Foraminíferos, ostracodes e microfauna associada da plataforma continental equatorial norte-rio-grandense, NE Brasil: área Porto do Mangue a Galinhos

This study was conducted in the adjacent Brazilian equatorial inner shelf to Rio Grande do Norte, between the region of Porto do Mangue and Galinhos. The main objective is the characterization of biogenic sediments, especially foraminifera and ostracod collected on the surface of the seafloor. The methodology involved standard procedures including literature, surveys, processing of samples in the laboratory and identification of foraminifera and ostracods by genera or species under stereo microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Multivariate statistical analyzes and study of ecological indexes were also applied to the study of foraminifera. Three transects, from inner shelf to slope were sampled: profile 01 (east, near Galos), profile 02 (center, near the city of Macau) and profile 03 (west, near Ponta do Mel). Results indicated the predominance of benthic foraminifera and little plankton occurrence. Benthic foraminifera genera observed in abundance were Quinqueloculina, Textularia, Globigerina and Pyrgo, Quinqueloculina, Textularia, Pyrgo, Ammonia, Elphidium, Pseudononion, Peneroplis, Bolivina and Poroeponides, occurred more frequently. Less frequently been described Amphistegina, Archaias, Bigenerina, Cibicides, Cassidulina, Amphicorina, Cornuspira, Paterina, Hopkunsina, Oolina, Uvigerina, Fusenkoina, Nonionella, Amphisorus, Wiesrella, Reussella, Reophax, Nodosaria, Marginulina and Cyclogyra. Six genera of ostracods were also identified: Puriana variabilis / P. convoluted?, Loxoconcha sp, Bairdiidae, Xestoleberis sp, Hemicytheridae and Ruggiericythere sp. Groups of organisms found in the studied shelf presented chemical composition of Ca, C, O, Na, Cl, Al, Mg, and Si. The proportions of chemical elements may vary according to the type of biogenic sediment, with the highest values identified as Ca, C, Cl, Na and O. The absolute dating by carbon 14 method indicated sediments of different colors (light and dark), correspond to a single age from 3000 to 6000 years BP, related to the Quaternary. These data intend to complement information about biogenic sediments in the Brazilian continental shelf, especially in the Northeast, where there is a lack of such studies.

Foraminíferos como ferramenta de estudo na geologia ambiental do estuário do Rio Potengi e da plataforma interna, RN, Brasil

The Potengi River estuary has been affected by various anthropogenic factors over the years, as periodic dredging, industrial and domestic waste, traffic and other factors, causing various environmental disasters, including the notorious ecological accident in July 2007, which covered the municipalities of São Gonçalo do Amarante, Macaíba and Natal. Foraminifera serve as viable study tools in these environments; they are able to identify ecologically stressed environments, pointing out hydrographic changes and depositional environments in estuaries. The necessity to check the differences in environmental gradients in places anthropically impacted in Potengi River and adjacent inner shelf through species of foraminifera, and, the responses of these organisms to physical, chemical and geological factors is to provide baseline in the diagnosis of environments. The results show the dominance of opportunistic Ammonia tepida, Bolivina striatula, Quinqueloculina patagonica and Q. miletti especially in regions close to shrimp farms and Baldo Channel sewage in fine grain environments; and Q. lamarckiana indicates penetration of the saline waters in Potengi River. The occurrence of low-salinity tolerant foraminiferal species typical of mangrove environments as Trochammina inflata and T. squamata in Potengi River Channel suggest they probably could have been transported from mangrove area near the Potengi river mouth to the inner shelf regions. These findings suggest Potengi River is able to export mixohaline and mangrove organisms to inner shelf. Two distinct environments were observed, the outermost area is more influenced by marine influence and the innermost area is less influenced. Calcareous and agglutinated species dominate Potengi River, while mouth and inner shelf areas are dominated by calcareous, agglutinated and porcelaneous species, which are typical of highly saline and hydrodynamic environments and the contributive factors that controls foraminiferal distribution were balance of marine and freshwater currents, grain size, availability of CaCO3 and organic matter.

Foraminíferos como ferramenta de estudo na geologia ambiental do estuário do Rio Potengi e da plataforma interna, RN, Brasil

The Potengi River estuary has been affected by various anthropogenic factors over the years, as periodic dredging, industrial and domestic waste, traffic and other factors, causing various environmental disasters, including the notorious ecological accident in July 2007, which covered the municipalities of São Gonçalo do Amarante, Macaíba and Natal. Foraminifera serve as viable study tools in these environments; they are able to identify ecologically stressed environments, pointing out hydrographic changes and depositional environments in estuaries. The necessity to check the differences in environmental gradients in places anthropically impacted in Potengi River and adjacent inner shelf through species of foraminifera, and, the responses of these organisms to physical, chemical and geological factors is to provide baseline in the diagnosis of environments. The results show the dominance of opportunistic Ammonia tepida, Bolivina striatula, Quinqueloculina patagonica and Q. miletti especially in regions close to shrimp farms and Baldo Channel sewage in fine grain environments; and Q. lamarckiana indicates penetration of the saline waters in Potengi River. The occurrence of low-salinity tolerant foraminiferal species typical of mangrove environments as Trochammina inflata and T. squamata in Potengi River Channel suggest they probably could have been transported from mangrove area near the Potengi river mouth to the inner shelf regions. These findings suggest Potengi River is able to export mixohaline and mangrove organisms to inner shelf. Two distinct environments were observed, the outermost area is more influenced by marine influence and the innermost area is less influenced. Calcareous and agglutinated species dominate Potengi River, while mouth and inner shelf areas are dominated by calcareous, agglutinated and porcelaneous species, which are typical of highly saline and hydrodynamic environments and the contributive factors that controls foraminiferal distribution were balance of marine and freshwater currents, grain size, availability of CaCO3 and organic matter.

Morphological and molecular characterization of a new species of Atlantic stalked barnacle (Scalpelliformes: Pollicipedidae) from the Cape Verde Islands

[EN] The taxonomy of pedunculate cirripedes belonging to the genus Pollicipes has essentially remained unchanged since Charles Darwin described them in his exhaustive work on the Cirripedia. This genus includes three species of stalked barnacles: Pollicipes pollicipes in the north-eastern Atlantic, P. polymerus in the north-eastern Pacific and P. elegans in the central-eastern Pacific. However, a population genetics analysis of P. pollicipes suggested the presence of a putative cryptic species collected from the Cape Verde Islands in the central-eastern Atlantic. This study examines the morphology of these genetically divergent specimens and compares them with that of representative Atlantic samples of the biogeographically closely related P. pollicipes and with the poorly described P. elegans.

Pesca artesanal del Puerto Supe (Provincia de Barranca, Departamento de Lima) en el año 1998

Durante el año 1998 (*) la pesca artesanal en el Puerto Supe se registra el desembarque de 699 t de recursos hidrobiológicos, constituido por 35 especies hidrobiológicas entre peces (31) e invertebrados (4), entre los peces destacó el ayanque (Cynoscion analis) con 147808 k, el bagre (Galeichthys peruvianus) con 165095 k, la lisa (Mugil cephalus) con 53828 k, la lorna (Sciaena deliciosa) con 27898 k, el machete (Ethmídium maculatum) con 19663 k y el perico (Coryphaena hippurus) con 16472 k y entre los invertebrados el mas importante fue el langostino tití (Xíphopenaeus rivetí) con 220 t de captura. Operaron un promedio de 218 embarcaciones mensuales que realizaron faenas de pesca en 30 zonas, desde las Zorras a Ancón obteniendo un esfuerzo pesquero de 2621 viajes y un rendimiento promedio de 267 k/viaje, se capturaron especies asociadas al fenómeno "El Niño", tales como el perico (Coryphaena híppurus) y langostino tití (Xiphopenaeus rive i), que incrementaron su desembarque y las ausencias de otras especies como el pejerrey (Odontesthes regia regia) y el cangrejo morado (Platyxan thus oÍbignyi) . En Puerto Supe se desembarcaron recursos costeros provenientes de la flota industrial, para ser procesados e las plantas pesqueras harineras, se desembarco 723. 669 t, constituido por 3 especies, en este volumen de captura destacó el ayanque (Cynoscion analís) con 616.006 t, lorna (Sciaena deliciosa) con 105.265 t y el coco (Paralonchurus peruanus) con 2398 t, operaron 19 E/P industriales, que realizaron faenas de pesca en Bermejo y Paramonga con un esfuerzo pesquero de 48 viajes y un rendimiento promedio de 15,076 k/viaje. Los meses que se registraron, estos viajes, fue junio, julio, agosto, y octubre. En Puerto Supe se desembarcó un total de 1422.676 t tanto de la flota industrial y artesanal, obteniendo la pesca industrial 3.4% más que la flota artesanal, que operó en el año 357 días, (Los días 1,2,23 y 29 de Junio, 19 y 28 de Julio 3 y 4 de Octubre no salieron a la pesca por condiciones meteorológicas o fiestas) . La flota industrial opero solo 14 días en el año (01 días en Junio, 06 Julio, 01 en Agosto, y 06 días en Octubre). El arte que utilizaron las embarcaciones industriales fue el cerco anchovetero de tamaño de malla de 1/2 Pulg.

Uranium-series ages of fossil corals from Mallorca, Spain: The Neotyrrhenian high stand of the Mediterranean Sea revisited

[EN] The emergent marine deposits of the Mediterranean basin have been recognized as an important record of Quaternary sea level history for more than a century. Previous workers identified what have been interpreted to be two separate high stands of sea in the late Quaternary, namely the "Eutyrrhenian" (thought to be ~ 120 ka) and the "Neotyrrhenian" (thought to be either ~ 100 ka or ~ 80 ka). On Mallorca, Spain, both of these named deposits lie close to present sea level, implying paleo-sea levels slightly above present during both marine isotope stages (MIS) 5.5/5e and either 5.3/5c or 5.1/5a. If these interpretations are correct, they conflict, at least in part, with sea level records from far-field localities.

Uranium-series ages of corals, sea level history, and palaeozoogeography, Canary Islands, Spain: An exploratory study for two Quaternary interglacial periods

[EN]We present the first U-series ages of corals from emergent marine deposits on the Canary Islands. Deposits at +. 20. m are 481 ± 39 ka, possibly correlative to marine isotope stage (or MIS) 11, while those at +. 12 and +. 8. m are 120.5 ± 0.8. ka and 130.2 ± 0.8. ka, respectively, correlative to MIS 5.5. The age, elevations, and uplift rates derived from MIS 5.5 deposits on the Canary Islands allow calculations of hypothetical palaeo-sea levels during the MIS 11 high sea stand. Estimates indicate that the MIS 11 high sea stand likely was at least +. 9. m (relative to present sea level) and could have been as high as +. 24. m.

Prologo a las investigaciones dirigidas por el Dr. Adolf Zilch

La primera tarea de un Instituto nuevo que se dedica a la investigación científica pura dentro de un territorio poco conocido es elaborar un catálogo de las riquezas naturales que constituyen la fauna y la flora de dicho país. Por esta razón es la tarea básica de nuestro Instituto Tropical de Investigaciones Científicas de El Salvador investigar la fauna y flora un mapa geológico del país. Las clases de los vertebrados están terminadas o actualmente en trabajo, tenemos ya en nuestras manos los manuscritos acerca de las aves, anfibios y reptiles de El Salvador; actualmente se están estudiando los mamíferos un especialista en peces, la última clase de vertebrados, llegara a principios del año entrante. También diferentes grupos de los invertebrados, como por ejemplo los caracoles terrestres y varios grupos de insectos están ya investigados. En cuanto a la flora, se está elaborando una descripción de las especies de las catorce familias de la fanerógamas pentacíclicas, a las cuales pertenecen las orquídeas y las bromeliáceas. El trabajo de la fauna y flora tiene dos fines: describir las especies nuevas recién descubiertas y comprobar la presencia de las especies ya conocidas que hasta ahora no se habían descrito.

Sphingidae de El Salvador: (Resultado del viaje de exploración Dr. Adolf Zilch 1951 en El Salvador Nº2)

Entre los miles de lepidópteros coleccionados por el Dr. Adolf Zilch durante su estancia en El Salvador se hallaban 204 sphingidae de 33 especies donde no se anota diferentemente los animales proceden de San Salvador. Todos fueron coleccionados mediante captura por luz, por ofrecerse precisamente buena ocasión para aquel método en el Instituto Tropical de Investigaciones Científicas de El Salvador. Los faroles colocados alrededor del Instituto atraían con su luz resplandeciente masas de insectos noche tras noche y el Dr. Zilch los coleccionaba cada tres o cuatro horas en la pared iluminada del edificio. En los anales del Instituto de Biología de 1942, Carlos especificó para México 154 especies de sphingidae.

Reseñas

Tres familias del gran orden de los coleópteros fueron el objeto de estudio sobre faunas salvadoreñas recién publicadas en una revista científica alemana: los crisomélidos habían sido coleccionados en El Salvador por los Drs. R. Mertens (1950) y A. Zilch (1951) ambos entonces investigaron en el Instituto Tropical. El artículo citado los denomina con sus lugares de hallazgos correspondientes. 10 especies de cicindélidos, coleópteros muy listos, se coleccionaron durante la permanencia del Dr. A. Zilch en el Instituto Tropical, otras especies mas no se lograron recoger por causa de su rapidez, aunque se persiguieron intensamente. Como hasta ahora no se conocía en El Salvador más que una sola especie de esta familia el estudio realizado presenta un aumento considerable del conocimiento de la fauna salvadoreña. La lista publicada a base de este material es la primera de mariposas salvadoreñas, aunque en El Salvador se mencionaba de vez en cuando lugar de hallazgo. Entre las 129 especies y subespecies denominadas se hayo una especie y una subespecie nueva, lo que fue una gran sorpresa, porque las mariposas diurnas, representantes más atractivos de la fauna, se habían estudiado en el mundo entero desde los primeros esfuerzos zoológicos.

Descrição do ciclo gametogênico do ouriço-branco, Tripneustes ventricosus (Lamarck, 1816), no Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha PE, Brasil

Sea urchins are common benthic organisms on coastal ecosystems of tropical and temperate shallow waters. The impact of sea urchins populations in shore communities is density-dependent, and therefore, knowledge of the life history of these animals is important to understand these interactions. Between 2000 and 2005 a population boom of Tripneustes ventricosus was observed in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. In 2004 a research program was started to monitor the population dynamics of T. ventricosus in the archipelago, when it noted a lack of basic information on the biology and reproduction of this species, despite its broad geographic distribution and economic importance in parts of its occurrence. In this context, this work focuses on the reproductive biology of T. ventricosus with emphasis on the description of the gametogenic stages. Between December 2006 and July 2007, ten urchins were collected by snorkeling in two sites of the archipelago, totaling 120 individuals. Gametogenic stages were described for both sexes through microscopic analysis, and were defined as: Recovery, Growing, Premature, Mature and Spawning. Results showed increasing in Gonad index throughout of months of sampling and suggest that the reproductive cycle of the species in the archipelago is annual

Dieta do ouriço-branco, Tripneustes ventricosus (Lamarck, 1816), no Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, PE

Sea urchins are benthic macroinvertebrates that inhabit shallow coastal waters in tropical and temperate zones. Urchins are usually classified as generalists or omnivores as they can adjust their diet according to the food resources available in the environment. Due to the strong grazing pressure they may exert, urchins have an important role in marine ecosystems, occupying different trophic levels and stimulating the intensification of the dynamics of communities where they occur. In 2004, a monitoring program focused on the population dynamics of the white sea urchin, Tripneustes ventricosus, has been initiated in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. At the same time, a surprisingly lack of information on the species biology has been noted, despite their wide geographical distribution and economic importance in many parts of its range. Hence, this work was developed to provide information on the feeding habits of T. ventricosus in the archipelago. Ten specimens were collected between December 2006 and July 2007 at two sites of the archipelago, Air France and Sueste Bay for biometrics and analysis of gut contents. Test diameters ranged from 9.19 cm (± 1.1) to 10.08 cm (± 0.58). Calculated stomach repletion index (IRE) was higher (p <0.05) in the Air France site and also during January and July. The IRE was not correlated to the gonad index. Fifteen different species of algae were detected in a total of 120 stomachs examined: 4 Chlorophytas, 4 Phaeophytas and 6 Rhodophytas. Food diversity (p <0.05) was higher in December 2006 and January 2007. Although several items had a high frequency of occurrence, they were low represented in terms of weight, and consequently, had a low level of relative importance. The brown algae Dictyopteris spp and Dictyota spp, followed by the green algae Caulerpa verticillata accounted for the greatest importance in T. ventricosus diet, comprising about 90% of the consumed items

Purificação e caracterização parcial de uma B-D glicosidase de Artemia franciscana com ação sobre celobiose e lactose

-D-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) is one of the most interesting glycosidases, especially for hydrolysis cellobiose releasing glucose, is last step degradation of cellulose. This function makes the -D-glucosidase is of great interest as a versatile industrial biocatalyst, being critical to various bio-treatment / biorefinery processes, such as bioethanol production. Hen in the report, a -D-glucosidase was extracts from protein extracted of the invertebrate marine Artemia franciscana was purified and characterized with a combination of precipitation with ammonium sulfate (0 - 30%, 30 to 50%, 50 to 80%), the fraction saturated in the range of 30 to 50% (called F-II) was applied in a molecular exclusion chromatography, in Sephacryl S-200, the fractions corresponding to the first peak of activity of -D-glucosidase were gathered and applied in a chromatography of ion exchange in Mono Q; the third peak this protein obtained chromatography, which coincides with the peak of activity of -D-glucosidase was held and applied in a gel filtration chromatography Superose 12 where the first peak protein, which has activity of -D-glucosidase was rechromatography on Superose 12. This enzyme is probably multimerica, consisting of three subunit molecular mass of 52.7 kDa (determined by SDS-PAGE) with native molecular mass of 157 kDa (determined by gel filtration chromatography on Superose 12 under the system FPLC). The enzyme was purified 44.09 times with a recovery of 1.01%. Using up p-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucopiranoside as substrate obtained a Km apparent of 0.229 mM and a Vmax of 1.109 mM.60min-1.mL-1mM. The optimum pH and optimum temperature of catalysis of the synthetic substrate were 5.0 and 45 °C, respectively. The activity of the -D-glucosidase was strongly, inhibited by silver nitrate and N- etylmaleimide, this inhibition indicates the involvement of radical sulfidrila the hydrolysis of synthetic substrate. The -D-glucosidase of Artemia franciscana presented degradativa action on celobiose, lactose and on the synthetic substrate -nitrophenyl-β-D-glucopiranoside indicating potential use of this enzyme in the industry mainly for the production of bioethanol (production of alcohol from the participating cellulose), and production hydrolysate milk (devoid of milk lactose)