Metabolism and biomass vertical distribution of zooplankton in the Bransfield Strait during the austral summer of 2000

[EN] The vertical distribution (0?550 m) of zooplankton biomass, and indices of respiration (electron transfer system [ETS]) and structural growth (aminoacyltRNA synthetases activity [AARS]), were studied in waters off the Antarctic Peninsula during the austral summer of 2000. The dominant species were the copepod Metridia gerlachei and the euphausiid Euphausia superba. We observed a vertical krill/copepod substitution in the water column. The zooplankton biomass in the layer at a depth of 200?500 m was of the same magnitude as the biomass in the layer at a depth of 0?200 m, indicating that biomass in the mesopelagic zone is an important fraction of the total zooplankton in Antarctic waters. The metabolic rates of the zooplankton community were sustained by less than 0.5% of the primary production in the area, suggesting that microplankton or small copepods are the main food source. Neither food availability nor predation seemed to control mesozooplankton biomass. The wide time lag between the abundance peak of the dominant copepod (M. gerlachei) and the phytoplankton bloom is suggested to be the main explanation for the low summer zooplankton biomass observed in these waters.

Mesozooplankton community structure during summer months in the Bay of Cádiz

[EN] Mesozooplankton organisms (>250 μm) were sampled at two stations (inner and outer Bay) in the Bay of Cádiz between May and July 2008. Samples were analysed by means of a semi-automated technique in order to give a preliminary view of the mesoozooplankton community structure in the Bay, based on taxonomic diversity and biomass distribution among size classes. The abundance of organisms increased from May to July in accordance with the increase in temperature and Chlorophyll a (Chla) concentrations. Abundances were higher in the outer Bay station, where Chla concentrations are greater and the water column is more stable. The community changed from being meroplankton- to holoplankton-based due to an increase of Calanoida and especially Cladocera individuals (mainly Peniliaavirostris), which are known to peak acutely in the summer. The analysis of Normalised Biomass-Size spectra revealed fairly steep slopes (average -1.3) and relatively high departures from steady state (r2 = 0.8 – 0.94), expectable in a coastal system such as the Bay of Cádiz were disturbance factors are introduced from benthic and tidal processes, together with anthropogenic pressure.

A dynamic model of oceanic sulfur (DMOS) applied to the Sargasso Sea: Simulating the dimethylsulfide (DMS) summer paradox

[EN]A new one-dimensional model of DMSP/DMS dynamics (DMOS) is developed and applied to the Sargasso Sea in order to explain what drives the observed dimethylsulfide (DMS) summer paradox: a summer DMS concentration maximum concurrent with a minimum in the biomass of phytoplankton, the producers of the DMS precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). Several mechanisms have been postulated to explain this mismatch: a succession in phytoplankton species composition towards higher relative abundances of DMSP producers in summer; inhibition of bacterial DMS consumption by ultraviolet radiation (UVR); and direct DMS production by phytoplankton due to UVR-induced oxidative stress. None of these hypothetical mechanisms, except for the first one, has been tested with a dynamic model. We have coupled a new sulfur cycle model that incorporates the latest knowledge on DMSP/DMS dynamics to a preexisting nitrogen/carbon-based ecological model that explicitly simulates the microbial-loop. This allows the role of bacteria in DMS production and consumption to be represented and quantified. The main improvements of DMOS with respect to previous DMSP/DMS models are the explicit inclusion of: solar-radiation inhibition of bacterial sulfur uptakes; DMS exudation by phytoplankton caused by solar-radiation-induced stress; and uptake of dissolved DMSP by phytoplankton. We have conducted a series of modeling experiments where some of the DMOS sulfur paths are turned “off” or “on,” and the results on chlorophyll-a, bacteria, DMS, and DMSP (particulate and dissolved) concentrations have been compared with climatological data of these same variables. The simulated rate of sulfur cycling processes are also compared with the scarce data available from previous works. All processes seem to play a role in driving DMS seasonality. Among them, however, solar-radiation-induced DMS exudation by phytoplankton stands out as the process without which the model is unable to produce realistic DMS simulations and reproduce the DMS summer paradox.

Proposta di traduzione di un esempio di narrativa chick lit: Summer at sea di Beth Labonte

Il seguente elaborato presenta una proposta di traduzione dei primi due capitoli del romanzo autopubblicato “Summer at sea” della scrittrice americana Beth Labonte, uscito nel 2015. L'elaborato si articola a partire da un'analisi approfondita del genere della chick lit, cui il romanzo appartiene, e prosegue con un riassunto delle principali tappe all'interno della storia della teoria della traduzione. Segue il commento alla traduzione, che evidenzia le difficoltà riscontrate e le soluzioni traduttive impiegate durante la stesura dell’elaborato.

Summer drought reduces total and litter-derived soil CO2 effluxes in temperate grassland - clues from a 13C litter addition experiment

Current climate change models predict significant changes in rainfall patterns across Europe. To explore the effect of drought on soil CO2 efflux (FSoil) and on the contribution of litter to FSoil we used rain shelters to simulate a summer drought (May to July 2007) in an intensively managed grassland in Switzerland by reducing annual precipitation by around 30% similar to the hot and dry year 2003 in Central Europe. We added 13C-depleted as well as unlabelled grass/clover litter to quantify the litter-derived CO2 efflux (FLitter). Soil CO2 efflux and the 13C/12C isotope ratio (δ13C) of the respired CO2 after litter addition were measured during the growing season 2007. Drought significantly decreased FSoil in our litter addition experiment by 59% and FLitter by 81% during the drought period itself (May to July), indicating that drought had a stronger effect on the CO2 release from litter than on the belowground-derived CO2 efflux (FBG, i.e. soil organic matter (SOM) and root respiration). Despite large bursts in respired CO2 induced by the rewetting after prolonged drought, drought also reduced FSoil and FLitter during the entire 13C measurement period (April to October) by 26% and 37%, respectively. Overall, our findings show that drought decreased FSoil and altered its seasonality and its sources. Thus, the C balance of temperate grassland soils respond sensitively to changes in precipitation, a factor that needs to be considered in regional models predicting the impact of climate change on ecosystems C balance.

Devising: Pioneering Uncharted Territory in Theater

Throughout theatre history, styles of theatre have come in and out of favor in response to the zeitgeist of the period. Neoclassical, Melodrama, Naturalism, all have their place in history offering enlightenment, passion and truth each in tune with the values of the culture in which it was created. As society transforms, so too does the stage, offering new ways to reflect, interpret and challenge our assumptions about the changing world. Our current society wrestles with a ‘shrinking world’, a world consumed with technological advances that fan the fire of the growing interconnectedness of human beings all over the earth. This ‘shrinking world’ phenomenon has the effect of an‘expanded world awareness’. That is to say, now more than ever we question all assumption regarding singular perspectives and cultural convictions. What our new society values is diversification of insight and a myriad of experiences from which to draw our conclusions about the world in which we live. The kind of theatre that fills this need is Devised Theatre. Theatre is a collaborative art form by nature. Theatre cannot be practiced alone. One must partner other artists as well as an audience in order to create a theatre performance. Theatre is a dialogue which can take many shapes. Devised Theatre is a process of making theatre that enables a group of performers to be physically and practically creative in the sharing and shaping of an original product that directly emanates from assembling, editing and reshaping individual’s contradictory experiences of the world. A devised theatre product is a work that has emerged from and been generated by a group of people working in collaboration. There is an emphasis on a way of working that values an accumulation of ideas. (Oddey)