Pontellid copepods, Labidocera spp., affected by ocean acidification: A field study at natural CO2 seeps.

CO2 seeps in coral reefs were used as natural laboratories to study the impacts of ocean acidification on the pontellid copepod, Labidocera spp. Pontellid abundances were reduced by ∼70% under high-CO2 conditions. Biological parameters and substratum preferences of the copepods were explored to determine the underlying causes of such reduced abundances. Stage- and sex-specific copepod lengths, feeding ability, and egg development were unaffected by ocean acidification, thus changes in these physiological parameters were not the driving factor for reduced abundances under high-CO2 exposure. Labidocera spp. are demersal copepods, hence they live amongst reef substrata during the day and emerge into the water column at night. Deployments of emergence traps showed that their preferred reef substrata at control sites were coral rubble, macro algae, and turf algae. However, under high-CO2 conditions they no longer had an association with any specific substrata. Results from this study indicate that even though the biology of a copepod might be unaffected by high-CO2, Labidocera spp. are highly vulnerable to ocean acidification

Bullying Among Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Students with disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are particularly vulnerable to be involved in bullying compared to their peers without ASD. Studies have found that students with ASD are at higher risk to be involved in bullying as a bully (i.e., perpetrator of bullying), a victim (i.e., victim of bullying), or bully-victim (i.e., both perpetrator and victim of bullying). However, due to the nature of their disability (e.g., difficulties in understanding others’ feelings and intentions, nonverbal behaviors, and nonliteral speech), it is unclear whether youth with ASD construe bullying and victimization in similar ways as typically developing youth. Researchers generally agree that bullying is characterized by three defining criteria – (1) negative actions, (2) carried out repeatedly and over time, (3) in an interpersonal relationship characterized by a power imbalance. Different forms of bullying exist: physical bullying (e.g., hitting, kicking, and damage to property), verbal bullying (e.g., name-calling, insulting, and making fun of another person), and relational bullying (e.g., exclusion, ignoring, and spreading rumors). More recent forms of bullying include cyberbullying (e.g., hurtful text messaging or emailing, and posting hurtful messages/objectionable content on websites and social networking sites)

Chapter 40: Perspectives of Biophysical Modelling with Implications on Biological Connectivity of Mediterranean Cold-Water Corals

Biological connectivity of marine organisms that reproduce via planktonic larvae, such as cold-water corals, is regulated by the reproductive and life history traits of the organism and by physical characteristics of the marine environment into which offspring are released. Connectivity across vast seascapes enables the persistence of metapopulations over ecological and evolutionary timescales and is important when planning the conservation and management of vulnerable species impacted by overfishing, habitat destruction, or invasive species. To study marine connectivity of these organisms, researchers typically measure genetic population structure or use computer modeling, the latter often using biophysical models which integrate both the physical processes of the ocean and the biological traits of the study species. Herein, a broad overview of biophysical modeling topics will be presented including source-sink dynamics and model parameterisation, paradigms, uses, and examples. Unfortunately, there is limited availability of basic life history data on Mediterranean cold-water corals, which are required to implement such models. Known biological traits that are important for dispersal and connectivity are therefore here summarised for cold-water corals found in the Mediterranean and elsewhere. The traits are discussed in context of dispersal potential and their potential use as parameters in biophysical modeling studies of dispersal. Very few such studies of cold-water corals have to date been performed and none of them in the Mediterranean, therefore as a complement global modeling examples will be given for species that reproduce in a similar fashion. It is hoped that these examples can provide insight into the future usage of biophysical modeling to study Mediterranean cold-water corals as their characteristics and the physical influences that shape their population connectivity are better understood.https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facbooks/1100/thumbnail.jp