Benthic fauna in tropical tidal flats – a comparative perspective

Tidal flats extend seaward from mangrove forests along many tropicalcoastlines. This contribution compiles the current knowledge on tropicaltidal flats with regard to species richness, abundance, spatial distributionpatterns and ecological roles taken by major organisms. Tidal flatsencompass a variety of soft-sediment habitats which are inhabited by aspecies-rich fauna. Species numbers are generally higher than in temperatetidal flats, but vary widely between tropical sites where they have not yetbeen fully assessed due to lack of research and taxonomic problems. Theassessment of biodiversity is further complicated by a low species frequency,the small size of macroinfaunal organisms and variations in the occurrence ofspecies between sites. Mean abundance ranges from 1000–2000individuals m^-2, although figures ten times higher have beenrecorded in a mudflat in Costa Rica, and there are great variations in general.Individual densities of small-sized macrofauna are about ten times higher than for larger macrobenthos. A generalized zonation scheme for intertidaldistribution patterns of tropical tidal flat fauna is presented. The comparisonshows that the occurrence of macrofauna and especially of ecosystemengineers varies between sites, which can in turn explain the great variabilityin species abundance patterns recorded in benthic surveys of tidal flatswithin and between regions. This review revealed similarities as well asdifferences between various tropical tidal flats, which underlines the need for further comparative studies to be done, using the same methodology, before generalizations can be made.     

Monte Carlo simulation of protein folding with orientation-dependent monomer–monomer interactions

We present the results of lattice Monte Carlo simulations of protein folding in the framework of a model taking into account (i) the dependence of the energy of interaction of amino-acid residues on their orientation and (ii) the rigidity of the polypeptide chain with respect to the formation of kinks. If the chain is flexible, the final protein structures are predicted to be compact. Increasing the energy cost of creation of kinks is found to favor the formation of flat structures mimicking an ideal antiparallel β sheet. For compact structures, the kinetics of folding exhibit the standard two-phase regime (a rapid collapse to one of the metastable state, followed by slow reconfiguration of the chain to the native structure). For flat structures, the transition to the native state is often gradual. Proteins 29:508–516, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Is the Variation of the Temperature in an Intertidal Pool Diel or Tidal? A Paradigm for Studying Biological Rhythms in the Tidal Zone

This article analyzes the variations of the temperature recorded in a tidal pool near the half-tide level, in a semilunadian regimen. A model of the temperature variations of the pool, based on diffusional exchange with the sea at high tide and with the air at low tide, shows good agreement with the experimental results. Fourier transform analysis of the variations of the main components of the frequency spectrum during a lunar cycle and for different values of the parameters (temperature variations of the air, level of the pool relative to the tide, exchange coefficients with the air and the ocean) reveals a complex structure. When the tidal component exists, it is stable in power and frequency, but is, in most cases, much smaller than the die! peak. Barring the situations when the tide does not reach the pool for several days, the period of the pool is equal to 24.8 h (the first subharmonic of the tidal frequency), except for the part of the lunar cycle during which the high tide corresponds approximately to the extrema of air temperature: Then the period is lower than 24 h and the power decreases. Overall, the mean period is 24 h, which is coherent with the fact that the driving force of the temperature variations is the sun, while its input in the pool is modulated by the tide. The same results can be applied, with a lesser amplitude of the temperature variations, to larger bodies of water. From these results, it is difficult to decide whether the temperature variations constitute a zeitgeber for circadian or circatidal clocks. The present conclusion is that this parameter seems to be, at best, a very unreliable synchronizer.     

Burrowing behaviour of the softshell clam (Mya arenaria) following erosion and transport

Erosion and transport of juvenile individuals may alter the distribution pattern of intertidal bivalves. The burrowing success of recently transported juvenile softshell clams (Mya arenaria) was studied in a laboratory flume under a wide range of hydrosedimentary environments. Juvenile individuals (5-20 mm) were observed under a simulated 30 min slack tide before initiating the flow for a period of 60 min. Five different free-stream velocities (0, 3, 5, 10 and 24 cm s^− 1) and four sediment types (mud, sandy-mud, sand and gravel) were used. The mean proportion of juvenile clams that initiated (MPI) or completed (MPC) a burial decreased with increasing shell length. Erosion from the sediment was more important in large juveniles suggesting that large juveniles may have more difficulty successfully relocating once transported. The MPI increased with increasing flow speed in experimental runs held at speed < 24 cm s^− 1. This was observed in all sediment types. Most individuals were unable to burrow at 24 cm s^− 1 because they got eroded. The MPC also increased with increasing flow speed in mud, sandy-mud and sand. The MPC's response to flow was more complex in gravel because of a shell length × flow speed interaction effect. Our observations suggest that water movement may induce the burrowing behaviour of recently eroded juvenile clams. Results are discussed in an ecological and aquacultural context.     

Comparative studies of tidal rhythms. VIII. A translocation experiment involving Circalunidian rhythms

One of the earliest experiments that provided support for the exogenous clock hypothesis was a translocation experiment involving fiddler crabs. The activity rhythm of a sample of crabs placed in constant conditions, abandoned (in a week's time) the phase of the tidal cycle to which the crabs had been exposed in nature, and the peaks attuned themselves to the approximate times of lunar nadir and zenith. The study reported in the present paper was an attempt to repeat this interesting and important finding.

The effort at replication was unsuccessful. But other more recent findings of tide‐associated rhythms, such as splitting, uncoupling, and temporary arrhythmicity, were confirmed. And an “ultradian”; rhythm was discovered to exist in conjunction with a typical circalunidian frequency.     

Self-assembled structures for surfactant–inorganic component–water system confined in two flat walls

Lattice Monte Carlo simulations for the surfactant–inorganic component–water system are performed to study the morphologies formation of mesoporous materials in a flat confining space. The effects of component concentration, distance and hydrophilicity of two confining walls are considered in a systematic way and 12 different morphologies are observed. In addition to the well-known morphologies that have been found in the bulk before, such as the cylindrical, spherical and lamellar morphologies, new morphologies such as perpendicular lamellar morphology and bridge morphology are found in the flat confining space. Besides, the ternary phase diagram for the solution composition, the binary phase diagram for the surfactant concentration versus the distance of the two walls and that for different wall–surfactant interactions are given in this work.     

Regulation of feeding mode by the sand dollar Dendraster excentricus in a shallow estuarine habitat

The sand dollar Dendraster excentricus is a facultative suspension feeder, which is relatively rare within the Order Clypeasteroida. Field studies of regulation of its feeding mode have been mostly conducted in exposed coastal habitats, where they are typically observed in an inclined position and oriented parallel to each other during suspension feeding. Physical (current speed and direction, reduction of drag and lift) and biological factors (increased efficiency of capture of particulates, and density) have been associated with regulation of its feeding mode in exposed coastal systems. We simultaneously measured the role of physical and biological factors in regulating the selection mode for feeding under varying tidal conditions in a shallow estuary in Baja California, Mexico. We used photographic records and direct sampling in fixed plots to determine the relationship between feeding behavior and environmental conditions. Current direction and speed, tidal level, density and content of organic matter in the water column and sediments were measured with respect to feeding mode (prone or inclined) and orientation relative to prevailing currents during spring and neap tides. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the percentage of inclined sand dollars was strongly and positively correlated only with tidal level at the densities found in the estuary (mean < 180 individuals m^− 2); there was no relationship with current velocity, density, and organic matter content of the water. The prone position, indicative of deposit feeding, was largely limited to low tidal levels. We used circular statistics to determine whether the orientation of inclined sand dollars was correlated with current direction and speed. Sand dollars were only oriented parallel to the prevailing currents during the strongest currents of spring tides (> 20 cm s^− 1). We did not observe the predominant oral:aboral configuration found in exposed coastal systems, which may be attributed to the relatively low densities of sand dollars in the exposed coastal environment (30-180 individuals m^− 2), compared to protected coastal habitats (up to 1000 individuals m^− 2). Our results suggest that regulation of the feeding mode of sand dollars in shallow and hydrodynamically complex estuarine systems differs from the feeding mode found in exposed coastal environments.     

Short-term variations in the fluxes and composition of seston in near-bottom traps in the southern North Sea

In this study we attempted to measure the potential food availability for macrobenthic interface feeders using a new device (sediment recorder) which traps bed load particles at a height of 10 cm above the sea floor. The recorder is positioned flat on the seabed and alternately exposes a shallow collector mounted in a smooth surface mimicking the sediment surface. The samples were analyzed for their content of chlorophyll a (Chl) and dry weight (DM). We compared the sediment recorder data with the results obtained with a sediment trap suspended 3.2 m above the sea floor. Measurements were carried out in spring and fall at two stations in the southern North Sea with different sediment type, maximum current velocities and biomass (sand, station B vs silty sand, station F). The recorder deployments in November yielded higher Chl fluxes and a higher quality of particles (Chl:DM ratio) than the trap at both stations. Unlike the trap samples, in which Chl and DM were always positively and strongly correlated, maximum Chl and DM fluxes in the recorder samples were out of phase, particularly at station B, pointing to a highly variable quality during the tidal cycle. Unexpectedly, Chl fluxes and Chl:DM ratios in the recorder samples at station B were higher than at station F in both seasons, although the benthic biomass at the latter station was five times higher. The highest Chl fluxes and particle quality (Chl:DM) at station B were measured during slack tides when interface feeding would be least hampered by drag forces. Station B is nevertheless characterized by a low macrobenthic biomass and a scarcity of interface feeders, specifically of suspension-feeding bivalves. Possible reasons for this apparent discrepancy are discussed. Electronic Publication     

Isolation and characterization of flat cells, a subpopulation of the embryonic chick retina

When the embryonic neutral retina is dissociated into single cells which are maintained in stationary culture, the neuronal cells associate on the surfaces of a second population which we refer to as flat cells. The flat cells appear in the culture in significant numbers after 2 days and are required for neuronal cell attachment. We have been able to isolate pure flat cells from early cultures of mixed retina cells and have identified several antigens which support the concept that these cells are related to the glia. The cells have been tested by immunofluorescence for glial fibrillary acidic protein and have been found positive. Cell surfaces were labeled by transfer of tritiated galactose from UDP-galactose to endogenous acceptors in the presence of exogenous galactosyl transferase. After SDS-PAGE and fluorography, the surface glycoproteins of flat cells were seen to be significantly different from those of the original retina, and from chick fibroblasts. Immunoelectron microscope studies of detergent-extracted flat cells have demonstrated a complex network of intermediate filaments and actin fibers. We conclude that the flat cells are derived from the glia subpopulation of the retina and have adapted to the tissue culture environment by assuming this configuration. The unique surface properties of flat cells may be related to their role as an intermediate substrate between the neuronal cells and the tissue culture dish.