Land-use change and windstorms legacies drove the recolonization dynamics of laurel forests in Tenerife, Canary islands

Laurel forests are quite relevant for biodiversity conservation and are among the island ecosystems most severely damaged by human activities.In the past,Canary laurel forests have been greatly altered by logging,livestock and agriculture.The remains of laurel forests are currently protected in the Canary Islands(Spain).However,we miss basic information needed for their restoration and adaptive management,such as tree longevity,growth potential and responsiveness to natural and anthropogenic disturbances.Using dendrochronological methods,we studied how forest dynamic is related to land-use change and windstorms in two well-preserved laurel forests on Tenerife Island.Wood cores were collected from over 80 trees per stand at three stands per forest.We used ring-width series to estimate tree ages and calculate annual basal area increments(BAI),cumulative diameter increases,and changes indicative of released and suppressed growth.Twelve tree species were found in all stands,with Laurus novocanariensis,Ilex canariensis and Morella faya being the most common species.Although some individuals were over 100 years old,61.8%-88.9% of the trees per stand established between 1940 and 1970,coinciding with a post-war period of land abandonment,rural exodus and the onset of a tourism economy.Some trees have shown growth rates larger than 1 cm diameter per year and most species have had increasing BAI trends over the past decades.Strong growth releases occurred after windstorms at both sites,but the effects of windstorms were site-dependent,with the 1958 storm affecting mainly the eastern tip of the island(Anaga massif)and the 1991 storm the western tip(Teno massif).Given the great ability of laurel forest trees to establish after land use cessation and to increase growth after local disturbances such as windstorms,passive restoration may be sufficient to regenerate this habitat in currently degraded areas.

Macrofaunal communities of threatened subtidal maёrl seabeds on Tenerife (Canary Islands, north-east Atlantic Ocean) in summer

This study contributes with the first data on physical and taxonomical structure of macrofaunal assemblages of maerl beds from the Canary Islands. Maerl beds and Cymodocea nodosa meadows of the Canary Islands are considered biodiversity hot-spots in terms of taxonomic and functional biodiversity with a broad geographical and depth ranges. The authors have studied the structure of the macrofaunal assemblages on different habitat types （Cymodocea, Caulerpa, sabellid field, garden eel and maerl beds）. Samples were taken at a range of depths between 14 and 46 m. Correlations were performed among abiotic variables （granulometry, organic matter, nitrogen and phosphates） and the most abundant taxa. Similarity analysis was performed to explore the patchiness of seabeds at a local scale. Significant differences were found in macrofaunal assemblages among seabed types, with highest abundances and lowest biodiversity in sabellid fields, where the sabellid Bispira viola dominated. The polychaetes Aponuphis bilineata and Chone filicauda and the mollusc Turritella brochii were the most abundant taxa on maerl beds. The mosaic of granulometric conditions would explain the associated macroinfaunal community structure and contribute to the creation of diversity on these relatively well preserved seabeds at a local scale.

Temporal dynamics of shallow subtidal meiobenthos from a beach in Tenerife (Canary Islands, northeast Atlantic Ocean)

A shallow subtidal （3 m deep） meiofaunal assemblage in Los Abrigos Bay, Tenerife, Canary Islands was sam- pled during May 2000-April 2001. The main aims were to （1） find temporal variations in meiofaunal assem- blage structure and overall abundance, as well as in the most abundant meiofaunal species throughout the study period, and （2） identify environmental variables （sedimentary composition, organic matter content, and total nitrogen） that better explain meiofaunal assemblage structure during the study year. The most abundant species were the nematodes Siphonolaimus sp. 2 and Catanema sp., which represented 46.2% of the overall meiofaunal abundances and varied significantly throughout the study duration. Overall meio- faunal abundance and the most abundant taxonomic groups （nematodes, copepods, and oligochaetes） showed significant temporal variations during the study period. Nematodes overwhelmingly dominated during the study period, ranging from 78% in May to 97.34% in February. Multivariate analyses showed seasonality in meiofaunal community structure during the study year, with the lowest abundances in May. Keywords： Meiofauna, assemblage structure, subtidal, Canary Islands, Atlantic Ocean

Are assemblages of the fireworm Hermodice carunculata enhanced in sediments beneath offshore fish cages?

Abundances of the fireworm Hermodice carunculata were counted through a monitoring assessment study of fish cages in Barranco Hondo（NE Tenerife）. Seven campaigns were conducted from November 2007 to June 2010 and temporal variations were found, as well as differences among sampling stations. The polychaete H. carunculata obtained its highest abundance in sediments beneath fish cages throughout the study period. Thus, the assemblages of this omnivorous species were favoured by the presence of fish cages.

Confounding response of macrofauna from a confluence of impacts: brine and sewage pollution

Throughout the shores of the world, a confluence of different sources of pollution is common, e.g., through outlets releasing brine, industrial, and domestic sewage. In this study, we assessed whether a combined disposal of domestic sewage and brine altered the patterns of abundance and assemblage structure of sub- tidal macrofauna inhabiting sandy seabeds on the south coast of Gran Canaria （Canary Islands, NE Atlantic Ocean）. Samples were collected in two surveys （May 2008 and January 2009） at three distances （0, 15, and 30 m） away from the discharge point. Macrofaunal abundances showed different patterns with varying proximity from the disposal point in the two surveys. In May 2008, lower abundances were observed at 0 m （53.89±46.82 ind.） than at 15 m （120±91.7 ind.） and 30 m （283.89±189.33 ind.） away from the dis- posal point. In January 2009, however, higher abundances were observed at 0 m （131.33±58.69 ind.） than at 30 m （100±24.44 ind.） and 15 m （84.78±58.39 ind.） away from the disposal point. Significant differ- ences in macrofaunal assemblage structure were found with varying proximity from the discharge point in both surveys. The effect of proximity from the disposal point was confounded by changes in sedimen- tary composition between surveys, which contributed to explain differences in macrofaunal abundances and assemblage structure with varying proximity from the discharge point. As a result, confounding driver- s of macrofaunal assemblage structure, here, changes in sediment composition, accounted for changes in macrofaunal abundances and assemblage structure with varying proximity from a combined disposal point of brine and sewage.

Earth-Moon Barycentre Excursions and Anomalous Quaternary Sea Level Highstands

Plate tectonics is driven by Earth-Moon barycentre shifts in the lower mantle. The eastern Canary Islands have geographic and geological conditions derived from the movements of the Central American plates. Some features of these islands are influenced by the rotation of the Earth from west to east in the evolution of the marine currents that surround them and the opening of the North Atlantic to the North Pole with little dependence of the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). In addition, their position with respect to the Tropic of Cancer and the African continent affect the north-south and east-west climatic change dynamics and their tectonic stability respectively. Dated lavas contain marine and aeolian deposits and some of the Pleistocene marine deposits indicate higher sea level in cooler circumstances, which is anomalous. Relating those marine deposits produced during the warmest interglacial, the last interglacial and the Holocene with their equivalents in the Southern Hemisphere, they reflect shifts in the barycentre. Thanks to Holocene radiocarbon, topographic and day length data and alkenone temperature, we describe a mechanism by which the oscillation of the Moon’s inclination (and declination) reaches extreme values (14ºand 34ºabout 4.9ºmore than current values) approximately every 1450 years. These values occur when there is a harmonic distortion in surface areas of the Earth’s crust as response associated with oscillations in the displacements of the barycentre of the Earth-Moon system. As the declination influences the movement of oceanic waters, there is also a relationship with the Bond Events of the North Atlantic, of unknown cause until now.