Caribbean connectivity: implications for Marine Protected Area Management. Proceedings of a Special Symposium, 9-11 November 2006, 59th Annual Meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Belize City, Belize

Executive Summary: Tropical marine ecosystems in the Caribbean region are inextricably linked through the movement of pollutants, nutrients, diseases, and other stressors, which threaten to further degrade coral reef communities. The magnitude of change that is occurring within the region is considerable, and solutions will require investigating pros and cons of networks of marine protected areas (MPAs), cooperation of neighboring countries, improved understanding of how external stressors degrade local marine resources, and ameliorating those stressors. Connectivity can be broadly defined as the exchange of materials (e.g., nutrients and pollutants), organisms, and genes and can be divided into: 1) genetic or evolutionary connectivity that concerns the exchange of organisms and genes, 2) demographic connectivity, which is the exchange of individuals among local groups, and 3) oceanographic connectivity, which includes flow of materials and circulation patterns and variability that underpin much of all these exchanges. Presently, we understand little about connectivity at specific locations beyond model outputs, and yet we must manage MPAs with connectivity in mind. A key to successful MPA management is how to most effectively work with scientists to acquire the information managers need. Oceanography connectivity is poorly understood, and even less is known about the shape of the dispersal curve for most species. Dispersal kernels differ for various systems, species, and life histories and are likely highly variable in space and time. Furthermore, the implications of different dispersal kernels on population dynamics and management of species is unknown. However, small dispersal kernels are the norm - not the exception. Linking patterns of dispersal to management options is difficult given the present state of knowledge. The behavioral component of larval dispersal has a major impact on where larvae settle. Individual larval behavior and life history details are required to produce meaningful simulations of population connectivity. Biological inputs are critical determinants of dispersal outcomes beyond what can be gleaned from models of passive dispersal. There is considerable temporal and spatial variation to connectivity patterns. New models are increasingly being developed, but these must be validated to understand upstream-downstream neighborhoods, dispersal corridors, stepping stones, and source/sink dynamics. At present, models are mainly useful for providing generalities and generating hypotheses. Low-technology approaches such as drifter vials and oceanographic drogues are useful, affordable options for understanding local connectivity. The “silver bullet” approach to MPA design may not be possible for several reasons. Genetic connectivity studies reveal divergent population genetic structures despite similar larval life histories. Historical stochasticity in reproduction and/or recruitment likely has important, longlasting consequences on present day genetic structure. (PDF has 200 pages.)

Assessment of phytostabilization of Pb/Zn mine soils with organic amendments and a native metallicolous ecotype of Festuca Rubra l.: implications for amendment selection and recovery of soil health

La contaminación del suelo es una de las principales amenazas para los ecosistemas y la salud humana. Actualmente, desde un punto de vista tanto económico como ambiental, la fitoestabilización es la mejor tecnología para remediar suelos contaminados con elevadas concentraciones de metales como son los suelos mineros. La fitoestabilización asistida consiste en el empleo de plantas y enmiendas orgánicas y/o inorgánicas con el fin de reducir la movilidad y la biodisponibilidad de los contaminantes y recuperar la salud de suelo. En este trabajo se han realizado ensayos en microcosmos y en campo centrándonos en la salud del suelo minero contaminado con Pb y Zn durante un proceso de fitoestabilización empleando enmiendas orgánicas (purines vacunos, gallinaza, estiércol de oveja y lodos de papelera mezclados con gallinaza) y/o la especie metalífera Festuca rubra con el objetivo de (i) estudiar las interacciones suelo-enmienda responsables de los cambios inducidos por el proceso de quimioestabilización en las propiedades físicoquímicas y biológicas del suelo, (ii) evaluar la efectividad del proceso de fitoestabilización sobre suelos vegetados y de la revegetación sobre suelos desnudos (iii) valorar la idoneidad de distintos indicadores químicos y biológicos (parámetros microbianos y de la vegetación) para monitorizar la efectividad de la fitoestabilización asistida en términos de reducción de la biodisponibilidad de metales en el suelo, mejora de la vegetación y de la recuperación de la salud del suelo. La aplicación de enmiendas al suelo minero supone una entrada de materia orgánica y nutrientes que conduce a una disminución de la biodisponibilidad de metales, facilitando la colonización de las plantas y el crecimiento de la vegetación nativa, además de estimular la actividad microbiana del suelo. El pH del suelo es un factor crítico que condiciona la movilidad de los metales y la toxicidad del suelo. Las poblaciones microbianas de las enmiendas no modificaron la diversidad funcional de las comunidades microbianas nativas de la mina. Los purines vacunos y los lodos de papelera mezclados con gallinaza son los tratamientos más efectivos en el proceso de fitoestabilización asistida bajo condiciones de campo. La gallinaza fue el tratamiento que más estimuló el crecimiento de la vegetación nativa y la colonización en los suelos desnudos. El bioensayo de elongación radical de lechuga es un test sensible, sencillo y barato para evaluar la biodisponibilidad de metal y la ecotoxicidad del suelo. Los tocoferoles son biomarcadores de exposición a metales con potencial para su implementación en bioensayos de toxicidad. Este trabajo permite concluir que la población metalífera de F. rubra, combinada con enmiendas orgánicas, es una excelente candidata para los proyectos de fitoestabilización asistida. Además, la monitorización simultánea de los parámetros fisicoquímicos y microbiológicos del suelo y de su ecotoxicidad permite una evaluación adecuada de la salud del suelo, así como la selección de enmiendas apropiadas para el desarrollo de un proceso fitoestabilizador.

Three-dimensional growth as multicellular spheroid activates the proangiogenic phenotype of colorectal carcinoma cells via LFA-1-dependent VEGF: implications on hepatic micrometastasis

Background: The recruitment of vascular stromal and endothelial cells is an early event occurring during cancer cell growth at premetastatic niches, but how the microenvironment created by the initial three-dimensional (3D) growth of cancer cells affects their angiogenesis-stimulating potential is unclear. Methods: The proangiogenic profile of CT26 murine colorectal carcinoma cells was studied in seven-day cultured 3D-spheroids of <300 mu m in diameter, produced by the hanging-drop method to mimic the microenvironment of avascular micrometastases prior to hypoxia occurrence. Results: Spheroid-derived CT26 cells increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion by 70%, which in turn increased the in vitro migration of primary cultured hepatic sinusoidal endothelium (HSE) cells by 2-fold. More importantly, spheroid-derived CT26 cells increased lymphocyte function associated antigen (LFA)-1-expressing cell fraction by 3-fold; and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, given to spheroid-cultured CT26 cells, further increased VEGF secretion by 90%, via cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-dependent mechanism. Consistent with these findings, CT26 cancer cells significantly increased LFA-1 expression in non-hypoxic avascular micrometastases at their earliest inception within hepatic lobules in vivo; and angiogenesis also markedly increased in both subcutaneous tumors and hepatic metastases produced by spheroid-derived CT26 cells. Conclusion: 3D-growth per se enriched the proangiogenic phenotype of cancer cells growing as multicellular spheroids or as subclinical hepatic micrometastases. The contribution of integrin LFA-1 to VEGF secretion via COX-2 was a micro environmental-related mechanism leading to the pro-angiogenic activation of soluble ICAM-1-activated colorectal carcinoma cells. This mechanism may represent a new target for specific therapeutic strategies designed to block colorectal cancer cell growth at a subclinical micrometastatic stage within the liver.

African Clarias taxonomy: Implications for the field worker

The taxonomy of African Clarias was reviewed. It was emphasized that much confusion still exists in this taxonomy. The major sources of this confusion were outlined. There are now only about 33 valid species of the 122 original species so far described in Africa. The implications of the present state of African Clarias taxonomy for the field worker were highlighted. In particular the need for the field worker to be an informed amateur taxonomist in addition to the possession of a good knowledge of the biology of his fish was emphasized. The connection between this and a successful Clarias culture was pointed out

Herbicidan control of water hyacinth at Ere, Ogun State: implications for fish production

A brief account is given of a pilot demonstration of the chemical control of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) at Ere (a channel) in Nigeria using the herbicide glyphosphate. Results suggest that there was an increase in the nutrient content of the channel after herbicide application. This implied an upsurge of available food for fish and other aquatic organisms within the channel after the herbicide application. The decaying water hyacinth mass which sinks into the medium is likely to boost nutrient content, promoting the growth of fish and other aquatic animals. It is concluded that herbicidal control of water hyacinth is possible, especially under specialists' management with the conservation of fish and other non-target aquatic organisms alongside improved fish production

Sea-level rise in Hawaii: Implications for future shoreline locations and Hawaii coastal management

Management of coastal development in Hawaii is based on the location of the certified shoreline, which is representative of the upper limit of marine inundation within the last several years. Though the certified shoreline location is significantly more variable than long-term erosion indicators, its migration will still follow the coastline's general trend. The long-term migration of Hawaii’s coasts will be significantly controlled by rising sea level. However, land use decisions adjacent to the shoreline and the shape and nature of the nearshore environment are also important controls to coastal migration. Though each of the islands has experienced local sea-level rise over the course of the last century, there are still locations across the islands of Kauai, Oahu, and Maui, which show long- term accretion or anomalously high erosion rates relative to their regions. As a result, engineering rules of thumb such as the Brunn rule do not always predict coastal migration and beach profile equilibrium in Hawaii. With coastlines facing all points of the compass rose, anthropogenic alteration of the coasts, complex coastal environments such as coral reefs, and the limited capacity to predict coastal change, Hawaii will require a more robust suite of proactive coastal management policies to weather future changes to its coastline. Continuing to use the current certified shoreline, adopting more stringent coastal setback rules similar to Kauai County, adding realistic sea-level rise components for all types of coastal planning, and developing regional beach management plans are some of the recommended adaptation strategies for Hawaii. (PDF contains 4 pages)

Assessment of inland waters fisheries in Nigeria with implications for improved freshwater fish production, poverty alleviation and food security

Rapid Appraisals of the current fisheries situations of some selected inland water bodies in Nigeria were carried out within the framework of Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries Project (AIFP) Annex II of the National Special Programme for Food Security (NSPFS). This paper presents the results of the fishery assessment of one of the selected inland water bodies (Sabke Lake) in Nigeria with a view to optimizing the fish yield through the adoption of improved culture based fishery techniques and community-based fisheries management. The lake is unmanaged and the fishing pressure was found to be very high. Also a number of fishermen were found using small mesh size nets to crop the juveniles of highly valued fish species for an optimum catch. About 14 fishermen ought to have been engaged in full time fishing activities if the fisheries of this lake is to be managed on a sustainable basis. However, a surplus of over 100 fishermen was recorded actively fishing during the period of the study. The results further revealed that Fisheries Rules and Regulations were not established for the national exploitation and proper management of the fisheries of many inland water bodies including Sabke Lake. All these have a depilatory effect on the abundance and sizes of fish harvested from the nigerian inland water bodies especially Sabke Lake. A community based management system that establishes a participatory involvement of fishermen in the conservation and national exploitation of fisheries resources for their own well being is recommended for Sabke Lake and other inland water bodies in Nigeria

Kurzinformation zum EU - Projekt: "Mechanisms influencing long term trends in reproductive success and recruitment of Baltic cod : implications for fisheries management"

In July 1994 an internationally coordinated and EU financed multidisciplinary research project about Baltic cod recruitment was started. The primary goals are to identify and describe dominant biotic and abiotic processes affecting the developmental success of early stages and the maturation of cod in the Central Baltic, to incorporate these processes into recruitment models in order to enhance prediction of future stock fluctuations due to environmental pertubations, species interactions and fisheries management directives as a prerequisite for an integrated fish stock assessment in the Central Baltic and to evaluate the feasibility and possible effects of stock enhancement programs on stock and recruitment and providing the biological basis for assessing their economic value.

Breaking the 400 ppm barrier: Physical and Social implications of the recent CO2 rise

6 p.

Implications of governance structures on urban climate action: evidence from Italy and Spain

47 p.

Morphological variation with interspecific implications in a population of Sigara dorsalis (Leach) (Hemiptera Heteroptera: Corixidae), and a request for British specimens

Sigara dorsalis belongs to a very closely related group of six species forming the sub-genus Sigara sensu strictu. Each of the six species has a distinct allopatric geographical distribution in Europe. Studies were started on a series of populations in the north west Midlands of England. All the populations examined, except one, contained only males with the typical diagnostic features of S. dorsalis, albeit with considerable variation. One pond near Congleton, Cheshire situated in a permanent-ley pasture and apparently free from pollution contained typical S. dorsalis males but, in addition, many atypical individuals. From one sample of forty-six males, all possessed left parameres with the slight point on the dorsal surface characteristic of S. dorsalis. However, almost half possessed additional morphological features intermediate between S. dorsalis and S. striata.

The EC Water Framework Directive and its implications for the Environment Agency

The bulk of the European Community's water policy legislation was developed between the mid 1970s and the early 1990s. These directives addressed specific substances, sources, uses or processes but caused problems with differing methods definitions and aims. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to resolve the piecemeal approach. The Environemnt Agency (EA) welcomes and supported the overall objective of establishing a coherent legislative framework. The EA has been discussing the implications of the WFD with European partners and has developed a timetable for the implementation and a special team will commission necessary research.

Monitoring fish populations in Lower Lough Erne, Northern Ireland: applicability of current methods and implications for future monitoring under the EC Water Framework Directive

The proposed EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) will require member states to monitor both biotic and abiotic components of lake environments. With adoption of the WFD some measurement of fish populations will also be required. This paper describes work carried out since 1971, and particularly since 1991, on the status of fish populations in Lower Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, with an emphasis on defining change over time due to human impacts on the lake. This offers a reasonable starting point from which to develop a monitoring programme suitable for the needs of the WFD in this lake. The implications for as yet unmonitored fish populations in lakes are also determined.