Mobula kuhlii cleaning station identified at an inshore reef in southern Mozambique

Cleaning interactions between the short fin devil ray, Mobula kuhlii, and the blue streaked cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, were observed at two sites on a single reef in southern Mozambique. Cleaning interactions were filmed and described, with the number and location of interactions recorded and subsequently binned into six distinct body patches. Cleaners preferentially foraged within certain ray body patches, and this was found to vary between the two sites, possibly signifying that variations in a habitats composition can influence cleaning. Mobula kuhlii were not found to clean sympatrically with their close relatives in the Manta genus, implying their cleaning requires a distinct habitat or that niche partitioning is required to stem competition for host cleaner fishes attention. In total, 15 individuals were observed interacting with cleaners, and they never arrived alone, suggesting they may travel to cleaning areas in an aggregative manner.

Mobula kuhlii cleaning station identified at an inshore reef in southern Mozambique

Cleaning interactions between the short fin devil ray, Mobula kuhlii, and the blue streaked cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, were observed at two sites on a single reef in southern Mozambique. Cleaning interactions were filmed and described, with the number and location of interactions recorded and subsequently binned into six distinct body patches. Cleaners preferentially foraged within certain ray body patches, and this was found to vary between the two sites, possibly signifying that variations in a habitats composition can influence cleaning. Mobula kuhlii were not found to clean sympatrically with their close relatives in the Manta genus, implying their cleaning requires a distinct habitat or that niche partitioning is required to stem competition for host cleaner fishes attention. In total, 15 individuals were observed interacting with cleaners, and they never arrived alone, suggesting they may travel to cleaning areas in an aggregative manner.

Testing animal-assisted cleaning prior to transplantation in coral reef restoration

Rearing coral fragments in nurseries and subsequent transplantation onto a degraded reef is a common approach for coral reef restoration. However, if barnacles and other biofouling organisms are not removed prior to transplantation, fish will dislodge newly cemented corals when feeding on biofouling organisms. This behavior can lead to an increase in diver time due to the need to reattach the corals. Thus, cleaning nurseries to remove biofouling organisms such as algae and invertebrates is necessary prior to transplantation, and this cleaning constitutes a significant time investment in a restoration project. We tested a novel biomimicry technique of animal-assisted cleaning on nursery corals prior to transplantation at a coral reef restoration site in Seychelles, Indian Ocean. To determine whether animal-assisted cleaning was possible, preliminary visual underwater surveys were performed to quantify the fish community at the study site. Then, cleaning stations consisting of nursery ropes carrying corals and biofouling organisms, set at 0.3 m, 2 m, 4 m, 6 m and 8 m from the seabed, were placed at both the transplantation (treatment) site and the nursery (control) site. Remote GoPro video cameras recorded fish feeding at the nursery ropes without human disturbance. A reef fish assemblage of 32 species from 4 trophic levels (18.8% herbivores, 18.8% omnivores, 59.3% secondary consumers and 3.1% carnivores) consumed 95% of the barnacles on the coral nursery ropes placed 0.3 m above the seabed. Using this cleaning station, we reduced coral dislodgement from 16% to zero. This cleaning station technique could be included as a step prior to coral transplantation worldwide on the basis of location-specific fish assemblages and during the early nursery phase of sexually produced juvenile corals.

A new colour morph for Elacatinus figaro, an endemic threatened cleaner

We report here, for the first time, the existence of a white colour morphElacatinus figaro, an endemic threatened cleaner goby from the Brazilian Coast. The specimen from this study lived in a cleaning station along with otherE. figaro. Records were made based on pictures and the specimen was collected and preserved for genetic studies. Although the strong bright yellow colour is of vital importance for attracting other fish to the cleaning station, we speculate that living alongside regular-coloured individuals can diminish the disadvantage of not having the flashy stripe.

The Effect of City Sludge Application on the Simbiotically Fixed Nitrogen on Alfalfa

The goal of this study is to evaluate the possibilities to use the municipal sluge as a fertilizer in agriculture, especially upon alfalfa crop, with a very complex and precise methodology, in the conditions of assuring environment protection and human health integrity. The aim of this study is to determine the quality of alfalfa fourage derived from the application of city sludge from cleaning station Tetarom III Cluj - Napoca. Neutralizing city mud with the help of soil, considered a biological treatment station for water is one of the most important perspectives to protect the environment together with an increase of agricol production. In the new socio economical structures of Romania, the natural fertilizer is to be found less and less due to the decrease of the animal number, and also due to the way of their breeding, and the replacement of natural fertilizer with city sludge from the used water treatment, it is an alternative to use due to the sure advantages of the fertilized mud appliance.