Organisms with external fertilization are often sperm limited, and in echinoids, larger eggs have a higher probability of fertilization than smaller eggs. This difference is thought to be a result of the more frequent sperm-egg collisions experienced by larger targets. Here we report how two components of egg target size, the egg cell and jelly coat, contributed to fertilization success in a se...

The persistence of prey encountering intense predation varies by species, prey density, and habitat type; however, the collective impact of these factors has rarely been tested experimentally in natural marine systems. Using the thin-shelled clams Mya arenaria and Macoma balthica as prey, and the main epibenthic predator of whole adult clams, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus, we conducted a se...

Complex life cycles have evolved independently numerous times in marine animals as well as in disparate algae. Such life histories typically involve a dispersive immature stage followed by settlement and metamorphosis to an adult stage on the sea floor. One commonality among animals exhibiting transitions of this type is that their larvae pass through a 'precompetent' period in which they do no...

the concept of soft sets, introduced by molodtsov [20] is a mathematicaltool for dealing with uncertainties, that is free from the difficultiesthat have troubled the traditional theoretical approaches. in this paper, weapply the notion of the soft sets of molodtsov to the theory of hilbert algebras.the notion of soft hilbert (abysmal and deductive) algebras, soft subalgebras,soft abysms and sof...

This paper presents the results of three dimensional finite element analysis laterally loaded pile groups configuration 1×1, 2×1 and 3×1, embedded in two-layered soil consisting soft clay at liquid limit overlying dense sand using Plaxis 3D. Effects variation length (L) layer thickness (h) on lateral capacity bending moment profile foundations were evaluated by employing different values to dia...