Freshwater exchanges and surface salinity in the Colombian basin, Caribbean Sea

Emilio Beier (2017, [Artículo])

Despite the heavy regional rainfall and considerable discharge of many rivers into the Colombian Basin, there have been few detailed studies about the dilution of Caribbean Surface Water and the variability of salinity in the southwestern Caribbean. An analysis of the precipitation, evaporation and runoff in relation to the climate variability demonstrates that although the salt balance in the Colombian Basin overall is in equilibrium, the area south of 12N is an important dilution sub-basin. In the southwest of the basin, in the region of the Panama-Colombia Gyre, Caribbean Sea Water is diluted by precipitation and runoff year round, while in the northeast, off La Guajira, its salinity increases from December to May by upwelling. At the interannual scale, continental runoff is related to El Niño Southern Oscillation, and precipitation and evaporation south of 12°N are related to the Caribbean Low Level Jet. During El Niño years the maximum salinification occurs in the dry season (December-February) while in La Niña years the maximum dilution (or freshening), reaching La Guajira Coastal Zone, occurs in the wet season (September-November). © 2017 Beier et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

sea water, fresh water, Article, Caribbean, dilution, dry season, El Nino, environmental parameters, evaporation, freshwater exchange, geographic distribution, molecular weight, oscillation, precipitation, river basin, salinity, seasonal variation, s CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA

Maintenance of Coastal Surface Blooms by Surface Temperature Stratification and Wind Drift

MARY CARMEN RUIZ DE LA TORRE (2013, [Artículo])

Algae blooms are an increasingly recurrent phenomenon of potentially socio-economic impact in coastal waters globally and in the coastal upwelling region off northern Baja California, Mexico. In coastal upwelling areas the diurnal wind pattern is directed towards the coast during the day. We regularly found positive Near Surface Temperature Stratification (NSTS), the resulting density stratification is expected to reduce the frictional coupling of the surface layer from deeper waters and allow for its more efficient wind transport. We propose that the net transport of the top layer of approximately 2.7 kilometers per day towards the coast helps maintain surface blooms of slow growing dinoflagellate such as Lingulodinium polyedrum. We measured: near surface stratification with a free-rising CTD profiler, trajectories of drifter buoys with attached thermographs, wind speed and direction, velocity profiles via an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, Chlorophyll and cell concentration from water samples and vertical migration using sediment traps. The ADCP and drifter data agree and show noticeable current shear within the first meters of the surface where temperature stratification and high cell densities of L. polyedrum were found during the day. Drifters with 1m depth drogue moved towards the shore, whereas drifters at 3 and 5 m depth showed trajectories parallel or away from shore. A small part of the surface population migrated down to the sea floor during night thus reducing horizontal dispersion. The persistent transport of the surface bloom population towards shore should help maintain the bloom in favorable environmental conditions with high nutrients, but also increasing the potential socioeconomic impact of the blooms. The coast wise transport is not limited to blooms but includes all dissolved and particulate constituents in surface waters. © 2013 Ruiz-de la Torre et al.

chlorophyll, algal bloom, article, cell count, cell density, coastal waters, controlled study, dinoflagellate, Lingulodinium polyedrum, meteorological phenomena, Mexico, near surface temperature stratification, nonhuman, nutrient concentration, popul CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA

INFLUENCIA DE CONDICIONES AMBIENTALES SOBRE LA DISTRIBUCIÓN, ABUNDANCIA Y DESARROLLO DE LARVAS DE Totoaba macdonaldi (Gilbert, 1890), EN EL ALTO GOLFO DE CALIFORNIA

Marcelo Vidal Curiel Bernal (2023, [Tesis de doctorado])

"La presente tesis aborda una investigación sobre la biología, ecología y crecimiento de la Totoaba macdonaldi en el alto golfo de California. La totoaba, una especie endémica a esta región se encuentra actualmente en peligro de extinción debido a una serie de amenazas como: cambios en su ecosistema reproductivo y de crianza, pesca, incidental de juveniles e ilegal de adultos. Aunque en los últimos 30 años la población dio signos de recuperación, existen indicios de que tanto la población adulta como las abundancias de larvas presentan una tendencia decreciente. Lo que resalta la importancia de estudiar cómo la variabilidad ambiental incide en la distribución y abundancia de larvas de totoaba y subsecuentemente en el stock recluta de la especie. El estudio comienza con un análisis de la variabilidad del crecimiento individual en etapas juveniles y adultas de la totoaba. Para este propósito, se utiliza la varianza observada como elemento clave para parametrizar modelos de crecimiento individual. Los resultados indican que este enfoque proporciona estimaciones sólidas de los parámetros de crecimiento. A continuación, se investiga el crecimiento de las larvas de totoaba en condiciones de cultivo. Los datos revelan que un modelo sigmoideo describe mejor el crecimiento y se identifican dos puntos de inflexión en el crecimiento de las larvas. Estos hallazgos tienen importantes implicaciones para la cría y el cultivo de la totoaba para efectos de repoblación. Por último, se analiza la ecología y el transporte de las larvas de totoaba en el alto golfo de California. Se identifica una ventana óptima para el desove de la totoaba en términos de temperatura y concentración de clorofila, y se sugiere que las condiciones ambientales y la distribución de los adultos pueden influir en las abundancias de larvas en diferentes años. Además, se destaca la importancia del frente permanente al sur del alto golfo de California como una posible zona de acumulación de larvas como factor que contribuye al endemismo en la región. En conjunto, esta tesis representa un enfoque multidisciplinario para comprender los aspectos clave de la biología, ecología y crecimiento de la totoaba en el alto golfo de California. Los resultados proporcionan información valiosa para la conservación de esta especie amenazada y destacan la importancia de un enfoque integral en la gestión de los recursos marinos en esta región única."

"The following thesis addresses a research on the biology, ecology, and growth of Totoaba macdonaldi in the upper gulf of California. The totoaba, a fish species endemic to this region, is currently endangered due to a series of threats such as: changes in its reproductive and breeding ecosystem, juvenile bycatch, and illegal fishing. Although over the last 30 years, the population has shown signs of recovery, there are indications that both the adult population and larval abundances are on a declining trend. This underscores the importance of studying how environmental variability affects the distribution and abundance of totoaba larvae and subsequently the recruitment stock of the species. The study begins with an analysis of growth in juvenile and adult stages of the totoaba. For this purpose, observed variance is used to parameterize individual growth models. Results indicate that this approach provides robust estimates of growth parameters. Next, the growth of cultivated totoaba larvae is investigated. The data reveal that a sigmoid model better describes the growth in the early life stages of the totoaba, and two inflection points in larval growth are identified. These findings have important implications for the breeding and cultivation of the totoaba for restocking purposes. Finally, the ecology and transport of totoaba larvae in the upper gulf of California are analyzed. An optimal window for totoaba spawning in terms of temperature and chlorophyll concentration is identified, and it is suggested that environmental conditions and the distribution of adults may influence larval abundances in different years. Additionally, the importance of the permanent front to the south of the upper gulf of California is highlighted as a possible larval accumulation zone and a contributing factor to endemism in the region. Overall, this thesis represents a multidisciplinary approach to understanding key aspects of the biology, ecology, and growth of the totoaba in the upper gulf of California. The results provide valuable information for the conservation of this threatened species and underscore the importance of a comprehensive approach in the management of marine resources in this unique region."

Variabilidad ambiental, crecimiento, dispersión, rutas larvarias Environmental variability, growth, dispersion, larval routes CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS AGRARIAS PECES Y FAUNA SILVESTRE PROPAGACIÓN Y ORDENACIÓN PROPAGACIÓN Y ORDENACIÓN

Waterhole detection using a vegetation index in desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis cremnobates) habitat

Jonathan Gabriel Escobar Flores (2019, [Artículo])

In arid ecosystems, desert bighorn sheep are dependent on natural waterholes, particularly in summer when forage is scarce and environmental temperatures are high. To detect waterholes in Sierra Santa Isabel, which is the largest area of desert bighorn sheep habitat in the state of Baja California, Mexico, we used the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI) from Sentinel-2 satellite images. Waterhole detection was based on the premise that sites with greater water availability, where NDVI was higher, can be identified by their density of vegetation greenness. For the detected waterholes, we estimated the escape terrain (presence of cliffs or steep, rocky slopes) around each by the vector ruggedness measure to determine their potential use by desert bighorn sheep based on the animals’ presence as documented by camera traps. We detected 14 waterholes with the NDVI of which 11 were known by land owners and 3 were unrecorded. Desert bighorn were not detected in waterholes with high values of escape terrain, i.e., flat areas. Waterhole detection by NDVI is a simple method, and with the assistance and knowledge of the inhabitants of the Sierra, it was possible to confirm the presence each waterhole in the field. © 2019 Escobar-Flores et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Article, bighorn sheep, environmental aspects and related phenomena, environmental parameters, habitat, Mexico, nonhuman, normalized difference vegetation index, normalized difference water index, water availability, waterhole, animal, bighorn sheep, CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS AGRARIAS CIENCIA FORESTAL CIENCIA FORESTAL

Protein retention assessment of four levels of poultry by-product substitution of fishmeal in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diets using stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) as natural tracers

DANIEL BADILLO ZAPATA (2014, [Artículo])

This is second part from an experiment where the nitrogen retention of poultry by-product meal (PBM) compared to fishmeal (FM) was evaluated using traditional indices. Here a quantitative method using stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ15N values) as natural tracers of nitrogen incorporation into fish biomass is assessed. Juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were fed for 80 days on isotopically distinct diets in which 0, 33, 66 and 100% of FM as main protein source was replaced by PBM. The diets were isonitrogenous, isolipidic and similar in gross energy content. Fish in all treatments reached isotopic equilibrium by the end of the experiment. Two-source isotope mixing models that incorporated the isotopic composition of FM and PBM as well as that of formulated feeds, empirically derived trophic discrimination factors and the isotopic composition of fish that had reached isotopic equilibrium to the diets were used to obtain a quantitative estimate of the retention of each source of nitrogen. Fish fed the diets with 33 and 66% replacement of FM by PBM retained poultry by-product meal roughly in proportion to its level of inclusion in the diets, whereas no differences were detected in the protein efficiency ratio. Coupled with the similar biomass gain of fishes fed the different diets, our results support the inclusion of PBM as replacement for fishmeal in aquaculture feeds. A re-feeding experiment in which all fish were fed a diet of 100% FM for 28 days indicated isotopic turnover occurred very fast, providing further support for the potential of isotopic ratios as tracers of the retention of specific protein sources into fish tissues. Stable isotope analysis is a useful tool for studies that seek to obtain quantitative estimates of the retention of different protein sources. © 2014 Badillo et al.

nitrogen 15, nitrogen, protein intake, animal behavior, animal experiment, animal food, animal tissue, aquaculture, Article, biomass, controlled study, energy metabolism, food composition, juvenile animal, nonhuman, poultry by product meal, protein a CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA

Un gen para ti, un gen para mí: flujo genético entre parientes silvestres y plantas domesticadas

Mauricio Heredia Pech MARIANA CHAVEZ PESQUEIRA (2023, [Artículo])

El flujo genético se refiere al movimiento de genes entre individuos o poblaciones. En ocasiones puede darse también entre especies cercanamente emparentadas, como en el caso de las plantas domesticadas y sus parientes silvestres. Los parientes silvestres son de gran importancia para la seguridad alimentaria debido a su gran diversidad genética, que los convierte en una reserva natural de genes. Las consecuencias del flujo genético silvestre-domesticado dependerán de la intensidad y dirección en la que se muevan los genes, siendo la preocupación principal el riesgo que puede existir para el mantenimiento de la diversidad genética de los parientes silvestres.

CONSERVACION DISPERSION DIVERSIDAD GENETICA FUERZA EVOLUTIVA SELECCION ARTIFICIAL BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

El cocotero, un antiguo acompañante del hombre en los mares tropicales

Ignacio Rodrigo Islas Flores MIGUEL ALONSO TZEC SIMA Blondy Beatriz Canto Canché (2023, [Artículo])

El cocotero (Cocos nucifera), es una especie de origen en el Cretácico superior, conocida como el “árbol de la vida”; pertenece a la familia Arecaceae y es la única especie del género Cocos. Existen dos grupos de variedades fenotípicas reconocidas, las “altas” y las “enanas”, ambas con diferencias sustanciales en morfología y productividad. Los frutos del cocotero y el hombre se han acompañado en sus viajes por las diferentes áreas de los trópicos, inicialmente usados como fuente de agua y alimento y en nuestros días, como fuente alternativa de productos naturales, algunos utilizados en la prevención de enfermedades neurológicas de gran importancia.

COCO ORIGEN DISPERSION COLONIZACION USOS BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

Contrasting spatial patterns in active-fire and fire-suppressed mediterranean climate old-growth mixed conifer forests

Danny L. Fry  (2014, [Artículo])

In Mediterranean environments in western North America, historic fire regimes in frequent-fire conifer forests are highly variable both temporally and spatially. This complexity influenced forest structure and spatial patterns, but some of this diversity has been lost due to anthropogenic disruption of ecosystem processes, including fire. Information from reference forest sites can help management efforts to restore forests conditions that may be more resilient to future changes in disturbance regimes and climate. In this study, we characterize tree spatial patterns using four-ha stem maps from four old-growth, Jeffrey pine-mixed conifer forests, two with active-fire regimes in northwestern Mexico and two that experienced fire exclusion in the southern Sierra Nevada. Most of the trees were in patches, averaging six to 11 trees per patch at 0.007 to 0.014 ha-1, and occupied 27-46% of the study areas. Average canopy gap sizes (0.04 ha) covering 11-20% of the area were not significantly different among sites. The putative main effects of fire exclusion were higher densities of single trees in smaller size classes, larger proportion of trees (≥56%) in large patches (≥10 trees), and decreases in spatial complexity. While a homogenization of forest structure has been a typical result from fire exclusion, some similarities in patch, single tree, and gap attributes were maintained at these sites. These within-stand descriptions provide spatially relevant benchmarks from which to manage for structural heterogeneity in frequent-fire forest types.

article, climate, controlled study, ecosystem fire history, forest structure, geographic distribution, geographic mapping, land use, mathematical computing, mathematical model, Mexico, spatial analysis, taiga, United States, comparative study, conife CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA

Movements of scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) at Cocos Island, Costa Rica and between oceanic islands in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Elena Nalesso (2019, [Artículo])

Many species of sharks form aggregations around oceanic islands, yet their levels of residency and their site specificity around these islands may vary. In some cases, the waters around oceanic islands have been designated as marine protected areas, yet the conservation value for threatened shark species will depend greatly on how much time they spend within these protected waters. Eighty-four scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini Griffith & Smith), were tagged with acoustic transmitters at Cocos Island between 2005–2013. The average residence index, expressed as a proportion of days present in our receiver array at the island over the entire monitoring period, was 0.52±0.31, implying that overall the sharks are strongly associated with the island. Residency was significantly greater at Alcyone, a shallow seamount located 3.6 km offshore from the main island, than at the other sites. Timing of presence at the receiver locations was mostly during daytime hours. Although only a single individual from Cocos was detected on a region-wide array, nine hammerheads tagged at Galapagos and Malpelo travelled to Cocos. The hammerheads tagged at Cocos were more resident than those visiting from elsewhere, suggesting that the Galapagos and Malpelo populations may use Cocos as a navigational waypoint or stopover during seasonal migrations to the coastal Central and South America. Our study demonstrates the importance of oceanic islands for this species, and shows that they may form a network of hotspots in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. © 2019 Nalesso et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

article, Cocos Island, human, monitoring, nonhuman, resident, shark, South America, animal, Costa Rica, environmental protection, island (geological), movement (physiology), physiology, season, shark, Animals, Conservation of Natural Resources, Costa CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA

Dipole-wind interactions under gap wind jet conditions in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico: A surface drifter and satellite database analysis

MAURO WILFRIDO SANTIAGO GARCIA (2019, [Artículo])

Gap wind jets (Tehuano winds) trigger supersquirts of colder water and mesoscale asymmetric dipoles in the Gulf of Tehuantepec (GT). However, the effects of successive gap wind jets on dipoles and their effects inside eddies have not yet been studied. Based on the wind fields, geostrophic currents, and surface drifter dispersion, this research documented three dipoles triggered and modified by Tehuano winds. Once a dipole develops, successive gap wind jets strengthen the vortices, and the anticyclonic eddy migrates southwestward while the cyclonic eddy is maintained on the east side of the GT. During the wind relaxation stage, the cyclonic eddy may propagate westward, but due to the subsequent re-intensification of the Tehuano winds, the vortex could break down, as was suggested by surface drifter dispersion pattern and geostrophic field data. The effect of the Tehuano winds was evaluating via eddy-Ekman pumping. Under Tehuano wind conditions, Ekman downwelling (upwelling) inside the anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies may reach ~ -2.0 (0.5) m d-1 and decrease as the wind weakens. In the absence of Tehuano winds, Ekman downwelling inside the anticyclonic eddy was ~ 0.1 (-0.1) m d-1. The asymmetry of downwelling and upwelling inside eddies during Tehuano wind events may be associated with Tehuano wind forcing. © 2019 Santiago-García et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

article, dipole, leisure, Mexico, cold, ecosystem, factual database, geographic mapping, hurricane, Mexico, satellite imagery, season, water flow, wind, sea water, Cold Temperature, Cyclonic Storms, Databases, Factual, Ecosystem, Geographic Mapping, CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA