Morphometrics data on Holocene Melanopsidae of Lake Petea

The dataset includes measurements of Microcolpia parreyssii parreyssii (Philippi, 1847) and Microcolpia parreyssii sikorai (Brusina, 1903) from Holocene deposits of Lake Petea near Oradea, Romania. Additionally, the tps-files generated with the program TpsDig2 and containing pairwise x,y-coordinates describing the outlines of the digitized images are supplied. Finally, the matrix of Fourier coefficients resulting from the Fast Fourier Transform is provided.

(Tables 1+4) Sample site substratum and morphometrics and damage levels of different populations of Laternula elliptica around Antarctica

We document differences in shell damage and shell thickness in a bivalve mollusc (Laternula elliptica) from seven sites around Antarctica with differing exposures to ice movement. These range from 60% of the sea bed impacted by ice per year (Hangar Cove, Antarctic Peninsula) to those protected by virtually permanent sea ice cover (McMurdo Sound). Patterns of shell damage consistent with blunt force trauma were observed in populations where ice scour frequently occurs; damage repair frequencies and the thickness of shells correlated positively with the frequency of iceberg scour at the different sites with the highest repair rates and thicker shells at Hangar Cove (74.2% of animals damaged) compared to the other less impacted sites (less than 10% at McMurdo Sound). Genetic analysis of population structure using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) revealed no genetic differences between the two sites showing the greatest difference in shell morphology and repair rates. Taken together, our results suggest that L. elliptica exhibits considerable phenotypic plasticity in response to geographic variation in physical disturbance.

(Table 1) Morphometrics of narwhal (Monodon monoceros) fluke planforms

In this study, we compared the fluke geometries of male and female narwhals, which may be associated with hydrodynamic effects. Computerized tomography (CT) scanning was used to obtain data for analyses of the three-dimensional geometry of the flukes. The flukes from four narwhals (two males and two females) were obtained from aboriginal hunters in the vicinity of Broughton Island, Canada. The body lengths of the animals ranged from 2.98 to 3.60 m. Both males had erupted, upper left tusks. Standard body measurements were made including the span of the fluke (i.e., linear distance between fluke tips).

Morphometrics of seagrasses at species level, Moreton Bay, Australia determined from core samples collected in 2012-2013

Seagrass meadows are important marine carbon sinks, yet they are threatened and declining worldwide. Seagrass management and conservation requires adequate understanding of the physical and biological factors determining carbon content in seagrass sediments. Here, we identified key factors that influence carbon content in seagrass meadows across several environmental gradients in Moreton Bay, SE Queensland. Sampling was conducted in two regions: (1) Canopy Complexity, 98 sites on the Eastern Banks, where seagrass canopy structure and species composition varied while turbidity was consistently low; and (2) Turbidity Gradient, 11 locations across the entire bay, where turbidity varied among sampling locations. Sediment organic carbon content and seagrass structural complexity (shoot density, leaf area, and species specific characteristics) were measured from shallow sediment and seagrass biomass cores at each location, respectively. Environmental data were obtained from empirical measurements (water quality) and models (wave height). The key factors influencing carbon content in seagrass sediments were seagrass structural complexity, turbidity, water depth, and wave height. In the Canopy Complexity region, carbon content was higher for shallower sites and those with higher seagrass structural complexity. When turbidity varied along the Turbidity Gradient, carbon content was higher at sites with high turbidity. In both regions carbon content was consistently higher in sheltered areas with lower wave height. Seagrass canopy structure, water depth, turbidity, and hydrodynamic setting of seagrass meadows should therefore be considered in conservation and management strategies that aim to maximize sediment carbon content.