Evidence for rangewide panmixia despite multiple barriers to dispersal in a marine mussel

Oceanographic features shape the distributional and genetic patterns of marine species by interrupting or promoting connections among populations. Although general patterns commonly arise, distributional ranges and genetic structure are species-specific and do not always comply with the expected trends. By applying a multimarker genetic approach combined with Lagrangian particle simulations (LPS) we tested the hypothesis that oceanographic features along northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean shores influence dispersal potential and genetic structure of the intertidal mussel Perna perna. Additionally, by performing environmental niche modelling we assessed the potential and realized niche of P. perna along its entire native distributional range and the environmental factors that best explain its realized distribution. Perna perna showed evidence of panmixia across > 4,000 km despite several oceanographic breaking points detected by LPS. This is probably the result of a combination of life history traits, continuous habitat availability and stepping-stone dynamics. Moreover, the niche modelling framework depicted minimum sea surface temperatures (SST) as the major factor shaping P. perna distributional range limits along its native areas. Forthcoming warming SST is expected to further change these limits and allow the species to expand its range polewards though this may be accompanied by retreat from warmer areas.Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT-MEC, Portugal) [UID/Multi/04326/2013, IF/01413/2014/CP1217/CT0004]; South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) of the Department of Science and Technology; National Research Foundation; South African National Research Foundation (NRF); Portuguese Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) [SFRH/BPD/85040/2012, SFRH/BPD/111003/2015]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dynamic Predictive Modeling Under Measured and Unmeasured Continuous-Time Stochastic Input Behavior

Many input variables of chemical processes have a continuous-time stochastic (CTS) behavior. The nature of these variables is a persistent, time-correlated variation that manifests as process variation as the variables deviate in time from their nominal levels. This work introduces methodologies in process identification for improving the modeling of process outputs by exploiting CTS input modeling under cases where the input is measured and unmeasured. In the measured input case, the output variable is measured offline, infrequently, and at a varying sampling rate. A method is proposed for estimating CTS parameters from the measured input by exploiting statistical properties of its CTS model. The proposed approach is evaluated based on both output accuracy and predictive ability several steps ahead of the current input measurement. Two parameter estimation techniques are proposed when the input is unmeasured. The first is a derivative-free approach that uses sample moments and analytical expressions for population moments to estimate the CTS model parameters. The second exploits the CTS input model and uses the analytical solution of the dynamic model to estimate these parameters. The predictive ability of the latter approach is evaluated in the same way as the measured input case. All of the data in this work were artificially generated under the probabilistic CTS model.Reprinted (adapted) with permission from Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 51 (2012): 5469, doi: 10.1021/ie201998b. Copyright 2012 American Chemical Society.</p

Linkages between rocky reefs and soft-bottom habitats: effects of predation and granulometry on sandy macrofaunal assemblages

Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The movement of animals and materials among habitats can have an important influence on the structure of assemblages. The nature of such linkages is, however, not always an obvious one. Here we examined the influence of rocky reefs on nearby sandy macrofaunal assemblages. A preliminary descriptive study confirmed the hypothesis that sediment granulometry differs in relation to distance to rocky reefs and so did the macrofaunal assemblage composition, and relative abundance of three of the most abundant taxa, and that this effect was generally consistent among locations. In addition, there was a significant effect of sediment structure on community structure of benthic assemblages. A subsequent manipulative experiment tested, in an interactive way, the effects of predation and sediment grain size in structuring macrofaunal assemblages adjacent to a rocky reef. At the scale of the assemblage (richness and composition), results showed that there was an effect of sand granulometry and distance to the reef, while predation had no effect. Predation affected the abundance of one of the most abundant taxa (un-identified amphipod sp.1) but this effect was consistent adjacent and away from the reef. Sand granulometry had no influence on the numbers of the most abundant taxa, while the abundance of two of these taxa (Catapaguroides timidus and Ervilia castanea) still varied according to distance to the reef. This study adds to the wider literature by suggesting that there can be important movements of materials and organisms from rocky reefs to adjacent soft-bottom habitats but that rock-associated predators and sand granulometry may have a limited influence in structuring the small-bodied sediment infauna close to reefs. This study also stresses the need for caution when ascribing the importance of ecological processes based on descriptive studies alone, even when results seem ecologically logical

Sediment Characteristics Determine the Flowering Effort of Zostera noltei Meadows Inhabiting a Human-Dominated Lagoon

[eng] Recent studies have shown increasing Zostera noltei meadows in areas modified by anthropogenic activities. However, it is not entirely clear whether this trend of expansion could be linked to a greater reproductive effort in the species. Anthropogenic stressors can induce the reproductive effort of seagrass meadows as a response to stress, but other variables, such as seagrass biometrics or environmental factors, can also influence their sexual reproduction. To increase the knowledge regarding this issue, we monitored the flowering effort, seagrass biometrics and abiotic parameters of three Z. noltei meadows in an area that has been highly modified by anthropogenic activities during the past decades. Results showed that silt and clay content in the sediment (strongly correlated with organic matter) and seagrass vertical shoot density explained 54% of the variability in the flowering effort of the meadows. This study suggests that stress-induced flowering of Z. noltei may occur under determinate environmental conditions, such as silty environments with organic enrichment