The cabinet of nature and philosophy : book the first : the cabinet of shells /

Title on added t.p.: The cabinet of shells : being an introduction to the study of the science of conchology, after the system of Linnaeus.

Caroli Linnaei ... Systema naturae : sistens regna tria naturae in classes et ordines, genera et species redacta, tabulisque aeneis illustrata. Accedunt vocabula gallica.

Linné in his Systema naturae, Ed. 12. Holmiae, 1766-68. v. 1, 3d prelim. leaf, reckons this as the 9th ed.

Lives of eminent zoologists, from Aristotle to Linaeus : with remarks on the study of natural history, and occasional observations on the progress of zoology /

Contents: Aristotle -- Pliny the Elder -- Gesner, Belon, Salviani, Rondelet, and Aldrovandi -- Jonston, Goedart, Redi, and Swammerdam -- Ray -- Reaumur -- Linnaeus.

Sketches of the elements of natural philosophy : accompanied with sketches of a new theory of the earth /

Mode of access: Internet.

Cattle.

Mode of access: Internet.

Lack of intraspecific biological variation between two geographical populations of Oomyzus sokolowskii (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a gregarious larval–pupal parasitioid of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

The chalcid, Oomyzus sokolowskii Kurdjumov has been recorded in many parts of the world as a major larval-pupal, gregarious endoparasitoid of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus), a serious pest of brassica vegetable crops worldwide. This study investigated intraspecific variation between two populations of O. sokiolowskii, one from Cape Verde Islands, West Africa and the other from Hangzhou, China. In all crosses and backcrosses between the two geographical populations, the numbers of progeny and sex ratio of progeny were similar to those obtained within each of the populations, demonstrating complete reproductive compatibility between the two populations. The two populations showed similar responses to temperature with respect to development time and survival of immature stages. Observations on the interactions between the two O. sokolowskii populations and Cotesia plutellae (Kurdjumov), another major parasitoid of P. xylostella, showed that neither population could achieve successful parasitism of P. xylostella larvae already parasitized by C. plutellac. However, both O. sokolowskii populations could achieve hyperparasitism by ovipositing into a mid-late stage larva of C. plutellae developing inside the primary host. Contrary to earlier reports, no evidence of intraspecific variations in ability to hyperparasitize between these two populations of O. sokolowskii was found.

The life cycle of Paracardicoloides yamagutii Martin, 1974 (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae)

The sanguinicolids Paracardicoloides yamagutii Martin, 1974 and Plethorchis acanthus Martin, 1975 were obtained from their definitive hosts, Anguilla reinhardtii Steindachner and Mugil cephalus Linnaeus (respectively) in the tributaries of the Brisbane River, Queensland, Australia. Two putative sanguinicolid cercariae were collected from a hydrobiid gastropod, Posticobia brazieri Smith, in the same waters. The two cercariae differ markedly in size and the form of their sporocysts. Both putative cercariae develop in the digestive gland of Po. brazieri. The ITS2 rDNA region from these sanguinicolids and a Clinostomum species (utilised as an outgroup due to the close morphological similarities between the cercarial stages of the Clinostomidae and the Sanguinicolidae) were sequenced and aligned. Comparison of the ITS2 sequences showed one cercaria to be that of P. yamagutii. This is the first sanguinicolid life history determined by a molecular method. P. yamagutii is the fourth sanguinicolid known to utilise a freshwater hydrobiid gastropod as its intermediate host. ITS2 rDNA is effective in distinguishing sanguinicolids at the species level.

Increased mortality and photoinhibition in the symbiotic dinoflagellates of the Indo-Pacific coral Stylophora pistillata (Esper) after summer bleaching

Coral bleaching (the loss of symbiotic dinoflagellates from reef-building corals) is most frequently caused by high-light and temperature conditions. We exposed the explants of the hermatypic coral Stylophora pistillata to four combinations of light and temperature in late spring and also in late summer. During mid-summer, two NOAA bleaching warnings were issued for Heron Island reef (Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia) when sea temperature exceeded the NOAA bleaching threshold, and a 'mild' (in terms of the whole coral community) bleaching event occurred, resulting in widespread S. pistillata bleaching and mortality. Symbiotic dinoflagellate biomass decreased by more than half from late spring to late summer (from 2.5x10(6) to 0.8x10(6) dinoflagellates cm(2) coral tissue), and those dinoflagellates that remained after summer became photoinhibited more readily (dark-adapted F (V) : F (M) decreased to (0.3 compared with 0.4 in spring), and died in greater numbers (up to 17% dinoflagellate mortality compared with 5% in the spring) when exposed to artificially elevated light and temperature. Adding exogenous antioxidants (D-mannitol and L-ascorbic acid) to the water surrounding the coral had no clear effect on either photoinhibition or symbiont mortality. These data show that light and temperature stress cause mortality of the dinoflagellate symbionts within the coral, and that susceptibility to light and temperature stress is strongly related to coral condition. Photoinhibitory mechanisms are clearly involved, and will increase through a positive feedback mechanism: symbiont loss promotes further symbiont loss as the light microenvironment becomes progressively harsher.

Intra-colonial response to Acroporid "White syndrome" lesions in tabular Acropora spp. (Scleractinia)

'White syndrome' is considered to be the most prevalent coral disease on the Great Barrier Reef, characterised by rapid rates of lesion progression and high levels of colony mortality. This study investigated the production and translocation of photoassimilates towards white syndrome lesions (WSLs) and artificially inflicted lesions in healthy and diseased colonies of tabular Acropora spp. to determine the intra-colonial response to white syndrome using C-14 labelling. Translocation of C-14 labelled photoassimilates was preferentially orientated away from active WSLs, with minimal C-14 activity observed in the lesion borders, whilst artificial lesions (ALs) created directly opposite WSL borders showed significantly higher C-14 activity, suggesting active translocation of photoassimilates for tissue regeneration. Transport of photoassimilates in healthy coral colonies was preferentially oriented towards ALs with a higher perimeter-area ratio, although translocation towards WSL boundaries was minimal even though the lesion perimeter was often the width of the colony (> 200 cm). We suggest that the preferential orientation of photoassimilates away from WSLs may represent a deliberate strategy by the colony to induce a 'shutdown reaction' in order to preserve intra-colonial resources within areas of the colony that are more likely to survive and recover.

Artificial reefs concentrate nutrients and alter benthic community structure in an oligotrophic, subtropical estuary

The construction of artificial reefs in the oligotrophic seagrass meadows of central Florida Bay attracted large aggregations of fish and invertebrates, and assays of nutrient availability indicated increases in availability of nutrients to sediment microalgae, periphyton, and seagrasses around reefs. An average of 37.8 large (> 10 cm) mobile animals were observed on each small artificial reef. The dominant fish species present was the gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus Linnaeus, 1758). Four yrs after the establishment of the artificial reefs, microphytobenthos abundance was twice as high in reef plots (1.7 ± 0.1 μg chl-a cm-2) compared to control plots (0.9 ± 0.1 μg chl-a cm-2). The accumulation of periphyton on glass periphytometers was four times higher in artificial reef plots (200.1 ± 45.8 mg chl-a m-2) compared to control plots (54.8 ± 6.8 mg chl-a m-2). The seagrass beds surrounding the artificial reefs changed rapidly, from a sparse Thalassia testudinum (Banks & Soland. ex König) dominated community, which persisted at control plots, to a community dominated by Halodule wrightii (Ascherson). Such changes mirror the changes induced in experimentally fertilized seagrass beds in Florida, strongly suggesting that the aggregations of animals attracted by artificial reefs concentrated nutrients in this oligotrophic seascape, favoring the growth of fast-growing primary producers like microphytobenthos and periphyton, and changing the competitively dominant seagrass from slow-growing T. testudinum to faster-growing H. wrightii in the vicinity of the reefs.

Temperatures, salinity, wind speed, grain sizes and foraminifera abundance in the Great Belt Channel, western Baltic Sea

The Great Belt, the largest inlet to the Baltic Sea, has a deep and well defined channel system. A distinct thermohaline layer at roughly 18 to 20 m of water depth separates the saltier and generally cooler deeper North Sea water from the brackish and warmer surface water. It is practically a current dominated area, with the strongest bottom currents due to prolonged west winds. The size and shape of the surface sediments and their grain size distributions show a close relationship with the prevailing hydrographical conditions. Southerly current marks predominate while northerly directions are confined to 10 to 14 m of water depth. The degree of bioturbation is highest in the uppermost sedimentary cover where practically all original stratification has been destroyed. Various bioturbate structures have been identified with the fauna. Coiling ratios of Ammonia beccarii (Linnaeus) have been successfully applied for correlation in the postglacial sediments of the early Littorina Transgression. The succession shows that in the Boreal brackish water conditions were probably followed by peat and limnic sediments as the sea regressed. With the Littorina Transgression, the sea again entered the area and high sedimentation rates resulted in the major deposits of the Great Belt. At least for the last 4000 years, sedimentation rates had been very low. Present day currents sweep out the sediments, mainly to the southern marginal areas.

Fossil associations from the middle and upper Eocene strata of the Pamplona Basin and surrounding areas (Navarre, western Pyrenees)

Fossil associations from the middle and upper Eocene (Bartonian and Priabonian) sedimentary succession of the Pamplona Basin are described. This succession was accumulated in the western part of the South Pyrenean peripheral foreland basin and extends from deep-marine turbiditic (Ezkaba Sandstone Formation) to deltaic (Pamplona Marl, Ardanatz Sandstone and Ilundain Marl formations) and marginal marine deposits (Gendulain Formation). The micropalaeontological content is high. It is dominated by foraminifera, and common ostracods and other microfossils are also present. The fossil ichnoasssemblages include at least 23 ichnogenera and 28 ichnospecies indicative of Nereites, Cruziana, Glossifungites and ?Scoyenia-Mermia ichnofacies. Body macrofossils of 78 taxa corresponding to macroforaminifera, sponges, corals, bryozoans, brachiopods, annelids, molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms and vertebrates have been identified. Both the number of ichnotaxa and of species (e. g. bryozoans, molluscs and condrichthyans) may be considerably higher. Body fossil assemblages are comparable to those from the Eocene of the Nord Pyrenean area (Basque Coast), and also to those from the Eocene of the west-central and eastern part of South Pyrenean area (Aragon and Catalonia). At the European scale, the molluscs assemblages seem endemic from the Pyrenean area, although several Tethyan (Italy and Alps) and Northern elements (Paris basin and Normandy) have been recorded. Palaeontological data of studied sedimentary units fit well with the shallowing process that throughout the middle and late Eocene occurs in the area, according to the sedimentological and stratigraphical data.

A Review of the Dodo and its Ecosystem: Insights from a Vertebrate Concentration Lagerstätte in Mauritius

The dodo Raphus cucullatus Linnaeus, 1758, an extinct and flightless, giant pigeon endemic to Mauritius, has fascinated people since its discovery, yet has remained surprisingly poorly known. Until the mid-19th century, almost all that was known about the dodo was based on illustrations and written accounts by 17th century mariners, often of questionable accuracy. Furthermore, only a few fragmentary remains of dodos collected prior to the bird’s extinction exist. Our understanding of the dodo’s anatomy was substantially enhanced by the discovery in 1865 of subfossil bones in a marsh called the Mare aux Songes, situated in southeastern Mauritius. However, no contextual information was recorded during early excavation efforts, and the majority of excavated material comprised larger dodo bones, almost all of which were unassociated. Here we present a modern interdisciplinary analysis of the Mare aux Songes, a 4200-year-old multitaxic vertebrate concentration Lagerst€atte. Our analysis of the deposits at this site provides the first detailed overview of the ecosystem inhabited by the dodo. The interplay of climatic and geological conditions led to the exceptional preservation of the animal and associated plant remains at the Mare aux Songes and provides a window into the past ecosystem of Mauritius. This interdisciplinary research approach provides an ecological framework for the dodo, complementing insights on its anatomy derived from the only associated dodo skeletons known, both of which were collected by Etienne Thirioux and are the primary subject of this memoir.

Infection dynamics of Marteilia refringens in flat oyster Ostrea edulis and copepod Paracartia grani in a claire pond of Marennes-Oleron Bay

The protozoan parasite Marteilia refringens has been partly responsible for the severe decrease in the production of the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis Linnaeus in France since the 1970s. The calanoid copepod Paracartia grani Sars was recently found to be a host for M refringens in French shallow-water oyster ponds ('claires'). This study reconsidered M refringens transmission dynamics in the light of this finding, taking into account not only oyster infection dynamics and environmental factors but also data concerning the copepod host. P. grani population dynamics in the claire under study revealed that this species is the dominant planktonic copepod in this confined ecosystem. During winter, M refringens overwintered in O. edulis, with P. grani existing only as resting eggs in the sediment. The increase in temperature in spring controlled and synchronized both the release of M refringens sporangia in the oyster feces, and the hatching of the benthic resting eggs of the copepod. Infection of oysters by M refringens was limited to June, July and August, coinciding with (1) the highest temperature recorded in the claire, and (2) the highest abundance of P. grani. PCR detection of M refringens in P. grani during the summer period was linked to the release of parasite sporangia by the oyster. Our results are supported by previous results on the effective transmission of this parasite from the oyster to the copepod.