scholarly journals Study of macroinvertebrate in two intertidal soft bottoms: reference data in conditions of incipient anthropic impact

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 442-452
Author(s):  
Augusto César Crespi-Abril ◽  
Agustina Ferrando ◽  
Matías Emanuel Dileo Agostino-Andrea

In this study, we analyzed the relation between the abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates and relevant environmental variables in two intertidal in Golfo Nuevo (Argentinean patagonia), one near a urban center (Mimosa Beach, PM) and the other at 20 km from that location (Cerro Avanzado Beach, CA). Within each beach, the environmental conditions were homogeneous (90% of similarity). Mean size grain values, anoxic layer depth, and percent organic matter were 117.6 µm, 4.95 cm and 0.76%, and 165.2 µm, 9.5 cm and 0.63%, for PM and CA respectively. Even though three families were the most abundant in both beaches (Tellinidae, Maldanidae and Opheliidae), nine families were exclusively observed in PM. This resulted in a higher biodiversity in PM (3.06) in relation to CA (1.77). When faunal composition was considered, the similarity between sites was notably low (lower than 82%) if compared with the environmental conditions. Granulometry and organic matter were the variables with the highest correlation with macroinvertebrates abundance. This is the first study of macroinvertebrates and their relationship with some environmental variables throughout the complete spatial extension of two beaches in Golfo Nuevo. This is of particular relevance if we consider that coastal regions of this gulf has been exposed to a sustained increase of anthropic activities in the last years and base- line information is scarce.

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie V. Klinard ◽  
Edmund A. Halfyard ◽  
Jordan K. Matley ◽  
Aaron T. Fisk ◽  
Timothy B. Johnson

Abstract Background Acoustic telemetry is an increasingly common method used to address ecological questions about the movement, behaviour, and survival of freshwater and marine organisms. The variable performance of acoustic telemetry equipment and ability of receivers to detect signals from transmitters have been well studied in marine and coral reef environments to inform study design and improve data interpretation. Despite the growing use of acoustic telemetry in large, deep, freshwater systems, detection efficiency and range, particularly in relation to environmental variation, are poorly understood. We used an array of 90 69-kHz acoustic receivers and 8 sentinel range transmitters of varying power output deployed at different depths and locations approximately 100–9500 m apart for 215 days to evaluate how the detection efficiency of acoustic receivers varied spatially and temporally in relation to environmental conditions. Results The maximum distance that tags were detected ranged from 5.9 to 9.3 km. Shallow tags consistently had lower detection efficiency than deep tags of the same power output and detection efficiency declined through the winter months (December–February) of the study. In addition to the distance between tag and receiver, thermocline strength, surface water velocity, ice thickness, water temperature, depth range between tag and receiver, and number of fish detections contributed to explaining variation in detection efficiency throughout the study period. Furthermore, the most significant models incorporated interactions between several environmental variables and tag–receiver distance, demonstrating the complex temporal and spatial relationships that exist in heterogeneous environments. Conclusions Relying on individual environmental variables in isolation to interpret receiver performance, and thus animal behaviour, may be erroneous when detection efficiency varies across distances, depths, or tag types. As acoustic telemetry becomes more widely used to study ecology and inform management, it is crucial to understand its limitations in heterogeneous environments, such as freshwater lakes, to improve the quality and interpretation of data. We recommend that in situ range testing and retrospective analysis of detection efficiency be incorporated into study design for telemetry projects. Furthermore, we caution against oversimplifying the dynamic relationship between detection efficiency and environmental conditions for the sake of producing a correction that can be applied directly to detection data of tagged animals when the intended correction may not be justified.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (12) ◽  
pp. 2040-2046 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Chekli ◽  
S. Phuntsho ◽  
L. D. Tijing ◽  
J. L. Zhou ◽  
J.-H. Kim ◽  
...  

Manufactured nanoparticles (MNPs) are increasingly released into the environment and thus research on their fate and behaviour in complex environmental samples is urgently needed. The fate of MNPs in the aquatic environment will mainly depend on the physico-chemical characteristics of the medium. The presence and concentration of natural organic matter (NOM) will play a significant role on the stability of MNPs by either decreasing or exacerbating the aggregation phenomenon. In this study, we firstly investigated the effect of NOM concentration on the aggregation behaviour of manufactured Fe-oxide nanoparticles. Then, the stability of the coated nanoparticles was assessed under relevant environmental conditions. Flow field-flow fractionation, an emerging method which is gaining popularity in the field of nanotechnology, has been employed and results have been compared to another size-measurement technique to provide increased confidence in the outcomes. Results showed enhanced stability when the nanoparticles are coated with NOM, which was due to electrosteric stabilisation. However, the presence of divalent cations, even at low concentration (i.e. less than 1 mM) was found to induce aggregation of NOM-coated nanoparticles via bridging mechanisms between NOM and Ca2+.


1975 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-304
Author(s):  
Ann E. Martin

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of environmental conditions on visual workload. The environmental variables used were temperature, studied at levels of 45°F., WBGT, and 95°F., WBGT; and noise, studied at 83 dBA intermittent noise and 93 dBA continuous noise. Workload was defined as the amount of attention demanded from an operator as measured by performance decrement on a secondary task while performing a primary and secondary task simultaneously. The secondary task was reading random numbers, and the primary task was reading word lists. Significant differences (p<.05) were found between the control condition and all experimental conditions. The low temperature and high temperature-continuous noise conditions were significantly different from the other conditions. Noise and temperature were found to significantly increase workload (p<05).


2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 295
Author(s):  
S. Doani ◽  
K. Albanakis ◽  
O. Koukousioura ◽  
K.K. Koliadimou

The aim of the present study is to investigate the sedimentological characteristics of Lake Koronia down to a depth of 3.5m below lake bottom. Sampling operations took advandage of a season that the lake bottom was exposed to subaerial conditions. The sedimentological analysis proved that sediments consist of mud to sandy mud, with 2 phases of very fine sand fractions. The proportion of dry organic matter contained into sediment, appears to be generally small while the rates of moisture and volatiles are relatively high. Furthermore, this study examines the distribution of ostracod populations in the sediments of the lake in relation to depth, grain size and other environmental conditions of this water body. Four ostracod species were identified: Candona neglecta, Darwinula stevensoni, Heterocypris spp. and Limnocythere inopinata. The study of freshwater ostracods provides information for the palaeoecological/palaeoenvironmental conditions during the sedimentation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-74
Author(s):  
Loris Galli ◽  
Franc Janžekovič ◽  
Peter Kozel ◽  
Tone Novak

Protura is a small class of Hexapoda, generally poorly known, and rather scarce data on its occurrence in caves are scattered throughout literature on fauna in caves and in some papers on Protura. Although the cave-dwelling fauna is relatively well studied in Slovenia, published records on Protura are rare. In this paper, data on the occurrence and abundance of Protura in Slovenian caves are considered. Various statistical analyses were performed to compare caves with Protura to those without in 60 intensively monitored cavities to detect any differences in the selected environmental conditions. No significant difference was obtained. Samples collected from 15 caves yielded 286 specimens identified to genus or species level. Ten species were identified: Acerentulus confinis (Berlese, 1908), A. rafalskii Szeptycki, 1979*, Acerentomon affine Bagnall, 1912*, A. balcanicum Ionesco, 1933*, A. italicum Nosek, 1969, A. maius Berlese, 1908*, A. meridionale Nosek, 1960, Acerella muscorum (Ionesco, 1930)*, Eosentomon armatum Stach, 1926*, and E. transitorium Berlese, 1908*. The seven species marked with an asterisk are new records for Slovenia. Two specimens belonging to an unidentified species of the genus Ionescuellum Tuxen, 1960 were also found. As expected, Protura were most abundant at the cave entrance close to the surface, and none of the species were found exclusively in cavities. This suggests that proturans were introduced passively into the cavities via organic matter and surface soils.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuzanna Borawska ◽  
Beata Szymczycha ◽  
Marc J. Silberberger ◽  
Marta Szczepanek ◽  
Katarzyna Koziorowska-Makuch ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;Dissolved silica (DSi) is an important macronutrient in the marine environment, necessary for growth of many aquatic organisms. Yet, DSi marine cycle is still not fully recognized, especially in dynamic, coastal zones. Although DSi is mainly transported to the sea by rivers, benthic fluxes of DSi, which originate from dissolution of the siliceous remains in the sediments, can also represent an important source of bioavailable silicon in the ocean. Benthic DSi fluxes are mainly powered by diffusion, but their rates are strongly shaped by the benthic fauna. Still, the role of benthos in these processes is not fully recognized. The main goal of this study was to investigate how various environmental factors and benthic fauna may shape the coastal cycle of Si in coastal environments during different seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our study was conducted in the shallow coastal ecosystems of the southern Baltic Sea characterized by contrasting environmental conditions: shallow, brackish and enclosed Szczecin Lagoon (Oder river estuary), dynamic open waters near &amp;#321;eba with relatively low anthropogenic influence, enclosed Puck Bay and Vistula prodelta. We investigated both shore ecosystems (app. 0.5 m depth) and deeper areas (from 6 up to 60 m depth). DSi concentrations in the bottom waters and environmental characteristics (T, S, O&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, sediment organic matter) were investigated at 6 stations, during three seasons (winter, spring and autumn) in years 2019-2020 with s/y Oceania (IOPAN) and directly from the shore. Additionally, samples from shore stations were collected during summer. DSi benthic fluxes were determined at each station by performing &lt;em&gt;ex situ&lt;/em&gt; incubations of sediment cores (n = 4-5) with natural benthic assemblages. The benthic organisms in studied cores were collected, identified, counted, and weighed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The lowest fluxes were measured at sandy stations while highest return fluxes were observed at muddy sites. High variability in DSi benthic fluxes along studied localities was observed, ranging from -1.11 mmol d&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt; in summer at shore station in the Puck Bay and up to 6.79 mmol d&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt; in Szczecin Lagoon in autumn. We used &amp;#160;Gaussian Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) to estimate the role of environmental conditions, benthic fauna characteristics &amp;#160;and interactions among them in the variability of DSi benthic flux across studied localities. The most important predictors for the fluxes were all pair-wise interactions of temperature, total organic carbon, the C/N molar ratio, and the density of benthic macrofauna. Both interaction terms that included C/N ratio, a measure of organic matter quality (i.e. low C/N ratio indicates higher quality), were associated with increased DSi uptake by the sediment. Further, the interaction term between T and benthic marcofauna density was also linked to negative benthic fluxes of DSi. In contrast, the interaction of T and TOC caused a strong increase in DSi return fluxes.&lt;/p&gt;


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2685
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Wenke Wang ◽  
Bing Yan

Tropical cyclone (TC) motion has an important impact on both human lives and infrastructure. Predicting TC intensity is crucial, especially within the 24 h warning time. TC intensity change prediction can be regarded as a problem of both regression and classification. Statistical forecasting methods based on empirical relationships and traditional numerical prediction methods based on dynamical equations still have difficulty in accurately predicting TC intensity. In this study, a prediction algorithm for TC intensity changes based on deep learning is proposed by exploring the joint spatial features of three-dimensional (3D) environmental conditions that contain the basic variables of the atmosphere and ocean. These features can also be interpreted as fused characteristics of the distributions and interactions of these 3D environmental variables. We adopt a 3D convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) for learning the implicit correlations between the spatial distribution features and TC intensity changes. Image processing technology is also used to enhance the data from a small number of TC samples to generate the training set. Considering the instantaneous 3D status of a TC, we extract deep hybrid features from TC image patterns to predict 24 h intensity changes. Compared to previous studies, the experimental results show that the mean absolute error (MAE) of TC intensity change predictions and the accuracy of the classification as either intensifying or weakening are both significantly improved. The results of combining features of high and low spatial layers confirm that considering the distributions and interactions of 3D environmental variables is conducive to predicting TC intensity changes, thus providing insight into the process of TC evolution.


Weed Science ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 498-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey F. Derr ◽  
Thomas J. Monaco

In greenhouse studies, soil organic matter reduced the herbicidal activity of ethalfluralin (N-ethyl-N-(2-methyl-2-propenyl)-2,6-dinitro-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzenamine). Fifty percent inhibition (I5.0) values for barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli(L.) Beauv.] stand, injury, and shoot fresh weight increased as the soil organic-matter level increased. No difference in ethalfluralin tolerance was found among 16 cucumber (Cucumis sativusL.) cultivars. When grouped according to market type, fresh market cultivars tended to be injured more than pickling cultivars by excess ethalfluralin. Both shoots and roots of cucumber absorbed the herbicide, but exposure of roots to ethalfluralin was more toxic than exposure of shoots. Field studies indicated that with certain edaphic and environmental conditions, cucumbers can be injured by preemergence applications of ethalfluralin. Injury was greatest in a low organic-matter soil following a heavy rain. Ethalfluralin at 1.3 kg/ha gave adequate weed control in 1 and 3% organic-matter soils, but not in a 9% organic-matter soil.


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