Short spatio-temporal variations in the population dynamics and biology of the deep-water rose shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris (Decapoda: Crustacea) in the western Mediterranean

The deep-water rose shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris is a demersal decapod crustacean that is commercially exploited by trawl fleets. The present work compares its population dynamics, biology and condition in two locations (southern and north-western Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean, separated by a distance of 120 km) with different environmental conditions and explores the relationships between the species and certain environmental factors. Six multidisciplinary bimonthly surveys were carried out during 2003 and 2004 in these two locations (between 150 and 750 m depth) in order to collect data on the demersal species with bottom trawl, the hydrography (temperature and salinity) with CTD casts, and trophic resources (zooplankton in the water column and suprabenthos with Bongo net and Macer-GIROQ sledge respectively) and sediments with a Shipeck dredge. The trawl fleets from both locations were monitored by monthly on board sampling and daily landings obtained from sales bills. Additional data was obtained from other trawl surveys. Temporal differences were detected both annually, with a decreasing trend over the last years in species abundance, and seasonally, in the biological indexes analysed. Bathymetric differences were also found in abundance, mean length, sex-ratio and condition of females. There were clear differences between the two locations studied, with higher abundance, condition and mean length and a lower length at first maturity for females in the north-western location. Trophic conditions could act as a link between geo-physical and biological changes. These short spatio-temporal differences could be due to the higher productivity found at this location, with higher density of preferred prey for the studied species together with adequate seafloor topography, sediment composition and hydrographical characteristicsPublicado

Distribution and biogeographic trends of decapod assemblages from Galicia Bank (NE Atlantic) at depths between 700 and 1800m, with connexions to regional water masses

The GaliciaBank(NEAtlantic,42167′N–11174′W) isanisolatedseamount,nearNWSpain,acomplex geomorphological andsedimentarystructurethatreceivesinfluences fromcontrastingwatermassesof both northernandsouthernorigins.WithintheprojectINDEMARES,threecruiseswereperformedon the bankin2009(Ecomarg0709),2010(BanGal0810)and2011(BanGal0811)allinJuly–August. Decapods andothermacrobenthiccrustaceans(eucaridsandperacarids)werecollectedwithdifferent sampling systems,mainlybeamtrawls(BT,10mmofmeshsizeatcodend)andaGOC73ottertrawl (20 mmmeshsize).Sixty-sevenspeciesofdecapodcrustaceans,6euphausiids,19peracaridsand 1 ostracodwerecollectedatdepthsbetween744and1808m.Wefoundtwonewspecies,oneamember of theChirostylidae, Uroptychuscartesi Baba &Macpherson,2012,theotherofthePetalophthalmidae (Mysida) Petalophthalmus sp. A,inadditiontoanumberofnewbiogeographicspeciesrecordsfor European orIberianwaters.Ananalysisofassemblagesshowedageneralizedspeciesrenewalwith depth, withdifferentassemblagesbetween744and ca. 1400m(theseamounttopassemblage,STA)and between ca. 1500and1800m(thedeep-slopeassemblageoverseamount flanks,DSA).Thesewere respectivelyassociatedwithMediterraneanoutflow waters(MOW)andwithLabradorSeaWater(LSW). Another significant factorseparatingdifferentassemblagesovertheGalicianBankwastheco-occurrence of corals(bothcoloniesofhardcoralssuchas Lophelia pertusa and Madreporaoculata and/or gorgonians) in hauls.Munidopsids(Munidopsis spp.), chirostylids(Uroptychus spp.), andthehomolodromiid Dicranodromiamahieuxii formed apartofthiscoral-associatedassemblage.Dominantspeciesatthe STAwerethepandalid Plesionika martia (a shrimpofsubtropical-southerndistribution)andthecrabs Bathynectes maravigna and Polybiushenslowii, whereasdominantspeciesintheDSAwereofnorthern origin, thelithodid Neolithodes grimaldii and thecrangonid Glyphocrangonlongiristris, likelyassociated with LSW.Thediversity(H and J) ofsmallcrustaceans(collectedwithBT)seemedtobecontrolledbythe phytoplanktonblooms(satelliteChl a data) overbanksurface3monthsbeforethesamplings,bothatthe top (Spearman r¼0.57, p¼0.03) andonthe flanks (r¼0.74, p¼0.02) ofGaliciaBank,whilenosignificant relationships withChl a werefoundforthelargerdecapodscollectedwithGOC73,onaveragetheyfeed at thehighertrophiclevelsthanthosecollectedwithBT.Postprin

Sinking Jelly-Carbon Unveils Potential Environmental Variability along a Continental Margin

Particulate matter export fuels benthic ecosystems in continental margins and the deep sea, removing carbon from the upper ocean. Gelatinous zooplankton biomass provides a fast carbon vector that has been poorly studied. Observational data of a large-scale benthic trawling survey from 1994 to 2005 provided a unique opportunity to quantify jelly-carbon along an entire continental margin in the Mediterranean Sea and to assess potential links with biological and physical variables. Biomass depositions were sampled in shelves, slopes and canyons with peaks above 1000 carcasses per trawl, translating to standing stock values between 0.3 and 1.4 mg C m2 after trawling and integrating between 30,000 and 175,000 m2 of seabed. The benthopelagic jelly-carbon spatial distribution from the shelf to the canyons may be explained by atmospheric forcing related with NAO events and dense shelf water cascading, which are both known from the open Mediterranean. Over the decadal scale, we show that the jelly-carbon depositions temporal variability paralleled hydroclimate modifications, and that the enhanced jelly-carbon deposits are connected to a temperature-driven system where chlorophyll plays a minor role. Our results highlight the importance of gelatinous groups as indicators of large-scale ecosystem change, where jelly-carbon depositions play an important role in carbon and energy transport to benthic systems

Rapid rotational foam molding of integral skin polypropylene cellular composites

Rapid Rotational Foam Molding (RRFM) is a novel patent-pending process that was designed and developed to maximize the synergistic effects resulting from the deliberate combination of extrusion and rotational foam molding and thereby serve as a time-andenergy efficient technology for the manufacture of integral-skin rotationally molded foams of high quality. This thesis presents a thorough study of the scientific and engineering aspects related to the evolution of the RRFM process and its feasibility. This innovative processing technology was assessed and verified through a battery of planned experimental trials conducted utilizing an in-house custom-built industrial-grade lab-scale experimental setup. The experimental trials involved a variety of polypropylene (PP)- based foamable formulations with a chemical blowing agent (CBA) that were compounded and processed by utilizing an extruder and then foamed and injected as a foamed core, instantly, into the cavity of a suitable non-chilled rotationally molded hollow shell made of non-foamed pulverized PP grades. The investigated mold shapes included a cylindrical shaped mold and a rectangular flat shaped mold. The obtained moldings were examined for the quality of the skin surface, the skin-foam interface, and the achieved foam morphologies that were characterized in terms of foam density, average cell size, and average cell density. Optimal processing parameters were successfully determined for three different PP skin-foam formulation combinations. The accomplished reduction in processing time and energy consumption by implementing RRFM were substantial. A variety of processing impediments that hindered the efficiency of the single-charge conventional rotational foam molding practice were resolved by implementing RRFM; these include: the foam/skin invasion into the skin/foam layer of the manufactured article and the premature decomposition of CBA during compounding or subsequent rotational foam molding processing steps

Amphibious Seismic Survey Images Plate Interface at 1960 Chile Earthquake

The southern central Chilean margin at the site of the largest historically recorded earthquake in the Valdivia region, in 1960 (Mw = 9.5), is part of the 5000-km-long active subduction system whose geodynamic evolution is controversially debated and poorly understood. Covering the area between 36° and 40°S, the oceanic crust is segmented by prominent fracture zones. The offshore forearc and its onshore continuation show a complex image with segments of varying geophysical character, and several fault systems active during the past 24 m.y. In autumn 2001, the project SPOC was organized to study the Subduction Processes Off Chile, with a focus on the seismogenic coupling zone and the forearc. The acquired seismic data crossing the Chilean subduction system were gathered in a combined offshore-onshore survey and provide new insights into the lithospheric structure and evolution of active margins with insignificant frontal accretion

PORT ADELAIDE (Australia). Puerto de. Cartas náuticas (1876). 1:75000

Comprende desde Glenely hasta Port Gawler y muestra ademas el plano de AdeaideRepresentación del relieve por normalesEscala gráfica de 12,4 cm equivalente a 5 millas y de 10,3 cm equivalente a 5' de longitudOrientados las cuatro puntos cardinalesSeñala sondas batimétricas, veriles de sonda, fondeaderos, calidad de fondo, dirección de corrientes, faros y grado de declinación magnétic

The minimization of mechanical work in vibrated granular matter

Experiments and computer simulations are carried out to investigate phase separation in a granular gas under vibration. The densities of the dilute and the dense phase are found to follow a lever rule and obey an equation of state. Here we show that the Maxwell equal-areas construction predicts the coexisting pressure and binodal densities remarkably well, even though the system is far from thermal equilibrium. This construction can be linked to the minimization of mechanical work associated with density fluctuations without invoking any concept related to equilibrium-like free energies

Sphaerodoridae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) with the description of two new species

The examination of polychaete collections obtained during the Spanish Bentart 2006expedition to the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) revealed the presence of several sphaerodorid species. In this work, species belonging to the genera Sphaerodorum Örsted, 1843, Ephesiella Chamberlin, 1919, Clavodorum Hartman and Fauchald, 1971 and Sphaerephesia Fauchald, 1972 are reported including two new species belonging to Sphaerodorum and Sphaerephesia, respectively. A specimen identified as Ephesiella sp. might also represent a new species but, due to its poor state of preservation, a formal description is not possible yet. Furthermore, Sphaerodoropsis polypapillata Hartmann-Schröder and Rosenfeldt, 1988 is transferred to the genus Clavodorum Hartman and Fauchald, 1971 after examination of the type series and specimens obtained from the Bellingshausen Sea.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología; REN 2001-1074/ANTComisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología; CGL2004-0185