Documentos Históricos - VIII. Homenaje a Mariano Manuel Martínez. Part 1.

Este documento recuerda la figura de Mariano M. Martínez a diez años de su fallecimiento. Se han compilado los homenajes y semblanzas realizadas en ese período y se señalan algunas de sus importantes contribuciones. Los escritos de su padre, amigos y colegas nos describen su capacidad, bonhomía, generosidad y amor por la vida, lo que hizo de Mariano un individuo singular y carismático. Por esto, quién escribe estas líneas, considera que poco se puede agregar a lo ya dicho, ya que el conjunto nos brinda una acabada síntesis de su persona. Las Ciencias Naturales de la Argentina perdieron tempranamente a uno de sus estudiosos y los que tuvimos el privilegio de compartir momentos de su vida, tuvimos a un ser invalorable que recordamos con una profunda nostalgia. (PDF tiene 22 paginas.)

Ictiólogos de la Argentina: Mariano Narciso Antonio José Castex

This series will include all those people who, by means of their contributions, great and small, played a part in the consolidation of ichthyology in Argentina. The general plan of this work consists of individual factsheets containing a list of works by each author, along with reference bibliography and, whenever possible, personal pictures and additional material. The datasheets will be published primarily in chronological order, although this is subject to change by the availability of materials for successive editions. This work represents another approach for the recovery and revalorization of those who set the foundations of Argentine ichthyology while in diverse historical circumstances. I expect this to be the beginning of a major work that achieves the description of such a significant part of the history of natural sciences in Argentina.

Peces y aves del Paraguay natural ilustrado 1967. Manuscrito preparado bajo la dirección de Mariano N. Castex, 511 pp.

Este documento reproduce parte de la magnífica e importante obra del P. Francisco José Sánchez Labrador realizada durante su estadía en América desde su arribo en 1734 hasta la expulsión de la orden en 1767. Esta versión digital corresponde al libro editado por la Compañía General Fabril Editora S. A. en 1968 y cuyo manuscrito fuera preparado bajo la dirección del Dr. Mariano N. Castex (imagen).

Semblanzas Ictiológicas: Mariano González Castro

A través de esta serie intentaremos conocer diferentes facetas personales de los integrantes de nuestra “comunidad”. El cuestionario, además de su principal objetivo, con sus respuestas quizás nos ayude a encontrar entre nosotros puntos en común que vayan más allá de nuestros temas de trabajo y sea un aporte a futuros estudios históricos. Esperamos que esta iniciativa pueda ser otro nexo entre los ictiólogos de la región, ya que consideramos que el resultado general trascendería nuestras fronteras.

Ictiólogos de la Argentina: Claudio Rafael Mariano Baigún.

This series will include all those people who, by means of their contributions, great and small, played a part in the consolidation of ichthyology in Argentina. The general plan of this work consists of individual factsheets containing a list of works by each author, along with reference bibliography and, whenever possible, personal pictures and additional material. The datasheets will be published primarily in chronological order, although this is subject to change by the availability of materials for successive editions. This work represents another approach for the recovery and revalorization of those who set the foundations of Argentine ichthyology while in diverse historical circumstances. I expect this to be the beginning of a major work that achieves the description of such a significant part of the history of natural sciences in Argentina.

Murciélagos de la Provincia de Buenos aires: biología y conservación.

(PDF tiene 4 paginas.)

Strigiformes (Lechuzas) de la provincia de Buenos Aires, su eficacia en el control biológico de plagas y vectores sanitarios.

(PDF tiene 4 paginas.)

SAIL Panama Canal Zone Project 2008 : Biological Survey of Panama (1910-1912)

During the 18th Annual 2008 SAIL meeting at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, a suggestion was made for the need to digitize and make available through the Aquatic Commons some of the early documents related to the U.S. biological survey of Panama from 1910 to 1912. With SAIL’s endeavor, a new digital project was born and this presentation describes its process, beginning to final product. The main source consulted for determining copyright clear publications was: Heckadon-Moreno. 2004. Naturalists on the Isthmus of Panama: A hundred years of natural history on the biological bridge of the Americas. 1st English ed. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama. (Document contains 26 slides)

Description of Early Larvae of Four Northern California Species of Rockfishes (Scorpaenidae: Sebastes) from Rearing Studies

About 72 species of Sebastes (Family Scorpaenidae) are found along the eastern Pacific coast of North America, some of which are heavily exploited by both commercial and sport fisheries. Because of the large number of species, the identification of early life stages has progressed slowly. The objectives of this study were 1) to rear the larvae of four species of rockfish (Sebastes mystinus, S. carnatus, S. atrovirens, and S. rastrelliger); and 2) to describe the larvae using morphometric measurements, pigmentation patterns, and head spination. Pigmentation was the most useful feature for identification purposes. Two general patterns were found: 1) a short row of ventral midline melanophores on the tail, and none or very little postero-dorsal pigmentation (S. mystinus); and 2) complete ventral midline pigmentation on the tail, and anterior and postero-dorsal melanophores (S. carnatus, S. atrovirens, and S. rastrelliger). With the exception of very early stages of S. carnatus and S. atrovirens, these species can be readily identified. Morphometric proportions and head spination did not show major differences among species. Because of the great similarities found among species in this genus, descriptions from field studies are uncertain to some extent. Laboratory rearings, although difficult, can at least provide early larvae from known species which allow precise identification as well as an estimation ofvariability of characters (e.g., pigmentation) within and between broods.(PDF file contains 22 pages.)

The avifauna of Laguna Llancanelo (Mendoza, Argentina), a South American wetland of international importance

Laguna Llancanelo is a large (40,000 ha), very shallow (less than 3 m deep), inland saline waterbody, located in southern Mendoza, Argentina. A survey of the avifauna was undertaken during 1983 to 1985; field trips were made mostly to the northeastern and central-western sectors of the lagoon, in the months of April, May, September, October and December. Complementary studies were made by an aerial survey and assessments of terrestrial birds in the surroundings of the lagoon. A total of 64 species in 22 families of birds usually associated with aquatic environments were recorded. The best-represented families of aquatic birds in terms of numbers of species were: Anatidae (13 swans, geese, ducks), Scolopacidae (7 sandpipers and other small waders), Ardeidae (6 herons, bitterns, egrets, Podicipedidae (4 grebes), Rallidae (4 rails, coots) and Charadriidae (4 plovers, lapwings). The most abundant nesting birds on the lagoon were: Black-necked swan Cygnus melancoryphus (824), silvery grebe Podiceps occipitalis (202) and black-crowned night heron Nycticorax nycticorax (100).

High-resolution automatic water quality monitoring systems applied to catchment and reservoir monitoring

Automatic recording instruments provide the ideal means of recording the responses of rivers, lakes and reservoirs to short-term changes in the weather. As part of the project ‘Using Automatic Monitoring and Dynamic Modelling for the Active Management of Lakes and Reservoirs', a family of three automatic monitoring stations were designed by engineers at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Windermere to monitor such responses. In this article, the authors describe this instrument network in some detail and present case studies that illustrate the value of high resolution automatic monitoring in both catchment and reservoir applications.

Temporal and spatial variations in the quality of water in El Gergal Reservior, Seville, Spain

It is often difficult to define ‘water quality’ with any degree of precision. One approach is that suggested by Battarbee (1997) and is based on the extent to which individual lakes have changed compared with their natural ‘baseline’ status. Defining the base-line status of artificial lakes and reservoirs however, is, very difficult. In ecological terms, the definition of quality must include some consideration of their functional characteristics and the extent to which these characteristics are self-sustaining. The challenge of managing lakes in a sustainable way is particularly acute in semi-arid, Mediterranean countries. Here the quality of the water is strongly influenced by the unpredictability of the rainfall as well as year-to-year variations in the seasonal averages. Wise management requires profound knowledge of how these systems function. Thus a holistic approach must be adopted and the factors influencing the seasonal dynamics of the lakes quantified over a range of spatial and temporal scales. In this article, the authors describe some of the ways in which both long-term and short-term changes in the weather have influenced the seasonal and spatial dynamics of phytoplankton in El Gergal, a water supply reservoir situated in the south of Spain. The quality of the water stored in this reservoir is typically very good but surface blooms of algae commonly appear during warm, calm periods when the water level is low. El Gergal reservoir is managed by the Empresa Municipal de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento (EMASESA) and supplies water for domestic, commercial and industrial use to an area which includes the city of Seville and twelve of its surrounding towns (ca. 1.3 million inhabitants). El Gergal is the last of two reservoirs in a chain of four situated in the Rivera de Huelva basin, a tributary of the Guadalquivir river. It was commissioned by EMASESA in 1979 and since then the company has monitored its main limnological parameters on, at least, a monthly basis and used this information to improve the management of the reservoir. As a consequence of these intensive studies the physical, chemical and biological information acquired during this period makes the El Gergal database one of the most complete in Spain. In this article the authors focus on three ‘weather-related’ effects that have had a significant impact on the composition and distribution of phytoplankton in El Gergal: (i) the changes associated with severe droughts; (ii) the spatial variations produced by short-term changes in the weather; (iii) the impact of water transfers on the seasonal dynamics of the dinoflagellate Ceratium.

Worsening water quality conditions at Inner Puno Bay, Lake Titicaca, Peru, and their effect on Lemna spp. biomass

Although there have been a number of studies on aquatic conditions and the flora and fauna of Lake Titicaca over many decades, most of this work has been centred on the offshore regions of the main lake. Water quality there has been degrading and abundant growth of Lemna spp. has been developing. Lemna spp., commonly called floating duck-weed or ‘lenteja de agua’ in Puno, occurs perennially in most parts of the inner Puno Bay shore-line. In this article, the authors compare water quality changes over recent decades in shore-line regions of Inner Puno Bay and their possible effects on the distribution, abundance and biomass of Lemna spp..

Geographical differences in the feeding patterns of red rockfish (Sebastes capensis) along South American coasts

Feeding habits and feeding strategy of red rockfish (Sebastes capensis) were studied from fish captured along most of the range of this species in coastal waters of South America. Stomach contents of 613 individuals, collected during 2003, were analyzed. Fish were obtained from six locations along the Chilean (23°S to 46°S) and Argentinian (43°S) coasts. The main prey items were Mysidacea (75.06% IRI), Osteichthyes (6.29% IRI),and Rhynchocinetes typus (6.03% IRI). Predator sex and size did not significantly affect the diet, but significant differences were found between locations. Four geographical areas, discriminated by prey occurrence and frequencies, were determined: three on the Pacific coast and one on the Atlantic coast. These areas correspond roughly with biogeographic zones described for the Chilean and southern Argentinian coasts. The feeding strategy index (FSI) indicated a specialized feeding strategy for S. capensis for most of its range. However, the FSI does not include the behaviour of a predator, and the FSI must be interpreted carefully for fishes like S. capensis that are passive ambush feeders. The abundance and availability of different prey may explain both the geographic differences in dietary composition and the specialized feeding strategy of S. capensis.

Selection properties of the baited hooks used in the Cuban longline fishery of Campeche Bank, Gulf of Mexico

A description of the Cuban set longline fishery on Campeche Bank, Gulf of Mexico is given, with emphasis on the effects of different species of pelagic fishes used as bait. The target species is the red grouper Epinephelus morio, with incidental species consisting of other epinephelids (13%), lutjanids (5.4%) and sparids (1.6%).