The aim of this work is to describe the repertoire of calls utilized by the spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) in the southern Atlantic Ocean. We measured four acoustic parameters of the fundamental frequency of each call: (i) duration; (ii) frequency amplitude; (iii) minimum frequency; and (iv) maximum frequency. We also classified calls by their shape contour by visual inspection of the spectrograms. The obtained values for call duration were 0.046 to 2.08 seconds (mean 0.433, standard deviation (SD) 0.433), amplitude of 0.13 to 2.01 kHz (mean of 0.36, SD 0.29), minimum frequency of 0.22 to 1.80 (mean 0.55, SD 0.29), maximum frequency of 0.46 to 7.50 (mean 1.00, SD 0.89). We classified 73 calls by spectral contour, identifying six basic types of discernible calls, showing heterogeneity among the call types, with C1, C2 and C3 calls presenting higher frequencies, 21, 30 and 23%, respectively. We found that the calls of S. longirostris in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago are more diverse and complex than previously recognized for spinner dolphins and further studies worldwide can reinforce the broad use of this sound for the species repertoire.

The invasive kelp Undaria pinnatifida was observed for the first time in the Nuevo Gulf (Patagonia, Argentina) in December 1992. At the present time, with the exception of sandy bottoms, the coasts of the Nuevo Gulf are almost entirely colonized. From October 1997 to February 2000, the characteristics of this population, i.e. the relationships between morphological features and seawater temperature, the seasonality in sporophyll development and the proportions of different reproductive stages during its life cycle, were analysed. The observations confirmed that the maximal mean densities of sporophytes (149.1 plants m−2) occurred in winter while the mean tallest sporophytes (88.5 cm) and the mean highest biomass (16501 g m−2) were registered in spring and at the beginning of the summer. Coexisting juvenile and mature sporophytes were found. Sporophylls showed also seasonal characteristics, with maximal width in summer. Manipulative experiments conducted for testing the recruitment pattern of Undaria pinnatifida confirmed that the presence of juvenile individuals was uninterrupted. Thus, in this paper, we denote that U. pinnatifida has a constant recruitment, together with high reproductive rates, which are some of the characteristics of an introduced species, which explains why they became a highly invasive species or ‘pest species’, with negative environmental and economic effects.

Modern in situ survey technologies such as crewed submersibles, remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs), towed camera arrays, and visual/video plankton recorders (VPRs) were used to characterize the dominant anthomedusan species off the eastern seaboard of Japan. Notes on the taxonomy, distribution, behaviour and interspecies interactions are presented for the four observed species: Euphysa japonica, E. flammea, Calycopsis nematophora and Pandea rubra. A new generic definition for the genus Calycopsis is proposed. The possibility of run-on, cascading detrimental effects of oceanic acidification on midwater ecosystems was identified from observations made during the present study.

Distribution and abundance of the macrobenthic fauna was studied in the intertidal and subtidal soft-bottoms of the Ensenada de San Simón (north-western Spain). Depth and grain size were the most important factors in determining patterns of distribution of the macrozoobenthos. A reduced Macoma community was present in the inner area of the inlet structured in two facies subdivision in the community that does not affect its qualitative composition: the first one was in intertidal areas associated with meadows of the sea grasses Zostera noltii and Z. marina and defined by the dominance of Hydrobia ulvae; the second facies in intertidal sediments was characterized by the dominance of Tubificidae and nematodes and Pseudopolydora paucibranchiata. The poverty of these bottoms in number of species can be due to salinity fluctuations and human activities developed in the area. Subtidal bottoms were characterized by a Syndosmya(=Abra)alba community. Two facies were detected: one facies located in shallow subtidal bottoms with H. ulvae and Thyasira flexuosa as characteristic species, and a second facies in deeper areas, characterized by the polychaetes Ampharete finmarchica, P. paucibranchiata, Aphelochaeta marioni, Melinna palmata and Paradoneis lyra.

Leptogorgia ignita is a new gorgonian species characterized by its conspicuous bright orange colour, irregular branching pattern and combination of sclerite types in the coenenchyme, all of the same orange colour, with abundance of capstans and blunt spindles, and less abundant acute spindles. The species was found in a shallow water coral community, 4–12 m deep in Samara Bay, Pacific Costa Rica. Morphologically, L. ignita belongs to the L. rigida-group comprising eight species for the group; 13 Leptogorgia species are known for Costa Rica, and 23 for the entire eastern Pacific. The new species is described, illustrated and compared to the other valid taxa of the group.

We describe an experiment where Ascophyllym nodosum was removed from two 1 x 1 m plots in south-western Iceland in August 1985. The plots were studied regularly until 2005. Recovery of the Ascophyllum canopy took 7–8 years. The understorey algae in one of the plots consisted mostly of extensive growth of Cladophora rupestris, which died within a year of Ascophyllum clearance. No Cladophora had reappeared by 2005, although it was healthy and abundant in control plots throughout the study period. Thus even after 20 years the community had not recovered from disturbance.

Following the accident of the oil tanker ‘Prestige’, we surveyed the large scale fuel deposition patterns on the Cantabrian shore (northern Spain) covering three regions (from west to east): (i) Asturias, west of Cape Peñas (24 segments surveyed); (ii) Asturias, east of Cape Peñas (33 segments surveyed); and (iii) Cantabria (also east of Cape Peñas, 256 segments surveyed). Fuel arrived to the Cantabrian Coast as a single oil wave which was more intense to the east than to the west of Cape Peñas. The mean percentage of coast length affected was 25, 41 and 15% in western Asturias, eastern Asturias and Cantabria, respectively. However, less than 10% of the substrate was covered by fuel in oiled patches, thus the impact was moderate. We conclude that these patterns are consistent with fuel transport by the Iberian Poleward Current, a hydrographic feature typical of this region during winter.

Previous evidence has shown that benthic hydroids capture all kinds of available prey and the only known constraint was prey size. Among the prey captured are phytoplankton cells but it is not known whether they are digested and assimilated. To test the hypothesis that benthic hydroids assimilate phytoplankton cells, a series of feeding experiments was carried out with the Mediterranean species Eudendrium racemosum. Ingestion rates and assimilation efficiency were determined by analysing the 14C incorporated from a labelled population of the diatom species Thalassiosira weissflogii. Eudendrium racemosum fed on T. weissflogii, after a period of starvation, and with the diatoms as the sole food item. In the presence of approximately 15,000 diatoms ml−1, Eudendrium fed at rates ranging from 16 to 55 diatoms polyp−1 hour−1. Accumulation of radioactivity in the hydrocaulus and the polyps of the hydroids were observed. A maximum ingestion of 31.6 diatoms per μgC of polyp (i.e. 175 diatoms per polyp) was observed in the experiments. Most of the diatom 14C ingested would have ended up in the Eudendrium tissue (efficiency 94%), and it was expected that a certain percentage would have been respired by the polyps. These data show that Eudendrium feed on phytoplankton, which can satisfy almost 100% of their energy demand when this type of food is sufficiently abundant.

The stomatogenesis and morphology of the marine planktonic ciliate Philasterides armatalis collected from mollusc-culturing waters off the coast of Qingdao, China, were studied using a differential interference contrast microscope for observations in vivo and protargol impregnation. In terms of its infraciliature, this species possesses typical characteristics of the genus Philasterides: bipartite paroral membrane, the anterior part double-rowed and the posterior part in a zig-zag-formation, and three well-defined membranelles arranged in Paranophrys-pattern. This investigation confirms the dual origin of the buccal apparatus in the opisthe, one derived from the scutica and the other from the paroral membrane. Its stomatogenesis belongs to the ‘Philasterides’ sub-type, although it differs from its only congener P. armata, in that paroral membrane 1 gives rise to the paroral membrane and the scutica in the proter, and paroral membrane 2 forms the paroral membrane, membranelles 1 and 2 and the scutica in the opisthe. Based on stomatogenetic data, the phylogenetic positions of several genera in the suborder Philasterina are reconsidered.

The benthic diversity of the soft bottoms in the Taranto Seas (Mar Grande and Mar Piccolo) (eastern-central Mediterranean Sea) was studied during July 2002. Quantitative samples were taken using a Van Veen grab and granulometric analysis of the sediment was carried out. A total of 131 species were identified. Molluscs and annelids made up 77% of the species and 87% of the individual number. Data from these two groups were used for hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling. The diversity was calculated using the rarefaction method. Two main benthic species assemblages were identified. The first corresponded to the stations characterized by pelitic sediment and located in the Mar Piccolo, the second was made up by the stations with pelite with increasing percentages of sand and distributed in the Mar Grande. The first assemblage consisted of species that usually live on muddy bottoms rich in organic matter; the second consisted of a greater number of species, usually occurring on different types of bottoms. Diversity was found to be higher in the Mar Grande than in the Mar Piccolo, indicating that physico-chemical alterations of the environment probably play a leading role in controlling community structure.

Milk is the only external energy source for mammals in their early stages of life. Its composition varies during lactation in baleen whales and pinnipeds, while only descriptive studies are available for odontocetes. The aim of this work was to identify the components of the milk of franciscana, Pontoporia blainvillei, from southern Brazil. Samples were manually collected from lactating females (N = 5) incidentally caught in the gill-net fishery. The amount of fat, protein, carbohydrate, mineral and trace metal content, and caloric value of the samples were estimated. Milk of the franciscana dolphin presented mean fat, protein and carbohydrate concentrations similar to those described for other coastal species. A significant increase in fat concentration was observed in winter months, with a higher energy density. Potassium was the mineral found in higher amounts. Zinc, mercury and copper were detected in low concentrations. Due to different habitat conditions along the species distribution, the presence of a highly seasonal reproductive period and inter-population genetic variability, studies on milk composition in other areas is recommended.

We compared the reef fish assemblages of two habitats, coral reefs and coral communities (rocky substratum with coral colonies), in the Las Perlas Archipelago in Pacific Panama and attempted to determine associations with habitat variables. We used a modified Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) survey to record fish species and quadrat transects to determine benthic composition. Multivariate non-parametric multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) ordinations were performed in PRIMER and univariate correlations were used to determine relationships. The reef fish of coral communities were significantly more diverse and species rich than those of coral reefs. The two habitats had significantly different species and size composition, but trophic and family groups overlapped between habitats. Topography, exposure, and the percentage cover of branching and massive corals correlated significantly with differences in fish parameters. The reef fish assemblages of this region appear to be determined more by the larger scale structural features that characterize the two habitats than by features that vary over small scales within the habitats.

During a survey of the marine rotifers of the Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy, we found a total of 20 taxa, including a new species of Lecane. This novelty, Lecane insulaconae sp. nov., occurred in the interstitial area of sandy sediment in the outlet of the Isonzo River, at a salinity of 30‰ and is therefore the first exclusively marine representative of this diverse (~200 species) genus. It is characterized by unique sets of anterolateral projections on the ventral and dorsal lorica. Here, we present the description of the species, together with scanning electron microscopy pictures of trophi of this and some other species, and an account of the marine rotifers encountered during the survey.

Measurements of the release of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and carbon (DOC) were carried out on an axenic batch culture of the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi. This unicellular marine alga was cultured using a media with nitrate as the sole N source and the changes of DOM concentrations measured over 14 days. Results showed that there was a significant release of DON, i.e.7.6 µM N day−1 during mid-exponential growth phase (days 5–7). The highest release of DOC was also recorded in the same growth phase and accounted for 24.0 μM C day−1.

Several type series of unusual and poorly known genera of Syllidae have been examined. New diagnoses for the following genera and re-descriptions of their type species are provided: Anguillosyllis, Clavisyllis, Lamellisyllis and Nuchalosyllis; Brachysyllis, previously synonymized with Dioplosyllis, is herein considered to be a valid taxon. The species Brachysyllis infuscata is also re-described. Three genera are considered to be non-valid taxa: Braniella, synonymous with Anguillosyllis; Alluaudella, synonymous with Odontosyllis; and Exogonella, synonymous with Parexogone. Their type species herein are re-described and assigned to their corresponding valid genus. Finally, Exogonoides is considered nomina dubia since its relationships with other syllids could not be established. Keys to species of Anguillosyllis and Brachysyllis are also included.

This study compared the sizes of zooids in colonies of the cheilostome bryozoan Cribrilina annulata collected from two differing substrata (stones and algae) in three regions of the White and Barents Seas. Zooids of the colonies growing on stones were larger than those in the colonies growing on the thalli of the red alga Odontalia dentata. Size differences of the zooids in the colonies growing on the same substratum in different regions were minor. Three possible explanations for these dimensional differences of zooids are discussed: (1) larvae of different sizes settle on different substrata; (2) ancestrulae of different sizes survive on different substrata; and (3) substrata influence the ancestrulae's size.

It has traditionally been considered that areas with high natural species richness are likely to be more resistant to non-indigenous species than those with lower numbers of species. However, this theory has been the subject of a debate over the last decade, since some studies have shown the opposite trend. In the present study, a macroalgal survey was carried out at 24 localities in Northern Ireland and southern England, using a quadrat approach in the lower littoral. The two opposing hypotheses were tested (negative versus positive relationship between native and non-indigenous species richness) in this marine environment. The effect of the presence of ‘impacts’, potential sources of disturbance and species introduction (e.g. marina, harbour or aquaculture), was also tested. A positive relationship was found between the number of non-indigenous species and the native species richness at the three different scales tested (quadrats, sites and localities). At no scale did a richer native assemblage appear to restrict the establishment of introduced species. The analyses revealed greater species richness and different community composition, as well as more non-indigenous species, in southern England relative to Northern Ireland. The presence of the considered impacts had an effect on the community composition and species richness in southern England but not in Northern Ireland. Such impacts had no effect on the non-indigenous species richness in either area.

All habitats are modified to some extent by the species that live within them. Kelp is known to have a very strong influence on the surrounding environment providing a habitat for a wide range of organisms including marine mammals, fish and invertebrates. Here we examine the consequences of a subtle shift in the relative abundance of two species of kelp, Laminaria digitata and Laminaria ochroleuca, and compare the holdfast epibiont assemblages on both. These species are morphologically very similar and both provide important biologically generated habitats. The distribution of these kelp species is predicted to alter as a consequence of climate change with L. ochroleuca extending its range northward and potentially outcompeting L. digitata in the north-eastern Atlantic. The epibiont fauna common to both species of kelp were predominantly made up of annelids, molluscs and bryozoans. Most of the epibiont flora we found on the holdfasts was from the class Rhodophyceae. Multivariate analysis showed that the richness of epibiont species associated with L. ochroleuca was significantly lower, a mean of 0.62 species per cm3, when compared to the northern species, L. digitata which had a mean of 1.13 species per cm3. Laminaria digitata also had more unique epibiont species indicating that species richness of holdfast assemblages is likely to decline if L. digitata is replaced by L. ochroleuca. These data illustrate the importance of studying biologically generated habitats when considering the potential consequences of climate change on marine assemblages.

The inconspicuous hydrozoan Clytia hummelincki, first recorded from the Mediterranean Sea in 1996, is presently widespread throughout the middle Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea. Two surveys carried out in 2003 and 2004 along the coast of the Salento Peninsula, Italy, showed that this species inhabits a belt between 0.5 and 2 m depth in sea urchin barrens and in areas damaged by date mussel fisheries. The comparison between the two surveys indicates that the frequency of the alien increased from 2003 to 2004. The life cycle of C. hummelincki is described for the first time.

Dolphin brain size with respect to body size ranks between that of apes and humans. The hypertrophic auditory structures, the large cerebrum with extended gyrification and the highly cognitive capabilities of toothed whales seem to be in paradoxical contrast to their thin neocortex with a plesiomorphic or paedomorphic cytoarchitecture. The total number of neurons in the delphinid neocortex is comparable to that of the chimpanzee (Primates), but, in relation to body weight, in the magnitude of the hedgehog (Insectivora) neocortex since cetaceans may be able to obtain larger body sizes than terrestrial mammals due to reduced gravitational effects in water. During evolution, dolphins may have increased the computational performance of their cytoarchitectonically ‘simple’ neocortex by a multiplication of relevant structures (resulting in a hypertrophic surface area) instead of increasing its complexity. Based on this hypothesis, I suggest that the evolution of the large dolphin brain was possible due to a combination of different prerequisites based on adaptations to the aquatic environment including the sonar system. The latter facilitated a successful feeding strategy to support an increased metabolic turnover of the brain and led to a hypertrophic auditory system. Moreover, the rudimentary pelvic girdle did not limit brain size at birth. These adaptations favoured the evolutionary size increase of the cerebral cortex in dolphins facilitating highly cognitive capabilities as well as precise and rapid sound processing using a ‘simple’ kind of neocortical cytoarchitecture.