3 research outputs found
Spectral Analysis of Amino Acid Sequence. II. Characterization of α-Helices by Local Periodicity
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Increasing comparability among coral bleaching experiments
Coral bleaching is the single largest global threat to coral reefs worldwide. Integrating the diverse body of work on coral bleaching is critical to understanding and combating this global problem. Yet investigating the drivers, patterns, and processes of coral bleaching poses a major challenge. A recent review of published experiments revealed a wide range of experimental variables used across studies. Such a wide range of approaches enhances discovery, but without full transparency in the experimental and analytical methods used, can also make comparisons among studies challenging. To increase comparability but not stifle innovation, we propose a common framework for coral bleaching experiments that includes consideration of coral provenance, experimental conditions, and husbandry. For example, reporting the number of genets used, collection site conditions, the experimental temperature offset(s) from the maximum monthly mean (MMM) of the collection site, experimental light conditions, flow, and the feeding regime will greatly facilitate comparability across studies. Similarly, quantifying common response variables of endosymbiont (Symbiodiniaceae) and holobiont phenotypes (i.e., color, chlorophyll, endosymbiont cell density, mortality, and skeletal growth) could further facilitate cross-study comparisons. While no single bleaching experiment can provide the data necessary to determine global coral responses of all corals to current and future ocean warming, linking studies through a common framework as outlined here, would help increase comparability among experiments, facilitate synthetic insights into the causes and underlying mechanisms of coral bleaching, and reveal unique bleaching responses among genets, species, and regions. Such a collaborative framework that fosters transparency in methods used would strengthen comparisons among studies that can help inform coral reef management and facilitate conservation strategies to mitigate coral bleaching worldwide
Zonation of benthic macrofauna on Cassino Beach, southernmost Brazil
Benthic macrofauna zonation was studied for one year (June 2004 to May 2005) with monthly sampling on Cassino Beach, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Three sites (spaced 50 m apart) were selected. Three transects were anchored at each site, spaced equidistantly 2 m apart. Each transect extended from the base of the primary dunes to the inner surf zone at approximately 1m in depth, with between 7 and 8 sampling levels. Monthly, with a 20 cm diameter core, one biological sample was collected per transect at each level, a total of nine samples per level. Within transects, the distance between the levels was 20 m until the upper swash zone, from which the distance was 10 m until the 1-meter isobath. Zonation proved to be variable throughout the year. Variability was mainly a reflection of the greater instability of the lower part of the beach, which comprised the lower mesolittoral zone and the inner surf zone. This was evidenced seasonally with the formation of distinct groups of fauna in accordance with the peculiarity of each season of the year. The formation of these groups was strongly influenced by fluctuations in densities stemming from recruitments and the migration of juvenile and adult infauna, as well as superimposing of the distribution of organisms as a result of rises in sea level due to storms.<br>A zonação da macrofauna bentônica na praia do Cassino, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, foi estudada durante um ano (junho 2004 a maio de 2005) com base em coletas mensais. Para isso escolheu-se 3 locais, com 50 m de distância um do outro, sendo que em cada local foram fundeadas 3 transversais 2 m eqüidistantes. Cada transversal se estendeu desde a base das dunas primárias até aproximadamente 1m de profundidade no infralitoral, sendo 7 a 8 níveis de coleta distribuídos em cada uma das transversais. Mensalmente, utilizando-se um tubo extrator de 20 cm de diâmetro, coletou-se uma amostra biológica por transversal em cada nível, totalizando nove amostras por nível. A distância dos níveis de coleta em cada transversal foi de 20 m até o limite superior da zona de varrido, a partir da qual a distância foi de 10 m. A zonação mostrou-se variável ao longo do ano, sendo que esta variabilidade refletiu, principalmente, a maior instabilidade da zona inferior da praia, que compreendeu o mesolitoral inferior e a zona de arrebentação interna. Isto ficou evidenciado sazonalmente, com a formação de distintos grupos faunísticos de acordo com a peculiaridade de cada estação do ano. A formação destes grupos foi fortemente influenciada pelas flutuações das densidades, decorrentes dos recrutamentos e migrações de juvenis e adultos da infauna, e da sobreposição da distribuição dos organismos, em função da elevação do nível da água devido às ressacas