Lead isotope ratios in six lake sediment cores from Japan Archipelago: Historical record of trans-boundary pollution sources.

PubMed

Hosono, Takahiro; Alvarez, Kelly; Kuwae, Michinobu

2016-07-15

Sediment cores from six lakes situated from north to south on the Japanese Archipelago were collected during 2009-2010 to investigate the hypothesis that deposition of lead (Pb) was coming from East Asia (including China, South Korea and eastern part of Russia). Accumulation rates and ages of the lake sediment were estimated by the (210)Pb constant rate of supply model and (137)Cs inputs to reconstruct the historical trends of Pb accumulation. Cores from four lakes located in the north and central Japan, showed clear evidence of Pb pollution with a change in the (206)Pb/(207)Pb and (208)Pb/(207)Pb ratios in the recent sediment as compared to the deeper sediment. Among the six studied lakes, significant inputs of anthropogenic lead emissions were observed at Lake Mikazuki (north Hokkaido in north Japan), Lake Chokai (north of Honshu), and Lake Mikuriga (central part of Honshu). Pb isotopic comparison of collected core sediment and previously reported data for wet precipitation and aerosols from different Asian regions indicate that, before 1900, Pb accumulated in these three lakes was not affected by trans-boundary sources. Lake Mikazuki started to receive Pb emissions from Russia in early 1900s, and during the last two decades, this lake has been affected by trans-boundary Pb pollution from northern China. Lake Chokai has received Pb pollutant from northern China since early 1900s until 2009, whereas for the Lake Mikuriga the major Pb contaminant was transported from southern China during the past 100years. The results of our study demonstrate that Japan Archipelago has received trans-boundary Pb emissions from different parts of East Asian region depending on location, and the major source region has changed historically. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hawaiian Island Archipelago

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

In this view of the entire Hawaiian Island Archipelago (21.0N, 157.0W), the islands perturb the prevailing northeastewrly winds producing extensive cloud wakes in the lee of the islands. The atmospheric haze within the wake is a result of the near continuous eruptions of Kilauea volcano on the southeast coast of the big island of Hawaii.

Cossidae of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen)

PubMed Central

Borth, Robert; Ivinskis, Povilas; Saldaitis, Aidas; Yakovlev, Roman

2011-01-01

Abstract The faunistic composition of the family Cossidae (Lepidoptera) of the Socotra Archipelago is revised. Five species are recognized, including two new species (Mormogystia brandstetteri and Meharia hackeri), and dubious identifications and records are discussed. Adults and genitalia are illustrated and bionomic details, DNA barcodes and a synonymic checklist for Socotran cossids are provided. A review of their distribution reveals that at least 80 percent of Socotra’s cossids are unique to the archipelago, which is renowned for its endemism. A checklist listing all the species from generas Meharia, Mormogystia, Aethalopteryx, Azygophleps, as well as the synonymy and distribution is provided. PMID:21998527

Modeled Population Connectivity across the Hawaiian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Wren, Johanna L. K.; Kobayashi, Donald R.; Jia, Yanli; Toonen, Robert J.

2016-01-01

We present the first comprehensive estimate of connectivity of passive pelagic particles released from coral reef habitat throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago. Potential connectivity is calculated using a Lagrangian particle transport model coupled offline with currents generated by an oceanographic circulation model, MITgcm. The connectivity matrices show a surprising degree of self-recruitment and directional dispersal towards the northwest, from the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) to the northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). We identify three predicted connectivity breaks in the archipelago, that is, areas in the mid and northern part of the archipelago that have limited connections with surrounding islands and reefs. Predicted regions of limited connectivity generally match observed patterns of genetic structure reported for coral reef species in the uninhabited NWHI, but multiple genetic breaks observed in the inhabited MHI are not explained by passive dispersal. The better congruence in our modeling results based on physical transport of passive particles in the low-lying atolls of the uninhabited NWHI, but not in the anthropogenically impacted high islands of the MHI begs the question: what ultimately controls connectivity in this system? PMID:27930680

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in seabirds from Abrolhos Archipelago, Brazil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Toxoplasma gondii is a coccidian parasite that infects almost all warm-blooded animals, including birds. Abrolhos is an archipelago of five islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean, 56 nautical kilometers from the south coast of the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. Part of this archipelago is a Na...

Comparative phylogeography of oceanic archipelagos: Hotspots for inferences of evolutionary process

PubMed Central

Shaw, Kerry L.; Gillespie, Rosemary G.

2016-01-01

Remote island archipelagos offer superb opportunities to study the evolution of community assembly because of their relatively young and simple communities where speciation contributes to the origin and evolution of community structure. There is great potential for common phylogeographic patterns among remote archipelagos that originate through hotspot volcanism, particularly when the islands formed are spatially isolated and linearly arranged. The progression rule is characterized by a phylogeographic concordance between island age and lineage age in a species radiation. Progression is most likely to arise when a species radiation begins on an older island before the emergence of younger islands of a hotspot archipelago. In the simplest form of progression, colonization of younger islands as they emerge and offer appropriate habitat, is coincident with cladogenesis. In this paper, we review recent discoveries of the progression rule on seven hotspot archipelagos. We then discuss advantages that progression offers to the study of community assembly, and insights that community dynamics may offer toward understanding the evolution of progression. We describe results from two compelling cases of progression where the mosaic genome may offer insights into contrasting demographic histories that shed light on mechanisms of speciation and progression on remote archipelagos. PMID:27432948

Genetic Structure of Plasmodium falciparum and Elimination of Malaria, Comoros Archipelago

PubMed Central

Rebaudet, Stanislas; Bogreau, Hervé; Silaï, Rahamatou; Lepère, Jean-François; Bertaux, Lionel; Pradines, Bruno; Delmont, Jean; Gautret, Philippe; Parola, Philippe

2010-01-01

The efficacy of malaria control and elimination on islands may depend on the intensity of new parasite inflow. On the Comoros archipelago, where falciparum malaria remains a major public health problem because of spread of drug resistance and insufficient malaria control, recent interventions for malaria elimination were planned on Moheli, 1 of 4 islands in the Comoros archipelago. To assess the relevance of such a local strategy, we performed a population genetics analysis by using multilocus microsatellite and resistance genotyping of Plasmodium falciparum sampled from each island of the archipelago. We found a contrasted population genetic structure explained by geographic isolation, human migration, malaria transmission, and drug selective pressure. Our findings suggest that malaria elimination interventions should be implemented simultaneously on the entire archipelago rather than restricted to 1 island and demonstrate the necessity for specific chemoresistance surveillance on each of the 4 Comorian islands. PMID:21029525

A new species of the genus Duolandrevus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Landrevinae) from China.

PubMed

Ma, Libin; Gorochov, Andrej V; Zhang, Yalin

2015-05-27

A bark cricket genus Duolandrevus Kirby, 1906 is discussed here. These species are brownish with depressed bodies, with reduced elytra, lack hind wings and live in the bark of dead trees or branches. Duolandrevus are distributed from the south of China and Japan to the Philippines, the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea. Only one species, Duolandrevus hongkongae Otte, 1988, was recorded in China. Here, one additional species, Duolandrevus (Eulandrevus) unguiculatus sp. nov. is described from Southern China. Its description and illustrations and the key to the subgenera of Duolandrevus worldwide are given.

Canary Island Archipelago

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

This nearly vertical view of the Canary Archipelago (28.5N, 16.5W) shows five of the seven islands: Grand Canary, Tenerife, Gomera, Hierro and La Palma. The largest island in view is Tenerife. Island cloud wakes evident in this photo are the result of southerly winds giving rise to cloud banks on the lee side especially on Tenerife which has the highest volcanic peaks. Island water wakes and internal waves are also evident but not as apparent.

Hawaiian Island Archipelago

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-06-24

The entire Hawaiian Island Archipelago (21.5N, 158.0W) is seen in this single view. The islands are a favorite international resort and tourist attraction drawing visitors from all over the world to enjoy the tropical climate, year round beaches and lush island flora. Being volcanic in origin, the islands' offer a rugged landscape and on the big island of Hawaii, there is still an occasional volcanic eruption of lava flows and steam vents.

Sea otter population declines in the Aleutian Archipelago

USGS Publications Warehouse

Doroff, Angela M.; Estes, James A.; Tinker, M. Tim; Burn, Douglas M.; Evans, Thomas J.

2003-01-01

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) populations were exploited to near extinction and began to recover after the cessation of commercial hunting in 1911. Remnant colonies of sea otters in the Aleutian archipelago were among the first to recover; they continued to increase through the 1980s but declined abruptly during the 1990s. We conducted an aerial survey of the Aleutian archipelago in 2000 and compared results with similar surveys conducted in 1965 and 1992. The number of sea otters counted decreased by 75% between 1965 and 2000; 88% for islands at equilibrial density in 1965. The population decline likely began in the mid-1980s and declined at a rate of 17.5%/year in the 1990s. The minimal population estimate was 8,742 sea otters in 2000. The population declined to a uniformly low density in the archipelago, suggesting a common and geographically widespread cause. These data are in general agreement with the hypothesis of increased predation on sea otters. These data chronicle one of the most widespread and precipitous population declines for a mammalian carnivore in recorded history.

Low-frequency western Pacific Ocean sea level and circulation changes due to the connectivity of the Philippine Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Wei; Qiu, Bo; Du, Yan

2013-12-01

Interannual-to-decadal sea level and circulation changes associated with the oceanic connectivity around the Philippine Archipelago are studied using satellite altimeter sea surface height (SSH) data and a reduced gravity ocean model. SSHs in the tropical North Pacific, the Sulu Sea and the eastern South China Sea (ESCS) display very similar low-frequency oscillations that are highly correlated with El Niño and Southern Oscillation. Model experiments reveal that these variations are mainly forced by the low-frequency winds over the North Pacific tropical gyre and affected little by the winds over the marginal seas and the North Pacific subtropical gyre. The wind-driven baroclinic Rossby waves impinge on the eastern Philippine coast and excite coastal Kelvin waves, conveying the SSH signals through the Sibutu Passage-Mindoro Strait pathway into the Sulu Sea and the ESCS. Closures of the Luzon Strait, Karimata Strait, and ITF passages have little impacts on the low-frequency sea level changes in the Sulu Sea and the ESCS. The oceanic pathway west of the Philippine Archipelago modulates the western boundary current system in the tropical North Pacific. Opening of this pathway weakens the time-varying amplitudes of the North Equatorial Current bifurcation latitude and Kuroshio transport. Changes of the amplitudes can be explained by the conceptual framework of island rule that allows for baroclinic adjustment. Although it fails to capture the interannual changes in the strongly nonlinear Mindanao Current, the time-dependent island rule is nevertheless helpful in clarifying the role of the archipelago in regulating its multidecadal variations.

The Paracel Islands and U.S. Interests and Approaches in the South China Sea

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

Billiton, and Hong Kong-owned and Canada-based Husky Energy. Initial Chinese offshore exploitation occurred in the nearby Pearl River Mouth Basin and...possibility for marine-based tourism in the region, and in April 2013, China authorized tourists to visit the Paracels.40 China, which currently controls...the entire Paracel archipelago, is expanding tourism , fishing, and the military garrison on Woody Island, the archipelago’s largest feature, as the

Impact factors identification of spatial heterogeneity of herbaceous plant diversity on five southern islands of Miaodao Archipelago in North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Yuan; Shi, Honghua; Wang, Xiaoli; Qin, Xuebo; Zheng, Wei; Peng, Shitao

2016-09-01

Herbaceous plants are widely distributed on islands and where they exhibit spatial heterogeneity. Accurately identifying the impact factors that drive spatial heterogeneity can reveal typical island biodiversity patterns. Five southern islands in the Miaodao Archipelago, North China were studied herein. The spatial distribution of herbaceous plant diversity on these islands was analyzed, and the impact factors and their degree of impact on spatial heterogeneity were identified using CCA ordination and ANOVA. The results reveal 114 herbaceous plant species, belonging to 94 genera from 34 families in the 50 plots sampled. The total species numbers on different islands were significantly positively correlated with island area, and the average α diversity was correlated with human activities, while the β diversity among islands was more affected by island area than mutual distances. Spatial heterogeneity within islands indicated that the diversities were generally high in areas with higher altitude, slope, total nitrogen, total carbon, and canopy density, and lower moisture content, pH, total phosphorus, total potassium, and aspect. Among the environmental factors, pH, canopy density, total K, total P, moisture content, altitude, and slope had significant gross effects, but only canopy density exhibited a significant net effect. Terrain affected diversity by restricting plantation, plantation in turn influenced soil properties and the two together affected diversity. Therefore, plantation was ultimately the fundamental driving factor for spatial heterogeneity in herbaceous plant diversity on the five islands.

Source apportionment of fine particles and its chemical components over the Yangtze River Delta, China during a heavy haze pollution episode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, L.; An, J. Y.; Zhou, M.; Yan, R. S.; Huang, C.; Lu, Q.; Lin, L.; Wang, Y. J.; Tao, S. K.; Qiao, L. P.; Zhu, S. H.; Chen, C. H.

2015-12-01

An extremely high PM2.5 pollution episode occurred over the eastern China in January 2013. In this paper, the particulate matter source apportionment technology (PSAT) method coupled within the Comprehensive air quality model with extensions (CAMx) is applied to study the source contributions to PM2.5 and its major components at six receptors (Urban Shanghai, Chongming, Dianshan Lake, Urban Suzhou, Hangzhou and Zhoushan) in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region. Contributions from 4 source areas (including Shanghai, South Jiangsu, North Zhejiang and Super-region) and 9 emission sectors (including power plants, industrial boilers and kilns, industrial processing, mobile source, residential, volatile emissions, dust, agriculture and biogenic emissions) to PM2.5 and its major components (sulfate, nitrate, ammonia, organic carbon and elemental carbon) at the six receptors in the YRD region are quantified. Results show that accumulation of local pollution was the largest contributor during this air pollution episode in urban Shanghai (55%) and Suzhou (46%), followed by long-range transport (37% contribution to Shanghai and 44% to Suzhou). Super-regional emissions play an important role in PM2.5 formation at Hangzhou (48%) and Zhoushan site (68%). Among the emission sectors contributing to the high pollution episode, the major source categories include industrial processing (with contributions ranging between 12.7 and 38.7% at different receptors), combustion source (21.7-37.3%), mobile source (7.5-17.7%) and fugitive dust (8.4-27.3%). Agricultural contribution is also very significant at Zhoushan site (24.5%). In terms of the PM2.5 major components, it is found that industrial boilers and kilns are the major source contributor to sulfate and nitrate. Volatile emission source and agriculture are the major contributors to ammonia; transport is the largest contributor to elemental carbon. Industrial processing, volatile emissions and mobile source are the most significant

[Construction of individual-based ecological model for Scomber japonicas at its early growth stages in East China Sea].

PubMed

Li, Yue-Song; Chen, Xin-Jun; Yang, Hong

2012-06-01

By adopting FVCOM-simulated 3-D physical field and based on the biological processes of chub mackerel (Scomber japonicas) in its early life history from the individual-based biological model, the individual-based ecological model for S. japonicas at its early growth stages in the East China Sea was constructed through coupling the physical field in March-July with the biological model by the method of Lagrange particle tracking. The model constructed could well simulate the transport process and abundance distribution of S. japonicas eggs and larvae. The Taiwan Warm Current, Kuroshio, and Tsushima Strait Warm Current directly affected the transport process and distribution of the eggs and larvae, and indirectly affected the growth and survive of the eggs and larvae through the transport to the nursery grounds with different water temperature and foods. The spawning grounds in southern East China Sea made more contributions to the recruitment to the fishing grounds in northeast East China Sea, but less to the Yangtze estuary and Zhoushan Island. The northwestern and southwestern parts of spawning grounds had strong connectivity with the nursery grounds of Cheju and Tsushima Straits, whereas the northeastern and southeastern parts of the spawning ground had strong connectivity with the nursery grounds of Kyushu and Pacific Ocean.

Alexander Archipelago, Southeastern Alaska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

West of British Columbia, Canada, and south of the Yukon Territory, the southeastern coastline of Alaska trails off into the islands of the Alexander Archipelago. The area is rugged and contains many long, U-shaped, glaciated valleys, many of which terminate at tidewater. The Alexander Archipelago is home to Glacier Bay National Park. The large bay that has two forks on its northern end is Glacier Bay itself. The eastern fork is Muir inlet, into which runs the Muir glacier, named for the famous Scottish-born naturalist John Muir. Glacier Bay opens up into the Icy Strait. The large, solid white area to the west is Brady Icefield, which terminates at the southern end in Brady's Glacier. To locate more interesting features from Glacier Bay National Park, take a look at the park service map. As recently as two hundred years ago, a massive ice field extended into Icy Strait and filled the Glacier Bay. Since that time, the area has experienced rapid deglaciation, with many large glaciers retreating 40, 60, even 80 km. While temperatures have increased in the region, it is still unclear whether the rapid recession is part of the natural cycle of tidewater glaciers or is an indicator of longer-term climate change. For more on Glacier Bay and climate change, read an online paper by Dr. Dorothy Hall, a MODIS Associate Science Team Member. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

The Galapagos archipelago: A natural laboratory to examine sharp hydroclimatic, geologic and anthropogenic gradients

USGS Publications Warehouse

Percy, Madelyn; Schmitt, Sarah; Riveros-Iregui, Diego; Mirus, Benjamin B.

2016-01-01

Poor understanding of the water cycle in tropical ecosystems has the potential to exacerbate water shortages and water crises in the region. We suggest that the Galápagos Islands provide an excellent proxy to regions across the tropics as a result of sharp hydroclimatic, anthropogenic, and pedohydrologic gradients across the archipelago. Hydroclimatic and pedohydrologic gradients are found across different elevations on single islands, as well as across the archipelago, whereas anthropogenic gradients reflect land use and land cover change across islands as population and growth in tourism have affected individual islands differently. This article highlights specific opportunities to further examine our understanding of the interactions between water and critical zone processes in tropical ecosystems, making connections between the Galápagos archipelago and much of the understudied tropics. The Galápagos archipelago offers a natural laboratory through which we can examine current threats to freshwater security as well as the dynamics of coupled natural and human systems.

The Alexander Archipelago wolf: a conservation assessment.

Treesearch

David K. Person; Matthew Kirchhoff; Victor van Ballenberghe; George C. Iverson; Edward Grossman

1996-01-01

We summarized the scientific information available for the Alexander Archipelago wolf (Canis lupus ligoni) in the Tongass National Forest of southeast Alaska. Information concerning the morphology, distribution, taxonomy, genetics, and ecology of wolves are presented. Three issues for the conservation of wolves in southeast Alaska are discussed:...

Projected polar bear sea ice habitat in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

PubMed

Hamilton, Stephen G; Castro de la Guardia, Laura; Derocher, Andrew E; Sahanatien, Vicki; Tremblay, Bruno; Huard, David

2014-01-01

Sea ice across the Arctic is declining and altering physical characteristics of marine ecosystems. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) have been identified as vulnerable to changes in sea ice conditions. We use sea ice projections for the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from 2006 - 2100 to gain insight into the conservation challenges for polar bears with respect to habitat loss using metrics developed from polar bear energetics modeling. Shifts away from multiyear ice to annual ice cover throughout the region, as well as lengthening ice-free periods, may become critical for polar bears before the end of the 21st century with projected warming. Each polar bear population in the Archipelago may undergo 2-5 months of ice-free conditions, where no such conditions exist presently. We identify spatially and temporally explicit ice-free periods that extend beyond what polar bears require for nutritional and reproductive demands. Under business-as-usual climate projections, polar bears may face starvation and reproductive failure across the entire Archipelago by the year 2100.

[Species, functional, structural diversity of typical plant communities and their responses to environmental factors in Miao Archipelago, China.

PubMed

Zheng, Li Ting; Su, Tian; Liu, Xiang Yu; Yin, Fang; Guo, Chao; Tuo, Bin; Yan, En Rong

2018-02-01

Island vegetation plays an important role in biodiversity research across the world. The study of plant diversity in island is helpful for understanding the mechanism of plant diversity maintenance under land-sea interaction. Here, four typical plant communities (Quercus acutissima community, Robinia pseudoacacia community, Pinus thunbergii community and Vitex negundo community) in Miao Archipelago were selected to examine the species, functional and structural diversities and their responses to environmental factors at the community scale by using species diversity indices, functional diversity indices, as well as structural diversity indices. The results showed that the species richness and Rao index of P. thunbergii community was higher than that of Q. acutissima community and R. pseudoacacia community, but the structural diversity was lower. The species diversity and structural diversity of V. Negundo shrub were lower than that of forest community, but the functional diversity was higher than some forest communities. The relationship between the diversity of typical plant communities in island area illustrated a significant positive correlation between species richness with Rao index and tree height diversity, however the correlation with functional evenness was significantly negative. The structural diversity and functional evenness were determined by slope with negative and positive relationships, respectively. Functional heterogeneity, functional divergence and species diversity were affected largely by soil physical and chemical properties, displaying the positive relationship with soil bulk density and soil total carbon content, and a negative relationship with soil water content. In conclusion, diversity pattern of plant community in Miao Archipelago reflected not only the characteristics in mainland vegetation but also the special nature of the sea island.

Plant Conservation Challenges in the Bahama Archipelago

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Technical Abstract The Bahamian archipelago has a rich flora with 89 endemic species. An international symposium held at Nassau in October 2012 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the publication of the “Flora of the Bahama Archipelago” provided a forum to discuss plant conservation issues on these...

Hematodinium spp. infections in wild and cultured populations of marine crustaceans along the coast of China.

PubMed

Wang, Jin-Feng; Li, Meng; Xiao, Jie; Xu, Wen-Jun; Li, Cai-Wen

2017-05-11

The parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium spp. infects a broad range of marine crustaceans. Its epidemics have impacted wild populations of various commercial fishery species around the world and the sustainability of mariculture in China. To study the epidemiology of Hematodinium spp. in marine crustaceans along the coast of China, we conducted a broad survey of wild and cultured stocks of major crustacean species in 2013 to 2015. Hematodinium sp. infections were identified in wild stocks of Portunus trituberculatus from Huludao, Laizhou, Qingdao, Yangtze River Estuary and Zhoushan, and Scylla paramamosain from Shantou; and cultured stocks of Portunus trituberculatus and Penaeus monodon from a polyculture pond in Qingdao. In the polyculture pond, Hematodinium sp. infections were observed in Portunus trituberculatus from June until October, with peak prevalence (up to 90%) observed in late July to early August. Furthermore, Hematodinium sp. infection was identified for the first time in the giant tiger prawn Penaeus monodon in the polyculture system during the disease outbreak. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Hematodinium isolate infecting Penaeus monodon was identical to the isolate infecting the co-cultured Portunus trituberculatus, and it was grouped into H. perezi genotype II together with the other isolates reported in China. The Hematodinium sp. isolated from Portunus trituberculatus appeared to have similar life stages as the H. perezi genotype III isolated from the American blue crab Callinectes sapidus. Our study indicates that outbreaks of Hematodinium disease can be a significant threat to the widely used polyculture system for decapods in China that may be particularly vulnerable to such generalist pathogens.

Overview on seagrasses and related research in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yajun; Fan, Hangqing; Cui, Xiaojian; Pan, Lianghao; Li, Sen; Song, Xiukai

2010-03-01

Seagrass research in China is still in its infancy. Even though there has been progress recently, there is still a great deal of research needed to gain a better understanding of seagrass. In this article we review and discuss the advances in seagrass research in China from two aspects: (1) seagrass species and their distribution; (2) seagrass research in China, including studies on their taxonomy, ecology, photosynthesis, applications in aquaculture, salt-tolerance mechanisms and other research topics. A total of 18 seagrass species belonging to 8 genera are distributed in nine provinces and regions in China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), as well as the Xisha and Nansha Archipelagos. They can be divided into two groups: a North China Group and a South China Group. Based on the seagrass distribution, the Chinese mainland coast can be divided into three sections: North China Seagrass Coast, Middle China Seagrass Coast, and South China Seagrass Coast. Ecological studies include research on seagrass communities, nutrient cycling in seagrass ecosystems, genetic diversity, pollution ecology and research in the key regions of Shandong, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan. Seagrass species and their locations, community structure, ecological evaluation, epiphytes, ecological functions and threats in the key regions are also summarized. Other studies have focused on remote sensing of seagrass, threatened seagrass species of China, and pollen morphology of Halophila ovalis.

Major global radiation of corvoid birds originated in the proto-Papuan archipelago

PubMed Central

Jønsson, Knud A.; Fabre, Pierre-Henri; Ricklefs, Robert E.; Fjeldså, Jon

2011-01-01

A central paradigm in island biogeography has been the unidirectional “downstream” colonization of islands from continents (source to sink) based on the idea that less-diverse island communities are easier to invade than biologically more-diverse continental communities. Recently, several cases of “upstream” colonization (from islands to continents) have been documented, challenging the traditional view. However, all these cases have involved individual island species that have colonized mainland regions. Here, using molecular phylogenetic data, divergence time estimates, lineage diversity distributions, and ancestral area analyses, we reconstruct the spread of a species-rich (>700 species) passerine bird radiation (core Corvoidea) from its late Eocene/Oligocene origin in the emerging proto-Papuan archipelago north of Australia, including multiple colonizations from the archipelago to Southeast Asia. Thus, islands apparently provided the setting for the initiation of a major songbird radiation that subsequently invaded all other continents. Morphological and behavioral adaptations of the core Corvoidea as generalist feeders in open habitats, which facilitated dispersal and colonization, apparently evolved in the descendants of sedentary forest birds that invaded the proto-Papuan archipelago. The archipelago evidently provided islands of the right size, number, and proximity to continental areas to support the adaptation and diversification of vagile colonizers that went on to increase avian diversity on a global scale. PMID:21262814

A missing geographic link in the distribution of the genus Echinotriton (Caudata: Salamandridae) with description of a new species from southern China.

PubMed

Hou, Mian; Wu, Yunke; Yang, Kelin; Zheng, Sheng; Yuan, Zhiyong; Li, Pipeng

2014-12-12

Disjunct geographic distribution of a species or a group of species is the product of long-term interaction between organisms and the environment. Filling the distributional gap by discovery of a new population or a species has significant biogeographic implications, because it suggests a much wider past distribution and provides evidence for the route of range expansion/contraction. The salamandrid genus Echinotriton (commonly known as spiny salamanders, spiny newts, or crocodile newts) has two species that are restricted to two widely separated areas, one in eastern Zhejiang province, China and the other in the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan. It has been hypothesized that Echinotriton was once continuously distributed between the two areas through a historical land bridge that connected mainland China, Taiwan, and the archipelago. Finding fossils or relic populations along the postulated distribution are strong evidence for the hypothesis. Hundred-twenty-two years after the description of E. andersoni and eight-one years after that of E. chinhaiensis, we discover a third species of Echinotriton in southern China, which fills the distributional gap of the former two species. Species status of the new species is confirmed through molecular phylogenetic analysis and morphological comparison. Mitochondrial DNA indicates that the new species is sister to E. chinhaiensis, while nuclear DNA does not support this relationship. The new species has a very large quadrate projection, a single line of lateral warts pierced by distal rib extremities, normally developed 5th toes, and conical skin tubercles. Our discovery supports the hypothesis that there was a continuous distribution of Echinotriton from eastern coastal China to the Ryukyu Archipelago. We suggest that other species of this genus may also be found in Taiwan. Due to the rarity of this new species, we urge all hobbyists to refrain themselves from collecting this salamander or leaking locality information if

Island of Hawaii, Hawaiian Archipelago

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

This single photo covers almost all of the big island of Hawaii (19.5N, 155.5E) in the Hawaiian Archipelago. The active Kilauea Volcano and lava flow is under clouds and hardly visible at the lower right edge but the Mauna Loa volcano crater and its older lava flow is at the bottom center. The Kona Coast, that produces the only coffee grown in the United States, is to the left. Mauna Kea is the extinct volcano and lava flow in the right center.

Red Crosses, Blue Water: Hospital Ships and China’s Expanding Naval Presence

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

hospital ship sailed into Zhoushan harbor in the Yangtze River delta, officially joining the East Sea Fleet.66 The most prominent forerunners of the...the Yangtze Delta to some of the most remote outposts of the Chinese military in the Paracel (Xisha) and Spratly (Nansha) islands. In the course of

Material culture across the Aleutian archipelago.

PubMed

Hatfield, Virginia L

2010-12-01

The material evidence from sites across the Aleutian Islands reflects colonization events, subsequent adaptations, and influxes of ideas and/or people from the east. The occurrence in the eastern Aleutians of bifacial technology around 7000 BP, of artifacts similar to the Arctic Small Tool tradition between 4000 and 3500 BP, and of slate and jet objects around 1000 BP reflects repeated surges of influence or movement of peoples from further east into the eastern end of the chain. In the central and western Aleutians, influence or perhaps colonization from east of the Aleutians is also marked by the occurrence of bifacial technology about 6500 BP and the appearance of slate artifacts after 1000 BP, suggesting the movement of ideas or people from further east. Basic trends across the archipelago include a decrease in formal chipped-stone tools, an increase in the use and the complexity of bone technology, and the increase in use and variety of ground-stone tools. In addition, increasing village site sizes and denser midden deposits are seen later in time throughout the archipelago. The similarity in sites and assemblages, albeit with regional variations, reflects trends that are seen across the chain and indicates that these island communities were not isolated from one another or from mainland Alaska.

Magnetic mapping of Spanish Canary archipelago [ZEEE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catalan, M.; Martin, J.; Marin, J. A.; Agudo, L. M.

2003-04-01

The Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone [ZEEE] Project constitutes the most intensive mapping to date of the sea floor off Spain's coast. This extensive geophysical survey is being undertaken by a Spanish government team. The first phase [1995-1997] concentrated its efforts in the Balearic sea. The geomagnetic data acquired for this area, has already being reduced and stored as a data base, and six scalar magnetic anomaly maps have been produced at a scale of 1:200.000, and another that cover the whole zone at a scale of 1:500.000. Since 1998, the Project has systematically surveyed the Canary archipelago, ending on October 2002. This group of islands, located off the West African Continental Margin, conform an intraplate volcanic archipelago which reflects a magmatic story that started probably at Tertiary. This Communication describes its main technical details, discusses the scalar magnetic map and presents a regional analysis of the Canary islands magnetic picture, trying to identify the different intra-crustal structures which generate the anomalies.

Aldabra Islands, Seychelle Archipelago, Indian Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The Aldabra Islands, two coral atolls of the Seychelle Archipelago (9.5S, 46.5E) in the Indian Ocean, because of their remotness, have a rare ecosystem almost completely untouched by outside influences. About 10 % of the plant and animal life is unique to the atolls and therefore, development of the area has been barred. Assumption, the smaller atoll has a small aircraft runway to support occasional environmental or scientific survey teams.

Documenting the biodiversity of the Madrean Archipelago: An analysis of a virtual flora and fauna

Treesearch

Nicholas S. Deyo; Thomas R. Van Devender; Alex Smith; Edward Gilbert

2013-01-01

The Madrean Archipelago Biodiversity Assessment (MABA) of Sky Island Alliance is an ambitious project to document the distributions of all species of animals and plants in the Madrean Archipelago, focusing particularly on northeastern Sonora and northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. The information is made available through MABA’s online database (madrean.org). The sources...

Predicting Coral Recruitment in Palau’s Complex Reef Archipelago

PubMed Central

Golbuu, Yimnang; Wolanski, Eric; Idechong, Jacques Wasai; Victor, Steven; Isechal, Adelle Lukes; Oldiais, Noelle Wenty; Idip, David; Richmond, Robert H.; van Woesik, Robert

2012-01-01

Reproduction and recruitment are key processes that replenish marine populations. Here we use the Palau archipelago, in the western Pacific Ocean, as a case study to examine scales of connectivity and to determine whether an oceanographic model, incorporating the complex reef architecture, is a useful predictor of coral recruitment. We tested the hypothesis that the reefs with the highest retention also had the highest densities of juvenile coral density from 80 field sites. Field comparisons showed a significant correlation between the densities of juvenile Acropora colonies and total larval recruitment derived from the model (i.e., calculated as the sum of the densities of larvae that self-seeded and recruited from the other reefs in the archipelago). Long-distance larval imports may be too infrequent to sustain coral populations, but are critical for recovery in times of extreme local stress. PMID:23209842

The volcanism of the Comores archipelago: mantle plume or lithosperic deformation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michon, Laurent

2015-04-01

The development of the Comores archipelago in the Mozambique channel has been diversely interpreted since the 1970's. The two end-members causes are, on the one hand, a deep mantle plume that developed a hotspot track from the Seychelles Plateau to the Grande Comore, and, on the other hand, a lithospheric deformation that reactivated transform faults and controlled the magma path. The present work first surveys the sparse geological, geophysical and geochronological data available for this archipelago, re-evaluates the age of the magmatic activity and integrates this evolution at a regional scale. Combining realistic magma production rates, the volume of each edifice and the geochronological, it is showed that the magmatic activity started first in Mayotte about 20 Ma and second, almost simultaneously, in Anjouan, Mohéli and Grande Comore about 10 Ma ago. This magmatism, coeval with magmatic periods in areas surrounding the Mozambic channel, the southern East African rift and Madagascar, is organised in three periods since Late Oligocene. Magmatic provinces are now superimposed with seismic zones and graben structures. In consequence, the Comores archipelago is tentatively interpret as part of the East African rift rather than related to a distinct deep mantle plume.

Emergence of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 in the archipelago of Madeira, Portugal (2016-2017).

PubMed

Carvalho, Carina Luísa; Silva, Sara; Gouveia, Paz; Costa, Margarida; Duarte, Elsa Leclerc; Henriques, Ana Margarida; Barros, Sílvia Santos; Luís, Tiago; Ramos, Fernanda; Fagulha, Teresa; Fevereiro, Miguel; Duarte, Margarida Dias

2017-12-01

We report the detection of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) in the Madeira archipelago, Portugal. Viral circulation was confirmed by RT-qPCR and vp60 sequencing. Epidemiological data revealed the outbreak initiated in October 2016 in Porto Santo affecting wild and domestic rabbits. It was then detected three months later on the island of Madeira. Five haplotypes were identified and a genetic overall similarity of 99.54 to 99.89% was observed between the two viral populations. Unique single nucleotide polymorphisms were recognised in the Madeira archipelago strains, two of which resulting in amino acid substitutions at positions 480 and 570 in the VP60 protein. Phylogenetic investigation by Maximum Likelihood showed all the vp60 sequences from the Madeira archipelago group together with high bootstraps. The analysis also showed that the Madeira archipelago strains are closely related to the strains detected in the south of mainland Portugal in 2016, suggesting a possible introduction from the mainland. The epidemiological data and high genetic similarity indicate a common source for the Porto Santo and Madeira RHDV2 outbreaks. Human activity related to hunting was most probably at the origin of the Madeira outbreak.

Population Genetic Structure of Rock Bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus Temminck & Schlegel, 1884) Revealed by mtDNA COI Sequence in Korea and China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Hyun Suk; Kim, Choong-Gon; Kim, Sung; Park, Yong-Joo; Choi, Hee-Jung; Xiao, Zhizhong; Li, Jun; Xiao, Yongshuang; Lee, Youn-Ho

2018-04-01

The rock bream, Oplegnathus fasciatus, is a common rocky reef game fish in East Asia and recently has become an aquaculture species. Despite its commercial importance, the population genetic structure of this fish species remains poorly understood. In this study, 163 specimens were collected from 6 localities along the coastal waters of Korea and China and their genetic variation was analyzed with mtDNA COI sequences. A total of 34 polymorphic sites were detected which determined 30 haplotypes. The genetic pattern reveals a low level of nucleotide diversity (0.04 ± 0.003) but a high level of haplotype diversity (0.83 ± 0.02). The 30 haplotypes are divided into two major genealogical clades: one that consists of only Zhoushan (ZS, East China Sea) specific haplotypes from the southern East China Sea and the other that consists of the remaining haplotypes from the northern East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Korea Strait, and East Sea/Sea of Japan. The two clades are separated by approximately 330 435 kyBP. Analyses of AMOVA and F st show a significant population differentiation between the ZS sample and the other ones, corroborating separation of the two genealogical clades. Larval dispersal and the fresh Yangtze River plume are invoked as the main determining factors for this population genetic structure of O. fasciatus. Neutrality tests and mismatch distribution analyses indicate late Pleistocene population expansion along the coastal waters of Korea and China approximately 133-183 kyBP during which there were periodic cycles of glaciations and deglaciations. Such population information needs to be taken into account when stock enhancement and conservation measures are implemented for this fisheries species.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Eleutheronema rhadinum in the East and South China Seas revealed in mitochondrial COI sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xinxu; Xu, Dongdong; Lou, Bao; Zhang, Tao; Xin, Jian; Guo, Yaoshi; Ma, Shilei

2013-11-01

Eleutheronema rhadinum is a potential commercial fisheries species and is subject to intense exploitation in China. Knowledge on the population structure of E. rhadinum in Chinese coastal waters, which is important for sustainable exploitation and proper resource management, is lacking. In the present study, the genetic diversity and population structure of E. rhadinum were evaluated using a 564-base pair fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. A total of 76 specimens were collected from three localities around the East (Qidong and Zhoushan) and South China Seas (Zhuhai). Among these individuals, nine polymorphic sites were detected and 11 distinct haplotypes were defined. High levels of haplotype diversity ( h =0.759±0.035) and low levels of nucleotide diversity ( π= 0.001 98±0.003 26) were observed in these populations. Hierarchical analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that 96.72% of the genetic variation occurred within the populations, whereas 3.28% occurred among populations. No significant genealogical branches or clusters were recognized on the neighbor-joining tree. Intra-group variation among populations was significant ( φ st=0.032 85, P<0.01). These results suggest that E. rhadinum populations in the East and South China Seas have developed divergent genetic structures. Tests of neutral evolution and mismatch distribution suggest that E. rhadinum may have experienced a population expansion. The present study provides basic information for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of this species.

New vascular plant records for the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

PubMed Central

Gillespie, Lynn J.; Saarela, Jeffery M.; Sokoloff, Paul C.; Bull, Roger D.

2015-01-01

Abstract The Canadian Arctic Archipelago is a vast region of approximately 1,420,000 km2, with a flora characterized by low species diversity, low endemicity, and little influence by alien species. New records of vascular plant species are documented here based on recent fieldwork on Victoria and Baffin Islands; additional records based on recent literature sources are mentioned. This paper serves as an update to the 2007 publication Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and brings the total number of vascular plants for the region to 375 species and infraspecific taxa, an increase of 7.7%. Three families (Amaranthaceae, Juncaginaceae, Pteridaceae) and seven genera (Cherleria L., Cryptogramma R. Br., Platanthera Rich., Sabulina Rchb., Suaeda Forssk. ex J.F. Gmel., Triglochin L., Utricularia L.) are added to the flora, and one genus is deleted (Minuartia L.). Five species are first records for Nunavut (Arenaria longipedunculata Hultén, Cryptogramma stelleri (S.G. Gmel.) Prantl, Puccinellia banksiensis Consaul, Saxifraga eschscholtzii Sternb., Utricularia ochroleuca R.W. Hartm.) PMID:26311505

Modeling the Wake of the Marquesas Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raapoto, H.; Martinez, E.; Petrenko, A.; Doglioli, A. M.; Maes, C.

2018-02-01

In this study, a high-resolution (˜2.5 km) numerical model was set up to investigate the fine-scale activity within the region of the Marquesas archipelago. This has never been performed before. The robustness of the model results is assessed by comparison with remote sensing and in situ observations. Our results highlight regions of warm waters leeward of the different islands with high eddy kinetic energy (EKE) on their sides. The analysis of energy conversion terms reveals contributions to EKE variability by wind, baroclinic, and barotropic instabilities. The use of a geometry-based eddy detection algorithm reveals the generation of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies in the wake of the largest islands, with both an inshore and offshore effect. Maximum eddy activity occurs in austral winter following the seasonality of both wind stress and EKE intensity. Most eddies have a radius between 20 and 30 km and are generally cyclonic rather than anticyclonic. Significant vertical velocities are observed in the proximity of the islands, associated with topographically induced flow separation. Eddy trapping inshore waters are advected offshore in the wake of the islands. The overall influence of these fine-scale dynamics could explain the strong biological enhancement of the archipelago.

Modelling the Wake of the Marquesas Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raapoto, H.; Martinez, E. C.; Petrenko, A. A.; Doglioli, A. M.; Maes, C.

2017-12-01

In this study, a high-resolution ( 2.5 km) numerical model was set up to investigate the fine-scale activity within the region of the Marquesas archipelago where a strong biological enhancement occurs. This has never been performed before. The robustness of the model results is assessed by comparison with remote sensing and in situ observations. Our results highlight regions of warm waters leeward of the different islands with high eddy kinetic energy (EKE) on their sides. The analysis of energy conversion terms reveals contributions to EKE variability by wind, baroclinic and barotropic instabilities. The use of a geometry-based eddy detection algorithm reveals eddy generation in the wake of the largest islands, with both an inshore and offshore effect. Maximum eddy activity occurs in austral winter following the seasonality of both wind stress and EKE intensity. Most eddies have a radius between 20 and 30 km and are generally cyclonic rather than anticyclonic. Significant vertical velocities are observed in the proximity of the islands, associated with topography induced flow separation. Eddy trapping inshore waters are advected offshore in the wake of the islands. The overall influence of these fine-scale dynamics could explain the strong biological enhancement of the archipelago.

Phylogeography of the prehensile-tailed skink Corucia zebrata on the Solomon Archipelago.

PubMed

Hagen, Ingerid J; Donnellan, Stephen C; Bull, C Michael

2012-06-01

The biogeography of islands is often strongly influenced by prior geological events. Corucia zebrata (Squamata: Scincidae) is endemic to the geologically complex Solomon Archipelago in Northern Melanesia. We examined the level of divergence for different island populations of C. zebrata and discussed these patterns in light of Pleistocene land bridges, island isolation, and island age. Corucia zebrata was sampled from 14 locations across the Solomon Archipelago and sequenced at two mitochondrial genes (ND2 and ND4; 1697 bp in total) and four nuclear loci (rhodopsin, an unknown intron, AKAP9, and PTPN12). Measures of genetic divergence, analyses of genetic variation, and Bayesian phylogenetic inference were used and the data assessed in light of geological information. Populations of C. zebrata on separate islands were found to be genetically different from each other, with reciprocal monophyly on mitochondrial DNA. Populations on islands previously connected by Pleistocene land bridges were marginally less divergent from each other than from populations on other nearby but isolated islands. There are indications that C. zebrata has radiated across the eastern islands of the archipelago within the last 1-4 million years. Nuclear loci were not sufficiently informative to yield further information about the phylogeography of C. zebrata on the Solomon Archipelago. Analyses of the mitochondrial data suggest that dispersal between islands has been very limited and that there are barriers to gene flow within the major islands. Islands that have been isolated during the Pleistocene glacial cycles are somewhat divergent in their mitochondrial genotypes, however, isolation by distance (IBD) and recent colonization of isolated but geologically younger islands appear to have had stronger effects on the phylogeography of C. zebrata than the Pleistocene glacial cycles. This contrasts with patterns reported for avian taxa, and highlights the fact that biogeographic regions for

Tenarife Island, Canary Island Archipelago, Atlantic Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

Tenarife Island is one of the most volcanically active of the Canary Island archipelago, Atlantic Ocean, just off the NW coast of Africa, (28.5N, 16.5W). The old central caldera, nearly filled in by successive volcanic activity culminating in two stratocones. From those two peaks, a line of smaller cinder cones extend to the point of the island. Extensive gullies dissect the west side of the island and some forests still remain on the east side.

Tenarife Island, Canary Island Archipelago, Atlantic Ocean

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-08-11

Tenarife Island is one of the most volcanically active of the Canary Island archipelago, Atlantic Ocean, just off the NW coast of Africa, (28.5N, 16.5W). The old central caldera, nearly filled in by successive volcanic activity culminating in two stratocones. From those two peaks, a line of smaller cinder cones extend to the point of the island. Extensive gullies dissect the west side of the island and some forests still remain on the east side.

Microplastic analysis in the South Funen Archipelago, Baltic Sea, implementing manta trawling and bulk sampling.

PubMed

Tamminga, Matthias; Hengstmann, Elena; Fischer, Elke Kerstin

2018-03-01

Microplastic contamination in surface waters of the South Funen Archipelago in Denmark was assessed. Therefore, ten manta trawls were conducted in June 2015. Moreover, 31 low-volume bulk samples were taken to evaluate, whether consistent results in comparison to the net-based approach can be obtained. Microplastic contamination in the South Funen Archipelago (0.07 ± 0.02 particles/m3) is slightly below values reported before. The sheltered position of the study area, low population pressure on adjacent islands and the absence of any major potential point sources were identified as major factors explaining the low concentration of microplastics. Within the Archipelago, harbors or marinas and the associated vessel traffic are the most probable sources of microplastics. The concentration of microplastics in low-volume bulk samples is not comparable to manta trawl results. This is mainly due to insufficient representativeness of the bulk sample volumes.

Distribution and bioavailability of cadmium in ornithogenic coral-sand sediments of the Xisha archipelago, South China Sea.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaodong; Lou, Chuangneng; Xu, Liqiang; Sun, Liguang

2012-09-01

Total cadmium (Cd) concentrations in four ornithogenic coral-sand sedimentary profiles displayed a strong positive correlation with guano-derived phosphorus, but had no correlation with plant-originated organic matter in the top sediments. These results indicate that the total Cd distributions were predominantly controlled by guano input. Bioavailable Cd and zinc (Zn) had a greater input rate in the top sediments with respect to total Cd and total Zn, and a positive correlation with total organic carbon (TOC) derived from plant humus. Multi-regression analysis showed that the total Cd and TOC explained over 80% of the variation of bioavailable Cd, suggesting that both guano and plant inputs could significantly influence the distribution of bioavailable Cd, and that plant biocycling processes contribute more to the recent increase of bioavailable Cd. A pollution assessment indicates that the Yongle archipelago is moderately to strongly polluted with guano-derived Cd. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Herpetology of the American Madrean Archipelago and adjacent valleys

Treesearch

Lawrence L. C. Jones

2005-01-01

Approximately 110 species of amphibians (18 frogs and toads, and 1 salamander) and reptiles (47 snakes, 39 lizards, and 5 turtles) are known from the American Madrean Archipelago and adjacent valleys. The high diversity of the herpetofauna comes from a variety of factors, including a convergence of biotic communities representing deserts, grasslands, and mountains....

Phylogeographic analyses of submesophotic snappers Etelis coruscans and Etelis "marshi" (family Lutjanidae) reveal concordant genetic structure across the Hawaiian Archipelago.

PubMed

Andrews, Kimberly R; Moriwake, Virginia N; Wilcox, Christie; Grau, E Gordon; Kelley, Christopher; Pyle, Richard L; Bowen, Brian W

2014-01-01

The Hawaiian Archipelago has become a natural laboratory for understanding genetic connectivity in marine organisms as a result of the large number of population genetics studies that have been conducted across this island chain for a wide taxonomic range of organisms. However, population genetic studies have been conducted for only two species occurring in the mesophotic or submesophotic zones (30+m) in this archipelago. To gain a greater understanding of genetic connectivity in these deepwater habitats, we investigated the genetic structure of two submesophotic fish species (occurring ∼200-360 m) in this archipelago. We surveyed 16 locations across the archipelago for submesophotic snappers Etelis coruscans (N = 787) and E. "marshi" (formerly E. carbunculus; N = 770) with 436-490 bp of mtDNA cytochrome b and 10-11 microsatellite loci. Phylogeographic analyses reveal no geographic structuring of mtDNA lineages and recent coalescence times that are typical of shallow reef fauna. Population genetic analyses reveal no overall structure across most of the archipelago, a pattern also typical of dispersive shallow fishes. However some sites in the mid-archipelago (Raita Bank to French Frigate Shoals) had significant population differentiation. This pattern of no structure between ends of the Hawaiian range, and significant structure in the middle, was previously observed in a submesophotic snapper (Pristipomoides filamentosus) and a submesophotic grouper (Hyporthodus quernus). Three of these four species also have elevated genetic diversity in the mid-archipelago. Biophysical larval dispersal models from previous studies indicate that this elevated diversity may result from larval supplement from Johnston Atoll, ∼800 km southwest of Hawaii. In this case the boundaries of stocks for fishery management cannot be defined simply in terms of geography, and fishery management in Hawaii may need to incorporate external larval supply into management plans.

Seismicity Pattern Changes before the M = 4.8 Aeolian Archipelago (Italy) Earthquake of August 16, 2010

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

We investigated the seismicity patterns associated with an M = 4.8 earthquake recorded in the Aeolian Archipelago on 16, August, 2010, by means of the region-time-length (RTL) algorithm. This earthquake triggered landslides at Lipari; a rock fall on the flanks of the Vulcano, Lipari, and Salina islands, and some damages to the village of Lipari. The RTL algorithm is widely used for investigating precursory seismicity changes before large and moderate earthquakes. We examined both the spatial and temporal characteristics of seismicity changes in the Aeolian Archipelago region before the M = 4.8 earthquake. The results obtained reveal 6-7 months of seismic quiescence which started about 15 months before the earthquake. The spatial distribution shows an extensive area characterized by seismic quiescence that suggests a relationship between quiescence and the Aeolian Archipelago regional tectonics. PMID:24511288

Tropical Instability Wave Interactions within the Galápagos Archipelago.

EPA Science Inventory

In the boreal fall of 2005, the effects of tropical instability waves (TIW) appear as oscillations within the sea surface temperature (SST), meridional current (Vy), and thermocline (20°C) in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Within the Galápagos Archipelago, a strong 3-wave succes...

The black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) of the Lesser Sunda Archipelago, Indonesia.

PubMed

Takaoka, Hiroyuki; Sofian-Azirun, Mohd; Ya'cob, Zubaidah; Chen, Chee Dhang; Lau, Koon Weng; Low, Van Lun; Suana, I Wayan

2017-05-01

Surveys of pupae and larvae of black flies were carried out in Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and Flores in the Lesser Sunda Archipelago, Indonesia, where 10 species were known. A total of 14 simuliid species including four new species and five new records of the genus Simulium were collected, bringing the number of species from the Lesser Sunda Archipelago to 19. They are classified into four subgenera: two in Nevermannia, nine in Gomphostilbia, seven in Simulium and one in Wallacellum. One of four new species, Simulium (Simulium) baliense, is described based on females, males, pupae and larvae from Bali and Lombok. This new species, which is placed in the Simulium striatum species-group of the subgenus Simulium, is closely related to S. (S.) argyrocinctum De Meijere from Java and Sumatra, but it is distinguished from the latter species by the smaller number of the male enlarged upper-eye facets and larval abdomen lacking dorsal pairs of conical protuberances. The distribution record of S. (S.) upikae Takaoka & Davies from Flores is corrected as that of S. (S.) eximium De Meijere. Some aberrant characters of the pupal gill filaments of S. (G.) atratum De Meijere, S. (G.) floresense Takaoka, Hadi & Sigit and S. (G.) sunapii Takaoka, Sofian-Azirun & Suana are illustrated. Characteristics of the fauna of black flies in this archipelago are briefly noted. Keys to all 19 species are provided for females, males, pupae and larvae. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Taxonomy and distribution of the hermatypic corals (Scleractinia) of the Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico].

PubMed

Ketchum, J T; Reyes Bonilla, H

2001-01-01

In spite of some recent detailed accounts about the scleractinian corals of the Archipiélago de Revillagigedo, taxonomic work on this fauna has been sparse. Consequently, solid taxonomic background is needed, especially to support further studies at community level. During five field trips (between 1990 and 1995) collections were made at different depths on three of the archipelago islands: Socorro, Clarión and San Benedicto. A total of 250 specimens were collected. Coral identifications were made using co-occurrence methods concomitant with their descriptions, diagnosis and illustrations from a number of publications, and with morphological analysis. Coral distributions were taken from literature. Twenty-two species of zooxanthellate scleractinian corals are described, with their local and world-wide geographic distribution, and each illustrated with macro and microphotographs. Keys to the genera and species of the archipelago are also included. Porites and Pocillopora exhibit the highest species richness with a great intraspecific variation, as well as a number of morphological convergences within and between species which form species complexes, and several new species and morphs. Clarion, the oldest and most isolated island of the archipelago, harbors a number of coral morphs that are probable new species. More than half of the species found at the Revillagigedos are distributed exclusively on oceanic islands of the eastern Pacific and close to one third exist only at this archipelago. The Revillagigedos have strong faunal similarities and share a number of endemics with Clipperton Atoll, all of which support the idea that these islands constitute a separate biogeographic subregion within the eastern Pacific. Lastly, the present document substantiates the hypothesis that the Revillagigedos are important stepping-stone islands for the migration of in-shore marine species from the Central to the eastern Pacific.

Phylogeographic Analyses of Submesophotic Snappers Etelis coruscans and Etelis “marshi” (Family Lutjanidae) Reveal Concordant Genetic Structure across the Hawaiian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Andrews, Kimberly R.; Moriwake, Virginia N.; Wilcox, Christie; Grau, E. Gordon; Kelley, Christopher; Pyle, Richard L.; Bowen, Brian W.

2014-01-01

The Hawaiian Archipelago has become a natural laboratory for understanding genetic connectivity in marine organisms as a result of the large number of population genetics studies that have been conducted across this island chain for a wide taxonomic range of organisms. However, population genetic studies have been conducted for only two species occurring in the mesophotic or submesophotic zones (30+m) in this archipelago. To gain a greater understanding of genetic connectivity in these deepwater habitats, we investigated the genetic structure of two submesophotic fish species (occurring ∼200–360 m) in this archipelago. We surveyed 16 locations across the archipelago for submesophotic snappers Etelis coruscans (N = 787) and E. “marshi” (formerly E. carbunculus; N = 770) with 436–490 bp of mtDNA cytochrome b and 10–11 microsatellite loci. Phylogeographic analyses reveal no geographic structuring of mtDNA lineages and recent coalescence times that are typical of shallow reef fauna. Population genetic analyses reveal no overall structure across most of the archipelago, a pattern also typical of dispersive shallow fishes. However some sites in the mid-archipelago (Raita Bank to French Frigate Shoals) had significant population differentiation. This pattern of no structure between ends of the Hawaiian range, and significant structure in the middle, was previously observed in a submesophotic snapper (Pristipomoides filamentosus) and a submesophotic grouper (Hyporthodus quernus). Three of these four species also have elevated genetic diversity in the mid-archipelago. Biophysical larval dispersal models from previous studies indicate that this elevated diversity may result from larval supplement from Johnston Atoll, ∼800 km southwest of Hawaii. In this case the boundaries of stocks for fishery management cannot be defined simply in terms of geography, and fishery management in Hawaii may need to incorporate external larval supply into management plans

Volcanic Aggregates from Azores and Madeira Archipelagos (Portugal): An Overview Regarding the Alkali Silica Reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medeiros, Sara; Ramos, Violeta; Fernandes, Isabel; Nunes, João Carlos; Fournier, Benoit; Santos Silva, António; Soares, Dora

2017-12-01

Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) is a type of deterioration that has been causing serious expansion, cracking and durability/operational issues in concrete structures worldwide. The presence of sufficient moisture, high alkali content in the cement paste and reactive forms of silica in the aggregates are the required conditions for this reaction to occur. Reactive aggregates of volcanic nature have been reported in different countries such as Japan, Iceland and Turkey, among others. The presence of silica minerals and SiO2-rich volcanic glass is regarded as the main cause for the reactivity of volcanic rocks. In Portugal, volcanic aggregates are mainly present in Azores and Madeira Archipelagos and, for several years, there was no information regarding the potential alkali-reactivity of these rocks. Since the beginning of this decade some data was obtained by the work of Medeiros (2011) and Ramos (2013) and by the national research projects ReAVA, (Characterization of potential reactivity of the volcanic aggregates from the Azores Archipelago: implications on the durability of concrete structures) and IMPROVE (Improvement of performance of aggregates in the inhibition of alkali-aggregate reactions in concrete), respectively. In order to investigate the potential alkali-reactivity of aggregates from both archipelagos, a total of sixteen aggregates were examined under the optical microscope and, some of them, also under the Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. A set of geochemical analyses and laboratory expansion tests were also performed on those volcanic aggregates. The main results showed that the presence of volcanic glass is rare in both archipelagos and that the samples of Madeira Archipelago contain clay minerals (mainly from scoria/tuff formations inter-layered with the lava flows), which can play a role in concrete expansion. The results of the laboratory tests showed that one of the samples performed as potentially reactive

Colonization of the Hawaiian Archipelago via Johnston Atoll: a characterization of oceanographic transport corridors for pelagic larvae using computer simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Donald R.

2006-08-01

Larval transport between Johnston Atoll and the Hawaiian Archipelago was examined using computer simulation and high-resolution ocean current data. The effects of pelagic larval duration and spawning seasonality on long-distance transport and local retention were examined using a Lagrangian, individual-based approach. Retention around Johnston Atoll appeared to be low, and there appeared to be seasonal effects on both retention and dispersal. Potential larval transport corridors between Johnston Atoll and the Hawaiian Archipelago were charted. One corridor connects Johnston Atoll with the middle portion of the Hawaiian Archipelago in the vicinity of French Frigate Shoals. Another corridor connects Johnston Atoll with the lower inhabited islands in the vicinity of Kauai. Transport appears to be related to the subtropical countercurrent and the Hawaiian Lee countercurrent, both located to the west of the archipelago and flowing to the east. A new analytical tool, termed CONREC-IRC is presented for the quantification of spatial patterns.

The scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of the Maltese Archipelago.

PubMed

Mifsud, David; Mazzeo, Gaetana; Russo, Agatino; Watson, Gillian W

2014-09-25

Past works on scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) from the Maltese Archipelago are reviewed. Based on the literature and contemporary collections, a total of 93 species of scale insects belonging to 12 scale insect families are here reported (Aclerdidae 1 species; Asterolecaniidae 4; Coccidae 17; Diaspididae 46; Eriococcidae 5; Kermesidae 1; Margarodidae 1; Micrococcidae 1; Monophlebidae 2; Pseudoccocidae 11; Putoidae 2 and Rhizoecidae 2). Of these, 17 species represent new distribution records. Ten species are excluded from the scale insect fauna of the Maltese Islands. Of the 93 species present, only 29 (31.18%) are probably indigenous and the rest (68.82%) represent established introductions from elsewhere. More than 65% of the indigenous species are typical Mediterranean in distribution, with a few species having a mainly European chorotype. A quarter of the established aliens originate from Eurasia, followed by an East Asian/ Oriental component (20.31%); European (14.06%); Neotropical (14.06%); cryptogenic (14.06%); African (7.81%) and Australasian (4.70%). Movement of live fruit trees and ornamental plants into the Maltese Archipelago from nearby countries is probably the main route for entry of alien scale insects into the country. Some possible future introductions are discussed.

Paleomagnetic Study of Azores Archipelago: Volcano-Tectonic Implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, P. F.; Henry, B.; Marques, F. O.; Madureira, P.; Miranda, J. M. A.; Lourenco, N. V.; Madeira, J.; Hildenbrand, A.; Nunes, J. C.; Roxerová, Z.

2014-12-01

Oceanic islands are by nature unstable volcanic buildings generally marked by rapid growth that alternates with destruction due to a variety of mass-wasting processes, including giant sector collapses, vertical caldera subsidence, fault generation/propagation, shallow landslides and coastal erosion. Due to its diverse volcanic and tectonic frameworks, the Azores archipelago represents an excellent case study for geophysical and geological proposes. Main results of a paleomagnetic study, conducted on oriented samples from approximately 60 accessible lava piles of three islands of Azores archipelago central group (Faial, Pico and Terceira islands) and covering as much as possible spatially and temporally these islands are: i) The paleomagnetic polarity is in close agreement with the radiometric results known for these islands; ii) Onshore volcanic activity began during the Matuyama geochron for Faial and during Brunhes for Terceira and Pico; iii) The mean ChRMs from Terceira and Pico islands result in a paleomagnetic pole similar to the ones retrieved from the studies of Johnson et al (1998) and Silva et al (2012), from S. Miguel and S. Jorge islands (other islands of Azores archipelago), respectively; iv) ChRMs from Faial show an elliptical distribution perpendicular to the WNW-ESE grabben that is the major structure of the island, suggesting tilting towards SSW of the southern wall and towards NNE of the northern one. The presence of listric faults plunging towards the middle of the grabben and aligned along the N110º azimuth could explain the elliptical distribution of paleomagnetic directions. This study is a contribution for the research project REGENA (PTDC/GEO-FIQ/3648/2012). References Johnson, C.L., Wijbrans, J.R., Constable, C.G., Gee, J., Staudigel, H., Tauxe, L., Forjaz, V.-H., Salgueiro, M., 1998. 40Ar/39Ar ages and paleomagnetism of S. Miguel lavas,Azores, Earth planet. Sci. Lett., 160, 637-649. Silva, PF; Henry, B; Marques, FO; Hildenbrand, A

Spatial distribution and temporal variation of chemical species in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at the Okinawa archipelago, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handa, D.; Somada, Y.; Ijyu, M.; Azechi, S.; Nakaema, F.; Arakaki, T.; Tanahara, A.

2009-12-01

The economic development and population growth in recent Asia have been increasing air pollution. A computer simulation study showed that air pollutants emitted from Asian continent could spread quickly within northern hemisphere. We initiated a study to elucidate the special distribution and chemical characterization of atmospheric aerosols around Okinawa archipelago, Japan. Okinawa Island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km south of South Korea. Its location in Asia is well suited for studying long-range transport of air pollutants in East Asia because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air masses which have been affected by anthropogenic activities. We simultaneously collected bulk aerosol samples by using the same types of high volume air samplers at Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS, Okinawa Island), Kume Island (ca. 160 km south-west of CHAAMS) and Minami-daitou Island (ca. 320 km south-east of CHAAMS). We determined the concentrations of water-soluble anions, cations and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) using ion chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, and total organic carbon analyzer, respectively. We report and discuss spatial distribution and temporal variation of chemical species concentrations in bulk atmospheric aerosols collected during July, 2008 to July, 2009. We determine “background” concentration of chemical components in Okinawa archipelago. We then compare each chemical component among CHAAMS, Kume Island and Minami-daito Island to elucidate the influence of the long-range transport of chemical species from Asian continent.

Circulation in the Philippine Archipelago. Simulated by 1/12 deg. and 1/25 deg. Global HYCOM and EAS NCOM

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

DATE (DD-MM- YYYY) 02-16-2011 2. REPORT TYPE Journal Article 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Circulation in the... circulation . This archipelago provides two secondary routes for both the Indonesian throughflow and the western boundary current of the Pacific...Philippine Archipelago circulation , Philippine straits, Mindoro Strait transport, Indonesian throughflow 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: a

First characterization of bacterial pathogen, Vibrio alginolyticus, for Porites andrewsi White syndrome in the South China Sea.

PubMed

Zhenyu, Xie; Shaowen, Ke; Chaoqun, Hu; Zhixiong, Zhu; Shifeng, Wang; Yongcan, Zhou

2013-01-01

White syndrome, a term for scleractinian coral disease with progressive tissue loss, is known to cause depressed growth and increased morality of coral reefs in the major oceans around the world, and the occurrence of this disease has been frequently reported in the past few decades. Investigations during April to September in both 2010 and 2011 identified widespread Porites andrewsi White syndrome (PAWS) in Xisha Archipelago, South China Sea. However, the causes and etiology of PAWS have been unknown. A transmission experiment was performed on P. andrewsi in the Qilianyu Subgroup (QLY). The results showed that there was a significant (P ≤ 0.05) difference between test and control groups after 28 days if the invalid replicates were excluded. Rates of tissue loss ranged from 0.90-10.76 cm(2) d(-1) with a mean of 5.40 ± 3.34 cm(2) d(-1) (mean ± SD). Bacterial strains were isolated from the PAWS corals at the disease outbreak sites in QLY of the Xisha Archipelago, South China Sea, and included in laboratory-based infection trials to satisfy Koch's postulates for establishing causality. Following exposure to bacterial concentrations of 10(5) cells mL(-1), the infected colonies exhibited similar signs to those observed in the field. Using phylogenetic 16S rRNA gene analysis, classical phenotypic trait comparison, Biolog automatic identification system, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and MALDI Biotyper method, two pathogenic strains were identified as Vibrio alginolyticus . This is the first report of V. alginolyticus as a pathogenic agent of PAWS in the South China Sea. Our results point out an urgent need to develop sensitive detection methods for V. alginolyticus virulence strains and robust diagnostics for coral disease caused by this and Vibrio pathogenic bacterium in the South China Sea.

First Characterization of Bacterial Pathogen, Vibrio alginolyticus, for Porites andrewsi White Syndrome in the South China Sea

PubMed Central

Chaoqun, Hu; Zhixiong, Zhu; Shifeng, Wang; Yongcan, Zhou

2013-01-01

Background White syndrome, a term for scleractinian coral disease with progressive tissue loss, is known to cause depressed growth and increased morality of coral reefs in the major oceans around the world, and the occurrence of this disease has been frequently reported in the past few decades. Investigations during April to September in both 2010 and 2011 identified widespread Porites andrewsi White syndrome (PAWS) in Xisha Archipelago, South China Sea. However, the causes and etiology of PAWS have been unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings A transmission experiment was performed on P . andrewsi in the Qilianyu Subgroup (QLY). The results showed that there was a significant (P ≤ 0.05) difference between test and control groups after 28 days if the invalid replicates were excluded. Rates of tissue loss ranged from 0.90-10.76 cm2 d-1 with a mean of 5.40 ± 3.34 cm2 d-1 (mean ± SD). Bacterial strains were isolated from the PAWS corals at the disease outbreak sites in QLY of the Xisha Archipelago, South China Sea, and included in laboratory-based infection trials to satisfy Koch’s postulates for establishing causality. Following exposure to bacterial concentrations of 105 cells mL-1, the infected colonies exhibited similar signs to those observed in the field. Using phylogenetic 16S rRNA gene analysis, classical phenotypic trait comparison, Biolog automatic identification system, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and MALDI Biotyper method, two pathogenic strains were identified as Vibrio alginolyticus . Conclusion/Significance This is the first report of V . alginolyticus as a pathogenic agent of PAWS in the South China Sea. Our results point out an urgent need to develop sensitive detection methods for V . alginolyticus virulence strains and robust diagnostics for coral disease caused by this and Vibrio pathogenic bacterium in the South China Sea. PMID:24086529

Pn tomography of South China Sea, Taiwan Island, Philippine archipelago, and adjacent regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xibing; Song, Xiaodong; Li, Jiangtao

2017-02-01

The South China Sea (SCS) and its surrounding areas are geologically highly heterogeneous from the interactions of multiple plates in Southeast Asia (Eurasian plate, Indian-Australian plate, Philippine Sea plate, and Pacific plate). To understand the tectonics at depth, here we combined bulletin and handpicked data to conduct Pn tomography of the region. The results show distinct features that are correlated with the complex geology at surface, suggesting a lithosphere-scale tectonics of the region. Low Pn velocities are found along a belt of the western Pacific transpressional system from the Okinawa Trough and eastern East China Sea, across central and eastern Taiwan orogeny, to the island arcs of the Luzon Strait and the entire Philippine Islands, as well as under the Palawan Island and part of the continental margin north of the Pearl River Basin. High velocities are found under Ryukyu subduction zone, part of the Philippine subduction zone, part of the Eurasian subduction beneath the southwestern Taiwan, and the continent-ocean boundary between the south China and the SCS basin. The Taiwan Strait, the Mainland SE coast, and the main SCS basin sea are relatively uniform with average Pn values. Crustal thicknesses show large variations in the study region but also coherency with tectonic elements. The Pn pattern in Taiwan shows linear trends of surface geology and suggests strongly lithosphere-scale deformation of the young Taiwan orogenic belt marked by the deformation boundary under the Western Foothill and the Western Coastal Plain at depth, and the crustal thickness shows a complex pattern from the transpressional collision. Our observations are consistent with rifting and extension in the northern margin of the SCS but are not consistent with mantle upwelling as a mechanism for the opening and the subsequent closing of the SCS. The Philippine island arc is affected by volcanisms from both the Asian and Philippine Sea subductions in the south but mainly from

Complex Patterns of Admixture across the Indonesian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Hudjashov, Georgi; Karafet, Tatiana M.; Lawson, Daniel J.; Downey, Sean; Savina, Olga; Sudoyo, Herawati; Lansing, J. Stephen; Hammer, Michael F.; Cox, Murray P.

2017-01-01

Abstract Indonesia, an island nation as large as continental Europe, hosts a sizeable proportion of global human diversity, yet remains surprisingly undercharacterized genetically. Here, we substantially expand on existing studies by reporting genome-scale data for nearly 500 individuals from 25 populations in Island Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Oceania, notably including previously unsampled islands across the Indonesian archipelago. We use high-resolution analyses of haplotype diversity to reveal fine detail of regional admixture patterns, with a particular focus on the Holocene. We find that recent population history within Indonesia is complex, and that populations from the Philippines made important genetic contributions in the early phases of the Austronesian expansion. Different, but interrelated processes, acted in the east and west. The Austronesian migration took several centuries to spread across the eastern part of the archipelago, where genetic admixture postdates the archeological signal. As with the Neolithic expansion further east in Oceania and in Europe, genetic mixing with local inhabitants in eastern Indonesia lagged behind the arrival of farming populations. In contrast, western Indonesia has a more complicated admixture history shaped by interactions with mainland Asian and Austronesian newcomers, which for some populations occurred more than once. Another layer of complexity in the west was introduced by genetic contact with South Asia and strong demographic events in isolated local groups. PMID:28957506

Professional Development through Collaborative Inquiry for an Art Education Archipelago

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gates, Leslie

2010-01-01

The culture of isolation in schools leaves many art educators feeling that they are, in a sense, islands. Working from the idea of an island, I use the geographic metaphor of an archipelago as a means to understand the tensions between isolation and collaboration related to professional development for art educators. In this article, I describe…

Identification of metapopulation dynamics among Northern Goshawks of the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska, and Coastal British Columbia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; McClaren, Erica L.; Doyle, Frank I.; Titus, K.; Sage, George K.; Wilson, Robert E.; Gust, Judy R.; Talbot, Sandra L.

2012-01-01

Northern Goshawks occupying the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska, and coastal British Columbia nest primarily in old-growth and mature forest, which results in spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of individuals across the landscape. We used microsatellite and mitochondrial data to infer genetic structure, gene flow, and fluctuations in population demography through evolutionary time. Patterns in the genetic signatures were used to assess predictions associated with the three population models: panmixia, metapopulation, and isolated populations. Population genetic structure was observed along with asymmetry in gene flow estimates that changed directionality at different temporal scales, consistent with metapopulation model predictions. Therefore, Northern Goshawk assemblages located in the Alexander Archipelago and coastal British Columbia interact through a metapopulation framework, though they may not fit the classic model of a metapopulation. Long-term population sources (coastal mainland British Columbia) and sinks (Revillagigedo and Vancouver islands) were identified. However, there was no trend through evolutionary time in the directionality of dispersal among the remaining assemblages, suggestive of a rescue-effect dynamic. Admiralty, Douglas, and Chichagof island complex appears to be an evolutionarily recent source population in the Alexander Archipelago. In addition, Kupreanof island complex and Kispiox Forest District populations have high dispersal rates to populations in close geographic proximity and potentially serve as local source populations. Metapopulation dynamics occurring in the Alexander Archipelago and coastal British Columbia by Northern Goshawks highlight the importance of both occupied and unoccupied habitats to long-term population persistence of goshawks in this region.

The wicked problem of China's disappearing coral reefs.

PubMed

Hughes, Terry P; Huang, Hui; Young, Matthew A L

2013-04-01

We examined the development of coral reef science and the policies, institutions, and governance frameworks for management of coral reefs in China in order to highlight the wicked problem of preserving reefs while simultaneously promoting human development and nation building. China and other sovereign states in the region are experiencing unprecedented economic expansion, rapid population growth, mass migration, widespread coastal development, and loss of habitat. We analyzed a large, fragmented literature on the condition of coral reefs in China and the disputed territories of the South China Sea. We found that coral abundance has declined by at least 80% over the past 30 years on coastal fringing reefs along the Chinese mainland and adjoining Hainan Island. On offshore atolls and archipelagos claimed by 6 countries in the South China Sea, coral cover has declined from an average of >60% to around 20% within the past 10-15 years. Climate change has affected these reefs far less than coastal development, pollution, overfishing, and destructive fishing practices. Ironically, these widespread declines in the condition of reefs are unfolding as China's research and reef-management capacity are rapidly expanding. Before the loss of corals becomes irreversible, governance of China's coastal reefs could be improved by increasing public awareness of declining ecosystem services, by providing financial support for training of reef scientists and managers, by improving monitoring of coral reef dynamics and condition to better inform policy development, and by enforcing existing regulations that could protect coral reefs. In the South China Sea, changes in policy and legal frameworks, refinement of governance structures, and cooperation among neighboring countries are urgently needed to develop cooperative management of contested offshore reefs. © 2012 Society for Conservation Biology.

Morphological characters and DNA barcoding of Syngnathus schlegeli in the coastal waters of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhi; Zhang, Yan; Han, Zhiqiang; Song, Na; Gao, Tianxiang

2018-03-01

A Syngnathus species widely distributed in Chinese seas was permanently identified as Syngnathus acus by native ichthyologists, but the taxonomic description about this species was inadequate and lacking conclusively molecular evidence. To identify this species, 357 individuals of this species from the coastal waters of Dandong, Yantai, Qingdao and Zhoushan were collected and measured. Morphological results showed that these slender specimens were mainly brownish, usually mottled with pale. Standard length ranged from 117 mm to 213 mm with an average length of 180.3 mm. The above characters were consistent with S. schlegeli distributed in Japan but colored differently from and much smaller than typical S. acus reported in Europe. Thus, morphological studies revealed that this species was previously misidentified as S. acus and might be S. schlegeli in reality. In addition, a fragment of cytochrome oxidase subunit I ( COI) gene of mitochondrial DNA was also sequenced for species identification, and 15 COI sequences belonging to different Syngnathus species were also used for the molecular identification. COI sequences of our specimens had the minimum genetic distance from recognized S. schlegeli from Japan and clustered with it firstly. The phylogenetic analysis similarly suggested that the species previously identified as S. acus in the coastal waters of China was S. schlegeli actually.

Complex Patterns of Admixture across the Indonesian Archipelago.

PubMed

Hudjashov, Georgi; Karafet, Tatiana M; Lawson, Daniel J; Downey, Sean; Savina, Olga; Sudoyo, Herawati; Lansing, J Stephen; Hammer, Michael F; Cox, Murray P

2017-10-01

Indonesia, an island nation as large as continental Europe, hosts a sizeable proportion of global human diversity, yet remains surprisingly undercharacterized genetically. Here, we substantially expand on existing studies by reporting genome-scale data for nearly 500 individuals from 25 populations in Island Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Oceania, notably including previously unsampled islands across the Indonesian archipelago. We use high-resolution analyses of haplotype diversity to reveal fine detail of regional admixture patterns, with a particular focus on the Holocene. We find that recent population history within Indonesia is complex, and that populations from the Philippines made important genetic contributions in the early phases of the Austronesian expansion. Different, but interrelated processes, acted in the east and west. The Austronesian migration took several centuries to spread across the eastern part of the archipelago, where genetic admixture postdates the archeological signal. As with the Neolithic expansion further east in Oceania and in Europe, genetic mixing with local inhabitants in eastern Indonesia lagged behind the arrival of farming populations. In contrast, western Indonesia has a more complicated admixture history shaped by interactions with mainland Asian and Austronesian newcomers, which for some populations occurred more than once. Another layer of complexity in the west was introduced by genetic contact with South Asia and strong demographic events in isolated local groups. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Evaluating hydrography, circulation and transport in a coastal archipelago using a high-resolution 3D hydrodynamic model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuomi, Laura; Miettunen, Elina; Alenius, Pekka; Myrberg, Kai

2018-04-01

We used a 3D hydrodynamic model, COHERENS, to simulate the temperature, salinity and currents in an extremely complicated area, the Archipelago Sea in the Baltic Sea. The high-resolution model domain with approximately 460 m resolution was nested inside a coarser resolution ( 3.7 km) grid covering the entire Baltic Sea. The verification of the model results against temperature and salinity measurements showed that the model well captured the seasonal temperature cycle in the surface layer, both in the inner and outer archipelago. In the inner archipelago, the model tended to reproduce higher temperatures in the bottom layer than were measured. The modelled vertical temperature and salinity stratifications were not as pronounced as the measured ones but did describe the overall vertical structure. There was large year-to-year variability in the annual mean surface circulation, both in direction and magnitude. In the deeper channels crossing the Archipelago Sea, there were some year-to-year differences in the magnitudes of the bottom layer currents, but there was very little difference in the directions. These differences were studied by introducing passive tracers into the model through river discharge and as point sources. The results showed that the prevailing wind conditions resulted in southward net transport from the Bothnian Sea towards the Baltic Proper. However, due to the variability in the wind conditions in some years, a significant proportion of transport can also be towards north, from the Baltic Proper to the Bothnian Sea.

Hydrology, ecology, and management of riparian areas in the Madrean Archipelago

Treesearch

Daniel G. Neary; Peter F. Ffolliott; Leonard F. DeBano

2005-01-01

Riparian areas in the Madrean Archipelago have historically provided water necessary for people, livestock, and agricultural crops. European settlers were attracted to these areas in the 1880s, where they enjoyed shade and forage for themselves and their livestock and existed on the readily available wildlife and fish. Trees growing along stream banks were harvested...

Marine tunicates from Sangkarang Archipelago Indonesia: recent finding and bio-prospecting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litaay, Magdalena

2018-03-01

Tunicate belongs to urochordata that inhabit benthic area of coral reefs. This paper attempts to compile result of several studies on diversity of marine tunicates from Sangkarang Archipelago of South Sulawesi Indonesia. Method for tunicates sample collection was line transect method that applied at two 3 and 7 m depth. A 50 m line transect was applied parallel to a shore line in each depth and was done in duplicate. A 2.5 m plot was places side by side of transect, in which all tunicate inside plot was counted, identified, and photographed, respectively. Tunicates identification was based on morphological characteristics. The latest finding shows that eighteen species of tunicates were recorded in Samalona waters as also the same number of species in Barrang Caddi waters. The result from this finding was compared to previous studies done at other part of Sangkarang area. This study concluded that this archipelago is rich in tunicates and these resources can be utilized for various purposes. Bioprospect of marine tunicates is also discus in the present study.

Comparing the two Greek archipelagos plant species diversity and endemism patterns highlight the importance of isolation and precipitation as biodiversity drivers.

PubMed

Iliadou, Eleni; Kallimanis, Athanasios S; Dimopoulos, Panayotis; Panitsa, Maria

2014-12-01

Greece has two island archipelagos, the Aegean and the Ionian, which host a rich array of plants and wildlife, particularly endemic and threatened plant species. Despite the long history of island biogeographic studies in the Aegean, similar studies in the Ionian remain limited, with the two island archipelagos rarely being compared. The Aegean and Ionian archipelagos share many features, especially regarding total plant diversity, but exhibit different patterns of endemism. For instance, when considering similarly sized islands, those in the Ionian host as many as, if not more, species compared to the Aegean. In contrast, the Ionian Islands are poor in endemics (particularly narrow range endemics, such as single island or regional endemics) and threatened taxa, compared to the Aegean Islands. In the Ionian, endemics only persist on the largest islands, and form a very small proportion of the species pool, compared to the Aegean archipelago. The lack of endemism might be attributed to the more recent separation of the Ionian Islands from the mainland and the shorter distance separating them from the mainland. In addition, the Ionian Islands receive higher levels of precipitation and are typically covered by denser and higher vegetation than the Aegean Islands. These conditions favour greater total species richness, but tend to lead to higher numbers of common species compared to threatened and endemic taxa. This study demonstrates that both isolation and precipitation serve as biodiversity drivers, influencing plant species diversity and endemism patterns, of the two Greek archipelagos.

Genetic differentiation of Octopus minor (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) off the northern coast of China as revealed by amplified fragment length polymorphisms.

PubMed

Yang, J M; Sun, G H; Zheng, X D; Ren, L H; Wang, W J; Li, G R; Sun, B C

2015-12-02

Octopus minor (Sasaki, 1920) is an economically important cephalopod that is found in the northern coastal waters of China. In this study, we investigated genetic differentiation in fishery populations using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). A total of 150 individuals were collected from five locations: Dalian (DL), Yan-tai (YT), Qingdao (QD), Lianyungang (LY), and Zhoushan (ZS), and 243 reproducible bands were amplified using five AFLP primer combinations. The percentage of polymorphic bands ranged from 53.33 to 76.08%. Nei's genetic identity ranged from 0.9139 to 0.9713, and the genetic distance ranged from 0.0291 to 0.0900. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean, based on the genetic distance. The DL and YT populations originated from one clade, while the QD, LY, and ZS populations originated from another. The results indicate that the O. minor stock consisted of two genetic populations with an overall significantly analogous FST value (0.1088, P < 0.05). Most of the variance was within populations. These findings will be important for more sustainable octopus fisheries, so that this marine resource can be conserved for its long-term utilization.

Evidence for Ring Structures and Fracture Zones in the Tectonics of Kerguelen Archipelago, Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathieu, L.; Byrne, P. K.; van Wyk de Vries, B.; Moine, B.

2009-12-01

Little work has been done on the tectonics of the emergent areas of the Kerguelen Archipelago, even though the extensive outcrop renders the islands especially good for structural work. The results of two field campaigns and remote sensing analysis carried out in the central part of the archipelago around the Val Travers valley and the Mt Ross volcano are presented. The Archipelago is part of the Kerguelen Plateau, a Large Igneous Province that has developed in the Indian Ocean from the early Cretaceous. It spread along the newly formed SE Indian mid-oceanic ridge (SEIR) during the early Tertiary. The rifting event produced NW-SE, N-S and E-W striking grabens in the plateau that are respectively, parallel to the SEIR, related to sinistral strike-slip movements along the SEIR, and of unknown origin. The Kerguelen Archipelago formed after the rifting event over the plateau but nevertheless, it contains the bulk of structural directions mentioned above. The lavas (Plateau Basalts) that make up most of the area are densely fractured, crossed by many veins and some small faults as well as dykes. The rare faults identified are either normal or affected by sinistral transtensional movements. The fractures have mainly a NW-SE orientation that is consistent with extension related to the SEIR. Dykes, veins and normal faults strike E-W and are related to a dominant N-S directed regional extension. The scarcity of discrete faults contrasts with the density of fractures and other lineaments that appear to cover the bulk of land exposed to remote sensing observations. Such structures were formed by regional deformation too small to produce large discrete faults. We also have found a 20 km-wide polygonal fracture pattern encircling Mt Ross Volcano. This structure could be linked to repeated deflation and inflation of the ground related to a buried intrusive complex. Again, the movements are too small to produce discrete faults. Instead, they produce a polygon of deformation whose

Tuamotu Archipelago in South Pacific as seen from the Apollo 7 spacecraft

NASA Image and Video Library

1968-10-21

AS07-04-1590 (20 Oct. 1968) --- Tuamotu Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, looking southwest, as photographed from the Apollo 7 spacecraft during its 141st revolution of Earth. The photograph was taken from an altitude of 110 nautical miles, at a ground elapsed time of 224 hours and 18 minutes.

7 CFR 319.24 - Notice of quarantine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... that these diseases occur in southeastern Asia (including India, Siam, Indo-China and China), Malayan... (including India, Indochina, and the People's Republic of China), Malayan Archipelago, Australia, New Zealand...

7 CFR 319.24 - Notice of quarantine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... that these diseases occur in southeastern Asia (including India, Siam, Indo-China and China), Malayan... (including India, Indochina, and the People's Republic of China), Malayan Archipelago, Australia, New Zealand...

7 CFR 319.24 - Notice of quarantine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... that these diseases occur in southeastern Asia (including India, Siam, Indo-China and China), Malayan... (including India, Indochina, and the People's Republic of China), Malayan Archipelago, Australia, New Zealand...

7 CFR 319.24 - Notice of quarantine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... that these diseases occur in southeastern Asia (including India, Siam, Indo-China and China), Malayan... (including India, Indochina, and the People's Republic of China), Malayan Archipelago, Australia, New Zealand...

7 CFR 319.24 - Notice of quarantine.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... that these diseases occur in southeastern Asia (including India, Siam, Indo-China and China), Malayan... (including India, Indochina, and the People's Republic of China), Malayan Archipelago, Australia, New Zealand...

Colonization and demographic expansion of freshwater fauna across the Hawaiian archipelago.

PubMed

Alda, F; Gagne, R B; Walter, R P; Hogan, J D; Moody, K N; Zink, F; McIntyre, P B; Gilliam, J F; Blum, M J

2016-10-01

It is widely accepted that insular terrestrial biodiversity progresses with island age because colonization and diversification proceed over time. Here, we assessed whether this principle extends to oceanic island streams. We examined rangewide mtDNA sequence variation in four stream-dwelling species across the Hawaiian archipelago to characterize the relationship between colonization and demographic expansion, and to determine whether either factor reflects island age. We found that colonization and demographic expansion are not related and that neither corresponds to island age. The snail Neritina granosa exhibited the oldest colonization time (~2.713 mya) and time since demographic expansion (~282 kya), likely reflecting a preference for lotic habitats most prevalent on young islands. Conversely, gobioid fishes (Awaous stamineus, Eleotris sandwicensis and Sicyopterus stimpsoni) colonized the archipelago only ~0.411-0.935 mya, suggesting ecological opportunities for colonization in this group were temporally constrained. These findings indicate that stream communities form across colonization windows, underscoring the importance of ecological opportunities in shaping island freshwater diversity. © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Sculpting the Philippine archipelago since the Cretaceous through rifting, oceanic spreading, subduction, obduction, collision and strike-slip faulting: Contribution to IGMA5000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aurelio, Mario A.; Peña, Rolando E.; Taguibao, Kristine Joy L.

2013-08-01

The Philippine archipelago resulted from a complex series of geologic events that involved continental rifting, oceanic spreading, subduction, ophiolite obduction, arc-continent collision, intra-arc basin formation and strike-slip faulting. It can be divided into two tectono-stratigraphic blocks, namely; the Palawan-Mindoro Continental Block (PCB) and the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB). The PCB was originally a part of the Asian mainland that was rifted away during the Mesozoic and drifted in the course of the opening of the South China Sea (SCS) during Late Paleogene. On the other hand, the PMB developed mainly from island arcs and ophiolite terranes that started to form during the Cretaceous. At present, the PMB collides with the PCB in the Visayas in the central-western Philippines. This paper discusses recent updates on Philippine geology and tectonics as contribution to the establishment of the International Geologic Map of Asia at 1:5 M scale (IGMA5000).

Patterns of diversification in islands: A comparative study across three gecko genera in the Socotra Archipelago.

PubMed

Garcia-Porta, Joan; Morales, Hernán E; Gómez-Díaz, Elena; Sindaco, Roberto; Carranza, Salvador

2016-05-01

In this study we used the complete fauna of geckos of the Socotra Archipelago to test whether the three gecko genera co-occurring in the islands (Pristurus, Hemidactylus and Haemodracon) produced similar outcomes of morphological and climatic diversification. To test this, we produced a time-calibrated tree of 346 geckos including all 16 endemic species of the archipelago and 26 potential close-relatives in the continent. Our dating estimates revealed that most of the diversity of geckos in the archipelago was the consequence of in situ diversification. However not all genera shared similar patterns of diversification. While in Hemidactylus and Haemodracon this involved great differences in body size and low levels of climatic diversification (mostly involving sympatric distributions), an opposite pattern appeared in Pristurus in which most of the diversification involved shifts in climatic envelopes (mostly involving allopatric and parapatric distributions) but almost no size differentiation. Consistently with this, Pristurus was the only genus in which rates of size diversification in islands were substantially lower than in the continent. This illustrates how different groups can greatly differ in their patterns of intra-island diversification and highlights the importance of taxon-dependent factors at determining different patterns of diversification in the same insular context. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Occurrences of whale shark (Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828) in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul archipelago, Brazil.

PubMed

Hazin, F H V; Vaske Júnior, T; Oliveira, P G; Macena, B C L; Carvalho, F

2008-05-01

The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago in the central tropical Atlantic, is an important ground of whale sharks that are commonly sighted throughout the year close to the fishing boats in the adjacencies of the islands. In sightings reported between February 2000 and November 2005, the lengths of the individuals ranged between 1.8 to 14.0 m. The causes of these concentrations in the archipelago are still unclear, once there are no upwellings and plankton concentrations for feeding, and no reproductive activities were reported. Nevertheless, they could be associated to the spawning period of the abundant flying fishes, mainly in the first semester, when sightings were more frequent.

Hydrology, ecology, and management of riparian areas in the Madrean Archipelago [Abstract

Treesearch

Daniel G. Neary; Peter F. Ffolliott; Leonard F. DeBano

2005-01-01

Riparian corridors in the Madrean Archipelago have historically provided water necessary for people, livestock, and agricultural crops. Anglo settlers during the 1800s were attracted to riparian areas in this arid and semi-arid region where they enjoyed the forage and shade for themselves and their livestock and existed on the readily available wildlife and fish. Trees...

Studies on metal content in the brown seaweed, Fucus vesiculosus, from the Archipelago of Stockholm.

PubMed

Forsberg, A; Söderlund, S; Frank, A; Petersson, L R; Pedersén, M

1988-01-01

Concentrations of eleven metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) were determined in the brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus collected from the Archipelago of Stockholm. Several factors which influence the metal content in the seaweed have been studied, including errors caused by epiphytes, sea exposure and differences depending on which part of the seaweed is analysed. It is concluded that, if all these factors are considered, Fucus vesiculosus plants are excellent bio-indicators of metal pollution. This is also demonstrated by a significant increase in metal content in transplanted Fucus vesiculosus near the city of Stockholm. The results from this investigation also indicate increasing metal concentrations, especially Cd, in samples from the northern parts of the Archipelago and the reason for this is discussed.

[Nutrients in atmospheric wet deposition in the East China Sea].

PubMed

Zhu, Yu-Mei; Liu, Su-Mei

2011-09-01

92 rainwater samples were collected at Shengsi Archipelago from January 2008 to December 2009. The pH and the concentrations of nutrients (NH4(+), NO3(-) + NO2(-), PO4(3-), SiO3(2-)) were analyzed using spectrophotometry to understand the impacts of the atmospheric wet deposition on the ecosystem of the East China Sea. The results showed that the pH of 85% samples were less than 5.0, and had significant effect on the environment. There were significant differences among monthly average concentrations of nutrients and rainfall and seasonal average wet deposition of nutrients in investigation periods. The annual average wet deposition flux was 52.05 mmol x (m2 x a) (-1) for DIN, 0.08 mmol x (m2 x a) (-1) for PO4(3-), 2.05 mmol x (m2 x a) (-1) for SiO3(2-). The average molar ratios of NO3(-)/NH4(+) is 0.73, N: P ratio is 684: 1, indicating that nutrients composition in rainwater was different from seawater of the East China Sea Shelf (10-150). The wet deposition may change the nutrients structure, pH and lead to change the phytoplankton production in the surface seawater of the East China Sea, even lead to the red tide.

An Integrated Bathymetric and Topographic Digital Terrain Model of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alm, G.; Macnab, R.; Jakobsson, M.; Kleman, J.; McCracken, M.

2002-12-01

Currently, the International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) [Jakobsson et al. 2000], contains the most up-to-date digital bathymetric model of the entire Canadian Arctic Archipelago. IBCAO is a seamless bathymetric/topographic Digital Terrain Model (DTM) that incorporates three primary data sets: all available bathymetric data at the time of compilation; the US Geological Survey GTOPO30 topographic data; and the World Vector Shoreline for coastline representation. The horizontal grid cell size is 2.5 x 2.5 km on a Polar Stereographic projection, which is adequate for regional visualization and analysis, but which may not be sufficient for certain geoscientific and oceanographic applications. However, the database that was constructed during the IBCAO project holds bathymetric data of a high quality throughout most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, justifying a compilation resolution that is better than 2.5 x 2.5 km. This data is primarily from historical hydrographic surveys that were carried out by the Canadian Hydrographic Survey (CHS). The construction of a higher resolution bathymetry/topography DTM of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (complete with an error estimation of interpolated grid cells) requires a consideration of historical metadata which contains detailed descriptions of horizontal and vertical datums, positioning systems, and the depth sounding systems that were deployed during individual surveys. A significant portion of this metadata does not exist in digital form; it was not available during the IBCAO compilation, although due to the relatively low resolution of the original DTM (2.5 x 2.5 km), its absence was considered a lesser problem. We have performed "data detective" work and have extracted some of the more crucial metadata from CHS archives and are thus able to present a preliminary version of a seamless Digital Terrain Model of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. This represents a significant improvement over the original

Optimizing velocities and transports for complex coastal regions and archipelagos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haley, Patrick J.; Agarwal, Arpit; Lermusiaux, Pierre F. J.

2015-05-01

We derive and apply a methodology for the initialization of velocity and transport fields in complex multiply-connected regions with multiscale dynamics. The result is initial fields that are consistent with observations, complex geometry and dynamics, and that can simulate the evolution of ocean processes without large spurious initial transients. A class of constrained weighted least squares optimizations is defined to best fit first-guess velocities while satisfying the complex bathymetry, coastline and divergence strong constraints. A weak constraint towards the minimum inter-island transports that are in accord with the first-guess velocities provides important velocity corrections in complex archipelagos. In the optimization weights, the minimum distance and vertical area between pairs of coasts are computed using a Fast Marching Method. Additional information on velocity and transports are included as strong or weak constraints. We apply our methodology around the Hawaiian islands of Kauai/Niihau, in the Taiwan/Kuroshio region and in the Philippines Archipelago. Comparisons with other common initialization strategies, among hindcasts from these initial conditions (ICs), and with independent in situ observations show that our optimization corrects transports, satisfies boundary conditions and redirects currents. Differences between the hindcasts from these different ICs are found to grow for at least 2-3 weeks. When compared to independent in situ observations, simulations from our optimized ICs are shown to have the smallest errors.

Barsine podbolotskayae sp. n. from Flores Island, Lesser Sunda Archipelago, Indonesia (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae)

PubMed Central

Spitsyn, Vitaly M.; Bolotov, Ivan N.

2018-01-01

Abstract Herein Barsine podbolotskayae sp. n. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) is described from Flores Island, Lesser Sunda Archipelago, Indonesia. This local endemic species externally resembles Barsine exclusa Butler, 1877 from Sundaland and the Andaman Islands but differs by marking patterns and male genitalia structure. PMID:29955214

Megachile timberlakei Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): Yet another adventive bee species to the Galapagos Archipelago

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Galapagos Archipelago has been thought to be extremely depauperate in bees, with only one species known, Xylocopa darwini. Recently a second species, Anthidium vigintiduopunctatum, was detected. Here we document a third species, Megachile timberlakei. We provide floral records as well as a dia...

A Revision of the Adult and Larval Mosquitoes of Japan (Including the Ryukyu Archipelago and the Ogasawara Islands) and Korea (Diptera: Culicidae)

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-01-01

Ryukyu Archipelago Ogasawara and Volcano islands Prefectures of Japan (large bold numerals) 13. Hyogo 14. Ibaraki 15. Ishikawa 16. Iwate 17...Kishimoto, 1969: 33, Haneji and Ishikawa , Okinawa Is. ; &omi and Sonae, Iriomote Is. ; Ryukyu Archipelago. Descriptions based on specimens from Taiwan...d, 9, P, L). Type-locality: Mt. Hakusan, Ishikawa Pref., Japan. FEMALE (Fig. 216). Wing length 5.1-5.4 mm. Head. Eyes narrowly narrowly separated

Neoproterozoic Stromatolites and Microphytolites of the Spitsbergen Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anisimov, Artem; Anisimova, Svetlana; Kosteva, Natalia

2017-04-01

The Svalbard archipelago is located in the extreme North-West of the Barents Sea. On the archipelago in the framework of large-scale exploration of the continental shelf exploration work carried out by employees of the Polar Marine Geological Expedition (PMGE). The authors were further explored and tested the Neoproterozoic sections of the Groups Veteranen, Akademikarbreen and Polarisbreen on the East and West banks of the Sorgfjorden (the Northern part of the Ny Friesland Peninsula) and in the moraine of the glacier Duner. The rocks carbonate-terrigenous Veteranen Group (upper Riphean) is set in the rocky outcrops on the Western and Eastern banks of Sorgfjorden and in ice-dressed rocks of the Bay. The Group consists of four Formations (bottom to top): Kortbreen, Kingbreen, Glasgowbreen and Oxfordbreen. The rocks carbonate-terrigenous Akademikarbreen Group (upper Riphean) have a lower areal distribution than the breed Veteranen Group in the project area is established only in the southern part of the Bay, in the valleys Kluftdalen, Rivnedalen and small-unnamed streams, as well as on the plateau Fleinfjellet and Vidarfjellet. The Groups consists of four formation (bottom to top): Grusdievbreen, Svanbergfjellet, Draken and Backlundtoppen. According to previous researchers, limestone in Kingbreen Formation (Veteranen Group) met with radial-rayed Microphytolites group Radiosus. And in light grey, cream, pink and red limestones of the Academikarbreen Group, in the Svanbergfjellet Formation defined columnar branching Stromatolites Inzeria djejimi Raab., Gymnosolen aff. ramsayi Steinm. Stromatolites of Conophyton miloradovichi Raab. in the dolomites of the overlying sediments Draken and Backlundtoppen Formations contain Vendian the bubbles Microphytolites Vesicularites bothrydioformis Krasnop. In carbonate rocks of the Akademikerbreen Group were confirmed by the finds of Neoproterozoic microbial entities identified by previous researchers, and identified new locations of

Paleomagnetism of Early Paleozoic Rocks from the de Long Archipelago and Tectonics of the New Siberian Islands Terrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metelkin, D. V.; Chernova, A. I.; Matushkin, N. Y.; Vernikovskiy, V. A.

2017-12-01

The De Long archipelago is located to the north of the Anjou archipelago as a part of a large group between the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea - the New Siberian Islands and consists of Jeannette Island, Bennett Island and Henrietta Island. These islands have been shown to be part of a single continental terrane, whose tectonic history was independent of other continental masses at least since the Ordovician. Paleomagnetic and precise geological data for the De Long archipelago were absent until recently. Only in 2013 special international field trips to the De Long Islands could be organized and geological, isotope-geochronological and paleomagnetic studies were carried out.On Jeannette Island a volcanic-sedimentary sequence intruded by mafic dikes was described. The age of these dikes is more likely Early Ordovician, close to 480 Ma, as evidenced by the results of our 40Ar/39Ar and paleomagnetic investigations of the dolerites as well as the result from detrital zircons in the host rocks published before. On Bennett Island, there are widespread Cambrian-Ordovician mainly terrigenous rocks. Paleomagnetic results from these rocks characterize the paleogeographic position of the De Long archipelago at 465 Ma and perhaps at 530 Ma, although there is no evidence for the primary origin of magnetization for the latter. On Henrietta Island the Early Cambrian volcanic-sedimentary section was investigated. A paleomagnetic pole for 520 Ma was obtained and confirmed by new 40Ar/39Ar results. Adding to our previous paleomagnetic data for the Anjou archipelago the extended variant of the apparent polar wander path for the New Siberian Island terrane was created. The established paleolatitudes define its location in the equatorial and subtropical zone no higher than 40 degrees during the Early Paleozoic. Because there are no good confirmations for true polarity and related geographic hemisphere we present two possibilities for tectonic reconstruction. But both these

The blowflies of the Madeira Archipelago: species diversity, distribution and identification (Diptera, Calliphoridae s. l.)

PubMed Central

Prado e Castro, Catarina; Szpila, Krzysztof; Martínez-Sánchez, Anabel; Rego; Silva, Isamberto; Serrano, Artur R.M.; Boieiro, Mário

2016-01-01

Abstract Knowledge on the taxonomic diversity and distribution of blowflies from the Madeira Archipelago is updated. New and interesting findings are reported for poorly studied islands and islets of this archipelago, together with a brief analysis of the diversity of Macaronesian Calliphoridae s. l. Seven blowfly species were collected during this study, including the first records of Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830, Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819), Lucilia sericata (Meigen, 1826), Pollenia rudis (Fabricius, 1794) and Stomorhina lunata (Fabricius, 1805) from Porto Santo, and of Calliphora vicina, Lucilia sericata and Stomorhina lunata from Desertas Islands. The presence of Calliphora loewi Enderlein, 1903 in Madeira Laurisilva forest is discussed and its first instar larva is redescribed, revealing important differences in relation to its original description. An identification key to the adult Madeiran blowflies is provided for the first time. PMID:27917052

Seismic Hazard Maps for the Maltese Archipelago: Preliminary Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Amico, S.; Panzera, F.; Galea, P. M.

2013-12-01

The Maltese islands form an archipelago of three major islands lying in the Sicily channel at about 140 km south of Sicily and 300 km north of Libya. So far very few investigations have been carried out on seismicity around the Maltese islands and no maps of seismic hazard for the archipelago are available. Assessing the seismic hazard for the region is currently of prime interest for the near-future development of industrial and touristic facilities as well as for urban expansion. A culture of seismic risk awareness has never really been developed in the country, and the public perception is that the islands are relatively safe, and that any earthquake phenomena are mild and infrequent. However, the Archipelago has been struck by several moderate/large events. Although recent constructions of a certain structural and strategic importance have been built according to high engineering standards, the same probably cannot be said for all residential buildings, many higher than 3 storeys, which have mushroomed rapidly in recent years. Such buildings are mostly of unreinforced masonry, with heavy concrete floor slabs, which are known to be highly vulnerable to even moderate ground shaking. We can surely state that in this context planning and design should be based on available national hazard maps. Unfortunately, these kinds of maps are not available for the Maltese islands. In this paper we attempt to compute a first and preliminary probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of the Maltese islands in terms of Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) and Spectral Acceleration (SA) at different periods. Seismic hazard has been computed using the Esteva-Cornell (1968) approach which is the most widely utilized probabilistic method. It is a zone-dependent approach: seismotectonic and geological data are used coupled with earthquake catalogues to identify seismogenic zones within which earthquakes occur at certain rates. Therefore the earthquake catalogues can be reduced to the

Temporal analysis of remotely sensed turbidity in a coastal archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suominen, Tapio; Tolvanen, Harri

2016-07-01

A topographically fragmental archipelago with dynamic waters set the preconditions for assessing coherent remotely sensed information. We generated a turbidity dataset for an archipelago coast in the Baltic Sea from MERIS data (FSG L1b), using CoastColour L1P, L2R and L2W processors. We excluded land and mixed pixels by masking the imagery with accurate (1:10 000) shoreline data. Using temporal linear averaging (TLA), we produced satellite-imagery datasets applicable to temporal composites for the summer seasons of three years. The turbidity assessments and temporally averaged data were compared to in situ observations obtained with coastal monitoring programs. The ability of TLA to estimate missing pixel values was further assessed by cross-validation with the leave-one-out method. The correspondence between L2W turbidity and in situ observations was good (r = 0.89), and even after applying TLA the correspondence remained acceptable (r = 0.78). The datasets revealed spatially divergent temporal water characteristics, which may be relevant to the management, design of monitoring and habitat models. Monitoring observations may be spatially biased if the temporal succession of water properties is not taken into account in coastal areas with anisotropic dispersion of waters and asynchronous annual cycles. Accordingly, areas of varying turbidity may offer a different habitat for aquatic biota than areas of static turbidity, even though they may appear similar if water properties are measured for short annual periods.

A multiproxy reconstruction of NAO evolution in the Azores archipelago since 1350 AD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, Armand; Doolittle, Sara; Bao, Roberto; Trigo, Ricardo M.; Rubio-Inglés, Maria J.; Sánchez-López, Guiomar; Vázquez-Loureiro, David; Gonçalves, Vitor; Raposeiro, Pedro M.; Marques, Helena S.; Sáez, Alberto; Giralt, Santiago

2014-05-01

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the main atmospheric circulation pattern affecting climate variability in the Northern Hemisphere, having a major impact on both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Instrumental records of the NAO are relatively short, and therefore paleoenvironmental multiproxy approaches become fundamental to better understand its behaviour for longer scale periods. The NAO is often defined as a large-scale meridional oscillation dipole of air pressure between the Azores High and the Iceland Low. Some of the NAO definitions include the use of sea level pressure from Ponta Delgada station in Azores, and thus any NAO reconstruction would gain in robustness if it includes paleoenvironmental information from this archipelago located at the southern end of the meridional dipole that characterizes the NAO pattern. However, to the best of our knowledge, very few historical and long-term reconstructions have been conducted in the Azores Islands. We present a ca. 600-year-long multiproxy reconstruction of the NAO evolution based on facies analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning, elemental and isotope geochemistry on bulk organic matter and the preliminary study of diatom and chironomid content from the sedimentary record of Lake Empadadas (37° 49' N - 25° 44' W, Azores Archipelago, Portugal). The precipitation regime in Azores Archipelago (i.e. intra and inter-annual variability) is clearly influenced by the NAO index, thus periods with dominant positive NAO index values (NAO+) are usually characterized by low winter precipitation in the Azores. Conversely, negative NAO phases (NAO-) induce high winter precipitation in the archipelago. These patterns suggest that past (winter) precipitation changes on the Azores may be partially used as a proxy for NAO changes, and thus a proxy for more large-scale changes in the North Atlantic region. According to this multiproxy characterization of the Lake Empadadas sediments

Connecting mountain islands and desert seas: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago II

Treesearch

Gerald J. Gottfried; Brooke S. Gebow; Lane G. Eskew; Carleton B. Edminster

2005-01-01

The Madrean Archipelago, or Sky Island, region of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico is recognized for its great biological diversity and natural beauty. This conference brought together scientists, managers, and other interested parties to share their knowledge about the region and to identify needs and possible solutions for existing and emerging...

Plant speciation in continental island floras as exemplified by Nigella in the Aegean Archipelago.

PubMed

Comes, Hans Peter; Tribsch, Andreas; Bittkau, Christiane

2008-09-27

Continental shelf island systems, created by rising sea levels, provide a premier setting for studying the effects of geographical isolation on non-adaptive radiation and allopatric speciation brought about by genetic drift. The Aegean Archipelago forms a highly fragmented complex of mostly continental shelf islands that have become disconnected from each other and the mainland in relatively recent geological times (ca <5.2 Ma). These ecologically fairly homogenous islands thus provide a suitable biogeographic context for assessing the relative influences of past range fragmentation, colonization, gene flow and drift on taxon diversification. Indeed, recent molecular biogeographic studies on the Aegean Nigella arvensis complex, combining phylogenetic, phylogeographic and population level approaches, exemplify the importance of allopatry and genetic drift coupled with restricted gene flow in driving plant speciation in this continental archipelago at different temporal and spatial scales. While the recent (Late Pleistocene) radiation of Aegean Nigella, as well as possible instances of incipient speciation (in the Cyclades), is shown to be strongly conditioned by (palaeo)geographic factors (including changes in sea level), shifts in breeding system (selfing) and associated isolating mechanisms have also contributed to this radiation. By contrast, founder event speciation has probably played only a minor role, perhaps reflecting a migratory situation typical for continental archipelagos characterized by niche pre-emption because of a long established resident flora. Overall, surveys of neutral molecular markers in Aegean Nigella have so far revealed population genetic processes that conform remarkably well to predictions raised by genetic drift theory. The challenge is now to gain more direct insights into the relative importance of the role of genetic drift, as opposed to natural selection, in the phenotypic and reproductive divergence among these Aegean plant

Gastrointestinal parasites in feral cats and rodents from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Brazil.

PubMed

Lima, Victor Fernando Santana; Ramos, Rafael Antonio Nascimento; Lepold, Raphael; Borges, João Carlos Gomes; Ferreira, Carlos Diógenes; Rinaldi, Laura; Cringoli, Giuseppe; Alves, Leucio Câmara

2017-01-01

Gastrointestinal parasites are important pathogens affecting animals, some of them are of medical and veterinary concern. Although the dynamic of parasitic infections is a complex phenomenon that has been studied under experimental conditions, it shows several gaps in knowledge, especially in insular regions where a confined population of animals and parasites co-exists. In this study was assessed the parasitism by endoparasite gastrointestinal in feral cats (n = 37) and rodents (n = 30) from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago; in addition, the risk of human infection and ecological implications of these findings were discussed. Out of all samples analysed, 100% scored positive for the presence of gastrointestinal parasites in both feral cats and rodents. A total 17 genera and/or species of endoparasite gastrointestinal were identified, Ancylostoma sp., Strongyloides sp., Trichuris campanula and Toxocara cati were the parasites more frequently in feral cats. In rodents Eimeria sp., Strongyloides sp. and Trichuris muris were parasites more frequently herein detected. Human population living in this area are at risk of parasite infections due to the population of rodents and feral cats in the archipelago.

Atmospheric Transport of Nutrient Matter during a Red Tide Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, R.; Weng, H.; Lin, Q.

2017-12-01

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) resulting from an explosive increase in algae population have become a global problem in coastal marine environment. During 3rd -8th, May of 2006, large-scale, mixed prorocentrum dentatum stein and skeletonema costatum bloom developed in those water off the coast of Zhejiang province (Zhoushan city and Liuheng Island) of China. Using Global Nested Air Quality Prediction Modeling System (GNAQPMS), we find an atmospheric transport of considerable nutrient matter (nitrate, ammonium, Fe (Ⅱ)) to East China Sea (ECS) before the red tide event. It be inferred that the atmospheric transport of nutrient matter is a significant source of nutrient matter in the water of East China Sea whose hydrological setting is dominated by oligotrophic Taiwan Warm Current in spring. Such atmospheric transport of nutrient matter is likely a cause factor of red tide in the coast of East China Sea, especially during dust event. The study provides new information for discovering the occurring mechanism of the red tides in ECS and the essential parameters for the red tide research.

Patterns in reef fish assemblages: Insights from the Chagos Archipelago

PubMed Central

Roche, Ronan; Koldewey, Heather; Turner, John

2018-01-01

Understanding the drivers of variability in the composition of fish assemblages across the Indo-Pacific region is crucial to support coral reef ecosystem resilience. Whilst numerous relationships and feedback mechanisms between the functional roles of coral reef fishes and reef benthic composition have been investigated, certain key groups, such as the herbivores, are widely suggested to maintain reefs in a coral-dominated state. Examining links between fishes and reef benthos is complicated by the interactions between natural processes, disturbance events and anthropogenic impacts, particularly fishing pressure. This study examined fish assemblages and associated benthic variables across five atolls within the Chagos Archipelago, where fishing pressure is largely absent, to better understand these relationships. We found high variability in fish assemblages among atolls and sites across the archipelago, especially for key groups such as a suite of grazer-detritivore surgeonfish, and the parrotfishes which varied in density over 40-fold between sites. Differences in fish assemblages were significantly associated with variable levels of both live and recently dead coral cover and rugosity. We suggest these results reflect differing coral recovery trajectories following coral bleaching events and a strong influence of ‘bottom-up’ control mechanisms on fish assemblages. Species level analyses revealed that Scarus niger, Acanthurus nigrofuscus and Chlorurus strongylocephalos were key species driving differences in fish assemblage structure. Clarifying the trophic roles of herbivorous and detritivorous reef fishes will require species-level studies, which also examine feeding behaviour, to fully understand their contribution in maintaining reef resilience to climate change and fishing impacts. PMID:29351566

Seasonal and distributional patterns of seabirds along the Aleutian Archipelago

USGS Publications Warehouse

Renner, M.; Hunt, G.L.; Piatt, John F.; Byrd, G.V.

2008-01-01

The Aleutian Archipelago is of global importance to seabirds during the northern summer, but little is known about seabird use of these waters during winter. We compare summer and winter abundances of seabirds around 3 islands: Buldir in the western, Kasatochi in the central, and Aiktak in the eastern Aleutians. The density of combined seabird biomass in nearshore marine waters was higher in summer than in winter at Buldir and Kasatochi, but was higher in winter at Aiktak, despite the departure of abundant migratory species. Comparing foraging guilds, we found that only piscivores increased at the western and central sites in winter, whereas at the eastern site several planktivorous species increased as well. The only planktivore remaining in winter at the central and western sites in densities comparable to summer densities was whiskered auklet Aethia pygmaea. Crested auklet Aethia cristatella and thick-billed murre Uria lomvia showed the greatest proportional winter increase at the eastern site. The seasonal patterns of the seabird communities suggest a winter breakdown of the copepod-based food web in the central and western parts of the archipelago, and a system that remains rich in euphausiids in the eastern Aleutians. We suggest that in winter crested auklets take the trophic role that short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris occupy during summer. We hypothesize that advection of euphausiids in the Aleutian North Slope Current is important for supporting the high biomass of planktivores that occupy the Unimak Pass region on a year-round basis. ?? Inter-Research 2008.

Patterns in reef fish assemblages: Insights from the Chagos Archipelago.

PubMed

Samoilys, Melita; Roche, Ronan; Koldewey, Heather; Turner, John

2018-01-01

Understanding the drivers of variability in the composition of fish assemblages across the Indo-Pacific region is crucial to support coral reef ecosystem resilience. Whilst numerous relationships and feedback mechanisms between the functional roles of coral reef fishes and reef benthic composition have been investigated, certain key groups, such as the herbivores, are widely suggested to maintain reefs in a coral-dominated state. Examining links between fishes and reef benthos is complicated by the interactions between natural processes, disturbance events and anthropogenic impacts, particularly fishing pressure. This study examined fish assemblages and associated benthic variables across five atolls within the Chagos Archipelago, where fishing pressure is largely absent, to better understand these relationships. We found high variability in fish assemblages among atolls and sites across the archipelago, especially for key groups such as a suite of grazer-detritivore surgeonfish, and the parrotfishes which varied in density over 40-fold between sites. Differences in fish assemblages were significantly associated with variable levels of both live and recently dead coral cover and rugosity. We suggest these results reflect differing coral recovery trajectories following coral bleaching events and a strong influence of 'bottom-up' control mechanisms on fish assemblages. Species level analyses revealed that Scarus niger, Acanthurus nigrofuscus and Chlorurus strongylocephalos were key species driving differences in fish assemblage structure. Clarifying the trophic roles of herbivorous and detritivorous reef fishes will require species-level studies, which also examine feeding behaviour, to fully understand their contribution in maintaining reef resilience to climate change and fishing impacts.

Phylogeography and historical demography of the anadromous fish Leucopsarion petersii in relation to geological history and oceanography around the Japanese Archipelago.

PubMed

Kokita, Tomoyuki; Nohara, Kenji

2011-01-01

Phylogeographical patterns of marine and diadromous organisms are often influenced by dynamic ocean histories. For example, the marine realm around the Japanese Archipelago is an interesting area for phylogeographical research because of the wide variation in the environments driven by repeated shifts in sea level in the Quaternary. We analysed mitochondrial cyt b gene and nuclear myh6 gene sequences for individuals collected from throughout the range of the anadromous fish Leucopsarion petersii to assess the lineage divergence, phylogeographical pattern and historical demography in relation to geological history and oceanographic features around the archipelago. Leucopsarion petersii has two major lineages (the Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean lineages), which diverged during the late-early to middle Pleistocene. Geographical distributions of the two lineages were closely related to the pathways of the two warm currents, the Tsushima Current and the Kuroshio Current, that flow past the archipelago. Evidence of introgressive hybridization between these lineages was found at two secondary contact zones. Demographic tests suggested that the Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean lineages carried the genetic signal of different historical demographic processes, and these signals are probably associated with differences in habitat stability during recent glacial periods. The Japan Sea lineage has a larger body-size and more vertebrae, probably in relation to severe habitat conditions through Pleistocene climatic oscillations. Thus, the two lineages have long independent evolutionary histories, and the phylogeographical structure and demography of this species have been influenced both by historical events and the present-day oceanography around the Japanese Archipelago. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Genetic characterization of brown bears of the Kodiak Archipelago

USGS Publications Warehouse

Talbot, Sandra L.; Gust, Judy R.; Sage, George K.; Fischbach, Anthony S.; Amstrup, Kristin S.; Leacock, William; Van Daele, Larry

2006-01-01

Here we examine genetic characteristics of brown bears of Kodiak and Afognak islands, using 14 variable nuclear microsatellite loci and nucleotide sequence information including the hypervariable domain I of the mtDNA control region (Wakely 1993). Because these markers, or a subset of them, have been used to characterize brown bears of the Kenai Peninsula (Jackson et al. 2005), Katmai National Park, Seward Peninsula, and nine other populations in Alaska (Talbot, unpublished data), we compared levels of genetic diversity and relationships among populations when possible. In addition, we obtained preliminary comparative information from class II DQA and DQB genes of the brown bear MHC, to examine levels of variation at this important immunology-mediating supergene. These data were used to answer the following questions: 1) are earlier findings of extremely low levels of variability at nuclear (biparentallyinherited) microsatellite loci from a small geographic area (Paetkau et al. 1998b) representative of Kodiak Archipelago populations as a whole? 2) Is the level and type of variation at the maternally-inherited mtDNA lower, or similar to, levels found in other populations in Alaska? 3) Is there concordance between low levels of genetic variation observed at neutral markers with levels of variation observed at functional genes? 4) Is there population substructuring within Kodiak and Afognak islands? 5) What is the connectivity between populations on Afognak Island and Kodiak Island? 6) What are the phylogeographic relationships between bears of the Kodiak Archipelago with brown bears on mainland Alaskan and other western Beringian populations? We also test whether these markers will provide an appropriate baseline for designing genetic tagging studies for use in future research and management activities, such as mark-recapture efforts, on the Refuge.

Biogeography of planktonic and coral-associated microorganisms across the Hawaiian Archipelago.

PubMed

Salerno, Jennifer L; Bowen, Brian W; Rappé, Michael S

2016-08-01

Factors driving the distribution of marine microorganisms are widely debated and poorly understood. Recent studies show that free-living marine microbes exhibit geographical patterns indicative of limited dispersal. In contrast, host-associated microbes face a different set of dispersal challenges, and hosts may function as habitat 'islands' for resident microbial populations. Here, we examine the biogeographical distributions of planktonic and adjacent coral-associated bacterial communities across the Hawaiian Archipelago, Johnston Atoll (∼1400 km southwest of Hawaii) and American Samoa in the Pacific Ocean and investigate the potential underlying processes driving observed patterns. Statistical analyses of bacterial community structure, determined using a small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene-based approach, showed that bacterioplankton and coral-associated bacterial communities were distinct, and correlated with geographical distance between sites. In addition, biogeographical patterns of bacterial associates paralleled those of their host coral Porites lobata, highlighting the specificity of these associations and the impact that host dispersal may have on bacterial biogeography. Planktonic and coral-associated bacterial communities from distant Johnston Atoll were shown to be connected with communities from the center of the Hawaiian Archipelago, a pattern previously observed in fish and invertebrates. No significant correlations were detected with habitat type, temperature or depth. However, non-distance-based geographical groupings were detected, indicating that, in addition to dispersal, unidentified environmental factors also affected the distributions of bacterial communities investigated here. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Diversity of fruit-feeding butterflies in a mountaintop archipelago of rainforest.

PubMed

Pereira, Geanne Carla Novais; Coelho, Marcel Serra; Beirão, Marina do Vale; Braga, Rodrigo Fagundes; Fernandes, Geraldo Wilson

2017-01-01

We provide the first description of the effects of local vegetation and landscape structure on the fruit-feeding butterfly community of a natural archipelago of montane rainforest islands in the Serra do Espinhaço, southeastern Brazil. Butterflies were collected with bait traps in eleven forest islands through both dry and rainy seasons for two consecutive years. The influence of local and landscape parameters and seasonality on butterfly species richness, abundance and composition were analyzed. We also examined the partitioning and decomposition of temporal and spatial beta diversity. Five hundred and twelve fruit-feeding butterflies belonging to thirty-four species were recorded. Butterfly species richness and abundance were higher on islands with greater canopy openness in the dry season. On the other hand, islands with greater understory coverage hosted higher species richness in the rainy season. Instead, the butterfly species richness was higher with lower understory coverage in the dry season. Butterfly abundance was not influenced by understory cover. The landscape metrics of area and isolation had no effect on species richness and abundance. The composition of butterfly communities in the forest islands was not randomly structured. The butterfly communities were dependent on local and landscape effects, and the mechanism of turnover was the main source of variation in β diversity. The preservation of this mountain rainforest island complex is vital for the maintenance of fruit-feeding butterfly community; one island does not reflect the diversity found in the whole archipelago.

Diversity of fruit-feeding butterflies in a mountaintop archipelago of rainforest

PubMed Central

Pereira, Geanne Carla Novais; Beirão, Marina do Vale; Braga, Rodrigo Fagundes; Fernandes, Geraldo Wilson

2017-01-01

We provide the first description of the effects of local vegetation and landscape structure on the fruit-feeding butterfly community of a natural archipelago of montane rainforest islands in the Serra do Espinhaço, southeastern Brazil. Butterflies were collected with bait traps in eleven forest islands through both dry and rainy seasons for two consecutive years. The influence of local and landscape parameters and seasonality on butterfly species richness, abundance and composition were analyzed. We also examined the partitioning and decomposition of temporal and spatial beta diversity. Five hundred and twelve fruit-feeding butterflies belonging to thirty-four species were recorded. Butterfly species richness and abundance were higher on islands with greater canopy openness in the dry season. On the other hand, islands with greater understory coverage hosted higher species richness in the rainy season. Instead, the butterfly species richness was higher with lower understory coverage in the dry season. Butterfly abundance was not influenced by understory cover. The landscape metrics of area and isolation had no effect on species richness and abundance. The composition of butterfly communities in the forest islands was not randomly structured. The butterfly communities were dependent on local and landscape effects, and the mechanism of turnover was the main source of variation in β diversity. The preservation of this mountain rainforest island complex is vital for the maintenance of fruit-feeding butterfly community; one island does not reflect the diversity found in the whole archipelago. PMID:28666003

Rabies in an Arctic fox on the Svalbard archipelago, Norway, January 2011.

PubMed

Orpetveit, I; Ytrehus, B; Vikoren, T; Handeland, K; Mjos, A; Nissen, S; Blystad, H; Lund, A

2011-02-17

We report a case of rabies in an Arctic fox. In January 2011 a fox attacked dogs belonging to a meteorological station in the Svalbard archipelago, Norway. Rabies virus was detected in the fox's brain post-mortem. The dogs had been vaccinated against rabies and their antibody levels were protective. Post-exposure prophylaxis was administered to staff at the station. Rabies vaccination is recommended for inhabitants and visitors to the Arctic who may be in contact with wild animals.

Assessment of island beach erosion due to sea level rise: the case of the Aegean archipelago (Eastern Mediterranean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monioudi, Isavela N.; Velegrakis, Adonis F.; Chatzipavlis, Antonis E.; Rigos, Anastasios; Karambas, Theophanis; Vousdoukas, Michalis I.; Hasiotis, Thomas; Koukourouvli, Nikoletta; Peduzzi, Pascal; Manoutsoglou, Eva; Poulos, Serafim E.; Collins, Michael B.

2017-03-01

The present contribution constitutes the first comprehensive attempt to (a) record the spatial characteristics of the beaches of the Aegean archipelago (Greece), a critical resource for both the local and national economy, and (b) provide a rapid assessment of the impacts of the long-term and episodic sea level rise (SLR) under different scenarios. Spatial information and other attributes (e.g., presence of coastal protection works and backshore development) of the beaches of the 58 largest islands of the archipelago were obtained on the basis of remote-sensed images available on the web. Ranges of SLR-induced beach retreats under different morphological, sedimentological and hydrodynamic forcing, and SLR scenarios were estimated using suitable ensembles of cross-shore (1-D) morphodynamic models. These ranges, combined with empirically derived estimations of wave run-up induced flooding, were then compared with the recorded maximum beach widths to provide ranges of retreat/erosion and flooding at the archipelago scale. The spatial information shows that the Aegean pocket beaches may be particularly vulnerable to mean sea level rise (MSLR) and episodic SLRs due to (i) their narrow widths (about 59 % of the beaches have maximum widths < 20 m), (ii) their limited terrestrial sediment supply, (iii) the substantial coastal development and (iv) the limited existing coastal protection. Modeling results indeed project severe impacts under mean and episodic SLRs, which by 2100 could be devastating. For example, under MSLR of 0.5 m - representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) - a storm-induced sea level rise of 0.6 m is projected to result in a complete erosion of between 31 and 88 % of all beaches (29-87 % of beaches are currently fronting coastal infrastructure and assets), at least temporarily. Our results suggest a very considerable risk which will require significant

Abundance and composition of near surface microplastics and plastic debris in the Stockholm Archipelago, Baltic Sea.

PubMed

Gewert, Berit; Ogonowski, Martin; Barth, Andreas; MacLeod, Matthew

2017-07-15

We collected plastic debris in the Stockholm Archipelago using a manta trawl, and additionally along a transect in the Baltic Sea from the island of Gotland to Stockholm in a citizen science study. The samples were concentrated by filtration and organic material was digested using hydrogen peroxide. Suspected plastic material was isolated by visual sorting and 59 of these were selected to be characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Polypropylene and polyethylene were the most abundant plastics identified among the samples (53% and 24% respectively). We found nearly ten times higher abundance of plastics near central Stockholm than in offshore areas (4.2×10 5 plastics km -2 compared to 4.7×10 4 plastics km -2 ). The abundance of plastic debris near Stockholm was similar to urban areas in California, USA, and the overall abundance in the Stockholm Archipelago was similar to plastic abundance reported in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago II: Summary of discussions during the concluding session

Treesearch

Gerald J. Gottfried; Peter F. Ffolliott; Brooke S. Gebow; Shelley Danzer; Laura Arriaga; Daniel G. Neary; Van Devender; Thomas R.

2005-01-01

The first Conference on Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago brought together scientists, managers, and other interested parties from the United States and Mexico to share their knowledge about the region and to identify the needs and possible solutions for the future. The 1994 conference ended with an open discussion among the participants. The...

Hybridization occurs between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia in the Seychelles archipelago.

PubMed

Matute, D R; Ayroles, J F

2014-06-01

Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia are sister species that serve as a model to study the evolution of reproductive isolation. While D. simulans is a human commensal that has spread all over the world, D. sechellia is restricted to the Seychelles archipelago and is found to breed exclusively on the toxic fruit of Morinda citrifolia. We surveyed the relative frequency of males from these two species in a variety of substrates found on five islands of the Seychelles archipelago. We sampled different fruits and found that putative D. simulans can be found in a variety of substrates, including, surprisingly, M. citrifolia. Putative D. sechellia was found preferentially on M. citrifolia fruits, but a small proportion was found in other substrates. Our survey also shows the existence of putative hybrid males in areas where D. simulans is present in Seychelles. The results from this field survey support the hypothesis of current interbreeding between these species in the central islands of Seychelles and open the possibility for fine measurements of admixture between these two Drosophila species to be made. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2014 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Multiscale Physical and Biological Dynamics in the Philippines Archipelago: Predictions and Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 2010 2. REPORT...TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2010 to 00-00-2010 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE MultiscalePhysical and Biological Dynamics in the Philippines Archipelago...chemistry,  and   radioisotopes  in  the  Southeast  Asian  Basins.  J.  Geophys.  Res.,  91:14,345-­‐14,354.   Cabrera

Mercury concentrations of a resident freshwater forage fish at Adak Island, Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska.

PubMed

Kenney, Leah A; von Hippel, Frank A; Willacker, James J; O'Hara, Todd M

2012-11-01

The Aleutian Archipelago is an isolated arc of over 300 volcanic islands stretching 1,600 km across the interface of the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean. Although remote, some Aleutian Islands were heavily impacted by military activities from World War II until recently and were exposed to anthropogenic contaminants, including mercury (Hg). Mercury is also delivered to these islands via global atmospheric transport, prevailing ocean currents, and biotransport by migratory species. Mercury contamination of freshwater ecosystems is poorly understood in this region. Total Hg (THg) concentrations were measured in threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) collected from eight lakes at Adak Island, an island in the center of the archipelago with a long military history. Mean THg concentrations for fish whole-body homogenates for all lakes ranged from 0.314 to 0.560 mg/kg dry weight. Stickleback collected from seabird-associated lakes had significantly higher concentrations of THg compared to non-seabird lakes, including all military lakes. The δ(13)C stable isotope ratios of stickleback collected from seabird lakes suggest an input of marine-derived nutrients and/or marine-derived Hg. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Carboniferous rifted arcs leading to an archipelago of multiple arcs in the Beishan-Tianshan orogenic collages (NW China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Zhonghua; Xiao, Wenjiao; Windley, Brian F.; Zhang, Ji'en; Zhang, Zhiyong; Song, Dongfang

2017-10-01

The Beishan and East Tianshan Orogenic Collages in the southernmost Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) record the final stages of evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. These collages and their constituent arcs have an important significance for resolving current controversies regarding their tectonic setting and age, consequent accretionary history of the southern CAOB, and the closure time of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. In this paper, we present our work on the southern Mazongshan arc and the northern Hongyanjing Basin in the Beishan Orogenic Collage (BOC), and our comparison with the Bogda arc and associated basins in the East Tianshan Orogenic Collage. Field relationships indicate that the Pochengshan fault defines the boundary between the arc and basin in the BOC. Volcanic rocks including basalts and rhyolites in the Mazongshan arc have bimodal calc-alkaline characteristics, an enrichment in large ion lithophile elements such as Rb, Ba, and Pb and depletion in high field-strength elements (e.g., Nb and Ta), which were probably developed in a subduction-related tectonic setting. We suggest that these bimodal calc-alkaline volcanic rocks formed in rifted arcs instead of post-orogenic rifts with mantle plume inputs. By making detailed geochemical comparisons between the Mazongshan arc and the Bogda arc to the west, we further propose that they are similar and both formed in arc rifts, and helped generate a Carboniferous archipelago of multiple arcs in the southern Paleo-Asian Ocean. These data and ideas enable us to postulate a new model for the tectonic evolution of the southern CAOB.

The effect of methamphetamine abuse on dental caries and periodontal diseases in an Eastern China city.

PubMed

Ye, Tao; Sun, Dongliang; Dong, Guangying; Xu, Guangjie; Wang, Ligang; Du, Jinjin; Ren, Pengcheng; Yu, Shibin

2018-01-10

Dental diseases are among the most frequently reported health problems in drug abusers. However, few studies have been conducted on oral health of methamphetamine (meth) abusers in China. The aim of the present study was to investigate the caries and periodontal health profile of former meth abusers in Eastern China. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 162 former meth abusers in the male Zhoushan Compulsory Detoxification Center. A standardized questionnaire, which collected information about age, drug-use duration / pattern, oral hygiene habit and systemic diseases, was administered. Then, a dental examination was performed to investigate the severity of dental caries and periodontal diseases. In evaluating dental caries, the prevalence of dental caries, the scores of decayed teeth (DT), missing teeth (MT), filled teeth (FT), and decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) were recorded. In evaluating periodontal diseases, community periodontal index (CPI), and the prevalence of gingival bleeding, dental calculus, periodontal pocket and loose teeth, were recorded. Additionally, the non-parametric test was adopted to analyze the potential risk factors via SPSS. All the participants abused meth by inhalation. The mean scores of DT, MT, FT and DMFT in the former meth users were 2.72 ± 2.78, 3.07 ± 3.94, 0.33 ± 1.03 and 6.13 ± 5.20 respectively. The prevalence of gingival bleeding, dental calculus, periodontal pocket and loose teeth was 97.53%, 95.68%, 51.23% and 9.26% respectively. The DT, DMFT and CPI scores in those who had abused meth for longer than 4 years were significantly higher than those who abused for less than 4 years (P = 0.039, 0.045, P < 0.001, respectively). The DT score in those who brushed their teeth more than twice a day were significantly lower than those who brushed less (P = 0.018). The status of caries and periodontal diseases among former male meth users in Eastern China was poor. Prolonged drug abuse and lower

Reconstructing decades of glacial mass loss in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noël, Brice; van de Berg, Willem Jan; Lhermitte, Stef; Wouters, Bert; van den Broeke, Michiel

2017-04-01

The Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) comprises multiple small glaciers and ice caps mostly concentrated on Ellesmere and Baffin Islands situated in the north (NCAA) and south (SCAA) of the archipelago, respectively. Because they cover a relatively small area and show complex geometries, current regional climate models, generally running at 5 to 20 km horizontal resolution, struggle to accurately resolve surface mass change patterns. Here, we present a 58-year (1958-2015) reconstruction of daily, 1 km surface mass balance (SMB) of the CAA, statistically downscaled from the output of the regional climate model RACMO2.3 at 11 km. By correcting for biases in elevation and ice albedo, the downscaling method significantly improves mass loss estimates over narrow outlet glaciers and isolated ice fields through better resolved marginal meltwater runoff. During the last two decades, CAA glaciers have experienced warmer conditions (+1.1°C) resulting in continued mass loss. NCAA and SCAA mass loss accounted for -24.7 ± 18.0 Gt yr-1 and -21.9 ± 8.2 Gt yr-1 respectively, almost tripling (-8.4 Gt yr-1) and doubling (-11.8 Gt yr-1) the 1958-1995 average. Following the recent warming, enhanced meltwater production reduced the refreezing capacity of inland firn layers by about 6%. While the interior of NCAA ice caps can still buffer most of the additional melt, the lack of a perennial firn area over low-lying SCAA glaciers caused uninterrupted mass loss since the 1980s, which, in the absence of significant refreezing capacity, indicates inevitable disappearance of these highly sensitive glaciers.

Historical tsunami in the Azores archipelago (Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrade, C.; Borges, P.; Freitas, M. C.

2006-08-01

Because of its exposed northern mid-Atlantic location, morphology and plate-tectonics setting, the Azores Archipelago is highly vulnerable to tsunami hazards associated with landslides and seismic or volcanic triggers, local or distal. Critical examination of available data - written accounts and geologic evidence - indicates that, since the settlement of the archipelago in the 15th century, at least 23 tsunami have struck Azorean coastal zones. Most of the recorded tsunami are generated by earthquakes. The highest known run-up (11-15 m) was recorded on 1 November 1755 at Terceira Island, corresponding to an event of intensity VII-VIII (damaging-heavily damaging) on the Papadopolous-Imamura scale. To date, eruptive activity, while relatively frequent in the Azores, does not appear to have generated destructive tsunami. However, this apparent paucity of volcanogenic tsunami in the historical record may be misleading because of limited instrumental and documentary data, and small source-volumes released during historical eruptions. The latter are in contrast with the geological record of massive pyroclastic flows and caldera explosions with potential to generate high-magnitude tsunami, predating settlement. In addition, limited evidence suggests that submarine landslides from unstable volcano flanks may have also triggered some damaging tsunamigenic floods that perhaps were erroneously attributed to intense storms. The lack of destructive tsunami since the mid-18th century has led to governmental complacency and public disinterest in the Azores, as demonstrated by the fact that existing emergency regulations concerning seismic events in the Azores Autonomous Region make no mention of tsunami and their attendant hazards. We suspect that the coastal fringe of the Azores may well preserve a sedimentary record of some past tsunamigenic flooding events. Geological field studies must be accelerated to expand the existing database to include prehistoric events

Environmental contaminants in bald eagle eggs from the Aleutian archipelago

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anthony, R.G.; Miles, A.K.; Ricca, M.A.; Estes, J.A.

2007-01-01

We collected 136 fresh and unhatched eggs from bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nests and assessed productivity on eight islands in the Aleutian archipelago, 2000 to 2002. Egg contents were analyzed for a broad spectrum of organochlorine (OC) contaminants, mercury (Hg), and stable isotopes of carbon (??13C) and nitrogen (??15N). Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (??PCBs), p,p???- dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and Hg in bald eagle eggs were elevated throughout the archipelago, but the patterns of distribution differed among the various contaminants. Total PCBs were highest in areas of past military activities on Adak and Amchitka Islands, indicating local point sources of these compounds. Concentrations of DDE and Hg were higher on Amchitka Island, which was subjected to much military activity during World War II and the middle of the 20th century. Concentrations of ??PCBs also were elevated on islands with little history of military activity (e.g., Amlia, Tanaga, Buldir), suggesting non-point sources of PCBs in addition to point sources. Concentrations of DDE and Hg were highest in eagle eggs from the most western Aleutian Islands (e.g., Buldir, Kiska) and decreased eastward along the Aleutian chain. This east-to-west increase suggested a Eurasian source of contamination, possibly through global transport and atmospheric distillation and/or from migratory seabirds. Eggshell thickness and productivity of bald eagles were normal and indicative of healthy populations because concentrations of most contaminants were below threshold levels for effects on reproduction. Contrary to our predictions, contaminant concentrations were not correlated with stable isotopes of carbon (??13C) or nitrogen (??15N) in eggs. These latter findings indicate that contaminant concentrations were influenced more by point sources and geographic location than trophic status of eagles among the different islands. ?? 2007 SETAC.

Biogeographic discordance of molecular phylogenetic and phenotypic variation in a continental archipelago radiation of land snails.

PubMed

Stankowski, Sean; Johnson, Michael S

2014-01-07

In island archipelagos, where islands have experienced repeated periods of fragmentation and connection through cyclic changes in sea level, complex among-island distributions might reflect historical distributional changes or local evolution. We test the relative importance of these mechanisms in an endemic radiation of Rhagada land snails in the Dampier Archipelago, a continental archipelago off the coast of Western Australia, where ten morphospecies have complex, overlapping distributions. We obtained partial mtDNA sequence (COI) for 1015 snails collected from 213 locations across 30 Islands, and used Bayesian phylogenetic analysis and Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) to determine whether geography or the morphological taxonomy best explains the pattern of molecular evolution. Rather than forming distinct monophyletic groups, as would be expected if they had single, independent origins, all of the widely distributed morphospecies were polyphyletic, distributed among several well-supported clades, each of which included several morphospecies. Each mitochondrial clade had a clear, cohesive geographic distribution, together forming a series of parapatric replacements separated by narrow contact zones. AMOVA revealed further incongruence between mtDNA diversity and morphological variation within clades, as the taxonomic hypothesis always explained a low or non-significant proportion of the molecular variation. In contrast, the pattern of mtDNA evolution closely reflected contemporary and historical marine barriers. Despite opportunities for distributional changes during periods when the islands were connected, there is no evidence that dispersal has contributed to the geographic variation of shell form at the broad scale. Based on an estimate of dispersal made previously for Rhagada, we conclude that the periods of connection have been too short in duration to allow for extensive overland dispersal or deep mitochondrial introgression. The result is a sharp and

Biogeographic discordance of molecular phylogenetic and phenotypic variation in a continental archipelago radiation of land snails

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In island archipelagos, where islands have experienced repeated periods of fragmentation and connection through cyclic changes in sea level, complex among-island distributions might reflect historical distributional changes or local evolution. We test the relative importance of these mechanisms in an endemic radiation of Rhagada land snails in the Dampier Archipelago, a continental archipelago off the coast of Western Australia, where ten morphospecies have complex, overlapping distributions. Results We obtained partial mtDNA sequence (COI) for 1015 snails collected from 213 locations across 30 Islands, and used Bayesian phylogenetic analysis and Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) to determine whether geography or the morphological taxonomy best explains the pattern of molecular evolution. Rather than forming distinct monophyletic groups, as would be expected if they had single, independent origins, all of the widely distributed morphospecies were polyphyletic, distributed among several well-supported clades, each of which included several morphospecies. Each mitochondrial clade had a clear, cohesive geographic distribution, together forming a series of parapatric replacements separated by narrow contact zones. AMOVA revealed further incongruence between mtDNA diversity and morphological variation within clades, as the taxonomic hypothesis always explained a low or non-significant proportion of the molecular variation. In contrast, the pattern of mtDNA evolution closely reflected contemporary and historical marine barriers. Conclusions Despite opportunities for distributional changes during periods when the islands were connected, there is no evidence that dispersal has contributed to the geographic variation of shell form at the broad scale. Based on an estimate of dispersal made previously for Rhagada, we conclude that the periods of connection have been too short in duration to allow for extensive overland dispersal or deep mitochondrial

Hydrological conditions in the straits of the Ryukyu archipelago and adjacent basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moroz, V. V.; Bogdanov, K. T.

2007-10-01

The structure and dynamics of the water are studied on the basis of hydrological and meteorological long-term data combined with the materials of field observations over a period longer than half a century in the region of the Ryukyu archipelago. New data about the hydrological characteristics of the waters were obtained. Characteristic differences of waters of various modifications in the main straits between the islands are demonstrated. The dependence of the water structure formation in the straits on the seasonal variability of the water exchange through the straits is distinguished.

Phylogeography of Japanese horse chestnut (Aesculus turbinata) in the Japanese Archipelago based on chloroplast DNA haplotypes.

PubMed

Sugahara, Kanako; Kaneko, Yuko; Ito, Satoshi; Yamanaka, Keisuke; Sakio, Hitoshi; Hoshizaki, Kazuhiko; Suzuki, Wajiro; Yamanaka, Norikazu; Setoguchi, Hiroaki

2011-01-01

Japanese horse chestnut (Aesculus turbinata: Hippocastanaceae) is one of the typical woody plants that grow in temperate riparian forests in the Japanese Archipelago. To analyze the phylogeography of this plant in the Japanese Archipelago, we determined cpDNA haplotypes for 337 samples from 55 populations covering the entire distribution range. Based on 1,313 bp of two spacers, we determined ten haplotypes that are distinguished from adjacent haplotypes by one or two steps. Most of the populations had a single haplotype, suggesting low diversity. Spatial analysis of molecular variance suggested three obvious phylogeographic structures in western Japan, where Japanese horse chestnut is scattered and isolated in mountainous areas. Conversely, no clear phylogeographic structure was observed from the northern to the southern limit of this species, including eastern Japan, where this plant is more common. Rare and private haplotypes were also found in southwestern Japan, where Japanese horse chestnuts are distributed sparsely. These findings imply that western Japan might have maintained a relatively large habitat for A. turbinata during the Quaternary climatic oscillations, while northerly regions could not.

Temporal dynamics of optical-microphysical characteristics of atmospheric aerosol at the Spitsbergen Archipelago in 2011-2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernov, D. G.; Kozlov, V. S.; Panchenko, M. V.; Turchinovich, Yu. S.; Radionov, V. F.; Gubin, A. V.; Prakhov, A. N.

2015-11-01

In 2011-2014, the Institute of Atmospheric Optics (IAO SB RAS, Tomsk) and the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI, St. Petersburg) conducted field investigations of the near-ground aerosol characteristics near Barentsburg (Spitsbergen Archipelago) in the spring and summer seasons. The particle number density in the size range 0.3-20 μm, size distribution of particles, and mass concentrations of aerosol and black carbon were measured round-the-clock every hour with Grimm 1.108 and 1.109; and AZ-10 optical counters. The mass concentration of black carbon was measured by the MDA-02 aethalometer developed by the IAO SB RAS. Series of observations are obtained, annual and seasonal average values and their standard deviations are estimated, and seasonal and annual dynamics of the studied parameters is analyzed. Peculiarities of the temporal dynamics of average values of the aerosol characteristics are revealed and compared with the data of observations at other stations of the Spitsbergen Archipelago and in different regions of the Russian Arctic and Subarctic.

Species conservation profiles of endemic spiders (Araneae) from Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos, Portugal.

PubMed

Cardoso, Pedro; Crespo, Luís C; Silva, Isamberto; Borges, Paulo Av; Boieiro, Mário

2017-01-01

The North Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and Selvagens present a unique biological diversity including, presently, 56 endemic spider species. Several recent projects provide valuable information on their distribution across most islands and habitats. To date, the only endemic spider assessed according to the IUCN Red List criteria is Hogna ingens. The objective of this paper is to assess all remaining endemic species and advise on possible future conservation actions critical for the survival of endangered species. Seven species were found to have a continuing decline in either range or population size. Their decline can be mostly attributed to habitat destruction or degradation, invasive plant species that reduce quality of habitat, forest fires at high mountain regions and possible competition for resources from invasive congeners. The tetragnathid M. barreti is considered as possibly extinct due to the suspected impact of a competing species. Although most endemic spiders from the Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos have relatively low extinction risk due to the good condition and protection of the laurisilva forests where many live, there are a number of species requiring urgent attention and protection measures. These include all cave and mountain-restricted species as well as those threatened by competing congeners or invasive plants. Extending current protected areas, restoring original habitats of threatened species and the control of invasive taxa should remain a priority for species survival.

Species conservation profiles of endemic spiders (Araneae) from Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos, Portugal

PubMed Central

Crespo, Luís C; Silva, Isamberto; Borges, Paulo AV; Boieiro, Mário

2017-01-01

Abstract Background The North Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and Selvagens present a unique biological diversity including, presently, 56 endemic spider species. Several recent projects provide valuable information on their distribution across most islands and habitats. To date, the only endemic spider assessed according to the IUCN Red List criteria is Hogna ingens. The objective of this paper is to assess all remaining endemic species and advise on possible future conservation actions critical for the survival of endangered species. New information Seven species were found to have a continuing decline in either range or population size. Their decline can be mostly attributed to habitat destruction or degradation, invasive plant species that reduce quality of habitat, forest fires at high mountain regions and possible competition for resources from invasive congeners. The tetragnathid M. barreti is considered as possibly extinct due to the suspected impact of a competing species. Although most endemic spiders from the Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos have relatively low extinction risk due to the good condition and protection of the laurisilva forests where many live, there are a number of species requiring urgent attention and protection measures. These include all cave and mountain-restricted species as well as those threatened by competing congeners or invasive plants. Extending current protected areas, restoring original habitats of threatened species and the control of invasive taxa should remain a priority for species survival. PMID:29104441

Shallow-water stenopodidean and caridean shrimps from Abrolhos Archipelago, Brazil: new records and updated checklist.

PubMed

Soledade, Guidomar O; Fonseca, Mytalle S; Almeida, Alexandre O

2015-01-09

This study deals with a recent collection of stenopodidean and caridean shrimps made in the Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia, Brazil, in July and August 2013. Sampling was carried out in the vicinity of Ilha de Santa Bárbara (17°57'49"S 38°41'53"W). Specimens were obtained by hand or using small hand nets in tide pools or under rocks in the intertidal zone. Part of the material was collected by scuba diving in the shallow subtidal, to a maximum depth of 11 m. We obtained a total of 18 species, 12 of which are reported for the first time for the Abrolhos and 4 as new records for the state of Bahia. The distributions of Microprosthema semilaeve (von Martens, 1872), Typton gnathophylloides Holthuis, 1951, Alpheus verrilli (Schmitt, 1924) and Alpheopsis cf. trigona (Rathbun, 1901) are extended from their previously known ranges. The occurrence of Automate cf. rectifrons Chace, 1972 on the Brazilian coast is confirmed. We thus provide an updated checklist of stenopodidean (2 species) and caridean (29 species) shrimps from the Abrolhos Archipelago, incorporating and critically evaluating previous records. 

Differentiation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations from vineyards of the Azores Archipelago: Geography vs Ecology.

PubMed

Drumonde-Neves, João; Franco-Duarte, Ricardo; Vieira, Eugénia; Mendes, Inês; Lima, Teresa; Schuller, Dorit; Pais, Célia

2018-09-01

Aiming to elucidate the roles that ecology and geography play in shaping the differentiation of fermentative grape-associated Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations, several locations on six islands of the Azores Archipelago were surveyed. A total of 249 strains were isolated from spontaneous fermentations of grape samples from several varieties of two distinct grapevine species (Vitis vinifera L. and Vitis labrusca L.), in vineyards that are under regular cultivation or in abandoned vineyards. Strains were genetically analyzed using a set of nine microsatellite loci, and also phenotypically characterized using relevant physiological/biotechnological tests. Results showed that genetic divergence among populations of the same island was lower than from populations from different islands. Phenotypic comparison of the populations from each of the islands revealed significant differences between them. Strains isolated from the islands with more intensive viticultural activity - Pico, Terceira and Graciosa - showed higher levels of SO 2 tolerance, possibly resulting from selection by human activity. The percentage of strains producing low levels of H 2 S was higher in S. Jorge (60%). Our findings were supported both by genetic and phenotypic data and provide clear evidence for the prevailing role of the geography over ecology in the differentiation of S. cerevisiae populations in the Azores Archipelago. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Archipelago-wide island restoration in the Galápagos Islands: reducing costs of invasive mammal eradication programs and reinvasion risk.

PubMed

Carrion, Victor; Donlan, C Josh; Campbell, Karl J; Lavoie, Christian; Cruz, Felipe

2011-05-11

Invasive alien mammals are the major driver of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation on islands. Over the past three decades, invasive mammal eradication from islands has become one of society's most powerful tools for preventing extinction of insular endemics and restoring insular ecosystems. As practitioners tackle larger islands for restoration, three factors will heavily influence success and outcomes: the degree of local support, the ability to mitigate for non-target impacts, and the ability to eradicate non-native species more cost-effectively. Investments in removing invasive species, however, must be weighed against the risk of reintroduction. One way to reduce reintroduction risks is to eradicate the target invasive species from an entire archipelago, and thus eliminate readily available sources. We illustrate the costs and benefits of this approach with the efforts to remove invasive goats from the Galápagos Islands. Project Isabela, the world's largest island restoration effort to date, removed >140,000 goats from >500,000 ha for a cost of US$10.5 million. Leveraging the capacity built during Project Isabela, and given that goat reintroductions have been common over the past decade, we implemented an archipelago-wide goat eradication strategy. Feral goats remain on three islands in the archipelago, and removal efforts are underway. Efforts on the Galápagos Islands demonstrate that for some species, island size is no longer the limiting factor with respect to eradication. Rather, bureaucratic processes, financing, political will, and stakeholder approval appear to be the new challenges. Eradication efforts have delivered a suite of biodiversity benefits that are in the process of revealing themselves. The costs of rectifying intentional reintroductions are high in terms of financial and human resources. Reducing the archipelago-wide goat density to low levels is a technical approach to reducing reintroduction risk in the short-term, and is being

Archipelago-Wide Island Restoration in the Galápagos Islands: Reducing Costs of Invasive Mammal Eradication Programs and Reinvasion Risk

PubMed Central

Carrion, Victor; Donlan, C. Josh; Campbell, Karl J.; Lavoie, Christian; Cruz, Felipe

2011-01-01

Invasive alien mammals are the major driver of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation on islands. Over the past three decades, invasive mammal eradication from islands has become one of society's most powerful tools for preventing extinction of insular endemics and restoring insular ecosystems. As practitioners tackle larger islands for restoration, three factors will heavily influence success and outcomes: the degree of local support, the ability to mitigate for non-target impacts, and the ability to eradicate non-native species more cost-effectively. Investments in removing invasive species, however, must be weighed against the risk of reintroduction. One way to reduce reintroduction risks is to eradicate the target invasive species from an entire archipelago, and thus eliminate readily available sources. We illustrate the costs and benefits of this approach with the efforts to remove invasive goats from the Galápagos Islands. Project Isabela, the world's largest island restoration effort to date, removed >140,000 goats from >500,000 ha for a cost of US$10.5 million. Leveraging the capacity built during Project Isabela, and given that goat reintroductions have been common over the past decade, we implemented an archipelago-wide goat eradication strategy. Feral goats remain on three islands in the archipelago, and removal efforts are underway. Efforts on the Galápagos Islands demonstrate that for some species, island size is no longer the limiting factor with respect to eradication. Rather, bureaucratic processes, financing, political will, and stakeholder approval appear to be the new challenges. Eradication efforts have delivered a suite of biodiversity benefits that are in the process of revealing themselves. The costs of rectifying intentional reintroductions are high in terms of financial and human resources. Reducing the archipelago-wide goat density to low levels is a technical approach to reducing reintroduction risk in the short-term, and is being

3D Imaging and Automated Ice Bottom Tracking of Canadian Arctic Archipelago Ice Sounding Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paden, J. D.; Xu, M.; Sprick, J.; Athinarapu, S.; Crandall, D.; Burgess, D. O.; Sharp, M. J.; Fox, G. C.; Leuschen, C.; Stumpf, T. M.

2016-12-01

The basal topography of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago ice caps is unknown for a number of the glaciers which drain the ice caps. The basal topography is needed for calculating present sea level contribution using the surface mass balance and discharge method and to understand future sea level contributions using ice flow model studies. During the NASA Operation IceBridge 2014 arctic campaign, the Multichannel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder (MCoRDS) used a three transmit beam setting (left beam, nadir beam, right beam) to illuminate a wide swath across the ice glacier in a single pass during three flights over the archipelago. In post processing we have used a combination of 3D imaging methods to produce images for each of the three beams which are then merged to produce a single digitally formed wide swath beam. Because of the high volume of data produced by 3D imaging, manual tracking of the ice bottom is impractical on a large scale. To solve this problem, we propose an automated technique for extracting ice bottom surfaces by viewing the task as an inference problem on a probabilistic graphical model. We first estimate layer boundaries to generate a seed surface, and then incorporate additional sources of evidence, such as ice masks, surface digital elevation models, and feedback from human users, to refine the surface in a discrete energy minimization formulation. We investigate the performance of the imaging and tracking algorithms using flight crossovers since crossing lines should produce consistent maps of the terrain beneath the ice surface and compare manually tracked "ground truth" to the automated tracking algorithms. We found the swath width at the nominal flight altitude of 1000 m to be approximately 3 km. Since many of the glaciers in the archipelago are narrower than this, the radar imaging, in these instances, was able to measure the full glacier cavity in a single pass.

Characterization of hepatitis B virus infection in illicit drug users in the Marajó Archipelago, northern Brazil.

PubMed

Andrade, Andréia P; Pacheco, Suzy D B; Silva, Fabricio Q; Pinheiro, Luiz M L; Castro, Jairo A A; Amaral, Carlos E M; Hermes, Renata B; Fischer, Benedikt; Pinho, João R R; Lemos, José Alexandre R; Oliveira-Filho, Aldemir B

2017-01-01

South America is considered to have a low prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, although areas with a relatively high prevalence have been identified in northern Brazil. Few epidemiological studies of populations at risk of HBV infection are available for this region. Given this, in the present study, we investigated the prevalence of HBV and the factors associated with infection among illicit drug users (DUs) in the Marajó Archipelago, northern Brazil. In this cross-sectional study, we collected samples and epidemiological information from DUs in 11 municipalities of the Marajó Archipelago. The diagnosis was established by ELISA and real-time PCR; and genotyping was done by multiplex real-time PCR. Statistical modeling was based on simple and multiple logistical regressions with the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. The mean age of the 466 DUs was 28.4 years, and most were male. The most-consumed illicit drugs were crack cocaine and marijuana. In all, 171 DUs were exposed to HBV, with genotypes A, D and F being identified. The factors associated with higher frequencies of HBV infection were (i) male gender, (ii) age above 35 years, (iii) anti-HIV positivity, (iv) tattoos, (v) the use of injected drugs, (vi) the use of illicit drugs for more than 3 years, (vii) sexual relations without protection, (viii) sexual relations with another DU, and (ix) more than 10 sexual partners in the past 24 months. In summary, this study provides important insights into the dynamics of HBV infection among DUs in the Marajó Archipelago. We hope that these findings will contribute to the development of strategies, actions and public health policies aimed at preventing and controlling this viral infection more effectively.

Spatial variation in colour morph, spotting and allozyme frequencies in the candy-stripe spider, Enoplognatha ovata (Theridiidae) on two Swedish archipelagos.

PubMed

Oxford, G S; Gunnarsson, B

2006-01-01

The selective significance, if any, of many invertebrate visible polymorphisms is still not fully understood. Here we examine colour- and black spotting-morph frequencies in the spider Enoplognatha ovata in populations on two Swedish archipelagos with respect to different spatial scales and, in one archipelago, against the background of variation at four putative neutral allozyme marker loci. Every population studied was polymorphic for colour and 28 out of 30 contained all three colour morphs--lineata, redimita and ovata. We found no evidence for a breakdown in the traditional colour morph designation previously suggested for other northern European populations of this species. For colour there is no significant heterogeneity at spatial scales greater than between local populations within islands. Black spotting frequencies show a similar lack of pattern over larger spatial scales except that there are significant differences between the Stockholm and Göteborg archipelagos. Measures of population differentiation (theta) within the Stockholm islands for the two visible systems show them to be significantly more differentiated than the neutral markers, suggesting local selection acting on them in a population-specific manner. On the basis of previous observations and the distribution of spotting phenotypes on a European scale, it is argued that thermal selection might operate on black spotting during the juvenile stages favouring more spots in continental climates. It is not clear what selective forces act on colour.

Exploring the new long-term (150 years) precipitation dataset in Azores archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, Armand; Trigo, Ricardo M.; Kutiel, Haim; Valente, Maria A.; Sigró, Javier

2015-04-01

Within the scope of the two major international projects of long-term reanalysis for the 20th century coordinated by NOAA (Compo et al. 2011) and ECMWF (Hersbach et al. 2013) the IDL Institute from the University of Lisbon has digitized a large number of long-term stations records from Portugal and former Portuguese Colonies (Stickler et al. 2014). Recently we have finished the digitization of all precipitation values from Ponta Delgada (capital of the Azores archipelago) obtaining an uninterrupted precipitation monthly time series since 1864 and additionally an almost complete corresponding daily precipitation series, with the exception of some years (1864/1872; 1878/1879; 1888/1905; 1931; 1936 and 1938) for which only monthly values are available. Here, we present an annually, seasonally and daily resolution study of the rainfall regime in Ponta Delgada for the last 150 years and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) influence over this precipitation regime. The distribution of precipitation presents an evident seasonal pattern, with a strong difference between the 'rainy season' (November/March) and the 'dry season' (June/August) with very little rainfall. April/May and September/October correspond to the transitional seasons. The mean annual rainfall in Ponta Delgada is approximately 910 mm and is accumulated (on average) in about 120 rainy days. The precipitation regime in Azores archipelago reveals large inter-annual and intra-annual variability and both have increased considerably in the last decades. The entire studied period (1865-2012) shows an increase in the rainfall conditions between a drier earlier period (1865-1938) and a wetter recent period (1939-2012). At daily resolution, we have used an approach based on different characteristics of rain spells (consecutive days with rainfall accumulation) that has been proved to be satisfactory for the analysis of the different parameters related to the rainfall regime (Kutiel and Trigo, 2014). This approach

The tectonic evolution of the Madrean Archipelago and its impact on the geoecology of the Sky Islands

Treesearch

David Coblentz

2005-01-01

While the unique geographic location of the Sky Islands is well recognized as a primary factor for the elevated biodiversity of the region, its unique tectonic history is often overlooked. The mixing of tectonic environments is an important supplement to the mixing of flora and faunal regimes in contributing to the biodiversity of the Madrean Archipelago. The Sky...

The Intelligence Archipelago: The Community’s Struggle to Reform in the Globalized Era

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-05-01

operational consumers The Intelligence Archipelago: The Community’s Struggle to Reform in the Globalized Era This product has been reviewed by senior...Government Joint Military Intelligence CollegeCC ee n n tt ee rr ff oo rr St ra te gic Intelligen cc ee RR ee ss ee aa rr cc hh iii CONTENTS ...on September 11th appears to be no different than responses in the past: you don’t understand intelligence, leave us alone, we will fix it on our own

Body size affects the predatory interactions between introduced American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) and native anurans in China: An experimental study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, Y.; Guo, Z.; Pearl, C.A.; Li, Y.

2007-01-01

Introduced American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) have established breeding populations in several provinces in China since their introduction in 1959. Although Bullfrogs are viewed as a potentially important predator of Chinese native anurans, their impacts in the field are difficult to quantify. We used two experiments to examine factors likely to mediate Bullfrog predation on native anurans. First, we examined effects of Bullfrog size and sex on daily consumption of a common Chinese native (Rana limnocharis). Second, we examined whether Bullfrogs consumed similar proportions of four Chinese natives: Black-Spotted Pond Frog (Rana nigromaculata), Green Pond Frog (Rana plancyi plancyi), Rice Frog (R. limnocharis), and Zhoushan Toad (Bufo bufo gargarizans). We found that larger Rana catesbeiana consumed more R. limnocharis per day than did smaller R. catesbeiana, and that daily consumption of R. limnocharis was positively related to R. catesbeiana body size. When provided with adults of four anurans that differed significantly in body size, R. catesbeiana consumed more individuals of the smallest species (R. limnocharis). However, when provided with similarly sized juveniles of the same four species, R. catesbeiana did not consume any species more than expected by chance. Our results suggest that body size plays an important role in the predatory interactions between R. catesbeiana and Chinese native anurans and that, other things being equal, smaller species and individuals are at greater risk of predation by R. catesbeiana. Copyright 2007 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

A new miniature Melanesian Forest Frog (Ceratobatrachidae: Cornufer) from New Britain Island, constituting the first record of the subgenus Batrachylodes from outside of the Solomon Archipelago.

PubMed

Travers, Scott L; Richards, Stephen J; Broadhead, Taylor S; Brown, Rafe M

2018-01-09

We describe a new species of Cornufer, subgenus Batrachylodes, from high-elevation forests of New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Eastern Melanesia. The new species, Cornufer exedrus sp. nov., is a biogeographically disjunct member of the Batrachylodes clade, representing the first record of the subgenus from outside of the Solomon Archipelago. The new species is a small terrestrial form from dense, closed-canopy forests above 1500 meters elevation in the Nakanai Mountains of eastern New Britain. It differs from its closest relatives, the other members of the subgenus Batrachylodes, on the basis of its minute body size, degree of digital disc expansion, reduced subdigital tuberculation, color pattern, and other traits related to its small size. We also provide a description of the new species' simple advertisement call. The diversity of ceratobatrachid frogs of the Bismarck Archipelago is most likely still underestimated despite several recent surveys. Our understanding of evolutionary trends and species boundaries in the subgenus Batrachylodes currently is hampered by lack of genetic samples and call recordings corresponding to voucher specimens of the endemic species of Bougainville Island.

Comparing spatial diversification and meta-population models in the Indo-Australian Archipelago.

PubMed

Chalmandrier, Loïc; Albouy, Camille; Descombes, Patrice; Sandel, Brody; Faurby, Soren; Svenning, Jens-Christian; Zimmermann, Niklaus E; Pellissier, Loïc

2018-03-01

Reconstructing the processes that have shaped the emergence of biodiversity gradients is critical to understand the dynamics of diversification of life on Earth. Islands have traditionally been used as model systems to unravel the processes shaping biological diversity. MacArthur and Wilson's island biogeographic model predicts diversity to be based on dynamic interactions between colonization and extinction rates, while treating islands themselves as geologically static entities. The current spatial configuration of islands should influence meta-population dynamics, but long-term geological changes within archipelagos are also expected to have shaped island biodiversity, in part by driving diversification. Here, we compare two mechanistic models providing inferences on species richness at a biogeographic scale: a mechanistic spatial-temporal model of species diversification and a spatial meta-population model. While the meta-population model operates over a static landscape, the diversification model is driven by changes in the size and spatial configuration of islands through time. We compare the inferences of both models to floristic diversity patterns among land patches of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Simulation results from the diversification model better matched observed diversity than a meta-population model constrained only by the contemporary landscape. The diversification model suggests that the dynamic re-positioning of islands promoting land disconnection and reconnection induced an accumulation of particularly high species diversity on Borneo, which is central within the island network. By contrast, the meta-population model predicts a higher diversity on the mainlands, which is less compatible with empirical data. Our analyses highlight that, by comparing models with contrasting assumptions, we can pinpoint the processes that are most compatible with extant biodiversity patterns.

Comparing spatial diversification and meta-population models in the Indo-Australian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Chalmandrier, Loïc; Albouy, Camille; Descombes, Patrice; Sandel, Brody; Faurby, Soren; Svenning, Jens-Christian; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.

2018-01-01

Reconstructing the processes that have shaped the emergence of biodiversity gradients is critical to understand the dynamics of diversification of life on Earth. Islands have traditionally been used as model systems to unravel the processes shaping biological diversity. MacArthur and Wilson's island biogeographic model predicts diversity to be based on dynamic interactions between colonization and extinction rates, while treating islands themselves as geologically static entities. The current spatial configuration of islands should influence meta-population dynamics, but long-term geological changes within archipelagos are also expected to have shaped island biodiversity, in part by driving diversification. Here, we compare two mechanistic models providing inferences on species richness at a biogeographic scale: a mechanistic spatial-temporal model of species diversification and a spatial meta-population model. While the meta-population model operates over a static landscape, the diversification model is driven by changes in the size and spatial configuration of islands through time. We compare the inferences of both models to floristic diversity patterns among land patches of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Simulation results from the diversification model better matched observed diversity than a meta-population model constrained only by the contemporary landscape. The diversification model suggests that the dynamic re-positioning of islands promoting land disconnection and reconnection induced an accumulation of particularly high species diversity on Borneo, which is central within the island network. By contrast, the meta-population model predicts a higher diversity on the mainlands, which is less compatible with empirical data. Our analyses highlight that, by comparing models with contrasting assumptions, we can pinpoint the processes that are most compatible with extant biodiversity patterns. PMID:29657753

Phylogenetic study of sponge associated bacteria from the Lakshadweep archipelago and the antimicrobial activities of their secondary metabolites.

PubMed

Gopi, M; Ajith Kumar, T T; Balagurunathan, R; Vinoth, R; Dhaneesh, K V; Rajasekaran, R; Balasubramanian, T

2012-02-01

Marine ecosystem of the Lakshadweep archipelago is unique and known to have a very high degree of biodiversity with a number of endemic flora and fauna. The present study focuses to isolate the endosymbiotic microorganism from sponges and its effectiveness against marine ornamental fish pathogens. The sponges were collected from Agatti island of Lakshadweep archipelago and identified as Clathria procera, Sigmadocia fibulata and Dysidea granulosa. In which, 15 different types of bacteria were isolated and screened against marine ornamental fish pathogens (A. hydrophila, Vibrio alginolyticus, V. harveyii, V. parahaemolyticus and Pseudomonas fluorescens). The strain S25 was found as potential bacteria based on their antimicrobial activity against the fish pathogens. Molecular identification of the potential strain (S25) of the 16S rRNA gene showed 99% identity with Acinetobacter sp. The sequenced 16 s rRNA gene with 1,081 bp in length was submitted in NCBI Genbank and Accession was obtained (GenBank Accession number HM004071). The strain exhibited high similarity (99%) with the 16S rRNA gene of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus from GenBank database. Crude extract obtained with acetone and ethyl acetate from extracellular products of S25 showed significant antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion assay using 1,500 μg/ml of crude extract. Extracellular metobolite of A. calcoaceticus was extracted by shake flask method and the crude extract was partially purified by thin layer chromatography. Partially purified crude extract showed significant inhibition zone of antimicrobial activity (A. hydrophila, V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus) and less similar activity against V. harveyii and P. fluorescens. This is the first report on A. calcoaceticus isolated from sponges of Lakshadweep archipelago and the studies are underway to characterize and purify the antimicrobial compounds of the potential bacteria.

Abundance and Distribution of Sperm Whales in the Canary Islands: Can Sperm Whales in the Archipelago Sustain the Current Level of Ship-Strike Mortalities?

PubMed

Fais, Andrea; Lewis, Tim P; Zitterbart, Daniel P; Álvarez, Omar; Tejedor, Ana; Aguilar Soto, Natacha

2016-01-01

Sperm whales are present in the Canary Islands year-round, suggesting that the archipelago is an important area for this species in the North Atlantic. However, the area experiences one of the highest reported rates of sperm whale ship-strike in the world. Here we investigate if the number of sperm whales found in the archipelago can sustain the current rate of ship-strike mortality. The results of this study may also have implications for offshore areas where concentrations of sperm whales may coincide with high densities of ship traffic, but where ship-strikes may be undocumented. The absolute abundance of sperm whales in an area of 52933 km2, covering the territorial waters of the Canary Islands, was estimated from 2668 km of acoustic line-transect survey using Distance sampling analysis. Data on sperm whale diving and acoustic behaviour, obtained from bio-logging, were used to calculate g(0) = 0.92, this is less than one because of occasional extended periods when whales do not echolocate. This resulted in an absolute abundance estimate of 224 sperm whales (95% log-normal CI 120-418) within the survey area. The recruitment capability of this number of whales, some 2.5 whales per year, is likely to be exceeded by the current ship-strike mortality rate. Furthermore, we found areas of higher whale density within the archipelago, many coincident with those previously described, suggesting that these are important habitats for females and immature animals inhabiting the archipelago. Some of these areas are crossed by active shipping lanes increasing the risk of ship-strikes. Given the philopatry in female sperm whales, replacement of impacted whales might be limited. Therefore, the application of mitigation measures to reduce the ship-strike mortality rate seems essential for the conservation of sperm whales in the Canary Islands.

Abundance and Distribution of Sperm Whales in the Canary Islands: Can Sperm Whales in the Archipelago Sustain the Current Level of Ship-Strike Mortalities?

PubMed Central

Fais, Andrea; Lewis, Tim P.; Zitterbart, Daniel P.; Álvarez, Omar; Tejedor, Ana; Aguilar Soto, Natacha

2016-01-01

Sperm whales are present in the Canary Islands year-round, suggesting that the archipelago is an important area for this species in the North Atlantic. However, the area experiences one of the highest reported rates of sperm whale ship-strike in the world. Here we investigate if the number of sperm whales found in the archipelago can sustain the current rate of ship-strike mortality. The results of this study may also have implications for offshore areas where concentrations of sperm whales may coincide with high densities of ship traffic, but where ship-strikes may be undocumented. The absolute abundance of sperm whales in an area of 52933 km2, covering the territorial waters of the Canary Islands, was estimated from 2668 km of acoustic line-transect survey using Distance sampling analysis. Data on sperm whale diving and acoustic behaviour, obtained from bio-logging, were used to calculate g(0) = 0.92, this is less than one because of occasional extended periods when whales do not echolocate. This resulted in an absolute abundance estimate of 224 sperm whales (95% log-normal CI 120–418) within the survey area. The recruitment capability of this number of whales, some 2.5 whales per year, is likely to be exceeded by the current ship-strike mortality rate. Furthermore, we found areas of higher whale density within the archipelago, many coincident with those previously described, suggesting that these are important habitats for females and immature animals inhabiting the archipelago. Some of these areas are crossed by active shipping lanes increasing the risk of ship-strikes. Given the philopatry in female sperm whales, replacement of impacted whales might be limited. Therefore, the application of mitigation measures to reduce the ship-strike mortality rate seems essential for the conservation of sperm whales in the Canary Islands. PMID:26999791

Applying Fishers' Ecological Knowledge to Construct Past and Future Lobster Stocks in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile

PubMed Central

Eddy, Tyler D.; Gardner, Jonathan P. A.; Pérez-Matus, Alejandro

2010-01-01

Over-exploited fisheries are a common feature of the modern world and a range of solutions including area closures (marine reserves; MRs), effort reduction, gear changes, ecosystem-based management, incentives and co-management have been suggested as techniques to rebuild over-fished populations. Historic accounts of lobster (Jasus frontalis) on the Chilean Juan Fernández Archipelago indicate a high abundance at all depths (intertidal to approximately 165 m), but presently lobsters are found almost exclusively in deeper regions of their natural distribution. Fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK) tells a story of serial depletion in lobster abundance at fishing grounds located closest to the fishing port with an associated decline in catch per unit effort (CPUE) throughout recent history. We have re-constructed baselines of lobster biomass throughout human history on the archipelago using historic data, the fishery catch record and FEK to permit examination of the potential effects of MRs, effort reduction and co-management (stewardship of catch) to restore stocks. We employed a bioeconomic model using FEK, fishery catch and effort data, underwater survey information, predicted population growth and response to MR protection (no-take) to explore different management strategies and their trade-offs to restore stocks and improve catches. Our findings indicate that increased stewardship of catch coupled with 30% area closure (MR) provides the best option to reconstruct historic baselines. Based on model predictions, continued exploitation under the current management scheme is highly influenced by annual fluctuations and unsustainable. We propose a community-based co-management program to implement a MR in order to rebuild the lobster population while also providing conservation protection for marine species endemic to the Archipelago. PMID:21079761

Colonization and diversification of aquatic insects on three Macaronesian archipelagos using 59 nuclear loci derived from a draft genome.

PubMed

Rutschmann, Sereina; Detering, Harald; Simon, Sabrina; Funk, David H; Gattolliat, Jean-Luc; Hughes, Samantha J; Raposeiro, Pedro M; DeSalle, Rob; Sartori, Michel; Monaghan, Michael T

2017-02-01

The study of processes driving diversification requires a fully sampled and well resolved phylogeny, although a lack of phylogenetic markers remains a limitation for many non-model groups. Multilocus approaches to the study of recent diversification provide a powerful means to study the evolutionary process, but their application remains restricted because multiple unlinked loci with suitable variation for phylogenetic or coalescent analysis are not available for most non-model taxa. Here we identify novel, putative single-copy nuclear DNA (nDNA) phylogenetic markers to study the colonization and diversification of an aquatic insect species complex, Cloeon dipterum L. 1761 (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae), in Macaronesia. Whole-genome sequencing data from one member of the species complex were used to identify 59 nDNA loci (32,213 base pairs), followed by Sanger sequencing of 29 individuals sampled from 13 islands of three Macaronesian archipelagos. Multispecies coalescent analyses established six putative species. Three island species formed a monophyletic clade, with one species occurring on the Azores, Europe and North America. Ancestral state reconstruction indicated at least two colonization events from the mainland (to the Canaries, respectively Azores) and one within the archipelago (between Madeira and the Canaries). Random subsets of the 59 loci showed a positive linear relationship between number of loci and node support. In contrast, node support in the multispecies coalescent tree was negatively correlated with mean number of phylogenetically informative sites per locus, suggesting a complex relationship between tree resolution and marker variability. Our approach highlights the value of combining genomics, coalescent-based phylogeography, species delimitation, and phylogenetic reconstruction to resolve recent diversification events in an archipelago species complex. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Strong genetic differentiation in tropical seagrass Enhalus acoroides (Hydrocharitaceae) at the Indo-Malay Archipelago revealed by microsatellite DNA.

PubMed

Putra, I Nyoman Giri; Syamsuni, Yuliana Fitri; Subhan, Beginer; Pharmawati, Made; Madduppa, Hawis

2018-01-01

The Indo-Malay Archipelago is regarded as a barrier that separates organisms of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Previous studies of marine biota from this region have found a variety of biogeographic barriers, seemingly dependent on taxon and methodology. Several hypotheses, such as emergence of the Sunda Shelf and recent physical oceanography, have been proposed to account for the genetic structuring of marine organisms in this region. Here, we used six microsatellite loci to infer genetic diversity, population differentiation and phylogeographic patterns of Enhalus acoroides across the Indo-Malay Archipelago. Heterozygosities were consistently high, and significant isolation-by-distance, consistent with restricted gene flow, was observed. Both a neighbour joining tree based on D A distance and Bayesian clustering revealed three major clusters of E. acoroides . Our results indicate that phylogeographic patterns of E. acoroides have possibly been influenced by glaciation and deglaciation during the Pleistocene. Recent physical oceanography such as the South Java Current and the Seasonally Reversing Current may also play a role in shaping the genetic patterns of E. acoroides .

Strong genetic differentiation in tropical seagrass Enhalus acoroides (Hydrocharitaceae) at the Indo-Malay Archipelago revealed by microsatellite DNA

PubMed Central

Putra, I Nyoman Giri; Syamsuni, Yuliana Fitri; Subhan, Beginer; Pharmawati, Made

2018-01-01

The Indo-Malay Archipelago is regarded as a barrier that separates organisms of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Previous studies of marine biota from this region have found a variety of biogeographic barriers, seemingly dependent on taxon and methodology. Several hypotheses, such as emergence of the Sunda Shelf and recent physical oceanography, have been proposed to account for the genetic structuring of marine organisms in this region. Here, we used six microsatellite loci to infer genetic diversity, population differentiation and phylogeographic patterns of Enhalus acoroides across the Indo-Malay Archipelago. Heterozygosities were consistently high, and significant isolation-by-distance, consistent with restricted gene flow, was observed. Both a neighbour joining tree based on DA distance and Bayesian clustering revealed three major clusters of E. acoroides. Our results indicate that phylogeographic patterns of E. acoroides have possibly been influenced by glaciation and deglaciation during the Pleistocene. Recent physical oceanography such as the South Java Current and the Seasonally Reversing Current may also play a role in shaping the genetic patterns of E. acoroides. PMID:29576933

Modification of the Stratification and Velocity Profile within the Straits and Seas of the Indonesian Archipelago

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-30

within the Straits and Seas of the Indonesian Archipelago Arnold L. Gordon Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory 61 Route 9W Palisades , NY 10964...Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory,61 Route 9W, Palisades ,NY,10964-8000 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME...shows a zonally elongated circulation cell encompassing Seram Island. From March to October, it is likely to be counterclockwise; in the November to

Conference summary: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III: Closing remarks and notes from the concluding session

Treesearch

Dale S. Turner; Alejandro Castellanos

2013-01-01

During the first week of May 2012, the Third Conference on Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago brought together more than 300 people with an interest in this region. It included scientists, land managers, activists, and land owners from both sides of the international border. After three and a half days of presentations, the participants gathered for...

Ecosystem implications of conserving endemic versus eradicating introduced large herbivores in the Galapagos Archipelago

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bastille-Rousseau, Guillaume; Gibbs, James P.; Campbell, Karl; Yackulic, Charles B.; Blake, Stephen

2017-01-01

Restoration of damaged ecosystems through invasive species removal and native species conservation is an increasingly common practice in biodiversity conservation. Estimating the degree of ecosystem response attributable specifically to eradication of exotic herbivores versus restoration of native herbivores is often difficult and is complicated by concurrent temporal changes in other factors, especially climate. We investigated the interactive impacts of native mega-herbivores (giant tortoises) and the eradication of large alien herbivores (goats) on vegetation productivity across the Galapagos Archipelago. We examined archipelago-wide patterns of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a proxy for vegetation productivity between 2001 and 2015 and evaluated how goat and historical and current tortoise occurrence influenced productivity. We used a breakpoint analysis to detect change in trends in productivity from five targeted areas following goat eradication. We found a positive association between tortoise occurrence and vegetation productivity and a negative association with goat occurrence. We also documented an increase in plant productivity following goat removal with recovery higher in moister regions than in arid region, potentially indicating an alternate stable state has been created in the latter. Climate variation also contributed to the detected improvement in productivity following goat eradication, sometimes obscuring the effect of eradication but more usually magnifying it by up to 300%. Our work offers perspectives regarding the effectiveness and outcomes of eradicating introduced herbivores and re-introducing native herbivores, and the merits of staging them simultaneously in order to restore critical ecosystem processes such as vegetation productivity.

Population Structure of Melon-Headed Whales (Peponocephala electra) in the Hawaiian Archipelago: Evidence of Multiple Populations Based on Photo Identification

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

Hawaiian Archipelago: Evidence of multiple populations based on photo identification JESSICA M. ASCHETTINO Hawai‘i Pacific University, 45–045 Kamehameha ...Hawai‘i Pacific University, 45–045 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744-5297, U.S.A. ABSTRACT Despite the presence of melon-headed whales in

The potential role of hurricanes in the creation and maintenance of Kirtland's warbler winter habitat in the Bahamian Archipelago.

Treesearch

Joseph Wunderle; David Currie; David N. Ewert

2007-01-01

The threatened migratory Kirtland’s Warbler (KW, Dendorica kirtlandii) breeds exclusively in Michigan and overwinters nearly exclusively in the Bahamas Archipelago, where little is known of its winter habitat. Previous observations and our own studies indicate that KWs routinely use early successional or regenerating shrubby habitats on Eleuthera. Our preliminary...

Distribution and risk assessment of trace metals in sediments from Yangtze River estuary and Hangzhou Bay, China.

PubMed

Li, Feipeng; Mao, Lingchen; Jia, Yubao; Gu, Zhujun; Shi, Weiling; Chen, Ling; Ye, Hua

2018-01-01

The Yangtze River estuary (YRE) and Hangzhou Bay (HZB) is of environmental significance because of the negative impact from industrial activities and rapid development of aquaculture on the south bank of HZB (SHZB) in recent years. This study investigated the distribution and risk assessments of trace metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, Hg, Pb, and Cd) accumulated in surface sediments by sampling in YRE, outer and south HZB. Copper and Zn concentration (avg. 35.4 and 98.7 mg kg -1 , respectively) in surface sediments were generally higher than the background suggesting a widespread of Cu and Zn in the coastal area of Yangtze River Delta. High concentrations of Cu (~ 42 mg kg -1 ), Zn (~ 111 mg kg -1 ), Cd (~ 0.27 mg kg -1 ), and Hg (~ 0.047 mg kg -1 ) were found in inner estuary of YRE and decreased offshore as a result of terrestrial input and dilution effect of total metal contents by "cleaner" sediments from the adjacent sea. In outer HZB, accumulation of terrestrial derived metal has taken place near the Zhoushan Islands. Increase in sediment metal concentration from the west (inner) to the east (outer) of SHZB gave rise to the input of fine-grained sediments contaminated with metals from outer bay. According the results from geoaccumulation index, nearly 75% of samples from YRE were moderately polluted (1.0 < I geo  < 2.0) by Cd. Cadmium and Hg contributed for 80~90% to the potential ecological risk index in the YRE and HZB, with ~ 72% sites in HZB under moderate risk (150 ≤ RI < 300) especially near Zhoushan Islands.

Climate change impacts on wildlife in a High Arctic archipelago - Svalbard, Norway.

PubMed

Descamps, Sébastien; Aars, Jon; Fuglei, Eva; Kovacs, Kit M; Lydersen, Christian; Pavlova, Olga; Pedersen, Åshild Ø; Ravolainen, Virve; Strøm, Hallvard

2017-02-01

The Arctic is warming more rapidly than other region on the planet, and the northern Barents Sea, including the Svalbard Archipelago, is experiencing the fastest temperature increases within the circumpolar Arctic, along with the highest rate of sea ice loss. These physical changes are affecting a broad array of resident Arctic organisms as well as some migrants that occupy the region seasonally. Herein, evidence of climate change impacts on terrestrial and marine wildlife in Svalbard is reviewed, with a focus on bird and mammal species. In the terrestrial ecosystem, increased winter air temperatures and concomitant increases in the frequency of 'rain-on-snow' events are one of the most important facets of climate change with respect to impacts on flora and fauna. Winter rain creates ice that blocks access to food for herbivores and synchronizes the population dynamics of the herbivore-predator guild. In the marine ecosystem, increases in sea temperature and reductions in sea ice are influencing the entire food web. These changes are affecting the foraging and breeding ecology of most marine birds and mammals and are associated with an increase in abundance of several temperate fish, seabird and marine mammal species. Our review indicates that even though a few species are benefiting from a warming climate, most Arctic endemic species in Svalbard are experiencing negative consequences induced by the warming environment. Our review emphasizes the tight relationships between the marine and terrestrial ecosystems in this High Arctic archipelago. Detecting changes in trophic relationships within and between these ecosystems requires long-term (multidecadal) demographic, population- and ecosystem-based monitoring, the results of which are necessary to set appropriate conservation priorities in relation to climate warming. © 2016 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The history of human populations in the Japanese Archipelago inferred from genome-wide SNP data with a special reference to the Ainu and the Ryukyuan populations.

PubMed

Jinam, Timothy; Nishida, Nao; Hirai, Momoki; Kawamura, Shoji; Oota, Hiroki; Umetsu, Kazuo; Kimura, Ryosuke; Ohashi, Jun; Tajima, Atsushi; Yamamoto, Toshimichi; Tanabe, Hideyuki; Mano, Shuhei; Suto, Yumiko; Kaname, Tadashi; Naritomi, Kenji; Yanagi, Kumiko; Niikawa, Norio; Omoto, Keiichi; Tokunaga, Katsushi; Saitou, Naruya

2012-12-01

The Japanese Archipelago stretches over 4000 km from north to south, and is the homeland of the three human populations; the Ainu, the Mainland Japanese and the Ryukyuan. The archeological evidence of human residence on this Archipelago goes back to >30 000 years, and various migration routes and root populations have been proposed. Here, we determined close to one million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the Ainu and the Ryukyuan, and compared these with existing data sets. This is the first report of these genome-wide SNP data. Major findings are: (1) Recent admixture with the Mainland Japanese was observed for more than one third of the Ainu individuals from principal component analysis and frappe analyses; (2) The Ainu population seems to have experienced admixture with another population, and a combination of two types of admixtures is the unique characteristics of this population; (3) The Ainu and the Ryukyuan are tightly clustered with 100% bootstrap probability followed by the Mainland Japanese in the phylogenetic trees of East Eurasian populations. These results clearly support the dual structure model on the Japanese Archipelago populations, though the origins of the Jomon and the Yayoi people still remain to be solved.

Vertical and horizontal genetic connectivity in Chromis verater, an endemic damselfish found on shallow and mesophotic reefs in the Hawaiian Archipelago and adjacent Johnston Atoll.

PubMed

Tenggardjaja, Kimberly A; Bowen, Brian W; Bernardi, Giacomo

2014-01-01

Understanding vertical and horizontal connectivity is a major priority in research on mesophotic coral ecosystems (30-150 m). However, horizontal connectivity has been the focus of few studies, and data on vertical connectivity are limited to sessile benthic mesophotic organisms. Here we present patterns of vertical and horizontal connectivity in the Hawaiian Islands-Johnston Atoll endemic threespot damselfish, Chromis verater, based on 319 shallow specimens and 153 deep specimens. The mtDNA markers cytochrome b and control region were sequenced to analyze genetic structure: 1) between shallow (< 30 m) and mesophotic (30-150 m) populations and 2) across the species' geographic range. Additionally, the nuclear markers rhodopsin and internal transcribed spacer 2 of ribosomal DNA were sequenced to assess connectivity between shallow and mesophotic populations. There was no significant genetic differentiation by depth, indicating high levels of vertical connectivity between shallow and deep aggregates of C. verater. Consequently, shallow and deep samples were combined by location for analyses of horizontal connectivity. We detected low but significant population structure across the Hawaiian Archipelago (overall cytochrome b: ΦST = 0.009, P = 0.020; control region: ΦST = 0.012, P = 0.009) and a larger break between the archipelago and Johnston Atoll (cytochrome b: ΦST = 0.068, P < 0.001; control region: ΦST = 0.116, P < 0.001). The population structure within the archipelago was driven by samples from the island of Hawaii at the southeast end of the chain and Lisianski in the middle of the archipelago. The lack of vertical genetic structure supports the refugia hypothesis that deep reefs may constitute a population reservoir for species depleted in shallow reef habitats. These findings represent the first connectivity study on a mobile organism that spans shallow and mesophotic depths and provide a reference point for future connectivity studies on mesophotic

La Galite Archipelago (Tunisia, North Africa): Stratigraphic and petrographic revision and insights for geodynamic evolution of the Maghrebian Chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belayouni, Habib; Brunelli, Daniele; Clocchiatti, Roberto; Di Staso, Angelida; El Hassani, Iz-Eddine El Amrani; Guerrera, Francesco; Kassaa, Samia; Ouazaa, Nejia Laridhi; Martín, Manuel Martín; Serrano, Francisco; Tramontana, Mario

2010-01-01

The location of the La Galite Archipelago on the Internal/External Zones of the Maghrebian Chain holds strong interest for the reconstruction of the geodynamic evolution of the Mesomediterranean Microplate-Africa Plate Boundary Zone. New stratigraphic and petrographic data on sedimentary successions intruded upon by plutonic rocks enabled a better definition of the palaeogeographic and palaeotectonic evolutionary model of the area during the early-middle Miocene. The lower Miocene sedimentary units ( La Galite Flysch and Numidian-like Flysch) belong to the Mauritanian (internal) and Massylian (external) sub-Domains of the Maghrebian Chain, respectively. These deposits are related to a typical syn-orogenic deposition in the Maghrebian Flysch Basin Domain, successively backthrusted above the internal units. The backthrusting age is post-Burdigalian (probably Langhian-Serravallian) and the compressional phase represents the last stage in the building of the accretionary wedge of the Maghrebian orogen. These flysch units may be co-relatable to the similar well-known formations along the Maghrebian and Betic Chains. The emplacement of potassic peraluminous magmatism, caused local metamorphism in the Late Serravallian-Early Tortonian (14-10 Ma), after the last compressional phase (backthrusting), during an extensional tectonic event. This extensional phase is probably due to the opening of a slab break-off in the deep subduction system. La Galite Archipelago represents a portion of the Maghrebian Flysch Basin tectonically emplaced above the southern margin of the "Mesomediterranean Microplate" which separated the Piemontese-Ligurian Ocean from a southern oceanic branch of the Tethys (i.e. the Maghrebian Flysch Basin). The possible presence of an imbricate thrust system between La Galite Archipelago and northern Tunisia may be useful to exclude the petroleum exploration from the deformed sectors of the offshore area considered.

A comprehensive investigation of mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Hawaiian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Boland, Raymond; Bolick, Holly; Bowen, Brian W.; Bradley, Christina J.; Kane, Corinne; Kosaki, Randall K.; Langston, Ross; Longenecker, Ken; Montgomery, Anthony; Parrish, Frank A.; Popp, Brian N.; Smith, Celia M.; Wagner, Daniel; Spalding, Heather L.

2016-01-01

Although the existence of coral-reef habitats at depths to 165 m in tropical regions has been known for decades, the richness, diversity, and ecological importance of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) has only recently become widely acknowledged. During an interdisciplinary effort spanning more than two decades, we characterized the most expansive MCEs ever recorded, with vast macroalgal communities and areas of 100% coral cover between depths of 50–90 m extending for tens of km2 in the Hawaiian Archipelago. We used a variety of sensors and techniques to establish geophysical characteristics. Biodiversity patterns were established from visual and video observations and collected specimens obtained from submersible, remotely operated vehicles and mixed-gas SCUBA and rebreather dives. Population dynamics based on age, growth and fecundity estimates of selected fish species were obtained from laser-videogrammetry, specimens, and otolith preparations. Trophic dynamics were determined using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic analyses on more than 750 reef fishes. MCEs are associated with clear water and suitable substrate. In comparison to shallow reefs in the Hawaiian Archipelago, inhabitants of MCEs have lower total diversity, harbor new and unique species, and have higher rates of endemism in fishes. Fish species present in shallow and mesophotic depths have similar population and trophic (except benthic invertivores) structures and high genetic connectivity with lower fecundity at mesophotic depths. MCEs in Hawai‘i are widespread but associated with specific geophysical characteristics. High genetic, ecological and trophic connectivity establish the potential for MCEs to serve as refugia for some species, but our results question the premise that MCEs are more resilient than shallow reefs. We found that endemism within MCEs increases with depth, and our results do not support suggestions of a global faunal break at 60 m. Our findings enhance the scientific

Microbiological and mycological beach sand quality in a volcanic environment: Madeira archipelago, Portugal.

PubMed

Pereira, Elisabete; Figueira, Celso; Aguiar, Nuno; Vasconcelos, Rita; Vasconcelos, Sílvia; Calado, Graça; Brandão, João; Prada, Susana

2013-09-01

Madeira forms a mid-Atlantic volcanic archipelago, whose economy is largely dependent on tourism. There, one can encounter different types of sand beach: natural basaltic, natural calcareous and artificial calcareous. Microbiological and mycological quality of the sand was analyzed in two different years. Bacterial indicators were detected in higher number in 2010 (36.7% of the samples) than in 2011 (9.1%). Mycological indicators were detected in a similar percentage of samples in 2010 (68.3%) and 2011 (75%), even though the total number of colonies detected in 2010 was much higher (827 in 41 samples) than in 2011 (427 in 66 samples). Enterococci and potentially pathogenic and allergenic fungi (particularly Penicillium sp.) were the most common indicators detected in both years. Candida sp. yeast was also commonly detected in the samples. The analysis of the 3rd quartile and maximum numbers of all indicators in samples showed that artificial beaches tend to be more contaminated than the natural ones. However, a significant difference between the variables was lacking. More monitoring data (number of bathers, sea birds, radiation intensity variation, and a greater number of samples) should be collected in order to confirm if these differences are significant. In general, the sand quality in the archipelago's beaches was good. As the sand may be a vector of diseases, an international common set of indicators and values and a compatible methodologies for assessing sand contamination, should be defined, in order to provide the bather's with an indication of beach sand quality, rather than only the water. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Height Connections and Land Uplift Rates in West-Estonian Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jürgenson, H.; Liibusk, A.; Kall, T.

2012-04-01

Land uplift rates are largest in the western part of Estonia. The uplift is due to post-glacial rebound. In 2001-2011, the Estonian national high-precision levelling network was completely renewed and levelled. This was the third precise levelling campaign in the re-gion. The first one had taken place before the Second World War and the second one in the 1950s. The Estonian mainland was connected with the two largest islands (Saaremaa and Hiiumaa) in the west-Estonian archipelago using the water level monitoring (hydrody-namic levelling) method. Three pairs of automatic tide gauges were installed on opposite coasts of each waterway. The tide gauges were equipped with piezoresistive pressure sen-sors. This represented the first use of such kind of equipment in Estonia. The hydrodynamic levelling series span up to two calendar years. Nevertheless, the obtained hydrodynamic levelling results need to be additionally verified using alternative geodetic methods. The obtained results were compared with the previous high-precision levelling data from the 1960s and 1970s. As well, the new Estonian gravimetric geoid model and the GPS survey were used for GPS-levelling. All the three methods were analyzed, and the preliminary results coincided within a 1-2 cm margin. Additionally, the tide gauges on the mainland and on both islands were connected using high-precision levelling. In this manner, three hydrodynamic and three digital levelling height differences formed a closed loop with the length of 250 km. The closing error of the loop was less than 1 cm. Finally, the Fennoscandian post-glacial rebound was determined from repeated levelling as well as from repeated GPS survey. The time span between the two campaigns of the first-order GPS survey was almost 13 years. According to new calculations, the relative land uplift rates within the study area reached up to +2 mm/year. This is an area with a rela-tively small amount of input data for the Nordic models. In addition, a

A quantitative topographic analysis of the Sky Islands: a closer examination of the topography-biodiversity relationship in the Madrean Archipelago

Treesearch

David Coblentz; Kurt H. Riitters

2005-01-01

The relationship between topography and biodiversity is well documented in the Madrean Archipelago. However, despite this recognition, most biogeographical studies concerning the role of topography have relied primarily on a qualitative description of the landscape. Using an algorithm that operates on a high-resolution digital elevation model we present a quantitative...

Poecilia vivipara Bloch & Schneider, 1801 (Cyprinodontiformes, Poeciliidae), a guppy in an oceanic archipelago: from where did it come?

PubMed

Berbel-Filho, Waldir Miron; Barros-Neto, Luciano Freitas; Dias, Ricardo Marques; Mendes, Liana Figueiredo; Figueiredo, Carlos Augusto Assumpção; Torres, Rodrigo Augusto; Lima, Sergio Maia Queiroz

2018-01-01

Poecilia vivipara , a small euryhaline guppy is reported at the Maceió River micro-basin in the Fernando de Noronha oceanic archipelago, northeast Brazil. However, the origin (human-mediated or natural dispersal) of this insular population is still controversial. The present study investigates how this population is phylogenetically related to the surrounding continental populations using the cytochrome oxidase I mitochondrial gene from eleven river basins in South America. Our phylogenetic reconstruction showed a clear geographical distribution arrangement of P. vivipara lineages. The Fernando de Noronha haplotype fell within the 'north' clade, closely related to a shared haplotype between the Paraíba do Norte and Potengi basins; the geographically closest continental drainages. Our phylogenetic reconstruction also showed highly divergent lineages, suggesting that P. vivipara may represent a species complex along its wide distribution. Regarding to the insular population, P. vivipara may have been intentionally introduced to the archipelago for the purpose of mosquito larvae control during the occupation of a U.S. military base following World War II. However, given the euryhaline capacity of P. vivipara , a potential scenario of natural (passive or active) dispersal cannot be ruled out.

Poecilia vivipara Bloch & Schneider, 1801 (Cyprinodontiformes, Poeciliidae), a guppy in an oceanic archipelago: from where did it come?

PubMed Central

Berbel-Filho, Waldir Miron; Barros-Neto, Luciano Freitas; Dias, Ricardo Marques; Mendes, Liana Figueiredo; Figueiredo, Carlos Augusto Assumpção; Torres, Rodrigo Augusto; Lima, Sergio Maia Queiroz

2018-01-01

Abstract Poecilia vivipara, a small euryhaline guppy is reported at the Maceió River micro-basin in the Fernando de Noronha oceanic archipelago, northeast Brazil. However, the origin (human-mediated or natural dispersal) of this insular population is still controversial. The present study investigates how this population is phylogenetically related to the surrounding continental populations using the cytochrome oxidase I mitochondrial gene from eleven river basins in South America. Our phylogenetic reconstruction showed a clear geographical distribution arrangement of P. vivipara lineages. The Fernando de Noronha haplotype fell within the 'north' clade, closely related to a shared haplotype between the Paraíba do Norte and Potengi basins; the geographically closest continental drainages. Our phylogenetic reconstruction also showed highly divergent lineages, suggesting that P. vivipara may represent a species complex along its wide distribution. Regarding to the insular population, P. vivipara may have been intentionally introduced to the archipelago for the purpose of mosquito larvae control during the occupation of a U.S. military base following World War II. However, given the euryhaline capacity of P. vivipara, a potential scenario of natural (passive or active) dispersal cannot be ruled out. PMID:29674897

New geological data of New Siberian Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobolev, Nikolay; Petrov, Evgeniy

2014-05-01

The area of New Siberian Archipelago (NSA) encompasses different tectonic blocks is a clue for reconstruction of geological structure and geodynamic evolution of East Arctic. According to palaeomagnetic study two parts of the archipelago - Bennett and Anjou Islands formed a single continental block at least from the Early Palaeozoic. Isotope dating of De Long Islands igneous and sedimentary rocks suggests Neoproterozoic (Baikalian) age of its basement. The De Long platform sedimentary cover may be subdivided into two complexes: (1) intermediate of PZ-J variously deformed and metamorphosed rocks and (2) K-KZ of weakly lithified sediments. The former complex comprises the Cambrian riftogenic volcanic-clastic member which overlain by Cambrian-Ordovician turbiditic sequence, deposited on a continental margin. This Lower Palaeozoic complex is unconformably overlain by Early Cretaceous (K-Ar age of c.120 Ma) basalts with HALIP petrochemical affinities. In Anjou Islands the intermediate sedimentary complex encompasses the lower Ordovician -Lower Carboniferous sequence of shallow-marine limestone and subordinate dolomite, mudstone and sandstone that bear fossils characteristic of the Siberian biogeographic province. The upper Mid Carboniferous - Jurassic part is dominated by shallow-marine clastic sediments, mainly clays. The K-KZ complex rests upon the lower one with angular unconformity and consists mainly of coal-bearing clastic sediments with rhyolite lavas and tuffs in the bottom (117-110 Ma by K-Ar) while the complexe's upper part contains intraplate alkalic basalt and Neogene-Quaternary limburgite. The De-Long-Anjou block's features of geology and evolution resemble those of Wrangel Island located some 1000 km eastward. The Laptev Sea shelf outcrops in intrashelf rises (Belkovsky and Stolbovoy Islands) where its geology and structure may be observed directly. On Belkovsky Island non-dislocated Oligocene-Miocene sedimentary cover of littoral-marine coal

Possible refugia in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska during the late Wisconsin glaciation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carrara, P.E.; Ager, T.A.; Baichtal, J.F.

2007-01-01

The interpretation of the extent of late Wisconsin glaciation in southeastern Alaska has varied between geologists and biologists. Maps and reports of the region prepared by geologists commonly indicated that late Wisconsin ice extended as a large uniform front west to the edge of the continental shelf. However, the distribution of plants and animals in the region has led many biologists to suggest that there may have been ice-free areas that served as refugia during the late Wisconsin. Based on analyses of aerial photographs, topographic maps, and bathymetric charts, in conjunction with a review of previous literature and reconnaissance fieldwork throughout the region, this study presents data supporting a limited ice extent in the Alexander Archipelago during the late Wisconsin and identifies possible ice-free areas that may have served as refugia. These areas include (1) the Fairweather Ground, (2) the Herbert Graves Island area, (3) the western coast of southern Baranof Island and adjacent continental shelf, (4) Coronation Island and the adjacent continental shelf, (5) the Warren Island area, (6) the continental shelf from west of Heceta Island to Forrester Island in the south, (7) parts of the west coast of southern Dall Island, and (8) lowland areas in southern Prince of Wales Island. The identification of these possible refugia has bearing on the recolonization of the Alexander Archipelago, as they could have served as centers of biotic dispersal upon regional deglaciation and as stepping stones for early humans with a maritime tradition entering the western hemisphere from Asia. ?? 2007 NRC Canada.

The Madeira Archipelago As a Significant Source of Marine-Derived Actinomycete Diversity with Anticancer and Antimicrobial Potential

PubMed Central

Prieto-Davó, Alejandra; Dias, Tiago; Gomes, Sofia E.; Rodrigues, Sara; Parera-Valadez, Yessica; Borralho, Pedro M.; Pereira, Florbela; Rodrigues, Cecilia M. P.; Santos-Sanches, Ilda; Gaudêncio, Susana P.

2016-01-01

Marine-derived actinomycetes have demonstrated an ability to produce novel compounds with medically relevant biological activity. Studying the diversity and biogeographical patterns of marine actinomycetes offers an opportunity to identify genera that are under environmental pressures, which may drive adaptations that yield specific biosynthetic capabilities. The present study describes research efforts to explore regions of the Atlantic Ocean, specifically around the Madeira Archipelago, where knowledge of the indigenous actinomycete diversity is scarce. A total of 400 actinomycetes were isolated, sequenced, and screened for antimicrobial and anticancer activities. The three most abundant genera identified were Streptomyces, Actinomadura, and Micromonospora. Phylogenetic analyses of the marine OTUs isolated indicated that the Madeira Archipelago is a new source of actinomycetes adapted to life in the ocean. Phylogenetic differences between offshore (>100 m from shore) and nearshore (< 100 m from shore) populations illustrates the importance of sampling offshore in order to isolate new and diverse bacterial strains. Novel phylotypes from chemically rich marine actinomycete groups like MAR4 and the genus Salinispora were isolated. Anticancer and antimicrobial assays identified Streptomyces, Micromonospora, and Salinispora as the most biologically active genera. This study illustrates the importance of bioprospecting efforts at unexplored regions of the ocean to recover bacterial strains with the potential to produce novel and interesting chemistry. PMID:27774089

Alien mink predation induces prolonged declines in archipelago amphibians

PubMed Central

Ahola, Markus; Nordström, Mikael; Banks, Peter B; Laanetu, Nikolai; Korpimäki, Erkki

2006-01-01

Amphibians are undergoing enigmatic global declines variously attributed to a complex web of anthropogenic forces. Alien predators pose a fundamental threat to biodiversity generally that is predicted to be most acute in island ecosystems. While amphibian eggs and tadpoles are vulnerable to aquatic predators, the effect of predators on adult, reproducing frogs, which most influence amphibian population processes, is unknown. Here, we report on the responses of amphibian populations in the outer Finnish Archipelago to a long-term, large-scale removal of American mink (Mustela vison Schreb.), an invasive predator linked to recent biodiversity loss across Europe. Removal increased both the densities and distribution of common frogs (Rana temporaria L.) but not those of common toads (Bufo bufo L.), which appear to escape mink predation because of their unpalatable skin. Importantly, the largest benefits of mink removal to frog recovery were slow to appear as frogs apparently have a delayed maturation in these harsh environments, which means we must be cautious about reliance upon short-term results. PMID:16720400

Impacts of Long-Range Transport of Metals from East Asia in Bulk Aerosols Collected at the Okinawa Archipelago, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A, Sotaro; S, Yuka; I, Moriaki; N, Fumiya; H, Daishi; A, Takemitsu; T, Akira

2010-05-01

Economy of East Asia has been growing rapidly, and atmospheric aerosols discharged from this region have been transported to Japan. Okinawa island is situated approximately 1500 km south of Tokyo, Japan, 2000 km southeast of Beijing, China, and 1000 km of south Korea. Its location in Asian is well suited for studying long-range transport of air pollutants in East Asia because maritime air mass prevails during summer, while continental air mass dominates during fall, winter, and spring. The maritime air mass data can be seen as background and can be compared with continental air mass which has been affected by anthropogenic activities. Therefore, Okinawa region is suitable area for studying impacts of air pollutants from East Asia. We simultaneously collected bulk aerosol samples by using the same type of high volume air samplers at Cape Hedo Atmospheric Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS, Okinawa island), Kume island (ca. 160 km south-west of CHAAMS), and Minami-Daitou island (ca. 320 km south-east of CHAAMS). We determined the concentrations of acid-digested metals using atomic absorption spectrometer and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We report and discuss spatial and temporal distribution of metals in the bulk atmospheric aerosols collected at CHAAMS, Kume island and Minami-Daitou island during June, 2008 to June 2009. We also determined 'background' concentration of metals in Okinawa archipelago. We then compare each chemical component among CHAAMS, Kume island and Minami-Daitou island to elucidate the influence of the transport processes and distances from Asian continent on metal concentrations.

The terrestrial reptile fauna of the Abrolhos Archipelago: species list and ecological aspects.

PubMed

Rocha, C F D; Dutra, G F; Vrcibradic, D; Menezes, V A

2002-05-01

We have studied the terrestrial reptile fauna of the Abrolhos Archipelago (a group of five islands located ca. 70 km off the southern coast of the State of Bahia, Brazil) and analyze here some of its ecological aspects such as diet, thermal ecology, activity, and some reproductive parameters. Three lizards comprise the archipelago's terrestrial reptile fauna: Tropidurus torquatus (Tropiduridae), Mabuya agilis (Scincidae), and Hemidactylus mabouia (Gekkonidae). The first two are diurnal and the latter is crepuscular/nocturnal (initiating activity at ca. 17:30). The activity period of T. torquatus extended from 5:30 to 18:30 h. Mean field body temperatures of active T. torquatus, M. agilis, and H. mabouia were, respectively, 34.0 +/- 3.7 degrees C (range 23.8-38.0 degrees C; N = 75), 34.5 +/- 2.2 degrees C (range 30.8-37.0 degrees C; N = 6), and 26.3 +/- 1.1 degrees C (range 24.8-28.0 degrees C; N = 8). The predominant prey items in the diet of T. torquatus were ants, coleopterans, and hemipterans. In the diet of M. agilis, coleopterans were the most frequent prey items. For H. mabouia, the most important dietary items were orthopterans. Clutch size of T. torquatus averaged 4.1 +/- 1.1 (range 2-6; N = 15) and was significantly related to female size (R2 = 0.618; p = 0.001; N = 15). Clutch size for H. mabouia was fixed (two) and mean litter size of the viviparous M. agilis was 3.3 +/- 0.6 (range 3-4; N = 3). Tropidurus torquatus and H. mabouia deposit their eggs under rocks in the study area, with the former burying them but not the latter; in both species, more than one female often oviposit under the same rock.

A quantitative topographic analysis of the Sky Islands: a closer examination of the topography-biodiversity relationship in the Madrean Archipelago [Abstract

Treesearch

Dvid Coblentz; Kurt H. Riitters

2005-01-01

The well-documented relationship between topography and biodiversity is particularly profound in the Madrean Archipelago. However, despite this recognition, most studies of the Sky Island biogeography have used only a first-order qualitative description of the topography (e.g., average vertical relief and mean elevation). Exploiting the availability of high-resolution...

The coastal fishes and fisheries of the Socotra Archipelago, Yemen.

PubMed

Zajonz, Uwe; Lavergne, Edouard; Klaus, Rebecca; Krupp, Friedhelm; Aideed, Moteah Sheikh; Saeed, Fouad Naseeb

2016-04-30

The Socotra Archipelago is situated in the Gulf of Aden where tropical and "pseudo-temperate" conditions combine to create a unique marine ecosystem. The diversity, ecology, productivity and fisheries of the coastal fish assemblages are still relatively understudied and no update of the scientific knowledge existed. The islands support unique coastal and coral-associated fish assemblages in spite of the limited biogenic reef frameworks. Fish diversity is the highest among comparable Arabian eco-regions, and fish biomass productivity high too by Indian Ocean standards. The production of the once traditionally-managed small-scale fishery is severely declining and whether it is sustainable nowadays is extremely doubtful. At a time when Yemen is torn apart by a severe political and humanitarian crisis it is timely to review and update the current state of knowledge for scientists and managers, and thereby ease access to existing information, facilitating follow-on studies and evidence-based conservation and fisheries management. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nutrient Distribution Indicated Whole-Tree Harvesting as a Possible Factor Restricting the Sustainable Productivity of a Poplar Plantation System in China

PubMed Central

Ge, Xiaomin; Tian, Ye; Tang, Luozhong

2015-01-01

We evaluated the biomass and contents of five major macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) in 10-year-old poplar trees (Populus deltoids Bartr. cv. “Lux”), and determined their nutrient use efficiencies (NUEs) at Zhoushan Forestry Farm (32°20′ N, 119°40′ E), Jiangsu province, in eastern China. The above- and below-ground biomass of poplar trees was 161.7 t ha-1, of which 53.3% was stemwood. The nutrient contents in the aboveground part were as follows: 415.1 kg N ha-1, 29.7 kg P ha-1, 352.0 kg K ha-1, 1083.0 kg Ca ha-1, and 89.8 kg Mg ha-1. The highest nutrient contents were in stembark, followed by branches, roots, stemwood, and foliage. The NUEs of the aboveground parts of poplar for N, P, K, Ca and Mg were 0.313, 4.377, 0.369, 0.120, 1.448 t dry biomass kg-1 nutrient, respectively, while those of stemwood were 1.294, 33.154, 1.253, 0.667, and 3.328 t dry biomass kg-1, respectively. The cycling coefficients, defined as the percentage of annual nutrient return in annual nutrient uptake, of N, P, K, Ca and Mg for the aboveground part were 87, 95, 69, 92, and 84%, respectively. Based on the NUE and nutrient cycling characteristics, shifting from whole-tree harvesting to stemwood-only harvesting and appropriately extending the harvest rotation could prevent site deterioration and support sustainable productivity of poplar plantation systems. PMID:25992549

Vertical and Horizontal Genetic Connectivity in Chromis verater, an Endemic Damselfish Found on Shallow and Mesophotic Reefs in the Hawaiian Archipelago and Adjacent Johnston Atoll

PubMed Central

Tenggardjaja, Kimberly A.; Bowen, Brian W.; Bernardi, Giacomo

2014-01-01

Understanding vertical and horizontal connectivity is a major priority in research on mesophotic coral ecosystems (30–150 m). However, horizontal connectivity has been the focus of few studies, and data on vertical connectivity are limited to sessile benthic mesophotic organisms. Here we present patterns of vertical and horizontal connectivity in the Hawaiian Islands-Johnston Atoll endemic threespot damselfish, Chromis verater, based on 319 shallow specimens and 153 deep specimens. The mtDNA markers cytochrome b and control region were sequenced to analyze genetic structure: 1) between shallow (<30 m) and mesophotic (30–150 m) populations and 2) across the species' geographic range. Additionally, the nuclear markers rhodopsin and internal transcribed spacer 2 of ribosomal DNA were sequenced to assess connectivity between shallow and mesophotic populations. There was no significant genetic differentiation by depth, indicating high levels of vertical connectivity between shallow and deep aggregates of C. verater. Consequently, shallow and deep samples were combined by location for analyses of horizontal connectivity. We detected low but significant population structure across the Hawaiian Archipelago (overall cytochrome b: ΦST = 0.009, P = 0.020; control region: ΦST = 0.012, P = 0.009) and a larger break between the archipelago and Johnston Atoll (cytochrome b: ΦST = 0.068, P<0.001; control region: ΦST = 0.116, P<0.001). The population structure within the archipelago was driven by samples from the island of Hawaii at the southeast end of the chain and Lisianski in the middle of the archipelago. The lack of vertical genetic structure supports the refugia hypothesis that deep reefs may constitute a population reservoir for species depleted in shallow reef habitats. These findings represent the first connectivity study on a mobile organism that spans shallow and mesophotic depths and provide a reference point for future connectivity

Significant population genetic structure detected in the rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844) inferred from fluorescent-AFLP analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Yongshuang; Ma, Daoyuan; Xu, Shihong; Liu, Qinghua; Wang, Yanfeng; Xiao, Zhizhong; Li, Jun

2016-05-01

Oplegnathus fasciatus (rock bream) is a commercial rocky reef fish species in East Asia that has been considered for aquaculture. We estimated the population genetic diversity and population structure of the species along the coastal waters of China using fluorescent-amplified fragment length polymorphisms technology. Using 53 individuals from three populations and four pairs of selective primers, we amplified 1 264 bands, 98.73% of which were polymorphic. The Zhoushan population showed the highest Nei's genetic diversity and Shannon genetic diversity. The results of analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 59.55% of genetic variation existed among populations and 40.45% occurred within populations, which indicated that a significant population genetic structure existed in the species. The pairwise fixation index F st ranged from 0.20 to 0.63 and were significant after sequential Bonferroni correction. The topology of an unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean tree showed two significant genealogical branches corresponding to the sampling locations of North and South China. The AMOVA and STRUCTURE analyses suggested that the O. fasciatus populations examined should comprise two stocks.

Integrating paleoecology and genetics of bird populations in two sky island archipelagos

PubMed Central

McCormack, John E; Bowen, Bonnie S; Smith, Thomas B

2008-01-01

Background Genetic tests of paleoecological hypotheses have been rare, partly because recent genetic divergence is difficult to detect and time. According to fossil plant data, continuous woodland in the southwestern USA and northern Mexico became fragmented during the last 10,000 years, as warming caused cool-adapted species to retreat to high elevations. Most genetic studies of resulting 'sky islands' have either failed to detect recent divergence or have found discordant evidence for ancient divergence. We test this paleoecological hypothesis for the region with intraspecific mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite data from sky-island populations of a sedentary bird, the Mexican jay (Aphelocoma ultramarina). We predicted that populations on different sky islands would share common, ancestral alleles that existed during the last glaciation, but that populations on each sky island, owing to their isolation, would contain unique variants of postglacial origin. We also predicted that divergence times estimated from corrected genetic distance and a coalescence model would post-date the last glacial maximum. Results Our results provide multiple independent lines of support for postglacial divergence, with the predicted pattern of shared and unique mitochondrial DNA haplotypes appearing in two independent sky-island archipelagos, and most estimates of divergence time based on corrected genetic distance post-dating the last glacial maximum. Likewise, an isolation model based on multilocus gene coalescence indicated postglacial divergence of five pairs of sky islands. In contrast to their similar recent histories, the two archipelagos had dissimilar historical patterns in that sky islands in Arizona showed evidence for older divergence, suggesting different responses to the last glaciation. Conclusion This study is one of the first to provide explicit support from genetic data for a postglacial divergence scenario predicted by one of the best paleoecological records in the

Integrating paleoecology and genetics of bird populations in two sky island archipelagos.

PubMed

McCormack, John E; Bowen, Bonnie S; Smith, Thomas B

2008-06-27

Genetic tests of paleoecological hypotheses have been rare, partly because recent genetic divergence is difficult to detect and time. According to fossil plant data, continuous woodland in the southwestern USA and northern Mexico became fragmented during the last 10,000 years, as warming caused cool-adapted species to retreat to high elevations. Most genetic studies of resulting 'sky islands' have either failed to detect recent divergence or have found discordant evidence for ancient divergence. We test this paleoecological hypothesis for the region with intraspecific mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite data from sky-island populations of a sedentary bird, the Mexican jay (Aphelocoma ultramarina). We predicted that populations on different sky islands would share common, ancestral alleles that existed during the last glaciation, but that populations on each sky island, owing to their isolation, would contain unique variants of postglacial origin. We also predicted that divergence times estimated from corrected genetic distance and a coalescence model would post-date the last glacial maximum. Our results provide multiple independent lines of support for postglacial divergence, with the predicted pattern of shared and unique mitochondrial DNA haplotypes appearing in two independent sky-island archipelagos, and most estimates of divergence time based on corrected genetic distance post-dating the last glacial maximum. Likewise, an isolation model based on multilocus gene coalescence indicated postglacial divergence of five pairs of sky islands. In contrast to their similar recent histories, the two archipelagos had dissimilar historical patterns in that sky islands in Arizona showed evidence for older divergence, suggesting different responses to the last glaciation. This study is one of the first to provide explicit support from genetic data for a postglacial divergence scenario predicted by one of the best paleoecological records in the world. Our results

An Invasive Fish and the Time-Lagged Spread of Its Parasite across the Hawaiian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Gaither, Michelle R.; Aeby, Greta; Vignon, Matthias; Meguro, Yu-ichiro; Rigby, Mark; Runyon, Christina; Toonen, Robert J.; Wood, Chelsea L.; Bowen, Brian W.

2013-01-01

Efforts to limit the impact of invasive species are frustrated by the cryptogenic status of a large proportion of those species. Half a century ago, the state of Hawai'i introduced the Bluestripe Snapper, Lutjanus kasmira, to O'ahu for fisheries enhancement. Today, this species shares an intestinal nematode parasite, Spirocamallanus istiblenni, with native Hawaiian fishes, raising the possibility that the introduced fish carried a parasite that has since spread to naïve local hosts. Here, we employ a multidisciplinary approach, combining molecular, historical, and ecological data to confirm the alien status of S. istiblenni in Hawai'i. Using molecular sequence data we show that S. istiblenni from Hawai'i are genetically affiliated with source populations in French Polynesia, and not parasites at a geographically intermediate location in the Line Islands. S. istiblenni from Hawai'i are a genetic subset of the more diverse source populations, indicating a bottleneck at introduction. Ecological surveys indicate that the parasite has found suitable intermediate hosts in Hawai'i, which are required for the completion of its life cycle, and that the parasite is twice as prevalent in Hawaiian Bluestripe Snappers as in source populations. While the introduced snapper has spread across the entire 2600 km archipelago to Kure Atoll, the introduced parasite has spread only half that distance. However, the parasite faces no apparent impediments to invading the entire archipelago, with unknown implications for naïve indigenous Hawaiian fishes and the protected Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. PMID:23468894

DNA barcode of Acropora hyacinthus of Karimunjawa Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijayanti, D. P.; Indrayanti, E.; Nuryadi, H.; Rintiantono, S. A.; Sabdono, A.

2018-03-01

Karimunjawa is one of the earliest marine parks in Indonesia. Karimunjawa National Park (KNP) was designated as a marine conservation area to conserve marine resources from destructive fishing activities. Scleractinian corals in the genus Acropora are among the most dominant distributed in the KNPs, including the species of Acropora hyacinthus. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of intra- and interspecific COI variabilities in A. hyacinthus to analyze genetic diversity and to describe the kinship relationship of the coral between 5 localities of the reefs. Genetic marker Cytochrome Oxidase I of the mitochondrial genome DNA (mtDNA) was used to analyze genetic diversity. Reconstruction of phylogenetic tree and genetic diversity were made by using software MEGA 5.05 (Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis). The results indicate corals A. hyacinthus from five localities of Karimunjawa Archipelago are in the high category of genetic diversity. However, the five populations showed a close genetic relationship of kinship. This is likely due to the small size of the population and few numbers of samples that may not represent the population. The results may aid managers of the park in the selection of appropriate propagules sources which can help to restore important data for conservation and sustain coral reef resources.

Distribution of radionuclides in the guano sediments of Xisha Islands, South China Sea and its implication.

PubMed

Xu, L Q; Liu, X D; Sun, L G; Yan, H; Liu, Y; Luo, Y H; Huang, J; Wang, Y H

2010-05-01

Several natural and anthropogenic radionuclides ((210)Pb, (226)Ra and (137)Cs) in guano-phosphatic coral sediments and pure guano particles collected from Ganquan, Guangjin, Jinqing and Jinyin Islands of the Xisha archipelago, South China Sea, were analyzed. The Constant Initial Concentration (CIC) model and the Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) model were applied for age calculation. The average supply rate of (210)Pb was 126 Bq m(-2) a(-1), very close to the flux of northern hemisphere average (125 Bq m(-2) a(-1)). The activities of anthropogenic radionuclides in the sediments were very low, indicating that human nuclear tests did not notably impact this region. The main source of radionuclides in the sediments was from atmospheric precipitation, and the organic matter derived from plant and produced by nutrient-rich guano could further enhance them. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Alboran volcanic arc archipelago isolated the Mediterranean during the Messinian salinity crisis forming the land bridge for biota dispersal across the western Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Booth-Rea, Guillermo; Ranero, Cesar R.; Grevemeyer, Ingo

2017-04-01

The Mediterranean Sea desiccation during isolation from the world oceans created the well-known Messinian salinity crisis but also landbridges that permitted the exchange of terrestrial biota between Africa and Iberia contributing to the present biodiversity of the Mediterranean region. The hypotheses for the cause chocking the Mediterranean have typically sought to explain geological features, particularly the giant salt deposits, but the implications of the faunal changes occurring around that time remain inadequately integrated by current geological models. We present wide-angle seismic data that constrain for the first time the 16-18 km thick crust structure of a volcanic arc formed mostly between 10 to 6 Ma across the eastern region of the Alboran basin. The crustal structure supports that the arc created an archipelago forming a land bridge across the basin that largely isolated the Mediterranean. After the cessation of volcanic activity, the archipelago progressively submerged by thermal subsidence and accompanying sediment loading, having emerged islands that persisted into the Pleistocene time and shallow straits forming sills during the early Pliocene. The presence of an archipelago in the eastern region of the basin may explain a number of puzzling observations previously inexplicable by the proposed barriers closing the Gibraltar arc west of Alboran. The progressive volcanic build up of the archipelago together with the closure of the Betic and Rifean marine corridors would explain the initial isolation of the Mediterranean since 7.1 Ma and the exchange of terrestrial biota since 6.2 Ma, i.e. before desiccation, which diversified radiating from SE Iberia and the opposite segment of the eastern Rif. In addition, an eastern barrier agrees with the continuous Messinian-age open marine sediments drilled at ODP site 976 in the western Alboran basin, which may have been the refuge of typical Mediterranean taxa that rapidly repopulated the Mediterranean in the

A new shrub frog in the genus Platymantis (Ceratobatrachidae) from the Nakanai Mountains of eastern New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago.

PubMed

Brown, Rafe M; Richards, Stephen J; Broadhead, Taylor S

2013-01-01

We describe a new-species of high elevation rainforest shrub frog (genus Platymantis) from the Nakanai Mountains of eastern New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago), Papua New Guinea. The distinctive new species possesses a moderate body size (29.5-32.2 mm in four males), widely expanded finger and toe disks, smooth to slightly granular dorsal skin, low but distinctly protuberant supraocular and tarsal tubercles, a conspicuous series of bright yellow flank areolations, a low but distinct intraocular sagittal crest, bronze-brown iris, and a unique advertisement call. We compare the new species with congeneric New Britain taxa and to other phenotypically similar species from the Solomon-Bismarck-Admiralty archipelagos. The new species is phenotypically most similar to P macrosceles Zweifel 1975, and has been collected at only one high elevation site (Tompoi Camp). The available data suggest that the new species, known from 1700 m, is elevationally segregated from P. macroscles (to date, only recorded from 800-900 m in the Nakanai Mountains). New Britain Island has emerged as a major center of endemic ceratobatrachid species diversity. Additional species are anticipated to result from ongoing field work, especially in the western portion of the island, which remains largely unexplored.

Are There Spatial or Temporal Patterns to Holocene Explosive Eruptions in the Aleutian Archipelago? A Work in Progress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, C.; Nicolaysen, K. P.; McConville, K.; Hatfield, V.; West, D.

2013-12-01

By examining the existing geological and archeological record of radiocarbon dated Aleutian tephras of the last 12,000 years, this study sought to determine whether there were spatial or temporal patterns of explosive eruptive activity. The Holocene tephra record has important implications because two episodes of migration and colonization by humans of distinct cultures established the Unangan/Aleut peoples of the Aleutian Islands concurrently with the volcanic activity. From Aniakchak Volcano on the Alaska Peninsula to the Andreanof Islands (158 to 178° W longitude), 55 distinct tephras represent significant explosive eruptions of the last 12,000 years. Initial results suggest that the Andreanof and Fox Island regions of the archipelago have had frequent explosive eruptions whereas the Islands of Four Mountains, Rat, and Near Island regions have apparently had little or no eruptive activity. However, one clear result of the investigation is that sampling bias strongly influences the apparent spatial patterns. For example field reconnaissance in the Islands of Four Mountains documents two Holocene calderas and a minimum of 20 undated tephras in addition to the large ignimbrites. Only the lack of significant explosive activity in the Near Islands seems a valid spatial result as archeological excavations and geologic reports failed to document Holocene tephras there. An intriguing preliminary temporal pattern is the apparent absence of large explosive eruptions across the archipelago from ca. 4,800 to 6,000 yBP. To test the validity of apparent patterns, a statistical treatment of the compiled data grappled with the sampling bias by considering three confounding variables: larger island size allows more opportunity for geologic preservation of tephras; larger magnitude eruption promotes tephra preservation by creating thicker and more widespread deposits; the comprehensiveness of the tephra sampling of each volcano and island varies widely because of logistical and

Biotic paleothermometry constrains on Arctic plates reconstructions: Carboniferous and Permian (Zhokhov Island, De-Longa Group Islands, New Siberian Archipelago)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davydov, Vladimir I.

2016-09-01

A warm-water fauna and flora from a Carboniferous limestone xenolith that was captured during penetration of deep intraplate Cenozoic basalts through a Paleozoic carbonate platform have been found on Zhokhov Island, New Siberian Archipelago (NSA). This limestone xenolith contains a very high taxonomic diversity of Moscovian (Middle Pennsylvanian) tropical foraminifera and calcareous algae. As this warm-water biota never occurs north of the forbiddance line, i.e., 30-35°N/S, this fauna and algal flora constrain the paleogeography and interpretation of the paleotectonics in the region. Thus, the location of the most of the New Siberian Archipelago islands at that time must have been within tropics or subtropics. Analyses of the existing data on fusulinid distribution within the Arctic region indicate that Zhokhov and Wrangel Islands were still a part of Alaska-Chukotka composite terrane as late as in the Artinskian. Both fusulinid and detrital zircon provenance data suggest that the Chukotka microplate, NSA, and Wrangel Island probably were close to Arctic Alaska until Triassic time. The fusulinids from the Mankomen Formation and other formations in Wrangelia show a strong affinity with the Uralo-Franklinian province regions including the Sverdrup Basin, Spitsbergen, Barents Sea, and Timan-Pechora and the northern-central Urals rather than with northern Panthalassa.

Cause and risk of catastrophic eruptions in the Japanese Archipelago.

PubMed

Tatsumi, Yoshiyuki; Suzuki-Kamata, Keiko

2014-01-01

The Japanese Archipelago is characterized by active volcanism with variable eruption styles. The magnitude (M)-frequency relationships of catastrophic caldera-forming eruptions (M ≥ 7) are statistically different from those of smaller eruptions (M ≤ 5.7), suggesting that different mechanisms control these eruptions. We also find that volcanoes prone to catastrophic eruptions are located in regions of low crustal strain rate (<0.5 × 10(8)/y) and propose, as one possible mechanism, that the viscous silicic melts that cause such eruptions can be readily segregated from the partially molten lower crust and form a large magma reservoir in such a tectonic regime. Finally we show that there is a ∼1% probability of a catastrophic eruption in the next 100 years based on the eruption records for the last 120 ky. More than 110 million people live in an area at risk of being covered by tephra >20 cm thick, which would severely disrupt every day life, from such an eruption on Kyushu Island, SW Japan.

Cause and risk of catastrophic eruptions in the Japanese Archipelago

PubMed Central

TATSUMI, Yoshiyuki; SUZUKI-KAMATA, Keiko

2014-01-01

The Japanese Archipelago is characterized by active volcanism with variable eruption styles. The magnitude (M)-frequency relationships of catastrophic caldera-forming eruptions (M ≥ 7) are statistically different from those of smaller eruptions (M ≤ 5.7), suggesting that different mechanisms control these eruptions. We also find that volcanoes prone to catastrophic eruptions are located in regions of low crustal strain rate (<0.5 × 108/y) and propose, as one possible mechanism, that the viscous silicic melts that cause such eruptions can be readily segregated from the partially molten lower crust and form a large magma reservoir in such a tectonic regime. Finally we show that there is a ∼1% probability of a catastrophic eruption in the next 100 years based on the eruption records for the last 120 ky. More than 110 million people live in an area at risk of being covered by tephra >20 cm thick, which would severely disrupt every day life, from such an eruption on Kyushu Island, SW Japan. PMID:25391319

Acoustic habitat of an oceanic archipelago in the Southwestern Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bittencourt, Lis; Barbosa, Mariana; Secchi, Eduardo; Lailson-Brito, José; Azevedo, Alexandre

2016-09-01

Underwater soundscapes can be highly variable, and in natural conditions are often dominated by biological signals and physical features of the environment. Few studies, however, focused on oceanic islands soundscapes. Islands in the middle of ocean basins can provide a good example of how untouched marine soundscapes are. Autonomous acoustic recordings were carried out in two different seasons in Trindade-Martin Vaz Archipelago, Southwestern Atlantic, providing nearly continuous data for both periods. Sound levels varied daily and between seasons. During summer, higher frequencies were noisier than lower frequencies, with snapping shrimp being the dominating sound source. During winter, lower frequencies were noisier than higher frequencies due to humpback whale constant singing. Biological signal detection had a marked temporal pattern, playing an important role in the soundscape. Over 1000 humpback whale sounds were detected hourly during winter. Fish vocalizations were detected mostly during night time during both summer and winter. The results show an acoustic habitat dominated by biological sound sources and highlight the importance of the island to humpback whales in winter.

Philopatry drives genetic differentiation in an island archipelago: comparative population genetics of Galapagos Nazca boobies (Sula granti) and great frigatebirds (Fregata minor)

PubMed Central

Levin, Iris I; Parker, Patricia G

2012-01-01

Seabirds are considered highly mobile, able to fly great distances with few apparent barriers to dispersal. However, it is often the case that seabird populations exhibit strong population genetic structure despite their potential vagility. Here we show that Galapagos Nazca booby (Sula granti) populations are substantially differentiated, even within the small geographic scale of this archipelago. On the other hand, Galapagos great frigatebird (Fregata minor) populations do not show any genetic structure. We characterized the genetic differentiation by sampling five colonies of both species in the Galapagos archipelago and analyzing eight microsatellite loci and three mitochondrial genes. Using an F-statistic approach on the multilocus data, we found significant differentiation between nearly all island pairs of Nazca booby populations and a Bayesian clustering analysis provided support for three distinct genetic clusters. Mitochondrial DNA showed less differentiation of Nazca booby colonies; only Nazca boobies from the island of Darwin were significantly differentiated from individuals throughout the rest of the archipelago. Great frigatebird populations showed little to no evidence for genetic differentiation at the same scale. Only two island pairs (Darwin – Wolf, N. Seymour – Wolf) were significantly differentiated using the multilocus data, and only two island pairs had statistically significant φST values (N. Seymour – Darwin, N. Seymour – Wolf) according to the mitochondrial data. There was no significant pattern of isolation by distance for either species calculated using both markers. Seven of the ten Nazca booby migration rates calculated between island pairs were in the south or southeast to north or northwest direction. The population differentiation found among Galapagos Nazca booby colonies, but not great frigatebird colonies, is most likely due to differences in natal and breeding philopatry. PMID:23170212

Population Genetic Structure of the Deep-Sea Precious Coral Corallium secundum from the Hawaiian Archipelago Based on Microsatellites.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baco-Taylor, A.

2006-12-01

Deep-sea precious corals (Gerardia sp., Corallium lauuense, and Corallium secundum) on the Islands and seamounts of the Hawaiian Archipelago have supported an extremely profitable fishery, yet little is known about the life history and dispersal of the exploited species. Recent studies indicate significant genetic structure between shallow-water coral populations, including several species capable of long distance dispersal. If significant genetic structure exists in seamount and Island populations of precious corals, this could suggest that the elimination (through overharvesting) of a bed of precious corals would result in loss of overall genetic diversity in the species. Here I discuss results based on microsatellite studies of the precious coral, Corallium secundum, from 11 sites in the Hawaiian Archipelago collected between 1998 and 2004, and compare the population genetic structure and dispersal capabilities of Corallium secundum to the results for Corallium lauuense. Microsatellite studies of Corallium lauuense indicated significant heterozygote deficiency in most populations, suggesting recruitment in most populations is from local sources with only occasional long-distance dispersal events. Also, two populations appear to be significantly isolated from other populations of Corallium lauuense and may be separate stocks. In contrast, Corallium secundum populations have little heterozygote deficiency and separate into 3 distinct regions. In addition to having fisheries management implications for these corals, the results of these studies also have implications for the management and protection of seamount fauna.

Conservation Genetics of the Philippine Tarsier: Cryptic Genetic Variation Restructures Conservation Priorities for an Island Archipelago Primate

PubMed Central

Brown, Rafe M.; Weghorst, Jennifer A.; Olson, Karen V.; Duya, Mariano R. M.; Barley, Anthony J.; Duya, Melizar V.; Shekelle, Myron; Neri-Arboleda, Irene; Esselstyn, Jacob A.; Dominy, Nathaniel J.; Ong, Perry S.; Moritz, Gillian L.; Luczon, Adrian; Diesmos, Mae Lowe L.; Diesmos, Arvin C.; Siler, Cameron D.

2014-01-01

Establishment of conservation priorities for primates is a particular concern in the island archipelagos of Southeast Asia, where rates of habitat destruction are among the highest in the world. Conservation programs require knowledge of taxonomic diversity to ensure success. The Philippine tarsier is a flagship species that promotes environmental awareness and a thriving ecotourism economy in the Philippines. However, assessment of its conservation status has been impeded by taxonomic uncertainty, a paucity of field studies, and a lack of vouchered specimens and genetic samples available for study in biodiversity repositories. Consequently, conservation priorities are unclear. In this study we use mitochondrial and nuclear DNA to empirically infer geographic partitioning of genetic variation and to identify evolutionarily distinct lineages for conservation action. The distribution of Philippine tarsier genetic diversity is neither congruent with expectations based on biogeographical patterns documented in other Philippine vertebrates, nor does it agree with the most recent Philippine tarsier taxonomic arrangement. We identify three principal evolutionary lineages that do not correspond to the currently recognized subspecies, highlight the discovery of a novel cryptic and range-restricted subcenter of genetic variation in an unanticipated part of the archipelago, and identify additional geographically structured genetic variation that should be the focus of future studies and conservation action. Conservation of this flagship species necessitates establishment of protected areas and targeted conservation programs within the range of each genetically distinct variant of the Philippine tarsier. PMID:25136854

Why do different oceanic archipelagos harbour contrasting levels of species diversity? The macaronesian endemic genus Pericallis (Asteraceae) provides insight into explaining the 'Azores diversity Enigma'.

PubMed

Jones, K E; Pérez-Espona, S; Reyes-Betancort, J A; Pattinson, D; Caujapé-Castells, J; Hiscock, S J; Carine, M A

2016-10-08

Oceanic archipelagos typically harbour extensive radiations of flowering plants and a high proportion of endemics, many of which are restricted to a single island (Single Island Endemics; SIEs). The Azores represents an anomaly as overall levels of endemism are low; there are few SIEs and few documented cases of intra-archipelago radiations. The distinctiveness of the flora was first recognized by Darwin and has been referred to as the 'Azores Diversity Enigma' (ADE). Diversity patterns in the Macaronesian endemic genus Pericallis (Asteraceae) exemplify the ADE. In this study we used morphometric, Amplified Length Polymorphisms, and bioclimatic data for herbaceous Pericallis lineages endemic to the Azores and the Canaries, to test two key hypotheses proposed to explain the ADE: i) that it is a taxonomic artefact or Linnean shortfall, ie. the under description of taxa in the Azores or the over-splitting of taxa in the Canaries and (ii) that it reflects the greater ecological homogeneity of the Azores, which results in limited opportunity for ecological diversification compared to the Canaries. In both the Azores and the Canaries, morphological patterns were generally consistent with current taxonomic classifications. However, the AFLP data showed no genetic differentiation between the two currently recognized Azorean subspecies that are ecologically differentiated. Instead, genetic diversity in the Azores was structured geographically across the archipelago. In contrast, in the Canaries genetic differentiation was mostly consistent with morphology and current taxonomic treatments. Both Azorean and Canarian lineages exhibited ecological differentiation between currently recognized taxa. Neither a Linnean shortfall nor the perceived ecological homogeneity of the Azores fully explained the ADE-like pattern observed in Pericallis. Whilst variation in genetic data and morphological data in the Canaries were largely congruent, this was not the case in the Azores, where

Oceanographic Currents and Local Ecological Knowledge Indicate, and Genetics Does Not Refute, a Contemporary Pattern of Larval Dispersal for The Ornate Spiny Lobster, Panulirus ornatus in the South-East Asian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Dao, Hoc Tan; Smith-Keune, Carolyn; Wolanski, Eric; Jones, Clive M.; Jerry, Dean R.

2015-01-01

Here we utilize a combination of genetic data, oceanographic data, and local ecological knowledge to assess connectivity patterns of the ornate spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus (Fabricius, 1798) in the South-East Asian archipelago from Vietnam to Australia. Partial mitochondrial DNA control region and 10 polymorphic microsatellites did not detect genetic structure of 216 wild P. ornatus samples from Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Analyses show no evidence for genetic differentiation among populations (mtDNA control region sequences ΦST = -0.008; microsatellite loci FST = 0.003). A lack of evidence for regional or localized mtDNA haplotype clusters, or geographic clusters of microsatellite genotypes, reveals a pattern of high gene flow in P. ornatus throughout the South-East Asian Archipelago. This lack of genetic structure may be due to the oceanography-driven connectivity of the pelagic lobster larvae between spawning grounds in Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and, possibly, Indonesia. The connectivity cycle necessitates three generations. The lack of genetic structure of P. ornatus population in the South-East Asian archipelago has important implications for the sustainable management of this lobster in that the species within the region needs to be managed as one genetic stock. PMID:25951344

Oceanographic Currents and Local Ecological Knowledge Indicate, and Genetics Does Not Refute, a Contemporary Pattern of Larval Dispersal for The Ornate Spiny Lobster, Panulirus ornatus in the South-East Asian Archipelago.

PubMed

Dao, Hoc Tan; Smith-Keune, Carolyn; Wolanski, Eric; Jones, Clive M; Jerry, Dean R

2015-01-01

Here we utilize a combination of genetic data, oceanographic data, and local ecological knowledge to assess connectivity patterns of the ornate spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus (Fabricius, 1798) in the South-East Asian archipelago from Vietnam to Australia. Partial mitochondrial DNA control region and 10 polymorphic microsatellites did not detect genetic structure of 216 wild P. ornatus samples from Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Analyses show no evidence for genetic differentiation among populations (mtDNA control region sequences ΦST = -0.008; microsatellite loci FST = 0.003). A lack of evidence for regional or localized mtDNA haplotype clusters, or geographic clusters of microsatellite genotypes, reveals a pattern of high gene flow in P. ornatus throughout the South-East Asian Archipelago. This lack of genetic structure may be due to the oceanography-driven connectivity of the pelagic lobster larvae between spawning grounds in Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and, possibly, Indonesia. The connectivity cycle necessitates three generations. The lack of genetic structure of P. ornatus population in the South-East Asian archipelago has important implications for the sustainable management of this lobster in that the species within the region needs to be managed as one genetic stock.

Features of shoreline displacement in the Holocene of Franz josef Land Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barliaev, A.; Anisimov, M.

2014-12-01

Changes in the global sea level after the LGM caused the significant alteration in relation of land and sea in Arctic. The rise of the sea level in Arctic was accompanied with present tectonic processes. Marine terraces are formed with the combination of eustatic sea level fluctuations and glacioisostatic uplift of the territory with the significant role of complicated tectonic block movements. There are nearly about 150 radiocarbon ages data for Franz-Josef Land archipelago now. The represented conclusions are a generalization of the published data and results of our field researches with series of new radiocarbon dates. We managed to collect valuable factual material during the Russian Arctic National Park expedition in 2012. The distinctions of post-glacial rise of different islands and peculiarities of Holocene deglaciation were identified with the help of marine terraces analysis. The altitude of the terraces with the same age on different islands exceeds 15 meters in some cases. However, analysis of the data suggests that the continuous series of raised beaches from 35 m a.s.l. formed during the last 10000 years. It is impossible to build up an univocal model of emergence isobases with the existing data. Alexandra Land Island was the special object of this investigation. The large beach ridge from Lunar Ice Cap to Kropotkina Ice Cap divides the island on two parts. The northern one is covered with marine sediments, whereas the southern - with glaciofluvial sediments with negligible areas of marine sediments. The difference between the terraces' ages of Alexandra Land on the Dezhneva Bay shore and the northern shore of island suggests that: 1) In the early Holocene the rate of the transgression exceeded the tectonic uplift of the territory; 2) Formation of the large central beach ridge occurred near 6700 years ago, the maximum marine limit in the Alexandra Land Island; 3) The rate of the tectonic rise of the territory exceeded the eustatic sea level rise in

Geochemical provenance of sediments from the northern East China Sea document a gradual migration of the Asian Monsoon belt over the past 400,000 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beny, François; Toucanne, Samuel; Skonieczny, Charlotte; Bayon, Germain; Ziegler, Martin

2018-06-01

The reconstruction of the long-term evolution of the East Asian Monsoon remains controversial. In this study, we aim to give a new outlook on this evolution by studying a 400 kyr long sediment record (U1429) from the northern East China Sea recovered during IODP Expedition 346. Neodymium isotopic ratios and rare earth element concentrations of different grain-size fractions reveal significant provenance changes of the sediments in the East China Sea between East Asian continental sources (mainly Yellow River) and sediment contributions from the Japanese Archipelago. These provenance changes are interpreted as the direct impact of sea level changes, due to the reorganization of East Asian river mouth locations and ocean circulation on the East China Sea shelf, and latitudinal shifts of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) from the interior of Asia to the western North Pacific Ocean. Our data reveal the dominance of winter and summer monsoons during glacial and interglacial periods, respectively, except for glacial MIS 6d (∼150-180 ka) during which unexpected summer monsoon dominated conditions prevailed. Finally, our data suggests a possible strengthening of the interglacial summer monsoon rainfalls over the East Asian continent and Japan throughout the past 400 kyr, and between MIS 11 and MIS 5 in particular. This could result from a gradual northward migration of the ITCZ.

Magmatic activity at Islas Marias Archipelago, Gulf of California: Oceanic lithosphere with gabbroic sills versus Jurassic-Cretaceous arc components.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaaf, P. E. G.; Solis-Pichardo, G.; Hernandez-Trevino, T.; Villanueva, D.; Arrieta, G. F.; Rochin, H.; Rodriguez, L. F.; Bohnel, H.; Weber, B.

2015-12-01

Islas Marias Archipelago consists of four islands located in the mouth of the Gulf of California. Lithologically three of them (Maria Madre, San Juanito, and Maria Cleofas) are quite similar with a 165-170 Ma metamorphic basement, 75-85 Ma intrusive and extrusive rocks, and a sedimentary sandstone cover, which according to its foraminiferous content recorded multiple uplift and subsidence events related to the opening of the Gulf. However, these units are absent on Maria Magdalena island which is positioned between the other islands. Here, instead, oceanic lithosphere with pillow lavas and gabbroic sills, intercalated with sandstones form the dominant outcrops. Their geochemical and isotopic characteristics are similar to N-MORB with epsilon Nd values around +10 and 87Sr/86Sr of 0.70290. The gabbros are not older than 22 Ma. Magdalena island was obviously uplifted separately from the other islands of the archipelago, probably along a now hidden transform fault system along the East Pacific Rise. Metamorphic and igneous rocks of the other islands can be correlated to lithologically similar units in the Los Cabos Block, Baja California, or to the continental margin units in Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco states when looking at their geochemical and geochronological signatures. Paleomagnetic studies on 35 sampling sites from all 4 islands give evidence for relatively small scale tectonic movements.

Long-Term Occupancy Trends in a Data-Poor Dugong Population in the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago

PubMed Central

D’Souza, Elrika; Patankar, Vardhan; Arthur, Rohan; Alcoverro, Teresa; Kelkar, Nachiket

2013-01-01

Prioritizing efforts for conserving rare and threatened species with limited past data and lacking population estimates is predicated on robust assessments of their occupancy rates. This is particularly challenging for elusive, long-lived and wide-ranging marine mammals. In this paper we estimate trends in long-term (over 50years) occupancy, persistence and extinction of a vulnerable and data-poor dugong (Dugong dugon) population across multiple seagrass meadows in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago (India). For this we use hierarchical Bayesian dynamic occupancy models accounting for false negatives (detection probability<1), persistence and extinction, to two datasets: a) fragmentary long-term occurrence records from multiple sources (1959–2004, n = 40 locations), and b) systematic detection/non-detection data from current surveys (2010–2012, n = 57). Dugong occupancy across the archipelago declined by 60% (from 0.45 to 0.18) over the last 20 years and present distribution was largely restricted to sheltered bays and channels with seagrass meadows dominated by Halophila and Halodule sp. Dugongs were not found in patchy meadows with low seagrass cover. In general, seagrass habitat availability was not limiting for dugong occupancy, suggesting that anthropogenic factors such as entanglement in gillnets and direct hunting may have led to local extinction of dugongs from locations where extensive seagrass meadows still thrive. Effective management of these remnant dugong populations will require a multi-pronged approach, involving 1) protection of areas where dugongs still persist, 2) monitoring of seagrass habitats that dugongs could recolonize, 3) reducing gillnet use in areas used by dugongs, and 4) engaging with indigenous/settler communities to reduce impacts of hunting. PMID:24143180

Prognathodes basabei, a new species of butterflyfish (Perciformes, Chaetodontidae) from the Hawaiian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Pyle, Richard L.; Kosaki, Randall K.

2016-01-01

Abstract A new species of the butterflyfish genus Prognathodes is described from specimens collected at a depth of 55–61 m off Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This species has been observed by mixed-gas divers and from submersibles at depths ranging from 45–187 m throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago, with shallower sightings in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and deeper in the Main Hawaiian Islands. It is similar to Prognathodes guezei (Maugé and Bauchot 1976) from the western Indian Ocean, and at least one other undescribed species of Prognathodes from Palau, differing from these species in the number of soft dorsal-fin rays, size of head, and body depth. There are also differences in the life color, and a substantial genetic difference from the Palauan species (d » .08 in mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I). PMID:27667937

Biology of Anopheles saperoi, an Endemic Species in Okinawajima, the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan.

PubMed

Mannen, Kosuke; Toma, Takako; Minakawa, Noboru; Higa, Yukiko; Miyagi, Ichiro

2016-03-01

Biological studies of Anopheles saperoi were conducted using larval and adult mosquito collections in the northern part of Okinawajima of the Ryukyu Archipelago from June 2009 to July 2010. Anopheles saperoi was the most collected species in the northern Okinawajima, except Motobu Peninsula, where it was not collected. The southern distribution of An. saperoi was Sugita Stream, Nago City. Anopheles saperoi was collected throughout the year with reproduction (gonotrophic cycle) observed year-round. Immature densities varied for Hinna and Yona streams, and were negatively affected by precipitation patterns. Human attraction activity of females varied for by study area and collection time and was positively affected by temperature, but negatively by heavy rainfall. The greatest female human attraction activity was observed during 3:00-5:00 p.m., with peak at twilight. Parity rates varied from 23.1% to 83.3% throughout the year.

A finite volume model simulation for the Broughton Archipelago, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foreman, M. G. G.; Czajko, P.; Stucchi, D. J.; Guo, M.

A finite volume circulation model is applied to the Broughton Archipelago region of British Columbia, Canada and used to simulate the three-dimensional velocity, temperature, and salinity fields that are required by a companion model for sea lice behaviour, development, and transport. The absence of a high resolution atmospheric model necessitated the installation of nine weather stations throughout the region and the development of a simple data assimilation technique that accounts for topographic steering in interpolating/extrapolating the measured winds to the entire model domain. The circulation model is run for the period of March 13-April 3, 2008 and correlation coefficients between observed and model currents, comparisons between model and observed tidal harmonics, and root mean square differences between observed and model temperatures and salinities all showed generally good agreement. The importance of wind forcing in the near-surface circulation, differences between this simulation and one computed with another model, the effects of bathymetric smoothing on channel velocities, further improvements necessary for this model to accurately simulate conditions in May and June, and the implication of near-surface current patterns at a critical location in the 'migration corridor' of wild juvenile salmon, are also discussed.

Monitoring Arctic Sea ice using ERTS imagery. [Bering Sea, Beaufort Sea, Canadian Archipelago, and Greenland Sea

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, J. C.; Bowley, C. J.

1974-01-01

Because of the effect of sea ice on the heat balance of the Arctic and because of the expanding economic interest in arctic oil and other minerals, extensive monitoring and further study of sea ice is required. The application of ERTS data for mapping ice is evaluated for several arctic areas, including the Bering Sea, the eastern Beaufort Sea, parts of the Canadian Archipelago, and the Greenland Sea. Interpretive techniques are discussed, and the scales and types of ice features that can be detected are described. For the Bering Sea, a sample of ERTS imagery is compared with visual ice reports and aerial photography from the NASA CV-990 aircraft.

Environmental factors controlling the distribution of rhodoliths: An integrated study based on seafloor sampling, ROV and side scan sonar data, offshore the W-Pontine Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sañé, E.; Chiocci, F. L.; Basso, D.; Martorelli, E.

2016-10-01

The effects of different environmental factors controlling the distribution of different morphologies, sizes and growth forms of rhodoliths in the western Pontine Archipelago have been studied. The analysis of 231 grab samples has been integrated with 68 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) videos (22 h) and a high resolution (<1 m) side scan sonar mosaic of the seafloor surrounding the Archipelago, covering an area of approximately 460 km2. Living rhodoliths were collected in approximately 10% of the grab samples and observed in approximately 30% of the ROV dives. The combination of sediment sampling, video surveys and acoustic facies mapping suggested that the presence of rhodoliths can be associated to the dishomogeneous high backscatter sonar facies and high backscatter facies. Both pralines and unattached branches were found to be the most abundant morphological groups (50% and 41% of samples, respectively), whereas boxwork rhodoliths were less common, accounting only for less than 10% of the total number of samples. Pralines and boxwork rhodoliths were almost equally distributed among large (28%), medium (36%) and small sizes (36%). Pralines generally presented a fruticose growth form (49% of pralines) even if pralines with encrusting-warty (36% of pralines) or lumpy (15% of pralines) growth forms were also present. Morphologies, sizes and growth forms vary mainly along the depth gradient. Large rhodoliths with a boxwork morphology are abundant at depth, whereas unattached branches and, in general, rhodoliths with a high protuberance degree are abundant in shallow waters. The exposure to storm waves and bottom currents related to geostrofic circulation could explain the absence of rhodoliths off the eastern side of the three islands forming the Archipelago.

Long-term landscape evolution of the Basal Complexes of Fuerteventura and La Gomera Islands, Canary Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansour, Sherif; Glasmacher, Ulrich A.; Albinger, Marie; Stoeckli, Daniel F.

2014-05-01

The Canarias archipelago consists from seven volcanic islands located at the northwestern African margin. Among them only Fuerteventura and La Gomera islands show distinctive wide exposures of the basal complex (BC) that is characteristic with complex geological history. The basal complex was exposed on the western part of Fuerteventura and northwestern sector of La Gomera because of giant landslide(s) which have removed most of the shield stage volcanic rocks (Ancochea et al., 1996; 2006; Stillman, 1999). Generally, landslides are a common feature in the earlier constructive stages of the entire archipelago and many other volcanic islands (McGuire, 1996). Integration of low temperature thermochronological data, and time-Temperature (t-T) numerical modelling have proven to be a powerful tool for reconstructing the thermal and tectonic history, defining and quantifying long-term landscape evolution in variety of geological settings. Therefore, zircon and apatite fission-track techniques and t-T paths modelling were applied to 36 samples representing the main rock units of the BC on both islands. Fuerteventura BC has experienced two very rapid cooling/exhumation events. While, La Gomera BC shows one long-lived very fast cooling/exhumation event. Interestingly, these very rapid cooling/exhumation events are synchronous with these major landslides. There are many reasons for the major landslides on such a volcanic island (see e.g. McGuire, 1996)., But, the most sufficient triggers for these huge mass wasting/landslides events on Fuerteventura and La Gomera are recommended to be the continuous igneous intrusions and dikes which have the potential to decrease the edifice stability, igneous extrusions which add new materials at the surface leading to over-steeping and overloading (McGuire, 1996), and major climatic changes of the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (Herold et al., 2011). References Ancochea, E., Brändle, J.L., Cubas, C.R.,Hernán, F.,Huertas, M.J., 1996

A dearth of data on the mammals of the Madrean Archipelago: what do we think we know and what we actually do know

Treesearch

John L. Koprowski; Andrew J. Edelman; Bret S. Pasch; Debbie C. Beucher

2005-01-01

The Madrean Archipelago harbors one of the most diverse mammalian communities in North America. We used the Web of Science literature search tool to assess the diversity of peer-reviewed publications on mammals in Arizona and New Mexico as an indicator of publications in the region. The number of publications of all mammals was lower than expected with a mode of 0 and...

Post entry interception of the yellow-spotted longhorned beetle,Psacothea hilaris (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Italy Genbank Accession Number GU244486

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Psacothea hilaris (Pascoe) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) known as the yellow-spotted longhorned beetle is native from eastern Asia (China, Japan including Ryukyu, Shikoku and Honshu archipelago and Taïwan) where it attacks plants belonging to Moraceae family, in particular to Morus and Ficus genera. In...

Elucidating the multiple genetic lineages and population genetic structure of the brooding coral Seriatopora (Scleractinia: Pocilloporidae) in the Ryukyu Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Yuichi; Nishikawa, Akira; Iguchi, Akira; Nagata, Tomofumi; Uyeno, Daisuke; Sakai, Kazuhiko; Mitarai, Satoshi

2017-06-01

The elucidation of species diversity and connectivity is essential for conserving coral reef communities and for understanding the characteristics of coral populations. To assess the species diversity, intraspecific genetic diversity, and genetic differentiation among populations of the brooding coral Seriatopora spp., we conducted phylogenetic and population genetic analyses using a mitochondrial DNA control region and microsatellites at ten sites in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. At least three genetic lineages of Seriatopora (Seriatopora-A, -B, and -C) were detected in our specimens. We collected colonies morphologically similar to Seriatopora hystrix, but these may have included multiple, genetically distinct species. Although sexual reproduction maintains the populations of all the genetic lineages, Seriatopora-A and Seriatopora-C had lower genetic diversity than Seriatopora-B. We detected significant genetic differentiation in Seriatopora-B among the three populations as follows: pairwise F ST = 0.064-0.116 (all P = 0.001), pairwise G''ST = 0.107-0.209 (all P = 0.001). Additionally, only one migrant from an unsampled population was genetically identified within Seriatopora-B. Because the peak of the settlement of Seriatopora larvae is within 1 d and almost all larvae are settled within 5 d of spawning, our observations may be related to low dispersal ability. Populations of Seriatopora in the Ryukyu Archipelago will probably not recover unless there is substantial new recruitment from distant populations.

Living on the edge: conservation genetics of seven thermophilous plant species in a high Arctic archipelago

PubMed Central

Brysting, Anne Krag; Elven, Reidar; Alsos, Inger Greve

2017-01-01

Abstract Small, isolated and/or peripheral populations are expected to harbour low levels of genetic variation and may therefore have reduced adaptability to environmental change, including climate warming. In the Arctic, global warming has already caused vegetation change across the region and is acting as a significant stressor on Arctic biodiversity. Many of the rare plants in the Arctic are relicts from early Holocene warm periods, but their ability to benefit from the current warming is dependent on the viability of their populations. We therefore examined Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) data from regional red listed vascular plant species in the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and reference populations from the main distribution area of: (1) Botrychium lunaria, (2) Carex capillaris ssp. fuscidula, (3) Comastoma tenellum, (4) Kobresia simpliciuscula ssp. subholarctica, (5) Ranunculus wilanderi, (6) Sibbaldia procumbens and (7) Tofieldia pusilla. In addition, we gathered population size data in Svalbard. The Svalbard populations had low genetic diversity and distinctiveness and few or no private markers compared to populations outside the archipelago. This is similar to observations in other rare species in Svalbard and the genetic depletion may be due to an initial founder effect and/or a genetic bottleneck caused by late Holocene cooling. There seems to be limited gene flow from other areas and the Svalbard populations should therefore be considered as demographically independent management units. Overall, these management units have small and/or few populations and are therefore prone to stochastic events which may further increase vulnerability to inbreeding depression, loss of genetic variation, and reduced evolutionary potential. Our results support theory predicting lower levels of genetic diversity in small, isolated and/or peripheral populations and may be of importance for management of other rare plant species in the Arctic. PMID

Landslides density map of S. Miguel Island, Azores archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valadão, P.; Gaspar, J. L.; Queiroz, G.; Ferreira, T.

The Azores archipelago is located in the Atlantic Ocean and is composed of nine volcanic islands. S. Miguel, the largest one, is formed by three active, E-W trending, trachytic central volcanoes with caldera (Sete Cidades, Fogo and Furnas). Chains of basaltic cinder cones link those major volcanic structures. An inactive trachytic central volcano (Povoação) and an old basaltic volcanic complex (Nordeste) comprise the easternmost part of the island. Since the settlement of the island early in the 15th century, several destructive landslides triggered by catastrophic rainfall episodes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occurred in different areas of S. Miguel. One unique event killed thousands of people in 1522. Houses and bridges were destroyed, roads were cut, communications, water and energy supply systems became frequently disrupted and areas of fertile land were often buried by mud. Based on (1) historical documents, (2) aerial photographs and (3) field observations, landslide sites were plotted on a topographic map, in order to establish a landslide density map for the island. Data obtained showed that landslide hazard is higher on (1) the main central volcanoes where the thickness of unconsolidated pyroclastic deposits is considerable high and (2) the old basaltic volcanic complex, marked by deep gullies developed on thick sequences of lava flows. In these areas, caldera walls, fault scarps, steep valley margins and sea cliffs are potentially hazardous.

Extent of Mangrove Nursery Habitats Determines the Geographic Distribution of a Coral Reef Fish in a South-Pacific Archipelago

PubMed Central

Paillon, Christelle; Wantiez, Laurent; Kulbicki, Michel; Labonne, Maylis; Vigliola, Laurent

2014-01-01

Understanding the drivers of species' geographic distribution has fundamental implications for the management of biodiversity. For coral reef fishes, mangroves have long been recognized as important nursery habitats sustaining biodiversity in the Western Atlantic but there is still debate about their role in the Indo-Pacific. Here, we combined LA-ICP-MS otolith microchemistry, underwater visual censuses (UVC) and mangrove cartography to estimate the importance of mangroves for the Indo-Pacific coral reef fish Lutjanus fulviflamma in the archipelago of New Caledonia. Otolith elemental compositions allowed high discrimination of mangroves and reefs with 83.8% and 98.7% correct classification, respectively. Reefs were characterized by higher concentrations of Rb and Sr and mangroves by higher concentrations of Ba, Cr, Mn and Sn. All adult L. fulviflamma collected on reefs presented a mangrove signature during their juvenile stage with 85% inhabiting mangrove for their entire juvenile life (about 1 year). The analysis of 2942 UVC revealed that the species was absent from isolated islands of the New Caledonian archipelago where mangroves were absent. Furthermore, strong positive correlations existed between the abundance of L. fulviflamma and the area of mangrove (r = 0.84 for occurrence, 0.93 for density and 0.89 for biomass). These results indicate that mangrove forest is an obligatory juvenile habitat for L. fulviflamma in New Caledonia and emphasize the potential importance of mangroves for Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes. PMID:25140697

Microsatellite variation suggests a recent fine-scale population structure of Drosophila sechellia, a species endemic of the Seychelles archipelago.

PubMed

Legrand, Delphine; Vautrin, Dominique; Lachaise, Daniel; Cariou, Marie-Louise

2011-07-01

Drosophila sechellia is closely related to the cosmopolitan and widespread model species, D. simulans. This species, endemic to the Seychelles archipelago, is specialized on the fruits of Morinda citrifolia, and harbours the lowest overall genetic diversity compared to other species of Drosophila. This low diversity is associated with a small population size. In addition, no obvious population structure has been evidenced so far across islands of the Seychelles archipelago. Here, a microsatellite panel of 17 loci in ten populations from nine islands of the Seychelles was used to assess the effect of the D. sechellia's fragmented distribution on the fine-scale population genetic structure, the migration pattern, as well as on the demography of the species. Contrary to previous results, also based on microsatellites, no evidence for population contraction in D. sechellia was found. The results confirm previous studies based on gene sequence polymorphism that showed a long-term stable population size for this species. Interestingly, a pattern of Isolation By Distance which had not been described yet in D. sechellia was found, with evidence of first-generation migrants between some neighbouring islands. Bayesian structuring algorithm results were consistent with a split of D. sechellia into two main groups of populations: Silhouette/Mahé versus all the other islands. Thus, microsatellites suggest that variability in D. sechellia is most likely explained by local genetic exchanges between neighbouring islands that have recently resulted in slight differentiation of the two largest island populations from all the others.

Observing and Simulating Diapycnal Mixing in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, K.; Klymak, J. M.; Hu, X.; Myers, P. G.; Williams, W. J.; Melling, H.

2016-12-01

High-spatial-resolution observations in the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago are analysed in conjunction with process-oriented modelling to estimate the flow pathways among the constricted waterways, understand the nature of the hydraulic control(s), and assess the influence of smaller scale (metres to kilometres) phenomena such as internal waves and topographically induced eddies. The observations repeatedly display isopycnal displacements of 50 m as dense water plunges over a sill. Depth-averaged turbulent dissipation rates near the sill estimated from these observations are typically 10-6-10-5 W kg-1, a range that is three orders of magnitude larger than that for the open ocean. These and other estimates are compared against a 1/12° basin-scale model from which we estimate diapycnal mixing rates using a volume-integrated advection-diffusion equation. Much of the mixing in this simulation is concentrated near constrictions within Barrow Strait and Queens Channel, the latter being our observational site. This suggests the model is capable of capturing topographically induced mixing. However, such mixing is expected to be enhanced in the presence of tides, a process not included in our basin scale simulation or other similar models. Quantifying this enhancement is another objective of our process-oriented modelling.

Contemporary morphological diversification of passerine birds introduced to the Hawaiian archipelago.

PubMed

Mathys, Blake A; Lockwood, Julie L

2011-08-07

Species that have been introduced to islands experience novel and strong selection pressures after establishment. There is evidence that exotic species diverge from their native source populations; further, a few studies have demonstrated adaptive divergence across multiple exotic populations of a single species. Exotic birds provide a good study system, as they have been introduced to many locations worldwide, and we often know details concerning the propagule origin, time of introduction, and dynamics of establishment and dispersal within the introduced range. These data make them especially conducive to the examination of contemporary evolution. Island faunas have received intense scrutiny, therefore we have expectations concerning the patterns of diversification for exotic species. We examine six passerine bird species that were introduced to the Hawaiian archipelago less than 150 years ago. We find that five of these show morphological divergence among islands from the time since they were established. We demonstrate that some of this divergence cannot be accounted for by genetic drift, and therefore we must consider adaptive evolution to explain it. We also evaluate evolutionary divergence rates and find that these species are diverging at similar rates to those found in published studies of contemporary evolution in native species.

AN ADAPTIVE RADIATION OF FROGS IN A SOUTHEAST ASIAN ISLAND ARCHIPELAGO

PubMed Central

Blackburn, David C; Siler, Cameron D; Diesmos, Arvin C; McGuire, Jimmy A; Cannatella, David C; Brown, Rafe M

2013-01-01

Living amphibians exhibit a diversity of ecologies, life histories, and species-rich lineages that offers opportunities for studies of adaptive radiation. We characterize a diverse clade of frogs (Kaloula, Microhylidae) in the Philippine island archipelago as an example of an adaptive radiation into three primary habitat specialists or ecotypes. We use a novel phylogenetic estimate for this clade to evaluate the tempo of lineage accumulation and morphological diversification. Because species-level phylogenetic estimates for Philippine Kaloula are lacking, we employ dense population sampling to determine the appropriate evolutionary lineages for diversification analyses. We explicitly take phylogenetic uncertainty into account when calculating diversification and disparification statistics and fitting models of diversification. Following dispersal to the Philippines from Southeast Asia, Kaloula radiated rapidly into several well-supported clades. Morphological variation within Kaloula is partly explained by ecotype and accumulated at high levels during this radiation, including within ecotypes. We pinpoint an axis of morphospace related directly to climbing and digging behaviors and find patterns of phenotypic evolution suggestive of ecological opportunity with partitioning into distinct habitat specialists. We conclude by discussing the components of phenotypic diversity that are likely important in amphibian adaptive radiations. PMID:24033172

Description of female pupa and larva of Ficalbia ichiromiyagii from Iriomote Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan.

PubMed

Higa, Yukiko; Toma, Takako; Miyagi, Ichiro

2012-12-01

We describe and illustrate for the 1st time the pupa and larva of adult female Ficalbia ichiromiyagii based on specimens collected from a swamp forest in Otomi, Iriomote Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. The pupa has a trumpet that is 6.25 times its breadth at halfway, with a long meatal cleft line; setae 6-I, II considerably long, usually single or bifid; median caudal seta absent; and paddle edge serrated only on the outer apical half. The larva is characterized by dark pigmentation of the head and siphon, seta I-C elongate and spiniform, usually with a short lateral spine on the inner basal side and siphon with 1 pecten spine and conspicuous seta 1-S at the base. The immature stages were found only in undisturbed jungle swamps with dense vegetation.

Potential speciation of morphotypes in the photosymbiotic ascidian Didemnum molle in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirose, M.; Yokobori, S.; Hirose, E.

2009-03-01

Four morphotypes are recognized in the photosymbiotic ascidian Didemnum molle in the Ryukyu Archipelago: three color morphs (white, dark gray, and brown) of small-type colonies and one large-type colony (white with gray patches). The genetic variation among these four morphotypes was investigated by constructing phylogenetic trees based on a 401-bp fragment of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of 29 specimens collected from five islands (Okinawajima, Sesokojima, Ikeijima, Kumejima, and Ishigakijima). The results support the monophyly of the genus Didemnum and that of the four morphotypes of D. molle. Moreover, the phylogenetic trees discriminated four clades corresponding to each morphotype. The geographic differences of the sequences were much smaller than the differences among the morphotypes, suggesting that the four morphotypes in D. molle are discrete sibling species.

Spatial variability in the structure of intertidal crab and gastropod assemblages within the Seychelles Archipelago (Indian Ocean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smale, Dan A.; Barnes, David K. A.; Barnes, Richard S. K.; Smith, David J.; Suggett, David J.

2012-04-01

Tropical nearshore ecosystems represent global hotspots of marine biodiversity and endemism but are often poorly understood and impacted by human activities. The Seychelles Archipelago (Western Indian Ocean) sustains a wealth of marine life, much of which is threatened by rapid development associated with tourism and climate change. Six marine parks exist within the Archipelago, but their biodiversity value and ecological health are poorly known, especially with regards to non-fish and coral species. Here we investigate spatial patterns of littoral biodiversity on 6 islands, 5 of which were granitic and within marine parks, including the first surveys of Curieuse and Ile Cocos. Our surveys formed a nested sampling design, to facilitate an examination of variability in species richness, faunal abundance, taxonomic distinctness and assemblage composition at multiple spatial scales, from islands (> 100 s km) to quadrats (metres). We identified (mostly to species) and enumerated two target taxa, brachyuran decapod crustaceans and gastropod molluscs, and recorded over 8300 individuals belonging to over 150 species. Crabs and gastropods exhibited different patterns of spatial variability, as crab assemblages were generally more distinct between islands, while gastropod assemblages were markedly variable at the smallest spatial scales of 'patch' and 'quadrat'. Intertidal biodiversity was greatest on Curieuse Island and least at Desroches, the latter was being the only coral atoll we surveyed and thereby differing in its geological and ecological context. We discuss likely drivers of these biodiversity patterns and highlight urgently-needed research directions. Our assessment of the status of poorly-known invertebrate assemblages across the Seychelles will complement more extensive surveys of coral and fish assemblages and, in doing so, provide a useful baseline for monitoring the effects of key stressors in the region, such as coastal development and climate change.

A diverse assemblage of reef corals thriving in a dynamic intertidal reef setting (Bonaparte Archipelago, Kimberley, Australia).

PubMed

Richards, Zoe T; Garcia, Rodrigo A; Wallace, Carden C; Rosser, Natalie L; Muir, Paul R

2015-01-01

The susceptibility of reef-building corals to climatic anomalies is well documented and a cause of great concern for the future of coral reefs. Reef corals are normally considered to tolerate only a narrow range of climatic conditions with only a small number of species considered heat-tolerant. Occasionally however, corals can be seen thriving in unusually harsh reef settings and these are cause for some optimism about the future of coral reefs. Here we document for the first time a diverse assemblage of 225 species of hard corals occurring in the intertidal zone of the Bonaparte Archipelago, north western Australia. We compare the environmental conditions at our study site (tidal regime, SST and level of turbidity) with those experienced at four other more typical tropical reef locations with similar levels of diversity. Physical extremes in the Bonaparte Archipelago include tidal oscillations of up to 8 m, long subaerial exposure times (>3.5 hrs), prolonged exposure to high SST and fluctuating turbidity levels. We conclude the timing of low tide in the coolest parts of the day ameliorates the severity of subaerial exposure, and the combination of strong currents and a naturally high sediment regime helps to offset light and heat stress. The low level of anthropogenic impact and proximity to the Indo-west Pacific centre of diversity are likely to further promote resistance and resilience in this community. This assemblage provides an indication of what corals may have existed in other nearshore locations in the past prior to widespread coastal development, eutrophication, coral predator and disease outbreaks and coral bleaching events. Our results call for a re-evaluation of what conditions are optimal for coral survival, and the Bonaparte intertidal community presents an ideal model system for exploring how species resilience is conferred in the absence of confounding factors such as pollution.

The influence of the geological setting on the morphogenetic evolution of the Tremiti Archipelago (Apulia, Southeastern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andriani, G. F.; Walsh, N.; Pagliarulo, R.

2005-01-01

The Tremiti Archipelago (Southern Adriatic Sea), also called Insulae Diomedae from the name of the Greek hero who first landed there, is an area of high landscape and historical value. It is severely affected by significant geomorphologic processes dominated by mass movements along the coast that constitute the most important and unpredictable natural hazard for the population and cultural heritage. Coastal erosion is favoured by the peculiar geological and structural setting, seismic activity, weathering, development of karst processes, and wave action. The present paper reports on descriptive and qualitative evaluation of the factors controlling landslides and coastline changes based on medium-term in situ observation, detailed surface surveys at selected locations since 1995, and historic and bibliographic data. The Tremiti Archipelago is part of an active seismic area characterised by a shear zone separating two segments of the Adriatic microplate that have shown different behaviour and roll back rates in the subduction underneath the Apennines since middle Pleistocene. Although coastal morphology can be basically considered to be the result of wave action, the continual action of subaerial processes contributes effectively to the mechanism of shoreline degradation. Weathering mainly affects the marly calcisiltites and calcilutites of the Cretaccio Fm. and the friable and low cemented calcarenites and biomicrites of the San Nicola Fm. The cliffs are characterised by different types of failure such as lateral spreads, secondary topples, rock falls and slides. At the Isle of San Nicola, landslides are controlled by the contrast in competence, shear strength and stiffness between the Pliocene re-crystallised dolomitic calcarenites and calcisiltites and the Miocene marly calcilutites and calcisiltites. At the Isles of San Domino and Caprara rock falls are attributed to the undercutting of waves at the base of the cliffs.

The Causality Study of External Environment Analysis (EEA), Internal Environment Analysis (IEA), Strategy Implementation on Study Program Performance at Vocational High School (VHS) in Nias Archipelago, Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waruwu, Binahati; Sitompul, Harun; Manullang, Belferik

2016-01-01

The purposes of this study are to find out the significant effect of: (1) EEA on strategy implementation, (2) IEA on strategy implementation, (3) EEA on study program performance, (4) IEA on study program performance, and (5) strategy implementation on study program performance of Vocational High School (VHS) in Nias Archipelago. The population of…

New species of Rissoidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from the Archipelago of the Azores (northeast Atlantic) with an updated regional checklist for the family

PubMed Central

Cordeiro, Ricardo; Ávila, Sérgio P.

2015-01-01

Abstract Four new species of shallow-water marine gastropods belonging to the family Rissoidae are described from the Archipelago of the Azores: Setia alexandrae sp. n., Setia ermelindoi sp. n., Setia netoae sp. n., and Manzonia martinsi sp. n. These novelties increase the regional rissoid fauna to 39 species, of which 29 live in shallow-water habitats. A list of the species of Rissoidae from the Azores is presented based on data from the literature and new material examined. PMID:25685020

Palaeo-islands as refugia and sources of genetic diversity within volcanic archipelagos: the case of the widespread endemic Canarina canariensis (Campanulaceae).

PubMed

Mairal, M; Sanmartín, I; Aldasoro, J J; Culshaw, V; Manolopoulou, I; Alarcón, M

2015-08-01

Geographical isolation by oceanic barriers and climatic stability has been postulated as some of the main factors driving diversification within volcanic archipelagos. However, few studies have focused on the effect that catastrophic volcanic events have had on patterns of within-island differentiation in geological time. This study employed data from the chloroplast (cpDNA haplotypes) and the nuclear (AFLPs) genomes to examine the patterns of genetic variation in Canarina canariensis, an iconic plant species associated with the endemic laurel forest of the Canary Islands. We found a strong geographical population structure, with a first divergence around 0.8 Ma that has Tenerife as its central axis and divides Canarian populations into eastern and western clades. Genetic diversity was greatest in the geologically stable 'palaeo-islands' of Anaga, Teno and Roque del Conde; these areas were also inferred as the ancestral location of migrant alleles towards other disturbed areas within Tenerife or the nearby islands using a Bayesian approach to phylogeographical clustering. Oceanic barriers, in contrast, appear to have played a lesser role in structuring genetic variation, with intra-island levels of genetic diversity larger than those between-islands. We argue that volcanic eruptions and landslides after the merging of the palaeo-islands 3.5 Ma played key roles in generating genetic boundaries within Tenerife, with the palaeo-islands acting as refugia against extinction, and as cradles and sources of genetic diversity to other areas within the archipelago. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

China’s Historic Rights in the South China Sea: A Time for Reconsideration and Pacific Settlement

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-18

jurisdiction over internal waters as they do over land territory. 34 In the case of an archipelagic state (a state constituted wholly by one or...more archipelagos), the state “may draw straight archipelagic baseslines joining the outermost points of the outermost islands and drying reefs of the...archipelago”. 35 The territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf are measured from the archipelagic baseline

Unusual distribution of floating seaweeds in the East China Sea in the early spring of 2012.

PubMed

Komatsu, Teruhisa; Mizuno, Shizuha; Natheer, Alabsi; Kantachumpoo, Attachai; Tanaka, Kiyoshi; Morimoto, Akihiko; Hsiao, Sheng-Tai; Rothäusler, Eva A; Shishidou, Hirotoshi; Aoki, Masakazu; Ajisaka, Tetsuro

2014-01-01

Floating seaweeds play important ecological roles in offshore waters. Recently, large amounts of rafting seaweed have been observed in the East China Sea. In early spring, juveniles of commercially important fish such as yellowtail accompany these seaweed rafts. Because the spatial distributions of seaweed rafts in the spring are poorly understood, research cruises were undertaken to investigate them in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Floating seaweed samples collected from the East China Sea during the three surveys contained only Sargassum horneri . In 2010 and 2011, seaweed rafts were distributed only in the continental shelf and the Kuroshio Front because they had become trapped in the convergence zone of the Kuroshio Front. However, in 2012, seaweed was also distributed in the Kuroshio Current and its outer waters, and massive strandings of seaweed rafts were observed on the northern coast of Taiwan and on Tarama Island in the Ryukyu Archipelago. Environmental data (wind, currents, and sea surface height) were compared among the surveys of 2010, 2011, and 2012. Two factors are speculated to have caused the unusual distribution in 2012. First, a continuous strong north wind produced an Ekman drift current that transported seaweed southwestward to the continental shelf and eventually stranded seaweed rafts on the coast of Taiwan. Second, an anticyclonic eddy covering northeast Taiwan and the Kuroshio Current west of Taiwan generated a geostrophic current that crossed the Kuroshio Current and transported the rafts to the Kuroshio Current and its outer waters. Such unusual seaweed distributions may influence the distribution of fauna accompanying the rafts.

Is the Hawaiian Archipelago dominantly Loa-trend?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weis, D.; Harrison, L.; Garcia, M. O.; Rhodes, M. M.

2015-12-01

Hawaiian volcanoes are distributed en echelon on the islands along two chains, the Loa and Kea trends, that are geographically and geochemically distinct1,2. These geochemical differences may be attributed to source zoning (concentric or bilateral) of the Hawaiian mantle plume (HMP) or to variations in pressure and temperature of melting. Most of these models assume a degree of independence of the two trends that is perhaps not realistic. To explore the isotopic characteristics of two "Kea"-trend volcanoes with transitional signatures, we analyzed 11 samples of Kohala shield-stage tholeiitic lavas and three from Haleakala for high-precision Pb-Nd-Sr-Hf isotopes. These samples are transitional in all isotopic systems between Loa and Kea compositions and cross-over the Pb-Pb boundary3. Minor cross-overs had been documented in Mauna Kea4, Kilauea5, and W Molokai6 basalts. A bilateral or concentric view of the HMP is thus too simplistic. Statistical analysis of the MC-ICP-MS or triple-spike shield tholeiite data (n>600) and the existence of three Pb-Pb trends originating from average Loa indicate that Loa is the dominant mantle source composition on the archipelago. Isotopically, four geochemical groups are identified: Kea (Mauna Kea, Kilauea), average Loa (Mauna Loa, Hualalai, Kauai, Waianae, W. Molokai, Loihi), enriched Loa (Koolau Makapuu, Lanai, Kahoolawe) and transitional Kea (E. Molokai, W. Maui, Haleakala, Kohala). The implications are: 1) HMP source components refresh and grade into and out of existence on a smaller timescale than previously thought; 2) the Kea trend is also heterogeneous; and 3) vertical heterogeneity of the plume is important on a regional scale as well as at the scale of individual volcanoes6. 1Jackson et al., 1972, GSA Bull. 83, 1-17. 2Weis et al., 2011, Nat. Geosci., 4, 831-838. 3Abouchami et al., 2005, Nature, 434, 851-856. 4Eisele et al., 2003, G-cubed, 4, 5, 32 pages. 5Marske et al., 2007, EPSL, 259, 34-50. 6Xu et al., 2014, GCA, 132

An adaptive radiation of frogs in a southeast Asian island archipelago.

PubMed

Blackburn, David C; Siler, Cameron D; Diesmos, Arvin C; McGuire, Jimmy A; Cannatella, David C; Brown, Rafe M

2013-09-01

Living amphibians exhibit a diversity of ecologies, life histories, and species-rich lineages that offers opportunities for studies of adaptive radiation. We characterize a diverse clade of frogs (Kaloula, Microhylidae) in the Philippine island archipelago as an example of an adaptive radiation into three primary habitat specialists or ecotypes. We use a novel phylogenetic estimate for this clade to evaluate the tempo of lineage accumulation and morphological diversification. Because species-level phylogenetic estimates for Philippine Kaloula are lacking, we employ dense population sampling to determine the appropriate evolutionary lineages for diversification analyses. We explicitly take phylogenetic uncertainty into account when calculating diversification and disparification statistics and fitting models of diversification. Following dispersal to the Philippines from Southeast Asia, Kaloula radiated rapidly into several well-supported clades. Morphological variation within Kaloula is partly explained by ecotype and accumulated at high levels during this radiation, including within ecotypes. We pinpoint an axis of morphospace related directly to climbing and digging behaviors and find patterns of phenotypic evolution suggestive of ecological opportunity with partitioning into distinct habitat specialists. We conclude by discussing the components of phenotypic diversity that are likely important in amphibian adaptive radiations. © 2013 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Patch-Based Generative Shape Model and MDL Model Selection for Statistical Analysis of Archipelagos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganz, Melanie; Nielsen, Mads; Brandt, Sami

We propose a statistical generative shape model for archipelago-like structures. These kind of structures occur, for instance, in medical images, where our intention is to model the appearance and shapes of calcifications in x-ray radio graphs. The generative model is constructed by (1) learning a patch-based dictionary for possible shapes, (2) building up a time-homogeneous Markov model to model the neighbourhood correlations between the patches, and (3) automatic selection of the model complexity by the minimum description length principle. The generative shape model is proposed as a probability distribution of a binary image where the model is intended to facilitate sequential simulation. Our results show that a relatively simple model is able to generate structures visually similar to calcifications. Furthermore, we used the shape model as a shape prior in the statistical segmentation of calcifications, where the area overlap with the ground truth shapes improved significantly compared to the case where the prior was not used.

Population dynamics of intertidal oribatid mites (Acari: Cryptostigmata) from the subtropical archipelago of Bermuda.

PubMed

Pfingstl, Tobias

2013-10-01

The population dynamics of the three intertidal oribatid species, Alismobates inexpectatus, Fortuynia atlantica and Carinozetes bermudensis, have been studied on the archipelago of Bermuda over the course of a year. All three species are univoltine, showing a clear seasonal demographic pattern, with reproduction from spring to late autumn and a complete standstill of egg production in winter. A seasonal shift in sex ratio could also be observed in all three species and is supposed to be based on sex-dependent mortality. The subtropical climate of Bermuda allows longer reproductive periods than shown in other intertidal or edaphic temperate species and temperature is supposed to be the main factor influencing the demography of these intertidal dwelling mites. Although all three Bermudian species exhibit the same basic seasonal demographic pattern, there are slight temporal shifts in population dynamics, presumably caused by local microclimatic differences among the populations. Larviparity, shown in other littoral oribatid mites, is clearly absent in the present species.

Factors driving adaptive radiation in plants of oceanic islands: a case study from the Juan Fernández Archipelago.

PubMed

Takayama, Koji; Crawford, Daniel J; López-Sepúlveda, Patricio; Greimler, Josef; Stuessy, Tod F

2018-05-01

Adaptive radiation is a common evolutionary phenomenon in oceanic islands. From one successful immigrant population, dispersal into different island environments and directional selection can rapidly yield a series of morphologically distinct species, each adapted to its own particular environment. Not all island immigrants, however, follow this evolutionary pathway. Others successfully arrive and establish viable populations, but they remain in the same ecological zone and only slowly diverge over millions of years. This transformational speciation, or anagenesis, is also common in oceanic archipelagos. The critical question is why do some groups radiate adaptively and others not? The Juan Fernández Islands contain 105 endemic taxa of angiosperms, 49% of which have originated by adaptive radiation (cladogenesis) and 51% by anagenesis, hence providing an opportunity to examine characteristics of taxa that have undergone both types of speciation in the same general island environment. Life form, dispersal mode, and total number of species in progenitors (genera) of endemic angiosperms in the archipelago were investigated from literature sources and compared with modes of speciation (cladogenesis vs. anagenesis). It is suggested that immigrants tending to undergo adaptive radiation are herbaceous perennial herbs, with leaky self-incompatible breeding systems, good intra-island dispersal capabilities, and flexible structural and physiological systems. Perhaps more importantly, the progenitors of adaptively radiated groups in islands are those that have already been successful in adaptations to different environments in source areas, and which have also undergone eco-geographic speciation. Evolutionary success via adaptive radiation in oceanic islands, therefore, is less a novel feature of island lineages but rather a continuation of tendency for successful adaptive speciation in lineages of continental source regions.

Assessment of Satellite Precipitation Products in the Philippine Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, M. D.; Tendencia, E.; Espana, K.; Sabido, J.; Bagtasa, G.

2016-06-01

Precipitation is the most important weather parameter in the Philippines. Made up of more than 7100 islands, the Philippine archipelago is an agricultural country that depends on rain-fed crops. Located in the western rim of the North West Pacific Ocean, this tropical island country is very vulnerable to tropical cyclones that lead to severe flooding events. Recently, satellite-based precipitation estimates have improved significantly and can serve as alternatives to ground-based observations. These data can be used to fill data gaps not only for climatic studies, but can also be utilized for disaster risk reduction and management activities. This study characterized the statistical errors of daily precipitation from four satellite-based rainfall products from (1) the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), (2) the CPC Morphing technique (CMORPH) of NOAA and (3) the Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMAP) and (4) Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN). Precipitation data were compared to 52 synoptic weather stations located all over the Philippines. Results show GSMAP to have over all lower bias and CMORPH with lowest Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). In addition, a dichotomous rainfall test reveals GSMAP and CMORPH have low Proportion Correct (PC) for convective and stratiform rainclouds, respectively. TRMM consistently showed high PC for almost all raincloud types. Moreover, all four satellite precipitation showed high Correct Negatives (CN) values for the north-western part of the country during the North-East monsoon and spring monsoonal transition periods.

Identifying multiple coral reef regimes and their drivers across the Hawaiian archipelago

PubMed Central

Jouffray, Jean-Baptiste; Nyström, Magnus; Norström, Albert V.; Williams, Ivor D.; Wedding, Lisa M.; Kittinger, John N.; Williams, Gareth J.

2015-01-01

Loss of coral reef resilience can lead to dramatic changes in benthic structure, often called regime shifts, which significantly alter ecosystem processes and functioning. In the face of global change and increasing direct human impacts, there is an urgent need to anticipate and prevent undesirable regime shifts and, conversely, to reverse shifts in already degraded reef systems. Such challenges require a better understanding of the human and natural drivers that support or undermine different reef regimes. The Hawaiian archipelago extends across a wide gradient of natural and anthropogenic conditions and provides us a unique opportunity to investigate the relationships between multiple reef regimes, their dynamics and potential drivers. We applied a combination of exploratory ordination methods and inferential statistics to one of the most comprehensive coral reef datasets available in order to detect, visualize and define potential multiple ecosystem regimes. This study demonstrates the existence of three distinct reef regimes dominated by hard corals, turf algae or macroalgae. Results from boosted regression trees show nonlinear patterns among predictors that help to explain the occurrence of these regimes, and highlight herbivore biomass as the key driver in addition to effluent, latitude and depth.

Earthquake Magnitude Relationships for the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Equatorial Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Melo, Guilherme W. S.; do Nascimento, Aderson F.

2018-03-01

We have investigated several relationships between ML, M(NEIC) and Mw for the earthquakes locally recorded in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA), Equatorial Atlantic. Because we only have one station in the area, we could not derive attenuation relations for events recorded at different distances at different stations. Our approach was then to compare our ML estimates with magnitudes reported by NEIC. This approach produced acceptable results particularly for epicentral distance smaller than 100 km. For distances greater that 100 km, there is a systematic increase in the residuals probable due to the lack of station correction and our inability to accurately estimate Q. We also investigate the Mw—M(NEIC) relationship. We find that Mw estimates using S-wave produce smaller residuals when compared with both M(NEIC). Finally, we also investigate the ML—Mw relationship and observe that given the data set we have, the 1:1 holds. We believe that the use of the present methodologies provide consistent magnitude estimates between all the magnitudes investigated that could be used to better assess seismic hazard in the region.

Earthquake Magnitude Relationships for the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Equatorial Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Melo, Guilherme W. S.; do Nascimento, Aderson F.

2017-12-01

We have investigated several relationships between ML, M(NEIC) and Mw for the earthquakes locally recorded in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA), Equatorial Atlantic. Because we only have one station in the area, we could not derive attenuation relations for events recorded at different distances at different stations. Our approach was then to compare our ML estimates with magnitudes reported by NEIC. This approach produced acceptable results particularly for epicentral distance smaller than 100 km. For distances greater that 100 km, there is a systematic increase in the residuals probable due to the lack of station correction and our inability to accurately estimate Q. We also investigate the Mw—M(NEIC) relationship. We find that Mw estimates using S-wave produce smaller residuals when compared with both M(NEIC). Finally, we also investigate the ML—Mw relationship and observe that given the data set we have, the 1:1 holds. We believe that the use of the present methodologies provide consistent magnitude estimates between all the magnitudes investigated that could be used to better assess seismic hazard in the region.

The Sea is Red The Sino-Soviet Rivalry and Its Naval Dimension.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-01

censor President Reagan’s remarks in China critical of the Soviet Union. [10]** Moreover, ties between Washington and...of the Truong Sa archipelago [Spratlys] in the Eastern Sea (82]. * The Philippines and Taiwan also hold islands in the Spratlys. Malaysia has occupied...greater threat to the Soviets in Asia. And as Zhao Ziyang points out, both China and the United States are Pacific nations and are responsible for the peace and stability of the region [117]. -36- 4A FILMED 6-85 DTIC o .1 - .

Isolation and molecular characterization of Chikungunya virus from the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, India: evidence of an East, Central, and South African genotype.

PubMed

Muruganandam, N; Chaaithanya, I K; Senthil, G S; Shriram, A N; Bhattacharya, D; Jeevabharathi, G S; Sudeep, A B; Pradeepkumar, N; Vijayachari, P

2011-12-01

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an Alphavirus belonging to the family Togaviridae. In 2006, CHIKV infection struck the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, with an attack rate of 60%. There were more than 10 cases with acute flaccid paralysis simulating the Guillian Barre Syndrome. The majority of the patients presented severe joint pain. The cause for such an explosive nature of the outbreak with increased morbidity was not known. The isolation of CHIKV was attempted and succeeded from nine subjects presenting clinical symptoms of Chikungunya fever. The cDNA of all the isolates was sequenced for partial E1 and nsP1 genes. Sequences were aligned based on the double locus sequence typing concept. The phylogenetic analysis shows that sequences of Andaman isolates grouped with the East, Central, and South African genotype of virus isolates from India, Sri Lanka, and Réunion. The genetic distance between Andaman isolates and the Réunion isolates was very small. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed the origin of the isolates responsible for the first ever confirmed CHIKV outbreak in these islands to be the East, Central, and South African genotype. In this manuscript, we discuss the involvement of the East, Central, and South African strain with the Chikungunya fever outbreak in this archipelago and double locus sequence typing as a first time approach.

Sea-louse parasites on juvenile wild salmon in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada.

PubMed

Peacock, Stephanie J; Bateman, Andrew W; Krkošek, Martin; Connors, Brendan; Rogers, Scott; Portner, Lauren; Polk, Zephyr; Webb, Coady; Morton, Alexandra

2016-07-01

The global expansion of aquaculture has changed the structure of fish populations in coastal environments, with implications for disease dynamics. In Pacific Canada, farmed salmon act as reservoir hosts for parasites and pathogens, including sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus clemensi) that can transmit to migrating wild salmon. Assessing the impact of salmon farms on wild salmon requires regular monitoring of sea-louse infections on both farmed and wild fish. Since 2001, we have collected juvenile pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum (O. keta) salmon annually at three sites in the Broughton Archipelago in British Columbia, Canada, during the annual juvenile salmon migration from fresh water to the open ocean. From sampled fish, we recorded counts of parasitic copepodid-, chalimus-, and motile-stage sea lice. We report louse abundances as well as supplementary observations of fish size, development, and health. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Late Ordovician palaeogeography and the positions of the Kazakh terranes through analysis of their brachiopod faunas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, Leonid E.; Cocks, Robin M.

2017-09-01

Detailed biogeographical and biofacies analyses of the Late Ordovician brachiopod faunas with 160 genera, grouped into 94 faunas from individual lithotectonic units within the Kazakh Orogen strongly support an archipelago model for that time in that area. The Kazakh island arcs and microcontinents within several separate clusters were located in the tropics on both sides of the Equator. Key units, from which the Late Ordovician faunas are now well known, include the Boshchekul, Chingiz-Tarbagatai, and Chu-Ili terranes. The development of brachiopod biogeography within the nearly ten million year time span of the Late Ordovician from about 458 to 443 Ma (Sandbian, Katian, and Hirnantian), is supported by much new data, including our revised identifications from the Kazakh Orogen and elsewhere. The Kazakh archipelago was west of the Australasian segment of the Gondwana Supercontinent, and relatively near the Tarim, South China and North China continents, apart from the Atashu-Zhamshi Microcontinent, which probably occupied a relatively isolated position on the south-western margin of the archipelago. Distinct faunal signatures indicate that the Kazakh terranes were far away from Baltica and Siberia throughout the Ordovician. Although some earlier terranes had joined each other before the Middle Ordovician, the amalgamation of Kazakh terranes into the single continent of Kazakhstania by the end of the Ordovician is very unlikely. The Late Ordovician brachiopods from the other continents are also compared with the Kazakh faunas and global provincialisation statistically determined.

Bioactive Constituents of Juniperus turbinata Gussone from La Maddalena Archipelago.

PubMed

Venditti, A; Maggi, F; Quassinti, L; Bramucci, M; Lupidi, G; Ornano, L; Ballero, M; Sanna, C; Bruno, M; Rosselli, S; Bianco, A

2018-05-22

In this paper is reported a comprehensive phytochemical study of Juniperus turbinata (Cupressaceae) collected from La Maddalena Archipelago (Sardinia, Italy). Both the essential oil and the ethanolic extract were analyzed. The essential oil appears to belong to a new chemotype compared to other Mediterranean juniper accessions, as it was favored by geographic isolation of the isles. It showed a low content of monoterpene hydrocarbons and α-terpineol, ent-manoyl oxide 1,10-di-epi-cubenol as the major constituents. The ethanolic fraction resulted mainly composed by diterpenoids. Among these 15-formyloxyimbricatolic acid (11) is a new natural product since it has hitherto been obtained only by synthetic route. The phenolic fraction was constituted by biflavonoids: cupressuflavone (3), followed by minor amounts of amentoflavone (4) and hinokiflavone (5). The essential oil and six purified compounds (1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 9) were assessed for biological activities, namely antioxidant (assessed by DPPH · , ABTS ·+ and FRAP methods) and cytotoxic effects towards selected human tumor cell lines (MDA-MB 231, A375 and HCT116 cells). Compound 3 exhibited radical scavenging activity against ABTS ·+ radical which was higher than that of the reference Trolox. Noteworthy, compound 9 showed powerful effects on tumor cell lines, with IC 50 values in the range of 0.060-0.201 μM, which make it a promising anticancer drug candidate. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Gravitational, erosional and sedimentary processes on volcanic ocean islands: Insights from the submarine morphology of Madeira archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quartau, R.; Ramalho, R.; Madeira, J.; Santos, R.; Rodrigues, A.; Roque, C.; Carrara, G.; da Silveira, A. B.

2017-12-01

In this work we report detailed observations of high-resolution bathymetric and backscatter mosaics of Madeira archipelago covering from the nearshore to the deep sea and relate them with the physical and geological setting of the islands. Our observations reveal that the submarine flanks of the archipelago are deeply dissected by large landslide scars and that most of them have involved subaerial material. Below the shelf break, landslide chutes develop downslope forming poorly defined depositional lobes. Around the islands, a large tributary system composed of gullies and channels develop where no significant rocky/ridge outcrops are present. This system is likely formed by turbidity currents that are triggered by hyperpicnal flows in Madeira or by storm-induced offshore sediment transport on Porto Santo and Desertas islands. At the lower part of the flanks (-3000 to -4300 m), where seafloor gradients decrease to 0.5º-3º, several scour and sediment wave fields are present, with the former normally occurring upslope of the latter. Sediment waves are often associated with the depositional lobes of the landslides but also occur offshore poorly-developed tributary systems. Sediment wave fields and scours are mostly absent on areas where the tributary systems are well developed and/or are dominated by rocky outcrops. Our study suggests that scours and sediment wave fields are probably formed by turbidity currents that suffer hydraulic jumps where the seafloor gradients are significantly reduced and where the currents become unconfined. The largest scours were found in areas without upslope channel systems and independently of wave fields, although also related to unconfined turbidity currents. Our observations show that tributary systems are better developed in prominent and rainy islands such as Madeira. On low and dry islands such as Porto Santo and Desertas, these are poorly developed and unconfined turbidite currents favour the development of scours and sediment

An enigmatic crocodyliform tooth from the bauxites of western Hungary suggests hidden mesoeucrocodylian diversity in the Early Cretaceous European archipelago

PubMed Central

Rabi, Márton; Makádi, László

2015-01-01

Background. The Cretaceous of southern Europe was characterized by an archipelago setting with faunas of mixed composition of endemic, Laurasian and Gondwanan elements. However, little is known about the relative timing of these faunal influences. The Lower Cretaceous of East-Central Europe holds a great promise for understanding the biogeographic history of Cretaceous European biotas because of the former proximity of the area to Gondwana (as part of the Apulian microcontinent). However, East-Central European vertebrates are typically poorly known from this time period. Here, we report on a ziphodont crocodyliform tooth discovered in the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Alsópere Bauxite Formation of Olaszfalu, western Hungary. Methods. The morphology of the tooth is described and compared with that of other similar Cretaceous crocodyliforms. Results. Based on the triangular, slightly distally curved, constricted and labiolingually flattened crown, the small, subequal-sized true serrations on the carinae mesially and distally, the longitudinal fluting labially, and the extended shelves along the carinae lingually the tooth is most similar to some peirosaurid, non-baurusuchian sebecosuchian, and uruguaysuchid notosuchians. In addition, the paralligatorid Wannchampsus also possesses similar anterior teeth, thus the Hungarian tooth is referred here to Mesoeucrocodylia indet. Discussion. Supposing a notosuchian affinity, this tooth is the earliest occurrence of the group in Europe and one of the earliest in Laurasia. In case of a paralligatorid relationship the Hungarian tooth would represent their first European record, further expanding their cosmopolitan distribution. In any case, the ziphodont tooth from the Albian bauxite deposit of western Hungary belongs to a group still unknown from the Early Cretaceous European archipelago and therefore implies a hidden diversity of crocodyliforms in the area. PMID:26339542

China.

PubMed

1983-12-01

This discussion of China focuses on the following: the people; geography; history (early history, 20th century China, the People's Republic of China; the "Great Leap Forward" and the Sino Soviet Split, the Cultural Revolution, and Mao's death and present directions); government (state structure, Chinese Communist Party, and legal system); education; economy; foreign relations; defense; and relations between China and the US. As of 1982, China's population totaled just over 1.008 billion with an annual growth rate of 1.5%. Life expectancy is 68 years. Government authorities endorsed birth control in the 1950s, played it down in 1958, and began to promote it again in 1962. The present family planning program began in the early 1970s and has become more fully mobilized since 1979. The largest ethnic group is the Han Chinese, who constitute 93.3% of the total population. The People's Republic of China, located in eastern Asia, is almost as large as the European continent. 2/3 of China's area is mountainous or semidesert; only about 1/10 is cultivated. China is the oldest continuous major world civilization with records dating back about 3500 years. Mao's death in September 1976 removed a towering figure from Chinese politics and set off a scramble for succession. The post 11th Party Congress leadership has emphasized economic development and renounced the mass political movements of prior years. Important educational reforms were made in early 1978. Since 1979, the Chinese leadership has moved toward more pragmatic positions in almost all fields. The Chinese government has always been subordinate to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its role being to implement party policies. The primary instruments of state power are the State Council, an executive body corresponding to a cabinet, and the NPC, a legislative body. China has made impressive progress in primary education since 1949. About 93% of eligible children are enrolled in 1st grade, though only 65% finish primary

Antioxidant Capacity, Cytotoxicity and Antimycobacterial Activity of Madeira Archipelago Endemic Helichrysum Dietary and Medicinal Plants.

PubMed

Gouveia-Figueira, Sandra C; Gouveia, Carla A; Carvalho, Maria J; Rodrigues, Ana I; Nording, Malin L; Castilho, Paula C

2014-10-31

The potential bioactivity of dietary and medicinal endemic Helichrysum plants from Madeira Archipelago was explored, for the first time, in order to supply new information for the general consumer. In vitro antioxidant properties were investigated using DPPH, ABTS(•+), FRAP and β-Carotene assays, and the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were also determined. Although the results generally showed a large variation among the three analyzed plants, the methanolic extracts showed the highest antioxidant capacity. Exception is made for H. devium n-hexane extract that showed good radical scavenger capacity associated to compounds with good reducing properties. In the Artemia salina toxicity assay and antimycobaterial activity, H. devium was the most potent plant with the lowest LD50 at 216.7 ± 10.4 and MIC ≤ 50 μg·mL(-1). Chemometric evaluation (Principal Component Analysis-PCA) showed close interdependence between the ABTS, TPC and TFC methods and allowed to group H. devium samples.

Antioxidant Capacity, Cytotoxicity and Antimycobacterial Activity of Madeira Archipelago Endemic Helichrysum Dietary and Medicinal Plants

PubMed Central

Gouveia-Figueira, Sandra C.; Gouveia, Carla A.; Carvalho, Maria J.; Rodrigues, Ana I.; Nording, Malin L.; Castilho, Paula C.

2014-01-01

The potential bioactivity of dietary and medicinal endemic Helichrysum plants from Madeira Archipelago was explored, for the first time, in order to supply new information for the general consumer. In vitro antioxidant properties were investigated using DPPH, ABTS•+, FRAP and β-Carotene assays, and the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were also determined. Although the results generally showed a large variation among the three analyzed plants, the methanolic extracts showed the highest antioxidant capacity. Exception is made for H. devium n-hexane extract that showed good radical scavenger capacity associated to compounds with good reducing properties. In the Artemia salina toxicity assay and antimycobaterial activity, H. devium was the most potent plant with the lowest LD50 at 216.7 ± 10.4 and MIC ≤ 50 μg·mL−1. Chemometric evaluation (Principal Component Analysis—PCA) showed close interdependence between the ABTS, TPC and TFC methods and allowed to group H. devium samples. PMID:26785236

[Changes in fish communities of coral reefs at Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago, Cuba].

PubMed

Claro, Rodolfo; Cantelar, Karel; Amargós, Fabián Pina; García-Arteaga, Juan P

2007-06-01

A comparison of fish community structure in the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago (1988-1989 and 2000) using visual census surveys (eight belt transects 2x50 m in each site) suggests a notable decrease on species richness, and a two thirds reduction in fish density and biomass on coral reefs. This decrease in fish populations may be related to the alarming decrease of scleractinian coral cover, and an enormous proliferation of algae, which currently covers 70-80% of the hard substrate, impeding the recovery of corals and other benthic organisms. High coral mortalities occurred between the study periods, which correlate with the high temperatures caused by the ENSO events of 1995, 1997 and 1998. These events caused massive bleaching of corals and subsequent algae overgrowth. Evidence of nutrient enrichment from the inner lagoons and overfishing are also present. Collectively, these effects have provoked a marked degradation of reef habitats. These changes appear to have affected the availability of refuges and food for fishes, and may be constraining individual growth potential and population size.

Distribution of decapod larvae in the surface layer of an isolated equatorial oceanic archipelago: the cases of benthic Grapsus grapsus (Brachyura: Grapsidae) and pelagic Sergestes edwardsi (Dendrobranchiata: Sergestidae)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandão, Manoela Costa; Koettker, Andréa Green; Freire, Andrea Santarosa

2013-03-01

Two different decapod larval assemblages inhabit the marine environment of Saint Paul's Rocks, differentiating the inlet from the surrounding oceanic waters. Larvae of the crab Grapsus grapsus and of the holopelagic shrimp Sergestes edwardsi are abundant in superficial waters of the archipelago and have previously been shown to be good indicators of the inlet and adjacent oceanic waters, respectively. We investigated the horizontal, diel and temporal distribution of these species at Saint Paul's Rocks. Horizontal surface hauls were conducted from 2003 to 2005, in the inlet and at four increasing distances from the archipelago, in the morning and at night, using a 200-μm mesh net. Larvae of G. grapsus were identified in samples from all expeditions and abundance was found significantly higher at night in the inlet site. Only larvae in the first zoeal stage were found in samples, highlighting the importance of the area for this species reproduction. On the contrary, the distribution of larvae of S. edwardsi was typical of a holopelagic species, which are permanent residents of the water column and spawn in oceanic areas, indicating that the islands are of little influence to them.

Nuclear power grows in China`s energy mix

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Xavier

1996-07-01

China`s rapid economic growth in the past two decades has caused the nations`s demand for electricity to exceed its capacity. AS of 1992, with power shortages as high as 25 percent, {open_quotes}power plant operators were often forced to resort to rolling brownouts to avoid complete system breakdowns,{close_quotes} says Xavier Chen, an assistant professor with the Asian Institute of Technology`s Energy Program in Bangkok, Thailand. To keep pace with China`s economic development, Chen estimates that {open_quotes}China must increase its electricity capacity 6 to 8 percent a year each year into the foreseeable future.{close_quotes} For now, coal is transported to power plantsmore » in the rapidly developing eastern coastal provinces at great expense. Chen also notes that the environmental disadvantages of coal make it a less desirable source of energy than nuclear. Development of nuclear energy is likely to go forward for another reason: In China, there is much less opposition to nuclear power plants than in other developing nations. {open_quotes}Nuclear energy likely will plan an important role in China`s future energy mix and help close the gap between electricity production and demand,{close_quotes} Chen says.« less

The peopling of Madeira Archipelago (Portugal) according to HLA genes.

PubMed

Arnaiz-Villena, A; Reguera, R; Ferri, A; Barbolla, L; Abd-El-Fatah-Khalil, S; Bakhtiyarova, N; Millan, P; Moscoso, J; Mafalda, A; Serrano-Vela, J I

2009-02-01

The Madeira-Porto Santo Archipelago was officially colonized in 1420 by Portuguese settlers. Its importance in Columbus' information for the American discovery and for slave traffic across the Atlantic is unquestionable. Thus, a complex peopling may have given rise to a present-day high admixture of ethnicities according to HLA genes. A sample of 173 healthy unrelated Madeirans was analysed and compared with 6986 HLA chromosomes from other worldwide populations. Genetic distances, neighbour-joining dendrograms and correspondence analyses were used for comparisons. Southern European, North African (including Canary Islands), Jewish and Mediterranean typical HLA alleles were found and genetic distances from Madeirans to these populations were the closest ones. In addition A*24-B*65-DRB1*0102-DQB1*0501 and A*68-B*08-DRB1*0301-DQB1*0201 haplotypes were newly found in Madeira and not found in any other population. Jewish-Armenian-Middle East haplotype (A*33-B*65-DRB1*0102-DQB1*0501) is one of the most common haplotypes; this haplotype is also present in Spaniards and North Africans. Quantitatively, Portuguese, North Africans (Algerians), Spaniards and Canary Islanders (in this order) are the most important parental populations to Madeirans. Results are discussed on the basis of the recorded historical peopling which does not show a noticeable African gene input in present-day Madeiran population according to our data; one of the closest related populations found is the Canary Islanders, suggesting that Guanche (Canary Islands first inhabitants) slaves gene flow is still noticed at present, both in Madeira and in Canary Islands populations.

Trace elements (Cu, Zn, and Hg) and δ13C/δ15N in seabird subfossils from three islands of the South China Sea and its implications.

PubMed

Xu, Liqiang; Liu, Xiaodong; Nie, Yaguang

2016-05-01

Seabird subfossils were collected on three islands of the Xisha Archipelago, South China Sea. Via elemental analysis, we identified that bird guano was a significant source for heavy metals Cu, Zn, and Hg. Cu and Zn levels in these guano samples are comparable to their levels in wildbird feces, but guano Hg was lower than previously reported. Trophic positions significantly impacted transfer efficiency of heavy metals by seabirds. Despite of a common source, trace elements, as well as stable isotopes (i.e., guano δ(13)C and collagen δ(15)N), showed island-specific characteristics. Bird subfossils on larger island had relatively greater metal concentrations and revealed higher trophic positions. Partition of element and isotope levels among the islands suggested that transfer efficacy of seabirds on different islands was different, and bird species were probably unevenly distributed among the islets. Island area is possibly a driving factor for distributions of seabird species.

Temporal and spatial distribution of red tide outbreaks in the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent waters, China.

PubMed

Liu, Lusan; Zhou, Juan; Zheng, Binghui; Cai, Wenqian; Lin, Kuixuan; Tang, Jingliang

2013-07-15

Between 1972 and 2009, evidence of red tide outbreaks in the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent waters was collected. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze the temporal and spatial distribution of these red tides, and it was subsequently used to map the distribution of these events. The results show that the following findings. (1) There were three red tide-prone areas: outside the Yangtze River Estuary and the eastern coast of Sheshan, the Huaniaoshan-Shengshan-Gouqi waters, and the Zhoushan areas and eastern coast of Zhujiajian. In these areas, red tides occurred 174 total times, 25 of which were larger than 1000 km(2) in areal extent. After 2000, the frequency of red tide outbreaks increased significantly. (2) During the months of May and June, the red tide occurrence in these areas was 51% and 20%, respectively. (3) Outbreaks of the dominant red tide plankton species Prorocentrum dong-haiense, Skeletonema costatum, Prorocentrum dantatum, and Noctiluca scientillan occurred 38, 35, 15, and 10 times, respectively, during the study interval. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seven new species of the genus Xestoleberis (Ostracoda: Podocopida: Cytheroidea) from the Fiji Archipelago.

PubMed

Chand, Prerna; Kamiya, Takahiro

2016-12-18

The genus Xestoleberis has a global distribution, and although they are predominant in shallow marine environments adapted to both sediment and algal habitats, only two species of this genus, Xestoleberis curta (Brady, 1866) and Xestoleberis variegata Brady, 1880, have previously been reported from the Fiji archipelago. Herein we report seven new species of the genus Xestoleberis from intertidal environments of fringing reef flats of the Fiji Islands: Xestoleberis becca n. sp., Xestoleberis concava n. sp., Xestoleberis gracilariaii n. sp., Xestoleberis marcula n. sp., Xestoleberis natuvuensis n. sp., Xestoleberis penna n. sp. and Xestoleberis petrosa n. sp. With the exception of X. becca n. sp., Xestoleberis species show restricted distribution within Fijian waters. The possible causes for their distribution patterns are suggested to be physical barriers imposed by the fast flowing Bligh Water currents, and islands separated by deep ocean waters.

Transnational Mortality Comparisons Between Archipelago and Mainland Puerto Ricans.

PubMed

Colón-Ramos, Uriyoán; Rodríguez-Ayuso, Idania; Gebrekristos, Hirut T; Roess, Amira; Pérez, Cynthia M; Simonsen, Lone

2017-10-01

Puerto Ricans in the US experience higher deaths from diabetes and other causes compared to non-Hispanic Whites and other Hispanic groups. We compared mortality in Puerto Rico to that of Puerto Ricans in the US as a first step to investigate if similar or worse mortality patterns originate from the sending country (Puerto Rico). Age-adjusted death rates were generated using national vital statistics databases in the US and territories for all-cause and the top ten causes of death among Hispanics in 2009. Mortality ratios in the archipelago of Puerto Rico (APR) were compared to mainland US Puerto Ricans (MPR). Rates for other ethnic/racial groups (Mexican Americans, Cubans, and non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, American Indians, and Asians) were calculated to provide a context. APR had significantly higher all-cause mortality and death rates for diabetes, nephritis, pneumonia/influenza, and homicide/assault compared to MPR (APR/MPR ratio for all-cause: 1.08, diabetes: 2.04, nephritis: 1.84, pneumonia/influenza: 1.33, homicide/assault: 3.15). Death rates for diabetes and homicide/assault (particularly among men) were higher among APR compared to any other racial/ethnic groups in the US. In contrast, deaths from heart disease, cancer, and chronic liver disease were significantly lower for APR compared to MPR (MPR/APR ratio 0.72, 0.91, 0.41, respectively). Among APR women, death rates for these causes were also lower compared to any other group in the US. Substantial mortality variability exists between Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and those in the US, re-emphasizing the need to study of how socio-environmental determinants of health differ in sending and receiving countries. Explanations for disparate rates include access to and availability of healthcare and unique factors related to the migration experience of this group.

Soils of the Galindez Island, Argentine archipelago, Western Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abakumov, Evgeny; Parnikoza, Ivan

2015-04-01

Antarctic Peninsula is a part of Antarctica which is characterized by increased soil diversity, caused by specific of parent materials and diversity of non-vascular and vascular plants. Soils of Galindez Island have been investigated during the 18-th Ukranian Antarctic Expedition 2013/14. This Island situated in Argentine archipelago (coastal part of Antarctic Peninsula). Soils of Galindez Island presented by following types: Leptosols, Lithosols, Histic Lithosols and Leptosols and some Gleyic soils, located in lowlands and coastal parts. An average solum profile thickness is 3-19 cm which result from the small depth of debris's, underplayed by massive crystallic rocks. The permafrost layer is located within the massive rock, but not in coarse friable parent material. The soils with bird influence are widely spread both in coastal and central part of Island. In the coastal parts we can find typical Ornithosols in the penguin rockeries areas. The main aim of our investigation was characterization of soils formed under vegetation, exactly under Deschampsia antarctica Desv. localities. Argentine Islands is the central part of D. antarctica spreading area in region of Antarctic peninsula. Probably, these islands colonized by hairgrass mainly due to ornitogenic activity. So, coastal population appearance related with Larus dominicanus nest areas and feeding activity. Thus, we found typical post ornithogenic soils here. This kind of soils we also observed in population of hairgrass of Galindez mainland where it was connected with the other Antarctic bird - Catharacta maccormicki activity. Thus, the soil diversity and soil geochemistry of the Galindez Island are closely related to the activity of birds. The spatial pattern of soils, their chemistry and organic matter quality is discussed in relation with distribution of bird nesting and feeding activity.

Migration ecology and stopover population size of Red Knots Calidris canutus rufa at Mingan Archipelago after exiting the breeding grounds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lyons, James E.; Baker, Allan J.; González, Patricia M.; Aubry, Yves; Buidin, Christophe; Rochepault, Yann

2018-01-01

Populations of migratory birds present unique conservation challenges given the often vast distances separating critical resources throughout the annual cycle. Migration areas close to the breeding grounds represent a link between two key stages of the annual cycle, and understanding migration ecology as birds exit the breeding grounds may be particularly informative for successful conservation. We studied migration phenology and stopover ecology of an endangered subspecies of the Red Knot Calidris canutus rufa at a migration area relatively close to its breeding range. Using mark-recapture/resight data and a Jolly-Seber model for open populations, we described the arrival and departure schedules, stopover duration, and passage population size at the Mingan Archipelago, Quebec, Canada. Red Knots arrived at the study area in two distinct waves of birds separated by approximately 22 days. Nearly 30% of the passage population arrived in the first wave of arrivals during 15–18 July, and approximately 22% arrived in a second wave during 8–11 August. The sex-ratio in the stopover population at the time of the first wave was slightly skewed toward females, whereas the second wave was heavily skewed toward males. Because males remain on the breeding grounds to care for young, this may reflect successfulbreeding in the year of our study. The estimated stopover duration (population mean) was 11 days (95% credible interval: 10.3–11.7 days), but stopover persistence was variable throughout the season. We estimated a passage population size of 9,450 birds (8,355–10,710), a minimum estimate for reasons related to the duration of our sampling. Mingan Archipelago is thus an important migration area for this endangered subspecies and could be a priority in conservation planning. Our results also emphasize the advantages of mark-recapture/resight approaches for estimating migration phenology and stopover persistence.

Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world's largest no-take marine protected area.

PubMed

Sheppard, C R C; Ateweberhan, M; Bowen, B W; Carr, P; Chen, C A; Clubbe, C; Craig, M T; Ebinghaus, R; Eble, J; Fitzsimmons, N; Gaither, M R; Gan, C-H; Gollock, M; Guzman, N; Graham, N A J; Harris, A; Jones, R; Keshavmurthy, S; Koldewey, H; Lundin, C G; Mortimer, J A; Obura, D; Pfeiffer, M; Price, A R G; Purkis, S; Raines, P; Readman, J W; Riegl, B; Rogers, A; Schleyer, M; Seaward, M R D; Sheppard, A L S; Tamelander, J; Turner, J R; Visram, S; Vogler, C; Vogt, S; Wolschke, H; Yang, J M-C; Yang, S-Y; Yesson, C

2012-03-01

The Chagos Archipelago was designated a no-take marine protected area (MPA) in 2010; it covers 550 000 km 2 , with more than 60 000 km 2 shallow limestone platform and reefs. This has doubled the global cover of such MPAs.It contains 25-50% of the Indian Ocean reef area remaining in excellent condition, as well as the world's largest contiguous undamaged reef area. It has suffered from warming episodes, but after the most severe mortality event of 1998, coral cover was restored after 10 years.Coral reef fishes are orders of magnitude more abundant than in other Indian Ocean locations, regardless of whether the latter are fished or protected.Coral diseases are extremely low, and no invasive marine species are known.Genetically, Chagos marine species are part of the Western Indian Ocean, and Chagos serves as a 'stepping-stone' in the ocean.The no-take MPA extends to the 200 nm boundary, and. includes 86 unfished seamounts and 243 deep knolls as well as encompassing important pelagic species.On the larger islands, native plants, coconut crabs, bird and turtle colonies were largely destroyed in plantation times, but several smaller islands are in relatively undamaged state.There are now 10 'important bird areas', coconut crab density is high and numbers of green and hawksbill turtles are recovering.Diego Garcia atoll contains a military facility; this atoll contains one Ramsar site and several 'strict nature reserves'. Pollutant monitoring shows it to be the least polluted inhabited atoll in the world. Today, strict environmental regulations are enforced.Shoreline erosion is significant in many places. Its economic cost in the inhabited part of Diego Garcia is very high, but all islands are vulnerable.Chagos is ideally situated for several monitoring programmes, and use is increasingly being made of the archipelago for this purpose.

Reconstructing the colonisation and diversification history of the endemic freshwater crab (Seychellum alluaudi) in the granitic and volcanic Seychelles Archipelago.

PubMed

Daniels, Savel R

2011-11-01

The endemic, monotypic freshwater crab species Seychellum alluaudi was used as a template to examine the initial colonisation and evolutionary history among the major islands in the Seychelles Archipelago. Five of the "inner" islands in the Seychelles Archipelago including Mahé, Praslin, Silhouette, La Digue and Frégate were sampled. Two partial mtDNA fragments, 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) was sequenced for 83 specimens of S. alluaudi. Evolutionary relationships between populations were inferred from the combined mtDNA dataset using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences. Analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) were used to examine genetic variation among and within clades. A haplotype network was constructed using TCS while BEAST was employed to date the colonisation and divergence of lineages on the islands. Phylogenetic analyses of the combined mtDNA data set of 1103 base pairs retrieved a monophyletic S. alluaudi group comprised three statistically well-supported monophyletic clades. Clade one was exclusive to Silhouette; clade two included samples from Praslin sister to La Digue, while clade three comprised samples from Mahé sister to Frégate. The haplotype network corresponded to the three clades. Within Mahé, substantial phylogeographic substructure was evident. AMOVA results revealed limited genetic variation within localities with most variation occurring among localities. Divergence time estimations predated the Holocene sea level regressions and indicated a Pliocene/Pleistocene divergence between the three clades evident within S. alluaudi. The monophyly of each clade suggests that transoceanic dispersal is rare. The absence of shared haplotypes between the three clades, coupled with marked sequence divergence values suggests the presence of three allospecies within S. alluaudi. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Investigation into the cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of the Marajó Archipelago waters using Plagioscion squamosissimus (Perciformes: Sciaenidae) as a bioindicator.

PubMed

Rocha, Carlos Alberto Machado da; Pessoa, Carla Mariana Ferreira; Rodrigues, Claudia Antonia Campos; Pinheiro, Raul Henrique da Silva; Costa, Edmar Tavares da; Guimarães, Adriana Costa; Burbano, Rommel Rodríguez

2016-10-01

Maintaining water quality within tolerable limits is a basic need of the riverside communities in the Amazon. Using endemic aquatic organisms as biological models is useful for monitoring the environment. In this study, potential cytotoxic and genotoxic damages in Plagioscion squamosissimus (commonly known as silver croaker) from the Marajó Archipelago were evaluated using a flow cytometry assay and a survey of micronuclei (MN) frequency as well as other nuclear abnormalities (NA). P. squamosissimus specimens were collected at four locations in the Marajó Archipelago. Blood samples from these fish were used in the flow cytometry assay and piscine micronucleus test, and the resulting data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). We did not observe a difference in the erythrocyte cell cycle distribution among the samples (P=0.9992), which suggests the absence of cytotoxic agent-induced apoptosis. The piscine micronucleus test exhibited differences in the samples from São Sebastião da Boa Vista (SSBV), and those from Anajás produced the highest mutagenicity indices. The MN frequencies were low for all groups, but the groups exhibited significantly different frequencies (P=0.0033). Reniform nuclei, nuclei with extensions, and lobed nuclei were combined and considered NA. The frequency differences for these NA were significant among sampling sites (P <0.0001). This report is the first to use flow cytometry in fish to evaluate cytotoxic agent-induced apoptosis. The micronucleus test results indicate the presence of pollutants that can change the genetic material of the fish studied. We also demonstrate that the Amazonian fish P. squamosissimus is important not only as a comestible species but also as an adequate model for biomonitoring in aquatic environments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diversity, Relationships, and Biogeography of the Lambeosaurine Dinosaurs from the European Archipelago, with Description of the New Aralosaurin Canardia garonnensis

PubMed Central

Prieto-Márquez, Albert; Dalla Vecchia, Fabio M.; Gaete, Rodrigo; Galobart, Àngel

2013-01-01

We provide a thorough re-evaluation of the taxonomic diversity, phylogenetic relationships, and historical biogeography of the lambeosaurine hadrosaurids from the European Archipelago. Previously published occurrences of European Lambeosaurinae are reviewed and new specimens collected from upper Maastrichtian strata of the south-central Pyrenees are described. No support is found for the recognition of European saurolophines in the available hadrosaurid materials recovered so far from this area. A new genus and species of basal lambeosaurine, Canardia garonnensis, is described on the basis of cranial and appendicular elements collected from upper Maastrichtian strata of southern France. C. garonnensis differs from all other hadrosaurids, except Aralosaurus tuberiferus, in having maxilla with prominent subrectangular rostrodorsal flange; it differs from A. tuberiferus in a few maxillary and prefrontal characters. Together with A. tuberiferus, C. garonnensis integrates the newly recognized tribe Aralosaurini. Inference of lambeosaurine interrelationships via maximum parsimony analysis indicates that the other three known European lambeosaurines are representatives of two additional subclades (tribes) of these hadrosaurids: Tsintaosaurini (Pararhabdodon isonensis) and Lambeosaurini (the Arenysaurus ardevoli-Blasisaurus canudoi clade). The tribes Aralosaurini, Tsintaosaurini, Lambeosaurini, and Parasaurolophini are formally defined and diagnosed for the first time. Three event-based quantitative methods of ancestral range reconstruction were implemented to infer the historical biogeography of European lambeosaurines: Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis, Bayesian Binary MCMC, and Dispersal-Extinction-Cladogenesis. The results of these analyses, coupled with the absence of pre-Maastrichtian lambeosaurines in the Mesozoic vertebrate fossil record of Europe, favor the hypothesis that aralosaurins and tsintaosaurins were Asian immigrants that reached the Ibero-Armorican island

Extensive lake sediment coring survey on Sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean Kerguelen Archipelago (French Austral and Antarctic Lands)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnaud, Fabien; Fanget, Bernard; Malet, Emmanuel; Poulenard, Jérôme; Støren, Eivind; Leloup, Anouk; Bakke, Jostein; Sabatier, Pierre

2016-04-01

Recent paleo-studies revealed climatic southern high latitude climate evolution patterns that are crucial to understand the global climate evolution(1,2). Among others the strength and north-south shifts of westerlies wind appeared to be a key parameter(3). However, virtually no lands are located south of the 45th South parallel between Southern Georgia (60°W) and New Zealand (170°E) precluding the establishment of paleoclimate records of past westerlies dynamics. Located around 50°S and 70°E, lost in the middle of the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean, Kerguelen archipelago is a major, geomorphologically complex, land-mass that is covered by hundreds lakes of various sizes. It hence offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct past climate and environment dynamics in a region where virtually nothing is known about it, except the remarkable recent reconstructions based on a Lateglacial peatbog sequence(4). During the 2014-2015 austral summer, a French-Norwegian team led the very first extensive lake sediment coring survey on Kerguelen Archipelago under the umbrella of the PALAS program supported by the French Polar Institute (IPEV). Two main areas were investigated: i) the southwest of the mainland, so-called Golfe du Morbihan, where glaciers are currently absent and ii) the northernmost Kerguelen mainland peninsula so-called Loranchet, where cirque glaciers are still present. This double-target strategy aims at reconstructing various independent indirect records of precipitation (glacier advance, flood dynamics) and wind speed (marine spray chemical species, wind-borne terrigenous input) to tackle the Holocene climate variability. Despite particularly harsh climate conditions and difficult logistics matters, we were able to core 6 lake sediment sites: 5 in Golfe du Morbihan and one in Loranchet peninsula. Among them two sequences taken in the 4km-long Lake Armor using a UWITEC re-entry piston coring system by 20 and 100m water-depth (6 and 7m-long, respectively). One

Background mortality rates for recovering populations of Acropora cytherea in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean.

PubMed

Pratchett, M S; Pisapia, C; Sheppard, C R C

2013-05-01

This study quantified background rates of mortality for Acropora cytherea in the Chagos Archipelago. Despite low levels of anthropogenic disturbance, 27.5% (149/541) of A. cytherea colonies exhibited some level of partial mortality, and 9.0% (49/541) of colonies had recent injuries. A total of 15.3% of the overall surface area of physically intact A. cytherea colonies was dead. Observed mortality was partly attributable to overtopping and/or self-shading among colonies. There were also low-densities of Acanthaster planci apparent at some study sites. However, most of the recent mortality recorded was associated with isolated infestations of the coral crab, Cymo melanodactylus. A. cytherea is a relatively fast growing coral and these levels of mortality may be biologically unimportant. However, few studies have measured background rates of coral mortality, especially in the absence of direct human disturbances. These data are important for assessing the impacts of increasing disturbances, especially in projecting likely recovery. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Species-distance relation for birds of the Solomon Archipelago, and the paradox of the great speciators

PubMed Central

Diamond, Jared M.; Gilpin, Michael E.; Mayr, Ernst

1976-01-01

For scattered remote islands and for likely forms of immigration and extinction curves, the equilibrium theory of island biogeography leads to the prediction [unk]2 log S/[unk]A[unk]D > 0, where S is the number of species on an island, A island area, and D island distance from the colonization source. This prediction is confirmed for birds of the Solomon Archipelago. Bird species can be classified into three types according to how distance affects their distributions: non-water-crossers, which are stopped completely (usually for psychological reasons) by water gaps of even 1 mile; short-distance colonists, successful at colonizing close but not remote islands; and long-distance colonists, successful at colonizing remote as well as close islands. Almost all of the “great speciators”, the species for whose inter-island geographic variation the Solomons are famous, prove to be short-distance colonists. Lack's interpretation of the decrease in S with D is shown to rest on incorrect assumptions. PMID:16592328

The 1998-2001 submarine lava balloon eruption at the Serreta ridge (Azores archipelago): Constraints from volcanic facies architecture, isotope geochemistry and magnetic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madureira, Pedro; Rosa, Carlos; Marques, Ana Filipa; Silva, Pedro; Moreira, Manuel; Hamelin, Cédric; Relvas, Jorge; Lourenço, Nuno; Conceição, Patrícia; Pinto de Abreu, Manuel; Barriga, Fernando J. A. S.

2017-01-01

The most recent submarine eruption observed offshore the Azores archipelago occurred between 1998 and 2001 along the submarine Serreta ridge (SSR), 4-5 nautical miles WNW of Terceira Island. This submarine eruption delivered abundant basaltic lava balloons floating at the sea surface and significantly changed the bathymetry around the eruption area. Our work combines bathymetry, volcanic facies cartography, petrography, rock magnetism and geochemistry in order to (1) track the possible vent source at seabed, (2) better constrain the Azores magma source(s) sampled through the Serreta submarine volcanic event, and (3) interpret the data within the small-scale mantle source heterogeneity framework that has been demonstrated for the Azores archipelago. Lava balloons sampled at sea surface display a radiogenic signature, which is also correlated with relatively primitive (low) 4He/3He isotopic ratios. Conversely, SSR lavas are characterized by significantly lower radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr, 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb ratios than the lava balloons and the onshore lavas from the Terceira Island. SSR lavas are primitive, but incompatible trace-enriched. Apparent decoupling between the enriched incompatible trace element abundances and depleted radiogenic isotope ratios is best explained by binary mixing of a depleted MORB source and a HIMU­type component into magma batches that evolved by similar shallower processes in their travel to the surface. The collected data suggest that the freshest samples collected in the SSR may correspond to volcanic products of an unnoticed and more recent eruption than the 1998-2001 episode.

Plastic litter in sediments from a marine area likely to become protected (Aeolian Archipelago's islands, Tyrrhenian sea).

PubMed

Fastelli, Paolo; Blašković, Andrea; Bernardi, Giulia; Romeo, Teresa; Čižmek, Hrvoje; Andaloro, Franco; Russo, Giovanni F; Guerranti, Cristiana; Renzi, Monia

2016-12-15

This research aims to define for the first time levels and patterns of different litter groups (macro, meso and microplastics) in sediments from a marine area designed for the institution of a new marine protected area (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy). Microplastics resulted the principal group and found in all samples analyzed, with shape and colours variable between different sampling sites. MPs levels measured in this study are similar to values recorded in harbour sites and lower than reported in Adriatic Sea, while macroplastics levels are notably lower than in harbor sites. Sediment grain-size and island extent resulted not significant in determining levels and distribution of plastic debris among islands. In the future, following the establishment of the MPA in the study area, these basic data will be useful to check for potential protective effects on the levels and distribution of plastic debris. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Major, minor, trace and rare earth elements in sediments of the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea-Bissau.

PubMed

Carvalho, Lina; Figueira, Paula; Monteiro, Rui; Reis, Ana Teresa; Almeida, Joana; Catry, Teresa; Lourenço, Pedro Miguel; Catry, Paulo; Barbosa, Castro; Catry, Inês; Pereira, Eduarda; Granadeiro, José Pedro; Vale, Carlos

2018-04-01

Sixty sediment samples from four sites in the Bijagós archipelago were characterized for fine fraction, loss on ignition, major, minor and trace elemental composition (Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Ti, P, Zr, Mn, Cr, Sr, Ba, B, V, Li, Zn, Ni, Pb, As, Co, U, Cu, Cs and Cd), and the elements of the La-Lu series. Element concentrations were largely explained by the Al content and the proportion of fine fraction content, with the exception of Ca and Sr. Sediments showed enhanced Ti, U, Cr, As and Cd concentrations with respect to estimated upper crust values, most likely mirroring a regional signature. Rare earth elements were in deficit relatively to the North American Shale Composite (NASC), mainly in coarser material. No pronounced Ce-anomaly was observed, while Eu-anomalies were positive in most analyzed sediments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolation of Salmonella spp. in cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) from Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Brazil.

PubMed

Silva, Marcio A; Fernandes, Érika F S T; Santana, Sandra C; Marvulo, Maria Fernanda V; Barros, Mércia R; Vilela, Sineide M O; Reis, Eliane M F; Mota, Rinaldo A; Silva, Jean C R

2018-03-03

The growth of the population of cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) in the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha constitutes a threat to public health and biological diversity because of their competition with and predation on native species and the possibility of transmission of pathogens to human beings, livestock and native wildlife. The aim here was to search for, isolate and identify serovars of Salmonella in clinically healthy local cattle egrets. Cloacal swabs were obtained from 456 clinically healthy cattle egrets of both sexes and a variety of ages. The swabs were divided into 51 pools. Six of these (11.7%) presented four serovars of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica: Salmonella serovar Typhimurium; Salmonella serovar Newport; Salmonella serovar Duisburg; and Salmonella serovar Zega. One sample was identified as S. enterica subspecies enterica O16:y:-. Results in this study suggest that cattle egrets may be reservoirs of this agent on Fernando de Noronha and represent a risk to public health and biological diversity. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda.

Environmental Factors Affecting Large-Bodied Coral Reef Fish Assemblages in the Mariana Archipelago

PubMed Central

Richards, Benjamin L.; Williams, Ivor D.; Vetter, Oliver J.; Williams, Gareth J.

2012-01-01

Large-bodied reef fishes represent an economically and ecologically important segment of the coral reef fish assemblage. Many of these individuals supply the bulk of the reproductive output for their population and have a disproportionate effect on their environment (e.g. as apex predators or bioeroding herbivores). Large-bodied reef fishes also tend to be at greatest risk of overfishing, and their loss can result in a myriad of either cascading (direct) or indirect trophic and other effects. While many studies have investigated habitat characteristics affecting populations of small-bodied reef fishes, few have explored the relationship between large-bodied species and their environment. Here, we describe the distribution of the large-bodied reef fishes in the Mariana Archipelago with an emphasis on the environmental factors associated with their distribution. Of the factors considered in this study, a negative association with human population density showed the highest relative influence on the distribution of large-bodied reef fishes; however, depth, water temperature, and distance to deep water also were important. These findings provide new information on the ecology of large-bodied reef fishes can inform discussions concerning essential fish habitat and ecosystem-based management for these species and highlight important knowledge gaps worthy of additional research. PMID:22384014

Environmental factors affecting large-bodied coral reef fish assemblages in the Mariana Archipelago.

PubMed

Richards, Benjamin L; Williams, Ivor D; Vetter, Oliver J; Williams, Gareth J

2012-01-01

Large-bodied reef fishes represent an economically and ecologically important segment of the coral reef fish assemblage. Many of these individuals supply the bulk of the reproductive output for their population and have a disproportionate effect on their environment (e.g. as apex predators or bioeroding herbivores). Large-bodied reef fishes also tend to be at greatest risk of overfishing, and their loss can result in a myriad of either cascading (direct) or indirect trophic and other effects. While many studies have investigated habitat characteristics affecting populations of small-bodied reef fishes, few have explored the relationship between large-bodied species and their environment. Here, we describe the distribution of the large-bodied reef fishes in the Mariana Archipelago with an emphasis on the environmental factors associated with their distribution. Of the factors considered in this study, a negative association with human population density showed the highest relative influence on the distribution of large-bodied reef fishes; however, depth, water temperature, and distance to deep water also were important. These findings provide new information on the ecology of large-bodied reef fishes can inform discussions concerning essential fish habitat and ecosystem-based management for these species and highlight important knowledge gaps worthy of additional research.

High connectivity in the deepwater snapper Pristipomoides filamentosus (Lutjanidae) across the Indo-Pacific with isolation of the Hawaiian archipelago.

PubMed

Gaither, Michelle R; Jones, Shelley A; Kelley, Christopher; Newman, Stephen J; Sorenson, Laurie; Bowen, Brian W

2011-01-01

In the tropical Indo-Pacific, most phylogeographic studies have focused on the shallow-water taxa that inhabit reefs to approximately 30 m depth. Little is known about the large predatory fishes, primarily snappers (subfamily Etelinae) and groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae) that occur at 100-400 m. These long-lived, slow-growing species support fisheries across the Indo-Pacific, yet no comprehensive genetic surveys within this group have been conducted. Here we contribute the first range-wide survey of a deepwater Indo-Pacific snapper, Pristipomoides filamentosus, with special focus on Hawai'i. We applied mtDNA cytochrome b and 11 microsatellite loci to 26 samples (N=1,222) collected across 17,000 km from Hawai'i to the western Indian Ocean. Results indicate that P. filamentosus is a highly dispersive species with low but significant population structure (mtDNA Φ(ST)=0.029, microsatellite F(ST)=0.029) due entirely to the isolation of Hawai'i. No population structure was detected across 14,000 km of the Indo-Pacific from Tonga in the Central Pacific to the Seychelles in the western Indian Ocean, a pattern rarely observed in reef species. Despite a long pelagic phase (60-180 days), interisland dispersal as adults, and extensive gene flow across the Indo-Pacific, P. filamentosus is unable to maintain population connectivity with Hawai'i. Coalescent analyses indicate that P. filamentosus may have colonized Hawai'i 26 K-52 K y ago against prevailing currents, with dispersal away from Hawai'i dominating migration estimates. P. filamentosus harbors low genetic diversity in Hawai'i, a common pattern in marine fishes, and our data indicate a single archipelago-wide stock. However, like the Hawaiian Grouper, Hyporthodus quernus, this snapper had several significant pairwise comparisons (F(ST)) clustered around the middle of the archipelago (St. Rogatien, Brooks Banks, Gardner) indicating that this region may be isolated or (more likely) receives input from Johnston Atoll to

High Connectivity in the Deepwater Snapper Pristipomoides filamentosus (Lutjanidae) across the Indo-Pacific with Isolation of the Hawaiian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Gaither, Michelle R.; Jones, Shelley A.; Kelley, Christopher; Newman, Stephen J.; Sorenson, Laurie; Bowen, Brian W.

2011-01-01

In the tropical Indo-Pacific, most phylogeographic studies have focused on the shallow-water taxa that inhabit reefs to approximately 30 m depth. Little is known about the large predatory fishes, primarily snappers (subfamily Etelinae) and groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae) that occur at 100–400 m. These long-lived, slow-growing species support fisheries across the Indo-Pacific, yet no comprehensive genetic surveys within this group have been conducted. Here we contribute the first range-wide survey of a deepwater Indo-Pacific snapper, Pristipomoides filamentosus, with special focus on Hawai'i. We applied mtDNA cytochrome b and 11 microsatellite loci to 26 samples (N = 1,222) collected across 17,000 km from Hawai'i to the western Indian Ocean. Results indicate that P. filamentosus is a highly dispersive species with low but significant population structure (mtDNA ΦST = 0.029, microsatellite F ST = 0.029) due entirely to the isolation of Hawai'i. No population structure was detected across 14,000 km of the Indo-Pacific from Tonga in the Central Pacific to the Seychelles in the western Indian Ocean, a pattern rarely observed in reef species. Despite a long pelagic phase (60–180 days), interisland dispersal as adults, and extensive gene flow across the Indo-Pacific, P. filamentosus is unable to maintain population connectivity with Hawai'i. Coalescent analyses indicate that P. filamentosus may have colonized Hawai'i 26 K–52 K y ago against prevailing currents, with dispersal away from Hawai'i dominating migration estimates. P. filamentosus harbors low genetic diversity in Hawai'i, a common pattern in marine fishes, and our data indicate a single archipelago-wide stock. However, like the Hawaiian Grouper, Hyporthodus quernus, this snapper had several significant pairwise comparisons (F ST) clustered around the middle of the archipelago (St. Rogatien, Brooks Banks, Gardner) indicating that this region may be isolated or (more likely) receives input

Reed beds may facilitate transfer of tributyltin from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems through insect vectors in the Archipelago Sea, SW Finland.

PubMed

Lilley, Thomas M; Meierjohann, Axel; Ruokolainen, Lasse; Peltonen, Jani; Vesterinen, Eero; Kronberg, Leif; Nikinmaa, Mikko

2012-08-01

Due to their adsorptive behavior, organotin compounds (OTCs), such as tributyltin (TBT), are accumulated in aquatic sediments. They resist biodegradation and, despite a ban in 2008, are a potential source for future exposure. Sediment OTCs have mostly been measured from sites of known high concentrations such as ports, shipping lanes, and marine dredging waste sites. The possible flow of OTCs from marine to terrestrial ecosystems, however, has not been studied. In the present study, the authors assessed whether sediments in common reed beds (Phragmites australis) accumulate TBT and whether chironomid (Diptera: Chironomidae) communities developing in reed-bed sediments act as vectors in the transfer of TBT from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems in the Airisto channel, Archipelago Sea. The authors also investigated whether distance from the only known source and depth and TBT concentration of the adjacent shipping lane affect reed-bed concentrations. Thirty-six sites along the Airisto channel were sampled at 2-km intervals with triplicate samples from reed beds and the adjacent shipping lane for sediment and seven reed-bed sites for chironomids, and these were analyzed with an solid phase extraction liquid chromatography tamdem mass spectrometry method. The closer to the source the sample site was, the higher the measured TBT concentrations were; and the deeper the shipping lane, the lower the concentration of TBT in reed-bed sediments. The chironomid TBT concentrations correlated with reed-bed sediment TBT concentrations and showed evidence of accumulation. Therefore, TBT may be transferred, through the food web, from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems relatively close to a source through ecosystem boundaries, such as common reed beds, which are areas of high insect biomass production in the Archipelago Sea. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world’s largest no-take marine protected area

PubMed Central

SHEPPARD, C. R. C.; ATEWEBERHAN, M.; BOWEN, B. W.; CARR, P.; CHEN, C. A.; CLUBBE, C.; CRAIG, M. T.; EBINGHAUS, R.; EBLE, J.; FITZSIMMONS, N.; GAITHER, M. R.; GAN, C-H.; GOLLOCK, M.; GUZMAN, N.; GRAHAM, N. A. J.; HARRIS, A.; JONES, R.; KESHAVMURTHY, S.; KOLDEWEY, H.; LUNDIN, C. G.; MORTIMER, J. A.; OBURA, D.; PFEIFFER, M.; PRICE, A. R. G.; PURKIS, S.; RAINES, P.; READMAN, J. W.; RIEGL, B.; ROGERS, A.; SCHLEYER, M.; SEAWARD, M. R. D; SHEPPARD, A. L. S.; TAMELANDER, J.; TURNER, J. R.; VISRAM, S.; VOGLER, C.; VOGT, S.; WOLSCHKE, H.; YANG, J. M-C.; YANG, S-Y.; YESSON, C.

2014-01-01

The Chagos Archipelago was designated a no-take marine protected area (MPA) in 2010; it covers 550 000 km2, with more than 60 000 km2 shallow limestone platform and reefs. This has doubled the global cover of such MPAs.It contains 25–50% of the Indian Ocean reef area remaining in excellent condition, as well as the world’s largest contiguous undamaged reef area. It has suffered from warming episodes, but after the most severe mortality event of 1998, coral cover was restored after 10 years.Coral reef fishes are orders of magnitude more abundant than in other Indian Ocean locations, regardless of whether the latter are fished or protected.Coral diseases are extremely low, and no invasive marine species are known.Genetically, Chagos marine species are part of the Western Indian Ocean, and Chagos serves as a ‘stepping-stone’ in the ocean.The no-take MPA extends to the 200 nm boundary, and. includes 86 unfished seamounts and 243 deep knolls as well as encompassing important pelagic species.On the larger islands, native plants, coconut crabs, bird and turtle colonies were largely destroyed in plantation times, but several smaller islands are in relatively undamaged state.There are now 10 ‘important bird areas’, coconut crab density is high and numbers of green and hawksbill turtles are recovering.Diego Garcia atoll contains a military facility; this atoll contains one Ramsar site and several ‘strict nature reserves’. Pollutant monitoring shows it to be the least polluted inhabited atoll in the world. Today, strict environmental regulations are enforced.Shoreline erosion is significant in many places. Its economic cost in the inhabited part of Diego Garcia is very high, but all islands are vulnerable.Chagos is ideally situated for several monitoring programmes, and use is increasingly being made of the archipelago for this purpose. PMID:25505830

A new chromosomal race of the house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, in the Vulcano Island-Aeolian Archipelago, Italy.

PubMed

Solano, Emanuela; Castiglia, Riccardo; Corti, Marco

2007-07-01

In this paper we describe a new Robertsonian (Rb) race of the house mouse from Vulcano (Aeolian archipelago) through the identification of the metacentric chromosomes. We analysed fifteen mice. All the specimens were found to have the same karyotype 2n=26. This karyotype is characterized by Rb(1.2), Rb(3.9), Rb(4.13), Rb(5.14), Rb(8.12), Rb(10.16) and Rb(15.17). The differences between the race of Vulcano and the races in a neighbour island (Lipari) consist in the presence of Rb(10.16) and Rb(15.17) in the former and Rb(6.16) and Rb(10.15) in the latter. We discuss the possible hypotheses regarding the origin between these two races including the possible occurrence of a whole arm reciprocal translocation (WART) on the Vulcano island.

China?s growing appetite for minerals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Menzie, David; Tse, Pui-Kwan; Fenton, Mike; Jorgenson, John; van Oss, Hendrik

2004-01-01

During the last 15 years, China's economy and consumption have grown rapidly. This report contains figures and notes from a talk that discusses China's increasing consumption of aluminum, cement, coal, copper, iron ore, petroleum, and steel in context of its developing economy.

Revisiting Caveiro Lake sediment record: the Holocene NAO and AMO impact on Pico Island (Azores archipelago)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, A.; Giralt, S.; Raposeiro, P. M.; Gonçalves, V. M.; Pueyo, J. J.; Trigo, R. M.; Bao, R.; Sáez, A.

2017-12-01

Northern Hemisphere climate is partly conditioned by a number of atmospheric and oceanic patterns which occur in the North Atlantic sector. The favourable location of the Azores Archipelago (37°-40° N, 25°-31° W) results in a privileged place to generate high-resolution Holocene climatic proxy data that can contribute to deep our understanding on the evolution of these atmospheric and oceanic patterns. In the frame of three research projects, namely PALEONAO (CGL2010-15767), RAPIDNAO (CGL2013-40608-R) and PALEOMODES (CGL2016-75281-C2), high-resolution proxy-based reconstructions from Azores Archipelago have recently shown a combined impact of atmospheric and oceanic patterns at multiannual and decadal time-scales (Rubio-Inglés et al. 2016; Hernández et al. 2017). However, the long-term evolution coupling/uncoupling of these patterns is not well-determined yet. Here, we present a new high-resolution climate reconstruction based on the Caveiro Lake sedimentary sequence in order to fill this gap. Previously, Björck et al. (2006) studied a section of this sequence (the uppermost 4.6 m covering last 6 Ka cal BP) concluding that changes in the thermohaline circulation and the SST were the main drivers in the long-term precipitation variability, whereas the NAO impact was the main atmospheric driver of short-term precipitation changes. However, they only distinguished the NAO impact for the last 600 years owing to the low resolution of the study for the lower portion of the core. The new studied sequence (8.40 m long, 8.2 Ka cal BP) has been analysed at decadal-to centennial time-scale resolution for X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning and elemental and isotope geochemistry on bulk organic matter. The statistical multivariate analysis of the data highlights the main drivers triggering the sedimentary infill of the lake would be the NAO and AMO by controlling the lacustrine productivity via nutrients input. This new high

Shifting Quaternary migration patterns in the Bahamian archipelago: Evidence from the Zamia pumila complex at the northern limits of the Caribbean island biodiversity hotspot.

PubMed

Salas-Leiva, Dayana E; Meerow, Alan W; Calonje, Michael; Francisco-Ortega, Javier; Griffith, M Patrick; Nakamura, Kyoko; Sánchez, Vanessa; Knowles, Lindy; Knowles, David

2017-05-01

The Bahamas archipelago is formed by young, tectonically stable carbonate banks that harbor direct geological evidence of global ice-volume changes. We sought to detect signatures of major changes on gene flow patterns and reconstruct the phylogeographic history of the monophyletic Zamia pumila complex across the Bahamas. Nuclear molecular markers with both high and low mutation rates were used to capture two different time scale signatures and test several gene flow and demographic hypotheses. Single-copy nuclear genes unveiled apparent ancestral admixture on Andros, suggesting a significant role of this island as main hub of diversity of the archipelago. We detected demographic and spatial expansion of the Zamia pumila complex on both paleo-provinces around the Piacenzian (Pliocene)/Gelasian (Pleistocene). Populations evidenced signatures of different migration models that have occurred at two different times. Populations on Long Island ( Z. lucayana ) may either represent a secondary colonization of the Bahamas by Zamia or a rapid and early-divergence event of at least one population on the Bahamas. Despite changes in migration patterns with global climate, expected heterozygosity with both marker systems remains within the range reported for cycads, but with significant levels of increased inbreeding detected by the microsatellites. This finding is likely associated with reduced gene flow between and within paleo-provinces, accompanied by genetic drift, as rising seas enforced isolation. Our study highlights the importance of the maintenance of the predominant direction of genetic exchange and the role of overseas dispersion among the islands during climate oscillations. © 2017 Botanical Society of America.

Facies, Stratigraphic and Depositional Model of the Sediments in the Abrolhos Archipelago (Bahia, BRAZIL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matte, R. R.; Zambonato, E. E.

2012-04-01

Located in the Mucuri Basin on the continental shelf of southern Bahia state, northeast Brazil, about 70 km from the city of Caravelas,the Abrolhos archipelago is made up of five islands; Santa Barbara, Redonda, Siriba, Guarita and Sueste. The exhumed sediments in the Abrolhos archipelago are a rare record of the turbidite systems which fill the Brazilian Atlantic Basin, and are probably an unprecedented example of a plataform turbidite system (Dr. Mutti, personal communication). Despite the limited area, the outcrops display a wide facies variation produced by different depositional processes, and also allow for the observation of the layer geometries. Associated with such sedimentary rocks, the Abrolhos Volcanic Complex belongs stratigraphically to the Abrolhos Formation. These igneous rocks were dated by the Ar / Ar method, with ages ranging from 60 to 40 My, placing such Volcanic Complex between the Paleocene and Eocene. The sedimentary section is best exposed in the Santa Barbara and Redonda islands and altogether it is 70 m thick. The measured vertical sections show a good stratigraphic correlation between the rocks of the western portion of the first island and those of Redonda Island. However, there is no correlation between the eastern and western portions of Santa Barbara Island, since they are very likely interrupted by the igneous intrusion and possibly by faulting. The sedimentary stack consists of deposits with alternated regressive and transgressive episodes interpreted as high frequency sequences. The coarse facies, sandstones and conglomerates, with abrupt or erosive bases record regressive phases. On the other hand, finer sandstones and siltstones facies, which are partly bioturbated, correspond to phases of a little sediment supply. In the central and eastern portions of Santa Barbara Island, there is a trend of progradational stacking, while both in the western portion of Santa Barbara and in Redonda islands an agradational trend is observed

Investigating Coral Disease Spread Across the Hawaiian Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sziklay, Jamie

Coral diseases negatively impact reef ecosystems and they are increasing worldwide; yet, we have a limited understanding of the factors that influence disease risk and transmission. My dissertation research investigated coral disease spread for several common coral diseases in the Hawaiian archipelago to understand how host-pathogenenvironment interactions vary across different spatial scales and how we can use that information to improve management strategies. At broad spatial scales, I developed forecasting models to predict outbreak risk based on depth, coral density and temperature anomalies from remotely sensed data (chapter 1). In this chapter, I determined that host density, total coral density, depth and winter temperature variation were important predictors of disease prevalence for several coral diseases. Expanding on the predictive models, I also found that colony size, wave energy, water quality, fish abundance and nearby human population size altered disease risk (chapter 2). Most of the model variation occurred at the scale of sites and coastline, indicating that local coral composition and water quality were key determinants of disease risk. At the reef scale, I investigated factors that influence disease transmission among individuals using a tissue loss disease outbreak in Kane'ohe Bay, O'ahu, Hawai'i as a case study (chapter 3). I determined that host size, proximity to infected neighbors and numbers of infected neighbors were associated with disease risk. Disease transmission events were very localized (within 15 m) and rates changed dramatically over the course of the outbreak: the transmission rate initially increased quickly during the outbreak and then decreased steadily until the outbreak ended. At the colony scale, I investigated disease progression between polyps within individual coral colonies using confocal microscopy (chapter 4). Here, I determined that fragmented florescent pigment distributions appeared adjacent to the disease front

Education in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fengzhen, Yang

2002-01-01

In the past 20 years, China's economy has been developing rapidly. Yet is China's education keeping up the same pace as its economic development? What is the current situation for China's education? With the advent of knowledge-based economy, how will education in China adjust itself in order to meet the growing demands of economy? This paper will…

Teacher Mobility in Rural China: Evidence from Northwest China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Yi

2016-01-01

This study investigates an understudied but crucial dimension of education in China: teacher mobility. The primary goal is to provide a basic understanding of teacher mobility in rural China. The issue has been extensively studied in many developed countries, especially in the United States. However, there is little research in China, partly…

Habitat filtering not dispersal limitation shapes oceanic island floras: species assembly of the Galápagos archipelago.

PubMed

Carvajal-Endara, Sofía; Hendry, Andrew P; Emery, Nancy C; Davies, T Jonathan

2017-04-01

Remote locations, such as oceanic islands, typically harbour relatively few species, some of which go on to generate endemic radiations. Species colonising these locations tend to be a non-random subset from source communities, which is thought to reflect dispersal limitation. However, non-random colonisation could also result from habitat filtering, whereby only a few continental species can become established. We evaluate the imprints of these processes on the Galápagos flora by analysing a comprehensive regional phylogeny for ~ 39 000 species alongside information on dispersal strategies and climatic suitability. We found that habitat filtering was more important than dispersal limitation in determining species composition. This finding may help explain why adaptive radiation is common on oceanic archipelagoes - because colonising species can be relatively poor dispersers with specific niche requirements. We suggest that the standard assumption that plant communities in remote locations are primarily shaped by dispersal limitation deserves reconsideration. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Differences in Lepeophtheirus salmonis abundance levels on Atlantic salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada.

PubMed

Saksida, S; Karreman, G A; Constantine, J; Donald, A

2007-06-01

Sea lice data collected from Atlantic salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago between 2003 and 2005 were examined for inter-regional differences in mobile Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer) abundance using the generalized linear model procedure. Factors such as age of the salmon populations, location of farms and time of year had a significant effect on the abundance of the mobile stages of L. salmonis whereas water temperature and salinity did not. Separate evaluation of SLICE treatment data found no significant difference in treatment frequency among the areas but did show that there were significantly lower numbers of farm treatments during the summer months when compared with other seasons. The role of environment and wild fish in influencing sea lice abundance on the farmed salmon is discussed. The findings suggest that effective management programmes for sea lice should not only be based on geographical location but should take into account other factors which could influence lice abundance levels.

Spatial and temporal variability of seawater pCO2 within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Baffin Bay during the summer and autumn 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geilfus, N.-X.; Pind, M. L.; Else, B. G. T.; Galley, R. J.; Miller, L. A.; Thomas, H.; Gosselin, M.; Rysgaard, S.; Wang, F.; Papakyriakou, T. N.

2018-03-01

The partial pressure of CO2 in surface water (pCO2sw) measured within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) and Baffin Bay was highly variable with values ranging from strongly undersaturated (118 μatm) to slightly supersaturated (419 μatm) with respect to the atmospheric levels ( 386 μatm) during summer and autumn 2011. During summer, melting sea ice contributed to cold and fresh surface water and enhanced the ice-edge bloom, resulting in strong pCO2sw undersaturation. Coronation Gulf was the only area with supersaturated pCO2sw, likely due to warm CO2-enriched freshwater input from the Coppermine River. During autumn, the entire CAA (including Coronation Gulf) was undersaturated, despite generally increasing pCO2sw. Coronation Gulf was the one place where pCO2sw decreased, likely due to seasonal reduction in discharge from the Coppermine River and the decreasing sea surface temperature. The seasonal summer-to-autumn increase in pCO2sw across the archipelago is attributed in part to the continuous uptake of atmospheric CO2 through both summer and autumn and to the seasonal deepening of the surface mixed layer, bringing CO2-rich waters to the surface. These observations demonstrate how freshwater from sea ice melt and rivers affect pCO2sw differently. The general pCO2sw undersaturation during summer-autumn 2011 throughout the CAA and Baffin Bay give an estimated net oceanic sink for atmospheric CO2 over the study period of 11.4 mmol CO2 m-2 d-1, assuming no sea-air CO2 flux exchange across the sea-ice covered areas.

Elevation Changes of Ice Caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abdalati, W.; Krabill, W.; Frederick, E.; Manizade, S.; Martin, C.; Sonntag, J.; Swift, R.; Thomas, R.; Yungel, J.; Koerner, R.

2004-01-01

Precise repeat airborne laser surveys were conducted over the major ice caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the spring of 1995 and 2000 in order to measure elevation changes in the region. Our measurements reveal thinning at lower elevations (below 1600 m) on most of the ice caps and glaciers, but either very little change or thickening at higher elevations in the ice cap accumulation zones. Recent increases in precipitation in the area can account for the slight thickening where it was observed, but not for the thinning at lower elevations. For the northern ice caps on the Queen Elizabeth Islands, thinning was generally less than 0.5 m/yr , which is consistent with what would be expected from the warm temperature anomalies in the region for the 5-year period between surveys and appears to be a continuation of a trend that began in the mid 1980s. Further south, however, on the Barnes and Penny ice caps on Baffin Island, this thinning was much more pronounced at over 1 m/yr in the lower elevations. Here temperature anomalies were very small, and the thinning at low elevations far exceeds any associated enhanced ablation. The observations on Barnes, and perhaps Penny are consistent with the idea that the observed thinning is part of a much longer term deglaciation, as has been previously suggested for Barnes Ice Cap. Based on the regional relationships between elevation and elevation-change in our data, the 1995-2000 mass balance for the region is estimated to be 25 cu km/yr of ice, which corresponds to a sea level increase of 0.064 mm/ yr . This places it among the more significant sources of eustatic sea level rise, though not as substantial as Greenland ice sheet, Alaskan glaciers, or the Patagonian ice fields.

Viticultural zoning of Graciosa island of the Azores archipelago - Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madruga, João; Reis, Francisco; Felipe, João; Azevedo, Eduardo; Pinheiro, Jorge

2016-04-01

The management and sustainability of the traditional vineyards of the Azores settled on lava field terrains is strongly affected by practical limitations of mechanization and high demand on man labor imposed by the typical micro parcel structure of the vineyards. In a recent macrozoning approach study Madruga et al (2015) showed that besides the traditional vineyards there are significant areas in some of the Azores islands whose soils, climate and physiographic characteristics indicate a potential for the development of new vineyard areas offering conditions for better management and sustainability. The objective of this study was to conduct a detailed viticultural zoning at the level of the small mapscale (smaller than 1:25,000), for the island of Graciosa where, besides the traditional lava field terroir, there are also some localized experiences of grapevine production over normal soils, offering thus some comparative information on this type of production conditions. The zoning approach for the present study was based in a geographic information system (GIS) analysis incorporating factors related to climate and topography which was then combined with the soil mapping units fulfilling the suitable criteria concerning the soil properties taken as the most relevant for viticulture, being the result a map of homogeneous environmental units. The climatic zoning examined the direct quantitative variables (precipitation, temperature, evaporation) in relation to climate index, bioclimatic and viticultural specific values. Topography (elevation, slope, aspect, orientation) was analyzed based on the tridimensional models of the islands in GIS to include the best slopes for the mechanization of the vineyard cultural operations (0-15%). Soils were analyzed based on data and soil map units as defined in the soil surveys of the Azores archipelago. The soil properties taken for the analysis and definition of the potential vineyard areas were drainage, water holding capacity

Formation and evolution of a metasomatized lithospheric root at the motionless Antarctic plate: the case of East Island, Crozet Archipelago (Indian Ocean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyzen, Christine; Marzoli, Andrea; Bellieni, Giuliano; Levresse, Gilles

2016-04-01

Sitting atop the nearly stagnant Antarctic plate (ca. 6.46 mm/yr), the Crozet archipelago midway between Madagascar and Antarctica constitutes a region of unusually shallow (1543-1756 m below sea level) and thickened oceanic crust (10-16.5 km), high geoid height, and deep low-velocity zone, which may reflect the surface expression of a mantle plume. Here, we present new major and trace element data for Quaternary sub-aerial alkali basalts from East Island, the easterly and oldest island (ca. 9 Ma) of the Crozet archipelago. Crystallization at uppermost mantle depth and phenocryst accumulation have strongly affected their parental magma compositions. Their trace element patterns show a large negative K anomaly relative to Ta-La, moderate depletions in Rb and Ba with respect to Th-U, and heavy rare earth element (HREE) depletions relative to light REE. These characteristics allow limits to be placed upon the composition and mineralogy of their mantle source. The average trace element spectrum of East Island basalts can be matched by melting of about 2 % of a garnet-phlogopite-bearing peridotite source. The stability field of phlogopite restricts melting depth to lithospheric levels. The modelled source composition requires a multistage evolution, where the mantle has been depleted by melt extraction before having been metasomatized by alkali-rich plume melts. The depleted mantle component may be sourced by residual mantle plume remnants stagnated at the melting locus due to a weak lateral flow velocity inside the melting regime, whose accumulation progressively edifies a depleted lithospheric root above the plume core. Low-degree alkali-rich melts are likely derived from the plume source. Such a mantle source evolution may be general to both terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments where the lateral component velocity of the mantle flow field is extremely slow.

Sighting frequency and relative abundance of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) along the northeast coast of Margarita Island and Los Frailes Archipelago, Venezuela.

PubMed

Oviedo, Lenin; Silva, Noemi

2005-01-01

The study of local cetaceans in Venezuela has a very recent history, and few efforts have been made in the assessment of coastal populations based on field research. The occurrence of whales and dolphins along the northeast coast of Venezuela has been documented through sightings and stranding records. Given the underwater topographical features and the influence of upwelling processes, this area is considered a very productive coastal ecosystem. Our objective was to establish the sighting frequency and relative abundance of bottlenose dolphins in the area. Sighting records were gathered on bottlenose dolphins and other cetacean species occurring along the northeast coast of Margarita Island and Los Frailes Archipelago through direct observation during land-based (6 surveys, 48 hours of observation) and boat-based surveys (24 surveys, 121 hours of observation, 1295 km covered). A sighting frequency was calculated using two methodologies and then compared, considering: 1) a mean effective observation time (4.27 hours), and 2) distance covered with cetacean sightings (1108 kin). A third method is proposed relating a mean effective distance covered with cetacean sightings and expressed as a percentage. The abundance index was calculated using the mean effective observation time. The sighting frequency of Tursiops truncattus in the study area was 3 - 4 sightings per day of 4.27 observation hours, or by 185 kilometers covered. The relative abundance was calculated as 35 dolphins in the study area, so a total population of less than 60 dolphins could inhabit the proposed range. Tursiops truncatus is the dominant species in the northeast coast of Margarita Island and Los Frailes Archipelago with 70% of all the sightings, so this locality could be termed as the distribution range of a possible local population of bottlenose dolphins.

Distribution of green algal mats throughout shallow soft bottoms of the Swedish Skagerrak archipelago in relation to nutrient sources and wave exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pihl, Leif; Svenson, Anders; Moksnes, Per-Olav; Wennhage, Håkan

1999-06-01

Distribution and biomass of green algal mats were studied in marine shallow (0-1 m) soft-bottom areas on the Swedish west coast from 1994 to 1996, by combining aerial photography surveys with ground truth sampling. Filamentous green algae, dominated by species of the genera Cladophora and Enteromorpha, were generally present throughout the study area during July and August, and largely absent in late April and early May. These algae occurred at 60 to 90% of the locations investigated during the summer, and were estimated to cover between 30 and 50% of the total area of shallow soft bottoms of the Swedish Skagerrak archipelago. The distributional patterns were similar during the three years of the investigation and appeared unrelated to annual local nutrient inputs from point sources and river discharge. We postulate that the apparent lack of such a relationship is due to an altered state of nutrient dynamics throughout the archipelago. Mechanisms are likely to involve long-term, diffuse elevations in nutrient levels in coastal waters of the Skagerrak and the Kattegat over several decades leading to current eutrophic conditions, exceeding nutrient requirements for abundant filamentous algal growth. Patterns of algal abundance in our study were largely related to physical factors such as exposure to wind, waves and water exchange under conditions where nutrient loads among embayments seemed to be unlimited. Further, our results show that sediments covered by algal mats had higher carbon and nitrogen contents than unvegetated sediments. We hypothesise that sustained high nutrient loads, manifested in extensive biomass of filamentous algae during summer months, are re-mineralised via decay and sedimentation in the benthic realm. Hence, accumulated carbon and nutrients in the sediment could, in turn, constitute the basic pool for future algal mat production overlying soft bottoms in areas where tidal exchange is limited.

A regional approach to plant DNA barcoding provides high species resolution of sedges (Carex and Kobresia, Cyperaceae) in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

PubMed

Clerc-Blain, Jessica L E; Starr, Julian R; Bull, Roger D; Saarela, Jeffery M

2010-01-01

Previous research on barcoding sedges (Carex) suggested that basic searches within a global barcoding database would probably not resolve more than 60% of the world's some 2000 species. In this study, we take an alternative approach and explore the performance of plant DNA barcoding in the Carex lineage from an explicitly regional perspective. We characterize the utility of a subset of the proposed protein-coding and noncoding plastid barcoding regions (matK, rpoB, rpoC1, rbcL, atpF-atpH, psbK-psbI) for distinguishing species of Carex and Kobresia in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, a clearly defined eco-geographical region representing 1% of the Earth's landmass. Our results show that matK resolves the greatest number of species of any single-locus (95%), and when combined in a two-locus barcode, it provides 100% species resolution in all but one combination (matK + atpFH) during unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean averages (UPGMA) analyses. Noncoding regions were equally or more variable than matK, but as single markers they resolve substantially fewer taxa than matK alone. When difficulties with sequencing and alignment due to microstructural variation in noncoding regions are also considered, our results support other studies in suggesting that protein-coding regions are more practical as barcoding markers. Plastid DNA barcodes are an effective identification tool for species of Carex and Kobresia in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, a region where the number of co-existing closely related species is limited. We suggest that if a regional approach to plant DNA barcoding was applied on a global scale, it could provide a solution to the generally poor species resolution seen in previous barcoding studies. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A stunning new species of Jamides Hübner, 1819 (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), with notes on sympatric congeners from the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea

PubMed Central

Müller, Chris J.

2016-01-01

Abstract Jamides vasilia sp. n., from montane West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea, is described and illustrated. The new species is strongly divergent from other known Jamides Hübner, 1819 in possessing a high antenna-forewing length ratio, long androconia on the hindwing upperside and a strongly convex forewing inner margin in the male. It is compared by external structures, male genitalia and mtDNA sequence data to putative related species in the cyta group of Jamides. Notes on various Jamides taxa from the Bismarck Archipelago are also provided, with Jamides pseudosias (Rothschild, 1915) and Jamides reverdini (Fruhstorfer, 1915) recorded from New Britain for the first time. PMID:27110161

Acute effects of air pollution on respiratory disease mortalities and outpatients in Southeastern China.

PubMed

Mo, Zhe; Fu, Qiuli; Zhang, Lifang; Lyu, Danni; Mao, Guangming; Wu, Lizhi; Xu, Peiwei; Wang, Zhifang; Pan, Xuejiao; Chen, Zhijian; Wang, Xiaofeng; Lou, Xiaoming

2018-02-22

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential association between air pollutants and respiratory diseases (RDs). Generalized additive models were used to analyze the effect of air pollutants on mortalities or outpatient visits. The average concentrations of air pollutants in Hangzhou (HZ) were 1.6-2.8 times higher than those in Zhoushan (ZS), except for O 3 . In a single pollutant model, the increased concentrations of PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and SO 2 were strongly associated with deaths caused by RD in HZ, while PM 2.5 and O 3 were associated with deaths caused by RD in ZS. All air pollutants (PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , and O 3 ) were strongly associated with outpatient visits for RD in both HZ and ZS. In multiple pollutant models, a significant association was only observed between PM 2.5 and the mortality rate of RD patients in both HZ and in ZS. Moreover, strong associations between SO 2 , NO 2 , and outpatient visits for RD were observed in HZ and ZS. This study has provided evidence that both the mortality rates and outpatient visits for RD were significantly associated with air pollutants. Furthermore, the results showed that different air pollutant levels lead to regional differences between mortality rates and outpatient visits.

Late Wisconsinan glaciation and postglacial relative sea-level change on western Banks Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakeman, Thomas R.; England, John H.

2013-07-01

The study revises the maximum extent of the northwest Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) in the western Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) during the last glaciation and documents subsequent ice sheet retreat and glacioisostatic adjustments across western Banks Island. New geomorphological mapping and maximum-limiting radiocarbon ages indicate that the northwest LIS inundated western Banks Island after ~ 31 14C ka BP and reached a terminal ice margin west of the present coastline. The onset of deglaciation and the age of the marine limit (22-40 m asl) are unresolved. Ice sheet retreat across western Banks Island was characterized by the withdrawal of a thin, cold-based ice margin that reached the central interior of the island by ~ 14 cal ka BP. The elevation of the marine limit is greater than previously recognized and consistent with greater glacioisostatic crustal unloading by a more expansive LIS. These results complement emerging bathymetric observations from the Arctic Ocean, which indicate glacial erosion during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to depths of up to 450 m.

Coral recruitment and potential recovery of eutrophied and blast fishing impacted reefs in Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia.

PubMed

Sawall, Yvonne; Jompa, Jamaluddin; Litaay, Magdalena; Maddusila, Andi; Richter, Claudio

2013-09-15

Coral recruitment was assessed in highly diverse and economically important Spermonde Archipelago, a reef system subjected to land-based sources of siltation/pollution and destructive fishing, over a period of 2 years. Recruitment on settlement tiles reached up to 705 spat m(-2) yr(-1) and was strongest in the dry season (July-October), except off-shore, where larvae settled earlier. Pocilloporidae dominated near-shore, while a more diverse community of Acroporidae, Poritidae and others settled in the less polluted mid-shelf and off-shore reefs. Non-coral fouling community appeared to hardly influence initial coral settlement on the tiles, although, this does not necessarily infer low coral post-settlement mortality, which may be enhanced at the near- and off-shore reefs as indicated by increased abundances of potential space competitors on natural substrate. Blast fishing showed no local reduction in coral recruitment and live hard coral cover increased in oligotrophic reefs, indicating potential for coral recovery, if managed effectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Persistent organic pollutants in marine biota of São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago, Brazil.

PubMed

Dias, Patrick S; Cipro, Caio V Z; Taniguchi, Satie; Montone, Rosalinda C

2013-09-15

Remote islands, such as the São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago (SPSPA), Brazil, are pristine areas. However, these locations are not exempt from the arrival of anthropogenic agents, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The present study aimed to determine the occurrence and distribution of POPs in the marine biota of the SPSPA. Sample extractions were performed using a microwave-assisted method. The predominant compounds were PCBs and DDTs, which respectively had mean wet weight concentrations of 62.23 and 9.23 ng g(-1) in the tropical two-wing flying fish (Exocoetus volitans), 78.66 and 6.81 ng g(-1) in the brown booby (Sula leucogaster) and 43.40 and 3.03 ng g(-1) in the red rock crab (Grapsus grapsus). Low levels of contaminants suggest a relative degree of isolation. Occurrence and distribution profiles of PCBs support long-range atmospheric transport as the main source of contamination and demonstrate the ubiquity of these pollutants in the marine environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in killer whales (Orcinus orca) from the Crozet Archipelago, southern Indian Ocean.

PubMed

Noël, Marie; Barrett-Lennard, Lance; Guinet, Christophe; Dangerfield, Neil; Ross, Peter S

2009-10-01

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), and dibenzofurans (PCDFs), are ubiquitous environmental contaminants of which significant concentrations are reported in upper trophic level animals. In 1998, we collected blubber biopsy samples (n=11) from killer whales (Orcinus orca) inhabiting the coastal waters around Possession Island, Crozet Archipelago, southern Indian Ocean, for contaminant analyses. Despite inhabiting an isolated region far removed from industrial activities, these killer whales can presently be considered among the most PCB-contaminated cetaceans in the southern hemisphere, with concentrations ranging from 4.4 to 20.5mg/kg lipid weight (lw). PCDD levels ranged from below the detection limit (5 ng/kg) to 77.1 ng/kg lw and PCDF levels from below the detection limit (7 ng/kg) to 36.1 ng/kg lw. Over 70% of our study animals had PCB concentrations which exceeded a 1.3mg/kg PCB threshold established for endocrine disruption and immunotoxicity in free-ranging harbour seals, suggesting that organic contaminants cannot be ruled out as an additional threat to this declining population.

China as an Evolving Metro-Agro-Plex (China-MAP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chameides, William L.; Bergin, M.; Carmichael, G.; Dickinson, R.; Giorgi, F.; Kiang, C. S.; Levy, H., II; Kasibhatla, P.; Mearns, L.; Ramaswamy, V.

2002-01-01

The one-year NASA-funded project was implemented to complete the analyses and model-simulations undertaken under the auspices of the 3-year research effort supported by NASA as an Interdisciplinary Earth System Science Investigation (IDS) entitled: China As An Evolving Metro-Agro-Plex (China-MAP). The primary goal of China-MAP was to assess the effects of economic development and the regional environmental changes it engenders upon agriculture in China. The project was carried out as part of the Sino-U.S. Science and Technology Protocol in the Atmospheric Sciences, an official government-to-government agreement that establishes the parameters for joint research projects between the two nations in the atmospheric sciences. The NASA-funded portion of the project focused on the development and application of a regional coupled climate/chemical transport model for East Asia (i.e., RegChem-CM). The funds provided under the subject 1-year project were used to: (1) complete specific investigations undertaken by the China-MAP Science Team using the Reg-Chem-CM expended; and (2) document the results of these and other China-MAP investigations in the peer-reviewed literature. A summary of these specific investigations in provided.

Seabirds fighting for land: phenotypic consequences of breeding area constraints at a small remote archipelago.

PubMed

Nunes, Guilherme Tavares; Bertrand, Sophie; Bugoni, Leandro

2018-01-12

Identifying associations between phenotypes and environmental parameters is crucial for understanding how natural selection acts at the individual level. In this context, genetically isolated populations can be useful models for identifying the forces selecting fitness-related traits. Here, we use a comprehensive dataset on a genetically and ecologically isolated population of the strictly marine bird, the brown booby Sula leucogaster, at the tropical and remote Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, mid-Atlantic Ocean, in order to detect phenotypic adjustments from interindividual differences in diet, foraging behaviour, and nest quality. For this, we took biometrics of all individuals of the colony breeding in 2014 and 2015 and tested their associations with nest quality, diet parameters, and foraging behaviour. While body size was not related to the foraging parameters, the body size of the females (responsible for nest acquisition and defence) was significantly associated with the nest quality, as larger females occupied high-quality nests. Our findings suggest that the small breeding area, rather than prey availability, is a limiting factor, emphasizing the role of on-land features in shaping phenotypic characteristics and fitness in land-dependent marine vertebrates.

Epidemiological survey of zoonotic helminths in feral cats in Gran Canaria island (Macaronesian archipelago-Spain).

PubMed

Rodríguez-Ponce, Eligia; González, Jorge F; Conde de Felipe, Magnolia; Hernández, Julia N; Raduan Jaber, J

2016-09-01

The presence of zoonotic parasites in feral cats have been widely considered all over the world. In Gran Canaria (Macaronesian archipelago, Canary Islands, Spain) the number of feral cats has grown out of control in urban and rural areas. 48 of Felis catus captured in different Gran Canaria areas were studied. Animals were necropsied and several organs were systematically examined in order to collect and identify macroscopic parasites. In addition, coprological tests were done in 28 cats. There were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence rate among sex, age or capture area, showing an overall prevalence of helminths of 77.1%. The most common tapeworms were Dipylidium caninum (64.6%) and Taenia taeniaeformis (31.3%), followed by the nematodes Toxocara cati (20.8%), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (18.8%), Aelurostrongylusabstrusus (10.4%) and Trichuris vulpis (2.08%). We also find several eggs of Alaria alata in the small intestine of one cat (2.08%), being the first description of this trematode in cats in the Canary Islands. Aproximatelly, 40% of the studied cats harboured more than one parasite. High rates of zoonotic species found in these animals suggest the need of controling parasitic infections and preventive measures against them.

Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III and 7th Conference on Research and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts; 2012 May 1-5; Tucson, AZ

Treesearch

Gerald J. Gottfried; Peter F. Ffolliott; Brooke S. Gebow; Lane G. Eskew; Loa C. Collins

2013-01-01

The Madrean Archipelago or Sky Islands region of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico is recognized for its unique biological diversity, natural beauty, and cultural heritage. This 2012 conference brought together scientists, managers, students, and other interested parties from the United States and Mexico to share their knowledge and passion about the...

JPRS Report, China.

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-18

Company]" came to China and performed the opera "Li Xianglan" in celebration of the 20th anniver- sary of the resumption of Sino-Japanese...JPRS-CAR-93-033 18 May 1993 !■■■■! FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE JPRS Report— China lmc Q&AujY JtöaeBcasD 19980518 252 REPRODUCED...joint ventures; vehicles of international organizations and foreign agencies in China ; vehicles used by foreign individuals in China ; and all

Countering Chinas Economic Statecraft in the South China Sea

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-04-09

Economic Statecraft in the South China Sea 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER Bradford D...created and employed a vision and strategy to control it. China continually demonstrates its economic might in the region and conducts economic ...power to counter China’s rising influence in the South China Sea. The policy and strategy should incorporate establishing strong economic ties in

Infralittoral mapping around an oceanic archipelago using MERIS FR satellite imagery and deep kelp observations: A new tool for assessing MPA coverage targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amorim, Patrícia; Atchoi, Elizabeth; Berecibar, Estibaliz; Tempera, Fernando

2015-06-01

This work presents the first climatologic maps of diffuse attenuation of down-welling solar radiation (KdPAR and Kd490 coefficients) for the Azores derived from full resolution (FR) MERIS satellite imagery. Associating this information with a new mesoscale bathymetry compilation permits estimating the percentage of surface light reaching the seabed. A video annotation dataset derived from a deep kelp survey conducted on the Formigas Bank is subsequently used to estimate the light levels experienced by these bionomically-crucial frondose algae. Empirical light-based thresholds for the lower infralittoral boundary in the Azores are derived from the deepest kelp occurrences. This information is eventually used to map the geographical extent of this major marine biological zone in the archipelago, yielding an area estimate of 894.7 km2. The average depth of the infralittoral limit in the Azores is established at 69 m. It is determined that the present Azores marine protected area (MPA) network already covers 28.9% of the region's infralittoral grounds. However, island-specific values highlight that MPA percentage coverage varies between islands with values ranging from a marginal coverage of 7.3% (on Terceira Island) to 100% coverage around the island of Corvo and the Formigas Bank. These results suggest that conservation managers may make use of the current spatially-based protection framework of the archipelago to, on the whole and for this specific major habitat, surpass the goals suggested by international conventions and conservation fora for MPA coverage. However, an analysis of the statutory MPA regulations further reveals that measures in place are insufficient to provide a no-take and no-disturbance protection of infralittoral biotopes. In order to achieve the recommended strict protection of the currently protected infralittoral zones, conservation measures ought to be enhanced.

The LEO Archipelago: A system of earth-rings for communications, mass-transport to space, solar power, and control of global warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meulenberg, Andrew; Karthik Balaji, P. S.

2011-06-01

Man's quest to get into space is hindered by major problems (e.g., system-development and capital costs, expense of putting mass into orbit, trapped-radiation belts, and environmental impact of a large increase in rocket launches). A multi-purpose low-earth-orbit system of rings circling the earth - the "LEO ARCHIPELAGO TM" - is proposed as a means of solving or bypassing many of them. A fiber-optic ring about the earth would be an initial testing and developmental stage for the Ring Systems, while providing cash-flow through a LEO-based, high-band-width, world-wide communication system. A low-earth-orbit-based space-elevator system, "Sling-on-a-Ring TM", is proposed as the crucial developmental stage of the LEO Archipelago. Being a LEO-based heavy-mass lifter, rather than earth- or GEO-based, it is much less massive and therefore less costly than other proposed space-elevators. With the advent of lower-cost, higher-mass transport to orbit, the options for further space development (e.g., space solar power, radiation, and space-debris dampers, sun shades, and permanent LEO habitation) are greatly expanded. This paper provides an update of the Sling-on-a-Ring concept in terms of new materials, potential applications, and trade-offs associated with an earlier model. The impact of Colossal Carbon Tubes, CCT, a new material with high tensile strength, extremely-low density, and other favorable properties, and other new technologies (e.g., solar-powered lasers, power beaming to near-space and earth, and thermal-control systems) on the development of associated LEO-Ring systems is also explored. The material's effect on the timeline for the system development indicates the feasibility of near-term implementation of the system (possibly within the decade). The Sling-on-a-Ring can provide a less-expensive, environment-friendly mode of access to space. This would pave the way (via eventual operation at >1000 t per day by 2050) for large scale development of space

Multi-event behavior of El Golfo landslide (El Hierro Island, Canary Archipelago)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

León, Ricardo; Biain, Ander; Urgeles, Roger; Somoza, Luis; Ferrer, Mercedes; García-Crespo, Jesús; Francisco Mediato, José; Galindo, Inés; Yepes, Jorge; Gimenez-Moreno, Julia

2017-04-01

Based on the re-interpretation of a vast onshore-offshore data set, a new morpho-structural characterization of the El Golfo giant landslide in the island of El Hierro (Canary Archipelago, Spain) is presented. Offshore multibeam echosounder data, chirp sub-bottom profiles, multichannel seismic reflection data and onshore information from water wells and galleries have been analyzed to determine the nature of the event. The subaerial headscarp shows a non-continuous arcuate profile formed by two nested semi-circular amphitheaters that extend offshore along a smooth chute, suggesting the occurrence of at least two large retrogressive events. Channels/gullies and escarpments developed along the submarine sector of the scar also indicate smaller-scale events and predominance of sediment bypass. At the base of submerged island, two subunits within the related submarine mass transport deposit (MTD) are identified on multichannel seismic reflection profiles confirming the multi-event nature of the landslide. The MTD, identified as a debris avalanche, has a total estimated volume of 318 km3: 84 km3 and 234 km3, for the lower and upper subunits respectively. Data from wells and galleries show abrasion platforms with beach deposits at sea-level (0 masl) formed after the landslide scar and buried by the El Golfo post-collapse infill lavas, suggesting an age at least older than 23.5-82.5 ka for the landslide. This work has been supported by the projects IGCP-640 S4SLIDE, High resolution seabed mapping EASME/EMFF/2016/005 and CTM2010-09496-E. Keywords: Submarine landslides, volcanic islands, debris avalanche, Canary Islands

Insecticide susceptibility of Aedes aegypti populations from Senegal and Cape Verde Archipelago.

PubMed

Dia, Ibrahima; Diagne, Cheikh Tidiane; Ba, Yamar; Diallo, Diawo; Konate, Lassana; Diallo, Mawlouth

2012-10-22

Two concomitant dengue 3 (DEN-3) epidemics occurred in Cape Verde Archipelago and Senegal between September and October 2009. Aedes aegypti was identified as the vector of these epidemics as several DEN-3 virus strains were isolated from this species in both countries. The susceptibility to pyrethroids, organochlorine, organophosphates and carbamate was investigated in two field strains of Aedes aegypti from both countries using WHO diagnostic bioassay kits in order to monitor their the current status of insecticide susceptibility. The two tested strains were highly resistant to DDT. The Cape Verde strain was found to be susceptible to all others tested insecticides except for propoxur 0.1%, which needs further investigation. The Dakar strain was susceptible to fenitrothion 1% and permethrin 0.75%, but displayed reduced susceptibility to deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and propoxur. As base-line results, our observations stress a careful management of insecticide use for the control of Ae. aegypti. Indeed, they indicate that DDT is no longer efficient for the control of Ae. aegypti populations in Cape Verde and Dakar and further suggest a thorough follow-up of propoxur susceptibility status in both sites and that of deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin in Ae. aegypti populations in Dakar. Thus, regular monitoring of susceptibility is greatly needed as well as the knowing if this observed resistance/susceptibility is focal or not and for observed resistance, the use of biochemical methods is needed with detailed comparison of resistance levels over a large geographic area. Aedes aegypti, Insecticides, Susceptibility, Cape Verde, Senegal.

Landfast ice thickness in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from observations and models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howell, Stephen E. L.; Laliberté, Frédéric; Kwok, Ron; Derksen, Chris; King, Joshua

2016-07-01

Observed and modelled landfast ice thickness variability and trends spanning more than 5 decades within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) are summarized. The observed sites (Cambridge Bay, Resolute, Eureka and Alert) represent some of the Arctic's longest records of landfast ice thickness. Observed end-of-winter (maximum) trends of landfast ice thickness (1957-2014) were statistically significant at Cambridge Bay (-4.31 ± 1.4 cm decade-1), Eureka (-4.65 ± 1.7 cm decade-1) and Alert (-4.44 ± 1.6 cm -1) but not at Resolute. Over the 50+-year record, the ice thinned by ˜ 0.24-0.26 m at Cambridge Bay, Eureka and Alert with essentially negligible change at Resolute. Although statistically significant warming in spring and fall was present at all sites, only low correlations between temperature and maximum ice thickness were present; snow depth was found to be more strongly associated with the negative ice thickness trends. Comparison with multi-model simulations from Coupled Model Intercomparison project phase 5 (CMIP5), Ocean Reanalysis Intercomparison (ORA-IP) and Pan-Arctic Ice-Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System (PIOMAS) show that although a subset of current generation models have a "reasonable" climatological representation of landfast ice thickness and distribution within the CAA, trends are unrealistic and far exceed observations by up to 2 orders of magnitude. ORA-IP models were found to have positive correlations between temperature and ice thickness over the CAA, a feature that is inconsistent with both observations and coupled models from CMIP5.

Towards Stochastic Optimization-Based Electric Vehicle Penetration in a Novel Archipelago Microgrid.

PubMed

Yang, Qingyu; An, Dou; Yu, Wei; Tan, Zhengan; Yang, Xinyu

2016-06-17

Due to the advantage of avoiding upstream disturbance and voltage fluctuation from a power transmission system, Islanded Micro-Grids (IMG) have attracted much attention. In this paper, we first propose a novel self-sufficient Cyber-Physical System (CPS) supported by Internet of Things (IoT) techniques, namely "archipelago micro-grid (MG)", which integrates the power grid and sensor networks to make the grid operation effective and is comprised of multiple MGs while disconnected with the utility grid. The Electric Vehicles (EVs) are used to replace a portion of Conventional Vehicles (CVs) to reduce CO 2 emission and operation cost. Nonetheless, the intermittent nature and uncertainty of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) remain a challenging issue in managing energy resources in the system. To address these issues, we formalize the optimal EV penetration problem as a two-stage Stochastic Optimal Penetration (SOP) model, which aims to minimize the emission and operation cost in the system. Uncertainties coming from RESs (e.g., wind, solar, and load demand) are considered in the stochastic model and random parameters to represent those uncertainties are captured by the Monte Carlo-based method. To enable the reasonable deployment of EVs in each MGs, we develop two scheduling schemes, namely Unlimited Coordinated Scheme (UCS) and Limited Coordinated Scheme (LCS), respectively. An extensive simulation study based on a modified 9 bus system with three MGs has been carried out to show the effectiveness of our proposed schemes. The evaluation data indicates that our proposed strategy can reduce both the environmental pollution created by CO 2 emissions and operation costs in UCS and LCS.

Estimation of mercury background values in sediment and biota of the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea-Bissau.

PubMed

Coelho, J P; Monteiro, R J R; Catry, T; Lourenço, P M; Catry, P; Regalla, A; Catry, I; Figueira, P; Pereira, E; Vale, C; P Granadeiro, José

2016-10-15

This work evaluates the mercury (Hg) contamination status (sediments and biota) of the Bijagós archipelago, off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. Sediments exhibited very low concentrations (<1-12ngg(-1)), pointing to negligible sources of anthropogenic Hg in the region. Nevertheless, Hg is well correlated to the fine fraction, aluminium, and loss on ignition, indicating the effect of grain size and organic matter content on the presence of Hg in sediments. Mercury in the bivalves Tagelus adansoni and Senilia senilis did not vary considerably among sites, ranging within narrow intervals (0.09-0.12 and 0.12-0.14μgg(-1) (dry weight), respectively). Divergent substrate preferences/feeding tactics may justify slight differences between species. The value 11ngg(-1) is proposed as the sediment background concentration for this West-African coastal region, and concentrations within the interval 8-10ngg(-1) (wet weight) may be considered as reference range for S. senilis and T. adansoni in future monitoring studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aging in China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheppard, Harold L.; Streib, Gordon F.

This document consists of facts and impressions gathered during 1984, in the course of an 18-day visit to the Peoples Republic of China by a team of epidemiologists and gerontologists from the United States. The major portion of the paper presents demographic, economic, and social perspectives on aging in China. It is noted that China remains a…

Pelagic seabird surveys in the Tuamotu and Gambier Archipelagos, French Polynesia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vanderwerf, Eric A.; Pierce, Ray J.; Gill, Verena A.; Wragg, Graham; Raust, Philippe; Tibbitts, T. Lee

2006-01-01

We conducted pelagic seabird surveys in the Gambier and Tuamotu Archipelagos in the southeastern Pacific Ocean totaling 40 hours during 7-27 March 2003 and 22.5 hours during 22-27 July 2001. We used a 300-m-wide strip transect to estimate seabird density, and we estimated relative abundance of birds at all distances. In 2001, we observed a total of 326 birds of 18 species. The mean relative abundance of all birds was 14.3 ?? 3.1/h. Red-footed Booby Sula sula was the most abundant species (5.6/h), followed by White Tern Gygis alba (3.4/h), and Great Crested or Swift Tern Sterna bergii (1.2/h). In 2003, we observed a total of 1463 birds of 25 species. The mean relative abundance of all birds was 36.6 ?? 11.4/h and the mean density of all birds was 4.14 ?? 0.72/km2. Brown Noddy Anous stolidus was the most abundant species (17.6/h, 1.5/km2), followed by White Tern (8.4/h, 1.3/km2), and Red-footed Booby (4.6/h, 0.8/km2). Several globally or locally rare species were observed infrequently, including Phoenix Petrel Pterodroma alba (0.1/h, 0.03/km2). Distribution of birds was uneven, with long periods of no birds punctuated by occasional feeding flocks. In 2003, species diversity was related to length of observation period, with more species observed on longer segments (r2 = 0.58, F1.5 = 6.03, P = 0.05). Although the duration and extent of our surveys were limited, these data are valuable because little published information is available on pelagic seabirds in southeastern Polynesia.

Late Pliocene and Quaternary Eurasian locust infestations in the Canary Archipelago

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meco, J.; Muhs, D.R.; Fontugne, M.; Ramos, A.J.; Lomoschitz, A.; Patterson, D.

2011-01-01

The Canary Archipelago has long been a sensitive location to record climate changes of the past. Interbedded with its basalt lavas are marine deposits from the principal Pleistocene interglacials, as well as aeolian sands with intercalated palaeosols. The palaeosols contain African dust and innumerable relict egg pods of a temperate-region locust (cf. Dociostaurus maroccanusThunberg 1815). New ecological and stratigraphical information reveals the geological history of locust plagues (or infestations) and their palaeoclimatic significance. Here, we show that the first arrival of the plagues to the Canary Islands from Africa took place near the end of the Pliocene, ca. 3Ma, and reappeared with immense strength during the middle Late Pleistocene preceding MIS (marine isotope stage) 11 (ca. 420ka), MIS 5.5 (ca. 125ka) and probably during other warm interglacials of the late Middle Pleistocene and the Late Pleistocene. During the Early Holocene, locust plagues may have coincided with a brief cool period in the current interglacial. Climatically, locust plagues on the Canaries are a link in the chain of full-glacial arid-cold climate (calcareous dunes), early interglacial arid-sub-humid climate (African dust inputs and locust plagues), peak interglacial warm-humid climate (marine deposits with Senegalese fauna), transitional arid-temperate climate (pedogenic calcretes), and again full-glacial arid-cold climate (calcareous dunes) oscillations. During the principal interglacials of the Pleistocene, the Canary Islands recorded the migrations of warm Senegalese marine faunas to the north, crossing latitudes in the Euro-African Atlantic. However, this northward marine faunal migration was preceded in the terrestrial realm by interglacial infestations of locusts. ??? Locust plagues, Canary Islands, Late Pliocene, Pleistocene, Holocene, palaeoclimatology. ?? 2010 The Authors, Lethaia ?? 2010 The Lethaia Foundation.

Satellite SST-Based Coral Disease Outbreak Predictions for the Hawaiian Archipelago.

PubMed

Caldwell, Jamie M; Heron, Scott F; Eakin, C Mark; Donahue, Megan J

2016-02-01

Predicting wildlife disease risk is essential for effective monitoring and management, especially for geographically expansive ecosystems such as coral reefs in the Hawaiian archipelago. Warming ocean temperature has increased coral disease outbreaks contributing to declines in coral cover worldwide. In this study we investigated seasonal effects of thermal stress on the prevalence of the three most widespread coral diseases in Hawai'i: Montipora white syndrome, Porites growth anomalies and Porites tissue loss syndrome. To predict outbreak likelihood we compared disease prevalence from surveys conducted between 2004 and 2015 from 18 Hawaiian Islands and atolls with biotic (e.g., coral density) and abiotic (satellite-derived sea surface temperature metrics) variables using boosted regression trees. To date, the only coral disease forecast models available were developed for Acropora white syndrome on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Given the complexities of disease etiology, differences in host demography and environmental conditions across reef regions, it is important to refine and adapt such models for different diseases and geographic regions of interest. Similar to the Acropora white syndrome models, anomalously warm conditions were important for predicting Montipora white syndrome, possibly due to a relationship between thermal stress and a compromised host immune system. However, coral density and winter conditions were the most important predictors of all three coral diseases in this study, enabling development of a forecasting system that can predict regions of elevated disease risk up to six months before an expected outbreak. Our research indicates satellite-derived systems for forecasting disease outbreaks can be appropriately adapted from the GBR tools and applied for a variety of diseases in a new region. These models can be used to enhance management capacity to prepare for and respond to emerging coral diseases throughout Hawai'i and can be modified

Satellite SST-Based Coral Disease Outbreak Predictions for the Hawaiian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Caldwell, Jamie M.; Heron, Scott F.; Eakin, C. Mark; Donahue, Megan J.

2017-01-01

Predicting wildlife disease risk is essential for effective monitoring and management, especially for geographically expansive ecosystems such as coral reefs in the Hawaiian archipelago. Warming ocean temperature has increased coral disease outbreaks contributing to declines in coral cover worldwide. In this study we investigated seasonal effects of thermal stress on the prevalence of the three most widespread coral diseases in Hawai’i: Montipora white syndrome, Porites growth anomalies and Porites tissue loss syndrome. To predict outbreak likelihood we compared disease prevalence from surveys conducted between 2004 and 2015 from 18 Hawaiian Islands and atolls with biotic (e.g., coral density) and abiotic (satellite-derived sea surface temperature metrics) variables using boosted regression trees. To date, the only coral disease forecast models available were developed for Acropora white syndrome on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Given the complexities of disease etiology, differences in host demography and environmental conditions across reef regions, it is important to refine and adapt such models for different diseases and geographic regions of interest. Similar to the Acropora white syndrome models, anomalously warm conditions were important for predicting Montipora white syndrome, possibly due to a relationship between thermal stress and a compromised host immune system. However, coral density and winter conditions were the most important predictors of all three coral diseases in this study, enabling development of a forecasting system that can predict regions of elevated disease risk up to six months before an expected outbreak. Our research indicates satellite-derived systems for forecasting disease outbreaks can be appropriately adapted from the GBR tools and applied for a variety of diseases in a new region. These models can be used to enhance management capacity to prepare for and respond to emerging coral diseases throughout Hawai’i and can be

Sediment characteristics and microbiological contamination of beach sand - A case-study in the archipelago of Madeira.

PubMed

Abreu, Roberto; Figueira, Celso; Romão, Daniela; Brandão, João; Freitas, M Conceição; Andrade, César; Calado, Graça; Ferreira, Carmen; Campos, Ana; Prada, Susana

2016-12-15

Beach sand can harbour pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms, as well as faecal indicator bacteria that influence directly the bathing water quality. Pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms often raise concern of exposure during beach related recreational activities. In this work, three different types of sandy beaches (natural basaltic, natural calcareous and artificial calcareous) of the Archipelago of Madeira (Portugal) were sampled for bacterial and fungal contaminants and grain size distribution, during four years (2010-2013). Following an extreme weather event in 2010, the faecal indicator bacteria levels spiked, returning to base levels shortly thereafter. The same phenomenon occurred with fungi, where potentially pathogenic fungi were the dominant group. Yeast-like fungi and dermatophytes were, however, mainly associated to months of higher usage by recreational users. Statistical analysis showed higher contamination of sediment in artificial beaches compared to natural beaches and granulometry and chemical composition of sand did not influence in the microbial loads. Instead, bather density and the influence of coastal protection structures needed to maintain the volume of artificial beach sand regarding the removal potential of wave induced currents are obvious influencing factors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Testing the island effect on phenotypic diversification: insights from the Hemidactylus geckos of the Socotra Archipelago

PubMed Central

Garcia-Porta, Joan; Šmíd, Jiří; Sol, Daniel; Fasola, Mauro; Carranza, Salvador

2016-01-01

Island colonization is often assumed to trigger extreme levels of phenotypic diversification. Yet, empirical evidence suggests that it does not always so. In this study we test this hypothesis using a completely sampled mainland-island system, the arid clade of Hemidactylus, a group of geckos mainly distributed across Africa, Arabia and the Socotra Archipelago. To such purpose, we generated a new molecular phylogeny of the group on which we mapped body size and head proportions. We then explored whether island and continental taxa shared the same morphospace and differed in their disparities and tempos of evolution. Insular species produced the most extreme sizes of the radiation, involving accelerated rates of evolution and higher disparities compared with most (but not all) of the continental groups. In contrast, head proportions exhibited constant evolutionary rates across the radiation and similar disparities in islands compared with the continent. These results, although generally consistent with the notion that islands promote high morphological disparity, reveal at the same time a complex scenario in which different traits may experience different evolutionary patterns in the same mainland-island system and continental groups do not always present low levels of morphological diversification compared to insular groups. PMID:27071837

Parallel responses of bees to Pleistocene climate change in three isolated archipelagos of the southwestern Pacific.

PubMed

Groom, Scott V C; Stevens, Mark I; Schwarz, Michael P

2014-06-22

The impacts of glacial cycles on the geographical distribution and size of populations have been explored for numerous terrestrial and marine taxa. However, most studies have focused on high latitudes, with only a few focused on the response of biota to the last glacial maximum (LGM) in equatorial regions. Here, we examine how population sizes of key bee fauna in the southwest Pacific archipelagos of Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa have fluctuated over the Quaternary. We show that all three island faunas suffered massive population declines, roughly corresponding in time to the LGM, followed by rapid expansion post-LGM. Our data therefore suggest that Pleistocene climate change has had major impacts across a very broad tropical region. While other studies indicate widespread Holarctic effects of the LGM, our data suggest a much wider range of latitudes, extending to the tropics, where these climate change repercussions were important. As key pollinators, the inferred changes in these bee faunas may have been critical in the development of the diverse Pacific island flora. The magnitude of these responses indicates future climate change scenarios may have alarming consequences for Pacific island systems involving pollinator-dependent plant communities and agricultural crops.

Testing the island effect on phenotypic diversification: insights from the Hemidactylus geckos of the Socotra Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Porta, Joan; Šmíd, Jiří; Sol, Daniel; Fasola, Mauro; Carranza, Salvador

2016-04-01

Island colonization is often assumed to trigger extreme levels of phenotypic diversification. Yet, empirical evidence suggests that it does not always so. In this study we test this hypothesis using a completely sampled mainland-island system, the arid clade of Hemidactylus, a group of geckos mainly distributed across Africa, Arabia and the Socotra Archipelago. To such purpose, we generated a new molecular phylogeny of the group on which we mapped body size and head proportions. We then explored whether island and continental taxa shared the same morphospace and differed in their disparities and tempos of evolution. Insular species produced the most extreme sizes of the radiation, involving accelerated rates of evolution and higher disparities compared with most (but not all) of the continental groups. In contrast, head proportions exhibited constant evolutionary rates across the radiation and similar disparities in islands compared with the continent. These results, although generally consistent with the notion that islands promote high morphological disparity, reveal at the same time a complex scenario in which different traits may experience different evolutionary patterns in the same mainland-island system and continental groups do not always present low levels of morphological diversification compared to insular groups.

Semi volatile organic compounds in the snow of Russian Arctic islands: Archipelago Novaya Zemlya.

PubMed

Lebedev, A T; Mazur, D M; Polyakova, O V; Kosyakov, D S; Kozhevnikov, A Yu; Latkin, T B; Andreeva Yu, I; Artaev, V B

2018-04-18

Environmental contamination of the Arctic has widely been used as a worldwide pollution marker. Various classes of organic pollutants such as pesticides, personal care products, PAHs, flame retardants, biomass burning markers, and many others emerging contaminants have been regularly detected in Arctic samples. Although numerous papers have been published reporting data from the Canadian, Danish, and Norwegian Arctic regions, the environmental situation in Russian Arctic remains mostly underreported. Snow analysis is known to be used for monitoring air pollution in the regions with cold climate in both short-term and long-term studies. This paper presents the results of a nontargeted study on the semivolatile organic compounds detected and identified in snow samples collected at the Russian Artic Archipelago Novaya Zemlya in June 2016. Gas chromatography coupled to a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer enabled the simultaneous detection and quantification of a variety of pollutants including those from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) priority pollutants list, emerging contaminants (plasticizers, flame retardants-only detection), as well as the identification of novel Arctic organic pollutants, (e.g., fatty acid amides and polyoxyalkanes). The possible sources of these novel pollutants are also discussed. GC-HRMS enabled the detection and identification of emerging contaminants and novel organic pollutants in the Arctic, e.g., fatty amides and polyoxyalkanes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immediate replacement of fishing with dairying by the earliest farmers of the northeast Atlantic archipelagos

PubMed Central

Cramp, Lucy J. E.; Jones, Jennifer; Sheridan, Alison; Smyth, Jessica; Whelton, Helen; Mulville, Jacqui; Sharples, Niall; Evershed, Richard P.

2014-01-01

The appearance of farming, from its inception in the Near East around 12 000 years ago, finally reached the northwestern extremes of Europe by the fourth millennium BC or shortly thereafter. Various models have been invoked to explain the Neolithization of northern Europe; however, resolving these different scenarios has proved problematic due to poor faunal preservation and the lack of specificity achievable for commonly applied proxies. Here, we present new multi-proxy evidence, which qualitatively and quantitatively maps subsistence change in the northeast Atlantic archipelagos from the Late Mesolithic into the Neolithic and beyond. A model involving significant retention of hunter–gatherer–fisher influences was tested against one of the dominant adoptions of farming using a novel suite of lipid biomarkers, including dihydroxy fatty acids, ω-(o-alkylphenyl)alkanoic acids and stable carbon isotope signatures of individual fatty acids preserved in cooking vessels. These new findings, together with archaeozoological and human skeletal collagen bulk stable carbon isotope proxies, unequivocally confirm rejection of marine resources by early farmers coinciding with the adoption of intensive dairy farming. This pattern of Neolithization contrasts markedly to that occurring contemporaneously in the Baltic, suggesting that geographically distinct ecological and cultural influences dictated the evolution of subsistence practices at this critical phase of European prehistory. PMID:24523264

China Emerging

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-14

historical components to the disputes in the South China Sea that have bearing on the issue. China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia , the Philippines...government for needed efficiency. It becomes more and more untenable for an authoritative government to enforce censorship , political repression, state

The reverse environmental gender gap in China: evidence from "The China Survey".

PubMed

Shields, Todd; Zeng, Ka

2012-01-01

Objectives This article explores gender differences in attitudes about the seriousness of the environment as a problem in China using the “2008 China Survey.” Methods We use generalized ordered logit models to analyze survey respondents’ environmental attitudes. Results Our results indicate that there is indeed a “gender gap” in environmental attitudes in China, but the pattern is reversed from what has been generally found in previous work conducted in the United States and Europe. Chinese men, not women, show a greater concern about environmental problems and the seriousness of the environmental degradation in China. Further, we find that this gender gap is based largely in the substantial economic and educational differences between men and women in contemporary China. Conclusions This study emphasizes the mediating influence of socioeconomic variables in explaining gender attitudes toward the environment in China. Our findings suggest that in different contexts, women may be faced with difficult decisions between immediate economic necessities and long-term environmental concerns. The observed environmental gender gap in China will likely persist unless further economic development results in improved access to education and economic conditions for Chinese women.

Experimental analysis of the effects of consumer exclusion on recruitment and succession of a coral reef system along a water quality gradient in the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plass-Johnson, Jeremiah G.; Heiden, Jasmin P.; Abu, Nur; Lukman, Muhammad; Teichberg, Mirta

2016-03-01

The composition of coral reef benthic communities is strongly affected by variation in water quality and consumer abundance and composition. This is particularly evident in highly populated coastal regions where humans depend on coral reef resources and where terrestrial run-off can change the chemical composition of the water. We tested the effects of grazing pressure and ambient water conditions along an established eutrophication gradient on the recruitment and successional development of benthic communities of the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia, through caging experiments with settlement tiles. Within 1 month, benthic community composition of the closest reef to land, near the city of Makassar, was significantly different from other sites further offshore, driven primarily by differences in recruitment of invertebrates or turf algae. In contrast to other caging experiments, consumer exclusion had no effect after 3 months, suggesting that larger, mobile consumers had little effect on the benthic communities of these reefs at all sites. Despite conditions that usually favour macroalgal development, this group was rarely observed on recruitment tiles even after 4 months of consumer exclusion. Furthermore, tiles from both the caged and open treatments retained high proportions of open space indicating the possible role of small-sized or non-fish consumers that were not excluded from the experiment. These results indicate that, unlike many other studies, benthic consumers in the Spermonde Archipelago had little effect on the recruitment and early succession of the reef habitat and that unexamined biota such as mesograzers may be significant in degraded systems.

Bioethics in China.

PubMed

Li, En-Chang

2008-09-01

Historically, the preconditions for the emergence of bioethics in China. were political reforms and their applications. The Hanzhong Euthanasia Case and the publication of Qiu Ren-zong's academic work Bioethics played a significant role in the development of bioethics in China. Other contributory factors include the establishment of the Chinese Society of Medical Ethics/Chinese Medical Association (C.M.A), the publication of the Journal of Chinese Medical Ethics, and the teaching and education of bioethics in China. Major achievements of bioethics in China include the establishment of ethics committee and ethics review system, active international communication and cooperation among the academic circles, and the successful management of the 8th World Congress of Bioethics in Beijing in 2006. Chinese bioethics focus on native Chinese realities and conditions, absorb the international research achievements in relevant fields, and combine international ideas with traditional Chinese doctrines. Admittedly, there are still some aspects to be improved, yet bioethics has attracted a lot of attention from the core leadership in China and has gained sound financial support, which augers well for its further development. This article also briefly introduces the development of bioethics in Hong Kong and Taiwan, China.

China’s Aircraft Carrier Ambitions: An Update

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

humanitarian relief. Hu has also endorsed a “far-seas opera- tions” (远海作 战 ) concept for the PLAN, one that implies some new level of power-projection...space require aircraft carriers: “to solve the need for struggle against Taiwan [independence] [解决对台斗 争 需要] and to resolve the dispute over the Nansha...Spratlys] Archipelago [解决南沙群岛 争 端].” In operational terms, Liu believed that “whether the attack type or the V/STOL type, they [aircraft carriers

The influences of the AMO and NAO on the sedimentary infill in an Azores Archipelago lake since ca. 1350 CE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, Armand; Sáez, Alberto; Bao, Roberto; Raposeiro, Pedro M.; Trigo, Ricardo M.; Doolittle, Sara; Masqué, Pere; Rull, Valentí; Gonçalves, Vítor; Vázquez-Loureiro, David; Rubio-Inglés, María J.; Sánchez-López, Guiomar; Giralt, Santiago

2017-07-01

The location of the Azores Archipelago in the North Atlantic makes this group of islands an excellent setting to study the long-term behavior of large oceanic and atmospheric climate dynamic patterns, such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Here, we present the impacts of these patterns on Lake Empadadas (Azores Archipelago) from the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) - Little Ice Age (LIA) transition to the present based on sedimentological, geochemical and biological characterizations of the sedimentary record. Multivariate analyses of a number of proxies including X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), total organic and inorganic carbon (TOC and TIC) and diatom life forms abundance reveal that the sedimentary infill evolution has been controlled by (i) fluctuations in the lake level and (ii) variations in organic matter accumulation. Both processes are governed by climate variability and modulated by anthropogenic activities associated with changes on the lake catchment. Changes in these two sedimentary processes have been used to infer five stages: (i) the MCA-LIA transition (ca. 1350-1450 CE) was characterized by a predominantly positive AMO phase, which led to intermediate lake levels and high organic matter concentration; (ii) the first half of the LIA (ca. 1450-1600 CE) was characterized by predominant lowstand conditions and intermediate organic matter deposition mainly related to negative AMO phases; (iii) the second half of the LIA (ca. 1600-1850 CE) was characterized by negative AMO and NAO phases, implying intermediate lake levels and high organic matter deposition; (iv) the Industrial era (ca. 1850-1980 CE) was characterized by the lowest lake level and organic matter accumulation associated with negative AMO phases; and (v) the period spanning between 1980 CE and the present reveals the highest lake levels and low organic matter deposition, being associated with very positive AMO

Sea ice convergence along the Arctic coasts of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Variability and extremes (1992-2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwok, Ron

2015-09-01

After the summer of 2013, a convergence-induced tail in the thickness distribution of the ice cover is found along the Arctic coasts of Greenland and Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Prompted by this, a normalized ice convergence index (ICI) is introduced to examine the variability and extremes in convergence in a 23 year record (1992-2014) of monthly ice drift. Large-scale composites of circulation patterns, characteristic of regional convergence and divergence, are examined. Indeed, the ICI shows the June 2013 convergence event to be an extreme (i.e., ICI > 2). Furthermore, there is a cluster of 9 months over a 17 month period with positive ICIs (i.e., >1) following the record summer minimum ice extent (SMIE) in 2012; the imprint of ice dynamics from this cluster of positive ICIs likely contributed to higher SMIEs in 2013 and 2014. The impact of convergence on SMIE is discussed, and the increase in Arctic ice volume in 2013 is underscored.

China: Tradition and Transformation. Curriculum Projects. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Program, 2002 (China).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Committee on United States-China Relations, New York, NY.

This collection of 15 curriculum projects is the result of a summer seminar in China for teachers and scholars. Projects in the collection are: (1) "Perspectives on Modern Political/Social Issues in China" (Sandy Conlon); (2) "Ancient History X Projects/China" (Michael Corey); (3) "Education and Development: China, a Case…

U.S.-China Maritime Confidence Building. Paradigms, Precedents, and Prospects (China Maritime Study, Number 6)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

China Maritime Confidence Building www.usnwc.edu/Research--- Gaming /China-Maritime-Studies-Institute.aspx Paradigms, Precedents, and Prospects David...addressed to the director of the China Maritime Studies Institute, www.usnwc.edu/Research--- Gaming / China-Maritime-Studies-Institute.aspx. To...Businesspeople enjoying a drink in Shanghai, young women having their nails manicured in trendy Beijing salons , and poor peasant farmers in central China

JPRS Report, China.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-27

vice president of the China University of Politics and Law and supervisor of doctoral candidates in administrative law ; Sun Bingzhu [1327 3521...China. Invited to attend were Gong Xiangrui [78905 4382 3843], professor of politics and law at Beijing University; Cheng Guangzhong [7115 0342 0022...legal scholars; Chen Xiaoping [7115 1420 1627], deputy director of the constitutional law teaching and research section at the China University of

Brucellosis seroprevalence in Bali cattle with reproductive failure in South Sulawesi and Brucella abortus biovar 1 genotypes in the Eastern Indonesian archipelago.

PubMed

Muflihanah, Hanah; Hatta, Mochammad; Rood, Ente; Scheelbeek, Pauline; Abdoel, Theresia H; Smits, Henk L

2013-11-26

Brucellosis is a major cause of infertility and reproductive failure in livestock. While cattle in the Eastern Indonesian archipelago suffers from reproductive problems information on bovine brucellosis in the region is fragmentary. The control of brucellosis requires a major and prolonged effort and confirmation of the infection by isolation with detailed knowledge of the spread of the infection is essential when planning a control program. Serological investigation of Brucella infection in beef cattle tended under extensive farming conditions revealed a high seroprevalence (19.3%; 95% CI, 17-22) in the compliment fixation tests. The results of a rapid and simple field test correlated well with the Rose Bengal test (kappa, 0.917) and indicated an acceptable sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (98.1%) compared with the complement fixation test. Reproductive failure was reported for 39.0% of the cows with a loss of calves due to abortion or early death amounting to 19.3%. Past reproductive failure did not, however, correlate with seropositivity in the complement fixation test (RP = 1.21; P = 0.847). B. abortus biovar 1 was freshly isolated from the hygromas of two cows and together with thirty banked isolates collected since 1990 from different parts of Sulawesi and Timor eight related genotypes could be distinguished with one genotype being identical to that of an isolate (BfR91) from Switzerland. The Indonesian genotypes formed together with BfR91 and one African and one North American isolate a distinct branch on the B. abortus biovar 1 dendogram. Bovine brucellosis appears to be widespread in the Eastern Indonesian archipelago and calls for urgent intervention. The fresh isolation of the pathogen together with the observed high seroprevalence demonstrates the presence and frequent exposure of cattle in the area to the pathogen. The application of a rapid and simple field test for brucellosis could be very useful for the quick screening of cattle at the pen side.

Developmental Idealism in China

PubMed Central

Thornton, Arland; Xie, Yu

2016-01-01

This paper examines the intersection of developmental idealism with China. It discusses how developmental idealism has been widely disseminated within China and has had enormous effects on public policy and programs, on social institutions, and on the lives of individuals and their families. This dissemination of developmental idealism to China began in the 19th century, when China met with several military defeats that led many in the country to question the place of China in the world. By the beginning of the 20th century, substantial numbers of Chinese had reacted to the country’s defeats by exploring developmental idealism as a route to independence, international respect, and prosperity. Then, with important but brief aberrations, the country began to implement many of the elements of developmental idealism, a movement that became especially important following the assumption of power by the Communist Party of China in 1949. This movement has played a substantial role in politics, in the economy, and in family life. The beliefs and values of developmental idealism have also been directly disseminated to the grassroots in China, where substantial majorities of Chinese citizens have assimilated them. These ideas are both known and endorsed by very large numbers in China today. PMID:28316833

Developmental Idealism in China.

PubMed

Thornton, Arland; Xie, Yu

2016-10-01

This paper examines the intersection of developmental idealism with China. It discusses how developmental idealism has been widely disseminated within China and has had enormous effects on public policy and programs, on social institutions, and on the lives of individuals and their families. This dissemination of developmental idealism to China began in the 19 th century, when China met with several military defeats that led many in the country to question the place of China in the world. By the beginning of the 20 th century, substantial numbers of Chinese had reacted to the country's defeats by exploring developmental idealism as a route to independence, international respect, and prosperity. Then, with important but brief aberrations, the country began to implement many of the elements of developmental idealism, a movement that became especially important following the assumption of power by the Communist Party of China in 1949. This movement has played a substantial role in politics, in the economy, and in family life. The beliefs and values of developmental idealism have also been directly disseminated to the grassroots in China, where substantial majorities of Chinese citizens have assimilated them. These ideas are both known and endorsed by very large numbers in China today.

China Dust

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-16

... SpectroRadiometer (MISR) nadir-camera images of eastern China compare a somewhat hazy summer view from July 9, 2000 (left) with a ... arid and sparsely vegetated surfaces of Mongolia and western China pick up large quantities of yellow dust. Airborne dust clouds from the ...

Headache care in China.

PubMed

Yu, Shengyuan; Zhang, Mingjie; Zhou, Jiying; Liu, Ruozhuo; Wan, Qi; Li, Yansheng

2014-04-01

Headache disorders are problematic worldwide. China is no different. A population-based door-to-door survey revealed that the 1-year prevalence of primary headache disorders in China was 23.8%, constituting a major societal burden. Many headache centers and clinics have been established in China, and headache disorders (and associated stress) are receiving an increased level of expert attention. This review summarizes the outcomes of the epidemiological survey and the progress of clinical and basic research in China, describes the present situation in terms of headache diagnosis and treatment, and discusses the future of headache care in China. © 2014 American Headache Society.

Potential benefits to fisheries and biodiversity of the Chagos Archipelago/British Indian Ocean Territory as a no-take marine reserve.

PubMed

Koldewey, Heather J; Curnick, David; Harding, Simon; Harrison, Lucy R; Gollock, Matthew

2010-11-01

On 1st April 2010, the British Government announced designation of the British Indian Ocean Territory--or Chagos Archipelago--as the world's largest marine protected area (MPA). This near pristine ocean ecosystem now represents 16% of the worlds fully protected coral reef, 60% of the world's no-take protected areas and an uncontaminated reference site for ecological studies. In addition these gains for biodiversity conservation, the Chagos/BIOT MPA also offers subsidiary opportunities to act as a fisheries management tool for the western Indian Ocean, considering its size and location. While the benefits of MPAs for coral-reef dwelling species are established, there is uncertainty about their effects on pelagic migratory species. This paper reviews the increasing body of evidence to demonstrate that positive, measurable reserve effects exist for pelagic populations and that migratory species can benefit from no-take marine reserves. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in marine fishes along the Chinese coastline.

PubMed

Xia, Chonghuan; Lam, James C W; Wu, Xiaoguo; Sun, Liguang; Xie, Zhouqing; Lam, Paul K S

2011-03-01

This study reports concentrations of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in two species of marine fish, large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaenacrocea) and silver pomfret (Pampusargenteus) (n = 46), from nine Chinese coastal cities (Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Zhoushan, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Xiamen). HBCDs were detectable in all samples analyzed, indicating ubiquitous contamination of these compounds in the Chinese coastal environment. The average total HBCD concentration was 3.7 ng g⁻¹ lipid weight (range: 0.57-10.1 ng g⁻¹ lipid weight), which is relatively lower than other regions of the world, especially Europe, where HBCDs are intensively used. Among the three individual HBCD isomers (α-, β- and γ-HBCD) in all fish samples, the α-isomer showed a remarkable predominance (from 87.5% to 100% of total contribution), indicating its higher bioaccumulative potential. Geographically, the highest HBCD level present in fish was found in Dalian in northern China, and the lowest occurred in Wenzhou. Estimated daily intakes of HBCDs via fish consumption for the Chinese population were 0.004-1.00 ng kg body weight⁻¹ d⁻¹. These exposure levels were much lower than the effect levels. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Annually and monthly resolved solar irradiance and atmospheric temperature data across the Hawaiian archipelago from 1998 to 2015 with interannual summary statistics.

PubMed

Bryce, Richard; Losada Carreño, Ignacio; Kumler, Andrew; Hodge, Bri-Mathias; Roberts, Billy; Brancucci Martinez-Anido, Carlo

2018-08-01

This article contains data and summary statistics of solar irradiance and dry bulb temperature across the Hawaiian archipelago resolved on a monthly basis and spanning years 1998-2015. This data was derived in association with an article titled "Consequences of Neglecting the Interannual Variability of the Solar Resource: A Case Study of Photovoltaic Power Among the Hawaiian Islands" (Bryce et al., 2018 [7]). The solar irradiance data is presented in terms of Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI), Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance (DHI), and Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and was obtained from the satellite-derived data contained in the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB). The temperature data is also obtained from this source. We have processed the NSRDB data and compiled these monthly resolved data sets, along with interannual summary statistics including the interannual coefficient of variability.

Towards Stochastic Optimization-Based Electric Vehicle Penetration in a Novel Archipelago Microgrid

PubMed Central

Yang, Qingyu; An, Dou; Yu, Wei; Tan, Zhengan; Yang, Xinyu

2016-01-01

Due to the advantage of avoiding upstream disturbance and voltage fluctuation from a power transmission system, Islanded Micro-Grids (IMG) have attracted much attention. In this paper, we first propose a novel self-sufficient Cyber-Physical System (CPS) supported by Internet of Things (IoT) techniques, namely “archipelago micro-grid (MG)”, which integrates the power grid and sensor networks to make the grid operation effective and is comprised of multiple MGs while disconnected with the utility grid. The Electric Vehicles (EVs) are used to replace a portion of Conventional Vehicles (CVs) to reduce CO2 emission and operation cost. Nonetheless, the intermittent nature and uncertainty of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) remain a challenging issue in managing energy resources in the system. To address these issues, we formalize the optimal EV penetration problem as a two-stage Stochastic Optimal Penetration (SOP) model, which aims to minimize the emission and operation cost in the system. Uncertainties coming from RESs (e.g., wind, solar, and load demand) are considered in the stochastic model and random parameters to represent those uncertainties are captured by the Monte Carlo-based method. To enable the reasonable deployment of EVs in each MGs, we develop two scheduling schemes, namely Unlimited Coordinated Scheme (UCS) and Limited Coordinated Scheme (LCS), respectively. An extensive simulation study based on a modified 9 bus system with three MGs has been carried out to show the effectiveness of our proposed schemes. The evaluation data indicates that our proposed strategy can reduce both the environmental pollution created by CO2 emissions and operation costs in UCS and LCS. PMID:27322281

Microseismic noise in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, equatorial Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Queiroz, Daniel É.; do Nascimento, Aderson F.; Schimmel, Martin

2017-12-01

Microseismic noise, also known as ambient seismic noise, are continuous vibrations mostly composed of Rayleigh waves pervasively recorded in the mili Hertz to 1 Hz frequency range. Their precise source mechanisms are under investigations and related to atmospheric perturbations and ocean gravity waves. Our purpose is to show the behavior of the microseismic noise recorded in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA) with respect to wind intensity and ocean waves height in this region, between the North and South Atlantic Ocean. We have recorded both primary microseisms (PM) 0.04-0.12 Hz and the secondary microseisms (SM) 0.12-0.4 Hz during almost four years (2012-2015) and we used frequency, temporal, spatial and statistical correlation analysis to do qualitative and quantitative analysis with respect to wind speed intensity and significant wave height for the same periods. The results indicate a good correlation between the PM and the SM noise in the region particularly during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere and a poor correlation during the summer. We have also shown that probably most of the PM are generated in the SPSPA itself. We note that the intensity of SM recorded in SPSPA appears to have a seasonal behavior with the summer and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and seems to influence the correlation between the PM and the SM, suggesting that the sources of the PM and the SM are not related to the same atmospheric event and from different places. PM generation would occur near the SPSPA whilst the SM would have distant sources towards the North Atlantic.

High resolution numerical simulation (WRF V3) of an extreme rainy event over the Guadeloupe archipelago: Case of 3-5 january 2011.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernard, Didier C.; Cécé, Raphaël; Dorville, Jean-François

2013-04-01

During the dry season, the Guadeloupe archipelago may be affected by extreme rainy disturbances which may induce floods in a very short time. C. Brévignon (2003) considered a heavy rain event for rainfall upper 100 mm per day (out of mountainous areas) for this tropical region. During a cold front passage (3-5 January 2011), torrential rainfalls caused floods, major damages, landslides and five deaths. This phenomenon has put into question the current warning system based on large scale numerical models. This low-resolution forecasting (around 50-km scale) has been unsuitable for small tropical island like Guadeloupe (1600 km2). The most affected area was the middle of Grande-Terre island which is the main flat island of the archipelago (area of 587 km2, peak at 136 m). It is the most populated sector of Guadeloupe. In this area, observed rainfall have reached to 100-160 mm in 24 hours (this amount is equivalent to two months of rain for January (C. Brévignon, 2003)), in less 2 hours drainage systems have been saturated, and five people died in a ravine. Since two years, the atmospheric model WRF ARW V3 (Skamarock et al., 2008) has been used to modeling meteorological variables fields observed over the Guadeloupe archipelago at high resolution 1-km scale (Cécé et al., 2011). The model error estimators show that meteorological variables seem to be properly simulated for standard types of weather: undisturbed, strong or weak trade winds. These simulations indicate that for synoptic winds weak to moderate, a small island like Grande-Terre is able to generate inland convergence zones during daytime. In this presentation, we apply this high resolution model to simulate this extreme rainy disturbance of 3-5 January 2011. The evolution of modeling meteorological variable fields is analyzed in the most affected area of Grande-Terre (city of Les Abymes). The main goal is to examine local quasi-stationary updraft systems and highlight their convective mechanisms. The

South China Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morton, Brian; Blackmore, Graham

2001-01-01

The South China Sea is poorly understood in terms of its marine biota, ecology and the human impacts upon it. What is known is most often contained in reports and workshop and conference documents that are not available to the wider scientific community. The South China Sea has an area of some 3.3 million km2 and depths range from the shallowest coastal fringe to 5377 m in the Manila Trench. It is also studded with numerous islets, atolls and reefs many of which are just awash at low tide. It is largely confined within the Tropic of Cancer and, therefore, experiences a monsoonal climate being influenced by the Southwest Monsoon in summer and the Northeast Monsoon in winter. The South China Sea is a marginal sea and, therefore, largely surrounded by land. Countries that have a major influence on and claims to the sea include China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, although Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan have some too. The coastal fringes of the South China Sea are home to about 270 million people that have had some of the fastest developing and most vibrant economies on the globe. Consequently, anthropogenic impacts, such as over-exploitation of resources and pollution, are anticipated to be huge although, in reality, relatively little is known about them. The Indo-West Pacific biogeographic province, at the centre of which the South China Sea lies, is probably the world's most diverse shallow-water marine area. Of the three major nearshore habitat types, i.e., coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses, 45 mangrove species out of a global of 51, most of the currently recognised 70 coral genera and 20 of 50 known seagrass species have been recorded from the South China Sea. The island groups of the South China Sea are all disputed and sovereignty is claimed over them by a number of countries. Conflicts have in recent decades arisen over them because of perceived national rights. It is perhaps because of this that so little research has been undertaken on the South

Anaemia and malnutrition in children aged 0-59 months on the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau, West Africa: a cross-sectional, population-based study.

PubMed

Thorne, C J; Roberts, L M; Edwards, D R; Haque, M S; Cumbassa, A; Last, A R

2013-08-01

Childhood malnutrition is the leading risk factor for the global burden of disease. Guinea-Bissau is a politically unstable country with high levels of childhood malnutrition and mortality. To determine the nutritional status of children on three remote islands of the Bijagós Archipelago, Bubaque, Rubane and Soga, and to identify factors associated with malnutrition and anaemia in this population in order to provide a baseline for future public health interventions. A cross-sectional, population-based, door-to-door household survey of randomly selected households was undertaken to collect data on children aged 0-59 months (n = 872). Dietary information was collected using a validated questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were collected using World Health Organization techniques. Capillary blood samples were analysed using a Hemocue®, with anaemia defined as Hb<11 g/dl. The prevalences of stunted, wasted and underweight children were 21.8%, 9.4% and 3.7%, respectively. These figures indicate moderate chronic malnutrition. The significant predictor variables for stunting were: age in months (OR 1.03), rural residence (OR 2.32), anaemia (OR 3.55) and residence on Soga island (OR 0.44). Stunting was more prevalent in males (25.4%) than in females (18.6%) (P = 0.03). The prevalence of anaemia was 80.2%. Age (OR 0.96), male gender (OR 1.81) and stunting (OR 2.87) were significant predictors. The Minimum Acceptable Diet was achieved by only 8.7% of children. The prevalence of malnutrition on the Bijagós Archipelago is less than half that on the mainland. This study is the first to determine the prevalence of anaemia in Guinea-Bissau, which, at 80.2%, is of severe public health concern. Future research should focus on the aetiology of stunting and anaemia, especially the contribution of infectious diseases and mother-child interaction. Iron supplementation should be strongly considered in this population.

Prevention of US-China Armed Conflict Over South China Sea Territorial Disputes

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Publishing. October 22, 2012, 21. 11 its regional competitors , China ratified the UNCLOS soon thereafter despite disagreements with how various...support United Nations Security 2 CNBC, “ Toyota China Sales Tank as Islands Row Hits Japan Inc.,” CNBC...itself on China. It talks of fostering bilateral alliances with China’s territorial competitors ; supporting western regional organizations like

Multiscaling statistics of high frequency global solar radiation data in the Guadeloupean Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calif, R.; Schmitt, F. G.; Huang, Y.; Soubdhan, T.

2013-12-01

The part of the solar power production from photovoltaiccs systems is constantly increasing in the electric grids. Solar energy converter devices such as photovoltaic cells are very sensitive to instantaneous solar radiation fluctuations. Thus rapid variation of solar radiation due to changes in the local meteorological condition can induce large amplitude fluctuations of the produced electrical power and reduce the overall efficiency of the system. When large amount of photovoltaic electricity is send into a weak or small electricity network such as island network, the electric grid security can be in jeopardy due to these power fluctuations. The integration of this energy into the electrical network remains a major challenge, due to the high variability of solar radiation in time and space. To palliate these difficulties, it is essential to identify the characteristic of these fluctuations in order to anticipate the eventuality of power shortage or power surge. A good knowledge of the intermittency of global solar radiation is crucial for selecting the location of a solar power plant and predicting the generation of electricity. This work presents a multifractal analysis study of 367 daily global solar radiation sequences measured with a sampling rate of 1 Hz over one year at Guadeloupean Archipelago (French West Indies) located at 16o15'N latitude and 60o30'W longitude. The mean power spectrum computed follows a power law behaviour close to the Kolmogorov spectrum. The intermittent and multifractal properties of global solar radiation data are investigated using several methods. Under this basis, a characterization for each day using three multifractal parameters is proposed.

China’s Energy Insecurity and the South China Sea Dispute

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-24

St ra te gy R es ea rc h Pr oj ec t CHINA’S ENERGY INSECURITY AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE BY COLONEL JAMES A. BRANDENBURG United...Project 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) Nov 2010-Mar 2011 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE China’s Energy Insecurity and the South China Sea Dispute...CHINA’S ENERGY INSECURITY AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE by Colonel James A. Brandenburg United States Air Force

Doing Business with China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Commerce, Washington, DC. Industry and Trade Administration.

This publication provides background and practical information for those interested in doing business with China. The United States officially recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC) on January 1, 1979. Chinese leaders view international trade as an important factor in transforming China into a modern industrial state as well as an…

Plant biotechnology in China.

PubMed

Huang, Jikun; Rozelle, Scott; Pray, Carl; Wang, Qinfang

2002-01-25

A survey of China's plant biotechnologists shows that China is developing the largest plant biotechnology capacity outside of North America. The list of genetically modified plant technologies in trials, including rice, wheat, potatoes, and peanuts, is impressive and differs from those being worked on in other countries. Poor farmers in China are cultivating more area of genetically modified plants than are small farmers in any other developing country. A survey of agricultural producers in China demonstrates that Bacillus thuringiensis cotton adoption increases production efficiency and improves farmer health.

Temporal variation in fish mercury concentrations within lakes from the western Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenney, Leah A.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Ackerman, Joshua T.; von Hippel, Frank A.

2014-01-01

We assessed temporal variation in mercury (Hg) concentrations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Agattu Island, Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska. Total Hg concentrations in whole-bodied stickleback were measured at two-week intervals from two sites in each of two lakes from June 1 to August 10, 2011 during the time period when lakes were ice-free. Across all sites and sampling events, stickleback Hg concentrations ranged from 0.37–1.07 µg/g dry weight (dw), with a mean (± SE) of 0.55±0.01 µg/g dw. Mean fish Hg concentrations declined by 9% during the study period, from 0.57±0.01 µg/g dw in early June to 0.52±0.01 µg/g dw in mid-August. Mean fish Hg concentrations were 6% higher in Loon Lake (0.56±0.01 µg/g dw) than in Lake 696 (0.53±0.01 µg/g dw), and 4% higher in males (0.56±0.01 µg/g dw) than in females (0.54±0.01 µg/g dw). Loon Lake was distinguished from Lake 696 by the presence of piscivorous waterbirds during the breeding season. Mercury concentrations in stickleback from Agattu Island were higher than would be expected for an area without known point sources of Hg pollution, and high enough to be of concern to the health of piscivorous wildlife.

Isolation by distance across the Hawaiian Archipelago in the reef-building coral Porites lobata.

PubMed

Polato, Nicholas R; Concepcion, Gregory T; Toonen, Robert J; Baums, Iliana B

2010-11-01

There is an ongoing debate on the scale of pelagic larval dispersal in promoting connectivity among populations of shallow, benthic marine organisms. The linearly arranged Hawaiian Islands are uniquely suited to study scales of population connectivity and have been used extensively as a natural laboratory in terrestrial systems. Here, we focus on Hawaiian populations of the lobe coral Porites lobata, an ecosystem engineer of shallow reefs throughout the Pacific. Patterns of recent gene flow and population structure in P. lobata samples (n = 318) from two regions, the Hawaiian Islands (n = 10 sites) and from their nearest neighbour Johnston Atoll, were analysed with nine microsatellite loci. Despite its massive growth form, ∼ 6% of the samples from both regions were the product of asexual reproduction via fragmentation. Cluster analysis and measures of genetic differentiation indicated that P. lobata from the Hawaiian Islands are strongly isolated from those on Johnston Atoll (F(ST)  = 0.311; P < 0.001), with the descendants of recent migrants (n = 6) being clearly identifiable. Within the Hawaiian Islands, P. lobata conforms to a pattern of isolation by distance. Here, over 37% (P = 0.001) of the variation in genetic distance was explained by geographical distance. This pattern indicates that while the majority of ongoing gene flow in Hawaiian P. lobata occurs among geographically proximate reefs, inter-island distances are insufficient to generate strong population structure across the archipelago. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Biology of Grapsus grapsus (L innaeus, 1758) (Brachyura, Grapsidae) in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freire, A. S.; Pinheiro, M. A. A.; Karam-Silva, H.; Teschima, M. M.

2011-09-01

Eleven expeditions were undertaken to the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago to study the reproductive biology of Grapsus grapsus, providing additional information on limb mutilation and carapace colour. MATURE software was used to estimate morphological maturity, while gonadal analyses were conducted to estimate physiological maturity. The puberty moult took place at larger size in males (51.4 mm of carapace length) than in females (33.8 mm), while physiological maturity occurred at a similar size in males (38.4 mm) and in females (33.4 mm). Above 50 mm, the proportion of red males increased in the population, indicating that functional maturity is also related to colour pattern. Small habitat and high local population density contributed to the high rate of cannibalism. The low diversity of food items, absence of predators of large crabs and high geographic isolation are the determinants of unique behavioural and biological characteristics observed in the G. grapsus population.

China: Tradition and Transformation, Curriculum Projects. Fulbright Hays Summer Seminars Abroad 1998 (China).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Committee on United States-China Relations, New York, NY.

The curriculum projects in this collection focus on diverse aspects of China, the most populous nation on the planet. The 16 projects in the collection are: (1) "Proposed Secondary Education Asian Social Studies Course with an Emphasis on China" (Jose Manuel Alvarino); (2) "Education in China: Tradition and Transition" (Sue…

Genetic diversity and population structure of Plasmodium falciparum over space and time in an African archipelago.

PubMed

Salgueiro, Patrícia; Vicente, José Luís; Figueiredo, Rita Carrilho; Pinto, João

2016-09-01

The archipelago of São Tomé and Principe (STP), West Africa, has suffered the heavy burden of malaria since the 16th century. Until the last decade, when after a successful control program STP has become a low transmission country and one of the few nations with decreases of more than 90% in malaria admission and death rates. We carried out a longitudinal study to determine the genetic structure of STP parasite populations over time and space. Twelve microsatellite loci were genotyped in Plasmodium falciparum samples from two islands collected in 1997, 2000 and 2004. Analysis was performed on proportions of mixed genotype infections, allelic diversity, population differentiation, effective population size and bottleneck effects. We have found high levels of genetic diversity and minimal inter-population genetic differentiation typical of African continental regions with intense and stable malaria transmission. We detected significant differences between the years, with special emphasis for 1997 that showed the highest proportion of samples infected with P. falciparum and the highest mean number of haplotypes per isolate. This study establishes a comprehensive genetic data baseline of a pre-intervention scenario for future studies; taking into account the most recent and successful control intervention on the territory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risk Factors of Typhoid Infection in the Indonesian Archipelago

PubMed Central

Alba, Sandra; Bakker, Mirjam I.; Hatta, Mochammad; Scheelbeek, Pauline F. D.; Dwiyanti, Ressy; Usman, Romi; Sultan, Andi R.; Sabir, Muhammad; Tandirogang, Nataniel; Amir, Masyhudi; Yasir, Yadi; Pastoor, Rob; van Beers, Stella; Smits, Henk L.

2016-01-01

Background Knowledge of risk factors and their relative importance in different settings is essential to develop effective health education material for the prevention of typhoid. In this study, we examine the effect of household level and individual behavioural risk factors on the risk of typhoid in three Indonesian islands (Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Papua) in the Eastern Indonesian archipelago encompassing rural, peri-urban and urban areas. Methods We enrolled 933 patients above 10 years of age in a health facility-based case-control study between June 2010 and June 2011. Individuals suspected of typhoid were tested using the typhoid IgM lateral flow assay for the serodiagnosis of typhoid fever followed by blood culture testing. Cases and controls were defined post-recruitment: cases were individuals with a culture or serology positive result (n = 449); controls were individuals negative to both serology and culture, with or without a diagnosis other than typhoid (n = 484). Logistic regression was used to examine the effect of household level and individual level behavioural risk factors and we calculated the population attributable fraction (PAF) of removing each risk significant independent behavioural risk factor. Results Washing hands at critical moments of the day and washing hands with soap were strong independent protective factors for typhoid (OR = 0.38 95% CI 0.25 to 0.58 for each unit increase in hand washing frequency score with values between 0 = Never and 3 = Always; OR = 3.16 95% CI = 2.09 to 4.79 comparing washing hands with soap sometimes/never vs. often). These effects were independent of levels of access to water and sanitation. Up to two thirds of cases could be prevented by compliance to these practices (hand washing PAF = 66.8 95% CI 61.4 to 71.5; use of soap PAF = 61.9 95%CI 56.7 to 66.5). Eating food out in food stalls or restaurant was an important risk factor (OR = 6.9 95%CI 4.41 to 10.8 for every unit increase in frequency score

77 FR 5865 - American Unity Investments, Inc., China Display Technologies, Inc., China Wind Energy, Inc., Fuda...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-06

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [File No. 500-1] American Unity Investments, Inc., China Display Technologies, Inc., China Wind Energy, Inc., Fuda Faucet Works, Inc., Greater China Media... concerning the securities of China Wind Energy, Inc. because it has not filed any periodic reports since the...

Evaluation on island ecological vulnerability and its spatial heterogeneity.

PubMed

Chi, Yuan; Shi, Honghua; Wang, Yuanyuan; Guo, Zhen; Wang, Enkang

2017-12-15

The evaluation on island ecological vulnerability (IEV) can help reveal the comprehensive characteristics of the island ecosystem and provide reference for controlling human activities on islands. An IEV evaluation model which reflects the land-sea dual features, natural and anthropogenic attributes, and spatial heterogeneity of the island ecosystem was established, and the southern islands of Miaodao Archipelago in North China were taken as the study area. The IEV, its spatial heterogeneity, and its sensitivities to the evaluation elements were analyzed. Results indicated that the IEV was in status of mild vulnerability in the archipelago scale, and population pressure, ecosystem productivity, environmental quality, landscape pattern, and economic development were the sensitive elements. The IEV showed significant spatial heterogeneities both in land and surrounding waters sub-ecosystems. Construction scale control, optimization of development allocation, improvement of exploitation methods, and reasonable ecological construction are important measures to control the IEV. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phylogeography of Quercus variabilis Based on Chloroplast DNA Sequence in East Asia: Multiple Glacial Refugia and Mainland-Migrated Island Populations

PubMed Central

Kang, Hongzhang; Sun, Xiao; Yin, Shan; Du, Hongmei; Yamanaka, Norikazu; Gapare, Washington; Wu, Harry X.; Liu, Chunjiang

2012-01-01

The biogeographical relationships between far-separated populations, in particular, those in the mainland and islands, remain unclear for widespread species in eastern Asia where the current distribution of plants was greatly influenced by the Quaternary climate. Deciduous Oriental oak (Quercus variabilis) is one of the most widely distributed species in eastern Asia. In this study, leaf material of 528 Q. variabilis trees from 50 populations across the whole distribution (Mainland China, Korea Peninsular as well as Japan, Zhoushan and Taiwan Islands) was collected, and three cpDNA intergenic spacer fragments were sequenced using universal primers. A total of 26 haplotypes were detected, and it showed a weak phylogeographical structure in eastern Asia populations at species level, however, in the central-eastern region of Mainland China, the populations had more haplotypes than those in other regions, with a significant phylogeographical structure (N ST = 0.751> G ST = 0.690, P<0.05). Q. variabilis displayed high interpopulation and low intrapopulation genetic diversity across the distribution range. Both unimodal mismatch distribution and significant negative Fu’s FS indicated a demographic expansion of Q. variabilis populations in East Asia. A fossil calibrated phylogenetic tree showed a rapid speciation during Pleistocene, with a population augment occurred in Middle Pleistocene. Both diversity patterns and ecological niche modelling indicated there could be multiple glacial refugia and possible bottleneck or founder effects occurred in the southern Japan. We dated major spatial expansion of Q. variabilis population in eastern Asia to the last glacial cycle(s), a period with sea-level fluctuations and land bridges in East China Sea as possible dispersal corridors. This study showed that geographical heterogeneity combined with climate and sea-level changes have shaped the genetic structure of this wide-ranging tree species in East Asia. PMID:23115642

An Introduction to Education in the People's Republic of China and U.S.-China Educational Exchanges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perrolle, Pierre M.; Reed, Linda A.

Information is presented on China's higher education system, China's current educational exchanges, and the U.S.-China educational exchange process. China's higher education system is considered in terms of historical themes and implications for the present, the number and types of institutions, graduate education, operation of the higher…

China's water scarcity.

PubMed

Jiang, Yong

2009-08-01

China has been facing increasingly severe water scarcity, especially in the northern part of the country. China's water scarcity is characterized by insufficient local water resources as well as reduced water quality due to increasing pollution, both of which have caused serious impacts on society and the environment. Three factors contribute to China's water scarcity: uneven spatial distribution of water resources; rapid economic development and urbanization with a large and growing population; and poor water resource management. While it is nearly impossible to adjust the first two factors, improving water resource management represents a cost-effective option that can alleviate China's vulnerability to the issue. Improving water resource management is a long-term task requiring a holistic approach with constant effort. Water right institutions, market-based approaches, and capacity building should be the government's top priority to address the water scarcity issue.

A brief history of Regional Warning Center China (RWC-China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Han; Wang, Huaning; Du, Zhanle; Huang, Xin; Yan, Yan; Dai, Xinghua; Guo, Juan; Wang, Jialong

2018-03-01

Solar-terrestrial prediction services in China began in 1969 at the Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). In 1990, BAO joined the International URSIgram and World Days Service (IUWDS) and started solar-terrestrial data and prediction interchanges with other members of IUWDS. The short-term solar activity prediction service with standard URSIgram codes began in January 1991 at BAO, and forecasts have been issued routinely every weekday from then on. The Regional Warning Center Beijing (RWC-Beijing) of IUWDS was officially approved in China in 1991 and was formally established in February 1992. In 1996, the IUWDS was changed to the current name, the International Space Environment Service (ISES). In 2000, the RWC-Beijing was renamed RWC-China according to ISES requirements. In 2001, the National Astronomical Observatories, CAS (NAOC) was established. All the solar-terrestrial data and prediction services of BAO were taken up by NAOC. The headquarters of RWC-China is located on the campus of NAOC.

Gravitational, erosional and depositional processes on volcanic ocean islands: Insights from the submarine morphology of Madeira Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quartau, Rui; Ramalho, Ricardo S.; Madeira, José; Santos, Rúben; Rodrigues, Aurora; Roque, Cristina; Carrara, Gabriela; Brum da Silveira, António

2018-01-01

The submarine flanks of volcanic ocean islands are shaped by a variety of physical processes. Whilst volcanic constructional processes are relatively well understood, the gravitational, erosional and depositional processes that lead to the establishment of large submarine tributary systems are still poorly comprehended. Until recently, few studies have offered a comprehensive source-to-sink approach, linking subaerial morphology with near-shore shelf, slope and far-field abyssal features. In particular, few studies have addressed how different aspects of the subaerial part of the system (island height, climate, volcanic activity, wave regime, etc.) may influence submarine flank morphologies. We use multibeam bathymetric and backscatter mosaics of an entire archipelago - Madeira - to investigate the development of their submarine flanks. Crucially, this dataset extends from the nearshore to the deep sea, allowing a solid correlation between submarine morphologies with the physical and geological setting of the islands. In this study we also established a comparison with other island settings, which allowed us to further explore the wider implications of the observations. The submarine flanks of the Madeira Archipelago are deeply dissected by large landslides, most of which also affected the subaerial edifices. Below the shelf break, landslide chutes extend downslope forming poorly defined depositional lobes. Around the islands, a large tributary system composed of gullies and channels has formed where no significant rocky/ridge outcrops are present. In Madeira Island these were likely generated by turbidity currents that originated as hyperpycnal flows, whilst on Porto Santo and Desertas their origin is attributed to storm-induced offshore sediment transport. At the lower part of the flanks (-3000 to -4300 m), where seafloor gradients decrease to 0.5°-3°, several scour and sediment wave fields are present, with the former normally occurring upslope of the latter

Baiyun Ebo, China

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-04-11

Acquired by NASA Terra spacecraft, this image shows a mine in Baiyun Ebo, Inner Mongolia, China, the site of almost half the world rare earth production. China is responsible for over 95% of global production of rare earth elements.

Periglacial Landscape Stabilization Following Rapid Permafrost Degradation by Thermo-erosion, Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canadian Arctic Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortier, D.; Godin, E.; Perreault, N.; Levesque, E.

2010-12-01

and the subsequent colonization of stabilized slopes by vegetation changed the thermal properties of the soil which resulted in a thinning of the active layer and ground ice aggradation in the upper part of the permafrost. These negative feedback effects contributed to permafrost recovery and ground ice aggradation. The latent heat of this ice-rich zone will act as a buffer to global warming and contributes to the long-term stability of the gullies in the new periglacial landscape. Fortier, D., Allard, M. 2004. Late Holocene Syngenetic Ice-wedge Polygons Development, Bylot Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 41: 997-1012. Fortier, D., Allard, M., Shur, Y. 2007. Observation of Rapid Drainage System Development by Thermal Erosion of Ice Wedges on Bylot Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 18: 229-243. Godin, E., Fortier, D. (in press) Geomorphology of thermo-erosion gullies - case study from Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada. Proceedings 6th Canadian Permafrost Conference and 63rd Canadian Geotechnical Conference, Calgary, October 2010.

Comparison of NOx emissions from China III and China IV in-use diesel trucks based on on-road measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Zhiliang; Wu, Bobo; Wu, Yunong; Cao, Xinyue; Jiang, Xi

2015-12-01

To mitigate NOx and other emissions from diesel vehicles, China I, China II, China III and China IV emissions standards for new vehicles have been implemented nationwide. However, recent on-road measurements using a portable emission measurement system (PEMS) have revealed no significant reductions in the NOx emissions factors of diesel trucks due to the change from China II emissions standards to the more stringent China III standards. Thus, it is important to understand the effect of the China IV emissions standard on NOx emissions. In this study, nine China III and nine China IV diesel trucks of three sizes (light-duty diesel trucks (LDDTs), medium-duty diesel trucks (MDDTs) and heavy-duty diesel trucks (HDDTs)) were tested on real roads in Beijing using a PEMS. Compared to the tested China III diesel trucks, the China IV diesel trucks showed significant reductions of the average NOx emissions factors in terms of both distance travelled and fuel consumption. However, the driving conditions had an important impact on the reduction. Under non-highway driving (NHD), several of the tested China IV diesel trucks experienced no reduction or an increase in NOx emissions compared to their China III counterparts. The NOx emissions factors of the 18 tested diesel trucks under NHD were on average 1.5-times greater than those under highway driving (HD), and the effects on NOx emissions removal from China III to China IV diesel trucks were greater under HD than under NHD. In addition, no significant reduction of NOx based on fuel consumption for China IV diesel trucks was observed for MDDTs and HDDTs compared to the test results for similar China II vehicles reported in a previous study. To reduce NOx emissions in China, additional control measures of vehicular NOx emissions should be formulated.

Environmental Management in Mainland China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Thomas T.

1984-01-01

Provides an overview of China's environmental pollution management by discussing: China's Environmental Protection Organization; laws and regulations; environmental protection program; education and manpower training; and research into environmental pollution problems. (The author provided technical assistance to China's environmental pollution…

China: Tradition and Transformation. Curriculum Projects. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad Program 1999 (China).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Committee on United States-China Relations, New York, NY.

This collection of curriculum projects is the result of the authors' participation in a Fulbright summer seminar program in China. The following 16 curriculum projects are in the collection: (1) "Banpo Village: A Prehistoric Dig" (Sandra Bailey); (2) "China: Moving into the New Millennium: A Study of China's Past, Present and…

Cultivating regenerative medicine innovation in China.

PubMed

McMahon, Dominique S; Thorsteinsdóttir, Halla; Singer, Peter A; Daar, Abdallah S

2010-01-01

While China has become a significant contributor and prolific publisher in regenerative medicine, its role in the field is not well understood. We analyze how capacity in regenerative medicine was built in China to identify some of its main strengths and challenges. This case study of regenerative medicine in China is primarily based on interviews with experts in China, including researchers, policy makers, clinicians, representatives of firms and regulators. Our analysis shows that diverse groups are active in this field in China. Leading research groups are contributing extensively to international peer-reviewed journals. Strong governmental support and recruitment of highly trained Chinese scientists from abroad has made it possible for China to rapidly build up capacity in regenerative medicine. However, some hospitals in China are offering stem cell therapies with limited scientific evidence supporting their efficacy/safety, and international skepticism of medical research in China presents a challenge to the development of the field. China has been able to catapult itself into the forefront of regenerative medicine but needs to address current regulatory challenges in order to secure its position in this emerging field.

Geoinformatics Education in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, D.; Gong, J.; Yue, P.

2014-04-01

The paper will give an overview of the current status of education in Geoinformatics in China. First, the paper will provide a general review of the scientific and technological development of Geoinformatics in China. It then presents how the development affects the education and training in China. In the paper, universities and institutes in China that can award academic degrees related to Geoinformatics will be summarized. Next, the paper will report the work having been done by the expert group on Surveying and Mapping, including the revision of discipline catalogue and guide for graduate education and requirements. A list of typical curriculain Geoinformatics education is suggested. Finally, activities on promoting the graduate student exchange platform will be presented.

Hepatitis C virus infection among illicit drug users in an archipelago of the Amazon.

PubMed

Silva, Fabricio Q; Santos, Francisco J A; Andrade, Andreia P; Pacheco, Suzy D B; Fischer, Benedikt; Pinho, João Renato R; Lemos, José Alexandre R; Oliveira-Filho, Aldemir B

2018-03-01

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes acute and chronic liver disease and may lead to cirrhosis, liver failure or hepatocellular carcinoma. The behavior of illicit drug users (DUs) typically exposes them to risks of viral infection. In the Brazilian Amazon region, a number of studies have identified high rates of drug use among adolescents, and a high prevalence of HBV infection in DUs, disseminated by sexual and parenteral activities. However, the epidemiological scenario of HCV infection in the region is still poorly understood. This study determined the prevalence, genotypes, and risk factors for HCV infection among DUs of the Marajó Archipelago. This cross-sectional study collected samples and epidemiological information from DUs in 11 municipalities. The diagnosis was established by EIA and real-time PCR, and the samples were genotyped by multiplex real time PCR. The data were analyzed by simple and multiple logistical regression. In 466 DUs, 28.3% had anti-HCV antibodies, and 25.5% had HCV-RNA. In 92 injecting drug users, 88.0% had anti-HCV antibodies, and 80.4% had HCV-RNA. Genotypes 1 and 3 were detected, with three cases of mixed infections. The multivariate analysis indicated associations of HCV infection with age (≥ 35 years), tattoos, intravenous drug use, shared use of injection equipment, and the daily and long-term (> 3 years) use of illicit drugs. These findings will contribute to the development of effective measures for the prevention of HCV infection among Brazilian DUs, as well as its general population.

Drivers of shoreline change in atoll reef islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duvat, Virginie K. E.; Salvat, Bernard; Salmon, Camille

2017-11-01

This paper increases by around 30% the sample of atoll reef islands studied from a shoreline change perspective, and covers an under-studied geographical area, i.e. the French Tuamotu Archipelago. It brings new irrefutable evidences on the persistence of reef islands over the last decades, as 77% of the 111 study islands exhibited areal stability while 15% and 8% showed expansion and contraction, respectively. This paper also addresses a key research gap by interpreting the major local drivers controlling recent shoreline and island change, i.e. tropical cyclones and seasonal swells, sediment supply by coral reefs and human activities. The 1983 tropical cyclones had contrasting impacts, depending on the shoreline indicator considered. While they generally caused a marked retreat of the stability line, the base of the beach advanced at some locations, as a result of either sediment reworking or fresh sediment inputs. The post-cyclone fair weather period was characterised by reversed trends indicating island morphological readjustment. Cyclonic waves contributed to island upwards growth, which reached up to 1 m in places, through the transfer of sediments up onto the island surface. However, the steep outer slopes of atolls limited sediment transfers to the reef flat and island system. We found that 57% of the study islands are disturbed by human activities, including 'rural' and uninhabited islands. Twenty-six percent of these islands have lost the capacity to respond to ocean-climate related pressures, including the 'capital' islands concentrating atolls' population, infrastructures and economic activities, which is preoccupying under climate change.

RESEARCH PAPERS : Evidence for the Blake event in volcanic rocks from Lipari (Aeolian Archipelago)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanella, Elena; Laurenzi, Marinella A.

1998-01-01

Palaeomagnetic and geochronological measurements have been carried out on the late Pleistocene basaltic-andesitic unit of Monte Chirica-Costa Rasa, on the island of Lipari (Aeolian Archipelago). The lava flow sequence is about 10 m thick and has been sampled in detail. Magnetic properties are rather uniform; Curie temperatures of 540° to 580°C, and the saturation IRM reached at applied values of 0.1 T point to titanomagnetite as the main magnetization carrier. Thermal and AF demagnetization have shown the presence of secondary magnetization components. These were removed mostly at 450°-500°C or 20-30 mT, indicating a highly stable ChRM with directions from transitional to reverse. Where a ChRM could not be isolated by application of the demagnetization techniques, the converging remagnetization circles method gave a mean ChRM value fully comparable with that obtained from other methods. 40Ar/39Ar determinations were performed on two lava flows, in the lower and upper parts of the sequence. The former shows a transitional ChRM direction and a whole-rock age of 157+/-12 ka, the latter a reverse direction, a whole-rock age of 143+/-17 ka and a ground-mass age of 128+/-23 ka. The radiometric data and the reconstructed stratigraphy, which indicate ages of 150+/-10 ka and 104+/-3.5 ka, respectively, for the volcanic units at the bottom and top of the Monte Chirica-Costa Rasa unit, suggest that the reverse directions recorded in Lipari are related to the Blake event.

Sport in China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knuttgen, Howard G., Ed.; And Others

Part 1 of this book, "Evoluation and Organization of Physical Culture," examines the history and current organization of physical education and sport in the People's Republic of China. This part includes chapters on: the evolution and organization of physical culture; physical culture in China today; the organizational structure of…

Outsourcing to China.

PubMed

Liu, Jacqueline

2004-12-01

To enhance competitive advantage in the face of increasing globalisation, companies need to consider moving certain operations to China, if they have not done so already. This article describes the evolving nature of outsourcing to China and what companies need to consider to be successful in this business model.

China Biobanking.

PubMed

Zhang, Yong; Li, Qiyuan; Wang, Xian; Zhou, Xiaolin

2015-01-01

Biobanks are playing increasingly important roles in clinical and translational research nowadays. China, as a country with the largest population and abundant clinical resources, attaches great importance to the development of biobanks. In recent years, with the increasing support from the Chinese government, biobanks are blooming across the country. This paper provides a detailed overview of China biobanking, which is further divided in the following four parts: (i) general introduction of the number, category and distribution of current biobanks; (ii) summarization of the current development status, and issues that Chinese biobanks are faced with; (iii) international cooperation between China and the global biobanking community; (iv) prospect of the modern twenty-first century Chinese biobanks, which would achieve standardized operation, systematic specimen management, and extensive collaboration, and thus provide support for the robust research discoveries and personalized medicine etc.

Teaching about Ethnicities in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stedman, Caryn White

2010-01-01

A unit on China's ethnicities provides students rich opportunities to explore multiple themes in the social studies while helping them to develop a deeper understanding of recent events in western China. Studying China's ethnic minorities encompasses such topics as stereotyping, cultural diversity, the creation of ethnic identities, and key…

Income inequality in today's China.

PubMed

Xie, Yu; Zhou, Xiang

2014-05-13

Using multiple data sources, we establish that China's income inequality since 2005 has reached very high levels, with the Gini coefficient in the range of 0.53-0.55. Analyzing comparable survey data collected in 2010 in China and the United States, we examine social determinants that help explain China's high income inequality. Our results indicate that a substantial part of China's high income inequality is due to regional disparities and the rural-urban gap. The contributions of these two structural forces are particularly strong in China, but they play a negligible role in generating the overall income inequality in the United States, where individual-level and family-level income determinants, such as family structure and race/ethnicity, play a much larger role.

Geomagnetic paleosecular variation recorded in Plio-Pleistocene volcanic rocks from Possession Island (Crozet Archipelago, southern Indian Ocean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camps, Pierre; Henry, Bernard; PréVot, Michel; Faynot, Liliane

2001-02-01

Possession Island, in the Crozet Archipelago, consists of volcanic units erupted mainly between ˜5 and 0.5 Ma. A paleomagnetic sampling was carried out along several sections distributed near the northern, eastern, and southeastern coasts. A total of 45 independent flows were sampled (320 samples). For each flow a precisely defined characteristic remanence direction was usually isolated after a careful progressive cleaning in alternating fields. However, particularly complex remanence behavior is often observed. The magnetostratigraphy of the lava pile is quite simple, with reversed rocks in the lower part and normal units in the upper part of two sections. A third section is of normal polarity throughout its whole thickness, including three excursional directions. We did not find any intermediate directions between the normal and reverse magnetozones. Thus we have no evidence for the recording of the Matuyama-Brunhes transition expected from a previous study [Watkins et al., 1972]. The amplitude of paleosecular variation, estimated from between-flow dispersion from the field of an axial dipole, is 11.8° with 95% confidence limits between 9.3° and 14.0°. This value is consistent with the general anisotropic statistical model for paleosecular variation of Constable and Johnson [1999].

Genetic diversity and population structure of an insular tree, Santalum austrocaledonicum in New Caledonian archipelago.

PubMed

Bottin, L; Verhaegen, D; Tassin, J; Olivieri, I; Vaillant, A; Bouvet, J M

2005-06-01

We present a study of the genetic diversity and structure of a tropical tree in an insular system. Santalum austrocaledonicum is endemic to the archipelago of New Caledonia and is exploited for oil extraction from heartwood. A total of 431 individuals over 17 populations were analysed for eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 33 and the observed heterozygosity per population ranged from 0.01 in Mare to 0.74 in Ile des Pins. The genetic diversity was lowest in the most recent islands, the Loyautes, and highest in the oldest island, Grande Terre, as well as the nearby small Ile des Pins. Significant departures from panmixia were observed for some loci-population combinations (per population FIS = 0-0.03 on Grande-Terre and Ile des Pins, and 0-0.67 on Loyautes). A strong genetic differentiation among all islands was observed (FST = 0.22), and the amount of differentiation increased with geographic distance in Iles Loyaute and in Grande Terre. At both population and island levels, island age and isolation seem to be the main factors influencing the amount of genetic diversity. In particular, populations from recent islands had large average FIS that could not be entirely explained by null alleles or a Wahlund effect. This result suggests that, at least in some populations, selfing occurred extensively. Conclusively, our results indicate a strong influence of insularity on the genetic diversity and structure of Santalum austrocaledonicum.

Ichthyophonus in Puget Sound rockfish from the San Juan Islands archipelago and Puget Sound, Washington, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Halos, D.; Hart, S.A.; Hershberger, P.; Kocan, R.

2005-01-01

In vitro explant cultures identified Ichthyophonus in 10.9% of 302 Puget Sound rockfish Sebastes emphaeus sampled from five sites in the San Juan Islands archipelago and Puget Sound, Washington, in 2003. None of the infected fish exhibited visible lesions and only a single fish was histologically positive. Significantly more females were infected (12.4%) than males (6.8%), and while infected males were only detected at two of the five sites, infected females were identified at all sites, with no significant differences in infection prevalence. Genomic sequences of Ichthyophonus isolates obtained from Puget Sound rockfish, Pacific herring Clupea pallasii, and Yukon River Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were identical in both the A and B regions of the small subunit 18S ribosomal DNA but were different from Ichthyophonus sequences previously isolated from four different species of rockfish from the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Ichthyophonus in Puget Sound rockfish may not have been previously detected because the infection is subclinical in this species and earlier investigators did not utilize in vitro techniques for diagnosis of ichthyophoniasis. However, since clinical ichthyophoniasis has recently been identified in several other species of northeast Pacific rockfishes, it is hypothesized that this either is an emerging disease resulting from changing marine conditions or the result of introduction by infected southern species that appear during periodic El Nin??o events. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2005.

Cadaveric organ donation in China

PubMed Central

Wu, Yijin; Elliott, Robert; Li, Linzi; Yang, Tongwei; Bai, Yusen; Ma, Wen

2018-01-01

Abstract In this paper, we will discuss several ethical issues concerning cadaveric organ donation from the perspective of sociocultural factors that are unique to China under the condition that China has ended the use of executed prisoner's organs for transplants. It is found that though great developments have been made in organ transplantation, the ethical issues relating to organ transplantation still face dilemmas in China. It is argued that organ donation and transplantation in China could make further progress if the ethical issues proposed in this paper can be carefully considered. PMID:29517702

Pension Reform in China.

PubMed

Liu, Tao; Sun, Li

2016-01-01

This article analyzes China's pension arrangement and notes that China has recently established a universal non-contributory pension plan covering urban non-employed workers and all rural residents, combined with the pension plan covering urban employees already in place. Further, in the latest reform, China has discontinued the special pension plan for civil servants and integrated this privileged welfare class into the urban old-age pension insurance program. With these steps, China has achieved a degree of universalism and integration of its pension arrangement unprecedented in the non-Western world. Despite this radical pension transformation strategy, we argue that the current Chinese pension arrangement represents a case of "incomplete" universalism. First, its benefit level is low. Moreover, the benefit level varies from region to region. Finally, universalism in rural China has been undermined due to the existence of the "policy bundle." Additionally, we argue that the 2015 pension reform has created a situation in which the stratification of Chinese pension arrangements has been "flattened," even though it remains stratified to some extent.

China's Vocational Universities. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Anning

This ERIC Digest describes the development and characteristics of vocational universities (VUs) in China. In response to the demand for increased numbers of trained technical workers in the 1980's, VUs developed and the higher vocational education system in China was reformed. Currently, 101 vocational universities are in existence in China. These…

China-U.S. Trade Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-23

failure in some cases to ensure that its exported products meet U.S. health and safety standards. Further complicating the bilateral economic...resolution cases against China to the WTO; and continuing pressure on China to appreciate its currency. Others have warned against using...Implementation Issues ............................................................................................... 16 Pending U.S. Cases Against China

China-U.S. Trade Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-03

failure in some cases to ensure that its exported products meet U.S. health and safety standards. Further complicating the bilateral economic...resolution cases against China to the WTO; and continuing pressure on China to appreciate its currency. Others have warned against using “protectionist...16 Pending U.S. Cases Against China

China's Innovation Paradox

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Jeremy

2015-01-01

China aims to become an innovation-led nation by 2020, but its leadership is generally sceptical--and oftentimes hostile--to the market forces, open exchange of ideas, and creative destruction that have unlocked innovation in other countries. Instead, Beijing hopes to promote innovation in China through a massive expansion in higher education,…

Can China's health care be transplanted without China's economic policies?

PubMed

Blendon, R J

1979-06-28

China's economic policies of the past 25 years have shaped its present health-care system. China's leadership has decided to have neither a national health-insurance system nor a national health service. Instead, it decided that its health system would mirror the workings of its industrial and agricultural system. Decisions to minimize imports, ban private economic activity, assign university graduates on a compulsory basis, control wages, maintain a large domestic standing army and prevent professions or universities from acquiring independent status led directly to the present system of medical care. Consequently, transplantation of China's striking achievements in health-care delivery to the United States or other countries is unlikely to occur in the absence of transfer of the underlying economic policies.

Weighting for China, Counting on the United States: Asia’s China Debate and U.S. Interests

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-12-01

political stability . Unease exists about ethnic Chinese migration and diasporas and the possible reassertion of China s historical dominance. The United States has a prime opportunity to influence Asia s China debate because the debate is ongoing, and the United States remains regarded as fundamental to national and regional calculations including about China. Extreme U.S.-China tensions and possible pressures by either to choose sides are unwelcome. No Asian country expects or desires China to supplant U.S. regional pre-eminence. At worst, some favor a balance of great

China's Silk Road and global health.

PubMed

Tang, Kun; Li, Zhihui; Li, Wenkai; Chen, Lincoln

2017-12-09

In 2013, China proposed its Belt and Road Initiative to promote trade, infrastructure, and commercial associations with 65 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe. This initiative contains important health components. Simultaneously, China launched an unprecedented overseas intervention against Ebola virus in west Africa, dispatching 1200 workers, including Chinese military personnel. The overseas development assistance provided by China has been increasing by 25% annually, reaching US$7 billion in 2013. Development assistance for health from China has particularly been used to develop infrastructure and provide medical supplies to Africa and Asia. China's contributions to multilateral organisations are increasing but are unlikely to bridge substantial gaps, if any, vacated by other donors; China is creating its own multilateral funds and banks and challenging the existing global architecture. These new investment vehicles are more aligned with the geography and type of support of the Belt and Road Initiative. Our analysis concludes that China's Belt and Road Initiative, Ebola response, development assistance for health, and new investment funds are complementary and reinforcing, with China shaping a unique global engagement impacting powerfully on the contours of global health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion: Chapter 28 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ruhlman, Jana; Gass, Leila; Middleton, Barry

2012-01-01

The Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997), also known as the “Madrean Sky Islands” or “Sky Islands,” covers an area of approximately 40,536 km2 (15,651 mi2) in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico (fig. 1). The ecoregion is bounded on the west by the Sonoran Basin and Range Ecoregion, on the east by the Chihuahuan Deserts Ecoregion, and on the north by the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains Ecoregion. This area of basin-and-range topography is one of the most biologically diverse in the world (Koprowski, 2005; Skroch, 2008). Although the mountains in the ecoregion bridge the Rocky Mountains to the north and the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico to the south (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997), the lower elevations act as a barrier to species dispersal. Nevertheless, the geographic convergence of these two major continental mountain ranges, as well as of the Chihuahuan Desert to the east and the Sonoran Desert to the west, forms the foundation for ecological interactions found nowhere else on Earth (Skroch, 2008).

China-U.S. Trade Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-07

practices. In response, it filed a number of trade dispute resolution cases against China in the WTO, including China’s failure to protect IPR and...in China. In addition, the Administration reversed a long-standing policy that countervailing cases (dealing with government subsidies) could not be...13 WTO Implementation Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 U.S. WTO Cases Against China

Oceanographic conditions and sediment dynamic of the Barrang Caddi Island (Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanuru, M.; Samad, W.; Amri, K.; Priosambodo, D.

2018-05-01

Small islands are vulnerable to long-term natural disasters like coastal erosion due to their size and topography. Barrang Caddi is one the small island in the Spermonde Archipelago (South Sulawesi) that encountered serious coastal erosion. Several attempts have been done by the relevant parties like by building a wave breaker to prevent erosion. But in fact some parts of the island are still eroded. A comprehensive oceanographic study of the wave climate and coastal processes at work to delineate the factors responsible for shoreline chance and to identify the location that need protection is needed. In this study, physical oceanographic data including waves, currents, tide, bathymetry, sediment characteristics and sediment transport were collected in the Barrang Caddi Island to analyze the factors responsible for shoreline chance (erosion) in the island. Results of the study showed that tide in the study site is mixed tide, predominantly semidiurnal with tidal range of 118 cm. Current measurements using a electromagnetic current meter revealed that current velocities at the study site were relatively low and vary spatially and temporally with magnitude of 0.02 – 0.58 m/s. Under normal conditions (no storms) the significant wave height (H 1/3) varied from 0.04 to 0.20 m. The wave height decreases from the fore reef to the reef flat due to the presence of coral reefs that reduce wave energy (wave height). Sediments were dominated by biogenic sand with grain diameter of 0.38 – 1.04 mm. Island erosion analysis showed that wave action was a main factor that responsible for shoreline chance (erosion) at the island. Current velocity alone with average of 0.19 m/s was not strong enough to move (erode) sediments at the island.

Multi-decadal frontal change rates of tidewater glaciers in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Alison; Copland, Luke; Stokes, Chris; Bentley, Mike

2017-04-01

Recent studies of post-2000 observational data have shown variability in the dynamic ice discharge of tidewater glaciers throughout the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA). Expanding this to all tidewater glaciers in the region on a decadal time scale using earlier records can help identify when glacier retreat began, and determine longer-term temporal trends in mass balance. Our study shows that over 94% of 300 tidewater glaciers in the CAA (from southern Baffin Island to Ellesmere Island, excluding those on the northern coast) have retreated since the earliest observational records (aerial photographs acquired in 1958-1960). Mean overall length change rate of the 211 glaciers in the Queen Elizabeth Islands (QEI) is -9.3 ma-1 (± 1.38 SE), and of the 89 glaciers on Baffin and Bylot Islands (BBI) is -7.1 ma-1 (± 0.72 SE). Mean frontal widths of tidewater glaciers in the QEI are greater than those on islands to the south, resulting in greater mean area loss from this region. Each glacier has 6 frontal positions digitised from a range of image sources at approximately decadal intervals. Length change rates have been calculated across each time interval for each glacier, based on area changes divided by glacier frontal width. Results indicate a similar temporal pattern throughout the region, whereby glaciers show minimal change in early years with retreat rates slowly increasing, followed by acceleration in retreat rates since the late 1990s. Mean change rates in the QEI and BBI in the 1960s were -6.92 ma-1 and -0.51 ma-1 respectively, increasing to -28.96 ma-1 and -24.84 ma-1 since 2010. The same trend (at differing magnitudes) has been observed within each latitudinal degree band, and for glaciers of differing frontal widths. Further observations of glacier changes and links to climate change are revealed on the poster.

A Baltic Sea estuary as a phosphorus source and sink after drastic load reduction: seasonal and long-term mass balances for the Stockholm inner archipelago for 1968-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walve, Jakob; Sandberg, Maria; Larsson, Ulf; Lännergren, Christer

2018-05-01

Internal phosphorus (P) loading from sediments, controlled by hypoxia, is often assumed to hamper the recovery of lakes and coastal areas from eutrophication. In the early 1970s, the external P load to the inner archipelago of Stockholm, Sweden (Baltic Sea), was drastically reduced by improved sewage treatment, but the internal P loading and its controlling factors have been poorly quantified. We use two slightly different four-layer box models to calculate the area's seasonal and annual P balance (input-export) and the internal P exchange with sediments in 1968-2015. For 10-20 years after the main P load reduction, there was a negative P balance, small in comparison to the external load, and probably due to release from legacy sediment P storage. Later, the stabilized, near-neutral P balance indicates no remaining internal loading from legacy P, but P retention is low, despite improved oxygen conditions. Seasonally, sediments are a P sink in spring and a P source in summer and autumn. Most of the deep-water P release from sediments in summer-autumn appears to be derived from the settled spring bloom and is exported to outer areas during winter. Oxygen consumption and P release in the deep water are generally tightly coupled, indicating limited iron control of P release. However, enhanced P release in years of deep-water hypoxia suggests some contribution from redox-sensitive P pools. Increasing deep-water temperatures that stimulate oxygen consumption rates in early summer have counteracted the effect of lowered organic matter sedimentation on oxygen concentrations. Since the P turnover time is short and legacy P small, measures to bind P in Stockholm inner archipelago sediments would primarily accumulate recent P inputs, imported from the Baltic Sea and from Lake Mälaren.

Ciguatera fish poisoning: Incidence, health costs and risk perception on Moorea Island (Society archipelago, French Polynesia).

PubMed

Morin, Ewen; Gatti, Clémence; Bambridge, Tamatoa; Chinain, Mireille

2016-12-01

Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) is a non-bacterial seafood poisoning well characterized in the remote archipelagos of French Polynesia, yet poorly documented in the Society archipelago, most notably on Moorea, the second most populated island in French Polynesia, which counts a high proportion of fishermen fishing on a regular basis. To address this knowledge gap, a holistic study of the ciguatera issue was conducted on Moorea. First, ciguatera risk was analysed in terms of incidence rate, fish species most commonly involved and risk stratification in Moorea lagoon based on 2007-2013 epidemiological data. A mean incidence rate of 8 cases per 10,000 inhabitants for the study period and an average under-reporting rate of 54% were found. Taking into account hospitalization and medication fees, and loss of productive days, the health-related costs due to CFP were estimated to be USD $1613 and $749 for each reported and unreported case, respectively, with an overall cost of USD $241,847 for the study period. Comparison of the present status of CFP on Moorea with a risk map established in the late 1970's showed that the spatial distribution of the risk has stayed relatively stable in time, with the north shore of the island remaining the most prone to ciguatera. Evaluation of the current knowledge on CFP among different populations groups, i.e. fishermen, residents and visitors, was also conducted through direct and indirect interviews. About half of the fishermen interviewed were actually able to identify risky fishing areas. While, overall, the CFP risk perception in the fishing community of Moorea seemed accurate, although not scientifically complete, it was sufficient for the safe practice of their fishing activities. This may be due in part to adaptive responses adopted by 36% of the fishermen interviewed, such as the avoidance of either high-risk fishing sites or toxic species. At the residents and visitors' level, the study points out a striking lack of awareness

New medical education reform in China: Towards healthy China 2030.

PubMed

Song, Peipei; Jin, Chunlin; Tang, Wei

2017-01-01

On July 11, 2017, the State Council of China issued a bold plan to revolutionize medical education and promote collaboration between medical education and practice. The cornerstone of the plan is training more qualified medical professionals to improve public healthcare on the path to Healthy China 2030. According to this plan, a "5+3" training system will be instituted to train medical professionals in China, and top medical colleges will be encouraged to recruit more students. However, given the less-than-ideal professional status of Chinese doctors, the frequent incidents of violence against them, long working hours and a heavy workload, and an unsatisfactory income, attracting personnel to work in medicine and health care has become a challenge. Prior to the end of 2016, there were 3.19 million practicing (assistant) physicians in China, amount to 2.31 per thousand population. The average workload of physicians was 7.3 outpatient visits per day and 2.6 beds per day, and these figures are much higher for physicians working in tertiary hospitals. Studies have found that 78% of physicians work more than 8 hours a day and 7% of physicians work more than 12 hours a day, but the average annual income of physicians in 2015 was 77,000 yuan (about $12,360), in contrast to an average annual income of $294,000 for physicians in the United States. Medical humanities education is also emphasized by the new medical education reform to foster the humanistic spirts of medical students in order to improve public healthcare in China. In the face of a mindset that "medical technology comes first" and growing expectations among the public, public education is needed to provide the public with a more comprehensive view by explaining the limitations of modern medicine since "medicine is not a panacea". Additional efforts should be undertaken by the Government, organizations, physicians, patients, and the public to create a virtuous cycle of healthcare in China.

Agricultural Meteorology in China.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, Norman J.

1982-03-01

During nearly five weeks in China (May-June 1981), the author visited scientific institutions and experiment stations engaged in agricultural meterology and climatology research and teaching. The facilities, studies, and research programs at each institution are described and the scientific work in these fields is evaluated. Agricultural meteorology and climatology are faced with some unique problems and opportunities in China and progress in these fields may be of critical importance to that nation in coming years. The author includes culinary notes and comments on protocol in China.

Higher Education Reform in China: Beyond the Expansion. China Policy Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, W. John, Ed.; Wu, Bin, Ed.

2011-01-01

A major transformation of Chinese higher education (HE) has taken place over the past decade--China has reshaped its higher education sector from elite to mass education with the number of graduates having quadrupled to three million a year over six years. China is exceptional among lower income countries in using tertiary education as a…

China-U.S. Trade Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-11

economic and trade practices. It has recently filed a number of trade dispute resolution cases against China in the WTO, including over China’s failure to...various industries in China. In addition, the Administration recently reversed a long-standing policy that countervailing cases (dealing with...15 U.S. WTO Cases Against China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Violations of U.S. Intellectual Property Rights

Patterns of coral disease across the Hawaiian Archipelago: Relating disease to environment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aeby, G.S.; Williams, G.J.; Franklin, E.C.; Kenyon, J.; Cox, E.F.; Coles, S.; Work, Thierry M.

2011-01-01

In Hawaii, coral reefs occur across a gradient of biological (host abundance), climatic (sea surface temperature anomalies) and anthropogenic conditions from the human-impacted reefs of the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) to the pristine reefs of the northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). Coral disease surveys were conducted at 142 sites from across the Archipelago and disease patterns examined. Twelve diseases were recorded from three coral genera (Porites, Montipora, Acropora) with Porites having the highest prevalence. Porites growth anomalies (PorGAs) were significantly more prevalent within and indicative of reefs in the MHI and Porites trematodiasis (PorTrm) was significantly more prevalent within and indicative of reefs in the NWHI. Porites tissue loss syndrome (PorTLS) was also important in driving regional differences but that relationship was less clear. These results highlight the importance of understanding disease ecology when interpreting patterns of disease occurrence. PorTrm is caused by a parasitic flatworm that utilizes multiple hosts during its life cycle (fish, mollusk and coral). All three hosts must be present for the disease to occur and higher host abundance leads to higher disease prevalence. Thus, a high prevalence of PorTrm on Hawaiian reefs would be an indicator of a healthy coral reef ecosystem. In contrast, the high occurrence of PorGAs within the MHI suggests that PorGAs are related, directly or indirectly, to some environmental co-factor associated with increased human population sizes. Focusing on the three indicator diseases (PorGAs, PorTrm, PorTLS) we used statistical modeling to examine the underlying associations between disease prevalence and 14 different predictor variables (biotic and abiotic). All three diseases showed positive associations with host abundance and negative associations with thermal stress. The association with human population density differed among disease states with PorGAs showing a positive and PorTrm showing

Barium isotopic compositions of oceanic basalts from São Miguel, Azores Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, H.; Nan, X.; Huang, F.

2016-12-01

Oceanic island basalts (OIB) provide important information to decipher the processes of mantle convection and crustal material recycling1. OIBs from São Miguel, Azores Archipelago have extreme radiogenic isotope compositions2-3, representing an enriched component in their mantle source. However, the origins of the enriched mantle are still in debate. Previous studies proposed that the enriched component could be subducted terrigenous sediments2,4, delaminated subcontinental lithosphere5-6, recycled oceanic crust with evolved compositions (such as a subducted seamount)7, or enriched (E-MORB type) under-plated basalts which infiltrated the oceanic mantle lithosphere8. In this study, we use Ba isotopes to constrain the origin of enriched component beneath São Miguel because Ba isotopes can be significantly fractionated at the Earth's surface with low temperature environment than in the mantle with high temperature9-10. We analyzed Ba isotopes of 15 basalts from São Miguel. Although these samples have large variations of 87Sr/86Sr (0.703440-0.705996), 206Pb/204Pb (19.319-20.095) and 187Os/188Os (0.127-0.161), they have limited variation of 137Ba/134Ba (-0.003 to +0.048‰). The average 137Ba/134Ba of São Miguel basalts is 0.019±0.033‰ (n=15, 2SD), which is in the range of mantle (0.026±0.090‰, n=32, 2SD)9, indicating there is no surface material in the mantle source of São Miguel. The enriched source of São Miguel could be evolved material from the mantle. 1. Hofmann, 1997, Nature; 2. Hawkesworth et al., 1979, Nature; 3. White et al., 1979, CMP; 4. Turner et al., 1997, CG; 5. Widom et al., 1997, CG; 6. Moreira et al., 1999, EPSL; 7. Beier et al., 2007, EPSL; 8. Elliott et al., 2007, GCA; 9. Huang et al., 2015, Goldschmidt abs 1331; 10. Nan et al., 2016, Goldschmidt abs 2246.

Sources of Dimethyl Sulfide in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Baffin Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mungall, E. L.; Croft, B.; Lizotte, M.; Thomas, J. L.; Murphy, J. G.; Levasseur, M.; Martin, R.; Wentzell, J. J. B.; Liggio, J.; Abbatt, J.

2015-12-01

Dimethyl sulfide plays a major role in the global sulfur cycle, meaning that it is important to the formation of sulfate aerosol and thus to cloud condensation nuclei populations and cloud formation. The summertime Arctic atmosphere sometimes resides in a cloud condensation nuclei limited regime, making it very susceptible to changes in their number. Despite the interest generated by this situation, dimethyl sulfide has only rarely been measured in the summertime Arctic. This work presents the first high time resolution (10 Hz) DMS mixing ratio measurements for the Eastern Canadian Archipelago and Baffin Bay in summer performed on an icebreaker cruise as one component of the Network on Climate and Aerosols: Addressing Key Uncertainties in Remote Canadian Environments (NETCARE). Measured mixing ratios ranged from below the detection limit of 4 pptv to 1155 pptv with a median value of 186 pptv. We used transfer velocity parameterizations from the literature to generate the first flux estimates for this region in summer, which ranged from 0.02-12 μmol m-2 d-1. DMS has a lifetime against OH oxidation of 1-2 days, allowing both local sources and transport to play roles in its atmospheric mixing ratio. Through air mass trajectory analysis using FLEXPART-WRF and chemical transport modeling using GEOS-Chem, we have identified the relative contributions of local sources (Lancaster Sound and Baffin Bay) as well as transport from further afield (the Hudson Bay System and the Beaufort Sea) and find that the local sources dominate. GEOS-Chem is able to reproduce the major features of the measured time series, but is biased low overall (median 72 pptv). We discuss non-marine sources that could account for this low bias and estimate the possible contributions to DMS mixing ratios from lakes, biomass burning, melt ponds and coastal tundra. Our results show that local marine sources of DMS dominate the summer Arctic atmosphere, but that non-local and possibly non

Patterns of Coral Disease across the Hawaiian Archipelago: Relating Disease to Environment

PubMed Central

Aeby, Greta S.; Williams, Gareth J.; Franklin, Erik C.; Kenyon, Jean; Cox, Evelyn F.; Coles, Steve; Work, Thierry M.

2011-01-01

In Hawaii, coral reefs occur across a gradient of biological (host abundance), climatic (sea surface temperature anomalies) and anthropogenic conditions from the human-impacted reefs of the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) to the pristine reefs of the northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). Coral disease surveys were conducted at 142 sites from across the Archipelago and disease patterns examined. Twelve diseases were recorded from three coral genera (Porites, Montipora, Acropora) with Porites having the highest prevalence. Porites growth anomalies (PorGAs) were significantly more prevalent within and indicative of reefs in the MHI and Porites trematodiasis (PorTrm) was significantly more prevalent within and indicative of reefs in the NWHI. Porites tissue loss syndrome (PorTLS) was also important in driving regional differences but that relationship was less clear. These results highlight the importance of understanding disease ecology when interpreting patterns of disease occurrence. PorTrm is caused by a parasitic flatworm that utilizes multiple hosts during its life cycle (fish, mollusk and coral). All three hosts must be present for the disease to occur and higher host abundance leads to higher disease prevalence. Thus, a high prevalence of PorTrm on Hawaiian reefs would be an indicator of a healthy coral reef ecosystem. In contrast, the high occurrence of PorGAs within the MHI suggests that PorGAs are related, directly or indirectly, to some environmental co-factor associated with increased human population sizes. Focusing on the three indicator diseases (PorGAs, PorTrm, PorTLS) we used statistical modeling to examine the underlying associations between disease prevalence and 14 different predictor variables (biotic and abiotic). All three diseases showed positive associations with host abundance and negative associations with thermal stress. The association with human population density differed among disease states with PorGAs showing a positive and PorTrm showing

Origins of Semisulcospira libertina (gastropoda: semisulcospiridae) in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chiu, Yuh-Wen; Bor, Hor; Kuo, Po-Hsun; Hsu, Kui-Ching; Tan, Mian-Shin; Wang, Wei-Kuang; Lin, Hung-Du

2017-07-01

The most accepted hypothesis has suggested that the fauna in Taiwan Island originated from South China, but some studies supported the Japan, Ryukyu Archipelago, and Taiwan Islands as a unique biogeographical district. This study examines whether the populations of freshwater snail Semisulcospira libertina in Taiwan are closer to those in Japan based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. Our study shows the populations in North Taiwan originated from Japan and the cyclic glacial caused the migrations among islands and continent repeatedly; the populations in South Taiwan might originate from South China or South Asia. Our results will not only affect the conclusions in phylogeography of freshwater species in Taiwan but also change the sampling plans in the future studies about evolutionary of freshwater species in East Asia.

Analysing Forst Fores in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casanova, Jose-Luis; Sanz, Julia; Garcia, Miguel; Salvador, Pablo; Quin, Xianlin; Li, Zengyuan; Yin, Lingyu; Sun, Guifen; Goldammer, Johann

2016-08-01

Forest fires are a major concern in China because of the economical and biodiversity looses and because the emission of trace gases into the atmosphere. During 12 years LATUV has been working in the development of forest fires products, especially in North China. A catalogue of products has been generated like: forest fire detection, burnt area mapping, gas emissions, severity and burnt biomass.Forest fires can be detected by different platforms and sensor but the rate of false alarms is high because of industrial activity. The gas emissions are important, because of the forest fires inside China and because the forest fires between China and Russia that have a considerable impact in the atmosphere composition in China.The availability of new sensors on board sentinel 2 and sentinel 3 platforms will increase the product catalogue with new products more accurate and increasing the periodicity information.

Characteristics, management and response to alteplase in China versus non-China participants of the ENCHANTED trial.

PubMed

Song, Lily; Wang, Xia; Robinson, Thompson; Lindley, Richard I; Arima, Hisatomi; Lavados, Pablo M; Chen, Xiaoying; Chalmers, John; Anderson, Craig S

2017-06-01

The characteristics of patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) and their management vary across regions, which may influence outcomes. We examined for differential patterns of outcome between China and non-China participants of the ENhanced Control of Hypertension And Thrombolysis strokE stuDy (ENCHANTED), which tested different alteplase doses in AIS. ENCHANTED was an international, multicentre, open, blinded-endpoint trial of the effects of low-dose (0.6 mg/kg) versus standard-dose (0.9 mg/kg) intravenous alteplase on 90-day disability outcomes and symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH) in 3310 patients with AIS. Participants (n=1419, 48%) in China were younger, and more often male, hypertensive and with prior stroke and coronary artery disease, but less likely to have atrial fibrillation and use antihypertensive, antithrombotic and lipid-lowering agents, compared with non-China patients with AIS. Although China participants had more AIS due to large artery occlusion, were treated later and had differing ancillary management, there was no significant difference in 90-day modified Rankin scale scores 2-6 (55.6% vs 47.8%; OR, adjusted for baseline and management factors 0.87 (95% CI 0.71 to 1.07; p=0.20)) and risk of sICH (Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study criteria: 1.4% vs 1.8%; p=0.12) compared with non-China participants. There was no heterogeneity in the treatment effects of low-dose versus standard-dose alteplase between China and non-China participants. Patients with AIS recruited to the ENCHANTED trial in China had similar outcomes in response to thrombolysis treatment despite significantly differing demographic, clinical and management factors to patients with AIS in other regions.

Antiplasmodial, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities of various plant extracts from the Mascarene Archipelago.

PubMed

Jonville, M C; Kodja, H; Strasberg, D; Pichette, A; Ollivier, E; Frédérich, M; Angenot, L; Legault, J

2011-07-14

Antiplasmodial activity, inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) overproduction, and anti-proliferative activity were investigated in vitro to evaluate the bioactive potential of the traditional pharmacopoeia of the Mascarene Archipelago, which is known for its biodiversity and for the richness of its endemic flora. A total of 45 methanol (MeOH) and dichloromethane (DCM) extracts were prepared from 19 plant species collected on Réunion and Mauritius Islands. Ninety-six-well microplate assays were performed on chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain, on LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 murine macrophages and on A-549, DLD-1 and WS1 human cells. Activity was evaluated through spectrophotometric methods. Activity was attributed to plant extracts expressing IC(50)<50μg/ml for antiplasmodial response, IC(50)<100μg/ml for cytotoxicity, and IC(50)<130μg/ml for anti-inflammatory reaction. The majority of the extracts tested (69%) exhibited potency in at least one of these three types of activity. This is the first report describing promising antiplasmodial activity (IC(50)<15μg/ml) for Psiadia dentata DCM extract and Terminalia bentzoe MeOH bark extract. NO inhibition assay revealed seven interesting plants, described for the first time as anti-inflammatory: Aphloia theiformis, Buddleja salviifolia, Eupatorium riparium, Hiptage benghalensis, Psiadia arguta, Psiadia dentata, and Scutia commersonii. Finally, anti-proliferative activity was observed for two endemic species, Geniostoma borbonicum and Nuxia verticillata. Using the criterion of endemism as part of the criteria for traditional medicinal use raises the chances of finding original active principles. In our case, 86% of the endemic plants tested displayed pharmacological interest. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The archipelago of Fernando de Noronha: an intriguing malformed toad hotspot in South America.

PubMed

Toledo, Luís Felipe; Ribeiro, Ricardo S

2009-09-01

Malformed anurans raise concern among scientists, because deformities may relate to the recent global crisis among amphibian populations, although declining populations also may be associated with other causes (e.g., diseases, over-exploitation, and land use/land cover change). We examined a sample of toads (Rhinella jimi, Bufonidae) from an introduced population in the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil where malformations of anurans were thought to be high. Our sample of 159 specimens from the site revealed that 44.6% of all specimens had one or more malformations. Incidence of malformed toads on the mainland sites was substantially lower: 10.5% at Itamaracá, and 3.7% at Propriá. We describe the malformations observed, including six undescribed types of malformation of anurans, and we pose possible hypotheses to explain this high incidence of malformed toads. In addition to existing hypotheses, we suggest for the first time the hypothesis that lack of predation pressures contributes to numbers of malformed toads. We indicate the need of specific studies to understand the causes of malformations in the R. jimi population of Fernando de Noronha, which is thought to be extreme foci of malformed amphibians in the world. Our results may improve local conservation action plans as this is an alien population that may be affecting endemic fauna, and may affect populations in other parts of the world, because toad species of the genus Rhinella are recognized as exceptional colonizers. More importantly, unknown variables in these toads' environment are evidently affecting toads during development, which should be a concern for all species that inhabit the area, perhaps even humans.

JPRS Report, China.

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-12

79 Hainan Agricultural Experimentation Zone Approved [CHINA DAILY 28 Feb...ment of postwar Iraq and other poor Middle East coun- Effects of 4 June Not Considered Serious tries. If this question is again raised by Baker during...of authority in China, as well as future succes- military equipment to Iraq; however, over the long term, sors, have studied in the USSR. The United

China Dust and Sand

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-16

... article title:  Dust and Sand Sweep Over Northeast China     View Larger Image ... these views of the dust and sand that swept over northeast China on March 10, 2004. Information on the height of the dust and an ...

Recent glacier retreat over Kerguelen archipelago (49°S, 69°E) derived from field data, satellite imagery and modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verfaillie, Deborah; Favier, Vincent; Dumont, Marie; Jomelli, Vincent; Gilbert, Adrien; Brunstein, Daniel; Frenot, Yves

2013-04-01

Situated in the Indian Ocean at 49° S, 69° E, Kerguelen archipelago represents a unique sub-polar observational site. Located at low altitude and on islands, the glaciers are particularly sensitive to oceanic and atmospheric variations (e.g. Poggi, 1977a,b; Vallon, 1987). The cryosphere on Kerguelen showed important fluctuations during the last 2 centuries (Frenot et al., 1993). After a small stable period until 1961, the ice cap showed a huge and extremely quick retreat, losing 20% of its surface during the last 40 years (Berthier et al., 2009). Relating directly this acceleration with the fluctuations of temperature and precipitation inferred from direct meteorological measurements is attractive and was generally performed (e.g. Frenot et al., 1993, 1997; Berthier et al., 2009). However, it was recently discovered that the drastic temperature change may be mainly due to changes in meteorological station characteristics in 1973 (Météo France, personal communication), challenging previous interpretation. The analysis of field data collected on Ampere glacier since 2010 presented here provides a first approach in our aim to understand the recent rapid retreat of its cryosphere. In this area, short term mass balance data from previous studies (Vallon 1977a,b, 1987) were compared to recent mass balance measurements. The analysis revealed that the spatial distribution of SMB significantly changed in 40 years. Collecting spatially distributed data of the surface characteristics and ablation was crucial to better interpret our field data. Recent variations (from 2000 to 2012) of the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of Cook ice cap derived from MODIS imagery confirmed that the ELA rose about 100m since 2000. Additionally, we analysed meteorological and reanalysis data over Kerguelen from 1950 to 2012, in order to assess the causes and processes involved in the retreat of the ice cap, and present additional SMB and ELA estimates from a simple positive degree-day model

Distribution of tick-borne diseases in China

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

As an important contributor to vector-borne diseases in China, in recent years, tick-borne diseases have attracted much attention because of their increasing incidence and consequent significant harm to livestock and human health. The most commonly observed human tick-borne diseases in China include Lyme borreliosis (known as Lyme disease in China), tick-borne encephalitis (known as Forest encephalitis in China), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (known as Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever in China), Q-fever, tularemia and North-Asia tick-borne spotted fever. In recent years, some emerging tick-borne diseases, such as human monocytic ehrlichiosis, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, and a novel bunyavirus infection, have been reported frequently in China. Other tick-borne diseases that are not as frequently reported in China include Colorado fever, oriental spotted fever and piroplasmosis. Detailed information regarding the history, characteristics, and current epidemic status of these human tick-borne diseases in China will be reviewed in this paper. It is clear that greater efforts in government management and research are required for the prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment of tick-borne diseases, as well as for the control of ticks, in order to decrease the tick-borne disease burden in China. PMID:23617899

Changes in "hotter and wetter" events across China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, C.; Deng, H.; Lu, Y.; Qiu, X.; Wang, D.

2017-12-01

As global warming intensifies, efforts to understand the changes in extreme climate events have increased in recent years. A combined analysis of the changes in extreme temperature and precipitation events is presented in this paper. Using observational data from 1961 to 2015, a set of hotter and wetter (HW) events is defined, and we examine the changes in these events across China. The results show that more HW events occur in Central and Eastern China than in other subregions, especially in South China (SC). The rate of increase in HW events is 2.7 and 1.9 per decade in SC and East China (EC), respectively. In China, most HW events occurred in the last 20 years of the study period, indicating that China entered a period of high-frequency HW events. Indeed, the range in anomalies in the torrential rain days is greater than that of the high-temperature days in Northwest China (NWC), Central China (CC), and EC after the mid- to late 1990s. The opposite pattern is found in Northeast China (NEC), Southwest China-region 1 (SWC1), Southwest China-region 2 (SWC2), and SC. Finally, the increase in HW events in most regions of China is closely associated with warming.

Current development of biorefinery in China.

PubMed

Tan, Tianwei; Shang, Fei; Zhang, Xu

2010-01-01

To meet the demand of its fast growing economy, China has become already the second largest buyer of crude oil. China is facing critical problems of energy shortage and environment deterioration. Rational and efficient energy use and environment protection are both getting more attention in China. Biomass energy is renewable energy made from biological sources. China's biomass resources are abundant, which could provide energy for future social and economic development. However technologies for biomass resource conversion in China are still just beginning. In this paper, current biomass resource distribution and technologies of biomass energy, including power generation, biofuel production and biomass-based chemical production are reviewed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Structure of Oceanography in China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Churgin, James

1984-01-01

Describes the structure of marine science in China. Includes organization and activities of China's National Bureau of Oceanography and programs administered through various ministries, Academia Sinica (China's Academy of Sciences), universities, and provincial institutes. Comments on research vessionals and other development initiatives are also…

China's "Great Leap" toward Madison Avenue.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Michael H.

1981-01-01

Examines the expanding use of advertising in China. Discusses the impact of transnational corporations in communication and other areas on the development of China, and the implications that the introduction of advertising has for China's role as one of the models for developing countries. (JMF)

Revisiting the ants of Melanesia and the taxon cycle: historical and human-mediated invasions of a tropical archipelago.

PubMed

Economo, Evan P; Sarnat, Eli M

2012-07-01

Understanding the historical evolution of biotas and the dynamics of contemporary human-mediated species introductions are two central tasks of biology. One hypothesis may address both-the taxon cycle. Taxon cycles are phases of range expansion and contraction coupled to ecological and evolutionary niche shifts. These historical invasion processes resemble human-mediated invasions in pattern and possibly mechanism, but both the existence of historical cycles and the roles of recent introductions are in question. We return to the system that originally inspired the taxon cycle-Melanesian ants-and perform novel tests of the hypothesis. We analyze (i) the habitat distributions of Fiji's entire ant fauna (183 species), (ii) ecological shifts associated with the in situ radiation of Fijian Pheidole in a phylogenetic context, and (iii) the ecological structure of a massive exotic ant invasion of the archipelago. Our analyses indicate lineages shift toward primary habitats, higher elevation, rarity, and ecological specialization with increasing level of endemism, consistent with taxon cycle predictions. The marginal habitats that historically formed a dispersal conduit in the Pacific are now mostly replaced by human-modified habitats dominated by a colonization pulse of exotic species. We propose this may represent the first phase of an incipient global cycle of human-mediated colonization, ecological shifts, and diversification.

Species differentiation on a dynamic landscape: shifts in metapopulation genetic structure using the chronology of the Hawaiian Archipelago

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roderick, George K.; Croucher, Peter J.P.; Vandergast, Amy G.; Gillespie, Rosemary G.

2012-01-01

Species formation during adaptive radiation often occurs in the context of a changing environment. The establishment and arrangement of populations, in space and time, sets up ecological and genetic processes that dictate the rate and pattern of differentiation. Here, we focus on how a dynamic habitat can affect genetic structure, and ultimately, differentiation among populations. We make use of the chronology and geographical history provided by the Hawaiian archipelago to examine the initial stages of population establishment and genetic divergence. We use data from a set of 6 spider lineages that differ in habitat affinities, some preferring low elevation habitats with a longer history of connection, others being more specialized for high elevation and/or wet forest, some with more general habitat affinities. We show that habitat preferences associated with lineages are important in ecological and genetic structuring. Lineages that have more restricted habitat preferences are subject to repeated episodes of isolation and fragmentation as a result of lava flows and vegetation succession. The initial dynamic set up by the landscape translates over time into discrete lineages. Further work is needed to understand how genetic changes interact with a changing set of ecological interactions amongst a shifting mosaic of landscapes to achieve species formation.

Male hatchling production in sea turtles from one of the world's largest marine protected areas, the Chagos Archipelago.

PubMed

Esteban, Nicole; Laloë, Jacques-Olivier; Mortimer, Jeanne A; Guzman, Antenor N; Hays, Graeme C

2016-02-02

Sand temperatures at nest depths and implications for hatchling sex ratios of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting in the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean are reported and compared to similar measurements at rookeries in the Atlantic and Caribbean. During 2012-2014, temperature loggers were buried at depths and in beach zones representative of turtle nesting sites. Data collected for 12,546 days revealed seasonal and spatial patterns of sand temperature. Depth effects were minimal, perhaps modulated by shade from vegetation. Coolest and warmest temperatures were recorded in the sites heavily shaded in vegetation during the austral winter and in sites partially shaded in vegetation during summer respectively. Overall, sand temperatures were relatively cool during the nesting seasons of both species which would likely produce fairly balanced hatchling sex ratios of 53% and 63% male hatchlings, respectively, for hawksbill and green turtles. This result contrasts with the predominantly high female skew reported for offspring at most rookeries around the globe and highlights how local beach characteristics can drive incubation temperatures. Our evidence suggests that sites characterized by heavy shade associated with intact natural vegetation are likely to provide conditions suitable for male hatchling production in a warming world.

Monomia calla, a new species of swimming crab (Decapoda, Portunidae)
from Madagascar and the Philippines.

PubMed

Koch, Milan; Nguyen, Thanh Son; Ďuriš, Zdeněk

2015-07-06

A new species of portunid crab (Brachyura: Portunidae) from southern Madagascar and central Philippines is described. Monomia calla sp. nov. is most similar in morphology to M. lecromi (Moosa, 1996) from the Chesterfield Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, and M. rubromarginata (Lanchester, 1900) from the South China Sea, Singapore, Malay Archipelago and the northern half of Australia. The new species can be easily distinguished from all congeners by the distinctive morphology of the male first gonopod. The number of species of the Indo-West Pacific genus Monomia now stands at 12.

Impressions of nursing in China.

PubMed

Douglas, J

1994-01-01

This is the first of a series of reflections on a trip a group of nurses made to China in June 1994. John Douglas, a science writer who accompanied the group, wrote the first article in this series. He shares his reflections on the Chinese health care system and interviews conducted with several Chinese nurses. Dr. Grayce Roessler, an internationally known transcultural nursing leader, directed the tour. She has traveled extensively in China (some 30 trips over twenty years) and has worked with Chinese nurses to establish transcultural educational exchange programs between the United States and China. In a future issue of this journal, Dr. Roessler will present her reflections on nursing in China from a transcultural nursing leader's perspective. In the final article in this series Dr. Julianna Finn, a transcultural nurse educator who also made this trip, will present some reflections on nursing in China from a transcultural nursing theoretical perspective using Leininger's Culture Care Theory.

Archaeological implications of a widespread 13th Century tephra marker across the central Indonesian Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alloway, Brent V.; Andreastuti, Supriyati; Setiawan, Ruly; Miksic, John; Hua, Quan

2017-01-01

Despite the occurrence of exceptionally large eruptions in the Indonesian Archipelago in recent historic times (i.e. Krakatoa 1883, Tambora 1815), no historic tephra beds have been widely identified in the terrestrial realm that could facilitate the correlation of equivalent aged sequences and/or archaeological remains. This study has identified one such tephra bed of 13th Century age that can be correlated throughout central-east Java and now can be unequivocally correlated with the Samalas 1257 A.D. tephra recently described from Lombok. The occurrence of this historic tephra marker extending ≥650 km west from its eruptive source provides the first opportunity to effect inter-regional correlation over large swathes of central Indonesia. It remains entirely conceivable that in the aftermath of this exceptionally large eruptive event there was considerable westward disruption to subsistence agriculture and trade, food shortages and famine, dislocation of affected populations and socio-political unrest on a scale that equalled or exceeded the catastrophic effects documented from the more recent Tambora 1815 A.D. eruption. Indeed the effects of this mid-13th Century eruption can be registered globally in a variety of records from Antarctica, Europe, Middle East and the Americas. Unfortunately, archaeological evidence indicating such disruption in mid-13th Century Indonesia is yet to be deciphered from the so-far sparse accounts and inscriptions of that time. However, this paucity of evidence does not diminish the utility of this widespread tephra bed as a unique chronostratigraphic marker for archaeological studies across large areas of central Indonesia.

Paleoclimatic and paleomagnetic constraints on the Paleozoic reconstructions of south China, north China and Tarim

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shangyou, Nie

1991-10-01

Paleomagnetic and paleoclimatic data provide the most useful latitudinal constraints for plate reconstructions. Distributions through the Paleozoic of five types of climatically sensitive sediments (coals, evaporites, reefs, dolomites and limestones) for south China, north China and Tarim are shown on 15 maps that include 1578 reliable data points. These paleoclimatic data agree reasonably well with available paleomagnetic directions, although significant divergence between the two exists for the Early Paleozoic. These data indicate the following: (1) South China was in low latitudes during the entire Paleozoic, with a subtropical position in the Cambrian. (2) North China also remained near the equator in the Early and Late Paleozoic, except for the Ordovian and the Late Permian when extensive evaporites suggest slightly higher latitudinal positions, while its Middle Paleozoic position is uncertain due to the missing stratigraphie record. (3) In south China, local tectonics appears to have played a dominant role in determining paleogeography and therefore marine sedimentation, especially after the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian, because the areal coverage of marine sediments through time is distinctly different from what would be expected from published global sea-level curves. (4) Paleoclimatic and paleomagnetic data are compatible with biogeographic data which suggest that south China was part of eastern Gondwana in the Early Paleozoic, but was widely separated from Gondwana in the Late Paleozoic, and the split between the two probably happened in the Devonian, giving rise to a major break-up unconformity in central south China.

China Country Analysis Brief

EIA Publications

2015-01-01

China is the world's most populous country with a fast-growing economy that has led it to be the largest energy consumer and producer in the world. Rapidly increasing energy demand, especially for petroleum and other liquids, has made China influential in world energy markets.

Diet and feeding ecology of the wintering shorebird assemblage in the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea-Bissau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lourenço, Pedro M.; Catry, Teresa; Granadeiro, José P.

2017-10-01

Detailed data on shorebird feeding ecology is mostly lacking for tropical wintering sites, limiting our understanding of trophic interactions among shorebird species and their prey. Using dropping analysis and video recordings we compared the diet of eight shorebird species wintering in the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea-Bissau, one of the most important but also least known coastal sites for shorebirds in Africa. We also calculated niche width and foraging niche overlap among these eight species. Whimbrel, grey plover and redshank fed mainly on fiddler crabs, confirming previous observations made in the Bijagós. A large proportion of the diet of bar-tailed godwit, curlew sandpiper, sanderling and ringed plover was composed of polychaetes, particularly Nereis and Glycera, and also Marphysa in the case of larger shorebirds. Red knots fed mainly on the bivalve Dosinia isocardia. All species showed narrow trophic niches, but particularly so whimbrel, red knot, grey plover and redshank. Niche overlap among shorebird species was mostly insignificant, with the exception of species that fed mainly on fiddler crab. Low levels of niche overlap suggest that shorebirds are able to partition the available food resources in the Bijagós despite the reported low macrobenthic densities in the area. In fact, observational data for bar-tailed godwit suggests resource partitioning even occurs within species, with dietary differences among sexes.

Health Care in China.

PubMed

Younger, David S

2016-11-01

China has recently emerged as an important global partner. However, like other developing nations, China has experienced dramatic demographic and epidemiologic changes in the past few decades. Population discontent with the health care system has led to major reforms. China's distinctive health care system, including its unique history, vast infrastructure, the speed of health reform, and economic capacity to make important advances in health care, nonetheless, has incomplete insurance coverage for urban and rural dwellers, uneven access, mixed quality of health care, increasing costs, and risk of catastrophic health expenditures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tidal flushing and wind driven circulation of Ahe atoll lagoon (Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia) from in situ observations and numerical modelling.

PubMed

Dumas, F; Le Gendre, R; Thomas, Y; Andréfouët, S

2012-01-01

Hydrodynamic functioning and water circulation of the semi-closed deep lagoon of Ahe atoll (Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia) were investigated using 1 year of field data and a 3D hydrodynamical model. Tidal amplitude averaged less than 30 cm, but tide generated very strong currents (2 ms(-1)) in the pass, creating a jet-like circulation that partitioned the lagoon into three residual circulation cells. The pass entirely flushed excess water brought by waves-induced radiation stress. Circulation patterns were computed for climatological meteorological conditions and summarized with stream function and flushing time. Lagoon hydrodynamics and general overturning circulation was driven by wind. Renewal time was 250 days, whereas the e-flushing time yielded a lagoon-wide 80-days average. Tide-driven flush through the pass and wind-driven overturning circulation designate Ahe as a wind-driven, tidally and weakly wave-flushed deep lagoon. The 3D model allows studying pearl oyster larvae dispersal in both realistic and climatological conditions for aquaculture applications. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Space-time cluster analysis of sea lice infestation (Caligus clemensi and Lepeophtheirus salmonis) on wild juvenile Pacific salmon in the Broughton Archipelago of Canada.

PubMed

Patanasatienkul, Thitiwan; Sanchez, Javier; Rees, Erin E; Pfeiffer, Dirk; Revie, Crawford W

2015-06-15

Sea lice infestation levels on wild chum and pink salmon in the Broughton Archipelago region are known to vary spatially and temporally; however, the locations of areas associated with a high infestation level had not been investigated yet. In the present study, the multivariate spatial scan statistic based on a Poisson model was used to assess spatial clustering of elevated sea lice (Caligus clemensi and Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestation levels on wild chum and pink salmon sampled between March and July of 2004 to 2012 in the Broughton Archipelago and Knight Inlet regions of British Columbia, Canada. Three covariates, seine type (beach and purse seining), fish size, and year effect, were used to provide adjustment within the analyses. The analyses were carried out across the five months/datasets and between two fish species to assess the consistency of the identified clusters. Sea lice stages were explored separately for the early life stages (non-motile) and the late life stages of sea lice (motile). Spatial patterns in fish migration were also explored using monthly plots showing the average number of each fish species captured per sampling site. The results revealed three clusters for non-motile C. clemensi, two clusters for non-motile L. salmonis, and one cluster for the motile stage in each of the sea lice species. In general, the location and timing of clusters detected for both fish species were similar. Early in the season, the clusters of elevated sea lice infestation levels on wild fish are detected in areas closer to the rivers, with decreasing relative risks as the season progresses. Clusters were detected further from the estuaries later in the season, accompanied by increasing relative risks. In addition, the plots for fish migration exhibit similar patterns for both fish species in that, as expected, the juveniles move from the rivers toward the open ocean as the season progresses The identification of space-time clustering of infestation on wild

76 FR 55109 - Glycine From China

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-06

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731-TA-718 (Third Review)] Glycine From China... U.S.C. 1675(c)), that revocation of the antidumping duty order on glycine from China would be likely... contained in USITC Publication 4255 (August 2011), entitled Glycine from China: Investigation No. 731-TA-718...

76 FR 8771 - Glycine From China

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-15

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731-TA-718 (Third Review)] Glycine From China... order on glycine from China. SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives notice that it will proceed with a... determine whether revocation of the antidumping duty order on glycine from China would be likely to lead to...

78 FR 54934 - China Lithium Technologies, Inc. and China Wi-Max Communications, Inc.; Order of Suspension of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-06

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [File No. 500-1] China Lithium Technologies, Inc. and China Wi-Max Communications, Inc.; Order of Suspension of Trading September 4, 2013. It appears to the... securities of China Lithium Technologies, Inc. because it has not filed any periodic reports since the period...

Application of China-Brazil Earth resources satellite in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Yuliang; Zhao, Shangmin; Zhen, Liu; Bei, Jia

2009-03-01

The launch and successful operation of Chinese-Brazil Earth resources satellite (CBERS-1) in China has accelerated the application of space technology in China. These applications include agriculture, forestry, water conservation, land resources, city planning, environment protection and natural hazards monitoring and so on. The result of these applications provides a scientific basis for government decision making and has created great economic and social benefits in Chinese national economy construction. In this paper we present examples and provide auxiliary documentation of additional applications of the data from Earth resource monitoring.

China: A Resource and Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posner, Arlene, Ed.; de Keijzer, Arne J., Ed.

This publication is intended to help secondary and college level teachers locate textbooks, curriculum units, audiovisuals, and other resources on China. The guide's contents include the following: (1) Teaching Materials on Contemporary China: A Critical Evaluation; (2) Adapting Scholarly Work to the Needs of Educators; (3) Teaching about China in…

Multi Hazard Assessment: The Azores Archipelagos (PT) case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aifantopoulou, Dorothea; Boni, Giorgio; Cenci, Luca; Kaskara, Maria; Kontoes, Haris; Papoutsis, Ioannis; Paralikidis, Sideris; Psichogyiou, Christina; Solomos, Stavros; Squicciarino, Giuseppe; Tsouni, Alexia; Xerekakis, Themos

2016-04-01

The COPERNICUS EMS Risk & Recovery Mapping (RRM) activity offers services to support efficient design and implementation of mitigation measures and recovery planning based on EO data exploitation. The Azores Archipelagos case was realized in the context of the FWC 259811 Copernicus EMS RRM, and provides potential impact information for a number of natural disasters. The analysis identified population and assets at risk (infrastructures and environment). The risk assessment was based on hazard and vulnerability of structural elements, road network characteristics, etc. Integration of different hazards and risks was accounted in establishing the necessary first response/ first aid infrastructure. EO data (Pleiades and WV-2), were used to establish a detailed background information, common for the assessment of the whole of the risks. A qualitative Flood hazard level was established, through a "Flood Susceptibility Index" that accounts for upstream drainage area and local slope along the drainage network (Manfreda et al. 2014). Indicators, representing different vulnerability typologies, were accounted for. The risk was established through intersecting hazard and vulnerability (risk- specific lookup table). Probabilistic seismic hazards maps (PGA) were obtained by applying the Cornell (1968) methodology as implemented in CRISIS2007 (Ordaz et al. 2007). The approach relied on the identification of potential sources, the assessment of earthquake recurrence and magnitude distribution, the selection of ground motion model, and the mathematical model to calculate seismic hazard. Lava eruption areas and a volcanic activity related coefficient were established through available historical data. Lava flow paths and their convergence were estimated through applying a cellular, automata based, Lava Flow Hazard numerical model (Gestur Leó Gislason, 2013). The Landslide Hazard Index of NGI (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute) for heavy rainfall (100 year extreme monthly rainfall

Biofuels in China.

PubMed

Tan, Tianwei; Yu, Jianliang; Lu, Jike; Zhang, Tao

2010-01-01

The Chinese government is stimulating the biofuels development to replace partially fossil fuels in the transport sector, which can enhance energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and stimulate rural development. Bioethanol, biodiesel, biobutanol, biogas, and biohydrogen are the main biofuels developed in China. In this chapter, we mainly present the current status of biofuel development in China, and illustrate the issues of feedstocks, food security and conversion processes.

JPRS Report, China.

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-16

JPRS-CAR-91-002 16 JANUARY 1991, FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE -’PRS Report-- I p~provd t•= p,,.• :i..SU China REPRODUCED BY U.S. DEPARTMENT...OF COMMERCE NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE SPRINGFIELD, VA. 22161 China JPRS-CAR-91-002 CONTENTS 16 January 1991 INTERNATIONAL 19th-Century...disasters; delegated to and retrieved from the localities arbitrarily coordination, organization, arbitration, and resolution without benefit of a legal

JPRS Report, China

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-22

thereby relatively increasing China’s foreign debt burden. Generally speaking, a decline in foreign exchange rates helps increase exports; however, the...offset by currency inflation. This leads to further currency over- valuation, which hurts exports. Generally speaking, a fall in foreign exchange rates can...restrain exports; however, the fall in China’s foreign exchange rates in recent years has played no marked role in restricting imports. The

Educational Technology in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meifeng, Liu; Jinjiao, Lv; Cui, Kang

2010-01-01

This paper elaborates the two different academic views of the identity of educational technology in China at the current time--advanced-technology-oriented cognition, known as Electrifying Education, and problem-solving-oriented cognition, known as Educational Technology. It addresses five main modes of educational technology in China: as a…

Teenage Smoking in China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Tsung O.

1999-01-01

Examines the increasing problem of teenage smoking in modern China. Reviews China's smoking control efforts, a major feature of which has been to educate the youth against smoking so as to prevent them from starting and reduce the overall number of new smokers. (Contains 61 references.) (Author/GCP)

China: Background Notes Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reams, Joanne Reppert

Concise background information on the People's Republic of China is provided. The publication begins with a profile of the country, outlining the people, geography, economy, and membership in international organizations. The bulk of the document then discusses in more detail China's people, geography, history, government, education, economy, and…

75 FR 21346 - Chloropicrin From China

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-23

... China Determination On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the subject five-year review, the United... China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the...), entitled Chloropicrin from China: Investigation No. 731-TA-130 (Third Review). By order of the Commission...

Education of dentists in China.

PubMed

Komabayashi, Takashi; Zhu, Qiang; Jiang, Jin; Hu, De-Yu; Kim, Kang-Ju; Toda, Shinji; Tanne, Yuki; Tanimoto, Kotaro; Kirkland, Mark D; Bird, William F

2006-10-01

China is geographically located in the east of Asia and its population exceeds 1.3 billion. An understanding of dental education in China is thus of interest. However, as there is little published information on this topic, this paper provides information about China regarding its dental history, dental school system including curriculum and dental licensure. High school graduates take a nationwide entrance examination to apply for dental school, of which there are more than 50 in China. A five year dental education leads to the BDS degree. Dental school graduates must then pass the nationwide licensure examination to practise dentistry. Currently, there are not adequate numbers of dentists to provide the necessary oral health care for people living outside metropolitan areas.

Action Learning in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marquardt, Michael J.

2015-01-01

Action learning was introduced into China less than 20 years ago, but has rapidly become a valuable tool for organizations seeking to solve problems, develop their leaders, and become learning organizations. This article provides an historical overview of action learning in China, its cultural underpinnings, and five case studies. It concludes…

International institutions and China's health policy.

PubMed

Huang, Yanzhong

2015-02-01

This article examines the role of international institutional actors in China's health policy process. Particular attention is paid to three major international institutional actors: the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Through process tracing and comparative case studies, the article looks at how international institutions contribute to policy change in China and seeks to explain different outcomes in the relationship between international institutions and China's health policies. It finds that despite the opaque and exclusive authoritarian structure in China, international institutions play a significant role in the country's domestic health governance. By investing their resources and capabilities selectively and strategically, international institutions can change the preferences of government policy makers, move latent public health issues to the government's agenda, and affect the timing of government action and the content of policy design. Furthermore, the study suggests that different outcomes in the relationship between China's health policies and global health governance can be explained through the seriousness of the externalities China faces. Copyright © 2015 by Duke University Press.

Prevalence and socio-demographic characteristics of disability in older adults in China: Findings from China Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Study.

PubMed

Ma, Lina; Li, Zhenzhen; Tang, Zhe; Sun, Fei; Diao, Lijun; Li, Jian; He, Yao; Dong, Birong; Li, Yun

2017-11-01

Disability affects older adults' quality of life. This study aimed to examine the socio-demographic characteristics of disability in older adults in China. Data was obtained from the China Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Study (CCGAS). The sample comprised 6864 people aged 60 years and above from seven provinces in China. A door-to-door survey was conducted by formally trained interviewers using a unified questionnaire. Disability was assessed with physical health assessment comprising activities of daily living (ADL), and independent activities of daily living (IADL). For the purpose of this study, we analyzed only disability and some socio-demographic dimensions. The rates were standardized based on China's Sixth National Census population distribution. The disability rate in older adults was 7.0%. The disability rate was significantly higher in women than men, significantly higher in rural areas than urban areas, and higher in northern China than southern China. Urban disability rates ranged from 5.7% to 1.2%. The differences were statistically significant, with Beijing having the highest and Shanghai the lowest disability rates. Disability increased with age. In China, the disability rate in older adults is 7.0%, and increases with age. The disability rate is significantly higher in women, rural area, and northern China. This is the first study to report the epidemiology of disability in older adults in China in recent years and indicates the need for further epidemiological data on disability in China to facilitate long-term care and care policy formulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Terrestrial invasion of pomatiopsid gastropods in the heavy-snow region of the Japanese Archipelago

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Gastropod mollusks are one of the most successful animals that have diversified in the fully terrestrial habitat. They have evolved terrestrial taxa in more than nine lineages, most of which originated during the Paleozoic or Mesozoic. The rissooidean gastropod family Pomatiopsidae is one of the few groups that have evolved fully terrestrial taxa during the late Cenozoic. The pomatiopsine diversity is particularly high in the Japanese Archipelago and the terrestrial taxa occur only in this region. In this study, we conducted thorough samplings of Japanese pomatiopsid species and performed molecular phylogenetic analyses to explore the patterns of diversification and terrestrial invasion. Results Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that Japanese Pomatiopsinae derived from multiple colonization of the Eurasian Continent and that subsequent habitat shifts from aquatic to terrestrial life occurred at least twice within two Japanese endemic lineages. Each lineage comprises amphibious and terrestrial species, both of which are confined to the mountains in heavy-snow regions facing the Japan Sea. The estimated divergence time suggested that diversification of these terrestrial lineages started in the Late Miocene, when active orogenesis of the Japanese landmass and establishment of snowy conditions began. Conclusions The terrestrial invasion of Japanese Pomatiopsinae occurred at least twice beside the mountain streamlets of heavy-snow regions, which is considered the first case of this event in the area. Because snow coverage maintains stable temperatures and high humidity on the ground surface, heavy-snow conditions may have paved the way for these organisms from freshwater to land via mountain streamlets by preventing winter desiccation in mountain valleys. The fact that the terrestrialization of Pomatiopsidae occurred only in year-round wet environments, but not in seasonally dried regions, provides new insight into ancient molluscan terrestrialization

Biomarker profiling in reef corals of Tonga’s Ha’apai and Vava’u archipelagos

PubMed Central

Chen, Chii-Shiarng; Dempsey, Alexandra C.

2017-01-01

Given the significant threats towards Earth’s coral reefs, there is an urgent need to document the current physiological condition of the resident organisms, particularly the reef-building scleractinians themselves. Unfortunately, most of the planet’s reefs are understudied, and some have yet to be seen. For instance, the Kingdom of Tonga possesses an extensive reef system, with thousands of hectares of unobserved reefs; little is known about their ecology, nor is there any information on the health of the resident corals. Given such knowledge deficiencies, 59 reefs across three Tongan archipelagos were surveyed herein, and pocilloporid corals were sampled from approximately half of these surveyed sites; 10 molecular-scale response variable were assessed in 88 of the sampled colonies, and 12 colonies were found to be outliers based on employment of a multivariate statistics-based aberrancy detection system. These outliers differed from the statistically normally behaving colonies in having not only higher RNA/DNA ratios but also elevated expression levels of three genes: 1) Symbiodinium zinc-induced facilitator-like 1-like, 2) host coral copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, and 3) host green fluorescent protein-like chromoprotein. Outliers were also characterized by significantly higher variation amongst the molecular response variables assessed, and the response variables that contributed most significantly to colonies being delineated as outliers differed between the two predominant reef coral species sampled, Pocillopora damicornis and P. acuta. These closely related species also displayed dissimilar temporal fluctuation patterns in their molecular physiologies, an observation that may have been driven by differences in their feeding strategies. Future works should attempt to determine whether corals displaying statistically aberrant molecular physiology, such as the 12 Tongan outliers identified herein, are indeed characterized by a diminished capacity for

Macrophytobenthic flora of the Abrolhos Archipelago and the Sebastião Gomes Reef, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torrano-Silva, Beatriz N.; Oliveira, Eurico C.

2013-11-01

The Abrolhos Bank, located on the coast of Bahia, Brazil, harbors the largest coral reef system in the South Atlantic. This area has attracted the attention of biologists because of its peculiar mushroom-shaped structures, locally known as "chapeirões", and endemic species of corals and other organisms. The macrophytobenthos compartment plays an important ecological role in the functioning of the bank, and some reports on the presence of seaweeds and seagrasses have been published; however, the data are fragmentary, and a more detailed survey of the macrophytobenthos compartment is lacking. Here we consolidate the information available and add new data obtained from two expeditions focused on seaweed and seagrass diversity from two sectors of the bank: the islands of the Abrolhos archipelago (AA) and the Sebastião Gomes Reef (SG). These sites were selected for their contrasting characteristics. Specifically, SG (15 km off the mouth of the Caravelas River) is subjected to a broader range of anthropogenic impacts and to input of terrigenous sediments, while the AA (54 km offshore) is surrounded by calcareous biogenic sediments, has clearer water and is less affected by human activities. Macrophytobenthic species richness on both reference areas is larger than previously thought. Considering previous records, there are 164 species of macrophytes in AA and 111 species in SG, of which 59 and 74 species are first records for each respective location. The higher species richness at the AA may result from a higher habitat complexity and lower turbidity, but a potential negative effect of enhanced human impacts at SG cannot be ruled out. Considering that macroalgae are relevant components of the benthic community, as producers and structurer organisms, the data presented herein provide a reliable baseline for future environmental studies, and thus may contribute to improve management policies within the unique ecosystem of Abrolhos.

China's family planning policy today.

PubMed

Meredith, W H

1993-01-01

This paper reviews China's family planning (FP) policy and its progress and problems in reaching state goals. Opening with a brief description of the one-child policy introduced in 1979, the paper moves backward in time to a consideration of the historical perspective and government policy. The current situation is then described in more detail. It is noted that China's population of 1.14 billion in 1990 would have been 1.3 billion without FP and that China contains 22% of the world's population with only 7% of its arable land. The state hopes to limit the growth rate to 12.5/1000 in the coming decade but a birth peak is predicted, birth control work has progressed very unevenly, marriage and pregnancy under age 18 is still common in rural areas, and life expectancy has risen. Urban compliance is very high, but the desire to have sons is still strong in rural areas. Problems with the birth rate among the migrating population are being addressed by the requirement that migrants produce "FP cards" before applying for residency permits. It is believed that female infanticide is still practiced in rural areas and that eliminating son preference would reduce the overall birth rate. While many couples rely on sterilization, the government is conducting research on new forms of the IUD (the most popular contraceptive) and vaccines and is encouraging the use of condoms. Most contraceptives are distributed free through an extensive network of FP associations. China has faced international criticism for the potential abuse to human rights implicit in its one-child policy, but China maintains that it opposes forced abortions, forbids infanticide, and that the FP policy reflects a more humane response to the reality of China's situation than would allowing couples to have large families. While China's methods would not work in a more pluralistic society which extols individualism, China's success or failure will in large measure determine the future of the world.

PulseNet China, a model for future laboratory-based bacterial infectious disease surveillance in China.

PubMed

Li, Wei; Lu, Shan; Cui, Zhigang; Cui, Jinghua; Zhou, Haijian; Wang, Yiqing; Shao, Zhujun; Ye, Changyun; Kan, Biao; Xu, Jianguo

2012-12-01

Surveillance is critical for the prevention and control of infectious disease. China's real-time web-based infectious disease reporting system is a distinguished achievement. However, many aspects of the current China Infectious Disease Surveillance System do not yet meet the demand for timely outbreak detection and identification of emerging infectious disease. PulseNet, the national molecular typing network for foodborne disease surveillance was first established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States in 1995 and has proven valuable in the early detection of outbreaks and tracing the pathogen source. Since 2001, the China CDC laboratory for bacterial pathogen analysis has been a member of the PulseNet International family; and has been adapting the idea and methodology of PulseNet to develop a model for a future national laboratory-based surveillance system for all bacterial infectious disease.We summarized the development progress for the PulseNet China system and discussed it as a model for the future of China's national laboratory-based surveillance system.

Loess deposits since early Pleistocene in northeast China and implications for desert evolution in east China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Miao; Zhang, Xujiao; Tian, Mingzhong; Liu, Ru; He, Zexin; Qi, Lin; Qiao, Yansong

2018-04-01

Loess deposits and deserts are regarded as coupled geological systems and loess deposits on the periphery of deserts can often be used to reconstruct desert evolution. Previous studies of desert evolution in Asia are mainly concentrated in northwest China and the China Loess Plateau, and little is known about long-term desert evolution in east China. In this study, we selected the Sishijiazi loess section in the Chifeng area in northeast China to study the long-term evolution of the desert in east China. A high-resolution magnetostratigraphy combined with optically stimulated luminescence dating indicated that the age of the section base is approximately 1.02 Ma. The Brunhes-Matuyama boundary is at the depth of 39.8 m in loess unit L8, and the upper boundary of the Jaramillo Subchron is at the depth of 60.8 m in paleosol S10. The results of grain-size analysis indicate a coarsening grain-size trend in the past 1.0 Ma. In addition, based on grain-size variations, the desert evolution in east China since ∼1.0 Ma can be divided into three stages: stability from 1.0 to 0.8 Ma, desert recession from 0.8 to 0.5 Ma, and gradual expansion since 0.5 Ma. Our results further indicate that the evolution of desert in east China was mainly controlled by changes in global ice volume, and that the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau may have had an additional effect.

Tsunami hazard assessment for the Azores archipelago: a historical review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabral, Nuno; Ferreira, Teresa; Queiroz, Maria Gabriela

2010-05-01

The Azores islands due to its complex geographical and geodynamic setting are exposed to tsunamigenic events associated to different triggering mechanisms, local or distant. Since the settlement of the Azores, in the fifteenth century, there are several documents that relate coastal areas flooding episodes with unusually high waves which caused death and destruction. This work had as main objective the characterization of the different events that can be associated with tsunamigenic phenomena, registered in the archipelago. With this aim, it was collected diverse documentation like chronics, manuscripts, newspaper articles and magazines, scientific publications, and international databases available online. From all the studied tsunami events it was identified the occurrence of some teletsunamis, among which the most relevant was triggered by the 1st November 1755 Lisbon earthquake, with an epicenter SW of Portugal, which killed 6 people in Terceira island. It is also noted the teletsunami generated by the 1761 earthquake, located in the same region as the latest, and the one generated in 1929 by an earthquake-triggered submarine landslide in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. From the local events, originated in the Azores, the most significant were the tsunamis triggered by 1757 and 1980 earthquakes, both associated with the Terceira Rift dynamics. In the first case the waves may also be due to earthquake-triggered. With respect to tsunamis triggered by sea cliffs landslides it is important to mention the 1847 Quebrada Nova and the 1980 Rocha Alta events, both located in the Flores Island. The 1847 event is the deadliest tsunami recorded in Azores since 10 people died in Flores and Corvo islands in result of the propagated wave. The developed studies improve knowledge of the tsunami sources that affected the Azores during its history, also revealing the importance of awareness about this natural phenomenon. The obtained results showed that the tsunami hazard in the

What really bothers China about THAAD? 'WHY CHINA BOTHERS ABOUT THAAD MISSILE DEFENSE'

DOE PAGES

Sankaran, Jaganath; Fearey, Bryan Leo

2017-02-07

The United States has announced that it will deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to the Republic of Korea. Here, China has objected as it fears encirclement. The United States should continue to engage with China via official and other channels to mitigate concerns and avoid misperceptions.

What really bothers China about THAAD? 'WHY CHINA BOTHERS ABOUT THAAD MISSILE DEFENSE'

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sankaran, Jaganath; Fearey, Bryan Leo

The United States has announced that it will deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to the Republic of Korea. Here, China has objected as it fears encirclement. The United States should continue to engage with China via official and other channels to mitigate concerns and avoid misperceptions.

With Strings Attached: Chinas Economic Policy in the South China Sea

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

of the resources used to fuel its economy: it imports a majority of its timber , platinum, aluminum, iron ore, and copper. Perhaps though, most...gains access to resources such as oil, copper, uranium, cobalt, and timber .18 In Latin America, China receives iron ore, copper, oil and leather.19 In...The argument is that such a regional peace creates a structure that facilitates the transfer of the resources that China needs to continue to fuel

Guillain-Barré syndrome in northwestern China.

PubMed

Jiang, W; Wang, H D; Huang, Y G; Wan, Q; Xu, Y; Wu, B R

2001-01-01

We reviewed 100 patients with Guillan-Barré syndrome (GBS) from 1994 to 2000 from northwestern China. We examined clinical and electro-diagnostics features and compared them to patients from Europe, North America and northern China. Results indicated that among 100 patients with GBS, the demyelinating pattern was present in 51 patients, the axonal pattern in 25 patients, and 8 patients were inexcitable, 12 patients equivocal and 4 patients normal. The electrophysiological and clinical features of various subtypes of GBS in northwestern China seemed to be different in some ways from those in western countries and in northern China. However, in northwestern China, the demyelinating pattern is the major electrophysiological subtype.

Sports Medicine in China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bloomquist, Lorraine E.

This report on a visit to the People's Republic of China in April 1985 to explore methodology of sports science research, treatment of injuries, and role of sports in everyday life discusses the following topics: (1) introduction to China; (2) sports and physical culture; (3) sports medicine and rehabilitation; (4) health factors; (5) cost of…

Household Wealth in China

PubMed Central

Xie, Yu; Jin, Yongai

2015-01-01

With new nationwide longitudinal survey data now available from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we study the level, distribution, and composition of household wealth in contemporary China. We find that the wealth Gini coefficient of China was 0.73 in 2012. The richest 1 percent owned more than one-third of the total national household wealth, while the poorest 25 percent owned less than 2 percent. Housing assets, which accounted for over 70 percent, were the largest component of household wealth. Finally, the urban-rural divide and regional disparities played important roles in household wealth distribution, and institutional factors significantly affected household wealth holdings, wealth growth rate, and wealth mobility. PMID:26435882

Pollution from China increases cloud droplet number, suppresses rain over the East China Sea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bennartz, Ralph; Fan, Jiwen; Rausch, J

2011-05-18

Rapid economic growth over the last 30 years in China has led to a significant increase in aerosol loading, which is mainly due to the increased emissions of its precursors such as SO 2 and NO x. Here we show that these changes significantly affect wintertime clouds and precipitation over the East China Sea downwind of major emission sources. Satellite observations show an increase of cloud droplet number concentration from less than 200 cm -3 in the 1980s to more than 300 cm -3 in 2005. In the same time period, precipitation frequency reported by voluntary ship observers was reducedmore » from more than 30% to less than 20% of the time. A back trajectory analysis showed the pollution in the investigation area to originate from the Shanghai-Nanjing and Jinan industrial areas. A model sensitivity study was performed, isolating the effects of changes in emissions of the aerosol precursors SO 2 and NO x on clouds and precipitation using a state-of-the-art mesocale model including chemistry and aerosol indirect effects. Similar changes in cloud droplet number concentration over the East China Sea were obtained when the current industrial emissions in China were reduced to the 1980s levels. Simulated changes in precipitation were somewhat smaller than the observed changes but still significant. Citation: Bennartz, R., J. Fan, J. Rausch, L. R. Leung, and A. K. Heidinger (2011), Pollution from China increases cloud droplet number, suppresses rain over the East China Sea, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L09704, doi:10.1029/ 2011GL047235.« less

Male hatchling production in sea turtles from one of the world’s largest marine protected areas, the Chagos Archipelago

PubMed Central

Esteban, Nicole; Laloë, Jacques-Olivier; Mortimer, Jeanne A.; Guzman, Antenor N.; Hays, Graeme C.

2016-01-01

Sand temperatures at nest depths and implications for hatchling sex ratios of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting in the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean are reported and compared to similar measurements at rookeries in the Atlantic and Caribbean. During 2012–2014, temperature loggers were buried at depths and in beach zones representative of turtle nesting sites. Data collected for 12,546 days revealed seasonal and spatial patterns of sand temperature. Depth effects were minimal, perhaps modulated by shade from vegetation. Coolest and warmest temperatures were recorded in the sites heavily shaded in vegetation during the austral winter and in sites partially shaded in vegetation during summer respectively. Overall, sand temperatures were relatively cool during the nesting seasons of both species which would likely produce fairly balanced hatchling sex ratios of 53% and 63% male hatchlings, respectively, for hawksbill and green turtles. This result contrasts with the predominantly high female skew reported for offspring at most rookeries around the globe and highlights how local beach characteristics can drive incubation temperatures. Our evidence suggests that sites characterized by heavy shade associated with intact natural vegetation are likely to provide conditions suitable for male hatchling production in a warming world. PMID:26832230

Male hatchling production in sea turtles from one of the world’s largest marine protected areas, the Chagos Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esteban, Nicole; Laloë, Jacques-Olivier; Mortimer, Jeanne A.; Guzman, Antenor N.; Hays, Graeme C.

2016-02-01

Sand temperatures at nest depths and implications for hatchling sex ratios of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting in the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean are reported and compared to similar measurements at rookeries in the Atlantic and Caribbean. During 2012-2014, temperature loggers were buried at depths and in beach zones representative of turtle nesting sites. Data collected for 12,546 days revealed seasonal and spatial patterns of sand temperature. Depth effects were minimal, perhaps modulated by shade from vegetation. Coolest and warmest temperatures were recorded in the sites heavily shaded in vegetation during the austral winter and in sites partially shaded in vegetation during summer respectively. Overall, sand temperatures were relatively cool during the nesting seasons of both species which would likely produce fairly balanced hatchling sex ratios of 53% and 63% male hatchlings, respectively, for hawksbill and green turtles. This result contrasts with the predominantly high female skew reported for offspring at most rookeries around the globe and highlights how local beach characteristics can drive incubation temperatures. Our evidence suggests that sites characterized by heavy shade associated with intact natural vegetation are likely to provide conditions suitable for male hatchling production in a warming world.

Historical processes and contemporary ocean currents drive genetic structure in the seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in the Indo-Australian Archipelago.

PubMed

Hernawan, Udhi E; van Dijk, Kor-Jent; Kendrick, Gary A; Feng, Ming; Biffin, Edward; Lavery, Paul S; McMahon, Kathryn

2017-02-01

Understanding spatial patterns of gene flow and genetic structure is essential for the conservation of marine ecosystems. Contemporary ocean currents and historical isolation due to Pleistocene sea level fluctuations have been predicted to influence the genetic structure in marine populations. In the Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA), the world's hotspot of marine biodiversity, seagrasses are a vital component but population genetic information is very limited. Here, we reconstructed the phylogeography of the seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in the IAA based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and then characterized the genetic structure based on a panel of 16 microsatellite markers. We further examined the relative importance of historical isolation and contemporary ocean currents in driving the patterns of genetic structure. Results from SNPs revealed three population groups: eastern Indonesia, western Indonesia (Sunda Shelf) and Indian Ocean; while the microsatellites supported five population groups (eastern Indonesia, Sunda Shelf, Lesser Sunda, Western Australia and Indian Ocean). Both SNPs and microsatellites showed asymmetrical gene flow among population groups with a trend of southwestward migration from eastern Indonesia. Genetic diversity was generally higher in eastern Indonesia and decreased southwestward. The pattern of genetic structure and connectivity is attributed partly to the Pleistocene sea level fluctuations modified to a smaller level by contemporary ocean currents. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Early warning indicators for river nutrient and sediment loads in tropical seagrass beds: a benchmark from a near-pristine archipelago in Indonesia.

PubMed

van Katwijk, M M; van der Welle, M E W; Lucassen, E C H E T; Vonk, J A; Christianen, M J A; Kiswara, W; al Hakim, I Inayat; Arifin, A; Bouma, T J; Roelofs, J G M; Lamers, L P M

2011-07-01

In remote, tropical areas human influences increase, potentially threatening pristine seagrass systems. We aim (i) to provide a bench-mark for a near-pristine seagrass system in an archipelago in East Kalimantan, by quantifying a large spectrum of abiotic and biotic properties in seagrass meadows and (ii) to identify early warning indicators for river sediment and nutrient loading, by comparing the seagrass meadow properties over a gradient with varying river influence. Abiotic properties of water column, pore water and sediment were less suitable indicators for increased sediment and nutrient loading than seagrass properties. Seagrass meadows strongly responded to higher sediment and nutrient loads and proximity to the coast by decreasing seagrass cover, standing stock, number of seagrass species, changing species composition and shifts in tissue contents. Our study confirms that nutrient loads are more important than water nutrient concentrations. We identify seagrass system variables that are suitable indicators for sediment and nutrient loading, also in rapid survey scenarios with once-only measurements. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Films: China and Japan].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gumport, Roberta H.

The history of filmmaking in China and Japan and film usage in teaching are considered in this document. Pointing out how films describe historical context and culture, the document also describes various techniques of film making. Films in China were heavily influenced by western models and have tended to be tools of the power structure, as…

Building biophysics in mid-century China: the University of Science and Technology of China.

PubMed

Luk, Yi Lai Christine

2015-01-01

Biophysics has been either an independent discipline or an element of another discipline in the United States, but it has always been recognized as a stand-alone discipline in the People's Republic of China (PRC) since 1949. To inquire into this apparent divergence, this paper investigates the formational history of biophysics in China by examining the early institutional history of one of the best-known and prestigious science and technology universities in the PRC, the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). By showing how the university and its biophysics program co-evolved with national priorities from the school's founding in 1958 to the eve of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, the purpose of this paper is to assess the development of a scientific discipline in the context of national demands and institutional politics. Specific materials for analysis include the school's admission policies, curricula, students' dissertations, and research program. To further contextualize the institutional setting of Chinese biophysics, this paper begins with a general history of proto-biophysical institutions in China during the Nationalist-Communist transitional years. This paper could be of interest to historians wanting to know more about the origin of the biophysics profession in China, and in particular how research areas that constitute biophysics changed in tandem with socio-political contingencies.

The Anatomy of Teleneurosurgery in China

PubMed Central

Gao, Xiaohong

2011-01-01

With its huge population and vast territory, China faces a great challenge in providing modern advanced health care services to all parts of the country. The advances of information communication technologies (ICTs) and the advent of internet have revolutionised the means in the delivery of healthcare via telemedicine to remote and underserved populations, which to a certain extent has been very well exploited in China, especially where 70% peasants residing in the rural areas. This paper reviews the latest development in telemedicine infrastructure in China with the focus on the development of teleneurosurgery, drawing from the results gained from a 3-year networking project between Europe and China on telemedicine (TIME, 2005–2007) funded by European Commission under Asia ICT programme, with an aim to shape up envisages of future medical care in China. Comparison with its counterparts in Europe is also addressed. PMID:21941536

Characterization of the chemical composition of PM2.5 emitted from on-road China III and China IV diesel trucks in Beijing, China.

PubMed

Wu, Bobo; Shen, Xianbao; Cao, Xinyue; Yao, Zhiliang; Wu, Yunong

2016-05-01

The composition of diesel exhaust fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is of growing interest because of its impacts on health and climatic factors and its application in source apportionment and aerosol modeling. We characterized the detailed chemical composition of the PM2.5, including the organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble ions (WSIs), and elemental contents, emitted from China III and China IV diesel trucks (nine each) based on real-world measurements in Beijing using a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS). Carbonaceous compounds were the dominant components (totaling approximately 87%) of the PM2.5, similar to the results (greater than 80% of the PM2.5) of our previous study of on-road China III diesel trucks. In general, the amounts of individual component groups (carbonaceous compounds, WSIs, and elements) and PM2.5 emissions for China IV diesel trucks were lower than those of China III diesel trucks of the same size, except for the WSIs and elements for the light- and medium-duty diesel trucks. The EC/OC mass ratios were strongly dependent on the emission standards, and the ratios of China IV diesel trucks were higher than those of China III diesel trucks of the same size. The chemical species in the PM2.5 were significantly affected by the driving conditions. Overall, the emission factors (EFs) of the PM2.5 and OC under non-highway (NHW) driving conditions were higher than those under highway (HW) driving conditions, and the EC/OC mass ratios presented an increasing trend, with decreasing OC/PM2.5 and increasing EC/PM2.5 from NHW to HW driving conditions; similar trends were reported in our previous study. In addition, Pearson's correlation coefficients among the PM2.5 species were analyzed to determine the relationships among the various chemical components. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Teaching human parasitology in China

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

China has approximately one-fifth of the world’s population. Despite the recent success in controlling major parasitic diseases, parasitic diseases remain a significant human health problem in China. Hence, the discipline of human parasitology is considered as a core subject for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the medical sciences. We consider the teaching of human parasitology to be fundamental to the training of medical students, to the continued research on parasitic diseases, and to the prevention and control of human parasitic diseases. Here, we have summarized the distribution of educational institutions in China, particularly those that teach parasitology. In addition, we have described some existing parasitology courses in detail as well as the teaching methods used for different types of medical students. Finally, we have discussed the current problems in and reforms to human parasitology education. Our study indicates that 304 regular higher education institutions in China offer medical or related education. More than 70 universities have an independent department of parasitology that offers approximately 10 different parasitology courses. In addition, six universities in China have established excellence-building courses in human parasitology. PMID:22520237

75 FR 80527 - Aluminum Extrusions From China

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-22

...)] Aluminum Extrusions From China AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission. ACTION: Scheduling of... of subsidized and less-than-fair-value imports from China of aluminum extrusions, primarily provided... contained in Aluminum Extrusions From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Preliminary Determination of...

75 FR 23298 - Potassium Permanganate From China

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-03

... Permanganate From China AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission. ACTION: Institution of a five-year review concerning the antidumping duty order on potassium permanganate from China. SUMMARY: The... on potassium permanganate from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of...

75 FR 51112 - Potassium Permanganate From China

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-18

... Permanganate From China AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission. ACTION: Scheduling of an expedited five-year review concerning the antidumping duty order on potassium permanganate from China... of the antidumping duty order on potassium permanganate from China would be likely to lead to...

[Natural forming causes of China population distribution].

PubMed

Fang, Yu; Ouyang, Zhi-Yun; Zheng, Hua; Xiao, Yi; Niu, Jun-Feng; Chen, Sheng-Bin; Lu, Fei

2012-12-01

The diverse natural environment in China causes the spatial heterogeneity of China population distribution. It is essential to understand the interrelations between the population distribution pattern and natural environment to enhance the understanding of the man-land relationship and the realization of the sustainable management for the population, resources, and environment. This paper analyzed the China population distribution by adopting the index of population density (PD) in combining with spatial statistic method and Lorenz curve, and discussed the effects of the natural factors on the population distribution and the interrelations between the population distribution and 16 indices including average annual precipitation (AAP), average annual temperature (AAT), average annual sunshine duration (AASD), precipitation variation (PV), temperature variation (TV), sunshine duration variation (SDV), relative humidity (RH), aridity index (AI), warmth index ( WI), > or = 5 degrees C annual accumulated temperature (AACT), average elevation (AE), relative height difference (RHD), surface roughness (SR), water system density (WSD), net primary productivity (NPP), and shortest distance to seashore (SDTS). There existed an obvious aggregation phenomenon in the population distribution in China. The PD was high in east China, medium in central China, and low in west China, presenting an obvious positive spatial association. The PD was significantly positively correlated with WSD, AAT, AAP, NPP, AACT, PV, RH, and WI, and significantly negatively correlated with RHD, AE, SDV, SR, and SDTS. The climate factors (AAT, WI, PV, and NPP), topography factors (SR and RHD), and water system factor (WSD) together determined the basic pattern of the population distribution in China. It was suggested that the monitoring of the eco-environment in the east China of high population density should be strengthened to avoid the eco-environmental degradation due to the expanding population, and

Hu Huanyong: father of China's population geography.

PubMed

She, W

1998-08-01

Professor Hu Huanyong died of an illness on April 30, 1998, in Shanghai, China. The professor was a forefather of modern Chinese demography and the founder of China's population geography. He drew the "Aihui-Tengchong Line," which was known internationally as the "Hu Line," in 1934; the line marked a striking difference in the distribution of China's population. He was born in 1901, in Yixing, Jiangsu Province. He studied literature, history, and geography at Nanjing Normal School (later named the Southeast University of China); he continued his education at the University of Paris from 1926 to 1928. Upon his return to China, he began teaching at the Nanjing Central University and was later appointed dean of the Department of Geography and president of the China Geographical Association. During this time, he wrote "Distribution of China's Population," a paper in which he drew China's first population density contour chart based on the 1933 national census data by county; this produced the "Hu Line." The professor began teaching at East-China Normal University in Shanghai in 1953; in 1957, he became director of the research office of population geography (which he helped to establish), the first demographic research institution in China. In 1958, he focused on the population geography of Jiangsu Province. In 1983, the office expanded to become a population research institute; Professor Hu became its president. During the 1980s, he described a geographic division of China's population based on differences in population density, ecological environment, socioeconomic conditions, and historical development. This resulted in 8 regions: 1) the lower parts of the Yellow River region; 2) the Liaoning-Jilin-Heilongjiang region; 3) the middle and lower parts of the Yangtze River region; 4) the southeast coastal region; 5) the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region; 6) the Sichuan-Guizhou-Yunnan region; 7) the Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang region; and 8) the Qinghai-Tibet region. This

Climate analysis of tornadoes in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Yeqing; Yu, Xiaoding; Zhang, Yijun; Zhou, Zijiang; Xie, Wusan; Lu, Yanyu; Yu, Jinlong; Wei, Lingxiang

2015-06-01

Based on analysis of historical tornado observation data provided by the primary network of national weather stations in China for the period from 1960 to 2009, it is found that most tornadoes in China (85%) occurred over plains. Specifically, large numbers of tornado occurrences are found in the Northeast Plain, the North China Plain, the middle-lower Yangtze Plain, and the Pearl River Delta Plain. A flat underlying surface is conducive to tornado occurrence, while the latitudal variation of tornado occurrence in China is not so obvious. Tornadoes mainly occur in summer, and the highest frequency is in July. Note that the beginning and the time span of tornado outbreaks are different in North and South China. Tornadoes occur during May-September in South China (south of 25°N), June-September in Northeast China (north of 40°N), July-September in the middle-lower Yangtze Plain, and July-August in North China (between 25° and 40°N). More than 80% of total tornadoes occurred during the above periods for the specific regions. The 1960s and 1970s have seen about twice the average number of tornadoes (7.5 times per year) compared to the mean for 1960-2009. The most frequent occurrence of tornado was in the early and mid 1960s; there were large fluctuations in the 1970s; and the number of tornadoes in the 1980s approached the 50-yr average. Tornado occurrences gradually decreased in the late 1980s, and an abrupt change with dramatic decrease occurred in 1994. The decrease in the tornado occurrence frequency is consistent with the simultaneous climatic change in the meteorological elements that are favorable for tornado formation. Tornado formation requires large vertical wind shear and sufficient atmospheric moisture content near the ground. Changes in the vertical wind shear at both 0-1 and 0-6 km appear to be one important factor that results in the decrease in tornado formation. The changing tendency of relative humidity also has contributed to the decrease in

JPRS Report, China.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-05-11

China in Japan, the rice-flour noodle factory in the Philippines, the Chinese furniture factory in Canada, the shrimp farms in New Zealand, the...flashes by and disappears in an instant , China cannot require that all jurisdictions march in step toward bal- anced development. Each region must be...dream, where 100 years pass in but an instant . The 2-3 years spent ’in the nest’ are still not as good as pushing on with things," a self-financed

JPRS Report, China.

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-22

trader who had earlier appealed management work. enterprise difficulties and asked for help in solving problems: "Who asked you to invest in China...11.66 percent dumping rate extension, it may go for as long as 397 days. An appeal for China. In addition, Indian cast iron wares that have may be made...which its own ex- immutable. Upon appeal , investigation must be done on factory prices are used as a basis for deciding a fair price, the basis of the

Multicriteria analysis as a tool to investigate compatibility between conservation and development on Salina Island, Aeolian Archipelago, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodini, Antonio; Giavelli, Giovanni

1992-09-01

Several multicriteria evaluation techniques have been developed since the 1970s. The need to compare different territorial policies has justified their introduction into environmental research. These methods are based on the numerical manipulation of heterogeneous information, which varies in terms of reference scale and type of measure (continuous, ordinal, qualitative, binary, etc.). During recent years, diverse investigations have focused on general conditions on Salina, the “green island” of the Aeolian archipelago. Such studies, within an interdisciplinary project, aimed to explore the possibility of implementing conservation strategies that are compatible with human needs, landscape preservation, and sustainable economic development. Three different evaluation techniques are applied, namely multicriteria weighted concordance and discordance analysis and a qualitative procedure. They are used to compare four alternative plans for the socioeconomic development of Salina Island. These plans lie between extreme alternatives: total protection of natural resources and maximizing economic development based on tourism. The plans are compared to each other on the basis of 14 criteria that reflect the socioenvironmental perception of Salina's inhabitants. The approach used in this research seems particularly fruitful because of its flexibility: it offers decision makers the chance to manage heterogeneous data and information that is not easily quantifiable. Such “soft” information helps to evaluate environmental conditions more precisely, and to make a less damaging choice among alternative development plans.

Unexpectedly High Levels of Cryptic Diversity Uncovered by a Complete DNA Barcoding of Reptiles of the Socotra Archipelago.

PubMed

Vasconcelos, Raquel; Montero-Mendieta, Santiago; Simó-Riudalbas, Marc; Sindaco, Roberto; Santos, Xavier; Fasola, Mauro; Llorente, Gustavo; Razzetti, Edoardo; Carranza, Salvador

2016-01-01

Few DNA barcoding studies of squamate reptiles have been conducted. Due to the significance of the Socotra Archipelago (a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site and a biodiversity hotspot) and the conservation interest of its reptile fauna (94% endemics), we performed the most comprehensive DNA barcoding study on an island group to date to test its applicability to specimen identification and species discovery. Reptiles constitute Socotra's most important vertebrate fauna, yet their taxonomy remains under-studied. We successfully DNA-barcoded 380 individuals of all 31 presently recognized species. The specimen identification success rate is moderate to high, and almost all species presented local barcoding gaps. The unexpected high levels of intra-specific variability found within some species suggest cryptic diversity. Species richness may be under-estimated by 13.8-54.4%. This has implications in the species' ranges and conservation status that should be considered for conservation planning. Other phylogenetic studies using mitochondrial and nuclear markers are congruent with our results. We conclude that, despite its reduced length (663 base pairs), cytochrome c oxidase 1, COI, is very useful for specimen identification and for detecting intra-specific diversity, and has a good phylogenetic signal. We recommend DNA barcoding to be applied to other biodiversity hotspots for quickly and cost-efficiently flagging species discovery, preferentially incorporated into an integrative taxonomic framework.

Unexpectedly High Levels of Cryptic Diversity Uncovered by a Complete DNA Barcoding of Reptiles of the Socotra Archipelago

PubMed Central

Simó-Riudalbas, Marc; Sindaco, Roberto; Santos, Xavier; Fasola, Mauro; Llorente, Gustavo; Razzetti, Edoardo; Carranza, Salvador

2016-01-01

Few DNA barcoding studies of squamate reptiles have been conducted. Due to the significance of the Socotra Archipelago (a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site and a biodiversity hotspot) and the conservation interest of its reptile fauna (94% endemics), we performed the most comprehensive DNA barcoding study on an island group to date to test its applicability to specimen identification and species discovery. Reptiles constitute Socotra’s most important vertebrate fauna, yet their taxonomy remains under-studied. We successfully DNA-barcoded 380 individuals of all 31 presently recognized species. The specimen identification success rate is moderate to high, and almost all species presented local barcoding gaps. The unexpected high levels of intra-specific variability found within some species suggest cryptic diversity. Species richness may be under-estimated by 13.8–54.4%. This has implications in the species’ ranges and conservation status that should be considered for conservation planning. Other phylogenetic studies using mitochondrial and nuclear markers are congruent with our results. We conclude that, despite its reduced length (663 base pairs), cytochrome c oxidase 1, COI, is very useful for specimen identification and for detecting intra-specific diversity, and has a good phylogenetic signal. We recommend DNA barcoding to be applied to other biodiversity hotspots for quickly and cost-efficiently flagging species discovery, preferentially incorporated into an integrative taxonomic framework. PMID:26930572

75 FR 877 - Drill Pipe From China

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-06

... Pipe From China AGENCY: International Trade Commission. ACTION: Institution of antidumping and... States is materially retarded, by reason of imports from China of drill pipe, provided for in subheadings... Government of China. Unless the Department of Commerce extends the time for initiation pursuant to sections...

Geographic variation in body form of prehistoric Jomon males in the Japanese archipelago: its ecogeographic implications.

PubMed

Fukase, Hitoshi; Wakebe, Tetsuaki; Tsurumoto, Toshiyuki; Saiki, Kazunobu; Fujita, Masaki; Ishida, Hajime

2012-09-01

Diversity of human body size and shape is often biogeographically interpreted in association with climatic conditions. According to Bergmann's and Allen's rules, populations in regions with a cold climate are expected to display an overall larger body and smaller/shorter extremities than those in warm/hot environments. In the present study, the skeletal limb size and proportions of prehistoric Jomon hunter-gatherers, who extensively inhabited subarctic to subtropical areas in the ancient Japanese archipelago, were examined to evaluate whether or not the inter-regional differences follow such ecogeographic patterns. Results showed that the Jomon intralimb proportions including relative distal limb lengths did not differ significantly among five regions from northern Hokkaido to the southern Okinawa Islands. This suggests a limited co-variability of the intralimb proportions with climate, particularly within genealogically close populations. In contrast, femoral head breadth (associated with body mass) and skeletal limb lengths were found to be significantly and positively correlated with latitude, suggesting a north-south geographical cline in the body size. This gradient therefore comprehensively conforms to Bergmann's rule, and may stem from multiple potential factors such as phylogenetic constraints, microevolutionary adaptation to climatic/geographic conditions during the Jomon period, and nutritional and physiological response during ontogeny. Specifically, the remarkably small-bodied Jomon in the Okinawa Islands can also be explained as an adjustment to subtropical and insular environments. Thus, the findings obtained in this study indicate that Jomon people, while maintaining fundamental intralimb proportions, displayed body size variation in concert with ambient surroundings. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Islands increase genetic subdivision and disrupt patterns of connectivity of intertidal snails in a complex archipelago.

PubMed

Johnson, Michael S; Black, Robert

2006-12-01

The view that marine species with planktonic dispersal have highly connected, demographically open populations is giving way to recognition that populations may often be largely self-recruiting, or demographically closed. This raises the question of what local conditions might favor isolation of populations. To test the importance of islands for local isolation in species with planktonic larvae, we examined allozyme variation among 35 populations of the intertidal snail Austrocochlea constricta in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia, spanning 60 km. Heterogeneity of allozyme frequencies among populations was high, with average F(ST) of 0.237, indicating highly localized populations. Increased subdivision was associated with islands at different scales: between island groups, separated by deep water gaps, and between disconnected sets of islands within groups. At short distances, up to two km, subdivision increased fivefold between islands compared with that between populations on the same island. Along 11 km of continuous, sheltered shore, there was isolation by distance but among a linear series of islands over similar distance, there was greater subdivision at short distances but no association with distance. These patterns had been seen previously in the direct-developing snail Bembicium vittatum, but its finding in A. constricta confirms for a planktonic disperser the importance of this complex archipelago for both retention of locally produced larvae and disruption of patterns of connectivity. Taken together, these results indicate that islands can increase both the "open" and the "closed" components of recruitment and that applicable models of genetic connectivity depend substantially on local conditions.

China's roadmap for planetary exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Yong; Yao, Zhonghua; Wan, Weixing

2018-05-01

China has approved or planned a string of several space exploration missions to be launched over the next decade. A new generation of planetary scientists in China is playing an important role in determining the scientific goals of future missions.

Gas hydrate hunting in China seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J.; Zhang, X.; Chen, J.; Xiang, Q.; Ye, Y.; Gong, J.

2003-04-01

Gas hydrate research is a hotspot now in geosciences. Many countries have carried on gas hydrate survey and research for many years. China, as a country with large sea areas unfolded gas hydrate research work in its marine areas in 1999 and tries to keep pace with the advanced countries on gas hydrate study. Substantial funds were launched by various governmental and non-governmental funding agencies to support gas hydrate research. Many institutions on marine geosciences are involved in. China Geological Survey (CGS) has launched several research projects in the sea. So far, some fieldwork such as seismic survey, sampling, profiling, underwater video imaging have been done in South China Sea and East China Sea areas. Some preliminary results have been achieved. BSRs are found in many seismic profiles. Some potential gas hydrate bearing areas are marked and potential amount of gas hydrate resources is calculated. At the same time, gas hydrate laboratory was founded and successful experiments have been carried out to model the gas hydrate synthesis in accordance with the geological condition of the China seas. Now, gas hydrate detecting techniques such as sampling equipment (PCS), seismic data processing, interpretation and the formation mechanism study as well as environmental effect research are undergoing. Though China's gas hydrate research work is still at its initial stage, China is willing to be an active member in the international society of gas hydrate study and hopes to contribute its effort.