Comparing the potential for dispersal via waterbirds of a native and an invasive brine shrimp

1. Migratory waterbirds are likely to have a major role in the spread of many exotic aquatic invertebrates by passive dispersal. However, in the field, this has so far only been confirmed in the case of the American brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, which is spreading quickly around the Mediterranean region. 2. We compared experimentally the capacity of A. franciscana and the native brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica to disperse via migratory shorebirds. After Artemia resting eggs (cysts) were fed to Redshank Tringa totanus and Dunlin Calidris alpina, we compared the proportion that survived gut passage, their hatchability and their retention time within the gut. We also tested the ability of cysts to stick to the feathers of Black‐tailed Godwit Limosa limosa. 3. The proportion of ingested cysts retrieved from faeces was the same for each Artemia species (8%), and there were no significant differences in retention time (mean 1.2 h and maximum 10 h for A. parthenogenetica, 1.4 and 12 h for A. franciscana) or hatchability (11% versus 14%). The two shorebird species showed similar retention times and retrieval rates, but cysts recovered from Dunlin had a significantly higher hatchability. Only one of the 1000 A. parthenogenetica cysts and three of the 1000 A. franciscana cysts stuck to feathers. 4. These results indicate that both non‐native and native brine shrimps have a similar high capacity for endozoochory via birds, and that the invasiveness of A. franciscana is probably explained by its competitive superiority owing to high fecundity and release from cestode parasitism. Owing to their different migratory behaviour, Redshank and Dunlin are likely to have different roles as brine shrimp vectors. Brine shrimps provide a suitable model for understanding the role of birds in the dispersal of exotic aquatic invertebrates.     

An ethological framework for animal bioerosion trace fossils upon mineral substrates with proposal of a new class, fixichnia

Animal bioerosion trace fossils upon mineral substrates are analyzed from the point of view of the Seilacherian ethological classification. Several of the currently accepted ethological classes: cubichnia, fugichnia, repichnia, fodinichnia, agrichnia, calichnia and aedificichnia are not represented in these substrates. This fact points out a lower behavioral diversity of hard substrate trace fossils when compared with soft sediment trace fossils. Bioerosion traces can be classified in just five classes: domichnia, pascichnia, equilibrichnia, praedichnia and fixichnia. Fixichnia is here erected to gather superficial etching scars resulting from the anchoring of fixation of sessile epiliths by means of a soft or skeletal body part. Praedichnia and fixichnia are exclusive of the bioerosion realm.     

Factors influencing the variability of pigments in the surface sediments of mountain lakes

1. Surface sediment biofilm samples from 82 Pyrenean lakes were analysed for marker pigment composition using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 2. Variability in the pigment composition among lakes was investigated by multivariate statistical analyses using a large data set of factors describing lake chemical, physical, morphological and catchment characteristics. 3. Due to the widely varying light penetration in the lakes, the most significant gradient of pigment composition extended from a benthic to a planktonic signal. The most important pigments in the gradient were alloxanthin (cryptophytes marker pigment, planktonic signal) and diatoxanthin (diatoms marker pigment, benthic signal). The molar ratio between these two marker pigments was positively correlated with lake depth. 4. Chlorophyll‐a preservation was found to be positively related to light penetration and the development of an autothrophic biofilm on the surface sediment and negatively related to decreasing pH and the percentage of alpine meadows in the lake catchments. 5. Zooplankton marker pigments in the surface sediment, including grazing by‐products (e.g. phaeophorbides) and carotenoids (astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, echinenone) incorporated into their tissues, were correlated with the areal abundance of zooplankton. 6. Marker pigments for photosynthetic bacteria, BChl‐e and okenone, were found mainly in relatively shallow lakes with large catchments that are forested, probably because of their higher loading of allochthonous organic matter. 7. The evaluation of a preservation index (Chl‐a expressed as a percentage of a‐phorbins) and the alloxanthin/diatoxanthin ratios throughout the sediment record of mountain lakes can provide evidence of historical changes in the relative importance of planktonic versus benthic primary production and might ultimately be interpreted in terms of climatic or environmental changes.     

Faster returns on ‘leaf economics’ and different biogeochemical niche in invasive compared with native plant species

Plant‐invasive success is one of the most important current global changes in the biosphere. To understand which factors explain such success, we compared the foliar traits of 41 native and 47 alien‐invasive plant species in Oahu Island (Hawaii), a location with a highly endemic flora that has evolved in isolation and is currently vulnerable to invasions by exotic plant species. Foliar traits, which in most cases presented significant phylogenetic signal, i.e. closely related species tended to resemble each other due to shared ancestry, separated invasive from native species. Invasive species had lower leaf mass per area and enhanced capacities in terms of productivity (photosynthetic capacity) and nutrient capture both of macro‐ (N, P, K) and microelements (Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn). All these differences remain highly significant after removing the effects of phylogenetic history. Alien‐invasive species did not show higher efficiency at using limiting nutrient resources, but they got faster leaf economics returns and occupied a different biogeochemical niche, which helps to explain the success of invasive plants and suggests that potential increases in soil nutrient availability might favor further invasive plant success.     

Using Landsat images to map habitat availability for waterbirds in rice fields

Rice fields are an important habitat for waterbirds. Knowledge of the availability of this habitat is important since the reduction in the area of natural wetlands has converted rice fields into vital refuges. This paper presents a method for mapping habitat availability in rice fields according to different waterbirds’ habitat preferences and examining its phenology during the crop cycle. Data from bird censuses carried out in the Doñana rice fields were analysed to determine the habitat preferences of 22 species of waterbird at different stages in the rice production cycle. Discriminant function analysis of seven Landsat images was used to classify paddy field stages. The phenology of habitat availability in rice fields during autumn and winter was examined. Waterfowl and waders preferentially used the ‘flooded’ and ‘mudflats with water’ paddy field stages, respectively, and the ‘rice growing’ and ‘dry’ stages were rejected by waterbirds. The area of preferred habitats within rice fields increased during autumn; subsequently, the area of the ‘flooded’ paddy fields decreased in January, whereas that of ‘mudflats with water’ remained available until March. The automatic classification of paddy field stages with Landsat images allowed habitat availability for different species of waterbirds to be monitored and provides relevant information for understanding behavioural and population responses in waterbirds that use rice fields. After examining the phenology of the availability of habitat and comparing it with dates of arrival and departure of migrant waterbirds, best crop practices could be defined to favour waterbirds (i.e. adjusting harvest, ploughing and flooding dates). Taking into account climatic change and loss of wetlands this method could help in the integration of agriculture and conservation, in particular in areas where there is no remaining natural wetland habitat.     

Predation by introduced fish constrains the thermal distribution of aquatic Coleoptera in mountain lakes

1. Most high mountain lakes were free of fish until humans stocked them. This provides the opportunity to study the extent to which predation constrains the thermal distribution of large macroinvertebrates, among lakes of a suitable temperature for them. 2. We analysed the distribution of aquatic beetles (Coleoptera, Dytisicidae, including the genera Agabus, Platambus, Hydroporus and Boreonectes) in a set of 82 lakes in the Pyrenees. Temperature was the most important variable explaining the overall distribution of dytiscids (out of 29 environmental variables considered). The presence of fish (i.e. salmonids) and macrophyte cover (plants provide refuge from predators) was also important. Indeed, either salmonids or macrophytes as single factors explained more of the variance in dytiscid distribution than temperature. 3. Further analysis showed that the presence of salmonids was particularly important for the medium‐sized dytiscid Agabus bipustulatus. This species is generally eurythermic, although in the Pyrenees it is found mainly in cold lakes. This is attributed to predation pressure from fish, since the latter are more likely to be present in warm lakes. As a consequence, salmonids increase fragmentation of A. bipustulatus with respect to populations occupying lowland habitats. 4. Predation can therefore constrain the distribution of species to a fraction of habitats that appear suitable based on simple thermal responses. As humans also facilitate the dispersal of non‐native fish, the consequent modification of distribution patterns in fresh waters could make it difficult to predict how distributions might change in relation to climate warming.     

A taphonomic approach to the genetic interpretation of clypeasteroid accumulations from the Miocene of Tarragona,NE Spain

Belaústegui, Z., Nebelsick, J.H., Gibert, J.M. de, Domènech, R. & Martinell, J. 2012: A taphonomic approach to the genetic interpretation of clypeasteroid accumulations from the Miocene of Tarragona, NE Spain. Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 548–565. Clypeasteroid accumulations are common in Cenozoic shallow marine sediments, particularly in the Neogene, as they are also in analogue modern environments. In this article, four clypeasteroid accumulations from Miocene (Serravallian) shallow marine carbonates of the El Camp de Tarragona Basin (NE Spain) are studied. Two of them are dominated by flat‐shaped Parascutella, whereas the other two consist exclusively of bell‐shaped Clypeaster. The combination of the taphonomic analysis of the tests, the palaeoecological and taphonomic information provided by the associated fossils, and the stratigraphical and sedimentological context of each one of these beds allows interpreting them as autochthonous/parautochthonous accumulations resulting from in situ reworking in moderate energy settings, except for one that constitutes a true sand dollar coquina deposited by a storm event. This contribution explores the potential of thorough taphonomic analysis of marine invertebrate skeletal concentrations and substantiates the importance of clypeasteroid echinoids as producers of shell beds in the Neogene. □ Clypeasteroids, Echinoids, Miocene, Taphonomy, Tarragona.     

Relationship between body size and homing ability in the genus Osmia (Hymenoptera; Megachilidae)

Abstract 1. The maximum homing ability of female bees, that is, their capacity to return to the nest after being displaced a certain distance, is considered to be an estimate of their maximum foraging distance. 2. The present study provides data on homing ability and body weight for Osmia lignaria and combines them with data for five other congenerics, O. rufa, O. cornuta, O. pedicornis, O. cornifrons, and O. emarginata for analysis. These species are important pollinators of spring‐flowering plants, and some have been developed as commercial crop pollinators. 3. It is shown that homing ability is positively and linearly related to body weight (r² = 0.81; P = 0.01). 4. These results should be of use in selecting Osmia species as potential crop pollinators and establishing adequate buffer distances around genetically modified crops.