last quarter phases of the moon. The catches were compared with illumination at canopy and ground level which was estimated by selenium photocells whose output was recorded on the continuous chart of a servo-potentiometer. Humidity, rainfall, temperature and cloud cover were also recorded. In the suction traps both species showed peaks of activity at evening and dawn twilight at new moon, although the dawn peak was not very pronounced with C. taeniopus, but this pattern was modified on other nights in a manner which was consistent with moon age. At full moon the evening and dawn peaks were replaced by increased activity during moonrise and the middle of the night. The light-traps failed to show the evening and dawn activity and did not always duplicate the baited traps during darkness. Two hypotheses based on either a permissive range of illumination or an underlying circadian rhythm are discussed; neither fully explains the observed biting activity. Although an association between moonlight and biting activity does exist, an understanding of its nature will require more experimental data.

scholarly journals On certain variations of the mean height of the barometer, mean temperature and depth of rain, connected with the lunar phases, in the cycle of years from 1815 to 1823

1843 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 211-211
Keyword(s):  
Full Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Lunar Phase ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Lunar Phases ◽  
Mean Temperature ◽  
The Mean ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Made In

The table given in this paper contains the results of calculations relating to the objects specified in the title; cast into periods of six, seven, or eight days, so as to bring the day of the lunar phase belonging to it in the middle of the time. The observations were all made in the neighbourhood of London. It appears from them that in the period of the last quarter of the moon the barometer is highest, the temperature a little above the mean, and the depth of rain the smallest. In the period of the new moon, both the barometer and temperature are considerably depressed, and the rain increased in quantity. The influence of the first quarter shows itself by the further depression of the barometer; but the temperature rises almost to the point from which it had fallen, and the rain still increases, but not in an equal ratio. Lastly, the full moon again reduces the temperature; while the barometer attains its maximum mean height, and the quantity of rain is the greatest. Thus it appears, that during this lunar cycle, the approach of the last quarter is the signal for the clearing up of the air, and the return of sunshine.

Mississippian Solstice Shrines and a Cahokian Calendar: An Hypothesis Based on Ethnohistory and Archaeology

1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia J. O'Brien ◽  
William P. McHugh
Keyword(s):  
Full Moon ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Summer Solstice ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Winter Solstice ◽  
Vernal Equinox ◽  
Religious Ritual ◽  
Autumnal Equinox ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Using Data

This article examines the hypothesis that early Middle Mississippians had a calendric system which tied agriculture and religious ritual together. It also suggests that to that end they built solstice shrines as a means of recording the passage of time through the behavior of the sun and the moon. Using data from structures having possible astronomical alignments, from historic-ethnographic-linguistic sources, and from agricultural planting cycles, a “Cahokian calendar year” is constructed. The year begins with the summer solstice and the Great Busk ceremony. At the next full moon the “great corn” is planted to be harvested at the autumnal equinox. At the winter solstice winter begins while the vernal equinox is marked by a ritual for the Great Sun, their ruler. At the next new moon after that rite a “little corn” is planted which is harvested at the Great Busk. In their five-day, thirteenth month, just before the Busk, all the fires in the society are extinguished to be relit at the summer solstice Great Busk ceremony.

The biting habits of Culicoides furens (Poey) and C. barbosai Wirth & Blanton. III. Seasonal cycle, with a note on the relative importance of ten factors that might influence the biting rate

1972 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 565-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. S. Kettle
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Illumination Time ◽  
Biting Rate ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Phases Of The Moon ◽  
Cycle Temperature

The biting rates of Culicoides furens (Poey) and C. barbosai Wirth & Blanton on Florida Beach, Jamaica, were observed in 50 trials conducted 40–115 min after dawn from 5 February 1960 to 10 February 1961. The data were logarithmically transformed and non-zero biting rates standardised. Biting rates of both species varied markedly from week to week but monthly mean rates were significantly higher and lower for C. furens in September (111·4) and March (13·7), respectively. Monthly mean rates for C. barbosai fell into three groups, (i) March-June (15·3); (ii) November–December (9·1); (iii) January–February and July–October (3·1). These changes were negatively correlated with mean sea level. Biting rates of C. barbosai were highest at new moon (10·3) and lower but similar (4·3–5·2) for the other three phases of the moon. Those of C. furens were maximal at new moon (62·8), minimal at full moon (20·4) and intermediate (35·9, 39·5) at the quarters. The lunar effect is assumed to act through the tides. There were no significant differences between the standardised biting rates at different times after dawn. In a comparison of the quantitative effects of ten factors on the biting rates of C. furens, C. barbosai and Leptoconops becquaerti (Kieff.), most important were month of year and wind speed; of less importance were lunar cycle, temperature, collector and limb exposed; while site position, intensity of illumination, time after dawn, saturation deficit were of minor or no importance. It is concluded that the biting rate of L. becquaerti should be the least affected by changes in these factors, C. barbosai more affected and C. furens most affected.

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