The application of acoustic Doppler current profilers to measure the timing and patterns of coral larval dispersal

An experiment was conducted along the reefs off west Maui, Hawaii, during the summer of 2003 to monitor the spawning of the reef-building coral Montipora capitata and to determine the role of ocean currents in dispersing the larvae from the natal reef. Instruments documented the environmental forcing during the coral spawning season; drifters were deployed on three successive nights following direct observations of coral spawning. Both the timing and relative magnitude of the coral spawning were identifiable in acoustic backscatter data and correlated to plankton tow data. Each drifter track showed that the surface water containing coral eggs and planula larvae were transported rapidly offshore and not locally retained. Wind and current patterns during the previous year and during subsequent coral spawning events later in the summer were similar to those observed during the drifter releases. This suggests that the trajectories observed during the focused experiment are representative of the general pattern of larval dispersal off west Maui. These findings demonstrate the application of acoustic profilers for remotely imaging coral spawning and predicting their initial dispersal patterns.     

Relationships of Exodontiella, a non-alysiine, exodont member of the family Braconidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera)

The placement of Exodontiella Wharton is re-examined in light of the discovery of four additional individuals. Genomic DNA was extracted from one of the individuals, the D2 expansion segment of the 28S rRNA gene was sequenced, and the sequence compared to selected taxa within the Braconidae. Based on the molecular data and the morphological study, Exodontiella is formally transferred from the Opiinae to the Gnamptodontinae. The genus and its included species are redescribed.     

The ‘salão’ vegetation of Southwestern Amazonia

This paper presents a first account of the salão vegetation of southwestern Amazonia, a frequent but poorly known formation and unusual in that it is a lowland moist tropical environment in which virtually all of the plant diversity is accounted for by herbs. The salões occur along canalized portions of the Purus and Juruá river basins, and their substrates consist of exposed parent materials that characterize much of this sector of Amazonia but are usually overlain by a relatively thin (<1 m) layer of soil. They are constantly moist seeps or ‘seepage banks,’ and the lower portions are seasonally submerged. Strata are recognizable in the vegetation, and the physiognomy and composition of each vegetation band of the salões is likely determined by the slope, the parent material, and (for lower bands) the duration of flooding. To date the salão flora has registered 66 species: 11 bryophytes, 12 ferns, and 43 angiosperms. Five of the bryophyte species, two ferns, and one grass, Arundinella berteroniana, are found in most if not all salões and can be considered indicators of this vegetation type, while most of the pteridophytes and other angiosperms occur more sporadically. None of the species is endemic to the formation and only four to the region; most are associated generally with the margins of rivers, lakes, and streams, often on rocky or sandy substrates. The floristic and conservation significance of this formation lie in its apparent affinities with montane regions, in the fact that 21 species and eight genera are recorded for the Acre flora only from the salões, and in its local value as a source of filtered potable water.