Do predatory fishes affect the structure of an epiphytal amphipod assemblage on a protected algal reef in Hawaii?

On a sheltered Hawaiian algal reef seaweeds are abundant and large herbivorous fishes are absent. Epiphytal amphipods are abundant on their seaweed habitats. Predator exclusion experiments were conducted to determine if predatory fishes affect the abundance, diversity, and size distribution of the epiphytal amphipod community living on plant substrata. Results suggested that amphipod abundance, expected number of species, and size distribution were all independent of predation pressure.     

Local Knowledge,Subsistence Harvests,and Social–Ecological Complexity in James Bay

Ecosystems are complex and difficult to predict and control. Western science-based societies have tended to simplify ecosystems to manage them. Some indigenous and other rural groups who interact closely with a given resource system seem to have developed practices that are adapted to live with complexity. This paper examines how indigenous Cree hunters in James Bay, subarctic Canada, understand and deal with ecological complexity and dynamics, and how their understanding of uncertainty and variability shape subsistence activities. The focus is the Canada goose (Branta canadensis) hunt which is adaptive to shifts and changes in local and regional conditions. Ecological understandings of Cree hunters allow them to account for and deal with a very large number of variables at multiples scales. The Cree deal with these variables qualitatively, an approach consistent with some scientific ways of dealing with complexity, such as adaptive management and fuzzy logic.     

Vertical zonation of megabenthic taxa on a deep photosynthetic reef (50–140 m) in the Au’au Channel,Hawaii

This study surveyed several locations at depths between 50 and 140 m within the Au’au Channel, Hawaii to characterize the deep reef habitat and determine the depth distribution and relative abundance of the dominant, habitat forming megabenthic taxa. In the Au’au Channel, the depth distribution of megabenthic taxa exhibited a pattern of vertical zonation with relatively few taxa dominating each zone. Macroalgae particularly Halimeda spp. and to a lesser extent scleractinian corals Leptoseris spp. were dominant between 50 and 80 m; Leptoseris spp. were dominant between 80 and 90 m as macroalgae decreased in abundance; the invasive octocoral Carijoa riisei was dominant between 90 and 100 m primarily on rugose features; Antipathes spp. and Leptoseris spp. were dominant between 100 and 120 m on exposed fossil reef; and small wire corals were dominant between 120 and 140 m. In general, the percentage of live benthic cover decreased with depth, particularly below 90 m where a large majority of the area was uncolonized, soft substrata. The gradient of downwelling light intensity appears to play a major role in regulating the depth distribution of photosynthetic organisms, skilophilous organisms, and other benthic fauna, which compete for space with dominant photosynthetic species. The depth of the seasonal thermocline also appears to play an important role in limiting the distribution of tropical benthic species.     

The contribution of corals to reef structural complexity in Kāne‘ohe Bay

Coral Reefs - The structural complexity of coral reefs provides important ecosystem functions, such as wave attenuation for coastal protection, surfaces for coral growth, and habitat for other...     

Depth limit for reef building corals in the Au’au Channel, S.E. Hawaii

In this paper, the relationship between reef building (accretion) and depth in an optimal inter-island channel environment in Hawaii is analyzed. For accretion, the growth rate of Porites lobata is used as a proxy for the reef community, because it is the most abundant and dominant species of reef building coral in Hawaii. Optimal growth of P. lobata occurs at a depth of 6 m, below which both growth rate and abundance decrease with increasing depth. A lower depth limit for this species is found at about 80–100 m, yet reef accretion ceases at ~50 m depth. Below 50 m, rates of bio-erosion of colony holdfasts equal or exceed the growth of basal attachments, causing colonies to detach from the bottom. Continued bio-erosion further erodes and dislodges colonies leading to their breakdown and ultimately to the formation of coralline rubble and sand. Thus, within this channel environment in Hawaii, a threshold for reef building exists at ~ 50 m depth, where coral accretion is interrupted by bio-erosion. Conceptually viewed, this depth horizon is analogous to a vertical Darwin Point, although quite narrow in space and time. More importantly, it explains the history of reef morphology in the Au’au Channel where a chronological hiatus exists at a depth near 50 m. This hiatus separates shallower modern growth (about 100 years or less) from the deeper reef which is all due to accretion during the early Holocene or Pleistocene epochs.     

Granzymes in cytolytic lymphocytes--to kill a killer?

Granzymes (gzm) are major components of the granules of cytolytic lymphocytes, natural killer and cytotoxic T cells. Their generally accepted mode of action consists of their directed secretion towards a virus-infected or neoplastic target cell and perforin-dependent delivery to the target cell cytosol, where they engage in various actions resulting in target cell apoptosis. Here, based on observations of infection of gzmAxB(-/-) mice with ectromelia virus, mousepox, we propose an additional--and distinct--function for gzmA and B. In this model, gzm constitute one of the first lines of defence of immune cells against virus infection of immune cells themselves. Accordingly, endogenous gzm interfere with viral replication in cytolytic lymphocytes either directly, as a result of their proteolytic activity, leading to destruction of viral proteins, or indirectly, via: (i) processes akin to the caspase cascade when acting as effector molecules in the induction of target cell apoptosis; or (ii) their capacity to induce early inflammatory mediators. We discuss the predictions of the model in the light of available data.     

Changes in the species composition of benthic macroalgal communities of the upper subtidal zone on a coral reef in Sanya Bay (Hainan Island, China) during 2009–2012

Investigations of macroalgae were carried out on a coral reef at the Luhuitou Peninsula in Sanya Bay (Hainan Island, China) in the upper subtidal zone at a depth of 0.5 to 4 m during the dry season (in April 2009 and 2012). In total, 130 species, varieties, and forms of marine macroalgae were found: 71 (54%) Rhodophyta, 33 (25%) Chlorophyta, and 26 (21%) Phaeophyceae. In terms of the number of species and the floristic composition of algae in the communities, the reef benthic flora in the subtidal zone of Sanya Bay, which is polluted by municipal waste waters and aquaculture wastes, was close to the flora of Indo-Pacific coral reefs situated in areas with low pollution. In 2009 and 2012, the algal turf communities differed both in the algal species diversity and in the composition of dominant species. These differences might be due to an annual periodicity of changes in vegetation: algal turf patches are detached from the hard substrate and a new algal community is formed at this location.     

Implementation of a small-scale “no-use zone” policy in a reef ecosystem: Eilat’s reef-lagoon six years later

 A small-scale, “no-use zone policy” has been implemented since 1992 at Eilat’s Coral Nature Reserve (Northern Red Sea). Six years later, the status of this closed-to-the-public reef area was compared to two nearby open-to-the-public sites, by evaluating populations of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata in the strolling zone (0.5–1.5 m depth). Results from the open sites show that: (1) Live coral cover was three times lower than at the closed site; (2) numbers of small colonies (recruits) were significantly higher than in the closed site, while numbers of medium and large size colonies (geometric mean radius, rˉ>4.1 cm) per m² were significantly lower; (3) maximum rˉ was almost half than that in the closed site (9.6 cm versus 16.7 cm); (4) average number of broken colonies was three times higher than in the closed site; (5) significantly fewer colonies were partially dead. The latter result may reflect senescence processes in the large colonies of the closed site. Although colony breakage is reduced, it appears that the “no-use zone” policy is not sufficient for protecting small reef areas. The intense exploitation of Eilat’s coral reef by the tourist industry requires’ in addition to the conventional protective measures, the initiation of novel management solutions such as reef restoration by sexual and asexual recruits. Accepted: 11 August 1999     

Experimental evaluation of diversity–productivity relationships in a coral reef fish assemblage

The global decline in biodiversity is causing increasing concern about the effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystem services such as productivity. Biodiversity has been hypothesised to be important in maintaining productivity of biological assemblages because niche complementarity and facilitation among the constituent species can result in more efficient use of resources. However, these conclusions are primarily based on studies with plant communities, and the relationship between diversity and productivity at higher trophic levels is largely unknown, especially in the marine environment. Here, we used a manipulative field experiment to test the effects of species richness and species identity on biomass accumulation in coral reef fish assemblages at Lizard Island. Small patch reefs were stocked with a total of 30 juveniles belonging to three planktivorous damselfish (genus Pomacentrus) according to three different levels of fish species richness (one, two and three species) and seven different combinations of fish species. Species richness had no effect on the relative growth in this assemblage after 18 days, but relative growth differed among individual fish species and the different combinations of species. Patterns of increase in biomass were best explained by species-specific differences and variable effects of intra- and interspecific competition on growth. These results suggest that niche complementarity and facilitation are not the most influential drivers of total productivity within this guild of planktivorous fishes. Total productivity may be resilient to declining reef fish biodiversity, but this will depend on which species are lost and on the life-history traits of remaining species.     

Spatial-temporal distribution of Aureoumbra lagunensis (“brown tide”) in Baffin Bay,Texas

Once limited to the Laguna Madre of Texas, blooms of the brown tide organism, Aureoumbra lagunensis, have recently been reported elsewhere. Previous studies have focused on the role of extreme hypersalinity and lack of grazing pressure as facilitators of brown tide blooms. However, development of blooms in systems that are not experiencing extreme hypersalinity, and also that are undergoing eutrophication, suggests that our understanding of A. lagunensis bloom dynamics requires additional refinement. The goal of this study was to quantify the spatial-temporal distribution of, and potential controls upon, A. lagunensis in Baffin Bay, Texas. Five sites were sampled monthly over a three-year period, encompassing nearly two years of drought and hypersaline conditions, followed by a high rainfall, lower salinity period. A. lagunensis abundances were higher during drought in May 2013 – March 2015 compared to the higher rainfall period of April 2015 – April 2016. Abundances typically peaked in summer months, though the seasonal pattern was disrupted in 2015 during the shift from high to low salinity conditions. Persistently high abundances of A. lagunensis were observed in the Laguna Salada tributary of Baffin Bay, which typically has higher dissolved organic nitrogen concentrations and may be less well flushed than other parts of Baffin Bay. Thus this location may serve as a reservoir for A. lagunensis in the system. Overall, A. lagunensis abundance was positively correlated with DOC and salinity, and negatively correlated with ammonium, orthophosphate, and ciliate biovolume. These results suggest a variety of physical, chemical and biological factors affect A. lagunensis population dynamics and stress the need for more research on nutrient-A. lagunensis relationships.     

“Changing by doubling”, the impact of Whole Genome Duplications in the evolution of eukaryotes

Species are usually defined by reproductive isolation and are characterized by their gene repertoire. These two aspects are consequences of events fixed during evolution, including whole genome duplications and other polyploidizations. Thanks to the recent progress in genome sequencing, new light has been shed on these events. In this review, we will summarize these findings and discuss the methodology involved. Evolutionary traces of such events have been evidenced in various lineages in plants, animals, fungi and protozoa. Comparative analysis of synteny is a powerful approach to unveil evolutionary footprints of these events. According to expectations, these events would facilitate speciation since some of them are thought to be at the base of major radiations such as teleostei or eudicotyledons. After an initial amplification, the gene repertoire would be shaped by constraints such as expression level and functional interactions that would tend to maintain only a tiny fraction of the duplicates over the long term. Functional innovation from duplication may be a secondary effect, enabled by these duplicate retention mechanisms. To cite this article: O. Jaillon et al., C. R. Biologies 332 (2009).     

Reprint of “The clinical impact of deficiency in DNA non-homologous end-joining”

DNA non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) is the major DNA double strand break (DSB) repair pathway in mammalian cells. Defects in NHEJ proteins confer marked radiosensitivity in cell lines and mice models, since radiation potently induces DSBs. The process of V(D)J recombination functions during the development of the immune response, and involves the introduction and rejoining of programmed DSBs to generate an array of diverse T and B cells. NHEJ rejoins these programmed DSBs. Consequently, NHEJ deficiency confers (severe) combined immunodeficiency – (S)CID – due to a failure to carry out V(D)J recombination efficiently. NHEJ also functions in class switch recombination, another step enhancing T and B cell diversity. Prompted by these findings, a search for radiosensitivity amongst (S)CID patients revealed a radiosensitive sub-class, defined as RS-SCID. Mutations in NHEJ genes, defining human syndromes deficient in DNA ligase IV (LIG4 Syndrome), XLF-Cernunnos, Artemis or DNA-PKcs, have been identified in such patients. Mutations in XRCC4 or Ku70,80 in patients have not been identified. RS-SCID patients frequently display additional characteristics including microcephaly, dysmorphic facial features and growth delay. Here, we overview the clinical spectrum of RS-SCID patients and discuss our current understanding of the underlying biology.     

Where to sample? Ecological implications of sampling strata in determining abundance and impact of natural enemies of the coffee berry borer,Hypothenemus hampei

Several parasitoids of African origin have been introduced to coffee producing areas of the Americas and Asia as biological control agents of the coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). These parasitoids have become established in the field but their effect on the CBB has been limited. A two-year field study in Western Kenya has found Prorops nasuta (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) to be the predominant parasitoid emerging from CBB-infested coffee berries collected on coffee trees or from the ground. P. nasuta comprises more than 75% of the total natural enemies collected. The density of P. nasuta was 90% higher in the berries collected from the ground than from the trees. Its hyperparasitoid, Aphanogmus sp. (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae), also emerged from both type of berries. Across the two seasons, the average P. nasuta density per berry was 18–35 times higher than that of Aphanogmus sp. Throughout the two years sampled, significantly higher numbers of P. nasuta and Aphanogmus sp. occurred between February and March, which coincides with the beginning of the rainy season. Higher numbers of live CBB females were recorded in berries collected from the trees. Nevertheless, mortality of adult CBB was considerably higher from January to March and started to decrease from April onwards. The possibly negative effects of cultural control practices in Latin America which include the removal of berries fallen to the ground on biological control of CBB are discussed, and the use of screened collection devices for these berries which would permit the release of parasitoids but prevent escape of the pest is proposed.     

Ecological requirements of Ostracoda (Crustacea) in a heavily polluted shallow lake,Lake Yeniçağa (Bolu,Turkey)

Although the area of Lake Yeniça?a is a potential candidate for RAMSAR convention, several anthropogenic factors compromise its biological diversity. This is mostly due to nutrient-rich water released from both point and nonpoint sources. Thirteen ostracod taxa (Candona neglecta, C. candida, Ilyocypris bradyi, Darwinula stevensoni, Cypridopsis vidua, Physocypria kraepelini, Cypria ophtalmica, Prionocypris zenkeri, Eucypris virens, Herpetocypris reptans, Pseudocandona compressa, Fabaeformiscandona fabaeformis Potamocypris cf. fulva) were found during this study. Potamocypris cf. fulva is a new record for the Turkish freshwater ostracod fauna. The first nine of these species have broad geographic ranges, implying high tolerance levels to different environmental variables. Based on the estimated species optima and tolerance levels, two species exhibited higher effective number of occurrences (C. neglecta, and D. stevensoni, respectively) than the other species. Three species (C. neglecta, D. stevensoni, I. bradyi) did not show significant correlation with any environmental variable we used. Both Canonical correspondence (CCA) and Pearson correlation analyses showed that temperature was the most effective predictor of species occurrence, followed by electrical conductivity and redox potential. In contrast, pH and dissolved oxygen of water were the least effective predictors. Approximately 71% of the correlation between community composition and environmental variables was explained by the first axis of the CCA diagram, which had a relatively low (7.7%) cumulative variance of species. The lower (560 μg/l) and the upper (2030 μg/l) levels of ammonia (NH₃) exceeded the limits during winter season. The concentrations of total coliform and Escherichia coli bacteria were measured up to 10 × 10⁷ cfu/ml and 10 × 10³ cfu/ml, respectively. Results of physicochemical measurements, microbiological counts, and species data indicate that water quality of Lake Yeniça?a has been rapidly deteriorated by anthropogenic factors that are the main threat for not only the lake’s aquatic diversity but also human health around the lake.     

Neglect of medical evidence of torture in Guantánamo Bay: a case series

Background

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, the government authorized the use of “enhanced interrogation” techniques that were previously recognized as torture. While the complicity of US health professionals in the design and implementation of US torture practices has been documented, little is known about the role of health providers, assigned to the US Department of Defense (DoD) at the US Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO), who should have been in a position to observe and document physical and psychological evidence of torture and ill treatment.

Methods and Findings

We reviewed GTMO medical records and relevant case files (client affidavits, attorney–client notes and summaries, and legal affidavits of medical experts) of nine individuals for evidence of torture and ill treatment and documentation by medical personnel. In each of the nine cases, GTMO detainees alleged abusive interrogation methods that are consistent with torture as defined by the UN Convention Against Torture as well as the more restrictive US definition of torture that was operational at the time. The medical affidavits in each of the nine cases indicate that the specific allegations of torture and ill treatment are highly consistent with physical and psychological evidence documented in the medical records and evaluations by non-governmental medical experts. However, the medical personnel who treated the detainees at GTMO failed to inquire and/or document causes of the physical injuries and psychological symptoms they observed. Psychological symptoms were commonly attributed to “personality disorders” and “routine stressors of confinement.” Temporary psychotic symptoms and hallucinations did not prompt consideration of abusive treatment. Psychological assessments conducted by non-governmental medical experts revealed diagnostic criteria for current major depression and/or PTSD in all nine cases.

Conclusion

The findings in these nine cases from GTMO indicate that medical doctors and mental health personnel assigned to the DoD neglected and/or concealed medical evidence of intentional harm. Please see later in the article for the Editors'' Summary     

Ecological Monitoring of the Water Area of Port Vostochnyi (Wrangel Bay) in the Sea of Japan (1995–2002)

Benthic surveys carried out in 1989 (literature data), 1995, and 2001 (original data) revealed changes in the structure of soft bottom communities of Wrangel Bay (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan), where a deep-water port of Vostochnyi is situated. The functioning of the port has caused no significant environmental pollution by heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and other pollutants. Bottom dredging and the siltation induced by it have drastically lowered the benthos biomass, changed benthic communities, and altered their trophic structure. Sestonophages have disappeared nearly altogether being replaced by detrivores. The ecological state of the benthos is characterized as unstable.     

Reconstruction of coral reef fisheries catches in American Samoa, 1950–2002

Fisheries catches from Pacific Island coral reefs are rarely recorded in official statistics. Reconstruction of catch estimates with limited hard data requires interpolation and assumptions, justifiable only by the unsatisfactory alternative of continued substitution of zero catches, a common policy interpretation for ‘no data’. Uncertainties associated with reconstructions are high, requiring conservative estimation. American Samoan domestic fisheries consist of an artisanal, small-boat sector, whose commercial catches are reported, and a shore-based subsistence sector, with no regular reporting. Our catch reconstruction (with large pelagic species removed) suggested a 79% decrease in catches between 1950 (752 t) and 2002 (155 t). Accounting for rapid human population growth on the main island, the per capita catch rate may have declined from 36.3 kg·person⁻¹ year⁻¹ in 1950 to 1.3 kg·person⁻¹ year⁻¹ by 2002, while the catch rate for the inhabited outer islands has been independently reported as 58.6 kg·person⁻¹ year⁻¹. Catch per area of coral reef (to 50-m depth) may have declined from 5.5 to 0.7 t km⁻² year⁻¹ for the main island, and from 9.1 to 4.9 t km⁻² year⁻¹ for the outer islands, for 1950 and 2002, respectively. Summed for 1950–2002, our reconstruction suggested a 17-fold difference between reconstructed estimates and reported statistics.     

The “Grey Area” in the Northern Bay of Bengal: A Note on a Functional Cooperative Solution

The judgments in maritime delimitation cases involving Bangladesh and Myanmar (2012) and between Bangladesh and India (2014) have resulted in a “Grey Area” in the northern Bay of Bengal involving intersecting and overlapping rights and responsibilities in terms of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf regimes. This article seeks to identify a functional solution for this Grey Area.     

Distribution,biomass and production of Gracilaria in Lüderitz Bay,Namibia

The extent and biomass of the Gracilaria beds in the Lüderitz Bay area, Namibia were surveyed in winter and summer. The beds covered most of the suitable sediments available (grain size 106–212 μm) and did not occur in water shallower than 1 m or deeper than 11 m. Total surface area, most of which occurred in the Bay system, changed very little from winter to summer but biomass increased by 3.5 fold. In winter, total Gracilaria biomass was 200 t and 650 t and in summer, 150 t and 2850 t respectively in the Lagoon and Bay. Maximum biomass occurred at 3–4 m in the Lagoon and 5–6 m in the Bay in both winter and summer. Gracilaria beach cast data from 1987 to 1991 for the area were analysed for seasonality and, depending on the specific site, correlated with swell, southerly wind velocity and sea temperature. Beach cast in the Lagoon system is a more continuous process than in the Bay, where beach casts at most sites follow an annual pattern. Wind driven currents and chop were the most important causative parameters of beach cast in the Lagoon whereas the depth at which the plants were growing and swell were more important in the Bay system. The two systems viz. Lagoon and Bay are independent of one another with very little or no exchange of Gracilaria between them. This was evidenced by the similar percentage each contributes to the total beach cast and the similar pattern of beach cast from year to year. The decrease in total beach cast from 1989 to the end of the study period was attributed to a trend towards increasing swell height and low sea temperatures in 1991.