Redescription and new record of the spongobiotic shrimp Periclimenaeus rastrifer Bruce, 1980 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae) from Taiwan

The palaemonid shrimp Periclimenaeus rastrifer is here reported from Taiwan based on three specimens. It bears a feeble but distinct anterodorsal lobe on the first pleonite (not reported before). The mouthparts, not previously described, are also remarkable by a multidentate apex of the mandibular incisor, asymmetric distal endite of the second maxilla, and expanded dorsal lobe on the second maxilliped merus. The species is thus redescribed here. One of the examined specimens possesses an unusual rostrum, and malformed telson and uropodal spinulation; the latter specimen is described and illustrated in detail, including the mouthparts. Previously, the only species in the genus published in faunistic repors from Taiwan were P. wolffi Bruce 1993 and P. gorgonidarum (Balss, 1913) recorded from the Taiwan Strait, and the Green Island, respectively; P. rastrifer is reported here as the first of the genus from Taiwan mainland

Sequestration of P fractions in the soils of an incipient ferralisation chronosequence on a humid tropical volcanic island

Background Phosphorus (P) is the limiting nutrient in many mature tropical forests. The ecological significance of declining P stocks as soils age is exacerbated by much of the remaining P being progressively sequestered. However, the details of how and where P is sequestered during the ageing in tropical forest soils remains unclear. Results We examined the relationships between various forms of the Fe and Al sesquioxides and the Hedley fractions of P in soils of an incipient ferralitic chronosequence on an altitudinal series of gently sloping benches on Green Island, off the southeastern coast of Taiwan. These soils contain limited amounts of easily exchangeable P. Of the sesquioxide variables, only Fe and Al crystallinities increased significantly with bench altitude/soil age, indicating that the ferralisation trend is weak. The bulk of the soil P was in the NaOH and residual extractable fractions, and of low lability. The P fractions that correlated best with the sesquioxides were the organic components of the NaHCO3 and NaOH extracts. Conclusions The amorphous sesquioxides, Feo and Alo, were the forms that correlated best with the P fractions. A substantial proportion of the labile P appears to be organic and to be associated with Alo in organic-aluminium complexes. The progression of P sequestration appears to be slightly slower than the chemical and mineralogical indicators of ferralisation.

Clustered, Stacked and Imbricated Large Coastal Rock Clasts on Ludao Island, Southeast Taiwan, and Their Application to Palaeotyphoon Intensity Assessment

This work investigated the characteristics of a boulder field on the exposed south east coast of Ludao Island (Green Island) in southern Taiwan. Although the region regularly experiences seasonal Pacific typhoons, fieldwork on Ludao was prompted following the double-strike of Typhoon Tembin in August 2012, which followed an unusual looping track and was one of the strongest storms to affect the island in recent decades. In Wen Cuen Bay, large limestone and volcanic clasts (103–105 kg) occur both as isolated individuals and also grouped into distinct clusters across the gently-sloping emerged reef platform of Holocene age. Some individuals reach megaclast proportions. Observations revealed limited evidence for the production of new coastal boulders by Typhoon Tembin. However, clustering, stacking and notable imbrication of old large clasts provide evidence for multiple high-energy palaeoevents. Stacking and imbrication are significant depositional features, implying that (partial) lifting by wave transport was responsible. Boulders deposited by Typhoon Tembin suggest that storm produced minimum flow velocities of 3.2–5.1 m/s. This range of minimum flow velocity (MFV) values is lower than the 4.3–13.8 m/s range inferred from the pre-Tembin boulders, which indicates that older storm washovers must have been stronger, judging from their ability to stack and imbricate large clasts. One explanation for high upper values of palaeoevent MFVs is that localized funnelling of water flow through narrow relict channels (inherited spur-and-groove morphology, oriented perpendicular to the modern reef edge) concentrates onshore flow energy into powerful confined jets. Support for this hypothesis is the positioning and train-of-direction of the main imbricated boulder cluster at the landward head of one such feature. Geomorphic controls amplifying wave-driven flow velocities across the emerged Holocene reef mean that a palaeotyphoon origin is sufficient for explaining large clast stacking and imbrication, without the need to invoke a tsunami hypothesis.

Overcoming the consequences of financial crisis on the example of Island and Ireland

Will Ireland share the fate of Iceland? Is this open, small economy with a debt-to-GDP ratio of above 130% on the verge of bankruptcy? Economists argue that if public debt is greater than national income, then smaller economies, heavily involved in the international division of labor are at risk of becoming insolvent. The bankruptcy of Ireland, whose prosperity is based on its reputation for being a good place to do business, could be a catastrophy. Contrary to the countries of southern Europe, the economy of the Green Island has never had problems with paying its liabilities and with solvency. While Greece has gone bankrupt five times since gaining independence in 1826 and Spain as many as thirteen in the past two centuries, Ireland's history in this area is impeccable (Reinhard, Rogoff, 2009, p. 3-6). Since the beginning of the 21st century Ireland's economic development has been based mainly on construction industry and not exports, as it used to be in the 1990s when the country was nicknamed the Celtic Tiger. The boom resulted in a budget surplus and a positive balance in current settlements. But it also resulted in higher prices - the Irish no longer had to accept slow wage growth to stay internationally competitive - which, combined with the low nominal interest rate of the European Central Bank, provided fertile ground for the build-up of the real estate bubble. The aim of the article is to identify the factors that led Ireland to the brink of bankruptcy and to try to answer the question whether the action of recapitalization of failing banks by the government and international financial institutions will bring the expected results in the form of healing the financial system and returning Green Island to the path of economic growth.

White Terror and the Discourse of Peace and Reconciliation

Since the lifting of martial law, museums have been established in Taiwan that draw attention to past human rights abuses under the Chiang regime and that promote human rights education. This chapter focusses on two such sites: the Ching-mei Human Rights Culture Park (景美人權文化園區‎) and the Green Island Human Rights Culture Park (綠島人權文化園區‎), as well on efforts to join the two together to form the National Museum of Human Rights (國家人權博物館‎). These sites have been the object of political contention between the DPP and the KMT, but both parties have used them to present Taiwan as a democratic society that respects human rights and is united with the rest of the “free” world.

Revisiting the type of Cespitularia stolonifera Gohar, 1938 leads to the description of a new genus and a species of the family Xeniidae (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea)

Because of the problematical identity and status of the type of the xeniid soft coral genus Cespitularia Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1850, the species C. stolonifera Gohar, 1938 is revised. Examination of the type colonies has led to the establishment of the new genus Unomia gen. n. which is described and depicted. This genus features a stalk, commonly divided into branches featuring a diffuse polypiferous part consisting of distal clustered polyps and proximal individual ones on the stalk or the basal membranous part of the colonies. The sclerites are ellipsoid platelets composed of dendritic calcite rods whose tips are distinct on the surface of the platelets. Freshly collected material from Venezuelan reefs where the species is invasive was subjected to molecular phylogenetic analysis, the results of which substantiate the taxonomic assignment of the new genus under U. stolonifera comb. n. A new species, U. complanatis, from Japan and Green Island (Taiwan) is described and further illustrates the extent of the interspecific morphological variation within the genus. The results reveal that the biogeographic distribution of Unomia gen. n. includes Pacific Ocean reefs in addition to the previously reported invaded Caribbean reefs.

Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Macroherbivore Grazing in a Multi-Species Tropical Seagrass Meadow of the Great Barrier Reef

Macroherbivory is an important process in seagrass meadows worldwide; however, the impact of macroherbivores on seagrasses in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has received little attention. We used exclusion cages and seagrass tethering assays to understand how the intensity of macroherbivory varies over space and time in the seagrass meadows around Green Island (Queensland), and what impact this has on overall meadow structure. Rates of macroherbivory were comparatively low, between 0.25–44% of daily seagrass productivity; however, rates were highly variable over a one-year period, and among sites. Loss of seagrass material to macroherbivory was predominantly due to fish; however, urchin herbivory was also taking place. Macroherbivory rates were of insufficient intensity to impact overall meadow structure. No macroherbivory events were identified on video cameras that filmed in the day, indicating that feeding may be occurring infrequently in large shoals, or at night. While relatively low compared to some meadows, seagrass macroherbivory was still an important process at this site. We suggest that in this highly protected area of the GBR, where the ecosystem and food webs remain largely intact, macroherbivory was maintained at a low level and was unlikely to cause the large-scale meadow structuring influence that can be seen in more modified seagrass systems.