Seasonal and spatial variability in condition of age-0+ Argentine hake Merluccius hubbsi Marini, 1933, in the San Jorge Gulf (Argentina): A bottom-up perspective

In the north Patagonian region of the Argentinean Continental Shelf, the San Jorge Gulf (SJG; 45°‐47°S, 65°30ʹ‐67°30ʹW) is the main nursery ground of age‐0+ Argentine hake Merluccius hubbsi Marini, 1933, one of the most important fishery resources in Argentina. The gulf exhibits strong seasonal and spatial fluctuations in environmental features, which might affect survival of age‐0+ individuals and recruitment to the adult population. Our main goal was to evaluate the seasonal and spatial dynamics of their nutritional status within the SJG in winter 2016, spring 2016 and summer 2017. Condition indices (relative condition factor Kn, hepatosomatic index HSI and liver lipid content %L) and diet information (feeding incidence and relative importance of prey) were combined with physical (temperature and salinity) and biological (satellite chlorophyll‐a concentration; chl‐a) data. Age‐0+ condition indices and prey intake showed significant seasonal variations, with minimum values in winter, intermediate in summer and maximum in spring, strongly coupled to the mean chl‐a concentration in each season. Herbivorous euphausiids Euphausia spp. were the preferred prey along the study period. A bottom‐up effect on condition of age‐0+ hake is suggested, manifested as lower condition values in winter, the less productive season. Spatially, better conditioned individuals matched sectors of the gulf where chl‐a concentrations were higher, coupled to the presence of frontal systems. Monitoring age‐0+ hake nutritional status is relevant in the current global change scenario, which might modify phytoplankton biomass and composition and, consequently, the herbivorous zooplankton abundances.Fil: Temperoni, Brenda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Massa, Agueda Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Martos, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas; ArgentinaFil: Marrari, Marina. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Mirtazapine in the treatment of panic disorder

We evaluated mirtazapine response in 15 patients with Panic Disorder and also reported changes in HMPAO SPECT analysis a T0 and T90. A complete normalization in 12 of 15 patients was observed

Distribution and behavior of Argentine hake larvae: Evidence of a biophysical mechanism for self-recruitment in northern Patagonian shelf waters

It has been proposed that vertical movements of planktonic organisms coupled to a horizontally or vertically stratified circulation pattern could describe a retention mechanism, with ecological advantages such as favoring recruitment success. The Patagonian stock of the Argentine hake Merluccius hubbsi spawns mainly from January to February in relation to a highly productive tidal frontal system. Although retention of fish eggs and larvae has been previously hypothesized for this system, it has not been fully proven and its mechanisms have not yet been proposed for hake early stages. To better understand the physical and biological processes involved in the survival and distribution of hake larvae, we focused on transport features and associated larval behavior governing the retention of larvae in the spawning area and their subsequent distribution to settlement and nursery grounds. To test this hypothesis at appropriate spatial and temporal scales, we analyzed acoustic records to describe vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of hake larvae, discrete plankton samples to confirm the identity of acoustic targets, and outputs from a numerical circulation model to estimate current patterns in the region during the hake spawning months. Coinciding with the development of a functional swimbladder, hake larvae of 4 mm and larger showed a strong vertical distribution pattern associated with a sound scattering layer migrating from the thermocline during the night to near-bottom depths during the day. This diel vertical migration pattern was associated with the circulation structure, equivalent to a two-layer flow, indicating a recirculation pattern in the vertical plane. The retention of early larval stages in the spawning area was evident from the acoustic data, indicating a persistent location for the bulk of hake larvae at the main spawning ground during summer months. The distribution extends to the rest of the nursery grounds as the breeding season advances in agreement with the general pattern of middle shelf bottom circulation vectors produced by the numerical model. The results are discussed within the framework of Bakun’s fundamental triad, identifying its elements. In addition, a conceptual model for the main biophysical coupling processes during the early life history of M. hubbsi is proposed in order to gain insight about the recruitment mechanism of this species.