Biogeography of epibenthic crustaceans on the shelf and upper slope off the Iberian Peninsula Mediterranean coasts: implications for the establishment of natural management areas

Special Volume: Mediterranean marine demersal resources: the Medits international trawl survey (1994-1999)The patterns of occurrence and bathymetric distribution of epibenthic crustaceans on the continental shelf and upper slope down to a depth of 800 m are analysed based on data gathered during six demersal trawl surveys performed annually in spring along the Mediterranean coasts of the Iberian Peninsula (from the Straits of Gibraltar to Cape Creus) between 1994 and 1999. A total of 598 valid hauls has been studied providing a total of 108 species of decapods, two stomatopods, one euphausiid, one mysid and one isopod. The study area has been subdivided into seven sectors according to their geomorphological characteristics, and the patterns of occurrence and abundance by depth have been analysed separately for each of the sectors. Detailed data on bathymetric distribution are presented for each species. Two main biogeographical areas can be discerned along the study area, which can approximately be separated at Palos Cape: the Alborán Sea to the southwest, and the northwestern Mediterranean (Levantine and Catalan Seas) northwest of Palos Cape. The continental shelf in the Alborán Sea (the most western area of the Mediterranean) is extremely narrow whereas it is much wider in the northwestern Mediterranean. The influence of Atlantic waters entering the Mediterranean is particularly strong in the Alborán Sea which shows a particularly high species richness of Atlantic affinity. Within the context of the western Mediterranean Sea, the Alborán Sea region shows important faunistic characteristics such that it might be considered as a possible separate natural management area for demersal fisheriesVersión del editor1,006

Pasiphaeid shrimps in the western Mediterranean:geographical variability in distribution and population pattern

Summary: This work aimed to analyse the main characteristics of the bathymetric and geographic distribution, population size structure and size at maturity of the continental slope caridean shrimps Pasiphaea sivado and Pasiphaea multidentata in the western Mediterranean, as well as to try to relate the patterns obtained with geomorphologic and hydrographic characteristics. The study area encompassed the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. In both species, marked differences in depth distribution, density, and population size structure were found between Algerian basin populations, particularly in the Alboran Sea, and those in the Catalano-Balearic basin. Both shrimps showed a shallower bathymetric range in the westernmost region of the Algerian basin than in the rest of geographic sectors, linked to the occurrence of upwelling areas on the northwestern edges of the Alboran Sea. Populations of P. sivado reached larger densities, sizes and maturity size in the Algerian basin. No recruitment of P. multidentata was detected in the Algerian basin, whereas it was present in the Catalano-Balearic basin. In both species, the window range of bottom temperature and salinity was larger in juveniles than in adults. These different distribution and population dynamics imply that ecological functioning of these species differs between the two eomorphological basins of the western Mediterranean Sea.Versión del edito

Democràcia i Comunicació: per una regulació al servei de l'interès públic

La Societat de la Informació és una realitat cada vegada més important en les societats desenvolupades i, juntament amb la Globalització, estan transformant de manera radical les nostres societats. En aquest context, els mitjans de comunicació i les xarxes de comunicacions electròniques estan vivint un procés de convergència que implica una transformació sense precedents en el món de la comunicació. L'objecte de la Tesi és l'anàlisi detallat de l'evolució i la situació actual de les xarxes de comunicacions electròniques i dels mitjans de comunicació, que he anomenat xarxes de comunicació multimèdia i, l'objectiu, analitzar els sistemes regulatoris i fer una proposta dels principis bàsics que hauria de contemplar un model regulatori de les xarxes de comunicació multimèdia assentat en els valors essencials del liberalisme social perquè pugui respondre de manera satisfactòria a l'interès públic.La Sociedad de la Información es una realidad cada vez más importante en las sociedades desarrolladas y, junto la Globalización, están transformando de manera radical nuestras sociedades. En este contexto, los medios de comunicación y las redes de comunicaciones electrónicas están viviendo un proceso de convergencia que implica una transformación sin precedentes del mundo de la comunicación. El objeto de la Tesis es el análisis detallado de la evolución y la situación actual de las redes de comunicaciones electrónicas y los medios de comunicación, que he llamado redes de comunicación multimedia y, el objetivo, analizar los sistemas regulatorios y hacer una propuesta de los principios básicos que debería contemplar un modelo regulatorio de las redes de comunicación multimedia asentado en los valores esenciales del liberalismo social para que pueda responder de manera satisfactoria al interés público.The Information Society is an increasingly important reality in developed societies and, along with globalization, is radically transforming our societies. In this context, the media and electronic communications networks are experiencing a convergence process that involves an unprecedented transformation in the world of communication. The purpose of this thesis is the detailed analysis of the evolution and of the current status of electronic communications networks and media, which I have labeled multimedia and communication networks, and, further, to analyze the current regulatory systems in order to develop a set of basic principles to be considered in the setting up of a regulatory model of multimedia communication networks, rooted in core values of social liberalism, and able to effectively defend the public interest

Distribution characteristics of pandalid shrimps (Decapoda: Caridea: Pandalidae) along the western Mediterranean Sea

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La tematització i personalització de la informació digitalitzada i el seu impacte en la formació d’opinió pública

The social, cultural and political impact of the process of topicalization and personalization of digitalized information constitutes, in itself, a serious methodological problem, given the enormous quantity of variables associated with this phenomenon. Apart from this previously stated difficulty, the problem raised by this article depicts a disjunction that is difficult to resolve due to the obvious lack of historical perspective. We could formulate it in the following terms: Are we advancing towards a model of homogenization of public opinion on a global and local level, or rather towards a disintegration of the same based precisely on the excessive nature of information which ends up turning into a chaotic range of topicalizations and subtopicalizations of the channel? Despite the uncertainty of the response, it seems obvious that this process affects —and will continue to affect— the political scenario, as well as the basic rules of representative democracy

Distribution and abundance of Aristeus antennatus (Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata) along the Mediterranean Spanish coast

This study analyses the geographical pattern, size structure and relative abundance of Aristeus antennatus on the basis of experimental trawl surveys carried out in the spring of 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 along the Mediterranean Spanish coast. The species occurred at a depth range of 414 m to 786 m on the upper and middle slopes. The percentage of occurrence increased with depth, reaching a maximum at 600-800 m where specimens were found in 75% or more of samples. Sizes ranged from 16mm to 66 mm carapace length (CL) for females and from 16 mm to 36 mm CL for males. There was a trend toward larger size at greater depths, although young individuals (smaller than 20 mm CL) were observed at practically all depths. The areas with high relative abundance were the northeastern Alboran Sea, the Alicante zone together with Valencia and the Eivissa Channel, and the northern Catalan areaPublicado