No abstract

Hydrothermal vent communities are distributed along mid-ocean spreading ridges as isolated patches. While distance is a key factor influencing connectivity among sites, habitat characteristics are also critical. The Pescadero Basin (PB) and Alarcón Rise (AR) vent fields, recently discovered in the southern Gulf of California, are bounded by previously known vent localities (e.g. Guaymas Basin and 218 N East Pacific Rise); yet, the newly discovered vents differ markedly in substrata and vent fluid attributes. Out of 116 macrofaunal species observed or collected, only three species are shared among all four vent fields, while 73 occur at only one locality. Foundation species at basalt-hosted sulfide chimneys on the AR differ from the functional equivalents inhabiting sediment-hosted carbonate chimneys in the PB, only 75 km away. The dominant species of symbiont-hosting tubeworms and clams, and peripheral suspension-feeding taxa, differ between the sites. Notably, the PB vents host a limited and specialized fauna in which 17 of 26 species are unknown at other regional vents and many are new species. Rare sightings and captured larvae of the 'missing' species revealed that dispersal limitation is not responsible for differences in community composition at the neighbouring vent localities. Instead, larval recruitment-limiting habitat suitability probably favours species differentially. As scenarios develop to design conservation strategies around mining of seafloor sulfide deposits, these results illustrate that models encompassing habitat characteristics are needed to predict metacommunity structure.

The calorigenic effect of feeding (apparent heat increment, AHI) and post‐prandial nitrogen excretion (PPNE) were measured in postlarval (PL 25–30) Penaeus setiferus, P. schmitti, P. duorarum and P. notialis fed a fixed ration of 3 mg/animal using purified diets with 40, 50, 60, or 65% protein. Both AHI and PPNE increased with increasing dietary protein. The contribution of PPNE to AHI varied from 6.1 to 94%, with lesser values for P. setiferus and greater ones for P. duorarum. Also, the AHI coefficient (percentage of ingested energy) increased with increasing dietary protein. The AHI and PPNE coefficients for the four shrimp species ranged from 0.3 to 6.5% and 0.02 to 5.04% of ingested energy, respectively. These results suggest close relationships among protein requirements, the capacity to use dietary proteins as a source of energy, and adaptation by different species to different types of food. The amount of energy used for production of ammonia is proposed as an adequate measure of the part played by dietary proteins in food cost.

The southwestern Gulf of Mexico constitutes an important subsystem within a Large Marine Ecosystem. Due to its high biodiversity, living resources and energy resources, this region is strategic in the national plans for social and economic development of Mexico. The discovery of fossil fuel reserves in the seabed of Campeche Sound in the 1970s promoted the rapid expansion of the national oil industry in offshore waters. Unfortunately, the accidental blowout of the most productive well (Ixtoc-I) in June of 1979, caused the first-world massive oil spill in a tropical marine environment. More than 3.4 million of barrels of crude oil were liberated in an ecosystem formerly renowned for its pristine conditions. In the aftermath of this dreadful accident, a growing concern emerged not only for the oil acute effects but also for the long-term environmental consequences derived from the residual hydrocarbon compounds accumulated in coastal environments of the southern Gulf of Mexico. The attempts to assess the magnitude of the environmental damage were strongly precluded by the lack of pre-spill information. Natural variability in the ecosystem and oil weathering-factors contributed to attenuate the acute pollution effects that lasted nearly 9 months. However, the post-spill environmental alterations caused by the Ixtoc-I blowout still remain unanswered. The sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the deep-waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico, in 2010 rekindled our concern for the significant risk involved for human lives and the health of shallow and deep marine habitats. The authors of this contribution offer their views on this environmental riddle from their own perspective as direct witnesses of the Ixtoc-I environmental tragedy.

Abstract— This study was conducted to determine the effect of water temperature on male reproductive tract degenerative syndrome (MRTDS) and male reproductive system melanization (MRSM) in Penaeus setiferus, and to evaluate the effect of water temperature on spermatophore regeneration time and sperm quality in electrically ejaculated adult males. Variation in sperm quality, gonadosomatic index, and histological changes in the reproductive system were used to assess reproductive tract changes in the first experiment. Sperm quality and regeneration time were measured before and after successive regenerations in the second experiment. Sperm quality was stable when shrimp were held at 26 C for 30 d but was reduced when shrimp were held at 30 C. Reproductive tissues of 20% of the shrimp held at 30 C were melanized to some degree but tissue melanization was found in only 2.5% of the shrimp held at 26 C. Spennatophore regeneration time was also affected by temperature. Average times for first spermatophore regeneration were 192 h at 25 C, 152 h at 30 C, and 144 h at 33 C. Sperm quality of regenerated shrimp was not affected at 25 C but was reduced for regenerated animals held at 33 C. Based on these results, we recommend a water temperature between 25 and 27 C to obtain adequate spermatophore regeneration and to maintain healthy male P. setiferus broodstock for at least 30 d.