Image-Based Coral Reef Classification and Thematic Mapping

This paper presents a novel image classification scheme for benthic coral reef images that can be applied to both single image and composite mosaic datasets. The proposed method can be configured to the characteristics (e.g., the size of the dataset, number of classes, resolution of the samples, color information availability, class types, etc.) of individual datasets. The proposed method uses completed local binary pattern (CLBP), grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), Gabor filter response, and opponent angle and hue channel color histograms as feature descriptors. For classification, either k-nearest neighbor (KNN), neural network (NN), support vector machine (SVM) or probability density weighted mean distance (PDWMD) is used. The combination of features and classifiers that attains the best results is presented together with the guidelines for selection. The accuracy and efficiency of our proposed method are compared with other state-of-the-art techniques using three benthic and three texture datasets. The proposed method achieves the highest overall classification accuracy of any of the tested methods and has moderate execution time. Finally, the proposed classification scheme is applied to a large-scale image mosaic of the Red Sea to create a completely classified thematic map of the reef benthos

Towards Detecting Changes in Underwater Image Sequences

Detecting changes between images of the same scene taken at different times is of great interest for monitoring and understanding the environment. It is widely used for on-land application but suffers from different constraints. Unfortunately, Change detection algorithms require highly accurate geometric and photometric registration. This requirement has precluded their use in underwater imagery in the past. In this paper, the change detection techniques available nowadays for on-land application were analyzed and a method to automatically detect the changes in sequences of underwater images is proposed. Target application scenarios are habitat restoration sites, or area monitoring after sudden impacts from hurricanes or ship groundings. The method is based on the creation of a 3D terrain model from one image sequence over an area of interest. This model allows for synthesizing textured views that correspond to the same viewpoints of a second image sequence. The generated views are photometrically matched and corrected against the corresponding frames from the second sequence. Standard change detection techniques are then applied to find areas of difference. Additionally, the paper shows that it is possible to detect false positives, resulting from non-rigid objects, by applying the same change detection method to the first sequence exclusively. The developed method was able to correctly find the changes between two challenging sequences of images from a coral reef taken one year apart and acquired with two different cameras

El Rossinyol torna de França : La realitat del cant coral al tombant del segle XXI

Estudi del moviment coral a Catalunya des d'un punt de vista antropològic i social. Fa èmfasi en el paper dels repertoris del cant coral i en la manera com aquests repertoris reflecteixen la història social i cultural del món del cant coral a Catalunya. Estudi d'un microcosmos: l'Orfeó de les Corts, la seva trajectòria musical i la seva trajectòria com a entitat en els darrers 50 anys a Barcelona. S'analitza què hi ha més enllà del fet coral: el tipus de música, el fet de cantar en grup, els tipus d'associacions, la procedència, els objectius i la filosofia, les inquietuds dels cantaires i les preferències dels directors, per tal de copsar les dinàmiques socials i musicals del moviment coral.

La música coral: entre el lleure i el compromís : Aproximació als interessos i pràctiques socials dels joves cantaires del cor Vint & Sing de l'escola de música Ireneu Segarra, de Palma

El tema principal de la nostra recerca és el cant coral juvenil que, per força, implica l'anàlisi de les relacions grupals i dels interessos particulars de cadascun dels cantaires d'un grup coral en relació amb el lleure i l'amistat.

Women of the beat generation : la traducción de una obra poética coral

Comentario a la traducción por encargo del libro WOTBG, centrado en las muestras de obra poética de las distintas autoras y la necesidad de conservar sus similitudes y sus diferéncias.

Cantant entre guerres : música coral per a veus blanques a França i Catalunya a principis del segle XX

Aquest treball busca definir algunes característiques comunes d'obres musicals escrites a principis del segle XX per compositors francesos i catalans per a cor de veus blanques, mitjançant l'estudi de les seves biografies i l'anàlisi de les pròpies obres. Aquestes peces, compostes en llocs i moments diferents, convergeixen però en alguns punts estilístics, transcendint les fronteres per contribuir a l'elaboració d'un llenguatge propi d'un entorn cultural més ampli, de París a Barcelona.

Sea Urchins Predation Facilitates Coral Invasion in a Marine Reserve

Macroalgae is the dominant trophic group on Mediterranean infralittoral rocky bottoms, whereas zooxanthellate corals are extremely rare. However, in recent years, the invasive coral Oculina patagonica appears to be increasing its abundance through unknown means. Here we examine the pattern of variation of this species at a marine reserve between 2002 and 2010 and contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms that allow its current increase. Because indirect interactions between species can play a relevant role in the establishment of species, a parallel assessment of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, the main herbivorous invertebrate in this habitat and thus a key species, was conducted. O. patagonica has shown a 3-fold increase in abundance over the last 8 years and has become the most abundant invertebrate in the shallow waters of the marine reserve, matching some dominant erect macroalgae in abundance. High recruitment played an important role in this increasing coral abundance. The results from this study provide compelling evidence that the increase in sea urchin abundance may be one of the main drivers of the observed increase in coral abundance. Sea urchins overgraze macroalgae and create barren patches in the space-limited macroalgal community that subsequently facilitate coral recruitment. This study indicates that trophic interactions contributed to the success of an invasive coral in the Mediterranean because sea urchins grazing activity indirectly facilitated expansion of the coral. Current coral abundance at the marine reserve has ended the monopolization of algae in rocky infralittoral assemblages, an event that could greatly modify both the underwater seascape and the sources of primary production in the ecosystem.

The structure of Mediterranean rocky reef ecosystems across environmental and human gradients, and conservation implications

Historical exploitation of the Mediterranean Sea and the absence of rigorous baselines makes it difficult to evaluate the current health of the marine ecosystems and the efficacy of conservation actions at the ecosystem level. Here we establish the first current baseline and gradient of ecosystem structure of nearshore rocky reefs at the Mediterranean scale. We conducted underwater surveys in 14 marine protected areas and 18 open access sites across the Mediterranean, and across a 31-fold range of fish biomass (from 3.8 to 118 g m22). Our data showed remarkable variation in the structure of rocky reef ecosystems. Multivariate analysis showed three alternative community states: (1) large fish biomass and reefs dominated by non-canopy algae, (2) lower fish biomass but abundant native algal canopies and suspension feeders, and (3) low fish biomass and extensive barrens, with areas covered by turf algae. Our results suggest that the healthiest shallow rocky reef ecosystems in the Mediterranean have both large fish and algal biomass. Protection level and primary production were the only variables significantly correlated to community biomass structure. Fish biomass was significantly larger in well-enforced no-take marine reserves, but there were no significant differences between multi-use marine protected areas (which allow some fishing) and open access areas at the regional scale. The gradients reported here represent a trajectory of degradation that can be used to assess the health of any similar habitat in the Mediterranean, and to evaluate the efficacy of marine protected areas.

Overfishing of small pelagic fishes increases trophic overlap between immature and mature striped dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea

The interactions among diet, ecology, physiology, and biochemistry affect N and C stable isotope signatures in animal tissues. Here, we examined if ecological segregation among animals in relation to sex and age existed by analyzing the signatures of delta15N and delta13C in the muscle of Western Mediterranean striped dolphins. Moreover, we used a Bayesian mixing model to study diet composition and investigated potential dietary changes over the last two decades in this population. For this, we compared isotope signatures in samples of stranded dolphins obtained during two epizootic events occurring in 1990 and 2007-2008. Mean delta13C values for females and males were not significantly different, but age-related variation indicated delta13C enrichment in both sexes, suggesting that females and males most likely fed in the same general areas, increasing their consumption of benthic prey with age. Enrichment of delta15N was only observed in females, suggesting a preference for larger or higher trophic level prey than males, which could reflect different nutritional requirements. delta13C values showed no temporal variation, although the mean delta15N signature decreased from 1990 to 2007-2008, which could indicate a dietary shift in the striped dolphin over the last two decades. The results of SIAR indicated that in 1990, hake and sardine together contributed to 60% on the diet of immature striped dolphins, and close to 90% for mature striped dolphins. Conversely, the diet of both groups in 2007-2008 was more diverse, as hake and sardine contributed to less than 40% of the entire diet. These results suggest a dietary change that was possibly related to changes in food availability, which is consistent with the depletion of sardine stocks by fishing.

La Guerra al cor : creació d'un recital coral-espectacle al voltant de la Guerra Civil Espanyola

La Guerra al Cor és un espectacle a mig camí entre el concert coral i el recital literari. A partir de la lectura i la tria d'un gran corpus de literatura catalana al voltant de la Guerra Civil i de la tria d'un repertori coral universal i heterogeni, s'ha confeccionat un guió entrellaçant ambdós elements. En aquest treball escrit s'argumentarà aquesta tria mitjançant la reflexió sobre els concerts interdisciplinars i l'estudi del context històric, literari i musical del conflicte en qüestió.

Aberrant features of the Messinian coral reefs, Spain

Se describen someramente los principales arrecifes del Messiniense en España, haciendo hincapié en el conjunto de 'anomalias' presentan los arrecifes del Neógeno inferior en comparación con las asociaciones arrecifales actuales. Se discute la importancia y significado de Porites sp. como coral claramente dominante, y a menudo exclusivo, en la construcción de edificios arrecifales.

[Notes breus (fauna)] Noves introduccions i poblament actual de peixos a l’estany de Banyoles = New introductions and present population of fishes in Lake Banyoles

Nota breu de fauna sobre les noves introduccions i el poblament actual de peixos a l’estany de Banyoles

Fish colonization of artificial reefs in a large Neotropical reservoir: material type and successional changes

Artificial reefs have barely been used in Neotropical reservoirs (about five studies in three reservoirs), despite their potential as a fishery management tool to create new habitats and also to understand fish ecology. We experimentally assessed how reef material (ceramic, concrete, and PVC) and time modulated fish colonization of artificial reefs deployed in Itaipu Reservoir, a large reservoir of the mainstem Parana´ River, Brazil. Fish richness, abundance, and biomass were significantly greater in the reef treatments than at control sites. Among the experimental reefs, ceramic followed by the concrete treatments were the materials most effectively colonized, harboring the majority of the 13 fish species recorded. Although dependent on material type, many of the regularities of ecological successions were also observed in the artificial reefs, including decelerating increases in species richness, abundance, mean individual size, and species loss rates with time and decelerating decreases of species gain and turnover rates. Species composition also varied with material type and time, together with suites of life history traits: more equilibrium species (i.e., fishes of intermediate size that often exhibit parental care and produce fewer but larger offspring) of the Winemiller-Rose model of fish life histories prevailed in later successional stages. Overall, our study suggests that experimental reefs are a promising tool to understand ecological succession of fish assemblages, particularly in tropical ecosystems given their high species richness and low seasonality

Experimental assessment of the effects of a Neotropical nocturnal piscivore on juvenile native and invasive fishes

We experimentally examined the predator-prey relationships between juvenile spotted sorubim Pseudoplastystoma corruscans and young-of-the-year invasive and native fish species of the Paraná River basin, Brazil. Three invasive (peacock bass Cichla piquiti, Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus, and channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus) and two native (yellowtail tetra Astyanax altiparanae and streaked prochilod Prochilodus lineatus) fish species were offered as prey to P. corruscans in 300 L aquaria with three habitat complexity treatments (0%, 50% and 100% structure-covered). Prey survival was variable through time and among species (C. piquiti < O. niloticus < A. altiparanae < P. lineatus < I. punctatus), depending largely on species-specific prey behavior but also on prey size and morphological defenses. Habitat complexity did not directly affect P. corruscans piscivory but some prey species changed their microhabitat use and shoaling behavior among habitat treatments in predator’s presence. Pseudoplatystoma corruscans preyed preferentially on smaller individuals of those invasive species with weak morphological defensive features that persisted in a non-shoaling behavior. Overall, our results contrast with those in a companion experiment using a diurnal predator, suggesting that nocturnal piscivores preferentially prey on different (rather diurnal) fish species and are less affected by habitat complexity. Our findings suggest that recovering the native populations of P. corruscans might help controling some fish species introduced to the Paraná River basin, particularly C. piquiti and O. niloticus, whose parental care is expected to be weak or null at night

El canto coral y las orquestas infantiles, una educación en valores = Choir singing and children’s orchestras, an education in values

This article looks at the musical activity carried out at Palafrugell Music School as a musical education centre over the past forty years. After giving a brief description of the work carried out there by vocal and instrumental groups, the article analyses and offers examples and tangible motives that use activities to show that forming part of a coral or instrumental group helps personal development and promotes the acquisition of habits, alongside musical training and learning. In short, an education in values