How old are giant squids? First approach to aging Architeuthis beaks

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalina Perales-Raya ◽  
Aurora Bartolomé ◽  
Eva Hernández-Rodríguez ◽  
Manuel Carrillo ◽  
Vidal Martín ◽  
...  

The giant squid Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 is one of the largest and most enigmatic marine species. Its age estimation remains controversial with many estimates of maximum age ranging from 1 to 14 yrs. Successful results regarding the study of aging in cephalopod beaks for some octopod and oegopsid squids support using these structures for age estimation. We analyzed the beaks of 10 individuals, caught between 1995 and 2006, with reconstructed dorsal mantle lengths (DMLs) between 823 and 1418 mm. The beaks were measured and weighed, and their microstructure was analyzed in three ways: (1) in the rostrum area [rostrum sagittal sections (RSS)] for both upper and lower jaws, and the (2) inner lateral wall surfaces (LWS) and (3) inner crest surfaces (CS) for upper jaws. A constant sequence of increments was observed along the RSS, indicating that the use of lower jaws is more feasible due to the higher erosion and tighter packing of increments of upper jaws. The statolith of one individual was analyzed, resulting in 520 increments (579 increments from RSS of its lower jaw). Assuming daily deposition, the age estimations in RSS between 411 and 674 d suggest rapid growth of A. dux, averaging 1.97 mm DML d–1 (SD 0.45). When maximum ages were estimated by applying these results to the largest measured specimens in the literature (e.g., 2400 mm DML), an age of approximately 3 yrs was obtained. Analysis over a greater size range of individuals would allow more accurate age estimations of this emblematic squid.

2013 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 930-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald R. Prothero ◽  
Brian L. Beatty ◽  
Richard M. Stucky

Simojovelhyus pocitosense is based on a lower jaw fragment with three molars from the late Oligocene amber mine deposits near the village of Simojovel, Chiapas Province, Mexico. It is the oldest fossil mammal known from Central America. It was described by Ferrusquia-Villafranca in 2006 as a helohyid, a group of primitive artiodactyls known from the Bridgerian and Uintan (older than 49–42 Ma), yet it comes from early Arikareean deposits about 25–27 Ma, suggesting that it was a very late helohyid living more than 10 m.y. after their apparent Uintan extinction. We re-examined the specimen, and compared it to the large collection of recently described peccaries from the Chadronian (Perchoerus minor) and Orellan (Perchoerus nanus) and Bridgerian helohyids (Helohyus sp.). Once the range of variation of characters in helohyids and peccaries is accounted for, Simojovelhyus shows derived similarities to early peccaries, especially in the bunodont molars with inflated cusps and the configuration of cristids and accessory cuspulids, and none of the incipient lophodonty and primitive morphology seen in helohyids. In fact, the only real similarity other than symplesiomorphies between Simojovelhyus and helohyids is its small size, but it is close to the size range of the tiny Chadronian peccary P. minor. Thus, based on both derived tooth characters and its age, it is much more parsimonious to regard Simojovelhyus as a tiny Mexican peccary from the Arikareean, not a very late helohyid. This removes the anomalously late occurrence of helohyids from the mammalian fossil record, and forces a re-examination of our view of mammalian evolution in Central America.


1996 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 75-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. SHIRATANI ◽  
H. KAWASAKI ◽  
T. FUKUZAWA ◽  
Y. WATANABE

We describe a new method for production of size-controlled Si fine particles that employs a pulsed RF silane discharge. Size, density, and morphology of particles prepared by this method are studied using scanning electron microscopy. Particles with a small size dispersion are produced in the size range from 10 to 120 nm and with densities above 107 cm −3. It is found that particles grow through three phases of nucleation, rapid growth, and growth saturation. Particles in two different size ranges coexist after the initiation of the rapid-growth phase above RF power of 40 W , and coagulation of particles plays a crucial role in the rapid-growth phase.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (12) ◽  
pp. 1789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamaki Shimose ◽  
Kotaro Yokawa

The age of striped marlin (Kajikia audax) in days and years (daily and yearly ages) were estimated by counts of otolith microincrements (n=25) and dorsal fin spine annuli (n=175) using specimens caught in the tropical eastern North Pacific between September and November 2004. Daily ages of small striped marlin (87.0–145.5cm lower jaw–fork length) were estimated to range from 81 to 239 days, which indicates that the species in the area grow, on average, to over 100cm within 4 months. Back-calculated hatch dates were estimated to be from March to July; this period is earlier than the known spawning season in a slightly more northern area. Approximately 20% of these year-0 striped marlin had one or more growth bands in the sectioned spine. They were thought to be false annual growth bands and excluded from yearly age estimation. The estimated yearly age of 175 individuals (87.0–228.4cm) ranged from 0 to 5 and was dominated by ages-0 to 3 (>90%). Age composition was different among three subregions in the eastern North Pacific.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1218-1224
Author(s):  
Peter C. Sakaris ◽  
David L. Buckmeier ◽  
Nathan G. Smith ◽  
Daniel J. Daugherty

Author(s):  
E.J. Jenkins ◽  
D.S. Tucker ◽  
J.J. Hren

The size range of mineral and ceramic particles of one to a few microns is awkward to prepare for examination by TEM. Electrons can be transmitted through smaller particles directly and larger particles can be thinned by crushing and dispersion onto a substrate or by embedding in a film followed by ion milling. Attempts at dispersion onto a thin film substrate often result in particle aggregation by van der Waals attraction. In the present work we studied 1-10 μm diameter Al2O3 spheres which were transformed from the amprphous state to the stable α phase.After the appropriate heat treatment, the spherical powders were embedded in as high a density as practicable in a hard EPON, and then microtomed into thin sections. There are several advantages to this method. Obviously, this is a rapid and convenient means to study the microstructure of serial slices. EDS, ELS, and diffraction studies are also considerably more informative. Furthermore, confidence in sampling reliability is considerably enhanced. The major negative feature is some distortion of the microstructure inherent to the microtoming operation; however, this appears to have been surprisingly small. The details of the method and some typical results follow.


Author(s):  
John C. Russ ◽  
Nicholas C. Barbi

The rapid growth of interest in attaching energy-dispersive x-ray analysis systems to transmission electron microscopes has centered largely on microanalysis of biological specimens. These are frequently either embedded in plastic or supported by an organic film, which is of great importance as regards stability under the beam since it provides thermal and electrical conductivity from the specimen to the grid.Unfortunately, the supporting medium also produces continuum x-radiation or Bremsstrahlung, which is added to the x-ray spectrum from the sample. It is not difficult to separate the characteristic peaks from the elements in the specimen from the total continuum background, but sometimes it is also necessary to separate the continuum due to the sample from that due to the support. For instance, it is possible to compute relative elemental concentrations in the sample, without standards, based on the relative net characteristic elemental intensities without regard to background; but to calculate absolute concentration, it is necessary to use the background signal itself as a measure of the total excited specimen mass.


Author(s):  
A. Gómez ◽  
P. Schabes-Retchkiman ◽  
M. José-Yacamán ◽  
T. Ocaña

The splitting effect that is observed in microdiffraction pat-terns of small metallic particles in the size range 50-500 Å can be understood using the dynamical theory of electron diffraction for the case of a crystal containing a finite wedge. For the experimental data we refer to part I of this work in these proceedings.


Author(s):  
M. Jose Yacaman

In the Study of small metal particles the shape is a very Important parameter. Using electron microscopy Ino and Owaga(l) have studied the shape of twinned particles of gold. In that work electron diffraction and contrast (dark field) experiments were used to produce models of a crystal particle. In this work we report a method which can give direct information about the shape of an small metal particle in the amstrong- size range with high resolution. The diffraction pattern of a sample containing small metal particles contains in general several systematic and non- systematic reflections and a two-beam condition can not be used in practice. However a N-beam condition produces a reduced extinction distance. On the other hand if a beam is out of the bragg condition the effective extinction distance is even more reduced.


Author(s):  
Karen A. Katrinak ◽  
David W. Brekke ◽  
John P. Hurley

Individual-particle analysis is well established as an alternative to bulk analysis of airborne particulates. It yields size and chemical data on a particle-by-particle basis, information that is critical in predicting the behavior of air pollutants. Individual-particle analysis is especially important for particles with diameter < 1 μm, because particles in this size range have a disproportionately large effect on atmospheric visibility and health.


Author(s):  
Linda Sicko-Goad

Although the use of electron microscopy and its varied methodologies is not usually associated with ecological studies, the types of species specific information that can be generated by these techniques are often quite useful in predicting long-term ecosystem effects. The utility of these techniques is especially apparent when one considers both the size range of particles found in the aquatic environment and the complexity of the phytoplankton assemblages.The size range and character of organisms found in the aquatic environment are dependent upon a variety of physical parameters that include sampling depth, location, and time of year. In the winter months, all the Laurentian Great Lakes are uniformly mixed and homothermous in the range of 1.1 to 1.7°C. During this time phytoplankton productivity is quite low.


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