Poliquetos de fondos blandos en el Estrecho de Magallanes capturados durante la campaña oceanográfica italiana en febrero-marzo de 1991

Species composition, distribution and biogeography of polychaetes collected from the soft bottoms of the Straits of Magellan (South America) in February-March 1991 are reported. In 16 benthic samples, collected with different tools (Charcot and triangular dredges, van Veen grab), a total of 1132 individuals belonging to 119 taxa of polychaetes were collected; only 49 of the taxa found have been determined at species level. Eighteen species were recorded for the first time in the Straits of Magellan. Species richness was relatively high considering both the number of individuals collected, and the taxa known from previous studies on the area (182 species). The biogeographical analysis, conducted only on the 49 taxa classified at the species level, showed the dominance of Magellan-Antarctic-Subantarctic species (M-An-S 50%), followed by Magellan-American (M-Am 14%), Magellan-Antarctic (M-An 12%), Magellan-Subantarctic (M-S 6%), Cosmopolitans (C 10%), and also by a few species with disjunct distribution (D 8%). Values of the Sørensen similarity index among stations were very low (below 0.30) with a few exceptions. Both number of species and of individuals were higher in the Atlantic sector of the Straits, especially at some stations characterized by heterogeneous mixed sediments (gravels and pebbles) and biogenic debris (mollusc thanatocoenosis). The high number of species recorded, coupled with low similarity values among stations, suggests that the soft bottoms of the Straits of Magellan show, at medium scale, a highly diversified mosaic of different biotopes. This can be due to various factors which are expected to vary along the wide geographic area investigated, such as the wide bathymetric range sampled, the type of sampling gears used, and last but not least the occurrence of many different environmental situations along the Straits.En el presente trabajo se describen composición específica, distribución y biogeografía de los poliquetos recolectados en los fondos blandos del Estrecho de Magallanes (Sudamérica), durante los meses de febrero y marzo del año 1991. En 16 muestras bentónicas, recogidas con diferentes métodos (dragas Charcot, triangular y van Veen), se encontraron un total de 1132 individuos pertenecientes a 119 taxones de poliquetos. De éstos tan solo 49 han sido determinados a nivel de especie y a su vez 18 han resultado ser nuevas citas para el Estrecho de Magallanes. La riqueza específica encontrada fue relativamente alta, considerando tanto el número de individuos recolectados como los taxones conocidos gracias a estudios previos en el área (182 especies). El análisis biogeográfico, efectuado solamente sobre los taxones clasificados a nivel de especie (49), ha demostrado la dominancia de especies Magallano-Antártico- Subantárticas (M-An-S 50%), seguida por especies Magallano-Americanas (M-Am 14%), Magallano-Antárticas (M-An 12%), Magallano-Subantárticas (M-S 6%), Cosmopolitas (C 10%) y también por especies de distribución disjunta (D 8%). Los valores del índice de similaridad de Sørensen entre estaciones fueron muy bajos (inferiores a 0.3) salvo algunas excepciones. Tanto el número de especies como el número de individuos fueron más elevados en el sector atlántico del Estrecho, particularmente en algunas estaciones caracterizadas por sedimentos heterogéneos de tipo mixto (gravas y guijarros), y restos biogénicos (tanatocenosis de moluscos). El elevado número de especies descrito, combinado con los valores bajos de similaridad entre estaciones, sugieren que los fondos blandos del Estrecho de Magallanes presentan, a media escala, un mosaico altamente diversificado de biotopos diferentes. Esto puede ser debido a varios factores que son responsables de la variación a lo largo de la vasta área geográfica investigada, tales como el amplio rango batimétrico estudiado, el tipo de instrumentación de muestreo, y en último lugar pero no menos destacable, la presencia de muchas situaciones ambientales diferentes a lo largo del Estrech

Ictiofauna de fons rocosos litorals

Podeu consultar l'Informe complet a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/2368

Development and reproduction of Cataclysta lemnata, a potential natural enemy of the invasive alien duckweed Lemna minuta in Italy

Life cycle of the aquatic moth Cataclysta lemnata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was studied in laboratory conditions to obtain a basic biological knowledge useful for predicting the possible success of the herbivorous larvae of this insect as potential control agents in limiting the spread of the invasive American duckweed Lemna minuta (Alismatales: Araceae) in Italy. The multivoltinism of C. lemnata, as well as the high overall emergence from the pupal stage (85%), the high success in mating among the formed couples (>90%), and the high number of larvae born from each egg laying (on average 310 individuals), suggest that the insect can be successfully bred in the laboratory for the purposes of an augmentative biological control. Under experimental conditions, larvae developed in 23 days (through six larval instars, distinguishable by cephalic capsule dimensions) and pupae in 10, with no difference in duration between females and males. The larval phase resulted longer than the adult one (23 vs 10 days), therefore it can be considered the most suitable stage for releasing the insect in field for biocontrol purposes. Indeed, the larvae having a herbivorous diet might consume large amount of the invasive plant, contrarily to the adult phase which is focused exclusively on reproduction. The results emerged not only allow to contribute to the knowledge on aquatic lepidoptera that are scarcely known, but also support the effectiveness of a possible protocol for an augmentative biological control of the invasive alien duckweed L. minuta

Evaluating the toxicity of oil of lemon eucalyptus, Corymbia citriodora (Hook.), against larvae of the Asian tiger mosquito and non-target fish and larval amphibians

Hemos probado la toxicidad del aceite del eucalipto limón (OLE) contra las larvas de mosquito tigre Aedes (Stegomya) albopictus (Skuse, 1895) (Diptera: Culicidae) y contra vertebrados acuáticos no objetivo, el pez Gambusia affinis (Baird and Girard, 1853) y el renacuajo de la rana Pelophylax perezi (López-Seodane, 1885). La mezcla acuosa de OLE fue efectiva como larvicida y letal para gambúsias y renacuajos. La mezcla acuosa expuesta durante una semana al aire libre no tuvo efectos sobre las larvas. El OLE puro aplicado sobre la superficie del agua matólas larvas a muy bajas concentraciones y sin tener en cuenta el volumen del agua. El OLE ha mostrado ser un compuesto útil contra las larvas de mosquito ti- gre especialmente en los lugares de cría aislados de los ecosiste- mas nativos

Using catenas for GIS-based mapping of NW Mediterranean littoral habitats

Studies aimed at describing habitats and mapping their distributions are pivotal to implementing management plans and to effectively guide conservation measures. We developed a novel approach of data collection and entry (CAT-LIT) to establish a detailed cartography of the littoral habitats found along the Catalan coast (Spain). Field data were recorded using coded, two-digit hierarchical lists (e.g. Aa, Ab, etc.) of horizons found at each point along the coast, called catenas. The horizons were either dominated by species (on the rocky bottoms) or sediment types (on the beaches) and corresponded to LPRE, EUNIS and CORINE habitats. Catenas were transferred into a database and calculations about the extent of bottom types, habitats, and catenas themselves along the coast were carried out with GIS tools. In addition, habitat link richness was calculated and represented using network analysis programs. The application of CAT-LIT to the Catalan coast showed that the habitats dominated by the lichen Verrucaria amphibia and the flattened barnacle Euraphia depressa and those dominated by the barnacle Chthamalus spp. were almost ubiquitous. Those dominated by the red alga Corallina elongata, the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the red alga Rissoella verruculosa were also common. Because of the frequency of their connections, those habitats formed a huge hub of links in the networks. By using catenas, the habitats can be viewed using GIS based programs keeping the catena as the main informational and ecological unit. The catenas allow maximum compactness when vertically distributed habitats are to be shown on a 2D map. The complete cartography and dataset on the spatial distribution of the littoral habitats from Catalonia is valuable for coastal management and conservation to study changes in the habitat distribution and relate such changes to anthropogenic pressures. Furthermore, the CAT-LIT can be easily adapted to shores of other seas and oceans to obtain accurate cartographies of the spatially-reduced and highly vulnerable littoral habitats.Financial support came from the projects “Cartografia dels Hàbitats Litorals a Catalunya” (Departament de Territori i Sosteniblitat and Institut Cartogràfic, Generalitat de Catalunya) and INTRAMURAL CSIC 201330E065. This study is also a contribution of GRACCIE (C5D2007-00067) and CoCoNET (FP7 Grant Agreement: 287844) projects

Designing Robust API Monitoring Solutions

racing the sequence of library calls and system calls that a program makes is very helpful to characterize its interactions with the surrounding environment and, ultimately, its semantics. However, due to the entanglements of real-world software stacks, accomplishing this task can be surprisingly challenging as we take accuracy, reliability, and transparency into the equation. In this article, we identify six challenges that API monitoring solutions should overcome in order to manage these dimensions effectively and outline actionable design points for building robust API tracers that can be used even for security research. We then detail and evaluate SNIPER, an open-source API tracing system available in two variants based on dynamic binary instrumentation (for simplified in-guest deployment) and hardware-assisted virtualization (realizing the first general user-space tracer of this kind), respectively

Vertical zonation is the main distribution pattern of littoral assemblages on rocky shores at a regional scale

Vertical variation in the distribution of rocky shore assemblages is greater than horizontal variation, as shown by univariate and multivariate analysis performed with data obtained along 1000 km of shoreline and covering from the upper supralittoral to the upper infralittoral zone (−1 m). Consequently, vertical littoral zonation is a consistent pattern at a regional scale within the same biogeographical zone. While their distribution varies at the same shore height, marine species and assemblages from rocky shores show a specific vertical sequence known as zonation. A key question in ecology is how consistent is zonation along large spatial scales. The aim of this study is to show distribution patterns of littoral assemblages at a regional scale and to identify the most relevant abiotic factors associated to such patterns. The study is based on a detailed and extensive survey at a regional scale on a tideless rocky shore. Benthic macroflora and macrofauna of 750 relevés were described along the vertical axis of 143 transects distributed across the shoreline of Catalonia (NW Mediterranean). The Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) first axis is highly related to the height on the shore: species, relevés, and assemblages grade from lower to upper height (infralittoral to supralittoral). As observed in nature, different assemblages co-occur at the same height at different sites, which is shown along DCA second axis. The abiotic variables that best explain the assemblage distribution patterns are: height (75% of the model inertia), longitude (14.6%), latitude (7.2%) and transect slope (2.9%). The Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) first axis is related to height on the shore and explains four times more variance than CCA second axis, which is related to the horizontal gradient. Generalized Lineal Model (GLM) results show that height on the shore is the factor explaining most of the variance in species presence. Most studied species show distribution patterns related to latitude and longitude, but always in a much smaller proportion than to height.Financial support for this work was provided by projects “Cartography of the littoral habitats of Catalonia” (Departament de Medi Ambient & Institut Cartogràfic, Generalitat de Catalunya), GRACCIE (C5D2007-00067), CoCoNET (FP7 Grant Agreement: 287844) and INTRAMURAL CSIC 201330E065