Nudibranch Range Shifts associated with the 2014 Warm Anomaly in the Northeast Pacific

Abstract.—The Northeast Pacific Ocean was anomalously warm in 2014, despite ENSO-neutral conditions in the tropical Pacific. We documented northern range shifts associated with this anomaly for 30 species of nudibranchs and other shallow-water, benthic heterobranch gastropods from southern California to southern Oregon. Nine of these (Placida cremoniana, Trapania velox, Doriopsilla fulva, Janolus anulatus, J. barbarensis, Flabellina cooperi, Anteaeolidiella chromosoma, A. oliviae, and Noumeaella rubrofasciata) were recorded from new northernmost localities, while the remainder were found at or near northern range limits established mainly during past El Niño events. All 30 species have planktotrophic larval development, and six were observed spawning at northern localities, increasing the likelihood that their ranges will continue to shift poleward as the strong 2015-16 El Niño develops. Notable among these was Okenia rosacea, usually found south of San Francisco and last observed in Oregon as a single specimen found during the 1997-98 El Niño. In 2015 this bright pink nudibranch reached high densities and was observed spawning throughout northern California and into southern Oregon. Okenia rosacea is therefore poised to exploit abundant prey resources previously out of its reach in northern Oregon and Washington. Our results not only demonstrate a striking biological response to the 2014 warm anomaly in the North Pacific Ocean, but also support early physical indications of a larger regional climate shift, one reinforced by long-term global warming. Combined with historical data, these results highlight how shallow-water nudibranchs, with their planktotrophic larvae, short life cycles, conspicuous coloration, and accessibility are excellent biological indicators of ocean climate in the region

Supporting parents of youths with intellectual disabilities and psychopathology

Background: Parents of children and adolescents with both intellectual disabilities (ID) and psychopathology often experience high levels of parenting stress. To support these parents, information is required regarding the types of support they need and whether their needs are met. Method: In a sample of 745 youths (aged 10-24 years) with moderate to borderline ID, 289 parents perceived emotional and/or behavioural problems in their child. They were asked about their needs for support and whether these needs were met. Logistic regression analysis revealed the variables associated with both needing and receiving specific types of support. In addition, we asked those parents who had refrained from seeking support about their reasons. Results: Most parents (88.2%) needed some supports, especially a friendly ear, respite care, child mental health care and information. Parents who perceived both emotional and behavioural problems in their child needed support the most. In addition, parents whose child had any of these problems before the past year, who worried most about their child and suffered from psychopathology themselves, more often needed support. Parents of children with moderate ID or physical problems especially needed 'relief care', that is, respite care, activities for the child and practical/material help. The need for a friendly ear was met most often (75.3%), whereas the need for parental counselling was met least often (35.5%). Not receiving support despite having a need for it was primarily related to the level of need. Parents who indicated to have a stronger need for support received support more often than parents who had a relatively low need for support. The parents' main reasons for not seeking support concerned their evaluation of their child's problems (not so serious or temporary), not knowing where to find support or wanting to solve the problems themselves first. Conclusions: Most parents had various support needs that were frequently unmet. Service providers should especially aim at providing information, activities, child mental health care and parental counselling. Furthermore, parents need to be informed about where and how they can obtain what kind of support. A case manager can be of help in this

A randomised-controlled trial investigating potential underlying mechanisms of a functionality-based approach to improving women’s body image

Focusing on body functionality is a promising technique for improving women's body image. This study replicates prior research in a large novel sample, tests longer-term follow-up effects, and investigates underlying mechanisms of these effects (body complexity and body-self integration). British women (N = 261) aged 18–30 who wanted to improve their body image were randomised to Expand Your Horizon (three online body functionality writing exercises) or an active control. Trait body image was assessed at Pretest, Posttest, 1-week, and 1-month Follow-Up. To explore whether changes in body complexity and body-self integration ‘buffer’ the impact of negative body-related experiences, participants also completed beauty-ideal media exposure. Relative to the control, intervention participants experienced improved appearance satisfaction, functionality satisfaction, body appreciation, and body complexity at Posttest, and at both Follow-Ups. Neither body complexity nor body-self integration mediated intervention effects. Media exposure decreased state body satisfaction among intervention and control participants, but neither body complexity nor body-self integration moderated these effects. The findings underscore the value of focusing on body functionality for improving body image and show that effects persist one month post-intervention

Species diversity and abundance of shipworms (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Teredinidae) in woody marine debris generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011

The Tohoku tsunami of March 2011 ejected a vast amount of debris into the Pacific Ocean. Wood boring shipworms (Bivalvia: Teredinidae) were either already present in, or settled on, the wooden fraction of this debris, offering a unique opportunity to study shipworm diversity in rafted wood of a known origin and time of ocean entry. Lumber and other wood began appearing on Central Pacific (Hawaiian Islands) and Eastern Pacific beaches in 2013. Eighty pieces of wood Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris (JTMD) consisting of construction beams, trees, milled logs, and wood from vessels or maritime structures were analyzed. Six shipworm species resident in the coastal waters of Japan were found: Bankia bipennata (Turton, 1819), Bankia carinata (Gray, 1827), Teredothyra smithi (Bartsch, 1927), Psiloteredo sp., Lyrodus takanoshimensis (Roch, 1929), and Teredo navalis Linnaeus, 1758. Two pelagic species, Teredora princesae (Sivickis, 1928) and Uperotus clava (Gmelin, 1791), were acquired by JTMD wood in the transoceanic voyage. Several of these wood items were discovered soon after stranding and contained live shipworms. Up to five shipworm species were found in any one wooden object. The present work represents the first study of the diversity and abundance of shipworms transported across an ocean basin in a large woody debris field

A molecular phylogeny of wood-borers (Teredinidae) from Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris

The family Teredinidae (shipworms) contains 70-plus species of boring bivalves specialized to live in and digest wood. Traditional means of species identification and taxonomy of this group encounter numerous challenges, often compounded by the diverse and dynamic nature of shipworm ecology and distribution. Modern integrative taxonomic methods are shedding new light on this complex group, from delineating cryptic species to resolving phylogenetic relationships within the family. This study reported new sequence data from shipworm species rafted from the western to eastern Pacific Ocean in woody marine debris resulting from the Japanese tsunami of 2011. Eight species of shipworms were found in this debris and tissue from five species was collected. Partial nuclear ribosomal 18S rRNA gene sequences were obtained from Bankia bipennata (Turton, 1819), Bankia carinata (Gray, 1827), Psiloteredo sp., Teredora princesae (Sivickis, 1928), and Teredothyra smithi (Bartsch, 1927). A 658 base pair fragment of COI was successfully sequenced from Psiloteredo sp. and T. princesae specimens from tsunami debris, as well as Psiloteredo megotara (Hanley, 1848) from Europe and Nototeredo norvagica (Spangler, 1792) from Scandinavia. Psiloteredo sp. is very similar morphologically to the North Atlantic Ocean P. megotara; however, these two species are genetically distinct with a 12.8% K2P distance in their COI sequences. The transport of shipworms across the North Pacific Ocean in woody debris generated by a tsunami shows that major geologic events can connect previously isolated geographic areas and provide the opportunity for the establishment of invasive species and subsequent speciation

Data from: Tsunami-driven rafting: transoceanic species dispersal and implications for marine biogeography

The 2011 East Japan earthquake generated a massive tsunami that launched an extraordinary transoceanic biological rafting event with no known historical precedent. We document 289 living Japanese coastal marine species from 16 phyla transported over 6 years on objects that traveled thousands of kilometers across the Pacific Ocean to the shores of North America and Hawai‘i. Most of this dispersal occurred on nonbiodegradable objects, resulting in the longest documented transoceanic survival and dispersal of coastal species by rafting. Expanding shoreline infrastructure has increased global sources of plastic materials available for biotic colonization and also interacts with climate change–induced storms of increasing severity to eject debris into the oceans. In turn, increased ocean rafting may intensify species invasions

Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris Objects and Their Associated Taxa

A single CSV file containing descriptions of Japanese tsunami debris objects (object type, date intercepted, location found, size) and the unique taxa found on each. Please see the README.txt for detailed descriptions of each column

Tsunami-driven Rafting: Transoceanic Species Dispersal and Implications for Marine Biogeography

The 2011 East Japan earthquake generated a massive tsunami that launched an extraordinary transoceanic biological rafting event with no known historical precedent. We document 289 living Japanese coastal marine species from 16 phyla transported over 6 years on objects that traveled thousands of kilometers across the Pacific Ocean to the shores of North America and Hawai‘i. Most of this dispersal occurred on nonbiodegradable objects, resulting in the longest documented transoceanic survival and dispersal of coastal species by rafting. Expanding shoreline infrastructure has increased global sources of plastic materials available for biotic colonization and also interacts with climate change–induced storms of increasing severity to eject debris into the oceans. In turn, increased ocean rafting may intensify species invasions

Respite care for children with severe intellectual disability and their families: Who needs it? Who receives it?

Need for, and receipt of, respite care services were examined in a representative sample of 103 5–11-year-old children with severe intellectual disability and their families. Children for whom respite care was wanted had significantly more severe disabilities and behaviour problems than those whose parents felt they did not need it; their parents also reported significantly higher levels of stress. However, among those who wanted respite care, none of these factors appeared relevant to whether or not they had received it. The results suggest the need for greater account to be taken of the severity of the child's behaviour problems and intellectual disabilities in the allocation of respite care services, and also for measures to improve the supply of respite care placements capable of managing children with more challenging behaviour