Growth of the speckled swimming crab, Arenaeus cribrarius (Lamarck, 1818) (Crustacea, Brachyura, Portunidae), in Ubatuba (SP), Brazil

A total of 2629 individuals of Arenaeus cribrarius (1293 males and 1336 females) were captured in Ubatuba (SP), from August 1996 to July 1997. Individuals were distributed in 5 mm size class carapace width (CW), to verify sex-specific growth-age equations. The Von Bertalanffy model was chosen to determine the growth rate and expressed by CW=120.52[1-e(-1.80t)] for males and CW=100.81[1-e(-1.60t)] for females. The age estimated for the first juvenile stage (t(o)) was 6.1 and 8.3 days for males and females, respectively. The maximum age determined was 1.8 years for males and 2 years for females, which correspond to a maximum size of 115.8 and 96.7 mm, respectively. The maximum size (CWmax) estimated using 95% of asymptotic size was 114.5 mm for males and 95.8 mm for females. Males have a precocious sexual maturity (5 months) when compared to females (6.8 months). The growth rate and size of A. cribrarius are higher than other portunid species, with great interest for aquaculture.

Population structure and growth of the hermit crab Pagurus brevidacylus (Anomura : Paguridae) from the northern coast of São Paulo, Brazil

The hermit crab Paguras brevidactylus (Crustacea: Anomura: Paguridea) from the infralittoral area of Anchieta Island, Ubatuba, was characterized by population Structure (size, sex ratio, reproduction and recruitment) and growth. Animals were collected monthly during 1999 by SCUBA diving. A total of 1525 individuals was collected (633 males and 892 females), 695 of them were ovigerous females. Overall sex ratio was 0.7:1 in favour of females. The crabs showed a unimodal distribution with males significantly larger than females. Ovigerous females were collected during all months and in high percentages from 1.0 mm of shield length, demonstrating intense and Continuous reproduction. The longevity was approximately 24 months for males and 18 for females, which showed larger growth rate and reached sexual maturity earlier (two months) than males. The low number of males in this Population may be due to the longer life span. Moreover, the sexual dimorphism favours males during the intra- and interspecific fights by shell, food, reproduction and territory. Females demonstrated a short life cycle and intense reproduction.

Whistle variability in South Atlantic spinner dolphins from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago off Brazil

A series of quali- and quantitative analyses were conducted to evaluate the variability of spinner dolphin whistles from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago off Brazil. Nine variables were extracted from each whistle contour, and the whistle contours shapes were classified into the seven categories described in Driscoll (1995). The analysis showed mean beginning and ending frequencies values of 10.78 and 12.74 kHz, respectively. on average, whistle duration was relatively short, with mean values around 0.495 s (N=702). Comparative analyses were also conducted to investigate the relationship between the obtained results and those presented in previous studies. When comparing averages, the results of the study of Oswald et al. (2003) in the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) presented less significant differences in relation to this study; only whistle duration differed significantly between both works. The results of multivariate classification tests also pointed TEP population as the closest related to the population studied here. The similarities between such disjunct populations might be attributed to a more recent isolation event (the closing of the Panama Isthmus) than the divergence that has driven North and South Atlantic populations apart. (c) 2006 Acoustical Society of America.

Is the meander growth in the Brazil Current system off Southeast Brazil due to baroclinic instability?

Temporally-growing frontal meandering and occasional eddy-shedding is observed in the Brazil Current (BC) as it flows adjacent to the Brazilian Coast. No study of the dynamics of this phenomenon has been conducted to date in the region between 22 degrees S and 25 degrees S. Within this latitude range, the flow over the intermediate continental slope is marked by a current inversion at a depth that is associated with the Intermediate Western Boundary Current (IWBC). A time series analysis of 10-current-meter mooring data was used to describe a mean vertical profile for the BC-IWBC jet and a typical meander vertical structure. The latter was obtained by an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis that showed a single mode explaining 82% of the total variance. This mode structure decayed sharply with depth, revealing that the meandering is much more vigorous within the BC domain than it is in the IWBC region. As the spectral analysis of the mode amplitude time series revealed no significant periods, we searched for dominant wavelengths. This search was done via a spatial EOF analysis on 51 thermal front patterns derived from digitized AVHRR images. Four modes were statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Modes 3 and 4, which together explained 18% of the total variance, are associated with 266 and 338-km vorticity waves, respectively. With this new information derived from the data, the [Johns, W.E., 1988. One-dimensional baroclinically unstable waves on the Gulf Stream potential vorticity gradient near Cape Hatteras. Dyn. Atmos. Oceans 11, 323-350] one-dimensional quasi-geostrophic model was applied to the interpolated mean BC-IWBC jet. The results indicated that the BC system is indeed baroclinically unstable and that the wavelengths depicted in the thermal front analysis are associated with the most unstable waves produced by the model. Growth rates were about 0.06 (0.05) days(-1) for the 266-km (338-km) wave. Moreover, phase speeds for these waves were low compared to the surface BC velocity and may account for remarks in the literature about growing standing or stationary meanders off southeast Brazil. The theoretical vertical structure modes associated with these waves resembled very closely to the one obtained for the current-meter mooring EOF analysis. We interpret this agreement as a confirmation that baroclinic instability is an important mechanism in meander growth in the BC system. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nuclear-follower foraging associations among Characiformes fishes and Potamotrygonidae rays in clean waters environments of Teles Pires and Xingu rivers basins, Midwest Brazil

Por meio de observações sub e supra-aquáticas foram registradas associações alimentares do tipo nuclear-seguidor entre três espécies de peixes characiformes - Chalceus epakros, Hemiodus semitaeniatus e Hemiodus unimaculatus - e uma espécie de raia de água doce - Potamotrygon orbignyi - nas bacias dos rios Teles Pires e Xingu, no Centro-Oeste do Brasil. Os peixes teleósteos foram observados seguindo as raias quando estas revolviam o substrato à procura de invertebrados, formando discretas nuvens de sedimento. Essas situações atraíram os peixes que se aproximaram das raias para se alimentar de pequenas presas e outros tipos de alimentos expostos desta forma. Esse é um típico exemplo de relação comensal onde um participante é beneficiado enquanto o outro não é prejudicado e representa o segundo registro na literatura de associação alimentar do tipo nuclear-seguidor entre raias potamotrigonídeas e peixes teleósteos, demonstrando o potencial de estudos naturalísticos para a descoberta de novas interações envolvendo espécies de peixes de água doce.

Feeding habits of the shortnose guitarfish, Zapteryx brevirostris (Müller and Henle, 1841) (Elasmobranchii, Rhinobatidae) in southeastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of dredging operations on sediment quality: contaminant mobilization in dredged sediments from the Port of Santos, SP, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ecotoxicological assessment of sediments from the Santos and São Vicente estuarine system- Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Feeding habits of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) off the coast of Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

ESR dating of pleistocene mammal teeth and its implications for the biostratigraphy and geological evolution of the coastal plain, Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Antimicrobial resistance of heterotrophic marine bacteria isolated from seawater and sands of recreational beaches with different organic pollution levels in southeastern Brazil: evidences of resistance dissemination

Antimicrobial resistance of marine heterotrophic bacteria to different antimicrobials agents were evaluated in seawater, dry and wet sands from three marine recreational beaches with different pollution levels. In all studied beaches, the greatest frequencies of resistance were found in relation to penicillin. on Gonzaguinha, the most polluted beach, 72.3% of all isolated strains showed simple resistance, whilst 8.33% had multiple resistance. The values found on Ilha Porchat beach, were 70.8% and 6.9% for simple and multiple resistances, respectively. on GuaraA(0), the less polluted beach, only 35.3% of isolated strains had simple resistance. Multiple resistance was not observed. While samples from Gonzaguinha and Ilha Porchat beach showed isolated strains resistant to seven and six different antimicrobial agents, respectively, samples from GuaraA(0) beach were resistant only to penicillin and erytromicin. The positive correlations obtained between the degree of seawater contamination and frequency and variability of bacterial resistance indicate that polluted marine recreational waters and sands are sources of resistant bacteria contributing thus, to the dissemination of bacterial resistance.

Evaluation of solid residues removed from a mangrove swamp in the Sao Vicente Estuary, SP, Brazil

Mangrove swamps are found in estuaries along the coastal plains of tropical regions and have be subjected to heavy occupation and use pressure due to their privileged locations and abundance of biological resources. The present work evaluated the ecological characteristics and solid wastes accumulated in eight areas along the Santos - Sao Vicente Estuary Complex. The superficially deposited residues at each sampling site were collected and subsequently washed, drained, counted, weighed and separated into classes according to their composition and predominant use. The predominant litter type in terms of density was plastic (62.81%) and, by weight, wood (55.53%). The greatest deposition of residues was associated with areas that were less inclined and that had low plant density levels, indicating that the presence of obstacles was not critical for retaining floating residues in mangrove areas. The presence of the most frequently encountered types of solid waste residues could be explained by local activities. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antimicrobial resistance and species composition of Enterococcus spp. isolated from waters and sands of marine recreational beaches in Southeastern Brazil

Density, species composition and antimicrobial resistance in bacteria of the Enterococcus genus were evaluated in seawater and sands from 2 marine recreational beaches with different levels of pollution. The 2 beaches showed predominance of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, in the water and the sand. Dry sand presented higher densities of Enterococcus sp. and higher frequency of resistant strains than wet sand and seawater. The beach with a higher degree of pollution presented higher percentages of resistant strains (66.7% and 61.5%, in sand and in water, respectively) and resistance to a larger number of antimicrobials compared with the less polluted beach, Ilha Porchat (35.7% and 31.25% of resistant strains in sand and water, respectively). in water samples, the highest frequencies of resistance were obtained against streptomycin (38.5%) and erythromycin (25%), whilst in sand, the highest frequencies were observed in relation to erythromycin and tetracycline (38.1% and 14.3%, respectively). These results show that water and sands from beaches with high indexes of faecal contamination of human origin may be potential sources of contamination by pathogens and contribute to the dissemination of bacterial resistance. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contamination of port zone sediments by metals from Large Marine Ecosystems of Brazil

Sediment contamination by metals poses risks to coastal ecosystems and is considered to be problematic to dredging operations. In Brazil, there are differences in sedimentology along the Large Marine Ecosystems in relation to the metal distributions. We aimed to assess the extent of Al, Fe, Hg, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn contamination in sediments from port zones in northeast (Mucuripe and Pecem) and southeast (Santos) Brazil through geochemical analyses and sediment quality ratings. The metal concentrations found in these port zones were higher than those observed in the continental shelf or the background values in both regions. In the northeast, metals were associated with carbonate, while in Santos, they were associated with mud. Geochemical analyses showed enrichments in Hg, Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn, and a simple application of international sediment quality guidelines failed to predict their impacts, whereas the use of site-specific values that were derived by geochemical and ecotoxicological approaches seemed to be more appropriate in the management of the dredged sediments. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.