Species composition and diversity of pelagic fishes based on a longline fishery catch in the North Pacific Ocean

Evaluation of spatial-temporal variability of species composition and diversity in oceanic ecosystems is not easy because it is usually difficult to obtain sufficient data quantifying such variability.In this study,we examined pelagic species diversity indicators,species richness,Shannon-Wiener index of diversity and Hurlbert’s species evenness,for fish assemblages from two areas(north and south) in the North Pacific Ocean(2°±12°N,178°E±165°W) during May±July 2008.The assemblages were based on data collected by an onboard scientific observer during a commercial longline fishing trip.The species richness and Shannon-Wiener diversity index of fish assemblages in the northern area were slightly higher than those in the southern area,although these differences were not significant(t test,P.0.05).Non-parametric multidimensional scaling and analysis of similarities indicated that there were significant differences in fish assemblages between the two areas(P,0.01).     

Historical Evolution of Mariculture in China During Past 40 Years and Its Impacts on Eco-environment

The rapid development of mariculture in China in recent decades has satisfied people's demand of seafood, and has made a great contribution to economic development. However, mariculture has also caused some negative impacts on the eco-environment. By statistically analyzing national data(as well as data for four main provinces) regarding the mariculture area and cultivation species in China since reform and opening up, the historical evolution of mariculture during the past 40 years was analyzed, the driving factors related to policy, market and technology innovation were discussed, and the potential impacts of mariculture on the coastal eco-environment were also illustrated. The statistical results indicated that the maricultural area increased radically during the past 40 years, from 1979(116.47 × 10~3 ha) to 2012(2205.65 × 10~3 ha), with an increase of nearly 20-fold. Shandong Province represented the fastest-growing region, with an increase of 31-fold. Moreover, the cultivated species had gradually become diversified. Initially, shellfish and algae were major species, and then it developed to various species including fish, and currently shellfish and crustaceans were the major species. The development of mariculture was driven by government policies, market economy and technology innovation. Rapid development of mariculture also caused significantly adverse impacts on the eco-environment of the coastal regions. For example, the sea reclamation for mariculture decreased the area and function of coastal wetlands and the contaminants originating from mariculture destroyed the coastal aquatic environment. Fortunately, the implementation of ‘13 th Five-Year Fisheries Planning' is expected to help both improve the seafood quality and reduce the contamination in coastal aquatic environment. This current study will provide reference for management and structure adjustment of mariculture in the future.     

Morphology and phylogeny of Chrysogorgia pinniformis sp.nov.and C.varians sp.nov.,two golden corals from the Caroline seamounts in the tropical Western Pacific Ocean

Two new species of Chrysogorgia Duchassaing Michelotti,1864 collected from the Caroline seamounts in the tropical Western Pacific Ocean are described.Chrysogorgia pinniformis sp.nov.belongs to Versluys' group C(Squamosae typicae) with only scales in polyp body wall and tentacles.C.pinniformis sp.nov.is characterized by large branches pinnately branched and forming multiple fans with its small branches regularly and quasi-dichotomous branched,and scales and rods present in the polyp mouth area.It is most similar to C.pinnata Cairns,2007 by the pinnate trait,but differs from the latter by its group C pattern(vs.group A,Spiculosae) and having sclerites present in the polyp mouth area(vs.absent).Chrysogorgia varians sp.nov.belongs to the Chrysogorgia group A(Spiculosae) with rods distributed in the polyp body wall and tentacles.It is characterized by warty rods and elongated scales in the tentacles,many warts and ridges on the scales,conspicuously toothed margins at the rounded ends in the pinnules,and small rods with ridge-like warts in the polyp mouth area.This species was frequent and abundant in the Caroline seamounts during our cruises and its morphological variability in growth period was obvious.The phylogenetic analyses based on mtMutS and 28 S rDNA regions supported the assignment of the new species to the genus Chrysogorgia.However,the mtMutS marker showed very limited usefulness for species delimitation and inner relationship inference of Chrysogorgia.In contrast,the 28 S rDNA showed much higher level of genetic variation,and it may be a potential barcode for this genus.In the 28 S rDNA trees,the two new species clustered together.Additionally,compilation of our data showed that 42 of 78(ca.54%) Chrysogorgia species were found in the Indo-West Pacific convergent region,indicating that this area may be a hotspot of deep-water Chrysogorgia species.     

DTM在高黎贡山羚牛潜在生境研究中的应用

本文建立了高黎贡山自然保护区北段范围的数字地形模型,并将其应用在濒危珍稀动物——羚牛潜在生境评价研究中。通过叠加羚牛活动区的海拔高度、坡度及植被类型,获得了羚牛的潜在生境区,结合羚牛的生态习性与实地调查资料,选择海拔高度、坡度、植被因子3个指标对其潜在生境的适宜性进行了划分和评价。结果表明:在没有人类活动的影响下,羚牛可在研究区内大部分地区生存。从1974￣2004年,适宜羚牛生存的各等级生境面积逐年减少,而不适宜生境的面积逐年增加。     

Plant community composition and interspecific relationships among dominant species on a post-seismic landslide in Hongchun Gully,China

The 5.12 Earthquake in 2008 and 8.14 Debris Flow in 2010 resulted in large-scale landslides that disturbed vast areas of vegetation in the Hongchun Gully, Wenchuan County, China. To define the specific characteristics of vegetation restoration during natural recovery after catastrophic events,vegetation species composition and interspecific associations were investigated on this typical landslide. Field survey data selected from a total of 51 sample plots belonged to seven belt transects and were analysed by Schluter's variance ratio, pearson's chi-squared test, Spearman's correlation coefficients and ecological species groups. Plant communities on the landslide consisted of 78 species, 65 genera and52 families. Of the total of 78 species, 25 are identified as dominant species, among which Camptotheca acuminate, Toxicodendron vernicifluum, Coriaria nepalensis, Robinia pseudoacacia, Buddleja alternifolia, Anemone vitifolia and Nephrolepis auriculata play a constructive role during the natural afforestation. Moreover, according to environmental and ecological factors, these 25 dominant species could be divided into four ecological species groups.This study found that even though the landslide had frequently suffered from interference due to heavy rain, the vegetation succession processes are ongoing,and it is now at a shrub–herb community succession stage, which indicates that vegetation can naturally recover in the denuded sites. This study provides a useful insight into the ecological interactions and interdependence between plant species during the natural recovery of vegetation and provides valuable information on vegetation recovery modelling in the landslide area.     

Study on the dominant species of Pteropoda in East China Sea

1 INTRODUCTION Pteropoda is a group of marine pelagic mol- lusks, which belongs to Opisthobranchia of Gastro- poda. Although Pteropoda is not a major group in pelagic zooplankton in terms of abundance and number of species, their ecological characters are…     

Combination of ecoprofile and least-cost model for eco-network planning

The protecting requirements and functional connectivity of species in isolated habitat patches are crucial factors of eco-network planning.This study aimed to improve the method of eco-network planning for species conservation.Ecoprofiling was used to group the species by similar behavior types,namely,choice of ecosystem,area requirement,and short distance dispersal abilities.A least-cost model was used to simulate the optimal corridor location to maintain functional connectivity.A combination of ecoprofile and least-cost model was hired to develop an eco-network that promoted species conservation.A case study was also conducted in Bei-jing,China.In addition to the required ecosystem,habitat area is an important parameter for habitat extraction.Habitat area can remove noise habitat patches because of lacking area.Short-distance dispersal can be used to identify corridor requirements and avoid unneces-sary building requirements.Species with various dispersal abilities exhibit significant differences in terms of corridor length and loca-tion requirement.Habitat isolation is the main threat for weakly mobile species,and habitat loss is the major risk of mobile species pro-tection.Different species groups also exhibit distinct landscape pattern demands for an eco-network,and the eco-network planning based on specific species can not protect other species.We proposed that a combination of ecoprofile and least-cost model improved the efficiency of species conservation by eco-network planning.     

Status of two Coreius species in the Three Gorges Reservoir,China

Dam construction alters natural flow regimes which,in turn,cause significant changes in fish communities during and after impoundment. The construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir,from impoundment of the Changjiang(Yangtze) River,China,may have affected native fish species. Thus,the status of two lotic freshwater fish species,Coreius heterodon and C.guichenoti,were monitored in the Three Gorges Reservoir,including fish abundance,individual composition,growth,condition,and mortality. Data on both species were gathered from upstream,midstream and downstream areas of the reservoir and,where available,from studies published before and after dam construction. Lower abundance,slower growth,a less diversified age structure,poorer fish condition(indicated by hepatosomatic index) and higher mortalities were recorded in sites nearest the dam compared with upstream areas. Furthermore,after final impoundment,individual Coreius species inhabiting the area changed,with young individuals becoming more abundant,while upstream of the reservoir the two Coreius species became smaller at a given age. The results show that the status of the two Coreius species was subject to dramatic changes after impoundment.     

Community composition,abundance and biomass of zooplankton in Zhangzi Island waters,Northern Yellow Sea

Samples were collected monthly from the sea area around Zhangzi Island,northern Yellow Sea,from July 2009 to June 2010.Vertical net towing was used to examine spatial and temporal variability in zooplankton abundance and biomass.Overall,C alanus sinicus and Saggita crassa were the dominant species found during the study period,while the amphipod T hemisto gracilipes was dominant in winter and spring.Vast numbers of the ctenophore species of the genus Beroe were found in October and November.It was not possible to count them,but they constituted a large portion of the total zooplankton biomass.Zooplankton species diversity was highest in October,and species evenness was highest in April.Zooplankton abundance(non-jellyfi sh)and biomass were highest in June and lowest in August,with annual averages of 131.3 ind./m3and 217.5 mg/m3,respectively.Water temperature may be responsible for the variations in zooplankton abundance and biomass.B eroe biomass was negatively correlated with other zooplankton abundance.Longterm investigations will be carried out to learn more about the infl uence of the environment on zooplankton assemblages.     

Effects of afforestation on carbon storage in Boyang Lake Basin, China

By using field survey data from the sixth forest inventory of Jiangxi Province in 2003, the biomass and carbon storage for three studied species （Pinus massoniana, Cunninghamia lanceolata, and Pinus elliottii） were estimated in Taihe and Xingguo counties of Boyang Lake Basin, Jiangxi Province, China. The relationship between carbon density and forest age was analyzed by logistic equations. Spatio-temporal dynamics of forest biomass and carbon storage in 1985-2003 were also described. The results show that total stand area of the three forest species was 3.10 × 10^5 ha, total biomass 22.20 Tg, vegetation carbon storage 13.07 Tg C, and average carbon density 42.36 Mg C/ha in the study area in 2003. Carbon storage by forest type in descending order was： P. massoniana, C. lanceolata and P. elliottii. Carbon storage by forest age group in descending order was： middle stand, young stand, near-mature stand and mature stand. Carbon storage by plantation forests was 1.89 times higher than that by natural forests. Carbon density of the three species increased 8.58 Mg C/ha during the study period. The carbon density of Taihe County was higher in the east and west, and lower in the middle. The carbon density of Xingguo County was higher in the northeast and lower in the middle. In general, the carbon density increased with altitude and gradient. Afforestation projects contribute significantly to increasing stand area and carbon storage. Appropriate forest management may improve the carbon sequestration capacity of forest ecosystems.     

Sedimentary characteristics of relict deposits on the western South Yellow Sea

Integrated studies of vertical sedimentary sequences, grain sizes, and benthic foraminifera and ostracoda, in combination with AMS 14C dating, and 210Pb and 137Cs analysis were carried out in three vibracores taken from the area of relict deposits on the western South Yellow Sea. The relict sands, which are about 0.4 m thick, overlie on the Early Holocene coastal marsh or tidal flat deposits with an evident erosional interface in between. The middle and upper parts or sometimes the whole of the relict sands have been reworked under the modern dynamic environment. The sedimentation rate varies between 0.20–0.30 cm year-1. The relict sands show a bimodal grain-size distribution pattern in frequency curves, with a sharp peak in the coarse fraction between 3Φ and 4Φ and a secondary peak in the fine fraction of about 7Φ. Of the benthic foraminiferal and ostracod assemblages, the reworked relict sands are characterized by the mixing of the nearshore euryhaline shallow-water species and deeper water species. The erosional interface at the bottom of the relict sands is considered as a regional ravinement surface formed during the transgression in the Early Holocene due to shoreface retreating landwards. The relict sands were accumulated on the ravinement surface during the transgression in the deglaciation period as lag deposits after winnowing and reworking by marine dynamic processes. And the secondary peak of fine fraction in the frequency curve for the relict sands suggests the input of fine-grained sediments during the reworking process. As the conclusion, the relict sands in the study area are interpreted as a type of reworked relict sediments.     

The distribution of green algal micro-propagules and macroalgae at the early stage of green tide in the coastal area of South Jiangsu Province in 2014

An integrated investigation was carried out during late April to late May of 2014 in the coastal area of South Jiangsu Province to understand the early development of green tide in the Yellow Sea and discover the temporal and spatial distribution of green algal micro-propagules and macroalgae at the early stage of green tide. The results showed that green algal micro-propagules distributed in all stations from late April to late May, and micro-propagules of high density( 300 ind. L~(-1)) concentrated in the adjacent Porphyra aquaculture area. Floating macroalgae were initially observed in the northern survey areas, and increased gradually. The dominant species was U. prolifera in the floating macroalgae, ranging between 90% and 100%. The seawater surface temperature and salinity in the above mentioned time period were suitable for the growth of macroalgae. This work can help government to strengthen management to reduce the blooms of macroalgae in the coastal area of South Jiangsu Province and also facilitate the decision-making for managers at the early stage of green tide.     

Preliminary description of diatom community and its relationship with water physicochemical variables in Qixinghe Wetland

Wetlands play a very important role in ecosystems. Qixinghe Wetland is a nature reserve area in northeastern China. In this paper, diatom communities and environmental qualities were investigated at eight sites in Qixinghe Wetland. This study was to examine diatom species patterns in relation to environmental variables in wetlands, and to use diatoms as indicators to water quality in wetlands and wetland classification. Diatoms were sampled in summers and autumns in 2002 and 2004, during which 180 taxa were identified. Environmental variations in pH, temperature, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were measured. The seasonal composition and abundance of diatoms changed greatly during the study period. The relationship between diatoms and chemical water quality was estimated statistically. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) with forward selection and Monte Carlo permutation tests revealed that all water environmental variables changed during the study period (P<0.05). Among all the parameters, variation in BOD among the sites was a very important determinant of species composition according to the CCA, and BOD decreased from 2002 to 2004. Our results suggest that the water quality had improved during the three-year period because of enhanced environmental protection with less human disturbance. We conclude that diatoms can be used to indicate water quality and habitat conditions in this wetland.     

Area-corrected species richness patterns of vascular plants along a tropical elevational gradient

The relationship between species richness and elevation is a hot issue in ecology and has been documented extensively. It is widely accepted that area size can significantly affect this relationship and thus mask the effects of other predictors. Despite the importance of the relationship between species richness and elevation while accounting for the area effect, it is insufficiently studied. Here, we evaluated area-corrected species richness patterns of all vascular plants as well as six vascular plant subgroups (seed plants, ferns, trees, shrubs, herbs and vines) along a tropical elevational gradient (Hainan Island, China). If assessed in equal-elevation bands, uncorrected species richness showed bell-shaped curves, while area-corrected species richness assessed in equal-area bands appeared to increase monotonically due to the small proportion of highlands on Hainan Island. The mid-domain effect (MDE) was significantly correlated with both uncorrected and area-corrected species richness. On Hainan Island, the use of equal-area elevational bands increased the explanatory power of MDE. These findings provide useful insights to adjust for the area effect and highligh t the need to use equalarea bands along the elevational gradient.     

Anomozamites (Bennettitales) from Middle Jurassic Haifanggou Formation,western Liaoning,China

The Middle Jurassic Hangfanggou Formation is well exposed in Shangsanjiao and Xiasanjiao villages area,Baimashi town of Huludao,western Liaoning,China.Recently,abundant fossil plants were collected from the Hangfanggou Formation.One new species,Anomozamites sanjiaocunensis sp.nov.(Bennettitales),is described in this study.This is the first report of the genus Anomozamites from the Haifanggou Formation based upon the leaf morphology and epidermal structures.The discovery of the new species extends significantly the stratigraphic and geographic distribution of Anomozamites in the Middle Jurassic.It also shows that Anomozamites was a common member of Bennettitales once lived in the Middle Jurassic warm temperate region.The new species also improves the knowledge on understanding the leaf morphology,epidermal features and the diversity of Anomozamites during the Middle Jurassic.The epidermal characters of the new species and its associated plants reveal that the plants grew in a warm and moderately humid environment in the warm temperate zone.The presence of some deciduous plants,such as ginkgoaleans,czekanowskialeans and conifers,indicate the climate with seasonal fluctuations in temperature.     

山东莱阳盆地中华弓鳍鱼的发现及其在地层上的意义

1984年以来,我队开展了1:20万莱阳幅区域地质测量的修测工作。为了配合野外的地质工作,我组对莱阳盆地莱阳组的各门类化石进行了采集。在莱阳县团旺镇团旺村西采集到一批鱼化石,它们产于莱阳组的中上部黄绿、灰绿色砂质页岩中。所采鱼化石保存较好的不多,经笔者初步鉴定,多数为狼鳍鱼(Lycoptera),主要是中华狼鳍鱼(Lycoptera sinensis),但是还有一块鱼化石为中华弓鳍鱼属(Sinamia)。这种鱼化石在本区是首次发现。这一新的发现,丰富了本地区的鱼化石种类,同时对中华弓鳍鱼的地理分布有新的补充,有助于对这类鱼化石的进一步研究,而且还为我国华北地区中生代后期地层对比提供了     

A potential engineering solution to facilitate upstream movement of fish in mountain rivers with weirs: Southern Carpathians,the Azuga River

An important aspect in the restoration of longitudinal connectivity in rivers and streams is the implementation of fish migration systems at the upstream of the functional hydraulic structures(weirs,drop structures or river sills). The diversity of these existing structures as well as the different locations of these weirs within the river, watershed and riparian zone challenge the design engineers to find new holistic solutions for fish migration systems. The Azuga River study area requires a new synergistic fish migration design system. Being a mountain area,rapid increase in water level is quite frequent,especially after heavy or prolonged rainfalls and during spring snow melt. Therefore, it is necessary to design a specific system for fish migration to meet this location's requirements. Due to the characteristics in this location of the Azuga river, the classic fish migration systems would not be functional. The indigenous/mountain trout is considered as the target species in this paper. Although this is a good swimming species, the use of classical systems could,due to exhaustion, prevent and/or reduce the movement of fish upstream of the two weirs(also known as river sills). This new, comprehensive solution, presented in this paper includes:(i) the restoration and stabilization works of the right bank in the weir study area by using biotechnical measures and(ii) the upstream migration system itself-for supporting the migration of fish on the Azuga River.     

Characteristics of Algal Succession Following Rock Scraping at Imwon Area in the East Coast of Korea

This study was conducted to clarify the characteristics of algal succession following rock scraping using hoe or high-pressure water sprayer in the period from June 2010 to April 2011. We divided the research area off the eastern coast of Korean near Imwon into 3 categories depending upon the severity of the barren ground, i.e., the urchin barren-affected, urchin barren-ongoing and urchin barren-free areas. In April 2011, in the urchin barren-affected area with 25 seaweed species, the cover percentage and importance value(IV) of crustose coralline algae were higher than those of other species. In the urchin barren-ongoing area with 33 seaweed species, crustose coralline algae(mean IV = 62%) as well as Sargassum sp.(mean IV = 28%), and Gelidium amansii(mean IV = 19%) were observed following rock scraping. In the urchin barren-free area where seaweed communities were relatively abundant with 42 species, a variety of algal species including G. amansii(mean IV = 32%) underwent algal succession. Overall, it was observed that, as an aspect of algal succession, the weaker the barren ground severity was, the more frequent and diverse the seaweeds were, and the more complex the succession pattern was in the study. As an aspect of recovering algal community, rock scraping using hoe was shown to be superior to the method using high-pressure water spraying. Therefore, we conclude that rock scraping using hoe is a very effective strategy for recovering the algal community in urchin barren-ongoing area.     

Effect of geojute technique on density,diversity and carbon stock of plant species in landslide site of North West Himalaya

Mountainous regions of the globe experience landslides due to heavy rainfall and unplanned construction on slopes. Geojute is adopted globally as a landslide rehabilitation measure, but its impact on natural vegetation development is poorly understood. The present study was conducted to examine the impact of geojute application on vegetation restoration, ecology and carbon stock in a recently occurred landslide, during 2012. The results revealed that the geojute application improved the richness, diversity, density and basal area of plant species at the landslide site. Likewise, biomass production, carbon stock and carbon sequestration of plant species was observed significantly higher in geojute treatments compared to control (without geojute treatment). Moreover, significant improvement in soil moisture was recorded beneath the geojute treatments. Further, results showed that the geojute is highly effective in controlling soil erosion at the landslide site. The findings of this study revealed ecological and environmental benefits of geojute application in term of improvement in vegetation recovery processes, species diversity and carbon sequestration at the landslide site. The scientific outcome of this study can be helpful for planning the rehabilitation measures in landslide affected regions of the globe.