Response of rotifer community to environmental changes in five shallow lakes in the middle reach of Changjiang River,China

We evaluated the response of a rotifer community to environmental changes in five shallow lakes in the middle reach of the Changjiang （Yangtze） River in summer and autumn 2010. These five lakes differed in trophic status and rotifer community structure. Twenty-nine rotifer species were collected, of which Keratella cochlearis, Polyarthra dolichoptera, and Trichocerca elongate were dominant. The mean density, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and equitability among the five lakes differed significantly （P〈0.05）. The mean rotifer density was positively correlated with trophic state. The diversity was higher in lakes with high macrophyte coverage. The composition of rotifer species was closely associated with the trophic gradient. Five environmental variables, Secchi depth, conductivity, TN, NHa-N, and TP, significantly affected the composition of rotifer species. Keratella quadrata, Brachionus calyciflorus, and B. forficula were more common in eutrophic conditions. Our results suggest that eutrophication has a significant influence on the rotifer community structure and highlight the potential for using rotifer community structure as an indicator of trophic status in subtropical lakes.     

Distribution of microbial populations and their relationship with environmental variables in the North Yellow Sea, China

In order to understand the large-scale spatial distribution characteristics of picoplankton,nanophytoplankton and virio-plankton and their relationship with environmental variables in coastal and offshore waters,flow cytometry(FCM) was used to ana-lyze microbial abundance of samples collected in summer from four depths at 36 stations in the North Yellow Sea(NYS).The data revealed spatial heterogeneity in microbial populations in the offshore and near-shore waters of the NYS during the summer.For the surface layer,picoeukaryotes were abundant in the near-shore waters,Synechococcus was abundant in the offshore areas,and bacte-rial and viral abundances were high in the near-shore waters around the Liaodong peninsula.In the near-shore waters,no significant vertical variation of picophytoplankton(0.2-2μm) abundance was found.However,the nanophytoplankton abundance was higher in the upper layers(from the surface to 10 m depth) than in the bottom layer.For the offshore waters,both pico-and nanophytoplankton(2-20μm) abundance decreased sharply with depth in the North Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(NYSCWM).But,for the vertical dis-tribution of virus and bacteria abundance,no significant variation was observed in both near-shore and offshore waters.Autotrophic microbes were more sensitive to environmental change than heterotrophic microbes and viruses.Viruses showed a positive correla-tion with bacterial abundance,suggesting that the bacteriophage might be prominent for virioplankton(about 0.45μm) in summer in the NYS and that viral abundance might play an important role in microbial loop functions.     

Relative abundance of biotic communities of plankton and zoobenthos in three ox-bow lakes of Eastern India

We made comparative studies of three tropical ox-bow lakes in India with different trophic states. The species number of zooplanktons was negatively correlated with the degree of water eutrophication, and lakes of similar trophic status had higher similarity of species. The most significant differences of species composition were observed with rotifers and zoobenthos. The density and biomass of phytoplankton, rotifers, oligochaetes and chironomids tended to increase with increasing nutrients. We observed a significant difference of dominant species in different waters, especially the eutrophic lake, which was dominated by a few species of oligochaetes. The abundance of Tanypus bilobatus showed a highly significant correlation with the degree of eutrophication. Rotifers and zoobenthos showed considerably lower biodiversity in the eutrophic lake.     

Comparison of fungal community composition within different intestinal segments of tilapia and bighead carp

Although intestinal fungi play important roles in host health and disease,the composition and diversity of fungal communities remain poorly reported in fish.In this study,fungi in the fore-,mid-,and hindintestine of tilapia(Oreochromis mossambicus) and bighead carp(Aristichthys nobilis) from Hongchaojiang Reservoir in Guangxi,China were investigated by ITS sequencing.Based on this,we obtained 1 763 478 high-quality tags,which clustered into 1 089 operational taxonomic units(OTUs).In total,404 OTUs were annotated,of which 310,68,and 26 belonged to Ascomycota,Basidiomycota,and other,respectively.Results show significant differences in the community composition of intestinal fungi between tilapia and bighead carp but not within their different intestinal segments.Furthermore,154 of the 404 annotated OTUs were considered reliable and were classified into three trophic modes and nine guilds.The three trophic modes consisted of 108 OTUs of saprotrophic fungi,41 OTUs of pathotrophic fungi,and five OTUs of symbiotrophic fungi.The top three most abundant OTUs overall(i.e.,Otu000002,Scopulariopsis acremonium; Otu000018,Alternaria palandui; Otu000034,Aureobasidium pullulans) showed lower abundance in the hind-intestinal segments of bighead carp,suggesting uneven distribution of these fungi in this species.In addition,saprotrophic and pathotrophic fungi were markedly decreased in the hindintestine.It is indicated that the fungal community was not only related to host species specificity but also to the respective physiological functions of different intestinal segments.These findings provide valuable information on the composition,structure,and potential function of the intestinal fungi community associated with different intestinal segments in tilapia and bighead carp under natural conditions,thus highlighting the importance of fungi as an integral part of the inte stinal microbiota in maintaining host health.     

Relationship Between Zooplankton Community Characteristics and Environmental Conditions in the Surface Waters of the Western Pacific Ocean During the Winter of 2014

Understanding the effects of environmental heterogeneity on zooplankton communities has been a hot topic for several decades. However, relatively little is known about the responses of zooplankton communities to environmental conditions at large scales from inshore waters to the open ocean. Here, we used the abundance, biovolume, taxa and size spectra of zooplankton collected from the surface waters of the western Pacific Ocean during the winter of 2014 to study the relationship between zooplankton community characteristics and environmental conditions using multiple linear regression(MLR) analysis and redundancy analysis(RDA). According to a hierarchical cluster analysis based on hydrographic conditions, the study area was classified into five water masses. Significant correlations were identified between the limited nutrients and the zooplankton abundance and biovolume from inshore waters to the open ocean. Non-metric multidimensional scaling(NMDS) revealed two distinct zooplankton assemblages. In the northern inshore, Copepoda and Euphausiacea were the dominant zooplankton taxa and in other water masses, Chaetognatha and gelatinous zooplankton were the dominant zooplankton taxa in addition to Copepoda. Our results suggested that, on a large scale from inshore waters to the open ocean in the western Pacific Ocean, the spatial distribution of zooplankton taxa was mainly influenced by environmental conditions, while in the inshore waters, it was due to the top-down effect of the dominant zooplankton taxa. Finally, the slope of the normalized biovolume size spectra(NBSS) was negatively correlated with chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) concentration and PO_4~(3-)-P concentration in the inshore waters, which indicated that the higher the trophic level the dominant zooplankton taxa were, the steeper the NBSS slope was.     

湖、库营养状况影响因素统计分析

采用常规统计方法,对影响湖、库营养状况的12项因素数据进行了分析。从因素数值在同一营养型内分布的稳定性、在不同营养型间的差异显著性以及因素彼此间的相关性出发,为各因素在湖、库营养型划分中的作用提供参考。结果表明,就所讨论的因素而言,浮游植物产量、总氮、有机物耗氧最为重要,浮游动物量、浮游植物现存量、无机氮、总磷有一定作用;pH盐量、活性磷无甚价值。     

Spatio-temporal variability of small fishes related with environmental factors in a typical domestic tap water lake,Eastern China

The knowledge of prey small fish stock, distribution and abundance is necessary to guide stocking of piscivorous fish for the biomanipulation in domestic tap water lakes. This study describes the current status of small fish community in Lake Kuilei (China), and examines the spatial and seasonal variations of the community in relation to key environmental factors. Based on submerged macrophyte cover and water depth, the lake was divided into five major habitats: (1) macrophyte covered shallow habitat of water depth < 2.00 m, (2) uncovered or less-covered shallow habitat (2.00 m–3.50 m), (3) uncovered medium shallow habitat (3.50 m–5.00 m), (4) uncovered medium deep habitat (5.00 m–6.50 m) and (5) uncovered deep habitat (6.50 m–8.50 m). The abundance and composition of small fish were monitored by benthic fykenet sampling from April 2013 to January 2014. A total of 2881 individuals belonging to 5 families and 21 species were collected. Based on their abundance (accounted for 88.96% of the total) and occurrence (more than 33.33%), Acheilognathus chankaensis, Acheilognathus macropterus, Microphysogobio microstomus, Pseudorasbora parva and Rhinogobius giurinus were recognized as dominant small fish species. The results of correlation analysis identified that species richness ( Sr ), Shannon-Wiener diversity index ( H′ ) and Margalef′s richness index ( D ) were significantly negatively correlated with water depth, but positively correlated with biomass of submerged macrophytes.Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that the spatial distributions of most small fishes were negatively associated with water depth. The details of these findings are beneficial to understanding the adaptation of the small fishes in degraded environments, and to developing suitable biomanipulation strategies for the management of fish resources and water quality in the lakes along the lower reach of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River basin.

     

SESTON AND DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON DYNAMICS DURING MICROCYSTIS BLOOM WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE EFFECTS OF THREE CHINESE DOMESTIC FISHES IN EXPERIMENTAL ENCLOSURES

ImODUonONGrowingconcemovertheprobboofobnoxiouswaterbloornspromPtedagreatdealofresearchintothebiologyofblue-grmalgae(Reynolds&Walsby,l975,Reynothe,l984).PreviousstudiesonMimptiSwereaimedatitSphySinlogicalcharaCteristirsindudinggroWthandbuoyancyraegnolds,l975),0Vendteringandphotosynthesisfea-turesffokamuraetal.,l984,Takamura,l985),nutrientdemandsoprlofTetal.,l952,0kado&Sudo,l979).TherearerepoffethatMicropstiswasawidelydistributalspedesthatcouldeasilybloomWhenambientenvironrnentSweresuit…     

Evaluating lake eutrophication with enhanced thematic mapper data in Wuhan

1 INTRODUCTION Increasing eutrophication of lakes in recent years as a result of human impact has become a se- rious environmental problem in China. Many lakes in the Jianghan Plain, South China, for example, especially near major cities, have been eutrop…     

中街山水域虾类组成及其群落多样性

根据2010~2011年中街山列岛水域4个季节的渔业资源调查资料,分析了该水域虾类资源密度和群落多样性,并探讨了底层温度、底层盐度和水深对虾类数量分布和多样性的影响.结果表明:共有虾类20种,隶属于9科18属;广温广盐种无论在种类数还是尾数密度与生物量均占主导地位;虾类生物量和尾数密度在季节分布上,以冬季最高,冬季均与春、夏和秋三季呈显著差异(p值<0.05);平面分布上,生物量与密度指数总体上呈南北高、中间低,东部高西部低的特征;生物量与平均底温显著相关(P<0.05),与平均底盐和水深相关性较差(p值>0.05);葛氏长臂虾、细巧仿对虾、中国毛虾、日本鼓虾和中华管鞭虾为四季的优势种,且均属广温广盐种;虾类群落Margalef丰富度指数为0.61~1.09,Shannon-Wiener多样性指数为0.76~1.31,Pielou均匀度指数为0.50~0.70,其中丰富度指数和多样性指数春季与冬季均存在显著差异(P<0.05),均匀度指数秋季与冬季存在显著差异(p值<0.05).     

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.     

Effects of spatio-temporal and environmental factors on distribution and abundance of wintering anchovy Engraulis japonicus in central and southern Yellow Sea

We investigated the spatio-temporal and environmental factors that affect the distribution and abundance of wintering anchovy and quantifi es the infl uences of these factors. Generalized additive models(GAMs) were developed to examine the variation in species distribution and abundance with a set of spatiotemporal and oceanographic factors, using data collected by bottom trawl surveys and remote sensing in the central and southern Yellow Sea during 2000–2011. The fi nal model accounted for 28.21% and 41.03% of the variance in anchovy distribution and abundance, respectively. The results of a two-step GAM showed that hour, longitude, latitude, temperature gradient(TGR), and chlorophyll a(Chl- a) concentration best explained the anchovy distribution(presence/absence) and that a model including year, longitude, latitude, depth, sea surface temperature(SST), and TGR best described anchovy abundance(given presence). Longitude and latitude were the most important factors affecting both distribution and abundance, but the area of high abundance tended to be east and south of the area where anchovy were most likely to be present. Hour had a signifi cant effect on distribution, but year was more important for anchovy abundance, indicating that the anchovy catch ratio varied across the day but abundance had an apparent interannual variation. With respect to environmental factors, TGR and Chl- a concentration had effects on distribution, while depth, SST, and TGR affected abundance. Changes in SST between two successive years or between any year and the 2000–2011 mean were not associated with changes in anchovy distribution or abundance. This fi nding indicated that short- and long-term water temperature changes during 2000–2011 were not of suffi cient magnitude to give rise to variation in wintering anchovy distribution or abundance in the study area. The results of this study have important implications for fi sheries management.     

Diversity,composition and host-species relationships of epiphytic orchids and ferns in two forests in Nepal

Epiphytic plant species are an important part of biological diversity. It is therefore essential to understand the distribution pattern and the factors influencing such patterns. The present study is aimed at observing the patterns of species richness, abundances and species composition of epiphytic orchids and ferns in two subtropical forests in Nepal. We also studied the relationship of host plants (Schima wallichii and Quercus lanata) and epiphyte species. Data were collected in Naudhara community forest (CF) and the national forest (NF) in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate tests. In total, we recorded 41 species of epiphytes (33 orchid and 8 fern species). Orchid species abundance is significantly higher in CF compared to NF. Orchid species richness and abundance increased with increasing southern aspect whereas it decreased with increasing canopy cover, and fern species richness increased with host bark roughness. Orchid abundance was positively correlated with increasing bark pH, stem size, tree age and tree height and negatively correlated with increasing steepness of the area. Likewise, fern abundances were high in places with high canopy cover, trees that were tall and big, but decreased with increasing altitude and southern aspect. The composition of the orchid and fern species was affected by altitude, aspect, canopy cover, DBH, number of forks and forest management types. We showed that the diversity of orchid and fern epiphytes is influenced by host characteristics as well as host types. The most important pre-requisite for a high epiphyte biodiversity is the presence of old respectively tall trees, independent of the recent protection status. This means: (i) for protection, e.g. in the frame of the national park declaration, such areas should be used which host such old tall trees; and (ii) also in managed forests and even in intensively used landscapes epiphytes can be protected by letting a certain number of trees be and by giving them space to grow old and tall.     

Distribution and abundance of pelagic tunicates in the North Yellow Sea

In this paper, the distribution patterns and abundance of pelagic tunicates in the North Yellow Sea of China during the period 2006-2007 were analyzed. Zooplankton samples were obtained with vertical towing from bottom to surface using a WP2 plankton net(200 μm mesh size; mouth area: 0.25 m2). Five species belonging to two classes were identified: Oikopleura dioica, O. longicauda and Fritillaria borealis belonging to class Appendicularia; Salpa fusiformis and Doliolum denticulatum of class Thaliacea. O. dioica and O. longicauda were the dominant species, occurring in the samples of all four seasons, with different distribution patterns. Their maximum abundance were 1664.7 ind. m-3(spring) and 1031.7 ind. m-3(spring) respectively. Following Oikopleura spp. were D. denticulatum, which was found only in autumn with an average abundance of 149.6 ind. m-3, and S. fusiformis, which was detected all the year long except for autumn with low abundance(max. abundance 289.4 ind. m-3 in summer). Only a very small amount of F. borealis was detected in summer samples, with an average abundance of 2.7 ind. m-3. The relationship between tunicates abundances and the environmental factors was analyzed using the stepwise regression model for each species. The variation of appendicularian abundance showed a significant correlation with the surface water temperature and with the concentration of Chl-a. No relationship was found between tunicates abundance and salinity, likely due to the slight changes in surface salinity of the studied area during the four seasons. Salps abundance and that of doliolids were significantly correlated to bottom water temperature, indicating that these two species(S. fusiformis and D. denticulatum) migrate vertically in the water column. In particular D. denticulatum, known to be a warm water species, showed not only an important correlation with water temperature, but also a spatial distribution connected to the warm currents in the North Yellow Sea. The occurrence of D. denticulatum represents an interesting result never found in past research work. Water temperature, algal distribution and currents were the most relevant environmental factors influencing the tunicate abundance and distribution in the North Yellow Sea. Further research is needed in order to get more information on the ecology of these organisms and to better understand their role in the ecosystem including the oceanic food web.     

Aquatic molluscs in high mountain lakes of the Eastern Alps (Austria): Species-environment relationships and specific colonization behaviour

Mountain lakes represent essential stages for aquatic species on their way colonizing habitats of more elevated regions. Despite extensive biological and chemical study, only little has been reported about the species number and density of freshwater molluscs in these waters. The article presented here elucidates the dispersal of aquatic gastropods and bivalves in 12 mountain lakes that are commonly situated in the Eastern Alps, Austria. Molluscs were recorded at 120 sample points, where a total of 13 species (8 gastropods and 5 bivalves) could be determined. Species distribution data as well as results from contemporarily conducted physico-chemical factor recording were subject to weighted average analysis. In addition, a global marginality coefficient indicating the particularity of a habitat inhabited by a focal species as well as a global tolerance coefficient expressing the width of a niche occupied by this species were computed. Species-environment relationships exhibited that species number and specific density decrease with increasing geographic altitude, declining water temperature, and decreasing amount of submerged vegetation. Whilst waters of the montane altitude level are partly charcterized by high number of mollusc species (> 10), lakes of the subalpine altitude level commonly bear 1 or 2 species with <<1 ind./m2. As proposed by the results of statistics, 9 of the 13 mollusc species are characterized by a pronounced behaviour as specialists with respect to most environmental factors. The four remaining species, Pisidium casertanum, Galba truncatula, Radix labiata, and Radix balthica, act as generalists which increases their pioneering role in the long-term occupation of the Central-alpine region.     

Preliminary analysis of the Jimo coastal ecosystem with the ecopath model

The Jimo coast encompasses an area of 2157 km~2, and the ecosystem is valuable both socially and economically with regional fisheries substantially contributing to the value. A mass-balanced trophic model consisting of 15 functional ecological groups was developed for the coastal ecosystem using the Ecopath model in Ecopath with Ecosim(Ew E) software(version 6.4.3). The results of the model simulations indicated that the trophic levels of the functional groups varied between 1.0 and 3.76, and the total production of the system was estimated to be 5112.733 t km~(-2) yr~(-1) with a total energy transfer efficiency of 17.6%. The proportion of the total flow originating from detritus was estimated to be 48%, whereas that from primary producers was 52%, indicating that the grazing food chain dominated the energy flow. The ratio of total primary productivity to total respiration in the system was 3.78, and the connectivity index was 0.4. The fin cycling index and the mean path length of the energy flow were 4.92% and 2.57%, respectively, which indicated that the ecosystem exhibits relatively low maturity and stability. The mixed trophic impact(MTI) procedure suggested that the ecological groups at lower trophic levels dominated the feeding dynamics in the Jimo coastal ecosystem. Overfishing is thought to be the primary reason for the degeneration of the Jimo coastal ecosystem, resulting in a decline in the abundance of pelagic and demersal fish species and a subsequent shift to the predominance of lower-trophic-level functional groups. Finally, we offered some recommendations for improving current fishery management practices.     

Hydrobiological variables as a regulatory factor on the abundance of heterotrophic flagellates in an urban pond

The seasonal abundance of flagellates has been monitored over a period of 1 year from December2013 to November 2014(divided into 4 conjugative seasons namely winter, spring, summer, and autumn) in an experimental pond located in Rajshahi City Corporation area, Bangladesh. To our knowledge, this study is the first to shed light on the occurrence and possible interrelationships among heterotrophic flagellates(HF),bacteria and zooplankton in Bangladesh and the result obtained by this study will be beneficial for similar water ecosystem all over the world. Standard methods were used to determine the prescribed hydrological parameters and zooplankton cell density. Maximum HF abundance(14 346.00 cells/mL) was found in the spring and the minimum(5 215.00 cells/mL) occurred in the summer. Inverse to HF, significantly(P0.05)higher zooplankton abundance was found during the winter(782.00±47.62 cells/mL) and the lowest value was found in the autumn(448.00±39.15 cells/mL). Whereas similar to the HF, total bacterial abundance was significantly higher during the spring((2.25±1.05)×10~5 cells/mL) and lower in the summer((0.79±0.06)×105 cells/mL). Multivariate analyses(ANOSIM and MDS) have shown significant seasonal differences for cell numbers where MDS ordination plot and cluster analysis based on similarity in the genera abundance of HF revealed overlapping condition between winter and spring. Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) also showed a distinct separation among the genera based on the prevailing hydrological situation and indicated that temperature, pH, BOD_5, and NO_3~- were the most important environmental variables in determining the observed variation in HF community structure. Among the biological factors, zooplankton showed negative but total bacteria were positively correlated with HF abundance.     

Distribution of diatoms and silicoflagellates in surface sediments of the Yellow Sea and offshore from the Changjiang River,China

The spatial distribution of siliceous microfossils (diatoms and silicoflagellates) in the surface sediments was mapped at 113 sites in the Yellow Sea and sea areas adjacent to the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, China. In total, 267 diatom taxa and two silicoflagellate species were identified from the sediments. The spatial variations in abundance and diversity were classified into three distinct geographic patterns using Q mode clustering: a south-north geographic pattern, a coastal-offshore pattern and a unique pattern in the Changjiang River mouth. The south-north geographic pattern was related to the spatial variations in sea temperature. Coscinodiscus oculatus, a warm-water species, indicated these variations by a gradual decrease in abundance from the south to the north. The coastal-offshore pattern was in response to the spatial variations in salinity. Cyclotella stylorum, Actinocyclus ehrenbergii and Dictyocha messanensis, the dominant brackish species in coastal waters, significantly decreased at the isobaths of approximately 30 m, where the salinity was higher than 31. Paralia sulcata and Podosira stelliger indicated the impact of the Yellow Sea Warm Current in the central Yellow Sea. The unique pattern in the Changjiang River mouth showed the highest species diversity but lower abundance, apparently because: freshwater input can significantly increase the proportion of brackish species; nutrients can supply the growth of phytoplankton; and high sedimentation rates can dilute the microfossil abundance in the sediments. Our results show that an integration of environmental factors (e.g., nutrient levels, sedimentation rate, sea temperature, salinity and water depth) determined the spatial characteristics of the siliceous microfossils in the surface sediments.     

Abundance and spatial dynamics of bacterioplankton in the Seven Rila Lakes, Bulgaria

In the high mountain oligotrophic Seven Rila Lakes (2 095–2 535 m a.s.l.) bacterial abundance was recorded in July and September 2006. In July, bacterial abundance (average (3.32±2.5)×10⁵ cell/ml) in the lakes correlated negatively with elevation, while in September (average (26.39±7.1)×10⁵ cell/ml) this pattern was altered and the greatest abundance of bacteria occurred at the highest ((39.05±1.5)×10⁵ cell/ml) and the lowest ((30.63±6.0)×10⁵ cell/ml) elevated lakes. Regression analyses suggested that the principal factor controlling bacterial abundance, in both July and September, was inorganic nitrogen (NO₃-N and NH₄-N; R ²=0.70, P<0.05). Other major regulating factors were temperature (R ²=0.66, P<0.03) in July and filter-feeding zooplankton (R ²=0.95, P<0.01) in September. All factors, except NO₃-N, had a positive effect on bacterial abundance.