Patch exploitation by small gadoids: evidence for an asymmetric tidal effect

The attraction of small gadoids to physically disturbed seabed patches was examined experimentally using a modified remote operated vehicle. Video observations were made of simulated disturbances to investigate the influence of tidal state, time of day and current speed on the pattern of exploitation. Fish were more likely to be present in disturbed patches, and when present, occurred in significantly greater numbers than in control areas. However, this response was dependent on tidal state, occurring only on rising tides.     

Environmental correlates of phenotypic variation: do variable tidal regimes influence morphology in intertidal seaweeds?

Seaweed morphology is often shaped by the hydrodynamic environment. However, exposure to air at low tide represents an additional factor potentially affecting the morphology of intertidal species. Here, we examined the relationships between the morphology of Hormosira banksii, an important intertidal habitat‐forming seaweed in southern Australia, and environmental factors across multiple spatial scales around the island of Tasmania, Australia. Tasmania is surrounded by a diverse coastline with differences in wave exposure, tidal parameters, and temperature. We sampled Hormosira from four regions (100s km apart), three sites (10s km apart) within each region, and two zones (meters apart; eulittoral and sublittoral) at each site, and measured multiple morphological variables to test for differences in morphology at those different spatial scales. Thirteen environmental variables reflecting wave exposure, tidal conditions, and temperature for each site were generated to assess the relationship between Hormosira morphology and environmental variation. Morphology varied at all spatial scales examined. Most notably, north coast individuals had a distinct morphology, generally having smaller vesicles and shorter fronds, compared to other regions. Tidal conditions were the main environmental factors separating north coast sites from other sites and tidal regime was identified as the best predictor of morphological differences between regions. In contrast to other studies, we found little evidence that wave exposure was associated with morphological variation. Overall, our study emphasizes the role of tidal conditions, associated with emersion stress during low tide, in affecting the morphology of intertidal seaweeds.     

Studies on the oxygen consumption of a tropical intertidal limpet Cellana radiata (Born): Effect of body size and tidal rhythm

Some observations on the effect of body size on the respiratory metabolism of the tropical limpet Cellana radiata (Born) were made. In addition the tidal rhythm in the oxygen consumption of the animals was also studied.     

Juvenile Chinese mitten crabs (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eriocheir sinensis</Emphasis>) in the Thames estuary: distribution,movement and possible interactions with the native crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carcinus maenas</Emphasis>

The Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis is a successful invader. Whilst non-breeding adult E. sinensis have been associated with the destruction of riverbanks, little is known about the ecology of this species in its invaded areas. This is especially true of the juveniles which are a key migratory stage. Intertidal surveys along the Thames estuary indicated an increase in the population since the 1990s. Juvenile E. sinensis were abundant in the sampled upper tidal region of the Thames, refuging under boulders in the intertidal at low tide. Seasonal differences in sampled populations were observed, with a significantly lower abundance of crabs found during winter compared to summer. Mark-recaptures indicated movement in the intertidal occurring during high tide, with an influx of new crabs evident after a single tidal cycle. Endogenous rhythms were also apparent, with peaks in activity occurring corresponding with night-time high tide conditions. E. sinensis juveniles can successfully exclude similar sized native Carcinus maenas from shelters in the laboratory, regardless of which species originally inhabited the shelter. This may have implications for native estuarine Carcinus populations, which can rely on such intertidal shelters for refuges.     

Orientation and navigation in coastal and estuarine zooplankton

The axiom that zooplankton species exhibit upwards migration behaviour at night is challenged by recent findings. Such behaviour is not universal, may vary during ontogeny, and is occasionally reversed. Moreover, in some estuarine and coastal zooplankton species vertical migration rhythms are of tidal, not diel, periodicity. There is evidence for several species that vertical migrations are endogenously controlled, occurring in constant conditions in the laboratory, suggesting that they have arisen under considerable selection pressure. They appear to play a significant role in orientation and navigation of coastal and estuarine zooplankton, predicated on the selective advantage of closure of life cycles. Vertical migrations between water masses moving in different directions at tidal, diel or longer timescales permit dispersal and recruitment, or retention, of planktonic larvae and adults in favourable ecological locations. Exogenous factors serving as cues for, or directly controlling, vertical migration rhythms include light, hydrostatic pressure, salinity, temperature, water movements and gravity responses, besides biological factors such as the timing of larval release, duration of larval life and predator/prey interactions. Behavioural characteristics should be quantified and factored into dispersal models which assume that zooplankton adults and larvae are advected as passive particles.     

温度、盐度和食物条件对西藏拟溞摄食强度的影响

报道了不同温度、盐度和饵料条件下西藏拟溞的摄食强度、西藏拟溞对不同饵料生物蛋白核小球藻(Chlorellapyrenoidesa)、牟氏角毛藻(Chaetoceros muelleri)、湛江等鞭金藻(Isochrysis zhanjiangensis)、亚心形扁藻(Platymonas subcordiformis)、盐藻(Dunaliella salina)、新月拟菱形藻(Nitzschiella closterium)的选择性以及摄食节律。结果表明,在适温范围(2 20℃)内,西藏拟溞的滤水率、摄食率随着温度的升高而增加,14 16℃为西藏拟溞的适宜温度。在盐度20时,西藏拟溞的摄食率最高,幼、成溞对等鞭金藻的摄食率分别为1.88 ng C/(ind.h)和3.46 ng C/(ind.h)。西藏拟溞对角毛藻的滤水率和摄食率均随着龄期增加而增加,而对等鞭金藻呈相反趋势,但二者的日粮均随体长增大而减小。幼、成溞的滤水率和摄食率随食物密度变化的趋势基本一致,均是在盐藻密度为1×106 ind./L时均最高,分别为0.194、0.221 mL/(ind.h)和0.030μgC/(ind.h)和0.034μgC/(ind.h)。幼溞对6种藻的食物选择性为角毛藻小球藻盐藻扁藻金藻拟菱形藻;成溞为扁藻角毛藻盐藻金藻小球藻拟菱形藻。幼溞、成溞均对角毛藻和盐藻的选择性较好。西藏拟溞的幼溞和成溞对牟氏角毛藻的摄食有相同的节律,在15:00 17:00和01:00 03:00时有两个摄食高峰,在09:00 11:00和23:00 01:00有两个低谷。     

Preliminary results on the effects of salinity and settling conditions on megalopal metamorphosis of fiddler crab Ilyoplax pusilla

Metamorphosis of fiddler crab Ilyoplax pusilla larvaefrom megalopal to first crab stage wasstudied in laboratory experiments under variousconditions of salinity and substratum. The hatchedzoea metamorphose through five stages before reachingmegalopal stage. The megalops were placed in a 20 mlPetri dishes (2–3 megalops/dish), with salinities of10, 20 or 30 . Each salinity level was tested eitherwith or without sandy mud substratum. Thirty to 35megalops were used in each of the six treatments. Theexperiment was carried out at a water temperature of28 ±0.5°C and with daily feeding of the diatomChaetoceros gracilis. Treatment of 20 salinity andsandy mud substratum revealed the highest metamorphicrate (87%), while in contrast no metamorphosis wasobserved at 30 salinity withoutsandy mud substratum. Duration of the metamorphosiswas about 16 days. Numerous malformed juvenile crabswere observed in treatments conductedwithout sandy mud substratum.     

Rhythmic cortisol secretion in the equine: Analysis and physiological mechanisms

Abstract

Four Thoroughbred mares (no. 1–4) were maintained under constant temperature (24°C) and controlled light (L/D:12/12 with lights on at 06.00 hr) conditions. They were fed and watered ad libitum with fresh feed and water given at 09.00 hr. After a 45‐day pre‐conditioning period, blood samples were obtained by veinipuncture at 4‐hr intervals for 14 days to determine circadian and day‐to‐day variation. The horses exhibited a circadian rhythm with maximum values attained at about 12.00 hr, however, there are periods of days in which no rhythm is distinguishable. Ultradian rhythms with mean periods of 105 to 128 and 24 to 31 min are superimposed upon the circadian rhythm. The individual rhythms are quite variable from horse to horse and within the same horse. During periods of decline in plasma cortisol with metabolic half‐lives of approximately 70 min, secretion of cortisol was very low or had ceased. During periods of increasing plasma concentration, secretion was occurring at a faster rate than degradation. Rapid decreases in plasma concentration (metabolic half‐life of approximately 30 min) was accompanied by a rise in specific activity indicating cortisol with a high specific activity was entering the plasma pool from other storage pools.     

Estimation des paramètres fondamentaux de la dynamique d'un estuaire à marées. On the Dynamics of a Tidal Estuary: Estimation of the Principal Factors

In order to obtain a better understanding on the relationship between salt and fresh-water masses in an estuary on the Northern Brittany coast, a study on the tidal dynamics has been carried out. A simple model for the calculation of the mean current velocities is proposed taking into account the estuarine topography, tidal parameters and river discharge. The model also estimates the Richardson, Froude and Reynolds estuarine numbers. These can be used in further studies on the particle transport in this estuary.     

Marine and estuarine gradients — An overview

The Proceedings of the ECSA 21 symposium on Marine and Estuarine Gradients are reviewed. It is emphasised that this is probably the first time that a full set of papers on the tidal freshwater sections of estuaries has appeared. There is however some ambiguity in the terminology applied to such waters, and a more consistent terminology is proposed. In particular the estuary is defined as reaching upstream as far as the tidal limit, irrespective of salinity. A wide variety of gradients within estuaries and coastal waters are considered, but it is apparent that the crucial spatial gradients are based on salinity, oxygen and turbidity, and that many other gradients are co-variables with these parameters. Temperature is also important for temporal gradients.     

Circadian and light-induced conductance changes in putative pacemaker cells of Bulla gouldiana

The ocular circadian rhythm of compound action potential frequency in Bulla gouldiana is driven by rhythmic changes in the membrane potential of putative circadian pacemaker cells. Changes in the membrane potential of these neurons is required for light-induced phase shifts of the rhythm. We have tested the proposition that these changes in membrane potential reflect underlying changes in ionic conductances. We have found that: 1. Membrane conductance in the dark is highest during the subjective night when the cells are hyperpolarized, decreases as the cells depolarize spontaneously near projected dawn and is lowest during the subjective day. The changes in membrane potential and conductance follow a similar time course. 2. Long pulses of light delivered to eyes during their subjective night produce a characteristic response: There is initially a large, phasic depolarization accompanied by a burst of CAPs; this is followed by a repolarizing phase during which CAP activity is reduced to zero; and finally a tonic depolarization develops that is accompanied by a resumption of CAP activity at a steady rate. 3. During the subjective night, the tonic depolarization is accompanied by a decrease in conductance compared to the previous dark value. However, light pulses of similar duration delivered to eyes during their subjective day causes tonic depolarizations and increased CAP activity, but no measurable change in conductance. 4. Membrane responses to light are sensitive to agents that reduce Ca2+ flux. Light pulses during the subjective night produce a phasic depolarization, but the repolarization phase is eliminated in low Ca2+/EGTA seawater and is reduced in 5 mM Ni2+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Seasonal variation in nitrous oxide and methane emissions from subtropical estuary and coastal mangrove sediments, Australia

Mangrove sediments can act as sources of the greenhouse trace gases, nitrous oxide (N(2) O) and methane (CH(4) ). Confident reporting of trace gas emissions from mangrove sediments at local levels is important for regional emissions inventories, since small changes in N(2) O and CH(4) fluxes greatly influence greenhouse gas budgets due to their high global warming potentials. It is also important to identify the drivers of trace gas emission, to prioritize management for minimising emissions. We measured N(2) O and CH(4) fluxes and abiotic sediment parameters at midday low tide in winter and summer seasons, at four sites (27°33'S, 152°59'E) ranging from estuary to ocean sub-tropical mangrove sediments, having varied anthropogenic impacts. At all sites, sediment N(2) O and CH(4) emissions were significantly lower during winter (7-26 μg N(2) O m(-2) · h(-1); 47-466 μg CH(4) m(-2) · h(-1)) compared to summer (28-202 μg N(2) Om(-2) · h(-1); 247-1570 μg CH(4) m(-2) · h(-1)). Sediment temperature, ranging from 18 to 33°C, strongly influenced N(2) O and CH(4) emissions. Highest emissions (202 μg N(2) O m(-2) · h(-1), 1570 μg CH(4) m(-2) · h(-1) ) were detected at human-impacted estuary sites, which generally had higher total carbon (<8%) and total nitrogen (<0.4%) in sediments and reduced salinity (<16 dS · m(-1)). Large between-site variation highlights the need for regular monitoring of sub-tropical mangroves to capture short-lived, episodic N(2) O and CH(4) flux events that are affected by sediment biophysico-chemical conditions at site level. This is important, particularly at sites receiving anthropogenic nutrients, and that have variable freshwater inputs and tidal hydrology.     

The statistical analysis of tidal rhythms: Tests of the relative effectiveness of five methods using model simulations and actual data

Endogenous rhythms in intertidal organisms are often very complex and imprecise. Thus, confusing results are sometimes obtained when applying various interpretive analytical techniques. In an attempt to resolve this problem, ten different models representing typical organismic tidal‐rhythm displays were created and examined with five different inferential statistical techniques. The exercise was designed to test the relative effectiveness of these techniques in detecting the presence of known cycles in the models, and estimating their period lengths. The same comparison was then repeated on sets of animal‐derived data.

All of the five methods had their merits, but, depending on the model being examined, the results from the various methods were not identical. Three of the techniques produce harmonics, making data that contain multiple periods especially difficult to decipher. Often both tidal and circadian periods are displayed by shore dwellers; all five methods were able to find these two periods. But when the difference in circa period length was close, only one technique (array analysis) could make a distinction. This technique was also the only one able to handle data in which the period was not constant. Interestingly, this simplest of methods is probably the best all‐round method of discovery. Many more subtle, but important, differences were also noted, and it is recommended that more than one method always be used to ensure accuracy.     

Circadian rhythms in human erythrocytes in vitro not confirmed

Abstract

Human erythrocytes, white and resealed erythrocyte ghosts, and hemolysates were analysed for the occurrence of circadian and ultradian rhythms in vitro. Although the experimental conditions were extensively varied, we did not find any indication for the existence of rhythmicity. These results are at variance with the reports by others.     

模拟盐度脉冲耦合潮汐过程对闽江河口湿地土壤含碳温室气体排放的影响

为了探究台风风暴潮导致的盐度脉冲、潮汐涨落以及两者的耦合作用对河口湿地土壤二氧化碳（CO₂）与甲烷（CH₄）排放产生的影响,选取闽江河口道庆洲短叶茳芏湿地土壤为研究对象,通过室内模拟实验,研究不同潮汐过程情景下由于盐度和潮水涨落变化,河口湿地CO₂与CH₄排放特征并分析其主要影响因子。研究结果表明：（1）潮汐淹水显著抑制CO₂排放,但促进CH₄排放（P<0.05）。盐度增加（0-8‰）促进了土壤CO₂排放（P>0.05）;0-2‰盐度促进土壤CH₄排放（P>0.05）,2‰-8‰盐度抑制土壤CH₄排放（P<0.05）。（2）盐度脉冲耦合潮汐过程显著抑制了CH₄排放（P<0.05）,且一定程度上抑制了CO₂排放（P>0.05）。（3） CO₂排放与孔隙水中的氨态氮（NH₄⁺-N）呈极显著正相关（P<0.01）,与硝态氮（NO₃^--N）、可溶性有机碳（DOC）和土壤pH呈显著负相关（P<0.05）。盐度脉冲耦合潮汐过程对CO₂与CH₄排放的影响是一个正负消长的博弈过程,在0-8‰的盐度内,潮汐淹水对CO₂排放的影响更大,而盐度在CH₄排放中起主导作用。相较于盐度,潮汐淹水是影响闽江河口湿地含碳温室气体全球增温潜势的主导因素。     

Biological and psychological rhythms: An integrative approach to rhythm disturbances in autistic disorder

Biological rhythms are crucial phenomena that are perfect examples of the adaptation of organisms to their environment. A considerable amount of work has described different types of biological rhythms (from circadian to ultradian), individual differences in their patterns and the complexity of their regulation. In particular, the regulation and maturation of the sleep–wake cycle have been thoroughly studied. Its desynchronization, both endogenous and exogenous, is now well understood, as are its consequences for cognitive impairments and health problems. From a completely different perspective, psychoanalysts have shown a growing interest in the rhythms of psychic life. This interest extends beyond the original focus of psychoanalysis on dreams and the sleep–wake cycle, incorporating central theoretical and practical psychoanalytic issues related to the core functioning of the psychic life: the rhythmic structures of drive dynamics, intersubjective developmental processes and psychic containment functions. Psychopathological and biological approaches to the study of infantile autism reveal the importance of specific biological and psychological rhythmic disturbances in this disorder. Considering data and hypotheses from both perspectives, this paper proposes an integrative approach to the study of these rhythmic disturbances and offers an etiopathogenic hypothesis based on this integrative approach.     

Activity rhythms of enzymes in human red blood cell suspensions

Abstract

We have established the presence of a rhythm in the activity of 4 enzymes in in‐vitro cell suspensions of human red blood cells. Glucose 6‐phosphate dehydrogenase and glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase demonstrated semicircadian patterns of activity, while acid phosphatese and acetylcholine esterase exhibited circadian activity rhythms. The ratios between the highest to lowest activities varied from 2:1 to 10:1 among the various enzymes. The affinity of glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase to its substrate and coenzyme remained constant throughout the cycle. No evidence was obtained for the presence of a soluble inhibitor at the lower levels of the activity. Sonication of hemolysates with low glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogense activity yielded additional activity comparable to that of the peak activity. Sonication of hemolysates from the time of the peak activity did not change the original activity. The observations point to a role of the cell membrane in the biological clock.