Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Pacific Southwest): Black, green, and red abalones

All abalones belong to the genus Haliotis sensu latu, family Haliotidae. The 75 species known worldwide (Booloot ian et, al. 1962) are anatomically similar and all are adapted for attachment to hard substrates. Seven species are widely distributed along the coast of California (Cox 1962; Mottet 19781, of which several are important in the comercial and sport fisheries of the Pacific Southwest. (PDF has 19 pages.)

DNA Damage and Transcriptional Changes in the Gills of Mytilus galloprovincialis Exposed to Nanomolar Doses of Combined Metal Salts (Cd, Cu, Hg)

[ENG]Aiming at an integrated and mechanistic view of the early biological effects of selected metals in the marine sentinel organism Mytilus galloprovincialis, we exposed mussels for 48 hours to 50, 100 and 200 nM solutions of equimolar Cd, Cu and Hg salts and measured cytological and molecular biomarkers in parallel. Focusing on the mussel gills, first target of toxic water contaminants and actively proliferating tissue, we detected significant dose-related increases of cells with micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities in the treated mussels, with differences in the bioconcentration of the three metals determined in the mussel flesh by atomic absorption spectrometry. Gene expression profiles, determined in the same individual gills in parallel, revealed some transcriptional changes at the 50 nM dose, and substantial increases of differentially expressed genes at the 100 and 200 nM doses, with roughly similar amounts of up- and down-regulated genes. The functional annotation of gill transcripts with consistent expression trends and significantly altered at least in one dose point disclosed the complexity of the induced cell response. The most evident transcriptional changes concerned protein synthesis and turnover, ion homeostasis, cell cycle regulation and apoptosis, and intracellular trafficking (transcript sequences denoting heat shock proteins, metal binding thioneins, sequestosome 1 and proteasome subunits, and GADD45 exemplify up-regulated genes while transcript sequences denoting actin, tubulins and the apoptosis inhibitor 1 exemplify down-regulated genes). Overall, nanomolar doses of co-occurring free metal ions have induced significant structural and functional changes in the mussel gills: the intensity of response to the stimulus measured in laboratory supports the additional validation of molecular markers of metal exposure to be used in Mussel Watch programs

Movement of yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus Block 1790) and black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci Poey 1860) in the northern Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as determined by acoustic telemetry

We tagged a total of 14 yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus Bloch 1790) and black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci Poey 1860) inside the Conch Reef Research Only Area (a no-take marine reserve) in the northern Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in November 2001. Both species are heavily exploited in the region. Our objective was to characterize site fidelity and movement behavior along the reef tract to the north and south of the release point. Fishes were collected by baited hook and line from the surface, surgically-tagged with coded-acoustic transmitters, and returned to the reef by snorkelers. Tracking of fish movement behavior was conducted by five acoustic receivers deployed on the seafloor from Davis Reef in the south to Pickles Reef in the north. Fishes were tracked for up to eight months. Results indicated that the majority of signal detections for individual fish from both species were recorded at the two Conch Reef receivers. Limited movement from Conch Reef to Davis Reef was recorded, but no signal detections were recorded at the two sites to the north of Conch Reef. These results suggest that both species show site fidelity to Conch Reef. Future studies will seek to characterize this site fidelity with increased temporal and spatial resolution at Conch Reef. (PDF contains 25 pages.)

First-principles study of the electronic structure and dynamical electronic excitations of strong spin-orbit metal Pb: bulk, surface and nanosized films

En la presente tesis se ha realizado el estudio de primeros principios (esto es, sinhacer uso de parámetros ajustables) de la estructura electrónica y la dinámica deexcitaciones electrónicas en plomo, tanto en volumen como en superficie y en formade películas de espesor nanométrico. Al presentar el plomo un número atómico alto(82), deben tenerse en cuenta los efectos relativistas. Con este fin, el doctorando haimplementado el acoplo espín-órbita en los códigos computacionales que hanrepresentado la principal herramienta de trabajo.En volumen, se han encontrado fuertes efectos relativistas asi como de lalocalización de los electrones, tanto en la respuesta dieléctrica (excitacioneselectrónicas colectivas) como en el tiempo de vida de electrones excitados. Lacomparación de nuestros resultados con medidas experimentales ha ayudado aprofundizar en dichos efectos.En el estudio de las películas a escala nanométrica se han hallado fuertes efectoscuánticos debido al confinamiento de los estados electrónicos. Dichos efectos semanifiestan tanto en el estado fundamental (en acuerdo con estudiosexperimentales), como en la respuesta dieléctrica a través de la aparición y dinámicade plasmones de diversas características. Los efectos relativistas, a pesar de no serimportantes en la estructura electrónica de las películas, son los responsables de ladesaparación del plasmón de baja energía en nuestros resultados.

Development of kelp rockfish, Sebastes atrovirens (Jordan and Gilbert 1880), and brown rockfish, S. auriculatus (Girard 1854), from birth to pelagic juvenile stage, with notes on early larval development of black-and-yellow rockfish, S. chrysomelas (Jordan and Gilbert 1880), reared in the laboratory (Pisces: Sebastidae).

Larval kelp (Sebastes atrovirens), brown (S. auriculatus), and blackand-yellow (S. chrysomelas) rockfish were reared from known adults, to preflexion stage, nine days after birth for S. chrysomelas, to late postflexion stage for S. atrovirens, and to pelagic juvenile stage for S. auriculatus. Larval S. atrovirens and S. chrysomelas were about 4.6 mm body length (BL) and S. auriculatus about 5.2 mm BL at birth. Both S. atrovirens and S. auriculatus underwent notochord flexion at about 6–9 mm BL. Sebastes atrovirens transform to the pelagic juvenile stage at about 14–16 mm BL and S. auriculatus transformed at ca. 25 mm BL. Early larvae of all three species were characterized by melanistic pigment dorsally on the head, on the gut, on most of the ventral margin of the tail, and in a long series on the dorsal margin of the tail. Larval S. atrovirens and S. auriculatus developed a posterior bar on the tail during the flexion or postflexion stage. In S. atrovirens xanthic pigment resembled the melanistic pattern throughout larval development. Larval S. auriculatus lacked xanthophores except on the head until late preflexion stage, when a pattern much like the melanophore pattern gradually developed. Larval S. chrysomelas had extensive xanthic pigmentation dorsally, but none ventrally, in preflexion stage. All members of the Sebastes subgenus Pteropodus (S. atrovirens, S. auriculatus, S. carnatus, S. caurinus, S. chrysomelas, S. dalli, S. maliger, S. nebulosus, S. rastrelliger) are morphologically similar and all share the basic melanistic pigment pattern described here. Although the three species reared in this study can be distinguished on the basis of xanthic pigmentation, it seems unlikely that it will be possible to reliably identify field-collected larvae to species using traditional morphological and melanistic pigmentation characters. (PDF file contains 36 pages.)

Geroa E.P.S.V. o la previsión social en el sector del metal de Guipúzcoa

El marco jurídico aplicable a las Instituciones de previsión propias del País vasco,es mucho más competitivo que el modelo estatal más privilegiado por el legislador,los Planes y fondos de pensiones.

The Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery of the Middle Atlantic Bight and Southern New England Waters

Summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus, scup, Stenotomus chrysops, and black sea bass, Centropristis striata, cooccur within the Middle Atlantic Bight and off southern New England and are important components of commercial and recreational fisheries. The commercial otter trawl fishery for these species is primarily a winter fishery, whereas the recreational fishery takes place between late spring and autumn. The otter trawl fishery generally targets summer flounder, and less frequently scup, while black sea bass occurs as bycatch. Trips in which all three species were present yielded highest aggregate landings per unit of effort (LPUE) levels and occurred more often than trips landing only one or two species. More than 50% of the trips in the trawl fishery landed at least two of the three species. In contrast, greater than 75% of the recreational landings of each species occurred as a result of trips landing only one species. Differences in the fisheries resulted from the interactions of seasonal changes in species distributions and gear selectivity. (PDF file contains 18 pages.)