Dendroclimatic reconstructions of temperature, precipitation, and pressure patterns over the western and central USA, 1602-1961 [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Verified reconstructions of seasonal temperature, precipitation and sea-level pressure over North America and the North Pacific have been derived from 65 arid-site tree-ring chronologies in the North American West. Significant reconstructions were obtained for temperature for wide areas in the West and mid-continent. Precipitation reconstructions were significant only in the West, and pressure was reconstructed over wide areas of the North Pacific Ocean and the North American continent.

Patterns of orographic uplift in the Sierra Nevada and their relationship to upper-level atmospheric circulation

We examine monthly and seasonal patterns of precipitation across various elevations of the eastern Central Valley of California and the Sierra Nevada. A measure of the strength of the orographic effect called the “precipitation ratio” is calculated, and we separate months into four groups based on being wet or dry and having low or high precipitation ratios. Using monthly maps of mean 700-mb height anomalies, we describe the northern hemisphere mid-tropospheric circulation patterns associated with each of the four groups. Wet months are associated with negative height anomalies over the eastern Pacific, as expected. However, the orientation of the trough is different for years with high and low precipitation ratios. Wet months with high ratios typically have circulation patterns factoring a west-southwest to east-northeast storm track from around the Hawaiian Islands to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Wet months with low precipitation ratios are associated with a trough centered near the Aleutians and a northwest to southeast storm track. Dry months are marked by anticyclones in the Pacific, but this feature is more localized to the eastern Pacific for months with low precipitation ratios than for those with high ratios. Using precipitation gauge and snow course data from the American River and Truckee-Tahoe basins, we determined that the strength of the orographic effect on a seasonal basis is spatially coherent at low and high elevations and on opposite sides of the Sierra Nevada crestline.

大叶石上莲（苦苣苔科，马铃苣苔属）花对称性基因的表达模式和进化研究

模式植物金鱼草的花对称性分子发育及遗传学研究揭示了花对称性的相关调控基因在花发育过程种的表达模式和功能以及它们的相互作用机制。然而，被子植物的花对称性丰富多样，远非模式植物的模式所能概括。根据目前的研究我们选择苦苣苔科马铃苣苔属作为研究对象，选取其中具有代表性的种大叶石上莲开展控制花对称性的几个关键基因的进化发育生物学研究，初步探讨这些基因的表达模式和功能以及它们与花对称性进化的联系。 RT-PCR实验结果显示，在大叶石上莲中花对称性基因ObCYC, ObRAD, ObDIV与它们的同源基因CYC, RAD, DIV在金鱼草中的表达模式有着明显的差异，这也意味着这些基因的功能及相互作用也有所不同。首先，大叶石上莲的ObCYC1C基因的表达与金鱼草的CYC基因相似，结合花形态比较认为ObCYC1C基因在花器官近轴区域的表达抑制了背部花器官的发育，在构建大叶石上莲微弱的两侧对称花过程中起到了主导的作用; 其它的几个ObCYC基因有着完全不同于CYC的表达模式，ObCYC1D的表达延伸到了花腹部区域而ObCYC2A在花发育中期和晚期没有表达，这意味着它们可能具有除控制花对称性之外的功能; 另一个特殊的现象是ObCYC2B因为在可读框架中一个终止子的提前出现而失去了功能。其次，ObRAD, ObDIV的表达与RAD, DIV的表达差异也极为明显，通过系统树和氨基酸序列比对分析发现ObRAD, ObDIV与RAD, DIV的保守功能区序列存在明显的不同，而ObRAD, ObDIV与BlRAD, BlDIV的保守区很相似，这与它们的花对称性以及基因的表达模式相对映，同时也说明了保守功能区具有极重要的作用。本研究显示了大叶石上莲中的花对称性基因的表达模式和功能与模式植物金鱼草存在显著的差异，在此基础上开展更深入的进化发育生物学研究将有助于揭示花对称性基因的分子进化及其与花对称性表型进化的关系。

基于TCP和MYB基因的表达模式，试探四数苣苔（Bournea sinensis）(苦苣苔科)中次生辐射对称花形成的进化发育途径

花对称性，作为花器官的一个基本而又非常重要的特征，它的进化发育过程，越来越吸引着科学家们的注意力。次生辐射对称花的形成也越来越受到关注。然而在分子发育水平上，除了模式植物金鱼草（Antirrhinum majus）和少数其他种外，次生辐射对称花演化的机制仍然是一个巨大的未被探索的领域。 在金鱼草和柳穿鱼（Linaria vulgaris）中，腹部化反常整齐花的形成各自是由CYC和LCYC基因沉默所致，二者基因沉默分别是由于转座子的插入和DNA广泛甲基化所导致;而在豆科（legumes）中，辐射对称花的形成是由于legCYC基因在五个花瓣上都有表达，这种情况和金鱼草中CYC基因同源异位表达所形成的背部化辐射对称花相似。然而，自然起源的两侧对称花支系中的次生辐射对称花的形成似乎并不是简单的花对称性基因功能丢失或获得。自然形成的次生辐射对称花究竟可能经历了怎样的进化途径？对此，我们选择了广义唇形目（Lamiales sensu lato）中苦苣苔科（Gesneriaceae）植物——四数苣苔（Bouenea sinensis）作为研究对象，通过和模式植物金鱼草的突变体中花对称性基因表达特征比较，结合其近缘种——五数苣苔（Bournea leiophylla）中DIVARICATA在时间和空间上的表达特征，试图揭示苦苣苔科中可能的两侧对称向次生辐射对称花转变的新的演化途径，以及在这种进化过程中所产生的可能的器官丢失或融合现象。 四数苣苔和五数苣苔同属于苦苣苔亚科（Cyrtandroideae）苦苣苔族（Trib.Ramondeae Eritsch）中的四数苣苔属（Bournea Oliv）。该属仅仅有两个种——四数苣苔和五数苣苔，它们都是次生辐射对称花类群中的典型代表，而且两者花发育过程都显示出了由腹部向背部顺序发生和生长的特征。然而和五数苣苔相比，四数苣苔花瓣和雄蕊数目分别少了一枚，拥有四枚花瓣（背部花瓣两枚、两侧花瓣两枚）和四枚雄蕊（背部雄蕊一枚、两侧雄蕊两枚、腹部雄蕊一枚）。从形态特征比较来看，很有可能是四数苣苔在次生辐射对称花形成的过程中，发生了腹部花瓣的丢失和两枚腹部雄蕊愈合成了一枚较大的腹部雄蕊。那么，我们推测在四数苣苔次生辐射对称花形成过程中，花对称性基因即CYC类和DIV类基因在分子水平上发生了变化，这种变化和四数苣苔中次生辐射对称花的形成有关。 基于上述考虑，我们开展了对四数苣苔中花对称性基因——BsCYCLOIDEA、BsDIVARICATA、BsRADALIS以及BsCYCLIND3四个基因共9个拷贝进行了在花组织中表达模式研究。我们在四数苣苔中共分离到了五个拷贝的CYC类基因，分别命名为BsCYC1C-1、BsCYC1C-2、BsCYC1D、BsCYC2A、BsCYC2B。这五个拷贝在保守的TCP区和R区保持了高度的同源性。BsDIV的两个拷贝BsDIV1、BsDIV2也是如此，在保守的两个区domain I、domain II，尤其是在那些螺旋和环结构处，保守性相当高。组织原位杂交结果显示，BsDIV在四数苣苔中的表达非常特别，在金鱼草和五数苣苔中该类基因的表达分两个不同时期，即早期表达和晚期特异性表达，BsDIV在四数苣苔中似乎没有早期表达模式或者在很早期就已经进入到了晚期的表达模式。它在四个花瓣的两侧边缘和四个雄蕊上均等表达，而且这种表达持续时间相对比较长。组织原位杂交结果也得到了RT-PCR结果的支持。有趣的是BsRAD的RT-PCR结果显示，BsRAD在晚期花瓣上只在背部表达，但是在雄蕊上的表达却和金鱼草中AmRAD在背部区域表达不同，它的表达从背部延伸到了两侧和腹部。BsRAD在花器官的第二轮和第三轮的表达显然发生了分化。这种现象可能暗示着BsRAD功能发生了分化。BsRAD和BsDIV在腹部雄蕊上精细的时间空间调控关系可能正是导致腹部雄蕊愈合的原因。RT-PCR结果并没有检测到BsCYC2在晚期花上的表达。原位杂交结果显示BsCYC2在第8期以后表达就基本消失了，从而验证了RT-PCR结果。BsCYC2在早期花原基和早期花器官上都是均匀表达，但在表达消失之前，它在花瓣裂片和花冠筒的分界处则有表达信号，BsCYC2可能和调控花冠筒高度有关。根据Almeida 和 Galego（2002）所说，花冠筒高度的改变依赖于CYC 、DIV基因和其它非主动生长决定因子之间的相互作用。BsCYC1C晚期的RT-PCR结果显示它在背部花瓣、背部雄蕊和两侧雄蕊上均有表达信号，但在腹部花瓣和雄蕊上则没有表达信号，这似乎和四数苣苔由腹部向背部顺序发育的形态特征相符合，说明BsCYC1C可能起到了抑制背部花瓣和背部雄蕊生长的作用。

Characterization and monitoring of temperature, chlorophyll, and light availability patterns in National Marine Sanctuary waters: final report

This project provides a framework for developing the capabilities of using satellite and related oceanographic and climatological data to improve environmental monitoring and characterization of physical, biological, and water quality parameters in the National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS). The project sought to: 1) assemble satellite imagery datasets in order to extract spatially explicit time series information on temperature, chlorophyll, and light availability for the Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries. 2) perform preliminary analyses with these data in order to identify seasonal, annual, inter-annual, and event-driven patterns.

Coral reef ecosystems of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands: spatial and temporal patterns in fish and benthic communities (2001-2009)

Scientific and anecdotal observations during recent decades have suggested that the structure and function of the coral reef ecosystems around St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands have been impacted adversely by a wide range of environmental stressors. Major stressors included the mass die-off of the long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) in the early 1980s, a series of hurricanes (David and Frederick in 1979, and Hugo in 1989), overfishing, mass mortality of Acropora species and other reef-building corals due to disease and several coral bleaching events. In response to these adverse impacts, the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, Biogeography Branch (CCMA-BB) collaborated with federal and territorial partners to characterize, monitor, and assess the status of the marine environment around the island from 2001 to 2012. This 13-year monitoring effort, known as the Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Project (CREM), was supported by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program as part of their National Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Program. This technical memorandum contains analysis of nine years of data (2001-2009) from in situ fish belt transect and benthic habitat quadrat surveys conducted in and around the Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) and the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICR). The purpose of this document is to: 1) Quantify spatial patterns and temporal trends in (i) benthic habitat composition and (ii) fish species abundance, size structure, biomass, and diversity; 2) Provide maps showing the locations of biological surveys and broad-scale distributions of key fish and benthic species and assemblages; and 3) Compare benthic habitat composition and reef fish assemblages in areas under NPS jurisdiction with those in similar areas not managed by NPS (i.e., outside of the VIIS and VICR boundaries). This report provides key information to help the St. John management community and others understand the impacts of natural and man-made perturbations on coral reef and near-shore ecosystems. It also supports ecosystem-based management efforts to conserve the region’s coral reef and related fauna while maintaining the many goods and ecological services that they offer to society.

Fish movement patterns in Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument and adjacent waters

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)-Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment’s (CCMA) Biogeography Branch, National Park Service (NPS), US Geological Survey, and the University of Hawaii used acoustic telemetry to quantify spatial patterns and habitat affinities of reef fishes around the island of St. John, US Virgin Islands. The objective of the study was to define the movements of reef fishes among habitats within and between the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICRNM), the Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS), and Territorial waters surrounding St. John. In order to better understand species’ habitat utilization patterns among management regimes, we deployed an array of hydroacoustic receivers and acoustically tagged reef fishes. Thirty six receivers were deployed in shallow near-shore bays and across the shelf to depths of approximately 30 m. One hundred eighty four individual fishes were tagged representing 19 species from 10 different families with VEMCO V9-2L-R64K transmitters. The array provides fish movement information at fine (e.g., day-night and 100s meters within a bay) to broad spatial and temporal scales (multiple years and 1000s meters across the shelf). The long term multi-year tracking project provides direct evidence of connectivity across habitat types in the seascape and among management units. An important finding for management was that a number of individuals moved among management units (VICRNM, VINP, Territorial waters) and several snapper moved from near-shore protected areas to offshore shelf-edge spawning aggregations. However, most individuals spent the majority of their time with VIIS and VICRNM, with only a few wide-ranging species moving outside the management units. Five species of snappers (Lutjanidae) accounted for 31% of all individuals tagged, followed by three species of grunts (Haemulidae) accounting for an additional 23% of the total. No other family had more than a single species represented in the study. Bluestripe grunt (Haemulon sciurus) comprised 22% of all individuals tagged, followed by lane snappers (Lutjanus synagris) at 21%, bar jack (Carangoides ruber) at 11%, and saucereye porgy (Calamus calamus) at 10%. The largest individual tagged was a 70 cm TL nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), followed by a 65 cm mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis), a 47 cm bar jack, and a 41 cm dog snapper (Lutjanus jocu). The smallest individuals tagged were a 19 cm blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and a 19.2 cm doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus). Of the 40 bluestriped grunt acoustically tagged, 73% were detected on the receiver array. The average days at large (DAL) was 249 (just over 8 months), with one individual detected for 930 days (over two and a half years). Lane snapper were the next most abundant species tagged (N = 38) with 89% detected on the array. The average days at large (DAL) was 221 with one individual detected for 351 days. Seventy-one percent of the bar jacks (N = 21) were detected on the array with the average DALs at 47 days. All of the mutton snapper (N = 12) were detected on the array with an average DAL of 273 and the longest at 784. The average maximum distance travelled (MDT) was ca. 2 km with large variations among species. Grunts, snappers, jacks, and porgies showed the greatest movements. Among all individuals across species, there was a positive and significant correlation between size of individuals and MDT and between DAL and MDT.

Patterns of scale-dependency and the influence of map resolution on the seascape ecology of reef fish

Detection and perception of ecological relationships between biota and their surrounding habitats is sensitive to analysis scale and resolution of habitat data. We measured strength of univariate linear correlations between reef fish and seascape variables at multiple spatial scales (25 to 800 m). Correlation strength was used to identify the scale that best associates fish to their surrounding habitat. To evaluate the influence of map resolution, seascape variables were calculated based on 4 separate benthic maps produced using 2 levels of spatial and thematic resolution, respectively. Individual seascape variables explained only 25% of the variability in fish distributions. Length of reef edge was correlated with more aspects of the fish assemblage than other features. Area of seagrass and bare sand correlated with distribution of many fish, not just obligate users. No fish variables correlated with habitat diversity. Individual fish species achieved a wider range of correlations than mobility guilds or the entire fish assemblage. Scales of peak correlation were the same for juveniles and adults in a majority of comparisons. Highly mobile species exhibited broader scales of peak correlation than either resident or moderately mobile fish. Use of different input maps changed perception of the strength and even the scale of peak correlations for many comparisons involving hard bottom edge length and area of sand, whereas results were consistent regardless of map type for comparisons involving area of seagrass and habitat diversity.

Nocturnal migration patterns of two Caribbean reef fishes, Haemulon sciurus and Lutjanus apodus [Poster]

In the Caribbean, many coral reef associated fishes have been observed making diel migrations, yet little is known about the detailed movement pathways and space use patterns of individual fish. Often these migrations occur along temporally or spatially consistent corridors that connect preferred resting and foraging habitats. Recent analysis of gut contents from Haemulids and Lutjanids, has provided evidence that these species forage in seagrass beds and other habitats near their coral reef refuges. Few studies have provided direct and spatially explicit evidence of nocturnal migrations and detailed day and night space use patterns for individual fish. This study integrated manual acoustic telemetry to track two common reef species, the bluestriped grunt (Haemulon sciurus) and schoolmaster snapper (Lutjanus apodus) throughout their daily home range. Space use patterns of these species were then examined using Geographical Information System (GIS) tools to link movement behavior to seascape structure derived in a benthic habitat map. This study represents a novel integration of spatial technologies to enhance our understanding of the movement ecology of adult H. sciurus and L. apodus.

Acoustic tracking of reef fishes to elucidate habitat utilization patterns and residence times inside and outside marine protected areas around the island of St. John, USVI

This technical memorandum describes a developing project under the direction of NOAA’s Biogeography Branch in consultation with the National Park Service and US Geological Survey to understand and quantify spatial patterns and habitat affinities of reef fishes in the US Virgin Islands. The purpose of this report is to describe and disseminate the initial results from the project and to share information on the location of acoustic receivers and species electronic tag ID codes. The Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICRNM), adjacent to Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS), was established by Executive Order in 2000, but resources within the monument are poorly documented and the degree of connectivity to VIIS is unknown. Whereas, VICRNM was established with full protection from resource exploitation, VIIS has incurred resource harvest by fishers since 1956 as allowed in its enabling legislation. Large changes in local reef communities have occurred over the past several decades, in part due to overexploitation. In order to better understand the habitat utilization patterns and movement of fishes among management regimes and areas open to fishing around St, John, an array of hydroacoustic receivers was deployed while a variety of reef fish species were acoustically tagged. In July 2006, nine receivers with a detection range of ca. 350 m were deployed in Lameshur Bay on the south shore of St. John, within VIIS. Receivers were located adjacent to reefs and in seagrass beds, inshore and offshore of these reefs. It was found that lane snappers and bluestriped grunts showed diel movement from reef habitats during daytime hours to offshore seagrass bed at night. Timing of migrations was highly predictable and coincided with changes in sunrise and sunset over the course of the year. Fish associated with reefs that did not have adjacent seagrass beds made more extensive movements than those fishes associated with reefs that had adjacent seagrass habitats. In April 2007, 21 additional receivers were deployed along much of the south shore of St. John (ca. 20 km of shoreline). This current array will address broader-scale movement among management units and examine the potential benefits of the VICRNM to provide adult “spillover” into VIIS and adjacent harvested areas. The results from this work will aid in defining fine to moderate spatial scales of reef fish habitat affinities and in designing and evaluating marine protected areas.