Knowledge of larval behaviours of sessile marine invertebrates from release to recruitment and of the role these behaviours play in determining adult distributions is limited. In manipulative experiments using larvae from the Great Barrier Reef sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile, we quantified larval behaviours associated with vertical migration, phototaxis and swimming ability. We also measured set...

Larval settlement of the polychaete Hydroides elegans Haswell, 1883 is mediated by marine biofilms; complex agglomerates of bacteria, diatoms, fungi and protozoa enmeshed in a matrix of extracellular polymers (EPS). In our previous investigations, benthic diatoms were demonstrated to be potent mediators of larval settlement in H. elegans. The putative diatom-derived settlement cues were heat-st...

The problem of estimating the settlement of shallow foundations on granular soils is complex and not yet entirely understood. In the past, many empirical and theoretical methods have been developed for predicting the settlement of shallow foundations on granular soils; however, these methods are far from accurate and consistent. In recent times, artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been used ...

Fly ash is one of coal ashes resulted from power plants using coal to generate electricity. As a result of large utilization of coal, large volumes of coal ash produced as waste material. Direct use of these materials in construction projects, not only provides a promising solution to the disposal problem, but also as an alternative for structural fills material. High shear strength, low compre...

The impact of enhanced UV-B radiation on marine ecosystems due to ozone depletion has caused growing global concern. Barnacle larvae have evolved complex photoreceptors and elaborate phototactic behaviors, which enable them to identify suitable habitats for feeding and settlement. For the first time, we demonstrate that environmentally realistic levels of UV-B radiation can induce ocular damage...

There is an urgent need to develop and test potential eradication agents to prevent biofouling by ascidian tunicates in sheltered harbor’s before they can spread to, and subsequently, disrupt benthic ecosystems and aquaculture ventures. We test the effects of bubble streams and suspended particles on two key stages in the early life cycle of Ciona intestinalis (Linnaeus, 1767); (i) Larval settl...

Phlebotomine sandflies were captured in rural settlement and periurban areas of the municipality of Guaraí in the state of Tocantins (TO), an endemic area of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). Forty-three phlebotomine species were identified, nine of which have already been recognised as ACL vectors. Eleven species were recorded for the first time in TO. Nyssomyia whitmani was the most abu...

Rural settlement in previously sparsely occupied areas of the Brazilian Amazon has been associated with high levels of forest loss and unclear long-term social outcomes. We focus here on the micro-level processes in one settlement area to answer the question of how settler and farm endowments affect household poverty. We analyze the extent to which poverty is sensitive to changes in natural cap...

Settlement of larvae of Crassostrea gigas on shell chips (SC) prepared from shells of 11 different species of mollusks was investigated. Furthermore, the settlement inducing compound in the shell of C. gigas was extracted and subjected to various treatments to characterize the chemical cue. C. gigas larvae settled on SC of all species tested except on Patinopecten yessoensis and Atrina pinnata....

One of the main issues involved during tunnel construction with tunnel boring machines is the tail gap grouting. This gap is between the external diameter of tunnel lining and the excavation boundary that is filled with high-pressure grouting materials. In this work, three different approaches of gap grouting modeling in the FLAC3D software are investigated with a special attention to the...