59 research outputs found
Calcification response of planktic foraminifera to environmental change in the western Mediterranean Sea during the industrial era
The Mediterranean Sea sustains a rich and fragile ecosystem currently
threatened by multiple anthropogenic impacts that include, among others,
warming, pollution, and changes in seawater carbonate speciation associated
to increasing uptake of atmospheric CO2. This environmental change
represents a major risk for marine calcifiers such as planktonic
foraminifera, key components of pelagic Mediterranean ecosystems and major
exporters of calcium carbonate to the sea floor, thereby playing a major
role in the marine carbon cycle. In this study, we investigate the response
of planktic foraminifera calcification in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea
on different timescales across the industrial era. This study is based on
data from a 12-year-long sediment trap record retrieved in the in the Gulf
of Lions and seabed sediment samples from the Gulf of Lions and the
promontory of Menorca. Three different planktic foraminifera species were
selected based on their different ecology and abundance: Globigerina bulloides, Neogloboquadrina incompta, and
Globorotalia truncatulinoides. A total of 273 samples were weighted in both sediment trap and seabed
samples.
The results of our study suggest substantial different seasonal
calcification patterns across species: G. bulloides shows a slight calcification
increase during the high productivity period, while both N. incompta and G. truncatulinoides display a
higher calcification during the low productivity period. The comparison of
these patterns with environmental parameters indicate that controls on
seasonal calcification are species-specific. Interannual analysis suggests
that both G. bulloides and N. incompta did not significantly reduce their calcification between
1994 and 2005, while G. truncatulinoides exhibited a constant and pronounced increase in its
calcification that translated in an increase of 20â% of its shell weight.
The comparison of these patterns with environmental data reveals that
optimum growth conditions affect positively and negatively G. bulloides and
G. truncatulinoides calcification, respectively. Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have a positive
influence on N. incompta and G. truncatulinoides calcification, while carbonate system parameters appear
to affect positively the calcification of three species in the Gulf of Lions
throughout the 12-year time series.
Finally, comparison between sediment trap data and seabed sediments allowed
us to assess the changes of planktic foraminifera calcification during the
late Holocene, including the pre-industrial era. Several lines of evidence
indicate that selective dissolution did not bias the results in any of our
data sets. Our results showed a weight reduction between pre-industrial and
post-industrial Holocene and recent data, with G. truncatulinoides experiencing the largest
weight loss (32â%â40â%) followed by G. bulloides (18â%â24â%) and N. incompta (9â%â18â%). Overall, our
results provide evidence of a decrease in planktic foraminifera
calcification in the western Mediterranean, most likely associated with
ongoing ocean acidification and regional SST trends, a feature consistent
with previous observations in other settings of the world's oceans.</p
A formal classification of the Lygeum spartum vegetation of the Mediterranean Region
Aims We examined local and regional contribution on the grasslands dominated by Lygeum spartum from Southern Europe and North Africa to produce a formalised classification of this vegetation and to identify main factors driving its plant species composition. Location Mediterranean Basin and Iberian Peninsula. Methods We used a dataset of 728 relevĂ©s, which were resampled to reduce unbalanced sampling effort, resulting in a dataset of 568 relevĂ©s and 846 taxa. We classified the plots by TWINSPAN, interpreted the resulting pools, and used them to develop formal definitions of phytosociological alliances characterised by L. spartum vegetation. The definitions were included in an expert system to assist automatic vegetation classification. We related the alliances to climatic factors and described their biogeographical features and ecological preferences. The floristic relationships between these alliances were analysed and visualised using distanceâbased redundancy analysis. Results We defined eleven alliances of L. spartum vegetation, including the newly described Launaeo laniferaeâLygeion sparti from SW Morocco and the Noaeo mucronataeâLygeion sparti from the Algerian highlands and NE Morocco. Biogeographical, climatic, and edaphic factors were revealed as putatively driving the differentiation between the alliances. The vegetation of clayey slopes and inland salt basins displayed higher variability in comparison with those of coastal salt marshes. Main conclusions The most comprehensive formal classification, accompanied by an expert system, of the L. spartum vegetation was formulated. The expert system, containing the formal definitions of the phytosociological alliances, will assist in identification of syntaxonomic position of new datasets
Group 2i Isochrysidales produce characteristic alkenones reflecting sea ice distribution
AbstractAlkenones are biomarkers produced solely by algae in the order Isochrysidales that have been used to reconstruct sea surface temperature (SST) since the 1980s. However, alkenone-based SST reconstructions in the northern high latitude oceans show significant bias towards warmer temperatures in core-tops, diverge from other SST proxies in down core records, and are often accompanied by anomalously high relative abundance of the C37 tetra-unsaturated methyl alkenone (%C37:4). Elevated %C37:4 is widely interpreted as an indicator of low sea surface salinity from polar water masses, but its biological source has thus far remained elusive. Here we identify a lineage of Isochrysidales that is responsible for elevated C37:4 methyl alkenone in the northern high latitude oceans through next-generation sequencing and lab-culture experiments. This Isochrysidales lineage co-occurs widely with sea ice in marine environments and is distinct from other known marine alkenone-producers, namely Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. More importantly, the %C37:4 in seawater filtered particulate organic matter and surface sediments is significantly correlated with annual mean sea ice concentrations. In sediment cores from the Svalbard region, the %C37:4 concentration aligns with the Greenland temperature record and other qualitative regional sea ice records spanning the past 14 kyrs, reflecting sea ice concentrations quantitatively. Our findings imply that %C37:4 is a powerful proxy for reconstructing sea ice conditions in the high latitude oceans on thousand- and, potentially, on million-year timescales.</jats:p
Sentinel lymph node biopsy for management of the N0 neck in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma
Tissue eosinophilia: A valuable marker in assessing stromal invasion, locoregional recurrence & distant metastasis in head & neck squamous cell carcinomas
Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the mandible with cytogenetic & molecular biology aberrations
Clinicopathologic factors affecting recurrence and survival in hair-bearing scalp melanoma
Institutions experience in the management of second malignancy of the lung associated with a head and neck cancer
Prevalence and Outcome of Potential Candidates for Left Atrial Appendage Closure After Stroke With Atrial Fibrillation: WATCH-AF Registry
International audienceBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: As a result of contraindications (eg, frailty, cognitive impairment, comorbidities) or patient refusal, many patients with stroke and atrial fibrillation cannot be discharged on oral anticoagulant. Among them, the proportion of potential candidates for left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) and their 12-month outcome is not well known. METHODS: The prospective WATCH-AF registry (Warfarin Aspirin Ten-A Inhibitors and Cerebral Infarction and Hemorrhage and Atrial Fibrillation) enrolled consecutive patients admitted within 72 hours of an acute stroke associated with atrial fibrillation in 2 stroke centers. Scales to evaluate stroke severity, disability, functional independence, risk of fall, cognition, ischemic and hemorrhagic risk-stratification, and comorbidities were systematically collected at admission, discharge, 3, 12 months poststroke. The 2 main end points were death or dependency (modified Rankin Scale score \textgreater3) and recurrent stroke (brain infarction and brain hemorrhage). RESULTS: Among 400 enrolled patients (370 with brain infarction, 30 with brain hemorrhage), 31 died before discharge and 57 (14.3%) were possible European Heart Rhythm Association/European Society of Cardiology and American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Heart Rhythm Society candidates for LAAC. At 12 months, the rate of death or dependency was 17.9%, and the rate of stroke recurrence was 9.8% in the 274/400 (68.5%) patients discharged on a long-term oral anticoagulant strategy, as compared with 17.5% and 24.7%, respectively, in 57 patients candidate for LAAC. As compared with patients on a long-term oral anticoagulant strategy, there was a 2-fold increase in the risk of stroke recurrence in the group with an indication for LAAC (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.58 [95% CI, 1.40-4.76]; P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Fourteen percent of patients with stroke associated with atrial fibrillation were potential candidates for LAAC. The 12-month stroke risk of these candidates was 3-fold the risk of anticoagulated patients
- âŠ