Dispersal of black sea bass (Centropristis striata) larvae on the southeast U.S. continental shelf: results of a coupled vertical larval behavior – 3D circulation model

In the marine environment, pelagic dispersal is important for determining the distribution and abundance of populations, as well as providing connections among populations. Estimates of larval dispersal from spawning grounds are important to determining temporal and spatial patterns in recruitment that may have significant influences on the dynamics of the population. We present a case study of the dispersal of Centropristis striata (black sea bass) larvae on the southeast U.S. continental shelf. We use a coupled larval behavior – 3D circulation model to compare the effects of the timing and location of spawning against that of larval vertical migration on larval dispersal. Using the results of field data on larval vertical distributions, we compare the dispersal of virtual 'larvae' which have ontogenetic changes in vertical behavior with that of particles fixed near the surface and near the bottom. Larvae were released at potential spawning sites four times throughout the spawning season (February through May) for 3 yr (2002–04) and tracked for the assumed larval duration (from 27 to 37 days including the egg stage). Results indicate that adult behavior, in the form of spawning time and location, may be more important than larval vertical behavior in determining larval dispersal on the inner- and mid- continental shelves of this region.     

Influences of mean advection and simple behavior on the distribution of cod and haddock early life stages on Georges Bank

Results of a modeling study designed to explore the influences of physical advection and certain biological mechanisms on the distribution of cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melarwgrammus aeglefinus) early life stages on Georges Bank are described. Using a late-winter/early-spring 3-D circulation field driven by the M₂ tidal current, mean wind stress and Scotian Shelf inflow, we examine the distribution of cod and haddock larvae spawned on the Northeast Peak of the Bank. The sensitivity to a March-April baroclinic field is also explored. Results indicate that larvae remaining in the surface Ekman layer are generally advected off-bank. However, downwelling associated with Ekman layer convergence near the shelf break provides a mechanism for larvae to exit from the off-bank surface drift. Larvae below the surface layer are transported south-westward along the southern flank of Georges Bank and are retained on the Bank if their position immediately upstream of the Great South Channel is shoalward of (roughly) the 70 m isobath. Within the Great South Channel region and between the 50 and 70 m isobaths, retention can depend on the phase of the tide. Spawning shoalward of the 50 m isobath on the Northeast Peak greatly increases the chances of retention. These results apply to passive larvae and to those with specified vertical distributions and migration based on observations. Directional on-bank swimming at rates of 0.5 to 1 body length per second would substantially enhance shoalward displacement, resulting in larval distributions during the first 2 months that are consistent with field observations.     

Dirofilaria immitis in cats from inner Sydney

Two hundred feral cats from the inner suburbs of Sydney were examined post mortem for adult Dirofilaria immitis and circulating microfilariae, and 101 of these cats were tested for heartworm antigens by an ELISA. Only 2 cats (1%) had adult heartworms, the blood sample from another cat contained a single microfilaria. The blood of a further three cats contained small amounts of D immitis antigen. Although D immitis occurs in cats in Sydney, the prevalence is not high enough to warrant prophylactic treatment.     

Predatory Dinosaurs from the Sahara and Late Cretaceous Faunal Differentiation

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) fossils discovered in the Kem Kem region of Morocco include large predatory dinosaurs that inhabited Africa as it drifted into geographic isolation. One, represented by a skull approximately 1.6 meters in length, is an advanced allosauroid referable to the African genus Carcharodontosaurus. Another, represented by a partial skeleton with slender proportions, is a new basal coelurosaur closely resembling the Egyptian genus Bahariasaurus. Comparisons with Cretaceous theropods from other continents reveal a previously unrecognized global radiation of carcharodontosaurid predators. Substantial geographic differentiation of dinosaurian faunas in response to continental drift appears to have arisen abruptly at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous.     

A long-snouted predatory dinosaur from africa and the evolution of spinosaurids

Fossils discovered in Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) rocks in the Tenere Desert of central Niger provide new information about spinosaurids, a peculiar group of piscivorous theropod dinosaurs. The remains, which represent a new genus and species, reveal the extreme elongation and transverse compression of the spinosaurid snout. The postcranial bones include blade-shaped vertebral spines that form a low sail over the hips. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the enlarged thumb claw and robust forelimb evolved during the Jurassic, before the elongated snout and other fish-eating adaptations in the skull. The close phylogenetic relationship between the new African spinosaurid and Baryonyx from Europe provides evidence of dispersal across the Tethys seaway during the Early Cretaceous.