The main objectives of this study are estimate a species-dense, time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of Hypoptopomatinae, Neoplecostominae, and Otothyrinae, which together comprise a group of armoured catfishes that is widely distributed across South America, to place the origin of major clades in time and space, and to demonstrate the role of river capture on patterns of diversification in thes...

At the mouth of the Amazon River, a widespread carbonate ecosystem exists below the river plume, generating a hard-bottom reef (∼9500 km2) that includes mainly large sponges but also rhodolith beds. The mesozooplankton associated with the pelagic realm over the reef formation was characterized, considering the estuarine plume and oceanic influence. Vertical hauls were carried out using a standa...

Palynomorph concentrations for water-column and sediment-water interface samples are presented for two coastal deltaic systems influenced by the range of tidal regimes to assess whether any taphonomic bias exists in pollen assemblages. The localities are the microtidally influenced Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, Alabama, United States, and the mesoto macrotidally influenced Rajang River Delta, Sara...

The present-day study of coastal morphodynamics involves a dynamic field of research in which combinations of coastal monitoring, process-oriented laboratory and field work, modelling studies and Data-Model Integration techniques enhance our capabilities to understand and predict coastal systems and their evolution. Innovations in coastal research and coastal instrumentation strongly interact a...

The reproductive migration of anadromous salmonids through estuarine waters is one of the most challenging stages of their life cycle, yet little is known about the environmental and physiological conditions that influence migratory behaviour. We captured, sampled tissues, tagged and released 365 sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) homing through inner coastal waters towards the Fraser River, B...

For North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) in Louisiana, statewide distribution, availability of aquatic habitats, and the absence of physical barriers to dispersal might suggest that they exist as a large, panmictic population. However, the wide variety of habitat types in this region, and the dynamic nature of these habitats over time, could potentially structure river otter populati...

Total mercury levels were measured in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), "sunfish" (Lepomis spp.), and "catfish" (primarily Ameiurus spp. and Ictalurus punctatus) from 1971 to 2004 in the middle Savannah River (river km 191 to 302), which drains the coastal plain of the southeastern U.S. Total mercury concentrations were higher in largemouth bass (overall mean of 0.55 mg/kg from 1971 to 2...

Where rivers enter the coastal zone, gradually varying non-uniform flow conditions develop in the channel. This section of the river is referred to as the backwater segment, and for large rivers, backwater flow extends many hundreds of kilometres upstream of the river outlet. Studies from the Mississippi River document a persistent backwater zone that influences sediment mobility throughout the...

STOCK DEFINITION AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE The coastal morphotype of common bottlenose dolphins is continuously distributed along the Atlantic coast south of Long Island, New York, to the Florida peninsula, including inshore waters of the bays, sounds and estuaries. Several lines of evidence support a distinction between dolphins inhabiting coastal waters near the shore and those present in the insh...

estuaries are considered as highly dynamic ecosystem that include the mixing or transition zone between river freshwater and saline water from oceans and seas. estuaries are very important aquatic systems by preserving the coastal biota. flocculation of metals during mixing of freshwater with saline water can be considered as the most important estuarine processes. due to flocculation process, ...