In laboratory-based biofouling assays, the influence of physico-chemical surface characteristics on barnacle settlement has been tested most frequently using the model organism Balanus amphitrite (= Amphibalanus amphitrite). Very few studies have addressed the settlement preferences of other barnacle species, such as Balanus improvisus (= Amphibalanus improvisus). This study aimed to unravel th...

Most marine invertebrates have dispersive larvae and relatively immobile adults. These developmental stages are linked by a settlement event, which is often mediated by specific cues in bacterial biofilms. While larvae distinguish between biofilms from different environments, it remains unknown if they receive information from all, only a few or even just a single bacterial species in natural b...

One-dimensional consolidation of soils is conveniently divided into three portions, viz., (1) initial compression, (2) primary consolidation, and (3) secondary consolidation. Such a classification involves the clear implication that the three effects proceed in that order. Initial one-dimensional compression of saturated clays is negligible because of the low compressibility of the pore water. ...

Recent studies of municipal solid waste landfills have revealed the influence of biodegradation upon secondary settlement. Modern landfills, however, are designed with efficient containment systems which minimise moisture ingress and thereby reduce leachate and gas generation. The shortage of moisture means that these containment systems delay decomposition and stabilisation of waste. An altern...

Survival during the settlement window is a limiting variable for recruitment. The survival is believed to be strongly determined by biological interactions and sea conditions, however it has been poorly investigated. We examined the settlement patterns related to relevant biotic and abiotic factors (i.e. Density-dependence, wind stress, wave height and coastal current velocity) potentially dete...

Most studies of settlement cues in sessile marine invertebrates have focused on species with the potential to disperse over great distances. This persistent focus has perpetuated the idea that long-distance dispersing species may rely on cues to settle in specific habitats, whereas shortdistance dispersers are delivered directly into a favorable habitat. I tested the effects of water movement a...

A small number of studies have demonstrated that settlement stage decapod crustaceans are able to detect and exhibit swimming, settlement and metamorphosis responses to ambient underwater sound emanating from coastal reefs. However, the intensity of the acoustic cue required to initiate the settlement and metamorphosis response, and therefore the potential range over which this acoustic cue may...

This study has been carried out to investigate the biological and environmental parameters influencing the settlement and post-settlement survival of the infective stages of Lepeophtheirus salmonis KrOyer 1837. The abiotic factors investigated were temperature and salinity. Temperature was found to have a significant effect on the settlement success of the copepodids with an inverse relationshi...

Settlement and post-settlement processes of the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra Jaeger were studied in the laboratory. Independent and paired choice experiments revealed that several substrates could induce metamorphosis into pentactulae, but that specific substrates favoured settlement. Leaves of seagrass Thalassia hemprichii, with or without their natural bio-film, yielded the highest settleme...

Losers and Losers: Some Demographics of Medical Malpractice Tort Reforms Our research examines individual differences in the effects of medical malpractice tort reforms on pre-trial settlement speed and settlement amounts by age and most likely settlement size. Findings of note include that, unlike previously assumed, both absolute and percentage losses from tort reform are small for infants in...