ALBERT

Description: Mud diapirism has recently been recognized in several modern accretionary wedges. It provides an important means of dewatering accretionary wedges and should be regarded as an important process for producing the melanges found in both modern and ancient accretionary terranes. Mud diapirism affects a large area of the Barbados Ridge Accretionary Complex. The distribution of the mud diapirs appears to be primarily controlled by the presence of underconsolidated terrigenous submarine fan deposits that are being accreted to the complex. The frequency of diapir occurrence decreases northward as the fan becomes thinner. Mud diapirs are absent from the very eastern most part of the complex formed from sediments accreted at its toe, with the exception of a few mud volcanoes on the ocean floor in front of the complex. The initiation of diapirism appears to be spatially coincident with the onset of subcretion, or underplating, of sediment to the base of the complex at a ramp between two levels of decollement. It is proposed that the release of mud and pore water from the subcreted sediments is a direct or indirect cause of most of the mud diapirism in the accretionary complex. There is a range of diapiric form dependent on the viscosity of the mud, from mud volcanoes fed by low viscosity mud, to higher viscosity mud ridges. The diapirs in the eastern areas of the complex are generally mud volcanoes with narrow conduits feeding a surface mound. Mud ridges are prominent in the western parts of the complex. This is interpreted as reflecting a general westward decrease in the fluid content of the accretionary complex. Bottom-simulating seismic reflectors formed by gas hydrate are commonly developed in the areas of mud volcano occurrences. The presence of the hydrate indicates that large volumes of methane are being generated at depth in these regions. The generation of methane may be contributing to zones of overpressuring in the wedge. Methane may also be partly responsible for driving the diapiric material to the surface to form mud volcanoes. Ridges in the subducting oceanic crust beneath the accretionary complex locally enhance diapirism above their crests and southern flanks. Faults formed later in the development of the complex are more commonly associated with diapirism than those resulting from accretion at the toe of the wedge. These later faults play an important role in controlling the sites of individual mud volcanoes, chains of mud volcanoes, and mud ridges.

Description: The cuttlefish ingests much skeleton from the crustaceans and fish it preys upon. The skeletal pieces are relatively large and their dimensions bear a close relationship to the length of the buccal mass and diameter of the oesophagus. The structures of the buccal mass are instrumental in the breakdown of prey and orientation of long pieces of skeleton to ensure their entry into the oesophagus. Many pieces of skeletal material present in the stomach contents still have attached muscles, showing that there is little, or no, external digestion. Skeletal material may be important for long-term maintenance of young Sepia in captivity.

Description: The cartilaginous tubercles of the mantle of the squid Cranchia scabra have been examined with the scanning electron microscope. Some tubercles are small, simple nodules whereas others are large with a complex Maltese cross form. The varying shapes and sizes probably represent a developmental sequence. The possible role of the tubercles is discussed.

Description: Three specimens of the rare giant squid (genus Architeuthis, 18 nominal species) are described from the waters around southern Africa. Consideration of their internal and external morphology, including beaks, radula, statocyst and statolith give no reason to suppose that the three specimens do not pertain to the same species. A standardized data collection form and a summary of existing morphometric data are presented for the first time and the morphology and systematics of the genus are discussed. The value of various systematic characters is examined and certain guidelines are proposed, with an appeal for a more scientific approach to Architeuthis studies. Features of the internal anatomy, including the female reproductive tract, are described and illustrated and the beak dimensions are used to evaluate existing regression formulae for beak and body parameters. The statocyst and statolith are described and illustrated in full, the statolith for the first time, and are compared with those of other squids. The value of recent data from trawl-caught specimens, as well as indirect evidence, is cited to replace speculation in discussions on distribution and habitat. Our specimens suggest that the waters off the south-western coast of Africa may be one of the natural habitats of Architeurhis, during both feeding and spawning periods of the life cycle.

Description: Investigations indicate that the Iceland Ice Sheet was reduced in size during MIS 3 but readvanced to the shelf break at the LGM. Retreat occurred very rapidly around 15 k–16 k cal. yr BP. By contrast, the margin of the ice sheet on the East Greenland shelf, north of the Denmark Strait, was at or close to the shelf break during MIS 3 and 2 and retreat starting ∼17 k cal. yr BP. Quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis of the 〈2 mm sediment fraction was undertaken on 161 samples from Iceland and East Greenland diamictons, and from cores on the slopes and margins of the Denmark Strait. Weight% mineralogical data are used in a principal component analysis to differentiate sediments derived from the two margins. The first two PC axes explain 52% of the variance. These associations are used to characterise sediments as being affiliated with (a) Iceland, (b) East Greenland or (c) mixed. The contribution from Iceland becomes prominent during MIS 2. The extensive outcrop of early Tertiary basalts on East Greenland between 68° and 71° N is an alternative source for basaltic clasts and North Atlantic sediments with εNd(0) values close to ±0.

Description: Coccolithophores, a globally distributed group of marine phytoplankton, showed diverse responses to ocean acidification (OA) and to combinations of OA with other environmental factors. While their growth can be enhanced and calcification be hindered by OA under constant indoor light, fluctuation of solar radiation with ultraviolet irradiances might offset such effects. In this study, when a calcifying and a non-calcifying strain of Emiliania huxleyi were grown at 2 CO2 concentrations (low CO2 [LC]: 395 µatm; high CO2 [HC]: 1000 µatm) under different levels of incident solar radiation in the presence of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), HC and increased levels of solar radiation acted synergistically to enhance the growth in the calcifying strain but not in the non-calcifying strain. HC enhanced the particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) productions in both strains, and this effect was more obvious at high levels of solar radiation. While HC decreased calcification at low solar radiation levels, it did not cause a significant effect at high levels of solar radiation, implying that a sufficient supply of light energy can offset the impact of OA on the calcifying strain. Our data suggest that increased light exposure, which is predicted to happen with shoaling of the upper mixing layer due to progressive warming, could counteract the impact of OA on coccolithophores distributed within this layer.

Description: Growth rates of the cold-water corals (CWC) Madrepora oculata, Lophelia pertusa, Desmophyllum dianthus and Dendrophyllia cornigera were measured over 8 mo under controlled conditions (12°C in the dark, fed 5 times a week) by means of the buoyant weight technique. Additionally, linear growth rates were measured in M. oculata and L. pertusa for 2 and 1 yr, respectively. The weight measurements revealed growth rates, expressed as percent growth per day (mean ± SD), of 0.11 ± 0.04 for M. oculata, 0.02 ± 0.01 for L. pertusa, 0.06 ± 0.03 for D. dianthus and 0.04 ± 0.02 % d–1 for D. cornigera. Growth in M. oculata was significantly higher (p 〈 0.0001) than in the other 3 CWC species. For M. oculata and L. pertusa, also linear growth was recorded. These values (mean ± SD) were 0.014 ± 0.007 and 0.024 ± 0.018 mm d–1 for M. oculata and L. pertusa, respectively. This is the first study that compares the growth rates of 4 different CWC species under the same experimental conditions of water flow, temperature, salinity and food supply. These corals have different growth rates, both in terms of total weight increase and linear increase, and these growth rates can be related to interspecific physiological differences. Data on growth rates are essential to understand the population dynamics of CWC as well as the recovery capacity of these communities after disturbance.

Description: Mucus, a complex composed primarily of carbohydrates, is released in similar quantities by scleractinian warm- and cold-water reef corals, and can function as an important carrier of organic material from corals to a range of consumers, microbes in particular. However, information about mucus chemical composition is rare for warm-water corals and non-existent for cold-water corals. This study therefore presents comparative carbohydrate composition analyses of mucus released by the dominant and cosmopolitan warm- and cold-water coral genera. Arabinose was the major mucus carbohydrate component for the genus Acropora, but was not found in cold-water coral mucus. Mucus derived from corals of the genus Fungia contained significantly more fucose than the mucus of all other coral genera. However, comparison of mucus carbohydrate composition for the warm- and cold-water corals in the present study and in the literature revealed no significant differences. This indicates use of similar carbohydrate components (with the exception of arabinose) during mucus synthesis by scleractinian corals, largely irrespective of zooxanthellate or azooxanthellate carbon supply mechanisms.

Description: The living coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae has a unique position in world biodiversity which raises important questions about conservation and ethics. Some relevant details of coelacanth biology are summarized, including those obtained by direct observation from submersibles. The importance of the coelacanth for evolutionary theory and palaeontology is shown to be paralleled in cultural, literary and artistic areas of human heritage. Threats to the Comoran coelacanths from artisanal fishing are described and conservation measures discussed in relation to local customs and economies as well as the promotion of tourism to spread a new awareness and concern for coelacanths worldwide.