A benthic index of biological integrity for assessing habitat quality in estuaries of the southeastern USA

A benthic index of biotic integrity was developed for use in estuaries of the southeastern USA (Cape Henry, VA; St. Lucie Inlet, FL) using a modification of the method developed by Weisberg et al. (1997. An estuarine benthic index of biotic integrity (B-IBI) for Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries, 20 (1), 149–158). Data from non-degraded stations sampled in 1993 and 1994 were analyzed using classification analysis of species composition to define major habitat types relative to selected physical parameters. Various benthic metrics were then tested on a larger 1994 data set for each major habitat to determine those that discriminated between non-degraded and degraded sites classified on the basis of dissolved oxygen, sediment chemistry, and sediment toxicity results. Scoring criteria for each metric were developed based on the distribution of values at non-degraded sites. Average scores from different combinations of the most sensitive metrics were compared to derive the final index, which integrates the average scores of four metrics (number of taxa, abundance, dominance, and percent sensitive taxa). An independent data set representing sites sampled in 1993 and 1995 was used to validate the index. The final combined index correctly classified 93% of stations province-wide in the developmental data set and 75% of stations in the validation data set. Comparison of the index results with those of individual benthic measures and sediment bioassays from stations sampled in 1993 and 1995 showed that the index detected a higher percentage of samples where bioeffects were expected (based on sediment chemistry) than did any of these other measures individually.     

The Trophic Contributions of Rotifers in Tidal Freshwater and Estuarine Habitats

Distribution patterns and trophic contributions of rotifers from freshwater through polyhaline estuarine waters were examined in the southern Chesapeake Bay and its major tributaries for a two-year period. Trichocerca marina and Synchaeta spp. were the major taxa in abundance, followed by Polyarthra vulgaris, Keratella cochlearis and Brachionus spp. There was a significant negative correlation between salinity and rotifer density, biomass, and number of species. Rotifers were a component of the microzooplankton biomass during specific periods and at particular sites, dominating summer assemblages in tidal freshwater and river–estuary transition sites, plus the winter communities in estuarine waters. This observation indicates that rotifers may play an important trophic role by seasonally replacing metazoan nauplii as a biomass source in both tidal freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. The annual contribution of rotifers to the total microzooplankton biomass exclusive of heterotrophic dinoflagellates was brief but intensive, achieving over 50% of annual biomass during a 2–3 month period. Despite the small annual mean contribution of rotifers to the total microzooplankton biomass, rotifers may have a limited, but significant impact on the trophic dynamics of the zooplankton community in Chesapeake Bay and its major tidal tributaries.     

Dissolved inorganic and organic iodine in the Chesapeake Bay and adjacent Atlantic waters: Speciation changes through an estuarine system

The distributions of iodate, iodide and dissolved organic iodine (DOI) were determined in two deep sub-basins in the Chesapeake Bay, the shallow waters at the mouth of the Bay and the adjacent North Atlantic between the late spring and the early fall along the net flow-path of the water entering and exiting the Chesapeake Bay by using an improved analytical scheme designed for the quantitative recovery of DOI. The concentration of R-DOI found in the surface mixed layer in the upper Bay was about twice of those found at the same location in previous studies. (R-X was the concentration of a dissolved iodine species X that had been normalized to a constant salinity of 35.) Thus, DOI in estuarine waters might have been underestimated significantly in the earlier studies. Following the water along its net flow-path, iodate initially constituted more than 60% of total iodine (TI) in the source water in the Middle Atlantic Bight off the Delmarva Peninsula. As this water entered the Chesapeake Bay through the northern part of its mouth, the concentration of R-iodate decreased while that of R-iodide increased progressively until the former became undetectable in the surface mixed layer while the latter reached a maximum of 0.42 μM in the deep water in the upper Bay. Then, the concentration of R-iodate rebounded while that of R-iodide decreased in the outflowing water that exited through the southern part of the mouth of the Bay and was later entrained by the Gulf Stream. The concentration of R-DOI in the surface waters followed the same pattern as R-iodide and reached a maximum of 0.20 μM in the upper Bay. However, R-DOI was depleted in the deep water in the sub-basins. Its concentration dropped to around the detection limit in the suboxic waters in the upper Bay. R-TI in the Bay far exceeded that in the incoming Middle Atlantic Bight water and reached 0.55 μM in the upper Bay. These distributions of the iodine species suggest that, as water from the Middle Atlantic Bight intruded into the Chesapeake Bay, in the well oxygenated surface mixed layer, iodate was reduced to iodide, and the inorganic iodine species could also be converted to DOI. In the deep water, iodate and DOI were converted to iodide. Superimposed on these inter-conversions among the iodine species, dissolved iodine, possibly in the form of iodide, was also added to the water column from the underlying sediments and the process was especially significant in the suboxic deep water in the upper Bay. Mixing between the surface mixed layer and the deep water could also have increased the concentrations of iodide and total iodine in the former.     

Occurrence of copepod carcasses in the lower Chesapeake Bay and their decomposition by ambient microbes

We tested and refined the Neutral Red staining method for separating live and dead copepods in natural samples. Live copepods were stained red whereas dead copepods remained unstained. The staining results were not affected by method of killing, time of death or staining time. Tow duration had no significant effect on the percent dead copepods collected. The Neutral Red staining method was applied to study the occurrence of dead copepods along the York River and the Hampton River in the lower Chesapeake Bay during June–July, 2005. The zooplankton community was dominated by copepods; on average 29% of the copepod population appeared dead. Recovery of percent dead copepods did not differ between horizontal tows and vertical tows, suggesting that dead copepods were homogenously distributed in the water column. No significant relationship was found between the percent dead copepods and surface water temperature, salinity, Secchi depth or chlorophyll concentration. In laboratory experiments, dead copepods were decomposed by ambient bacteria and the rate of decomposition was temperature-dependent. Combining field and laboratory results we estimated that the non-consumptive mortality (mortality not due to predation) of copepods in the lower Chesapeake Bay was 0.12 d⁻¹ under steady-state condition, which is within the global average of copepod mortality rate.     

荣成湾毗邻海域浮游动物群落季节分布特征

利用2009年度4个季度月的现场调查资料研究了荣成湾毗邻海域浮游动物群落的季节分布特征。研究表明, 在荣成湾毗邻海域出现的浮游动物共59个种类, 秋季、夏季和春季浮游动物均为30种以上(依次为38种、35种和32种), 而冬季种类数相对较少(22种)。浮游动物优势种主要为强壮箭虫(Aidanosagitta crassa)、中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)、小拟哲水蚤(Paracalanus parvus)和拟长腹剑水蚤(Oithona similis)等种类, 其个体丰度的空间和季节分布特征差异较大。浮游动物湿重生物量冬季最高(433.8 mg/m3), 春季(220.7 mg/m3)和秋季(162.4 mg/m3)次之, 而夏季(52.5 mg/m3)相对较低。浮游动物群落物种多样性指数H′年平均值为2.50, 均匀性指数J′年平均值为0.65, 季节比较上, 夏季浮游动物多样性和均匀度均较高, 而春季多样性和均匀性平均值为低值, 且最大值和最小值之间波动范围较大。进一步分析显示, 湾内的筏架养殖对浮游动物群落的分布有显著影响。     

渤海湾近岸海域浮游动物多样性

2004~2009年每年1~2次对渤海湾近岸海域选定站位进行采样,分析了其浮游动物的种类组成及种类多样性。结果表明,渤海湾近岸海域共鉴定出浮游动物9大类48种,主要种类为近岸低盐种,优势种主要为强壮箭虫(Sagitta crassa)、中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)、大同拟长腹剑水蚤(Oithona similes)、小拟哲水蚤(Paracalanus parvus)和双刺纺锤水蚤(Acartia bifilosa)。通过不同年份渤海湾近岸海域浮游动物物种丰度、多样性指数、均匀度指数、优势度的对比,发现渤海湾海域生物环境质量在2007年前呈下降趋势,2007年后呈回升趋势。渤海湾近岸海域南部断面的浮游动物多样性指数呈减小趋势,北部断面的浮游动物多样性呈增大趋势。     

基于多种生物指数的中国渤海莱州湾海域底栖生境健康评价

As an important part of the Bohai economic rim, the Laizhou Bay has been stressed by serious eco-environmental problems in recent years. In this study, the Shannon-Wiener index(H′), AZTI's marine biotic index(AMBI) and the multivariate AMBI(M-AMBI) were used to assess the ecological quality status(EQS) of the Laizhou Bay according to macrobenthos data collected annually in August 2011–2014. The results showed that the overall benthic habitat quality in the Laizhou Bay was assessed as "Good". However, 25% of the samples were classified as"Moderate", "Bad" or "Poor" status under degraded conditions. Ecological group Ⅲ(EGⅢ) species which had a certain tolerance to environmental disturbances had a higher proportion in each station, and most of them had appeared the pollution indicator species Capitella capitata. This indicated that the benthic habitat in the Laizhou Bay had been disturbed and polluted to some extent. The comparison of the three indices evaluation result and the RDA analysis showed that the H′ and M-AMBI were more suitable when the relative abundance of the single species was high and the macrobenthic community was significantly imbalanced; when the relative abundance of opportunistic species(EGIV and EGV) was high, the AMBI and M-AMBI could reflected the EQS objectively; in an undisturbed and polluted environment, all the three indices could indicate the benthic habitats quality. In summary, the better correlation between the three indices and environmental factors showed that they were well responsive to the tendency of the benthic habitats quality in the Laizhou Bay.     

胶州湾水域有机农药HCH的分布及水质标准

根据1986年4、7和10月的胶州湾水域调查资料,通过对有机农药HCH在胶州湾水域的分布、来源和季节变化的分析,研究结果表明：HCH含量在整个胶州湾水域都非常低,在这1 a中都〈0.100μg/L,在胶州湾水域HCH含量都优于国家一类海水水质标准,水质在HCH含量方面更加清洁;水体中HCH的表层含量已经没有季节变化,这...     

2007年夏季黄河口及其邻近水域浮游动物的群落特征

利用2007年夏季在黄河口及其邻近水域以浅水Ⅰ型浮游生物网采集的浮游动物样品,对浮游动物种类组成、丰度分布和群落结构进行分析;同时结合环境参数,初步探讨浮游动物与环境因子的关系.结果显示:夏季共鉴定浮游动物52种(不包括浮游幼体20类),浮游动物平均丰度为4769.6 ind/m3,香农-威纳指数和均匀度指数分别为2.34和0.48.浮游动物优势种类为:柱头幼虫(tornaria larvae)、小拟哲水蚤(Paracalanus parvus)、中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)、强壮箭虫(Sagitta crassa)和双毛纺锤水蚤(Acartia bifilosa).其中体长较小(0.7～1.1mm)的柱头幼虫和小拟哲水蚤是最重要的优势种类.据各站位浮游动物种类组成和丰度,用聚类分析法可将该水域浮游动物划分为3个组群.相关性分析表明,影响黄河口及邻近水域浮游动物群落结构的主要环境因子组合为底温、表盐和水深.     

海南岛近岸海域夏初浮游动物与环境因子的关系

根据2011年夏初在海南岛近岸海域采集的浮游动物样本,分析了该海域浮游动物的种类组成、优势种类、丰度、生态类群,生物多样性及均匀度,并对浮游动物与环境因子之间的关系进行了探讨。海南岛近岸海域共鉴定出终生性浮游动物164种,阶段性浮游幼体11个类群,其中以桡足类的种类最多,40属82种。优势种主要有棘皮动物幼体Echinodermata larva、鸟喙尖头溞Penilia avirostris、异体住囊虫Oikopleura dioica、长尾类幼体Macrura larva、肥胖软箭虫Ferosagitta enflata、羽长腹剑水蚤Oithona plumifera、小齿海樽Doliolum denticulatum、中型莹虾Lucifer intermedius、泡抱球虫Globigerina bulloides、微驼隆哲水蚤Acrocalanus gracilis等。海南岛近岸海域浮游动物丰度平均值为1 348.68ind/m3,东部海域浮游动物丰度最高,由近岸向远岸呈递减趋势,而北部湾海域和南部海域由近岸向远岸则呈先增后减的趋势。夏初由于受沿岸流和南海暖流的影响,海南岛近岸海域的生态类群以暖水沿岸种和广布暖水外海种为主。浮游动物多样性指数和均匀度平均值为3.03和0.72,东部海域的多样性指数和均匀度较低,主要原因是阶段性浮游幼体的偶然性暴发。相关性分析显示,海南岛近岸海域浮游动物丰度与pH值呈极显著负相关(p0.05,r=-0.360);与浮游植物丰度(PA)呈极显著正相关(p0.01,r=0.395);与盐度、DO、CODMn、NO3-N浓度、NH4-N浓度、PO4-P浓度成正相关,与温度、NO2-N浓度、SiO3-Si浓度呈负相关。     

Species Diversity and Abundance Distribution of Pelagic Siphonophores in Nan Wan Bay of Taiwan, China, in Late Autumn and Early Winter

Zooplankton surveys were carried out on November 2-3 and December 8-10, 2001 at 12 stations in the Nan Wan Bay of Taiwan, China. Altogether 92 quantitative zooplankton samples were collected from subsurface water and bottom water layers with two conical plankton nets （180 cm in length, 45 cm in opening diameter, 333μm and 200 larn in mesh size）. A total of 31 species of Siphonophores were identified, among them 7 species are new records in the waters around Taiwan Island, of which Rocacea cymbiformis is a new record in China. Dominated by Chelophyes appendiculata, Bassia bassensis, Diphyes bojani, Diphyes dispar, Abylopsis eschscholtzi and Chelophyes contorta, these species accounted for over 76 % and 63 % of the total abundance in November and December. The species number and Siphonophores abundance in December （25 species, 1.99 inds/m3） were more than those in November （19 species, 0.438 inds/m3）, and they were more in the surface water layer than in the bottom layer at most sampling stations. In early winter, the offshore high salinity water mass was a main factor influencing the distribution. The sampling efficiency for two plankton nets is discussed and the seasonal variation of species number and abundance in the Nan Wan Bay is compared with that in the neighboring waters.     

Nitrate reductase activity and the speciation of selenium at the mouth of Chesapeake bay

Nitrate reductase activity and the concentrations of selenite and selenate were monitored for six months at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay (USA). A positive correlation was found between nitrate reductase activity and the concentration of selenite, suggesting that selenite may be formed in coastal waters and nitrate reductase may be involved in the process.     

Water quality assessment at Jinhae Bay and Gwangyang Bay,South Korea

A new water quality index for evaluating the water quality of Jinhae Bay and Gwangyang Bay was developed. Four water quality parameters were selected as water quality indicators for the water quality index: dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and dissolved oxygen (DO). Reference levels of DIN, DIP, and Chl-a were determined as 6.22 μmol L^?1, 0.38 μmol L^?1, and 2.32 μmol L^?1, respectively, on the basis of a long-term dataset that was collected monthly in the Korea Strait over a period of seven years (2006–2012). The water quality index established for Jinhae Bay and Gwangyang Bay is (bottom DO grade × 0.33) + (surface Chl-a grade × 0.33) + (surface DIN grade × 0.17) + (surface DIP grade × 0.17). On the basis of a three-year observation, the water quality of Jinhae Bay was classified as “good” in winter and spring, “poor” in summer, and “fair” in autumn and exhibited large spatial variation, with the lowest-quality water observed in Masan Bay. The water quality of Gwangyang Bay was classified as “good” in winter, “fair” in spring, “poor” in summer, and “fair” in autumn. Unlike Jinhae Bay, the water quality of Gwangyang Bay exhibited minimal spatial variation. In both bays, water quality among the four seasons was worse during summer. It is essential that a survey for water quality evaluation be conducted during summer.     

基于3种生物指数的三沙湾养殖活动底栖环境效应研究

为考察我国东海区最为典型养殖海湾三沙湾养殖活动的底栖环境效应，本研究根据2016年8月航次41个样品采集站位的数据，分析香农-威纳多样性指数（Shannon-Wiener index，H'）、海洋生物指数AMBI（AZTI's Marine Biotic Index）和多变量海洋生物指数M-AMBI（Multivariate-AMBI）在4种典型水域（网箱、海藻、鲍鱼养殖和无养殖水域）间的差异及其与沉积物环境因子（δ15N、δ13C、C/N比、总有机碳、总氮、总磷、硫化物、含水率和粉粒-黏粒比例）的相关性。结果表明，航次共采集74种大型底栖生物，H'介于0~3.51；物种多属环境敏感类型（AMBI方法中EGⅠ和EGⅡ生态组），AMBI指数介于0~4.13，M-AMBI指数介于0.30~0.77。3种生物指数的分布水平表明此海域总体底栖生态质量良好，仅在局部水域存在显著扰动。Kruskal-Wallis检验显示仅H'在不同类型水域之间存在显著差异（P<0.05），后续配对检验（Pairwise comparision）显示大黄鱼养殖水域H'显著高于海藻养殖水域（P<0.01）。基于斯皮尔曼秩相关系数（Spearman correlation coefficient）的相关性分析表明仅H'和M-AMBI指数分别与总磷存在显著相关性（P<0.05）。聚类分析（Cluster analysis）结果显示不同类型站位在聚类图中随机分布，聚类结果未体现出采样水域的差异性。综上，基于3种生物指数的分析结果显示三沙湾内网箱等典型养殖活动未对区域底栖生境质量造成显著影响。     

2018?2019年舟山近海浮游动物群落结构春季年际变化及其与水团的关系

根据2018?2019年春季两个航次在舟山近海进行的浮游生物调查结果，对舟山近海的浮游动物群落结构(类群组成、优势种数量)年际变化进行了研究，利用典范对应分析(Canonical Correspondence Analysis, CCA)研究了两年春季浮游动物类群组成差异、优势种变化的原因，初步探讨了春季浮游动物群落结构动态变化的机制。结果表明:根据表层温度(Sea Surface Temperature，SST)、表层盐度(Sea Surface Salinity，SSS)的聚类分析，将该区域分为3个水团:杭州湾内水团(I区)、舟山本岛上升流水团II区)、舟山近海水团(III区)。不同水团对浮游动物类群组成影响显著，引起2018年和2019年春季3个水团区差异的主要贡献种(贡献率>10%)均为中华哲水蚤，同一水团两年间年际差异的贡献种如下:I区为捷氏歪水蚤(56.91%)和真刺唇角水蚤(12.34%)；II区为中华哲水蚤(72.64%)、五角水母(13.35%)；III区为中华哲水蚤(41.93%)、夜光虫(22.94%)。CCA分析表明，第1 CCA轴(CCA1)和第2 CCA轴(CCA2)共解释了两年春季浮游动物优势种累计方差的46.14%和物种?环境累计方差的97.82%。CCA1主要反映了空间(近海水团和湾内水团)的差异。CCA2主要反映了2018年和2019年站位的年际差异。盐度是影响春季浮游动物群落结构空间差异的主要因素，而温度、叶绿素a浓度是春季浮游动物群落结构年际差异的主要因素。     

2019–2020年夏季舟山海域浮游动物优势种生态位及其生态分化

为了解舟山海域浮游动物种间关系及环境因子变化对优势种生态位分化的影响,根据2019年夏季和2020年夏季舟山海域浮游动物调查资料,利用优势度指数判断该海域浮游动物优势种,运用Shannon公式和Pianka公式分析浮游动物优势种生态位宽度和生态位重叠指数,采用冗余分析方法探究影响舟山海域浮游动物优势种生态位分化的主要环境因子。结果表明,舟山海域2019年、2020年浮游动物优势种更替率为66.67%。根据舟山海域浮游动物优势种生态位宽度值,可将其分为广生态位种、中生态位种、窄生态位种,2019年广生态位种有4种,2020年有6种,分别占浮游动物优势种的66.67%和60.00%,表明广生态位种是舟山海域浮游动物优势种的主要组成成分。2019年浮游动物优势种生态位重叠指数范围为0.11～0.79,2020年生态位重叠指数范围为0～0.98。冗余分析表明,2019年浮游动物优势种生态位分化主要受硅酸盐浓度、化学需氧量、温度和叶绿素a浓度的影响,2020年浮游动物优势种生态位分化主要受硅酸盐和溶解氧浓度的影响。该研究有望进一步了解舟山海域浮游动物群落的种间关系,为阐述浮游动物对环境变化的适应机制等研究提供数据基础和科学依据。     

Determining the age of water and long-term transport timescale of the Chesapeake Bay

The concept of age of water (AW) is applied to the Chesapeake Bay to investigate the long-term transport properties for dissolved substances. A real-time calibrated hydrodynamic Chesapeake Bay model in 3 Dimensions (CH3D), employing a boundary-fitted curvilinear grid, is used for the study. The long-term transport properties, represented by AW, are investigated under the conditions of low river inflow of 1995 and high river inflow of 1996, as well as for constant mean inflows. The influences of freshwater, density-induced circulation, and wind-induced transport on age distribution have been investigated. Model results show that river inflows, wind stress, and density-induced circulation play important roles in controlling the long-term transport in the Bay. The model results shows that it requires 120–300 days for a marked change in the characteristics of the pollutant source discharged into the Bay from the Susquehanna River to affect significantly the conditions near the mouth under different hydrodynamic conditions. An increase of river discharge results in increases of downstream residual current and gravitational circulation, and thus reduces AW. The density-induced circulation contributes to the transport substantially. The dissolved substances discharged into the Bay are transported out of the Bay more rapidly when the estuary becomes more stratified. Southeasterly and southwesterly winds have strong impacts on the transport compared to the northeasterly and northwesterly winds. The former increases lateral and vertical mixing significantly. Consequently, the gravitational circulation is reduced and the transport time is increased by 50%. The model results provide useful information for understanding the long-term transport processes in the Bay.     

Ecological classification of European transitional waters in the North-East Atlantic eco-region

A new methodology to classify European North-East Atlantic transitional waters into ecological types has been developed based on the most important hydrological and morphological features that are likely to determine the ecology of aquatic systems in transitional waters. Hydrological indicators help identifying if a transitional water area is dominated by fresh or sea water and/or by intertidal or subtidal areas, while morphological indicators allow an estimation of the complexity of the transitional water and the diversity of the habitats involved. Twelve transitional waters of the southern Bay of Biscay were classified using this methodology and the five hydro-morphological types obtained were validated with benthic macro-invertebrate data. Transitional waters with a complex morphology showed the highest values of species diversity, while those with a smaller tidal influence showed lower species diversity. The ‘Scrobicularia’ and ‘Abra’ assemblages, previously identified in the study area, were found to be related to different types of transitional waters. The ‘Abra’ assemblage only appeared in estuaries with a complex morphology and dominated by tidal influences, while the ‘Scrobicularia’ assemblage was detected in all the transitional waters except for a single coastal lagoon. This classification of transitional waters may therefore be useful to establish the biological reference conditions needed for European Directives.     

A nitrogen and phosphorus dynamic model of mesocosm pelagic ecosystem in the Jiaozhou Bay in China

A nitrogen and phosphorus dynamic model of mesocosm pelagic ecosystem was established according to the summary and synthesis of the models available, in which seven state variables （DIN, PO4-P, DON, DOP, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus） were included. Logically it had five modules--phytoplankton, zooplankton, dissolved inorganic nutrients, dissolved organic nutrients and detritus. The results showed that this model could simulate the variations of DIN, PO4-P, DON, DOP, POC and phytoplankton biomass in pelagic ecosystem in mesocosm properly, based on the site experiment data in the Jiaozhou Bay in the autumn of 1999 and the summer of 2000. Not only the logical structure but also the model parameters were feasible, and about 20 parameters were made to fit for the Jiaozhou Bay during the simulation. All of these are necessary to study the control mechanism of nutrients biogeochemical cycling in the Jiaozhou Bay and other China＇ s coastal waters.     

福清湾及附近海域浮游动物的数量和分布

本文分析了2005年10月和2006年5月在福清湾及其附近海域采集的浮游动物样品,结果表明,福清湾已鉴定的浮游动物有64种,10类浮游幼体.分为4个生态类群,包括河口低盐类群,近岸暖温类群,近岸暖水类群和广布外海类群.浮游动物物种多样性指数春季高于秋季.春季浮游动物总个体数均值为(161ind/m3)高于秋季的(83ind/m3),春季生物量均值为(67.7mg/m3)低于秋季的(87.7mg/m3);浮游动物总个体数的平面分布,春季湾内西部水域最高,海坛海峡最少;秋季福清湾东部水域最高,湾内西部水域最少.浮游动物生物量和总个体数的平面分布趋势基本一致.另外还对浮游动物的分布与环境因子的关系进行了分析.