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- A comparative study of the feeding ecology of Nephrops norvegicus (L.), (Decapoda : Nephropidae) in the bathyal Mediterranean and the adjacent AtlanticPublication . Cristo, Margarida; Cartes, JEA comparative study of the feeding ecology of Nephrops norvegicus was carried out on a seasonal basis simultaneously in seven locations in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean and the adjacent Atlantic: the south coast of Portugal, Fare; the Alboran Sea, Malaga; the Catalan Sea, Barcelona; the Ligurian Sea, Genoa; the Tyrrhenian Sea, Pisa: the Adriatic Sea, Ancona and the Aegean Sea, Gulf of Euboikos. The major groups observed (frequency of occurrence method) in the stomachs of Nephrops norvegicus were decapod crustaceans, other crustaceans (euphausids and peracarids) and fish. The results obtained showed no significant differences between sites or seasons, and can be considered very consistent. All major taxa were present in the diet at all sites and for all seasons, a fact that can be explained by the great similarity of the bathyal fauna in all sites, which provide a major trophic resource for N. norvegicus. The percentage of full ness was also estimated per site and season, and we registered a clear decrease of this value during the summer period for all sites, except the Tyrrheanian Sea, where the lowest value was found in autumn. PCA - analysis did not clearly separate the regions (sites). The Shannon-Weaver (H'), index of diversity, was also determined per site and season, and we found a significant difference between the values of the Atlantic coast and the Western Mediterranean when compared with those of the Eastern Mediterranean.
- Growth studies on Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.), in different areas of the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent AtlanticPublication . Mytilineou, C.; Castro, Margarida; Gancho, P.; Fourtouni, A.A comparative study of the growth of Nephrops norvegicus among different areas in the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic was conducted. MIX and Bhattacharya's length-based methods were used for age determination. Both methods were used for all the studied areas. For the estimation of the growth parameters two non-linear methods, based on the results of the length frequency analysis, were used; the Gauss-Newton method, implemented by the SAS program, was applied using the results of the MIX and the FISHPARM program using the results of the Bhattacharya's method. The identification of the age groups and their mean lengths-at-age as well as the estimation of the growth parameters proved to be difficult. A question regarding the adequacy of the von Bertalanffy model was also posed. Remarkable differences were obvious between sexes in the number of identified age groups and their mean lengths-at-age as well as in their growth parameters in all areas. The comparison of the results obtained for the studied areas showed differences, which could not be considered very important except in the case of the Nephrops population of the Alboran Sea, which was characterised by a high growth rate. All other areas seemed to be close; among them the populations from Euboikos Gulf and Catalan Sea being the most different.
- Comparison of several populations of Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.), from the Mediterranean and adjacent Atlantic. A biometrics studyPublication . Castro, Margarida; Gancho, Paula; Henriques, PaulaSix populations of Nephrops norvgicus were compared using canonical variate analysis on morphometric characters. The areas where the samples were obtained were the south coast of Portugal (Algarve) in the Atlantic and five areas in the Mediterranean: the Catalan Sea, the Ligurian Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Gulf of Euboikos. Each sample consisted of 50 males with sizes chosen to belong as much as possible to the carapace length range of 30-35 mm. Two systems of variables were used: body measurements (74 variables) and counts of spine rows on the carapace (23 variables). Several criteria were used to select experimental units and variables to include in the statistical analysis: a) homogeneous groups for all areas (using as indicators the mean and the variance of the carapace length), b) normal distribution of the original variables within each group, c) homogeneity of variance between groups, d) variables with few missing values. The conjunction of all these criteria led to a reduction of individuals and variables to be included in the analysis. In the end, 27 variables representing body measurements and groups of 22 to 43 individuals for each area were kept. The first two canonical correlation coefficients were highly significant (p<0.0001) with the corresponding variates explaining 81% of the variation. There were no single pairs of populations showing complete separation, although the degree of overlap was different when different pairs were compared. The 3 populations in the West and Central Mediterranean, Catalan Sea, Ligurian Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea showed the highest levels of similarity. The population from the Atlantic showed greatest distances overall, followed by the population from the Euboikos Gulf, representing the Eastern extreme of the geographical range.