Prey naiveté to invasive lionfish Pterois volitans on Caribbean coral reefs

Native prey can be particularly vulnerable to consumption by exotic predators. Prey naiveté, the failure to recognize a novel predator due to lack of recent co-evolutionary history, likely facilitates the disproportionate impact that some exotic predators exert on prey populations. Lionfish Pterois volitans, exotic predators from the Pacific, have invaded coral reefs and other coastal habitats along the western Atlantic. Prey naiveté towards novel lionfish was tested in field experiments and with observations using closest approach distance as the anti-predator response. We quantified the distance of prey fishes to exotic lionfish in both the Atlantic and Pacific (invasive and native ranges of lionfish) as well as to native predators in the Atlantic. In the Atlantic, experiments indicated that Haemulon plumierii, prey of lionfish, generally display a closer approach distance to exotic than to native predators, and field observations of free-ranging fish revealed that at least 5 other species of small fishes (Halichoeres bivitattus, Halichoeres garnoti, Scarus taeniopterus, Stegastes leucostictus and Thalassoma bifasciatum) also might exhibit limited predatoravoidance behaviour towards invasive lionfish. We also found that 3 families of small fish (Labridae, Pomacentridae and Scaridae) maintained greater distances from lionfish in the Pacific compared with the Atlantic in both experimental and field observations. These results suggest prey naiveté to exotic lionfish by at least 8 species of fish (Abudefduf saxatilis, H. plumierii, H. bivitattus, H. garnoti, S. taeniopterus, Sparisoma aurofrenatum, S. leucostictus and T. bifasciatum) in the Atlantic, which could be contributing to the rapid expansion of this invasive species by enhancing its fitness and reproductive output through high predation efficiency

A study of gas exchange during the transition from deep winter mixing to spring bloom in the Bay of Biscay measured by continuous observation from a ship of opportunity

Monitoring from ships of opportunity allows a wide range of parameters to be measured, thereby extending the coverage of operational oceanographic studies. Observation of dissolved oxygen using new sensors offers an effective way of monitoring changes in biological production. The limits of the application were tested following the transition from winter storms to the spring bloom (2007). Calculation of dissolved nitrogen enables changes in gas saturation due to physical and biological processes to be separated. By combining these measurements with data from numerical models and Argo floats the critical role of subsurface processes in determining rates of change at the surface can be assessed

Plantas visitadas por abelhas africanizadas em duas localidades do estado de São Paulo Plants visited by africanized honey bees in two localites of the state of São Paulo

O conhecimento das plantas de uma região, sua época de florescimento e as características do pólen, auxiliam na determinação das espécies vegetais que contribuem para a composição do mel. Durante o período de 1994 a 1997 foram inventariadas, semanalmente, em diferentes horários e num raio de aproximadamente 300m dos apiários da USP/ESALQ, em Piracicaba,SP (22°43'S, 47°27'W e 580 m) e do Instituto de Zootecnia, em Pindamonhangaba, SP (22°57'S, 45°27'W e 560 m), as plantas que estavam sendo visitadas por abelhas. Foram anotados o mês e o período de florescimento das plantas inventariadas. Em Piracicaba foram identificadas 94 espécies de plantas pertencentes a 41 famílias (maior número de espécies nas famílias Asteraceae e Myrtaceae) e em Pindamonhangaba, 76 espécies, pertencentes a 26 famílias (maior número de espécies nas famílias Asteraceae e Verbenaceae). Os resultados indicam que 21 famílias, 22 gêneros e 15 espécies de plantas visitadas pelas abelhas africanizadas foram comuns em ambas as localidades.<br>The knowledge of plants from a given region, as well as the blooming period and the pollen characteristics, help for the determination of the plant species which contribute for the honey composition. Plants visited by honey bees were listed during the period 1994 to 1997. The survey was carried out weekly, at different times and within a 300 m radius at two sites: the apiaries of USP/ESALQ in Piracicaba, SP (22°43'S, 47°27'W e 580 m) and of the 'Instituto de Zootecnia', in Pindamonhangaba, SP (22°57'S, 45°27'W e 560 m), both in Brazil. The month and the blooming period were recorded. A total of 94 plants species, from 41 families was identified in Piracicaba (the largest number of species in Asteraceae and Myrtaceae) and 76 plant species of 26 families, in Pindamonhangaba (the largest number of Asteraceae and Verbenaceae). The results indicated that 21 families, 22 genera and 15 species were common for both localities