Phylogeography of the copper shark (Carcharhinus brachyurus) in the southern hemisphere: implications for the conservation of a coastal apex predator

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin T. Benavides ◽  
Kevin A. Feldheim ◽  
Clinton A. Duffy ◽  
Sabine Wintner ◽  
J. Matias Braccini ◽  
...  

The copper or bronze whaler shark (Carcharhinus brachyurus) is a large, coastal top predator that is vulnerable to overexploitation. We test the null hypothesis that copper sharks are panmictic throughout the southern hemisphere. We analysed part of the mitochondrial control region (mtCR) in 120 individuals from eight sampling areas, defining 20 mtCR haplotypes (h = 0.76 ± 0.06, π = 0.016 ± 0.0007). Significant genetic structure was detected among the following three major coastal regions separated by oceanic habitat: Australia–New Zealand, South Africa–Namibia and Perú (AMOVA ΦST = 0.95, P < 0.000001). A major phylogeographic discontinuity exists across the Indian Ocean, indicating an absence of at least female-mediated gene flow for ~3 million years. We propose that this species originated in the Atlantic, experienced vicariant isolation of Pacific and Atlantic lineages by the rise of the Isthmus of Panama and, subsequently, dispersed across the Pacific to colonise Australasia. Oceanic expanses appear to be traversed over evolutionary but not ecological timescales, which means that regional copper-shark populations should be assessed and managed independently.

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 3328-3339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Codron

Abstract In a zonally symmetric climatology with a single eddy-driven jet, such as prevails in the Southern Hemisphere summer, the midlatitude variability is dominated by fluctuations of the jet around its mean position, as described by the Southern Hemisphere annular mode (SAM). To study whether this result holds for a zonally asymmetric climatology, the observed variability of the Southern Hemisphere winter is analyzed. The mean state in this case is characterized by relatively weak stationary waves; yet there exist significant zonal variations in the mean strength and meridional structure of the subtropical jet stream. As in summer, the winter SAM signature is annular in shape and the corresponding wind anomalies are dipolar; but it is associated with two different behaviors of the eddy-driven jet in different longitudinal ranges. Over the Indian Ocean, the SAM is associated primarily with a latitudinal shift of the jet around its mean position. Over the Pacific sector, it is instead characterized by a seesaw in the wind speed between two distinct latitudes, corresponding to the positions of the midlatitude and subtropical jets. Composites of eddy forcing and baroclinicity over both sectors appear consistent with the two different behaviors. As in the zonal-mean case, high-frequency eddies both force and maintain the low-frequency wind anomalies associated with the SAM. The positive feedback by eddies is, however, not local: changes in the eddy forcing are influenced most strongly by zonal wind anomalies located upstream.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 273
Author(s):  
Blair Trewin ◽  
Catherine Ganter

This summary looks at the southern hemisphere and equatorial climate patterns for spring 2016, with particular attention given to the Australasian and equatorial regions of the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. Spring 2016 was marked by the later part of a strong negative phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole, alongside cool neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation conditions. September was exceptionally wet over much of Australia, contributing to a wet spring with near-average temperatures. The spring was one of the warmest on record over the southern hemisphere as a whole, with Antarctic Sea ice extent dropping to record low levels for the season.


2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 807-819
Author(s):  
Kitja Apiraksena ◽  
Suluck Namchote ◽  
Jirayus Komsuwan ◽  
Wivichuta Dechraksa ◽  
Kampanat Tharapoom ◽  
...  

Stenomelania snails (Fisher 1885) have been reported from the coastal regions of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, spanning India to Australia. Here, the species diversity and distribution of these snails in the south of Thailand are recorded. The snails were also examined for trematode infections in 13 locations in three Provinces, viz. Krabi, Trang and Satun, along the coast of the Andaman Sea. A total of 1,551 snails were in five morphs tentatively identified as Stenomelania aspirans, S. crenulata, S. punctata, S. torulosa and the closely-related Neoradina prasongi. With 10 infected snails, the trematode infection rate was 0.64%. The cercariae were categorised into three species from two morphologically-distinguishable types, viz. parapleurolophocercous cercariae (Haplorchis taichui and Procerovum cheni) and xiphidiocercariae (Loxogenoides bicolor), through the morphological characterisation of the larval stage. These trematodes were also analysed using the internal transcribed spacer subunit II region to confirm the species identity at generic and infrageneric levels.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomasa Oshiro ◽  
Takumi Tomikawa ◽  
Kyoko Kuniyoshi ◽  
Akira Ishikawa ◽  
Hajime Toyofuku ◽  
...  

Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is one of the most frequently reported seafood poisoning diseases. It is endemic to the tropical region and occurs most commonly in the regions around the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean Sea. The principal toxins causing CFP are ciguatoxins (CTXs). In the Pacific region, more than 20 analogs of CTXs have been identified to date. Based on their skeletal structures, they are classified into CTX1B-type and CTX3C-type toxins. We have previously reported species-specific and regional-specific toxin profiles. In this study, the levels and profiles of CTXs in fish present in the tropical western Pacific regions were analyzed using the liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) technique. Forty-two fish specimens, belonging to the categories of snappers, groupers, Spanish mackerel, and moray eel, were purchased from various places such as Fiji, the Philippines, Thailand, and Taiwan. Only the fish captured from Fijian coastal waters contained detectable amounts of CTXs. The toxin levels in the fish species found along the coastal regions of the Viti Levu Island, the main island in Fiji, and the toxin profiles were significantly different from those of the fish species present in other coastal regions. The toxin levels and profiles varied among the different fish samples collected from different coastal areas. Based on the toxin levels and toxin profiles, the coast was demarcated into three zones. In Zone-1, which covers the northern coast of the main island and the regions of the Malake Island and Korovau, CTXs in fish were below the detection level. In Zone-2, CTX3C-type toxins were present in low levels in the fish. CTX1B-type and CTX3C-type toxins co-occurred in the fish present in Zone-3. The toxin profiles may have reflected the variation in Gambierdiscus spp.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1013
Author(s):  
Kuo-Wei Yen ◽  
Chia-Hsiang Chen

Remote sensing (RS) technology, which can facilitate the sustainable management and development of fisheries, is easily accessible and exhibits high performance. It only requires the collection of sufficient information, establishment of databases and input of human and capital resources for analysis. However, many countries are unable to effectively ensure the sustainable development of marine fisheries due to technological limitations. The main challenge is the gap in the conditions for sustainable development between developed and developing countries. Therefore, this study applied the Web of Science database and geographic information systems to analyze the gaps in fisheries science in various countries over the past 10 years. Most studies have been conducted in the offshore marine areas of the northeastern United States of America. In addition, all research hotspots were located in the Northern Hemisphere, indicating a lack of relevant studies from the Southern Hemisphere. This study also found that research hotspots of satellite RS applications in fisheries were mainly conducted in (1) the northeastern sea area in the United States, (2) the high seas area of the North Atlantic Ocean, (3) the surrounding sea areas of France, Spain and Portugal, (4) the surrounding areas of the Indian Ocean and (5) the East China Sea, Yellow Sea and Bohai Bay sea areas to the north of Taiwan. A comparison of publications examining the three major oceans indicated that the Atlantic Ocean was the most extensively studied in terms of RS applications in fisheries, followed by the Indian Ocean, while the Pacific Ocean was less studied than the aforementioned two regions. In addition, all research hotspots were located in the Northern Hemisphere, indicating a lack of relevant studies from the Southern Hemisphere. The Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean have been the subjects of many local in-depth studies; in the Pacific Ocean, the coastal areas have been abundantly investigated, while offshore local areas have only been sporadically addressed. Collaboration and partnership constitute an efficient approach for transferring skills and technology across countries. For the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, research networks can be expanded to mitigate the research gaps and improve the sustainability of marine fisheries resources.


2020 ◽  
Vol 148 (4) ◽  
pp. 1553-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl J. Schreck ◽  
Matthew A. Janiga ◽  
Stephen Baxter

Abstract This study applies Fourier filtering to a combination of rainfall estimates from TRMM and forecasts from the CFSv2. The combined data are filtered for low-frequency (LF, ≥120 days) variability, the MJO, and convectively coupled equatorial waves. The filtering provides insight into the sources of skill for the CFSv2. The LF filter, which encapsulates persistent anomalies generally corresponding with SSTs, has the largest contribution to forecast skill beyond week 2. Variability within the equatorial Pacific is dominated by its response to ENSO, such that both the unfiltered and the LF-filtered forecasts are skillful over the Pacific through the entire 45-day CFSv2 forecast. In fact, the LF forecasts in that region are more skillful than the unfiltered forecasts or any combination of the filters. Verifying filtered against unfiltered observations shows that subseasonal variability has very little opportunity to contribute to skill over the equatorial Pacific. Any subseasonal variability produced by the model is actually detracting from the skill there. The MJO primarily contributes to CFSv2 skill over the Indian Ocean, particularly during March–May and MJO phases 2–5. However, the model misses opportunities for the MJO to contribute to skill in other regions. Convectively coupled equatorial Rossby waves contribute to skill over the Indian Ocean during December–February and the Atlantic Ocean during September–November. Convectively coupled Kelvin waves show limited potential skill for predicting weekly averaged rainfall anomalies since they explain a relatively small percent of the observed variability.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-55
Author(s):  
Mohamad Zreik

AbstractThe Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a statement Friday morning, July 6, 2018, confirming the outbreak of a trade war between the United States and China. The statement came after the United States imposed tariffs on many Chinese goods, in violation of international and bilateral agreements, and the destruction of the concept of free trade which the United States calls for following it. It is a war of opposite directions, especially the contradiction between the new Trump policy and the Chinese approach. The proof is what US Defense Secretary James Matisse announced in Singapore in early June 2018 of “the full strategy of the new United States, in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific,” where China was the “sole enemy of the United States” in China’s geostrategic region. Intentions have become publicized, and trade war between the two economic giants is turning into a reality. This paper will give an overview of the US-China scenario of trade war, then a focused analysis on the Trump’s administration economic decision regarding China, and the consequences of this decision.


Check List ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amruta Prasade ◽  
Deepak Apte ◽  
Purushottam Kale ◽  
Otto M.P. Oliveira

The benthic ctenophore Vallicula multiformis Rankin, 1956 is recorded for the first time in the Arabian Sea, from the Gulf of Kutch, west coast of India in March 2013. This occurrence represents a remarkable extension of its geographic distribution that until now included only known the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lian-Yi Zhang ◽  
Yan Du ◽  
Wenju Cai ◽  
Zesheng Chen ◽  
Tomoki Tozuka ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;This study identifies a new triggering mechanism of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) from the Southern Hemisphere. This mechanism is independent from the El Ni&amp;#241;o/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and tends to induce the IOD before its canonical peak season. The joint effects of this mechanism and ENSO may explain different lifetimes and strengths of the IOD. During its positive phase, development of sea surface temperature cold anomalies commences in the southern Indian Ocean, accompanied by an anomalous subtropical high system and anomalous southeasterly winds. The eastward movement of these anomalies enhances the monsoon off Sumatra-Java during May-August, leading to an early positive IOD onset. The pressure variability in the subtropical area is related with the Southern Annular Mode, suggesting a teleconnection between high-latitude and mid-latitude climate that can further affect the tropics. To include the subtropical signals may help model prediction of the IOD event.&lt;/p&gt;


2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 602-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie L. Trenary ◽  
Weiqing Han

Abstract The relative importance of local versus remote forcing on intraseasonal-to-interannual sea level and thermocline variability of the tropical south Indian Ocean (SIO) is systematically examined by performing a suite of controlled experiments using an ocean general circulation model and a linear ocean model. Particular emphasis is placed on the thermocline ridge of the Indian Ocean (TRIO; 5°–12°S, 50°–80°E). On interannual and seasonal time scales, sea level and thermocline variability within the TRIO region is primarily forced by winds over the Indian Ocean. Interannual variability is largely caused by westward propagating Rossby waves forced by Ekman pumping velocities east of the region. Seasonally, thermocline variability over the TRIO region is induced by a combination of local Ekman pumping and Rossby waves generated by winds from the east. Adjustment of the tropical SIO at both time scales generally follows linear theory and is captured by the first two baroclinic modes. Remote forcing from the Pacific via the oceanic bridge has significant influence on seasonal and interannual thermocline variability in the east basin of the SIO and weak impact on the TRIO region. On intraseasonal time scales, strong sea level and thermocline variability is found in the southeast tropical Indian Ocean, and it primarily arises from oceanic instabilities. In the TRIO region, intraseasonal sea level is relatively weak and results from Indian Ocean wind forcing. Forcing over the Pacific is the major cause for interannual variability of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) transport, whereas forcing over the Indian Ocean plays a larger role in determining seasonal and intraseasonal ITF variability.


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