Three-dimensional space use during the bottom phase of southern elephant seal dives.

Background: In marine pelagic ecosystems, the spatial distribution of biomass is heterogeneous and dynamic. At large scales, physical processes are the main driving forces of biomass distribution. At fine scales, both biotic and abiotic parameters are likely to be key determinants in the horizontal and vertical distribution of biomass, with direct consequences on the foraging behaviour of diving predators.

How Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) Adjust Their Fine Scale Horizontal Movement and Diving Behaviour in Relation to Prey Encounter Rate.

Understanding the diving behaviour of diving predators in relation to concomitant prey distribution could have major practical applications in conservation biology by allowing the assessment of how changes in fine scale prey distribution impact foraging efficiency and ultimately population dynamics. The southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina, hereafter SES), the largest phocid, is a major predator of the southern ocean feeding on myctophids and cephalopods. Because of its large size it can carry bio-loggers with minimal disturbance.

Formation of ferrimagnetic films with functionalized magnetite nanoparticles using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique.

The formation of ferrimagnetic films of 39 nm magnetite nanoparticles functionalized by stilbene derivatives has been studied using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. The stilbene moieties are grafted to the particles either via a phosphonate or a carboxylate group; in both cases the nanoparticles display similar isotherms although the microscopic initial and final states of the films are different. Two different mechanisms of film formation are proposed, based on the inorganic-organic bond stability.