Patch selection behaviour in the presence of environmental constraints

Habitat selection behaviour is the primary way in which organisms are able to regulate encounters with their biotic and abiotic environment. An individual chooses an area that best meets their current needs, particularly regarding safety and the presence of high-quality food. Several physical aspects of the environment can make it difficult for individuals to assess the relative habitat quality of the areas available, thus leading to suboptimal habitat selection. In this thesis, I investigated the way in which two aquatic habitat constraints - obstacles to movement between patches and turbidity - affected the ability of fish to make optimal patch choices, using threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus as a model species. Laboratory experiments showed that when movement between patches was hindered by increasingly challenging obstacles, groups of stickleback did not move as freely between the patches, and thus had greater deviations from the predictions of the Ideal Free Distribution (IFD). I also demonstrated that, unlike other species, stickleback do not use turbid environments to avoid predator detection. A trend was seen towards avoidance of a turbid food patch regardless of risk level, although this was not statistically significant. As expected, the stickleback avoided feeding in the presence of a predator regardless of water clarity. Overall, I found that both turbidity and movement constraints can have significant impacts on patch use and distribution in the threespine stickleback. Both turbidity and ease of transit will impact the distribution of ecologically important species like the threespine stickleback, and therefore should be taken into account when studying habitat selection in the wild.

(Table 1) Physical oceanography during Lance cruise LA99/2 in the marginal ice zone of the Barents Sea

Zooplankton was studied on eight stations in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) of the Barents Sea, in May 1999, along two transects across the ice edge. On each station, physical background measurements and zooplankton samples were taken every 6 h over a 24 h period at five discrete depth intervals. Cluster analysis revealed separation of open water stations from all ice stations as well as high similarity level among replicates belonging to particular station. Based on five replicates per station, analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed significant differences (P < 0.05) in abundances of the main mesozooplankton taxa among stations. Relations between the zooplankton community and environmental parameters were established using redundancy analysis (CANOCO). In total, 55% of mesozooplankton variability within studied area was explained by eight variables with significant conditional effects: depth stratum, fluorescence, temperature, salinity, bottom depth, latitude, bloom situation, and ice concentration. GLM models supported supposition about clear and negative relationship between concentration of Oithona similis, and overall mesozooplankton diversity The analyses showed a dynamic relationship between mesozooplankton distribution and hydrological conditions on short-term scale. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that variability in the physical environment of dynamic MIZ of the Barents Sea has measurable effect on the Arctic pelagic ecosystem.

Weathering characteristics and lithology of samples from the Rauer Group, Antarctica, obtained in February/March 2007, and conducted with field support of POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XXIII/9

The presence of glacial sediments across the Rauer Group indicates that the East Antarctic ice sheet formerly covered the entire archipelago and has since retreated at least 15 km from its maximum extent. The degree of weathering of these glacial sediments suggests that ice retreat from this maximum position occurred sometime during the latter half of the last glacial cycle. Following this phase of retreat, the ice sheet margin has not expanded more than ~1 km seaward of its present position. This pattern of ice sheet change matches that recorded in Vestfold Hills, providing further evidence that the diminutive Marine Isotope Stage 2 ice sheet advance in the nearby Larsemann Hills may have been influenced by local factors rather than a regional ice-sheet response to climate and sea-level change.

(Table 1) Abundance of unicellular eukaryotes in ice cores collected during the July 2008 CCGS Amundsen cruise in Darnley Bay

Influence of methanogenic populations in Holocene lacustrine sediments revealed by clone libraries and fatty acid biogeochemistry.Biological characteristics of ice-associated algal communities were studied in Darnley Bay (western Canadian Arctic) during a 2-week period in July 2008 when the landfast ice cover had reached an advanced stage of melt. We found two distinct and separate algal communities: (1) an interior ice community confined to brine channel networks beneath white ice covers; and (2) an ice melt water community in the brackish waters of both surface melt ponds and the layer immediately below the ice cover. Both communities reached maximum chlorophyll a concentrations of about 2.5 mg/m**3, but with diatoms dominating the interior ice while flagellates dominated the melt water community. The microflora of each community was diverse, containing both unique and shared algal species, the latter suggesting an initial seeding of the ice melt water by the bottom ice community. Absorption characteristics of the algae indicated the presence of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) and carotenoid pigments as a photoprotective strategy against being confined to high-light near-surface layers. Although likely not contributing substantially to total annual primary production, these ice-associated communities may play an important ecological role in the Arctic marine ecosystem, supplying an accessible and stable food source to higher trophic levels during the period of ice melt.

Fresh biomass of macroalgae collected at Hansneset, Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen in 1996/1998

We surveyed macroalgae at Hansneset, Blomstrand in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, down to 30 m depth between 1996 and 1998. In total, 62 species were identified: 16 Chlorophyta, 25 Phaeophyceae, and 21 Rhodophyta. The majority of species (53.5%) belonged to the Arctic cold-temperate group, followed in frequency by species distributed from the Arctic to the warm-temperate region (25.9%). Four endemic Arctic species (Laminaria solidungula, Acrosiphonia flagellata, A. incurva, and Urospora elongata) were found. Two species (Pogotrichum filiforme and Mikrosyphar polysiphoniae) were new to Svalbard. Chlorophyta, Phaeophyceae, and Rhodophyta extended from the eulittoral zone down to 11, 21, and >30 m depths with maximum biomasses at 1-5 m, 5-10 m, and 5-30 m depths, respectively. Annual and pseudoperennial species had highest biomasses in the upper 5 m, while perennials were distributed deeper. The highest biomass (8600 g/m**2 wet weight) at 5 m depth comprised mainly L. digitata, Saccorhiza dermatodea, Alaria esculenta, and Saccharina latissima. The biogeographic composition of macroalgae at Hansneset was rather similar to that of northeastern Greenland, but different from that of northern Norway, which has a higher proportion of temperate species. Climate warming and ship traffic may extend some of the distribution ranges of macroalgae from mainland Norway to Svalbard.

HIP HOP COMO PROCESSO COMUNICACIONAL E SOCIABILIDADE PARA JOVENS INDÍGENAS DE DOURADOS – MS

Estudo sobre o Hip Hop como processo comunicacional e sociabilidade entre jovens indígenas de Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, para verificar quais os principais objetivos da prática do movimento Hip Hop, compreender se serve como comunicação, contribui para o fortalecimento da língua guarani ou gera novas tensões sociais na reserva. Para tanto, foi analisado aspectos históricos do movimento, passando pelos Estudos Culturais, e como Movimento Social, dando início à discussão de uma voz alternativa por meio do Hip Hop. Do ponto de vista metodológico, trata-se de um de estudo de caso, com representantes dos grupos de jovens Brô Mc's e Jovens Conscientes, das reservas Jaguapirú e Bororó, das etnias Guarani-Kaiowá de Dourados (MS). Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas junto a jovens que participaram das oficinas de hip hop, das lideranças indígenas e professores. A investigação é complementada pela pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e análises das letras de rap em confrontação com as visões da imprensa, a partir da análise dos jornais Diário MS e O Progresso. Os resultados apontam que os jovens se apropriam de uma cultura global para transformar o ambiente local com objetivo de preservar a língua guarani, uma alternativa para o conhecimento, logo para não seguirem caminhos como o das drogas. Negociando falas sobre sua realidade, dentro e fora da reserva, já que nos meios de comunicação locais há pouco espaço para a voz dos indígenas e dentro da reserva ainda há contestação do movimento em um contexto político, na tentativa de atingir uma cultura “pura”, devido à preocupação dos mais velhos com a perda de território.

Far-infrared constraints on the contamination by dust-obscured galaxies of high-z dropout searches

The spectral energy distributions (SED) of dusty galaxies at intermediate redshift may look similar to very high-redshift galaxies in the optical/near infrared (NIR) domain. This can lead to the contamination of high-redshift galaxy searches based on broad-band optical/NIR photometry by lower redshift dusty galaxies because both kind of galaxies cannot be distinguished. The contamination rate could be as high as 50%. This work shows how the far-infrared (FIR) domain can help to recognize likely low-z interlopers in an optical/NIR search for high-z galaxies. We analyze the FIR SEDs of two galaxies that are proposed to be very high-redshift (z > 7) dropout candidates based on deep Hawk-I/VLT observations. The FIR SEDs are sampled with PACS/Herschel at 100 and 160 μm, with SPIRE/Herschel at 250, 350 and 500 μm and with LABOCA/APEX at 870 μm. We find that redshifts > 7 would imply extreme FIR SEDs (with dust temperatures >100 K and FIR luminosities >10^13 L_⊙). At z ~ 2, instead, the SEDs of both sources would be compatible with those of typical ultra luminous infrared galaxies or submillimeter galaxies. Considering all available data for these sources from visible to FIR we re-estimate the redshifts and find z ~ 1.6–2.5. Owing to the strong spectral breaks observed in these galaxies, standard templates from the literature fail to reproduce the visible-to-near-IR part of the SEDs even when additional extinction is included. These sources strongly resemble dust-obscured galaxies selected in Spitzer observations with extreme visible-to-FIR colors, and the galaxy GN10 at z = 4. Galaxies with similar SEDs could contaminate other high-redshift surveys.

New constraints on micro-seismicity and stress state in the western part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone : Observations from a dense seismic array

Major funding was provided by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) under grant NE/I028017/1 and partially supported by Boğaziçi University Research Fund (BAP) under grant 6922. We would like to thank all the project members from the University of Leeds, Boğaziçi University, Kandilli Observatory, Aberdeen University and Sakarya University. I would also like to thank Prof. Ali Pinar and Dr. Kıvanç Kekovalı for their valuable comments. Some of the figures were generated by GMT software (Wessel and Smith, 1995).

New constraints on micro-seismicity and stress state in the western part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone : Observations from a dense seismic array

Major funding was provided by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) under grant NE/I028017/1 and partially supported by Boğaziçi University Research Fund (BAP) under grant 6922. We would like to thank all the project members from the University of Leeds, Boğaziçi University, Kandilli Observatory, Aberdeen University and Sakarya University. I would also like to thank Prof. Ali Pinar and Dr. Kıvanç Kekovalı for their valuable comments. Some of the figures were generated by GMT software (Wessel and Smith, 1995).

Constraints on community participation in salmon fisheries management in Northwest Russia

Acknowledgements Many parties contributed to making this paper a reality. This research was supported by the European Social and Research Council, grant ESRC ES/K006428/1. The author is particularly grateful to the grant’s holder, Professor David Anderson from the Department of Anthropology, University of Aberdeen, for his various support throughout this research. The Barents Center of the Humanities at Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Apatity provided important institutional support. Officials from several fisheries management institutions of Arkhangelsk oblast, including Shiriaev Igor Alekseevich from Dvinsko-Pechorskoe Territorial Management Board, Skovorod’ko Artem Aleksandrovich from the Northern Basin Directorate of Fisheries and Water Biological Resources Conservation (Sevrybvod) and Korotenkov Aleksei Anatol’evich from the Fishing Industry Agency of Arkhangelsk oblast were very supportive and shared their knowledge wherever possible. Scholars Studenov Igor Ivanovich and Stasenkov Vladimir Aleksandrovich at Northern branch of the Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (SevPINRO) in Arkhangelsk provided their invaluable expertise on marine fisheries. Chairmen of several fishing collective farms – Tuchin Sergei Viktorovich, Samoilov Sergei Nikolaevich and Seliverstova Marina Nikolaevna – offered a great administrative support. Local residents of several villages in Mezen region were extremely generous and hospitable, providing places to stay, warm clothes, food, endless cups of tea, and most valuably, sparing their time. Finally, Natalie Wahnsiedler was a regular companion during fieldwork and a great source of inspiration for this research.

When does female multiple mating evolve to adjust inbreeding? : Effects of inbreeding depression, direct costs, mating constraints, and polyandry as a threshold trait

Peer reviewed

Constraints on syn-rift intrabasinal horst development from alluvial-fan and aeolian deposits (Triassic, Fundy Basin, Nova Scotia).

Peer reviewed

Constraints on synrift intrabasinal horst development from alluvial fan and aeolian deposits (Triassic, Fundy Basin, Nova Scotia)

From: Ventra, D. & Clarke, L. E. (eds) Geology and Geomorphology of Alluvial and Fluvial Fans: Terrestrial and Planetary Perspectives. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 440, http://doi.org/10.1144/SP440.8 # 2016 The Author(s). Published by The Geological Society of London. All rights reserved

When does female multiple mating evolve to adjust inbreeding? : Effects of inbreeding depression, direct costs, mating constraints, and polyandry as a threshold trait

Ackowledgements: This work was funded by a European Research Council Starting Grant to JMR. All simulations were performed using the Maxwell computing cluster at the University of Aberdeen

Constraints on community participation in salmon fisheries management in Northwest Russia

Acknowledgements Many parties contributed to making this paper a reality. This research was supported by the European Social and Research Council, grant ESRC ES/K006428/1. The author is particularly grateful to the grant’s holder, Professor David Anderson from the Department of Anthropology, University of Aberdeen, for his various support throughout this research. The Barents Center of the Humanities at Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Apatity provided important institutional support. Officials from several fisheries management institutions of Arkhangelsk oblast, including Shiriaev Igor Alekseevich from Dvinsko-Pechorskoe Territorial Management Board, Skovorod’ko Artem Aleksandrovich from the Northern Basin Directorate of Fisheries and Water Biological Resources Conservation (Sevrybvod) and Korotenkov Aleksei Anatol’evich from the Fishing Industry Agency of Arkhangelsk oblast were very supportive and shared their knowledge wherever possible. Scholars Studenov Igor Ivanovich and Stasenkov Vladimir Aleksandrovich at Northern branch of the Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (SevPINRO) in Arkhangelsk provided their invaluable expertise on marine fisheries. Chairmen of several fishing collective farms – Tuchin Sergei Viktorovich, Samoilov Sergei Nikolaevich and Seliverstova Marina Nikolaevna – offered a great administrative support. Local residents of several villages in Mezen region were extremely generous and hospitable, providing places to stay, warm clothes, food, endless cups of tea, and most valuably, sparing their time. Finally, Natalie Wahnsiedler was a regular companion during fieldwork and a great source of inspiration for this research.