Life history, secondary production and trophic basis of two dominant mayflies in a subtropical stream of China

Mayflies constitute a major part of macroinvertebrate biomass and production in Iotic ecosystems, and play an important role in material cycle and energy flow. There are more than 250 species of mayflies in rivers and streams of China. In order to learn their ecological functions, an investigation on life cycle, production and trophic basis of dominant species of mayflies in a second-order branch of Hanjiang River basin, Hubei, China was carried out during June 2003 to June 2004. The results showed that the dominant mayfly species Epeorus sp. and Caenis sp. developed two generations per year; in term of Epeorus sp., pupation mainly occurred in spring and then from late summer to early autumn, while Caenis sp. pupated in spring and autumn. The abundance and biomass of the Epeorus sp. population peaked twice （1 226 ind/m^2, 3.142 5g/m^2） in April and June. Caenis sp. also had two peaks （307ind/m^2, 1.590 g/m^2）, but in February and June. Cohort production and cohort P/B ratio of Epeorus sp. were 161.009 g/m2 wet weight and 7.7, respectively, and annual production and P/B ratio were 267.46g/m^2.a wet weight and 15.4, respectively; cohort production and P/B ratio of Caenis sp. were 26.7995g/m^2 wet weight and 4.7, its annual production and P/B ratio were 53.60 g/m2.a wet weight and 9.4, respectively. For Epeorus sp., the proportions contributing to secondary production of the main food types were： amorphous detritus, 33.46%; fungi, 10.83%; vascular plant detritus, 1.80%; diatoms, 53.90%; for Caenis sp., the proportions were 70.79%, 6.90%, 3.52% and 18.77%, respectively.     

Meso-scale spatial distribution of large tintinnids in early summer in southern Yellow Sea

The spatial distribution of some large tintinnid species （nominally〉76 μm） was investigated according to samples collected by vertical towing in cruises to the southern Yellow Sea in summer 2000-2002 and 2004. Eight species were identified： Codonellopsis mobilis, Leprotintinnus netritus, Tintinnopsis karajacensis, T. japonica, T. kiaochowensis, T. butschlii, T. radix, and Parafavella sp. With maximum abundance of 158.2 ind/L in June 2004, C. mobilis was the dominant species, lasting from May to July 2004. Tintinnid communities were patchy and distributed mainly in shallow waters along the shore.     

Temporal and spatial distributions of dominant shrimp stocks and their relationship with the hydrological environment in the East China Sea

To provide a scientific and technological base for fishery administration, holding a moratorium on fishing, and combating habitat degradation, a shrimp stock survey was carried out in May, August, and November 1998 and in February 1999. The study was conducted in the area between 26o00′ N and 33o00′ N and to the west of 127o00′ E in the East China Sea using a multi-sac trawl-net, with 115 stations being sampled. Up to 2001, we had found 121 species, which belong to 63 genera under 22 families, and 41 species are of high economic value and in great abundance. Nine shrimp species were of great economic importance, whose stock accounted for 76.8% of the demersal total. They were Parapenaeus fissuroides, Metapenaeopsis philippi, Palaemon gravieri, Metapenaeopsis barbata, Solenocera koelbeli, Solenocera crassicornis, Trachypenaeus curvirostris, Solenocera melantho and Parapenaeopsis hardwickii (listed in stock order). The nine species belong to the eurythermal and eurysaline community and high thermal and high saline community, had different migration patterns and stocks, and their distribution patterns could be generally classified into three types:(1) dominating in the north or the south;(2) dominating to the north of and in the coast to the south of 30o00′ N;and (3) dominating to the east of 60 m isobath, which were related to six water masses in the ECS near two lines, i.e., the 60 m isobath and 30o00′N latitudinal lines. Densely habited shrimps were found in all four seasons due to temperature and salinity frontiers and upwelling. The general stock density index was relatively higher in spring, summer, and autumn, when it surpassed 10 kg/h, while in winter, it was only 6.8 kg/h which might be caused by overfishing. According to the spawning areas of the nine species and their distribution patterns, to attain sustainable development of the shrimp fishery in the ECS, it is imperative to protect fishing areas and to hold a moratorium on catching to the west of 60 m isobath from April through October, and between 60 m and 100 m isobaths and to the south of 30oN from June through August and to limit fishing in winter.     

Life cycle and secondary production of two mayflies Leptophlebia sp. and Ephemera sp. in Heizhuchong stream, Hubei, China

From June 2003 to June 2004, an investigation on the life cycle, production and trophic basis of dominant species of macrozoobenthos community in a second-order river of the Hanjiang River basin, Hubei, China was carded out. The results showed that the dominant species Leptophlebia sp. and Ephemera sp. appeared to develop two generations per year, and there was a small overlap in the two generations of both species. The pupation of Leptophlebia sp. mainly occurred in autumn and winter, while pupation of Ephemera sp. mainly took place in summer and winter. The standing stocks of the Leptophlebia sp. population and Ephemera sp. population had two peaks in a year. The cohort production and cohort P/B ratio of the Leptophlebia sp. population estimated by size frequency method were 19.018 1 g/m^2.a and 5.7 respectively, while its annual production and P/B ratio were 38.036 2 g/m^2.a and 11.4. The cohort production and cohort P/B ratio of the Ephemera sp. population were 38.015 9 g/m^2.a and 5.9, while its annual production and P/B ratio were 76.031 8 g/m^2.a and 11.8.     

SPECIES COMPOSITION, HORIZONTAL DISTRIBUTION AND SEASONAL SUCCESSION OF PHYTOPLANKTON IN THE CHANNEL FROM DONGTING LAKE TO THE CHANGJIANG RIVER, CHINA

The species composition, horizontal distribution and seasonal succession of the phyto-plankton at five sampling stations in the channel between Dongting Lake and the Changjiang River, China were studied from May 1995 to December 1997. A total of 416 taxa were observed; diatoms comprised the most diverse taxonomic group representing 58.2 % of the total species. The β-mezotrophic indicators were 92 taxa or 22 % of the total, the a-mezotrophic or α, β-eutrophic indicators decreased distinctly to 20 taxa or 4.8 % of the total. The species number and composition of various phyla were approximately similar at Stations 1, 2, 3 and 4, but at Station 5 the number of species was the minimum and the ratio of diatoms to total phytoplankton in the number of species was the highest. In seasonal succession of the phytoplank-ton species, the number was the highest in May and June, lower in December, January, March and July in the channel. The dominant species were different in different months. The ratio of diatoms species number to blue green algae and green algae species number diminished gradually from winter to summer and autumn, and then increased gradually from autumn to winter and early spring in the annual cycle. Margalef, Simpson and Shannon—Weaver diversity indices changed in different months, their values were higher in winter, lower in summer. Nygaard‘s diatoms quotients were lower in winter, then in spring and autumn, higher in summer. These results indicated that the water quality was the best in winter, better in spring and autumn than in summer. The relationship between the structure of the phytoplankton communi-ty and the water environmental quality was discussed.     

Pigment characterization for the 2011 bloom in Qinhuangdao implicated "brown tide" events in China

A large-scale bloom occurred from May to June in 2011 in sea area near Qinhuangdao of the Bohai Sea, leading to huge damage of the scallop culture industry. Similar blooms have been observed in this region for three years. The causative species of the bloom, which dominated the phytoplankton community with the maximum cell density around 109 cell/L, could not be identified with morphological features due to the small cell size (~2 mm). A pigment analytical method was then adopted to analyze the pigment profile of the phytoplankton samples collected from the blooming sea area. It was found that pico-sized (<2 mm), nano-sized (2-20 mm), and bulk phytoplankton samples had similar pigment profile, representing the pigment signature of the bloom-causative species. The major pigments detected included 19-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin (But-fuco), fucoxanthin (Fuco), diadinoxanthin (Diad) and chlorophyll a (Chl a), and high content of But-fuco was the most significant characteristics of the phytoplankton samples. Based on the pigment composition and content, the bloom-causative species could be tentatively identified as pelagophyte, "type 8" group of haptophyte, or silicoflagellate. Some unique features of the bloom, such as the extremely high cell density, small-sized and But-fuco containing cells, occurring in early summer, and the feeding-cessation effects on scallops, suggest it be a "brown tide" event similar to those reported in the east coast of the United States of America. The recurrent "brown tide" events and their dramatic impacts on the shellfish mariculture industry in Qinhuangdao need close attention in the coming years.     

Design of Vibrio 16S rRNA Gene Specific Primers and Their Application in the Analysis of Seawater Vibrio Community

The pathogenic species of genus Vibrio cause vibriosis, one of the most prevalent diseases of maricultured animals and seafood consumers. Monitoring their kinetics in the chain of seafood production, processing and consumption is of great importance for food and mariculture safety. In order to enrich Vibrio-representing 16S ribosomal RNA gene （rDNA） fragments and identify these bacteria further real-timely and synchronously among bacterial flora in the chain, a pair of primers that selectively amplify Vibrio 16S rDNA fragments were designed with their specificities and coverage testified in the analysis of seawater Vibrio community. The specificities and coverage of two primers, VF169 and VR744, were determined theoretically among bacterial 16S rDNAs available in GenBank by using BLAST program and practically by amplifying Vibrio 16S rDNA fragments from seawater DNA. More than 88.3% of sequences in GenBank, which showed identical matches with VR744, belong to Vibrio genus. A total of 33 clones were randomly selected and sequenced. All of the sequences showed their highest similarities to and clustered around those of diverse known Vibrio species. The primers designed are capable of retrieving a wide range of Vibrio 16S rDNA fragments specifically among bacterial flora in seawater, the most important natural environment of seafood cultivation.     

Toxicity and Accumulation of Selenite in Four Microalgae

The toxicity and bioaccumulation of selenite in four microalgae, Spirulina platensis,Dunaliella salina, DunalieUa bardawill and Phaeodactylum tricornutum cultured in the presence of selenite were investigated. Lower concentrations of selenite were generally nontoxic and frequently stimulated algal growth, while higher concentrations of selenite inhibited algal growth. Selenite was more toxic to D. salina and D. bardawill than to S. platensis and P. tricornutum. All algae cultured in selenite were able to incorporate Se to different degrees, which depended on algal species. The distributions of selenite among intracellular macromolecular compounds were different among algal species : most of the selenite was associated with proteins in S. platensis, D. salina and D. bardawill, while most of the selenite was associated with lipids in P. tricornutum, which reflected the physiological differences among the algae. These observations suggest that algae are able to accumulate selenite and bind it with intracell~ar macromolecular compounds when exposed to high concentration of selenite. This may represent a form of storage or detoxification of selenite by the algae.     

Species and plant community reorganization in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt under climate change conditions

This study analyzes six vegetation communities in relation to current climatic parameters and eight climate change scenarios along an elevation gradient extending from 2,710 m to 4,210m in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The projected movements of 25 plant species with the current restricted or wide altitudinal distributions were also modeled. To relate climatic parameters to the species and communities, a Precipitation/Temperature(P/T)index was used both for the current and the different climate-change scenarios. The temperatures are expected to increase by 1.1°C to 1.7°C by 2020 and by2°C to 3°C by 2050. A decrease of 4% to 13% in the annual precipitation is expected for the 2020 horizon,and a reduction between 3% and 20% is expected for2050. The reductions in water availability were projected for all altitude levels and plant communities.The most marked reduction was under the HADLEYA2 scenario, in which the lower limit of the altitudinal range increased from 2,710 to 3,310 m(2050 horizon)with reductions in the P/T index between 36% and39% compared to the current climate. Most plant species tended to shift their distribution from 200 to300 m upward in the 2020 temporal horizon scenarios. The Pinus hartwegii, Alnus jorullensis and Pinus montezumae communities would have a shorter altitudinal range as they move upward and merge with the remaining species at the higher altitudinal range. For the 2050 temporal horizon,30% of the species, primarily those from the higher altitudinal range, would disappear because their P/Tindex values would be above the limit of plant survival(4,210 m).     

Molecular identification based on ITS sequences for Kappaphycus and Eucheuma cultivated in China

The systematic classification of the Eucheumatoideae is difficult because of their variable morphology and interpretation of reproductive structures. Kappaphycus and Eucheuma specimens cultivated on the Hainan and Fujian coast of China were introduced from Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. Combined with morphological characteristics, all Kappaphycus and Eucheuma cultivated strains were identified by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood methods. The results indicate that different ITS sequence lengths occurred in the different genera and species. An obvious difference in morphology could be found in the protuberance shape between Kappaphycus and Eucheuma. The protuberance in Eucheuma was thorn-like and in Kappaphycus was wartlike or papillate. Their ITS sequence lengths differed significantly in nucleotide variation rates up to 58.55%-63.90%. All nucleotide variations occurred in the ITS1 and ITS2 regions except for five nucleotide transversions in the 5.8S rDNA region. In addition, the difference was at the branches among congeneric species. Kappaphycus sp. had branches with small buds, while K. alvarezii did not have such a feature. The nucleotide variation rates varied from 7.02% to 7.48% among species; within the same species of the clades it was <1.20%. Eucheumatoideae algae cultivated in China consisted of three clades, K. alvarezii, Kappaphycus sp., and E. denticulatum. The results indicate that ITS sequence analysis was an effective way for identification of interspecies and intraspecies phylogenetic relationships and might provide a clue for molecular identification of algal Eucheumatoideae.     

LIFE CYCLE AND PRODUCTION OF CHIRONOMIDAE(DIPTERA) IN BIANDANTANG, A TYPICAL MACROPHYTIC LAKE (HUBEI, CHINA)

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Wintertime meso-scale horizontal distribution of large tintinnids in the southern Yellow Sea

Spatial distribution of some large tintinnid species (nominally > 76 μm) is investigated on samples vertically towed in the southern Yellow Sea in winters of 2001 to 2004. Nine tintinnid species are recorded: Codonellopsis morchella, Stenosemella pacifica, S. steini, Tintinnopsis schotti, T. radix, T. karajacensis, Eutintinnus tenuis, Parafavella sp., Leprotintinnus neriticus, of which C. morchella and T. radix dominated in the warm tongue-shaped zone of the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC), and S. pacifica i...     

Tritonia iocasica sp.nov.,a new tritoniid species from a seamount in the tropical Western Pacific(Heterobranchia:Nudibranchia)

During an expedition to a seamount at Caroline Plate in the tropical Western Pacific,a new species of Tritonia was sampled from the upper bathyal zone at depth of 970-1 262 m.This new species,Tritonia iocasica sp.nov.,represents the first tritoniid nudibranch known to feed on octocoral of the family Melithaeidae.The species is up to 120 mm in length,pinkish in color;with the rhinophoral sheath divided into several petaliform extensions;veil with,about 18 elongate digitiform processes;notal margin with17-19 pairs of secondary gills;anus located below the 5~(th) and 6~(th) secondary gills,and the genitalia below the 3~(rd) secondary gill on the right side of the body.Based on these external features,T.iocasica sp.nov.can be dearly distinguished from all previously described members of the genus.Phylogenetic analyses of two mitochondrial(COI,16 S rRNA) and a nuclear(H3) genes using Bayesian inference,maximum likelihood,and species delimitation analysis also support the separation of T.iocasica sp.nov.from its congeners.     

Temporal and spatial variations in the distribution of macroalgal communities along the Yantai coast,China

To explore the impact of environmental variables on macroalgal communities, their temporal and spatial distributions were examined along the Yantai coast, China between April 2010 and March 2011. Macroalgae sampling was conducted monthly at four sites along the coast： Jiahe River estuary, Zhifu Island, Fisherman＇s Wharf, and Yangma Island. The species composition and abundance, and their relationship with environmental variables were assessed. Along the Yantai coast, 35 macroalgae species were identified, including 24 Rhodophyta spp., 7 Chlorophyta, and 4 Phaeophyta spp. Highest species numbers were recorded in the summer at all sampling sites, except in the Jiahe River estuary. Macroalgae biomass was the greatest in the summer. Year-round, the highest species number and dry biomass recorded at Fisherman＇s Wharf and Yangma Island was attributed to the substrate type. In summer, Ulva pertusa Kjellman was the dominant species identified along the Yantai coast, which indicates a risk ofmacroalgae blooms. Our results show that seawater temperature and nutrients appear to significantly affect the temporal and spatial patterns of macroalgal abundance along the Yantai coast. The effects of environmental variables on the macroalgae on the Yantai coast need further study.     

Ecology of macrozoobenthic communities in two plateau lakes of Southwest China

Ecological studies on macrozoobenthos were conducted in two small plateau lakes in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Southwest China： Xingyun Lake （XL）, a eutrophic lake whose main source of primary production was phytoplankton （Chl α=99.76±24.01 μg/L）, and Yangzong Lake （YL）, a mesotrophic lake. Sampling was carried out from October 2002 to May 2004. Altogether 23 benthic taxa were identified in XL and 21 taxa in YL. The density of benthos in XL was much lower than that in YL, but the biomass was about equal in the two lakes, being I 423 ind/m^2 and 8.71 g/m^2 in XL and 4 249 ind/m^2 and 8.60 g/m^2 in YL. The dominant species were Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Branchiura sowerbyi, Aulodrilus pluriseta and Chironomus sp. in XL and Limnodrilus hoffrneisteri, Aulodrilus pluriseta and Bellamya sp. in YL. Seasonal fluctuation occurred, showing richer species in summer and winter, but the density and biomass varied in different ways in the two lakes. Analyses on functional feeding groups indicate that collector-gatherers were predominant, but the relative abundances of other groups were different. Stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the water depth, conductivity and chlorophyll a were the key factors affecting macrozoobenthic abundance in the lakes.     

Impacts of mariculture practices on the temporal distribution of macrobenthos in Sandu Bay,South China

Sandu Bay is located in the East China Sea and is characterized by high-density fish farming and kelp culture. Despite this, little is known about the impacts of these different mariculture practices on the local environment. We investigated the temporal variation in macrobenthos and environmental conditions at three sites in the bay (fish farming site, kelp culture site, and a control site). We collected water and sediment samples during nine cruises between May 2009 and February 2010. The density of macrobenthos peaked at the fish farming site in July (655 ind./m2) whereas density did not fluctuate as widely at the other two sites. Biomass varied significantly at both the control and kelp culture sites, but had only a single peak at the fish farming site in June (21.90 g/m2). The dominant species varied throughout the study period at the control and kelp culture sites, whereas a single terebellid species (Lysilla pacifica) dominated the macrobenthos at the fish farming site. The diversity index H’ increased at the control site beginning in February then decreased after May, whereas H’ was low at the other sites in December. The mean dissolved oxygen level was highest at the control site (6.59 mg/L) and lowest at the fish farming site (5.54 mg/L). DO levels were lowest at all sites in summer (July and August). The sediment acid volatile sulfide content was higher at the fish farming site (1.46 mg/g dry weight) than those at the kelp culture and control sites (1.22 and 0.14 mg/g, respectively). Our results suggest that mariculture practices have a clear impact on the benthic environment/ community in Sandu Bay.