Succession of benthic hard-bottom communities in the shallow sublitoral of Comau Fjord, Chile

Succession was already studied over decades. The present thesis investigated the succession on hard substrate at two different study sites within the fjord Comau, Chile. Nine plates were installed at both sites (mouth of fjord and inner fjord) and photographed over three years. Additionally the natural community was recorded and a ground truthing was carried out to verify the analyzed species. Respectively at both sites over 50 different species were identified. Abundance data decreased with only one exception continuously, whereas the percentage cover increased. But the communities on the recruitment plates do still not reach the community structure of the natural environment. The present data showed that the hard-bottom succession in the fjord Comau is best described by the TOLERANCE MODEL (Connell & Slatyer, 1977). An important species of the natural community is the stony coral Desmophyllum dianthus, which normally (outside the fjord) grows beneath 1000 m water depth. The results of this work indicate that the mature community is not reached after 36 months.

Figures and related data of a review of the "Global and Russian energy outlook up to 2040"

The Global and Russian Energy Outlook up to 2040, prepared by the Energy Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation, analyses the long-term changes in the main energy markets and thereby identifies the threats to the Russian economy and energy sector. Research has shown that shifts in the global energy sector, especially in hydrocarbon markets (primarily the development of technologies for shale oil and gas extraction), will result in a slowdown of Russia's economy by one percentage point each year on average due to a decrease in energy exports comparison with the official projections. Owing to the lack of development of an institutional framework, an outdated tax system, low competition and low investment efficiency, Russia will be the most sensitive to fluctuations in global hydrocarbon markets among all major energy market players within the forecast period.