Sample locations, CTD data, mean spring and annual temperatures and salinities from World Ocean Atlas (WOA, 2001), and ICP-OES Mg/Ca data

Due to its strong gradient in salinity and small temperature gradient the Mediterranean provides an ideal setting to study the impact of salinity on the incorporation of Mg into foraminiferal tests. We have investigated tests of Globorotalia inflata and Globigerina bulloides in plankton tow and core top samples from the Western Mediterranean using ICP-OES for bulk analyses and LA-ICP-MS for analyses of individual chambers in single specimens. Mg/Ca observed in G. inflata are consistent with existing calibrations, whereas G. bulloides had significantly higher Mg/Ca than predicted, particularly in core top samples from the easterly stations. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Laser Ablation ICP-MS revealed secondary overgrowths on some tests, which could explain the observed high core top Mg/Ca. We suggest that the Mediterranean intermediate and deep water supersaturated with respect to calcite cause these overgrowths and therefore increased bulk Mg/Ca. However, the different species are influenced by diagenesis to different degrees probably due to different test morphologies. Our results provide new perspectives on reported anomalously high Mg/Ca in sedimentary foraminifera and the applicability of the Mg/Ca paleothermometry in high salinity settings, by showing that (1) part of the signal is generated by precipitation of inorganic calcite on the foraminifer test due to increased calcite saturation state of the water and (2) species with high surface-to-volume shell surfaces are potentially more affected by secondary Mg-rich calcite encrustation.

(Table 1) Circulating levels of TT3 and TT4, and age, length, girth, and estimated body mass in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from East Greenland 1999-2001

We investigated the multivariate relationships between adipose tissue residue levels of 48 individual organohalogen contaminants (OHCs) and circulating thyroid hormone (TH) levels in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from East Greenland (1999-2001, n = 62), using projection to latent structure (PLS) regression for four groupings of polar bears; subadults (SubA), adult females with cubs (AdF_N), adult females without cubs (AdF_S) and adult males (AdM). In the resulting significant PLS models for SubA, AdF_N and AdF_S, some OHCs were especially important in explaining variations in circulating TH levels: polybrominated diphenylether (PBDE)-99, PBDE-100, PBDE-153, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-52, PCB-118, cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor, trichlorobenzene (TCB) and pentachlorobenzene (QCB), and both negative and positive relationships with THs were found. In addition, the models revealed that DDTs had a positive influence on total 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (TT3) in AdF_S, and that a group of 17 higher chlorinated ortho-PCBs had a positive influence on total 3,5,3',5'-tetraiodothyronine (thyroxine, TT4) in AdF_N. TH levels in AdM seemed less influenced by OHCs because of non-significant PLS models. TH levels were also influenced by biological factors such as age, sex, body size, lipid content of adipose tissue and sampling date. When controlling for biological variables, the major relationships from the PLS models for SubA, AdF_N and AdF_S were found significant in partial correlations. The most important OHCs that influenced TH levels in the significant PLS models may potentially act through similar mechanisms on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, suggesting that both combined effects by dose and response addition and perhaps synergistic potentiation may be a possibility in these polar bears. Statistical associations are not evidence per se of biological cause-effect relationships. Still, the results of the present study indicate that OHCs may affect circulating TH levels in East Greenland polar bears, adding to the "weight of evidence" suggesting that OHCs might interfere with thyroid homeostasis in polar bears.

Individual dinoflagellate cysts species of surface sediment samples from the Mediterranean Sea

To determine the relationship between the spatial dinoflagellate cyst distribution and oceanic environmental conditions, 34 surface sediments from the Eastern and Western Mediterranean Sea have been investigated for their dinoflagellate cyst content. Multivariate ordination analyses identified sea-surface temperature, chlorophyll-a , nitrate concentration, salinity, and bottom oxygen concentration as the main factors affecting dinoflagellate cyst distribution in the region. Based on the relative abundance data, two associations can be distinguished that can be linked with major oceanographic settings. (1) An offshore eastern Mediterranean regime where surface sediments are characterized by oligotrophic, warm, saline surface water, and high oxygen bottom water concentrations (Impagidinium species, Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus, Pyxidinopsis reticulata and Operculodinium israelianum). Based on the absolute abundance, temperature is positively related to the cyst accumulation of Operculodinium israelianum. Temperature does not form a causal factor influencing the accumulation rate of the other species in this association. Impagidinium species and Nematosphaeropsis labyrinthus show a positive relationship between cyst accumulation and nitrate availability in the upper waters. (2) Species of association 2 have highest relative abundances in the Western Mediterranean Sea, Strait of Sicily/NW Ionian Sea, and/or the distal ends of the Po/Nile/Rhône River plumes. At these stations, surface waters are characterized by (relative to the other regime) higher productivity associated with lower sea-surface temperature, salinity, and lower bottom water oxygen concentrations (Selenopemphix nephroides, Echinidinium spp., Selenopemphix quanta, Quinquecuspis concreta, Brigantedinium spp. and Lingulodinium machaerophorum). Based on both the absolute and relative abundances, Selenopemphix nephroides is suggested to be a suitable indicator to trace changes in the trophic state of the upper waters. The distribution of Lingulodinium machaerophorum is related to the presence of river-influenced surface waters, notably the Nile River. We suggest that this species might form a suitable marker to trace past variations in river discharge, notably from the Nile.

Breeding success and traits of equal and unequal pairs of little penguins (Eudyptula minor) on Phillip Island during 2001-2008

According to life-history theory, individuals optimize their decisions in order to maximize their fitness. This raises a conflict between parents, which need to cooperate to ensure the propagation of their genes but at the same time need to minimize the associated costs. Trading-off between benefits and costs of a reproduction is one of the major forces driving demographic trends and has shaped several different parental care strategies. Using little penguins (Eudyptula minor) as a model, we investigated whether individuals of a pair provide equal parental effort when raising offspring and whether their behavior was consistent over 8 years of contrasting resource availability. Using an automated identification system, we found that 72% of little penguin pairs exhibited unforced (i.e., that did not result from desertion of 1 parent) unequal partnership through the postguard stage. This proportion was lower in favorable years. Although being an equal pair appeared to be a better strategy, it was nonetheless the least often observed. Individuals that contributed less than their partner were not less experienced (measured by age), and gender did not explain differences between partners. Furthermore, birds that contributed little or that contributed a lot tended to be consistent in their level of contribution across years. We suggest that unequal effort during breeding may reflect differences in individual quality, and we encourage future studies on parental care to consider this consistent low and high contributor behavior when investigating differences in pair investment into its offspring. Key words: attendance patterns, individual quality, meal size, parental care, reproductive costs, seabirds.