307 research outputs found
Catalogue of squat lobsters of the world (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura-families Chirostylidae, Galatheidae and Kiwaidae)
220 pĂĄginas, 5 figuras, 1 tabla.[EN] This adaptation text reproduces Anexo I of the dissertation âResultsâ: SistemĂĄtica e historia evolutiva de la Familia Galatheidae (Crustacea: Anomura) en el PacĂfico Sur, of Patricia Cabezas (2010) http://hdl.handle.net/10261/134771[ES] Este artĂculo es una adaptaciĂłn del Anexo I de la tesis doctoral: SistemĂĄtica e historia evolutiva de la Familia Galatheidae (Crustacea: Anomura) en el PacĂfico Sur, of Patricia Cabezas (2010) http://hdl.handle.net/10261/134771Taxonomic and ecological interest in squat lobsters has grown considerably over the last two decades. A checklist of the
870 current valid species of squat lobsters of the world (families Chirostylidae, Galatheidae and Kiwaidae) is presented.
The compilation includes the complete taxonomic synonymy and geographical distribution of each species plus type
information (type locality, repository and registration number). The numbers of described species in the worldâs major
ocean basins are summarised.Peer reviewe
Chapman-Enskog method and synchronization of globally coupled oscillators
The Chapman-Enskog method of kinetic theory is applied to two problems of
synchronization of globally coupled phase oscillators. First, a modified
Kuramoto model is obtained in the limit of small inertia from a more general
model which includes ``inertial'' effects. Second, a modified Chapman-Enskog
method is used to derive the amplitude equation for an O(2) Takens-Bogdanov
bifurcation corresponding to the tricritical point of the Kuramoto model with a
bimodal distribution of oscillator natural frequencies. This latter calculation
shows that the Chapman-Enskog method is a convenient alternative to normal form
calculations.Comment: 7 pages, 2-column Revtex, no figures, minor change
Marine Biodiversity in the Australian Region
The entire Australian marine jurisdictional area, including offshore and sub-Antarctic islands, is considered in this paper. Most records, however, come from the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around the continent of Australia itself. The counts of species have been obtained from four primary databases (the Australian Faunal Directory, Codes for Australian Aquatic Biota, Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums, and the Australian node of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System), but even these are an underestimate of described species. In addition, some partially completed databases for particular taxonomic groups, and specialized databases (for introduced and threatened species) have been used. Experts also provided estimates of the number of known species not yet in the major databases. For only some groups could we obtain an (expert opinion) estimate of undiscovered species. The databases provide patchy information about endemism, levels of threat, and introductions. We conclude that there are about 33,000 marine species (mainly animals) in the major databases, of which 130 are introduced, 58 listed as threatened and an unknown percentage endemic. An estimated 17,000 more named species are either known from the Australian EEZ but not in the present databases, or potentially occur there. It is crudely estimated that there may be as many as 250,000 species (known and yet to be discovered) in the Australian EEZ. For 17 higher taxa, there is sufficient detail for subdivision by Large Marine Domains, for comparison with other National and Regional Implementation Committees of the Census of Marine Life. Taxonomic expertise in Australia is unevenly distributed across taxa, and declining. Comments are given briefly on biodiversity management measures in Australia, including but not limited to marine protected areas
The World Register of Marine Species: an authoritative, open-access web-resource for all marine species
Confirmation of beach accretion by grain-size trend analysis: Camposoto beach, CĂĄdiz, SW Spain
An application of the grain size trend analysis
(GSTA) is used in an exploratory approach to characterize
sediment transport on Camposoto beach (CĂĄdiz, SW Spain).
In May 2009 the mesotidal beach showed a well-developed
swash bar on the upper foreshore, which was associated
with fair-weather conditions prevailing just before and during
the field survey. The results were tested by means of an
autocorrelation statistical test (index I of Moran). Two sedimentological
trends were recognized, i.e. development towards
finer, better sorted and more negatively skewed
sediment (FBâ), and towards finer, better sorted and less
negatively or more positively skewed sediment (FB+). Both
vector fields were compared with results obtained from
more classical approaches (sand tracers, microtopography
and current measurements). This revealed that both trends
can be considered as realistic, the FB+ trend being identified
for the first time in a beach environment. The data demonstrate
that, on the well-developed swash bar, sediment
transported onshore becomes both finer and better sorted
towards the coast. On the lower foreshore, which exhibits a
steeper slope produced by breaking waves, the higherenergy
processes winnow out finer particles and thereby
produce negatively skewed grain-size distributions. The upper
foreshore, which has a flatter and smoother slope, is
controlled by lower-energy swash-backwash and overwash
processes. As a result, the skewness of the grain-size distributions
evolves towards less negative or more positive
values. The skewness parameter appears to be distributed
as a function of the beach slope and, thus, reflects variations
in hydrodynamic energy. This has novel implications for
coastal management
Alain Crosnierâs role in modern carcinology: exploration, international collaboration, and taxonomy
Este artĂculo contiene 8 pĂĄginas, 5 figuras.The French carcinologist and oceanographer Alain Crosnier (1930â2021) had a most influential role in modern carcinology. This tribute reviews his contributions to organising oceanographic expeditions; expanding collections of specimens, particularly from the deep sea; and
supporting international collaboration for taxonomic investigations of the rich collections of
material obtained from these expeditions. His expertise and enthusiasm also extended to the
publication of the results of these investigations.Peer reviewe
How Many Species Are There on Earth and in the Ocean?
The diversity of life is one of the most striking aspects of our planet; hence knowing how many species inhabit Earth is among the most fundamental questions in science. Yet the answer to this question remains enigmatic, as efforts to sample the world's biodiversity to date have been limited and thus have precluded direct quantification of global species richness, and because indirect estimates rely on assumptions that have proven highly controversial. Here we show that the higher taxonomic classification of species (i.e., the assignment of species to phylum, class, order, family, and genus) follows a consistent and predictable pattern from which the total number of species in a taxonomic group can be estimated. This approach was validated against well-known taxa, and when applied to all domains of life, it predicts âŒ8.7 million (±1.3 million SE) eukaryotic species globally, of which âŒ2.2 million (±0.18 million SE) are marine. In spite of 250 years of taxonomic classification and over 1.2 million species already catalogued in a central database, our results suggest that some 86% of existing species on Earth and 91% of species in the ocean still await description. Renewed interest in further exploration and taxonomy is required if this significant gap in our knowledge of life on Earth is to be closed
A Noncoding Point Mutation of Zeb1 Causes Multiple Developmental Malformations and Obesity in Twirler Mice
Heterozygous Twirler (Tw) mice develop obesity and circling behavior associated with malformations of the inner ear, whereas homozygous Tw mice have cleft palate and die shortly after birth. Zeb1 is a zinc finger protein that contributes to mesenchymal cell fate by repression of genes whose expression defines epithelial cell identity. This developmental pathway is disrupted in inner ears of Tw/Tw mice. The purpose of our study was to comprehensively characterize the Twirler phenotype and to identify the causative mutation. The Tw/+ inner ear phenotype includes irregularities of the semicircular canals, abnormal utricular otoconia, a shortened cochlear duct, and hearing loss, whereas Tw/Tw ears are severely malformed with barely recognizable anatomy. Tw/+ mice have obesity associated with insulin-resistance and have lymphoid organ hypoplasia. We identified a noncoding nucleotide substitution, c.58+181G>A, in the first intron of the Tw allele of Zeb1 (Zeb1Tw). A knockin mouse model of c.58+181G>A recapitulated the Tw phenotype, whereas a wild-type knockin control did not, confirming the mutation as pathogenic. c.58+181G>A does not affect splicing but disrupts a predicted site for Myb protein binding, which we confirmed in vitro. In comparison, homozygosity for a targeted deletion of exon 1 of mouse Zeb1, Zeb1ÎEx1, is associated with a subtle abnormality of the lateral semicircular canal that is different than those in Tw mice. Expression analyses of E13.5 Twirler and Zeb1ÎEx1 ears confirm that Zeb1ÎEx1 is a null allele, whereas Zeb1Tw RNA is expressed at increased levels in comparison to wild-type Zeb1. We conclude that a noncoding point mutation of Zeb1 acts via a gain-of-function to disrupt regulation of Zeb1Tw expression, epithelial-mesenchymal cell fate or interactions, and structural development of the inner ear in Twirler mice. This is a novel mechanism underlying disorders of hearing or balance
Sustainable drainage system site assessment method using urban ecosystem services
The United Kingdom's recently updated approach to sustainable drainage enhanced biodiversity and amenity objectives by incorporating the ecosystem approach and the
ecosystem services concept. However, cost-effective and reliable methods to appraise the biodiversity and amenity values of potential sustainable drainage system (SuDS)sites and their surrounding areas are still lacking, as is a method to enable designers to distinguish and link the amenity and biodiversity benefits that SuDS schemes can offer. In this paper, therefore, the authors propose two ecosystem services- and disservices-based methods (i.e. vegetation structure cover-abundance examination and cultural ecosystem services and disservices variables appraisal) to aid SuDS designers to distinguish and link amenity and biodiversity benefits, and allow initial site
assessments to be performed in a cost-effective and reliable fashion. Forty-nine representative sites within Greater Manchester were selected to test the two methods.
Amenity and biodiversity were successfully assessed and habitat for species, carbon sequestration, recreation and education ecosystem services scores were produced,which will support SuDS retrofit design decision-making. Large vegetated SuDS sites with permanent aquatic features were found to be most capable of enhancing biodiversity- and amenity-related ecosystem services. Habitat for species and
recreation ecosystem services were also found to be positively linked to each other. Finally, waste bins on site were found to help reduce dog faeces and litter coverage. Overall, the findings presented here enable future SuDS retrofit designs to be more wildlife friendly and socially inclusive
Climate drives the geography of marine consumption by changing predator communities
Este artĂculo contiene 7 pĂĄginas, 3 figuras, 1 tabla.The global distribution of primary production and consumption by
humans (fisheries) is well-documented, but we have no map linking
the central ecological process of consumption within food
webs to temperature and other ecological drivers. Using standardized
assays that span 105° of latitude on four continents, we show
that rates of bait consumption by generalist predators in shallow
marine ecosystems are tightly linked to both temperature and the
composition of consumer assemblages. Unexpectedly, rates of
consumption peaked at midlatitudes (25 to 35°) in both Northern
and Southern Hemispheres across both seagrass and unvegetated
sediment habitats. This pattern contrasts with terrestrial systems,
where biotic interactions reportedly weaken away from the equator,
but it parallels an emerging pattern of a subtropical peak in
marine biodiversity. The higher consumption at midlatitudes was
closely related to the type of consumers present, which explained
rates of consumption better than consumer density, biomass, species
diversity, or habitat. Indeed, the apparent effect of temperature
on consumption was mostly driven by temperature-associated turnover
in consumer community composition. Our findings reinforce
the key influence of climate warming on altered species composition
and highlight its implications for the functioning of Earthâs
ecosystems.We acknowledge funding from the Smithsonian
Institution and the Tula Foundation.Peer reviewe
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