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Copyright of Estudios de Cultura Maya is the property of Instituto de Investigaciones Filologicas - UNAM and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estudios de Cultura Maya is the property of Instituto de Investigaciones Filologicas - UNAM and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aquatic organisms, such as fish, are important indicators of the bioavailability of metals in coastal environments, demonstrating the capacity of different species to bioaccumulate these metallic elements. The fluvial-lagoon system of the Palizada River is an important ecosystem for its terrestrial and aquatic biological diversity where fishing is an important productive activity in this system. The objective of this research was to evaluate the concentration of Pb and Cd in the muscle tissue of native and invasive fish species in this area. For this, the digestion of fish muscle samples was carried out with a CEM MARS 5 Digestion Microwave System, while the quantification of metals was performed with an atomic absorption equipment. All analysis muscle samples from native and invasive fish showed Pb and Cd in their content. By sampling site there was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05), with a maximum Pb concentration of 7.760 µg g−1 at the LLAR site (Laguna Larga). In terms of species, the maximum Cd concentration was obtained in the Cyprinus carpio with 6.630 ± 0.127 and in Pterygoplichthus pardalis with 6.547 ± 0.873 µg g−1 (dry weight). The presence of metals such as Pb and Cd in muscle tissue of native and invasive fish species represents an important bioindicator of environmental exposure in the study area and a potential risk to public health, as these species are commonly consumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy flows were studied for the 2002–2003 agricultural cycle in four households for which agriculture is part of a diversified survival strategy and four that practice agriculture as a business. Home garden inputs and outputs were measured monthly. Quantified inputs were: household labour, household agro-system production, and purchased external renewable and non-renewable energy. Outputs measured were: sales, family and animal foods. While both strategies had similar indicators in biomass and energy production, vegetable richness, and soil quality, household garden function and sustainability differed between subsistence and commercial householders. Subsistence gardens complemented family diet and contributed to household system resiliency. They relied heavily on renewable energy sources from within their agro-system. Gardens in commercial households reduced fruit tree area and increased animal husbandry for the market. They depended more on purchased non-renewable energy sources and were less sustainable and much less energy efficient than traditional gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight cyclonic eddies were identified near the western edge of the Loop Current, at the northeast shelf break of the Campeche Bank, through TOPEX/Poseidon sea surface height anomaly data from January 1993 through March 2000. The eddies' migration and their lifecycle are described. The formation of the eddies appears to be related to the dynamics of the Loop Current because the timing of their generation corresponds to the last stage of the anticyclone shedding from the Loop Current. The cyclones intensify while moving slightly to the northwest along the shelf break of the Campeche Bank; later, some cyclones are observed to move northward toward the Mississippi shelf break. The cyclones remain next to the Campeche Bank, south of 26°N, from 1.3 to 9.6 months; later, some of them move northward and strengthen by merging with other eddies, extending their life span. The eddies' vertical structure is analyzed with hydrographic data, and the connection between the formation of the cyclones and the evolution of the Loop Current is further described using sea surface temperature images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]