Agricultural activities and land use in a Neolithic village around 3900 B.C.: Hornstaad Hörnle I A, Lake Constance, Germany

The archaeobotanical investigations in the Neolithic pile settlement of Hornstaad Hörnle I A, Lake Constance, Germany (3919–3905 cal B.C.) has answered many questions concerning agricultural activities and land use in Neolithic times. Very large carbonized stores of unthreshed cereals there showed that every household had 210–280 kg of naked wheat, einkorn, barley and emmer. As most of the wild plant remains in the cereal stores were from annual field weeds it is concluded that the arable land was cultivated continuously, probably for the whole duration of the settlement's occupation. No hints of short or long period fallows were found. Intensive soil treatment such as hoeing and digging is indicated by the rarity of perennial weeds. Because of the high quality of the cultivated soils, manuring was not necessary. The cereals were harvested high on the culm, and the harvest was first stored unthreshed, probably to dry it completely. Every house (family) had its own cereal stores with various cereals. Naked wheat and probably naked barley were threshed outside the settlement, while dehusking of einkorn and probably of emmer took place inside the village. Evidence of cereal cleaning, winnowing, sieving and sorting by hand were found. More than 700 carbonized remains of food products showed that porridge made from ground and shredded wheat was one of the main foods in the settlement.     

Activity and shelter use of an intertidal snail: effects of sex, reproductive condition and tidal cycle

Although activity patterns are an important component of the ecology of animals as they search for food, mates and appropriate habitats, substantial variation can be observed even within a single population. The source of this variation is the combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors acting at an individual level. We documented the activity patterns of the ovoviviparous intertidal gastropod Littorina saxatilis (Olivi) over a series of tidal cycles to assess how differences in movements of individuals with different reproductive attributes (non-gravid females, gravid females and males) might explain intra-population variability in activity. Four behaviors were measured for four consecutive tidal cycles for each of 3 months: the magnitude, frequency, and orientation of movements, and the use of shelters (i.e., crevices). In addition, we correlated movements with variations in several environmental factors (temperature, wind, humidity) during low tide to investigate the possible risk sensitivity of the different reproductive groups. All groups were more active and moved greater distances during high tide. Females, especially gravid females, appeared to be more risk-sensitive as they moved shorter distances and used shelters more often. Gravid females were also the only group with a negative relationship between air temperature and movement during low tide. We interpret these behaviors as a means to increase the probability of survival of the brooded offspring carried by the female. Males were the only group to consistently have directionality in their movements and showed evidence of an “up-down” behavior for remaining in a restricted zone. Reproductive attributes appear to be able to explain part of the intra-population variability in foraging activity in natural populations and should be taken into account in the design and interpretation of behavioral and ecological studies.     

Can we predict the effects of alien species? A case-history of the invasion of South Africa by Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck)

The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis invaded the shores of South Africa in about the mid-1970s. It was first detected at a harbour in Saldanha on the west coast and apparently arrived accidentally. From there, it spread at a rate of about 115 km·year⁻¹ and now occupies the whole of the west coast of South Africa and at least the southern half of Namibia. It was deliberately introduced from the west coast to the south coast for mariculture. In this case study, we record its effects on intertidal rocky shores, cast in terms of predictions based on (a) the history of its invasions elsewhere, (b) its mode of dispersal, (c) its physiological performance relative to indigenous mussels, (d) the role of wave action as a moderator of competition, (e) the influence of relative body sizes, (f) the projected effects of the mussel on infauna, (g) consumption by higher trophic levels, and (h) rates of parasitism.

Several properties of M. galloprovincialis itself, and of the recipient community, conspired to favour the spread and establishment of this alien mussel, including high productivity on the west coast of South Africa, prevalently strong wave action, a sparsity of predators, an absence of parasites, the mussel's fast growth and high reproductive output, and its possession of a planktotrophic larva. It competitively displaces several species because of its physiological performance. Some of the species gain a substitute substratum on the mussels themselves, but only if they are small enough to live and reproduce on the mussels. M. galloprovincialis has had little effect on infauna, but has provided an additional source of food for higher predators, including the rare and endangered African Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini).

Nearly all these effects and conditions were forecasted (or, at the least, explainable with hindsight), but despite these successes in predicting the impacts of M. galloprovincialis, its spread was not only unavoidable but was encouraged by its transfer to the south coast for mariculture. Moreover, there was one completely unpredictable effect of M. galloprovincialis—which led to mass mortalities of a swimming crab. Given the failure of even quite detailed and accurate predictions to allow control of M. galloprovincialis once it arrived, prevention rather than cure must be the prime means of avoiding future unwanted introductions of invasive species.     

Late Holocene stratigraphic evolution of a back-barrier tidal basin in the East Frisian Wadden Sea, southern North Sea: transgressive deposition and its preservation potential

The late Holocene stratigraphic evolution of a back-barrier tidal basin in the East Frisian Wadden Sea, southern North Sea, was investigated on the basis of a conceptual model relating the rate of sea-level rise to the rate of sediment supply. For this purpose, more than 20 vibra-cores and box-cores were evaluated, complemented by ¹⁴C ages of in situ peats and historical charts. In spite of interspersed short regressive events, the late Holocene stratigraphy generally reveals upward-coarsening grain-size trends indicative of transgressive deposition in the course of sea-level rise rather than erosion and redeposition by migrating channels. A particular feature is the general absence of down-core bioturbation traces, which stands out in sharp contrast to the intensely burrowed modern surface layer. Thus, in the Wadden Sea, high sediment turnover in the course of rapid transgression evidently obliterates most bioturbation traces and other tidal signals such as minor regressive deposits, thereby emphasising the importance of preservation potential.     

Reef fish community structure on coastal islands of the southeastern Brazil: the influence of exposure and benthic cover

Patterns of community structure in the marine environment are strongly influenced by population relationships to biotic and physical gradients. The aim of this work is to explore the relationships of tropical rocky reef fish assemblages to wave exposure and benthic coverage in a gradient of distance from the coast. The study was conducted on the Guarapari Islands, southeastern Brazilian coast. Fish were sampled by underwater visual census (166 transects) and benthic cover was estimated with quadrats (223 replicates). Two main kinds of habitats were found to be derived from the close interrelation between exposure and benthic coverage: (1) exposed areas subjected to major hydrodynamic forcing, and (2) sheltered or moderately exposed areas. The first group is associated with mid-water schooling species like planktivorous labrids and Chromis, piscivorous Caranx, as well as gregarious omnivores like Abudefduf and Diplodus. In terms of benthic composition, macroalgae and encrusting calcareous algae prevail in this high-energy habitat. The second group is characterized by site-attached and reef associated species like territorial pomacentrids, invertebrate feeders such as Halichoeres poeyi and Chaetodon striatus, and small cryptobenthic fishes (e.g. blenniids and labrisomids). Turf algae, zoanthids and massive corals dominate this environment. Environmental plasticity is also common with some genera showing high abundances in all habitats (e.g. Holocentrus, Haemulon, Acanthurus). Examples of the coupling of food availability and fish abundance were found. Planktivores, territorial herbivores, macroalgae browsers and spongivores were positively related with the abundance of their preferred food items along the exposure gradient. Within-family analyses of Pomacentridae and Labridae showed that niche partitioning is likely occurring and seems to be mediated by swimming ‘ability’ and associated feeding performance.     

Factors delimiting the boundary between vertically contiguous mussel beds ofSeptifer virgatus (Wiegmann) andHormomya mutabilis (Gould)

On moderately wave-exposed rocky shores in middle Japan, the upper interidal mytilid,Septifer virgatus, and lower intertidal mytilid,Hormomya mutabilis, occur together, forming vertically contiguous mussed beds. Factors limiting the lower distribution limit ofSeptifer and the upper limit ofHormomya were investigated by collections of natural mussel clumps and single- and mixed-species transplantation experiments. Newly settled juvenileSeptifer (<5 mm shell length) were significantly fewer in the natural and artificialHormomya clumps than in theSeptifer clumps. Both natural and artificialHormomya clumps accumulated a much greater amount of sediment than did theSeptifer clumps.Hormomya clumps inhibited the recruitment ofSeptifer, presumably through accumulation of sediment, which resulted in setting the lower limit of theSeptifer zone. Survivorship of small (5–10 mm) and large (>15 mm)Hormomya was much lower inHormomya clumps transplanted upwards into theSeptifer zone than it was inHormomya clumps in theHormomya zone. In mixed-species clumps in theSeptifer zone, however, survivorship of smallHormomya was not significantly different from that in mixed-species clumps in theHormomya zone.Septifer had a positive effect on the survival of smallHormomya and increased the upper limit ofHormomya, presumably by providing shelter and thus protecting them from desiccation. The upper limit ofHormomya zone was thus considered to be set by desiccation exceeding the physiological tolerance of the species.