scholarly journals Porites superfusamortality and recovery from a bleaching event at Palmyra Atoll, USA

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Anne Furby ◽  
Jennifer Ellen Smith ◽  
Stuart Adrian Sandin

BackgroundThe demography of a coral colony is not a binary trajectory of life and death. Based on the flexibility afforded by colonial organization, most reef-building corals employ a variety of dynamic survival strategies, including growth and shrinkage. The demographic flexibility affects coral size, shape and reproductive output, among other factors. It is thus critical to quantify the relative importance of key dynamics of recruitment, mortality, growth and shrinkage in changing the overall cover of coral on a reef.MethodsUsing fixed photographic quadrats, we tracked the patterns of change in the cover of one common central Pacific coral,Porites superfusa, before and after the 2009 ENSO event.ResultsCoral colonies suffered both whole and partial colony mortality, although larger colonies were more likely to survive. In subsequent years, recruitment of new colonies and regrowth of surviving colonies both contributed to the modest recovery ofP. superfusa.DiscussionThis study is unique in its quantitative comparisons of coral recruitment versus regrowth during periods of areal expansion. Our data suggest that recovery is not limited simply to the long pathway of settlement, recruitment and early growth of new colonies but is accelerated by means of regrowth of already established colonies having suffered partial mortality.

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 985-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Weber ◽  
Matthew A. Lazzara ◽  
Linda M. Keller ◽  
John J. Cassano

Abstract Numerous incidents of structural damage at the U.S. Antarctic Program’s (USAP) McMurdo Station due to extreme wind events (EWEs) have been reported over the past decade. Utilizing nearly 20 yr (~1992–2013) of University of Wisconsin automatic weather station (AWS) data from three different stations in the Ross Island region (Pegasus North, Pegasus South, and Willie Field), statistical analysis shows no significant trends in EWE frequency, intensity, or duration. EWEs more frequently occur during the transition seasons. To assess the dynamical environment of these EWEs, Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) forecast back trajectories are computed and analyzed in conjunction with several other AMPS fields for the strongest events at McMurdo Station. The synoptic analysis reveals that McMurdo Station EWEs are nearly always associated with strong southerly flow due to an approaching Ross Sea cyclone and an upper-level trough around Cape Adare. A Ross Ice Shelf air stream (RAS) environment is created with enhanced barrier winds along the Transantarctic Mountains, downslope winds in the lee of the glaciers and local topography, and a tip jet effect around Ross Island. The position and intensity of these Ross Sea cyclones are most influenced by the occurrence of a central Pacific ENSO event, which causes the upper-level trough to move westward. An approaching surface cyclone would then be in position to trigger an event, depending on how the wind direction and speed impinges on the complex topography around McMurdo Station.


2012 ◽  
Vol 112 (8) ◽  
pp. 1248-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Friedman ◽  
Thomas E. Dick ◽  
Frank J. Jacono ◽  
Kenneth A. Loparo ◽  
Amir Yeganeh ◽  
...  

In this work, cardio-ventilatory coupling (CVC) refers to the statistical relationship between the onset of either inspiration (I) or expiration (E) and the timing of heartbeats (R-waves) before and after these respiratory events. CVC was assessed in healthy, young (<45 yr), resting, supine subjects ( n = 19). Four intervals were analyzed: time from I-onset to both the prior R-wave (R-to-I) and the following R-wave (I-to-R), as well as time from E-onset to both the prior R-wave (R-to-E) and following R-wave (E-to-R). The degree of coupling was quantified in terms of transformed relative Shannon entropy (tRSE), and χ2 tests based on histograms of interval times from 200 breaths. Subjects were studied twice, from 5 to 27 days apart, and the test-retest reliability of CVC measures was computed. Several factors pointed to the relative importance of the R-to-I interval compared with other intervals. Coupling was significantly stronger for the R-to-I interval, coupling reliability was largest for the R-to-I interval, and only tRSE for the R-to-I interval was correlated with height, weight, and body surface area. The high test-retest reliability for CVC in the R-to-I interval provides support for the hypothesis that CVC strength is a subject trait. Across subjects, a peak ∼138 ms prior to I-onset was characteristic of CVC in the R-to-I interval, although individual subjects also had earlier peaks (longer R-to-I intervals). CVC for the R-to-I interval was unrelated to two separate measures of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), suggesting that these two forms of coupling (CVC and RSA) are independent.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (19) ◽  
pp. 6423-6443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Lian ◽  
Jun Ying ◽  
Hong-Li Ren ◽  
Chan Zhang ◽  
Ting Liu ◽  
...  

AbstractNumerous studies have investigated the role of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in modulating the activity of tropical cyclones (TCs) in the western Pacific on interannual time scales, but the effects of TCs on ENSO are less discussed. Some studies have found that TCs sharply increase surface westerly anomalies over the equatorial western–central Pacific and maintain them there for a few days. Given the strong influence of equatorial surface westerly wind bursts on ENSO, as confirmed by much recent literature, the effects of TCs on ENSO may be much greater than previously expected. Using recently released observations and reanalysis datasets, it is found that the majority of near-equatorial TCs (simply TCs hereafter) are associated with strong westerly anomalies at the equator, and the number and longitude of TCs are significantly correlated with ENSO strength. When TC-related wind stresses are added into an intermediate coupled model, the simulated ENSO becomes more irregular, and both ENSO magnitude and skewness approach those of observations, as compared with simulations without TCs. Adding TCs into the model system does not break the linkage between the heat content anomaly and subsequent ENSO event in the model, which manifest the classic recharge–discharge ENSO dynamics. However, the influence of TCs on ENSO is so strong that ENSO magnitude and sometimes its final state—that is, either El Niño or La Niña—largely depend on the number and timing of TCs during the event year. Our findings suggest that TCs play a prominent role in ENSO dynamics, and their effects must be considered in ENSO forecast models.


2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (6) ◽  
pp. 2577-2583
Author(s):  
Phanie Bonneau ◽  
Richard Hogue ◽  
Stéphanie Tellier ◽  
Valérie Fournier

Abstract The decline of cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne ex Rozier; Rosaceae) observed in the province of Quebec, Canada, between 2012 and 2014 was mostly caused by persistent viruses: strawberry mild yellow edge virus (SMYEV) (Potexvirus; Alphaflexiviridae) and strawberry crinkle virus (SCV) (Cytorhabdovirus; Rhabdoviridae); and semi-persistent viruses: strawberry mottle virus (SmoV) (Secoviridae), strawberry vein banding virus (SVBV) (Caulimovirus; Caulimoviridae), and strawberry pallidosis virus (SPaV) (Crinivirus: Closteroviridae) transmitted by insect vectors. The objective of this study was to determine the sources of viral contamination in commercial strawberry fields in Quebec. Specifically, we wished to 1) determine the prevalence of persistent viruses in winged strawberry aphid Chaetosiphon fragaefolii (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) specimens captured; 2) determine the prevalence of all viruses in wild strawberry Fragaria virginiana Miller plants near commercial plantings; and 3) evaluate the viral contamination of strawberry transplants obtained from nurseries and tested before and after planting in commercial strawberry fields. Results indicated high percentage (38%) of the aphids (n = 205) and high percentage (67%) of F. virginiana patches (n = 12) were infected by strawberry viruses. Ultimately, our results showed a low percentage (5%) of the plants from various nurseries (n = 56) were infected before planting, whereas a third (29%) of the healthy exposed plants in the fields (n = 96) became rapidly infected by insect vectors within a year of having been planted. This study provides significant insights on the relative importance of the various sources of contamination in Quebec strawberry fields: C. fragaefolii versus F. virginiana versus nurseries versus post-nursery infections through exposure to virus-carrying insects.


2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denneko Luke ◽  
Kurt McLaren ◽  
Byron Wilson

Abstract:We assessed seedling dynamics and understorey light before and after a hurricane in five randomly selected 5 × 5-m subplots, within 30 permanent sample plots covering a total area of 3750 m2 in a lower montane wet tropical forest, Jamaica over a period of 3 y. Understorey light increased (≈ 60%) following the passage of Hurricane Dean in 2007 but decreased in 2009. Overall, seedling density was positively related to light and survivorship was positively related to both light and density. Mortality was significantly lower and most species recorded their highest growth when the canopy was open (2007–2008). However, lower diversity during this period coincided with higher (average) mortality of uncommon species. The hurricane altered the relative importance of interactions between light, seedling density and dynamics. Consequently, interactions were significant before or 2 y after but not 1 y after the hurricane and their significance varied among the years and species. Periodic changes in the importance of these interactions and the effects of the hurricane were used to separate 12 common species along a continuum of responses, which ranged from positive (lower mortality), neutral to negative (lower growth). Our results indicate that hurricanes have positive and negative effects on seedling dynamics; therefore an increase in the intensity and frequency of hurricanes will likely alter seedling composition, and hence forest structure.


1981 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
DM Walker ◽  
SG Hunt

Fifty-two crossbred lambs were used in four experiments to study the relative importance of such factors as birth weight, sex, age of weaning, provision of extra salt, and restriction of milk intake, on the intake of solid food (pellets) both before and after weaning, and on the growth check after weaning. Experiment I was a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial (sex x birth weight x weaning at 21 or 42 days) with 24 lambs. All lambs were given milk to appetite until they had made an estimated gain of 23 MJ; milk intake then restricted to a maintenance level. Twelve lambs were weaned at 21 days and the remainder were given milk sufficient for maintenance up to 42 days, when the experiment was terminated. Three out of six lambs that weighed less than 2.7 kg at birth died when weaned abruptly off milk at 21 days. Lambs that were heavy at birth (> 3.4 kg) survived weaning at 21 days but had a growth check of 11 � 5 days. Both the heavy and light birth weight lambs that were given a restricted intake of milk daily from 22 to 42 days ate similar amounts of pellets between 22 and 42 days, but less than those eaten by the heavy birth weight lambs weaned at 21 days. There was no effect of sex on pellet intake or on the length of the growth check. In experiment 2 the provision of a block of salt from 10 days of age had no significant effect on pellet intake before or after weaning at 28 days. In experiments 3 and 4 the milk intake of half of the lambs in each experiment was restricted to a maintenance level for 7 days before weaning. In experiment 3 the lambs weighed more than 3.6 kg at birth and were weaned at 21 days. Restriction of milk intake was without effect either on the intake of pellets before and after weaning or on the length of the growth check. In experiment 4 the lambs weighed less than 3.2 kg at birth and were weaned at 35 days. Lambs given a restricted intake of milk from 29 to 35 days ate significantly more pellets both before and after weaning and had a significantly shorter check to growth than lambs given milk to appetite until weaning.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Theodoros Sakellaropoulos ◽  
Varvara Lalioti ◽  
Nikos Kourachanis

The present article sheds light on the implementation of the ‘Social Solidarity Income’ (SSI) in Greece, an example of a guaranteed minimum income (GMI). Drawing on the findings of 40 semi-structured interviews carried out in five selected municipalities, the article focuses on the ‘social impact’ of the SSI. More specifically, it investigates two inter-related themes: a) the social situation of beneficiaries and the survival strategies they used before and after receiving the SSI; and b) aspects of the SSI that should be improved at the implementation stage. It is argued that, despite certain positive elements of the SSI, such as the monetary allowance, which is a key component of the SSI and assists beneficiaries in covering their basic needs, the impact of the SSI on the lives of individuals is relatively small and a large proportion of the beneficiaries continue to rely on the survival strategies they used before implementation of the SSI


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukriti Ojha ◽  
Kah Ying Choo

The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the Indian restaurant industry into its worst crisis. This research study is a case study analysis on the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the restaurant industry in Lucknow, India. Data was gathered through an online survey of Indian respondents residing in Lucknow regarding the changes in their usage of restaurant services (actual and anticipated) before and after the lockdown. Variables compared included: frequency levels of dining out, food delivery, and monthly expenditure on outside food. In addition, the relative importance of three factors- the decline in coronavirus-related deaths, the easing of social distancing measures, and the lifting of mask requirements- on the dining out frequency was analysed. Based on the results, the three variables compared showed statistically significant declines. However, in the case of the three factors influencing dining out frequency, it was discovered that while the decline in deaths did have a statistically significant impact on dining out frequency, none of the factors were considerably important.  Taking the results into account, it becomes imperative that restaurants enforce safety guidelines strictly and promote their actions efficiently. Innovative ideas like incorporating bento box services and immunity-boosting dishes may enable restaurants to survive through the crisis.


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