Geomicrobiology is an interdisciplinary field which studies the impact of microbes in a given geologic environment. Besides understanding the role of microbes in processes such as mineral degradation, organic matter mineralization, and biogeochemical cycles, the presence of microbes as part of the indigenous population of contaminated areas can be used as a tool for in situ treatment and removal of heavy metals from contaminated sites. In order to isolate fungal bioprospects capable of growing on Copper (Cu) contaminated areas, samples were collected from soils in Puerto Rico. After performing serial dilutions, the samples were spread on plates supplemented with Cu (CuSO4) at concentrations from 0 - 1M. Only one microorganism was able to grow on medium supplemented with 35 mM Cu²⁺, a filamentous fungus of the genus Aspergillus. Taxonomic classification suggests the fungus was Aspergillus versicolor. At 35 mM of Cu, atypical growth of the fungi was observed, including changes in pigmentation and colony size. Hyphal morphology also changed and the presence of asexual reproductive structure such as conodiophores was not observed. In addition, Scanning Electron Microscopy study revealed the presence of spherical filamentous structures of unknown composition. Previous reports of Cu resistant Aspergillus sp. have described species such as A. niger and A. fumigatus, but to our knowledge this is the first report of an A. versicolor capable of growing at the Cu concentrations as high as the ones described in this study.

Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are abundant, diverse and usually with high substrate coverage in coral reef environments. In 2009, we initiated the systematic study of the coralline bottoms of the Isla de Aves, the most remote island of Venezuela. The study consisted in the identification and quantification of the sponges at 16 localities along 1x10 m transects (n=60). The surveys were done in shallow and deep sites, and on the windward and leeward sides. The average sponge coverage was 8.19% (SE=0.12 max=35.4%), which is considered high in comparison with other reefs from the Caribbean Region. A total of 1450 sponges were identified, which represents 77 species, nine of them representing new records for Venezuela. There is a dominance of a few species in these communities, where Amphimedon compressa is the most abundant (16.29%), followed by Agelas sventres (14.24%), Plakortis angulospiculatus (7.44%), Scopalina ruetzleri (6.80%), Ailochroia crassa (6.73%) and Cliona dioryssa (5.74%). The average diversity (SW index) for all transects was 1.66 (SE=0.07), and the equitability 0.81 (SE=0.02). The nmMDS analysis of the sponge communities produced two main groups of localities, responding to depth. The SIMPER analysis (according to depth criteria) produced 83% of overall average dissimilarity between the groups, being A. compressa, the species that most contribute with this difference (12.38%). Depth (and its associated physics parameters) could be the most determinant factor of the differences in structure of these communities.

Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (ABC Islands) are located at the southern margin of the Caribbean Plate, just north of South America. Little is known of the arachnid fauna of these islands, and the only work on spiders was published over a century ago. Here we provide a list of arachnids opportunistically collected from the islands, including Klein Bonaire and Klein Curaçao, over approximately 2 months. More than 750 specimens from 4 arachnid orders, (Amblypygi, Pseudoscorpiones, Scorpiones, Araneae) were collected and identified. We recovered 1 species of amblypygid, 2 species of pseudoscorpions, 1 species of scorpion, and 76 species of spiders. Additionally, we compared species diversity between urban and natural areas. The number of species is relatively low given the proximity to South America, but this likely reflects that collecting only took place for a short time and was opportunistic as opposed to systematic. Nevertheless, we found 25 new records and >20 likely undescribed species for the islands, providing insights into the spider fauna of northern South America and indicating that additional surveys of the area are warranted.

Invasive predators are among the most detrimental biological invaders of island ecosystems. However, information detailing the effectiveness of trapping for these invasive species is often underreported. Here, we quantified the influence of environmental features on mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) trapping success across five forest types in eastern Puerto Rico. Specifically, we evaluated how canopy and understory cover, woody debris, proximity metrics, and elevation influenced the likelihood of capturing a mongoose at a trap location. The likelihood increased in habitats that were farther from rivers (P = 0.003), farther from recreation areas (P = 0.06), closer to trails (P = 0.11), and closer to coastal shoreline (P = 0.01). Optimizing capture success via trap placement can help reduce both trapping effort and costs. Thus, our results can be used to prioritize locations for future trapping as a means to improve capture success.

Fossil holoplanktonic mollusks (pteropods and heteropods) are so far little known from Trinidad and have not yet been employed in paleoenvironmental studies in this region. Specimens >125 µm were examined in samples from two sections of the Middle Miocene Brasso Formation of Central Trinidad. Samples from the type section at Brasso Village were younger (planktonic foraminiferal Zones N11–N12) than those from Nollis Tunnel, near Tabaquite (N8). Both sections yielded abundant holoplanktonic molluscs, but all were juveniles. At Brasso Village, yields were highest in samples collected near a bathyal oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) that was revealed using benthic foraminifera. The percentage of the fauna as Vaginella sp. did not vary significantly throughout this section, while Heliconoides sp. was concentrated in rocks deposited near the OMZ base and Creseis spina above the OMZ core. This implies depth stratification among the pteropods that limited the flux of Heliconoides sp. to shallower water samples. The fauna from Nollis Tunnel, where recovery was restricted to eight out of nine samples, was used to infer the position of the OMZ at this site. The assemblage was more abundant at Nollis Tunnel than at Brasso Village. Simultaneous confidence intervals show that the proportional abundance of Vaginella sp. did not vary significantly throughout the Nollis Tunnel section, while Creseis roesti and Heliconoides inflatus inflatus? showed depth stratification. This demonstrates that fossil holoplanktonic gastropods have potential as a tool for paleoenvironmental interpretations, especially in detecting fossil OMZs.

Limited financial resources coupled with competing social demands may require novel approaches for biodiversity conservation. Within the Bahamas archipelago, subtropical dry forest (“coppice”) provides habitat for many resident and migratory bird species including the U.S. federally endangered Kirtland's warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii). On the islands, this migratory bird relies heavily on fruits of shrubs in early-successional coppice. Evidence indicates shrub species of particular importance in the bird's diet may not be generally widespread, while attempts to actively manage for these plant species could be cost-prohibitive or counterproductive to other conservation concerns. Because these shrubs and Kirtland's warblers have been frequently found on goat farms we investigated whether periodic goat grazing might be a practical tool for maintaining suitable coppice habitat in other semi-natural areas where late-successional coppice is unsupportable (e.g. utility rights-of-way) and whether it promotes increased abundance of important fruiting shrubs. In experiments conducted in young coppice within a pipeline corridor, we found little evidence that grazing would increase abundance of these shrubs, but our grazed coppice plots returned quickly to their pre-grazing state and exhibited few subsequent structural or compositional differences from ungrazed coppice plots. Thus, if appropriately applied and managed, goat grazing may serve as an economically viable tool for biodiversity preservation because (1) suitability as habitat for Kirtland's warblers and many other birds returns quickly after a short-term grazing treatment and (2) periodic, short-term grazing will forestall succession toward a vegetation type less appropriate for these birds or for certain types of human land use.

Ophioderma cinerea (Müller & Troschel, 1842) is a species of warm water ophiuroid that lives primarily in rocky habitats in the tropical Atlantic. Competition for resources can be high in their habitat. Behavioral observations in aquaria led to a hypothesis that differences in body size may affect feeding strategies, and thus affect survivorship. It is widely accepted that echinoderm ontogenic growth is sigmoidal, with juveniles growing much faster than adults. Yet, it is not understood what affect this has on behavior. Individuals were kept in replicate experimental tanks. After a 3-d starvation period, each individual was exposed to a proteinaceous food stimulus. The animals were observed and a time measurement was taken to determine how long it took the animals to sense the food and to begin moving toward the food during both day and night. Smaller individuals were found to sense food significantly faster than larger ones, while no difference was observed for time-to-motion. Several explanations may support this finding. One of these explanations highlights how the need to compete with larger animals may have selectively adapted ontogenetically more sensitive chemoreceptors in smaller animals.

Stressor-response research on stony corals in the laboratory relies on detecting relatively small changes in the size of coral fragments throughout the course of an experiment. Coral colonies are complex, three-dimensional (3D) communities of organisms, so small changes in size are best detected by changes in 3D surface area. Traditional methods to estimate 3D coral surface area commonly require destruction of the sample, thereby eliminating repeat measurements and the ability to calculate growth rate. However, non-destructive two-dimensional (2D) photogrammetry can be used if defensible relationships with 3D surface area can be established. In this study, 165 coral skeletons representing four stony coral species (Pocillopora damicornis, Madracis mirabilis, Orbicella faveolata, Porites porites) were photographed in 2D (top and side views) and then imaged with 3D laser scanning. Significant linear relationships were found between the 3D surface areas (laser) and the sum of various combinations of top and side view surface areas captured by 2D digital photography. The relationships were very strong for simple colony shapes and more variable as coral fragments increased in size and complexity. This study demonstrates an efficient method for obtaining estimates of 3D coral surface area from non-destructive 2D photogrammetry, allowing measurement of growth rate throughout experimental exposure periods.

We report for first time the species Laurencia natalensis for the Atlantic Ocean based on collections made in Venezuela. Once thought to be restricted to the Indian Ocean, the presence of this species is confirmed in this study by phylogenetic analyses using the plastid-encoded large subunit ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase gene (rbcL). Sequences of the cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode region were obtained for additional support of taxonomic placement. In the rbcL phylogenetic analyses, a well-supported clade was recovered unequivocally placing our specimen as conspecific to L. natalensis from the east coast of South Africa. The barcode region (COI) sequences from Venezuela also clustered with the one obtained from L. natalensis from KwaZulu-Natal. In pairwise comparison of both markers, African and Venezuelan species diverged within the intraspecific variation recorded for Laurencia sensu stricto species. The Venezuelan specimens showed a distinctive combination of anatomical features shared with African specimens that aided in the species determination. However, sterile and immature sporophytic plants of Laurencia natalensis from Venezuela are morphologically variable; particularly sterile plants showed overall anatomical differences in habit when compared with African species. This finding raises the possibility that L. natalensis have been overlooked and probably confused in the field with other species of the Laurencia sensu stricto group.

Nothing is known about the impact on marine meiofauna of submarine volcanic eruptions in the Grenada Basin. The benthic foraminiferal fauna is here examined in piston cores taken within ∼8 – 38 km of the crater of Kick ‘em Jenny (KeJ), decadal eruptions of which disseminate ash to the NW via the Caribbean Current. Piston core Gs29, taken ∼8 km W of the crater, consists of clay-rich material from the Globorotalia menardii Zone U, ∼500 ka old, probably exposed by slumping. The remaining cores (from proximal to distal: GC59, GC90, GC99 and GC100), taken between 1000 – 3000 m water depth, comprise volcanic ash and are of presumed Holocene age. Recovery from GC59, GC90 and GC99, the last taken 27.3 km NW of the crater, was poor and apparently reflects volcanic ash impact. Recovery from GC100, 38 km NW of the crater and from the basin floor, was rich. Thus, KeJ disrupts seafloor colonization by foraminifera up to 32 – 38 km from the crater. Bolivina spp., indicative of low dissolved oxygen concentrations, dominated the assemblage in proximal core Gs29. Cassidulina spp. dominated the distal core GC100 assemblage, indicating somewhat higher dissolved oxygen concentrations. This might reflect a long-term change in productivity in the area, or a nutrient-rich surface eddy to the lee of Grenada. Allochthonous, shallow-water foraminifera, recovered throughout cores Gs29 and GC100, were more abundant in the latter. This might indicate that Grenada protects nearshore foraminifera from disruptive hurricanes.

The Jamaican Boa Chilabothrus subflavus (Boidae) is a Jamaican-protected species whose numbers and distribution have declined during the last century. In order to protect Jamaican Boas, translocation has been recommended as a conservation strategy. From December 2010 to November 2012 a short-distance translocation (SDT) of seven resident female Jamaican Boas in Windsor, Trelawny Parish, Jamaica was conducted to assess the effects of SDT on the survivability, home range size and microhabitat use of translocated individuals. A subset of seven resident (non-translocated) Jamaican Boas radiotracked in Windsor from November 2008 to June 2009 was used for comparison to SDT snake data. No mortalities or significant differences in home range size were recorded for SDT as compared to resident female Jamaican Boas in Windsor. Visual detectability was higher for resident as compared to SDT snakes, however, both groups utilized arboreal microhabitats in greater proportion to terrestrial locations. Both groups were found in areas characterized by tall, canopy layer trees with vines and epiphytes, but SDT boas utilized larger trees with greater epiphyte densities than resident snakes. Results suggest short-distance translocation has potential as a management strategy for the conservation of Jamaican Boa populations in Jamaica.

Sponges provide an array of ecological services and benefits for Caribbean coral reefs. They function as habitats for a bewildering variety of species, however limited attention has been paid in the systematics and distribution of sponge-associated fauna in the class Calcarea or for that matter of sponges in the Caribbean. The goal of this study was to characterize infaunal assemblages from a calcareous sponge, Clathrina lutea, across multiple reefs from the La Parguera Natural Reserve, Puerto Rico. The associated fauna from 43 C. lutea specimens yielded a total of 2,249 associated infauna distributed in seven invertebrate phyla. Arthropoda was the most abundant phylum accounting for 62.5% of total abundance, followed by Annelida (21.0%) and Nematoda (5.5%). Limited patterns of temporal or spatial variability were surmised due to the opportunistic sampling effort afforded to this investigation from the cryptic nature of this species. A concordance between our data set and those for the class Demospongiae were observed, with the most abundant associated fauna being copepods and polychaetes. However, when compared to other Calcarea, the present study found considerably more associated fauna.

Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are able to adapt to various environmental conditions and are even among the few species that can tolerate extensive pollution. In the Pitch Lake of Trinidad they live in highly toxic waters due to natural seepage of oil and bitumen. In this paper, we describe phenotypic divergence in several life-history traits between guppies from the Pitch Lake and from a nearby reference site with waters not polluted by bitumen/oil. We show that guppies from the Pitch Lake were (i) smaller and (ii) had a higher reproductive investment than those from the reference site. Furthermore, they (iii) produced more and smaller offspring. These results are congruent with a scenario of high mortality caused probably by a combination of water toxicity and higher predation than at the reference site. We therefore propose the Pitch Lake as an ideal system to study the effects of long-term (natural) water pollution on fishes, which might provide interesting insights into adaptation to extreme environments, and might further help to predict fish responses to anthropogenic pollution.

This article shows how archaeological and geological data can be used to visualize the ‘invisible’ production of salt through solar evaporation in the archaeological record. Evidence of salt exploitation from natural salt ponds is difficult to obtain using standard archaeological methods, limiting our ability to assess the significance of these practices in the past. Salt, however, was an important and valuable resource in many different cultural contexts. This study follows on previous research of a precolonial site on Middle Caicos, Turks & Caicos Islands, which suggested a relationship between this settlement and the exploitation of salt at the adjacent natural salt pan. Coring techniques were used to visualize and determine the pre-colonial availability of salt at MC-6. Stratigraphic sequences in the salt pond provided a detailed perspective on the pond's dynamic past and confirmed that salt production was possible in precolonial times. The research presented here tested the applicability of phosphorus and chloride values and X-ray diffraction of soil to identify precolonial salt production. Data from the site and the pond suggest that people settled the village as soon as the pond began producing salt, linking the presence of people to the availability and possible exploitation practices of salt.

Anolis lizards are common throughout the islands of the West Indies, often with several species existing in sympatry by demonstrating conspicuous niche separation. With increasing occurrences of Anolis species being introduced to islands outside of their natural range, there is potential for significant disturbance to natural Anolis communities and particularly to endemic species that have evolved in the absence of congeners. Here we report on the status of non-native Anolis lizards now present on the island of Saint Lucia, historically a single species island, and discuss the potential impact these introductions may have on endemic Anolis luciae. Through systematic visual encounter surveys and opportunistic sightings we present evidence for the widespread dispersal of Watts' anole (A. wattsi), indications of range expansion of Barbados anole (A. extremus), and the arrival and dispersal of a third species, the Cuban brown anole (A. sagrei). Our data suggest the presence of at least two of these species may be having a detrimental impact on the abundance of A. luciae, particularly in disturbed habitats.

The disappearance of a population of the rock-boring sea urchin Echinometra lucunter is documented along a vertical rock wall off Grotto Beach on the island of San Salvador, Bahamas. 9,960 urchin burrows were counted along a 332 m × 1 m length of the rock wall. Only one E. lucunter was found to occur per 664 available urchin holes. Likely factors that may have contributed to the disappearance of urchins include circulation patterns and elevated temperature.

Macrobrachium carcinus is reported for the first time from the Cayman Islands. Specimens were collected on multiple occasions from an unusual habitat for this species – an anchialine cave. It is likely the cave was colonized by M. carcinus larvae via movement through subterranean karst tunnels from the sea inland to the cave entrance. Because only juveniles were collected, it is uncertain whether reproduction is occurring in this cave. However, it is possible M. carcinus may continue to colonize this and other similar caves, and sustained populations may eventually become established on Grand Cayman.

The introduction of non-native organisms has caused changes in island ecosystems world-wide. Two of the main drivers of island extinctions and ecosystem changes are goats and black rats. These organisms alter considerably the flora of island ecosystems by limiting propagule production and dispersal as well as constant herbivory. Even so, island floras can still be diverse if human contact is limited and removal of non-native organisms is carried out. This can start regeneration of the damaged ecosystem and begin the process of ecosystem restoration. The goal of our research was to update the flora of the island from the last 16 or more years. Plants were opportunistically observed, and some collected along trails, ridges, coastal areas, and in the most accessible valleys where other restoration efforts were taking place. Each collected plant was identified in the field, photographed, described, and its GPS coordinates were recorded. A total of 69 species were observed in the field, 17 of which were collected and vouchered in the UPR-Mayagüez Herbarium. Populations of some native plants, such as Harrisia portoricensis Britton (Cactaceae) seemed to be abundant while others, such as the Mammillaria nivosa Link. (Cactaceae) were found in marginal areas with a highly-restricted population. New populations of previously unknown non-natives Spathodea campanulata P. Beauv. (Bignoniaceae), Cenchrus ciliaris L. (Poaceae), and Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit (Fabaceae) in Desecheo are of conservation concern. Control or quick removal of these invasive species would help the restoration process of the island.