Pacific Science Volume 20, Number 1, 1966

Note. Destruction of Marine Flora and Fauna in Fiji Caused by the Hurricane of February 1965

Cooper, MJ — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

The Rise of Sea Level in Contemporary Times at Honaunau, Kona, Hawaii

Apple, Russell A; Macdonald, Gordon A — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

Bait cups, net-tanning tubs, and playing boards for the checker-like game of konani, which were hollowed out by the ancient Hawaiians on the surface of pahoehoe lava flows a short distance above sea level at the City of Refuge, Honaunau, Hawaii, are now submerged and unusable for their original purpose. Increased depth of water over the traditional land route used in approaching the place of refuge, comparisons of old and new photographs, and increasing storm damage to structures, also indicate a relative sinking of the shore, at a rate of about 1 ft per century. The sinking is endangering some of the structures, and imposes a special problem in the preservation of the area. Other evidence indicates sinking of other parts of the island of Hawaii, but by less definite amounts. The rate of change of relative level of land and sea at Honaunau is much greater than that of world wide change of sea level, and must be the result of actual sinking of the island. The logical explanation lies in isostatic adjustment resulting from loading of the earth's crust by the great added mass of the volcanoes. The southern part of the island of Hawaii appears to be sinking isostatically at a rate of about 8 or 9 inches a century.

Desilication of Halloysite and Its Relation to Gibbsite Formation

Uehara, Goro; Ikawa, Haruyoshi; Sherman, GD — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

The evidence presented points to the alteration of halloysite to gibbsite. Mineralogical data, as determined by X-ray and differential analysis, verify identification of halloysite and gibbsite. Chemical data confirm the expected lower silica and higher alumina content for samples which are predominantly gibbsitic. It is reasonable to assume from petrographic evidence that gibbsite develops by desilicarion of halloysite. Halloysite amygdules undergo desilication along the outer peripheries, where acid silica-deficient waters pass, attacking the halloysite by dissolving silica. Halloysite is stable only if it is protected from such solutions, or if the solution passing by is saturated with silica. Whereas alteration of feldspar to halloysite involves a gain in volume, a loss in volume follows desilication of halloysite. This loss in volume is exemplified by the surface cracks clearly visible in the desilicated halloysite.

An Anatomical Study of the Hawaiian Fern Adenophorus sarmentosus

Wilson, Kenneth A; Rickson, Fred R — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

Studies of Food Preference in Algivorous Invertebrates of Southern California Kelp Beds

Leighton, David L — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

Stands of the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, frequently suffer attack by grazing organisms and in some cases complete destruction has been observed. The present investigation of the feeding habits of grazing organisms is primarily concerned with food preferences. Discrimination in choice of plant foods was examined in 11 common invertebrate species of the sublittoral rock bottom fauna of southern California by measuring the differential consumption of seven common algal species in the laboratory. The algae were selected as representing the major floral elements of the kelp bed (Macrocystis pyrifera) community. All of the grazers exhibited high degrees of preference for Macrocystis. Shallow water grazers revealed stronger preferences for Egregia than for Macrocystis. Herbivores found at greater depths indicated strongest preferences for Macrocystis, Laminaria, and Pterygophora, plants that are generally common at these depths . The deepest-living herbivore, Lytechinus, showed greatest preference for a red alga, Gigartina; red algae generally supplant brown algae in dominance at greater depths. Some of the invertebrates refused certain of the marine plants. A specific distaste factor may exist in these cases.

Two New Mites (Acarina: Laelapinae) from Oriental Insectivores (Mammalia: Insectivora)

Jameson, EW Jr — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

The two species described are closely allied parasites of shrews (Anourosorex squamipes and Soriculus fumidus) from Taiwan, and of a mole (Urotrichus talpoides) from Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu). The similarity of these two species indicates a common geographic origin of the hosts, and suggests that there are probably allied species of these mites on the Chinese mainland. These two species of Haemolaelaps appear most closely related to the ulysses group, three species from Australian marsupials.

Four New Diclidophorids (Monogenoidea) Parasitic on the Gills of Marine Fishes from the Southwest Coast of India

Unnithan, RV — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

Histogenesis in Roots of Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides (Hook. f.) Poole

Arnold, BC — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

Ellobiopsidae of Alaskan Coastal Waters

Hoffman, Ethelwyn G; Yancey, Robert M — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

Four species of ellobiopsids were taken in Alaskan coastal waters. Thalassomyces fagei (a synonym of Amallocystis fagei) was found to parasitize specimens of the euphausid Thysanoessa raschii taken in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. The development of T. fagei external to the host from a small knob to the mature form was found to occur by repeated dichotomous branching. T. fagei occurred during April and May hut was not observed at other times of the year. Thalassomyces sp. was found to be parasitic on specimens of the mysid Acanthomysis pseudomacropsis taken in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. The range of Thalassomyces capillosus, parasitic on the caridean Pasiphaea pacifica, is extended from Coos Bay, Oregon, to Orca Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska. Ellobiopsis chattoni was found to parasitize the copepod Metridia longa, a new host of this ellobiopsid. Specimens of E. chattoni were taken in the waters of southeastern Alaska, extending the range of E. chattoni from the Atlantic to the north Pacific.

New Fish Records from Hawaii: Hime, Pikea, and Omobranchus

Strasburg, Donald W — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

Observations on Osmotic Relationships in the Holothurian Opheodesoma spectabilis

Freeman, Paul J — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

The means whereby Opheodesoma spectabilis, a holothurian confined to the quiet waters of Hawaii, can tolerate a dilution of 80% sea water were investigated. The animal is notable for the ratio of coelomic to tissue fluid, about 4:1. Weight changes, osmometry, titrations, and sodium analyses on fluids before and after immersion of the animal in diluted sea water were some of the methods employed. The animal was found to reduce its content of coelomic fluid when placed in dilute sea water for 24 hr. There is no rhythmic circulation or pumping of fluids. Water exchange and regulation of volume are by way of mouth and anus, as the body wall proved to be impermeable to water. Soluble salts of body fluids in both starved and feeding animals are below the concentrations found in sea water; but in feeding specimens, the coelomic fluid demonstrated osmotic activity approaching that of sea water. It is suggested that tolerance to fresh water by the tissues is incidental, and derives from (1) the slow replacement of the comparatively large volume of coelomic fluid with environmental water, and (2) the habit of steady ingestion of variable quantities of organic material, leading to changing levels of digestive end-products in the coelomic fluid. Cells within the small volume of tissue fluid exchanging with the coelomic compartment can tolerate and have time to equilibrate with a wide range of concentrations, out of adaptive necessity. Volume regulation occurs in the gradual exchange between coelomic and environmental water to further advance osmotic equilibrium.

Relationships between Standing Crops at Three Successive Trophic Levels in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Blackburn, Maurice — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

Measurements of the following standing crops were made at each of several pairs of stations on various cruises in the eastern tropical Pacific: (a) chlorophyll a, mg/m^2, 0-100 m; (b) zooplankton (total, and, for some cruises, copepods separately), ml/10^3m^3, 0-300 m; (c) small fish and cephalopods, combined, from net-caught micronekron, ml/10^3m^3, 0-90 m. These were considered to represent plants, herbivores, and primary carnivores. It was estimated that most of the zooplankton was located at 0-140 m. The stations of each station-pair were separated by less than 120 miles and 36 hr. Relationships between the logarithms of crops were investigated by simple correlations, partial correlations, and structural two-variable linear regressions. In the 36 station-pairs available from cruises made in the northern spring, both zooplankton and carnivores had a significant positive regression on chlorophyll a; the points for 11 of these pairs fell within or close to the 95% confidence limits of each of the regressions. For these 11 "statistically selected" pairs all simple correlation coefficients were positive and significant, the partial correlation coefficient of chlorophyll a and zooplankton was positive and significant, and the other two partial correlation coefficients were non-significant. These results were considered to be consistent with steady-state conditions between the three standing crops. A similar analysis using copepods instead of total zooplankton gave a generally similar result. Chlorophyll a and primary productivty (by the C14 method) were positively and significantly correlated at 19 stations where both measurements were taken. Most of the station-pairs for which these results were obtained were located in the area bounded by 5oN, 95oW, 12oN, and the American coast (excluding the Costa Rica Dome). This is a moderately eutrophic area, where a steady state might not have been expected; however, there are indications that the process of eutrophication, which probably is vertical mixing of the upp er part of the very shoal thermocline (<30 m) by wind, is itself fairly steady throughout the year. No definite indications of a steady state were obtained from any other area at any season; however, the possibility of obtaining them from more copious material is not denied . The regression (slope) coefficients showed that standing crop of herbivores varied as some power <1.0 of standing crop of chlorophyll a, suggesting increasingly inefficient utilization of plants by herbivores with increase of plant standing crop. On the other hand the crop of carnivores varied in an approximately linear way with that of herbivores. The standing crop ratios, copepods/plants (by weight of carbon) and carnivores/zooplankton (by displacement volume), were both roughly estimated at 0.04 under steady-state conditions; for various reasons the corresponding food-chain efficiency ratios, for standing crops of all material at the appropriate trophic levels, would be higher.

The Biology of the Mussel Crab, Fabia subquadrata, from the Waters of the San Juan Archipelago, Washington

Pearce, Jack B — Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT

20:1 Table of Contents - Pacific Science

Sat, 01 Jan 1966 00:00:00 GMT