Biomedical subjects

Martin J Attrill

Publications and source records attributed to Martin J Attrill.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Effect of a copper gradient on plant community structure.

Vegetation data including plant cover, biomass, species richness, and vegetation height was sampled on a copper-contaminated field with total copper contents varying from 50 to almost 3,000 mg/kg soil. The field was covered by early succession grassland dominated by Agrostis stolonifera. Plant cover, biomass, species richness, and vegetation height generally decreased with increasing copper content, although the highest biomass was reached at intermediate copper concentrations. Multivariate statistical analyses showed that plant community composition was significantly correlated with soil copper concentration and that community composition at soil copper concentrations above 200 mg/kg differed significantly from community composition at lower copper levels. Comparison of single-species (Black Bindweed, Fallopia convolvulus) performance at the field site and in laboratory tests involving field soil and spiked soil indicates that the laboratory tests conventionally applied for risk assessment purposes do not overestimate copper effects. Interaction between copper and other stressors operating only in the field probably balance the higher bioavailability in spiked soil.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMed2003

Shallow-water Campanulariidae (Hydrozoa, Leptothecatae) from northern Bahía, Brazil.

This study provides the first semi-quantititative account of the benthic campanulariid hydroids from Northern Bahia (Brazil), down to a depth of 60 m, based largely on collections obtained since 1992. Colonies were collected from six habitats along the coast of Salvador City, Todos os Santos Bay, Itaparica Island and at the northernmost part of the coast of the State of Bahia. From the 982 colonies examined, nine species were recorded: Campanularia hincksii, Clytia gracilis, C. hemisphaerica, C. hummelincki, C. linearis, C. macrotheca, C. noliformis, Obelia bidentata and O. dichotoma. Following a defined abundance scale, Clytia gracilis and C. noliformis were the most abundant species, whereas Campanularia hincksii and Clytia hummelincki were rare. Cluster analysis of relative abundance data revealed sandy shores had a markedly different hydroid community from other habitats. A simplified identification key, redescriptions, illustrations and data on nematocyst compliment are provided for each species. Campanularia hincksii, Clytia macrotheca and C. noliformis are reported from Brazil for the first time.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Climatic influence on a marine fish assemblage.

Understanding the fluctuations in marine fish stocks is important for the management of fisheries, and attempts have been made to demonstrate links with oceanographic and climatic variability, including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO has been correlated with a range of long-term ecological measures, including certain fish stocks. Such environmental influences are most likely to affect susceptible juveniles during estuarine residency, as estuaries are critical juvenile nursery or over-wintering habitats. Here we show that, during a 16-year period, climatic forcing (by means of the NAO) is consistently the most important parameter explaining variation in assemblage composition, abundance and growth of juvenile marine fish during estuarine residency. A possible mechanism for the effect of the NAO is a temperature differential between estuarine and marine waters that allows fish to facultatively exploit optimal thermal habitats. The connection has potentially important implications for the size and numbers of individuals recruited to the fishery, for understanding and predicting the composition of juvenile fish stocks using estuaries, and for the appropriate conservation of estuarine systems in relation to fish stocks.

Animals↗