Changes in the population structure of Calanus sinicus during summer–autumn in the southern Yellow Sea

Calanus sinicus is a calanoid copepod widely distributed in coastal waters of China and Japan, and oversummering strategies may have major impacts on their population dynamics which in turn affect local marine food web structure. The abundance, stage composition, and sex composition of the planktonic copepod C. sinicus were studied from August to October 2002 in the southern Yellow Sea to understand how its population recovers from the over-summering state. Results showed that C. sinicus had low reproduction in August due to high temperature, except in waters near the Cheju Island with rich food and moderate bottom temperature, but the reproduction rates here decreased in September–October as food availability declined. When temperature dropped in September–October, C. sinicus actively propagated in coastal shallow waters. However, reproduction rates of C. sinicus individuals inhabiting the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM) remained low during the three months of the study. The percentage of C. sinicus females was high during the reproductive period, which suggests that the sex composition of adult C. sinicus may reflect whether or not the population is in the reproductive mode.Numerous fifth copepodite stage(CV) C. sinicus aggregated in the YSCWM in a suspended developmental stage during the three months of this study, and they potentially served as the parental individuals for population development when conditions became optimal for reproduction later in the year.     

The effect of the causative algae of large-scale HAB in the East China Sea on egg hatching of Argopecten irradians, and population growth of Brachionus plicatilis and Moina mongolica

The impacts of Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu and Alexandrium catenella Balech, causative species of the large-scale HAB in the East China Sea, were studied under laboratory conditions. According to bloom densities, the effects of monoculture and mixture of the two species were examined on the egg-hatching success of Argopecten irradians Lamarck, and the population growth of Brachionus plicatilis Müller and Moina mongolica Daday. The results showed that monoculture of A. catenella had a significant inhibition on the egg hatching success of A. irradians, and the population growth of B. plicatilis and M. mongolica. The median effective densities (ED_50) inhibiting the egg hatching success of A. irradians for 24 h and the population growth of B. plicatilis and M. mongolica for 96 h were 800, 630, and 2 400 cells/cm3, respectively. Monoculture of P. donghaiense has no such inhibitory effect on the egg hatching success of A. irradians; P. donghaiense at lower suitable densities could sustain the population growth of B. plicatilis (1×104~3×104cells/cm3) and M. mongolica (2×104~5×104cells/cm3); P. donghaiense at higher densities had significantly adverse effect on the population growth of B. plicatilis (4×104~10×104cells/cm3) and M. mongolica (10×104cells/cm3). When the two algae were mixed according to bloom densities, P. donghaiense at suitable densities to some extent could decrease the toxicity of A. catenella to B. plicatilis and M. mongolica. The results indicated that the large-scale HAB in the East China Sea could have adverse effect on zooplankton, and might further influence the marine ecosystem, especially when there was also Alexandrium bloom.     

Factors regulating population dynamics of the amphipod Ampithoe valida in a eutrophic subtropical coastal lagoon

Year-round investigations were carried out to address the population dynamics of amphipod Ampithoe valida and its potential regulating factors in the Yundang Lagoon (a eutrophic subtropical coastal lagoon in Xiamen City, China) from October 2007 to October 2008. The results show that A. valida population was largely composed of juveniles and reached a peak abundance (12.02 × 10 3 ind./m2 ) in March, but sharply shrunk in July. The monthly variation pattern of A. valida seemed to follow that of Ulva lactuca which is the main food resource for A. valida, indicating a strong influence of food availability on A. valida population dynamics. Life cycle studies in laboratory indicate that A. valida adopted an r-selected life strategy, e.g., rapid growth rate (0.216-0.302 mm/d), consecutive breeding (4-10 times), short reproductive rhythm (9-17 d) and huge fecundity (24-192 eggs or 6-94 juveniles per brood), which contributed to the fast population growth of A. valida from January to March. Although temperature may also be a significant cause, A. valida could grow quickly and show normal reproductive traits (i.e., the timing of sexual differentiation or maturity, the reproductive rhythm, the number of broods all through its lifespan and offspring production) in temperature between 15-30 C. Therefore, the temperature variation in the lagoon water should not account for the sharp variation of A. valida population by affecting the survival, growth and reproduction of the amphipod. However, negative correlation between water temperature and U. lactuca biomass in the lagoon suggested that temperature could have indirectly affected the population dynamics of A. valida by affecting its food availability. The authors conclude that, in the Yundang Lagoon, the population dynamics of A. valida was mainly controlled by the food availability rather than water temperature.     

Dietary nutrient status modulates nutrient regeneration in the marine ciliate Euplotes vannus

Marine ciliates play important roles not only in linking the microbial loop to the classic pelagic and benthic food chains but also in regenerating nutrients, yet how dietary nutrient imbalance impacts their nutrient regeneration has not been thoroughly addressed. The growth and physiological responses of Euplotes vannus to low dietary nitrogen(LN) and low dietary phosphorus(LP) conditions were studied, with the bacterium Pseudomonas putida as prey. Feeding on LN prey reduced the growth rate of ...     

春季季风间期赤道东印度洋浮游植物光合生理特征

Phytoplankton physiologies are dynamic and have sensitive responses to the ambient environment. In this paper,we examine photosynthetic physiologies of phytoplankton communities with Phyto-PAM in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean during the spring inter-monsoon. Environmental parameters were measured to investigate the coupling between phytoplankton photosynthetic physiologies and their habitats. During the cruise, the water column was highly stratified. The mixed layer extended to about 75 m and was characterized by high temperature(28°C) and low nutrient level. The F_v/F_m values and chlorophyll a(Chl a) concentrations were lower at the surface, as consequences of nutrient depletion and photo-inhibition. Subsurface Chl a maximum(SCM) occurred between 75 and 100 m, and had the highest F_v/F_m values. The formation of SCM was a balance between nutrient availability and light limitation. The SCM may contribute significantly to pelagic food web and primary production in the water column. Phytoplankton in different layers encountered different light, trophic and hydrographic dynamics and evolved distinct photosynthetic characteristics. Despite of co-limitation of nutrient limitation and photo-inhibition, phytoplankton in the surface layer showed their acclimation to high irradiance, had lower light utilization efficiencies(α: 0.061±0.032) and could exploit a wide range of light irradiance. Whereas, phytoplankton in the SCM layers presented the highest light utilization efficiencies(α:0.146±0.48), which guaranteed higher photosynthetic capacities under low light level. These results provide insights into phytoplankton photo-adaption strategies in this less explored region.     

A model study on carbon cycle and phytoplankton dynamical processes in the Bohai Sea

The carbon cycle of lower trophic level in the Bohai Sea is studied with a three-dimensional biological and physical coupled model. The influences of the processes (including horizontal advection, river nutrient load, active transport etc. ) on the phytoplankton biomass and its evolution are estimated. The Bohai Sea is a weak sink of the CO2 in the atmosphere. During the cycle, 13.7% of the gross production of the phytoplankton enter the higher trophic level and 76.8 % of it are consumed by the respiration itself. The nutrient reproduction comes mainly from the internal biogeochemical loop and the rem-ineralization is an important mechanism of the nutrient transfer from organic form to inorganic. Horizontal advection decreases the total biomass and the eutrophication in some sea areas. Change in the nutrient load of a river can only adjust the local system near its estuary. Controlling the input of the nutrient, which limits the alga growth, can be very useful in lessening the phytoplankton biomass.     

Impacts of CO2-driven seawater acidification on survival, egg production rate and hatching success of four marine copepods

Ecological experiments were conducted to examine the effects of seawater containing elevated par- tial pressure of carbon dioxide (p CO2 800 × 10 -6 , 2 000 × 10 -6 , 5 000 × 10 -6 and 10 000 × 10 -6 ) on the survival and reproduction of female Acartia pacifica, Acartia spinicauda, Calanus sinicus and Centropages tenuiremis, which are the dominant copepods in the southern coastal waters of China. The results show that the effects of elevated p CO2 on the survival rates of copepods were species-specific. C. sinicus, which was a macro-copepod, had a higher survival rate (62.01%-71.96%) than the other three species (5.00%-26.67%) during the eight day exposure. The egg production rates of C. sinicus, A. spinicauda and C. tenuiremis were significantly inhibited by the increased p CO2 and the exposure time duration. There were significantly negative impacts on the egg hatching success of A. spinicauda and C. tenuiremis in the p CO2 2 000 × 10 -6 and 10 000 × 10 -6 groups, and, in addition, the exposure time had noticeably impacts on these rates too. This study indicates that the reproductive performances of copepods were sensitive to elevated p CO2 , and that the response of different copepod species to acidified seawater was different. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of seawater acidification and climate change or other pollutant stresses on organisms should be given more attention.     

STUDIES ON THE MARINE CLADOCERA OF CHINA Ⅲ. REPRODUCTION

Studies are made on the reproduction of two common marine Cladocera (Penilia avirostris, Evadne ter-gestina) of China with emphasis on the fertility of parthenogenetic females (P♀). A positive correlation exists between the fertility and the size of the same species; but no such correlation is found between the fertility and the size of different species. The fertility is, on the whole, higher in summer and is related to the seasonal fluctuation of population density, both attaining their maximum period in summer; but the former appears about half a month earlier than the latter, A brief account is given of the sexual reproduction, including the respective size and the seasonal variation of sexual individuals (S♀,♂) together with a note on the sex-ratio and the characteristics of resting egg.     

Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry in Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) from the Huanghai Sea, China

Generally, nutrient cycle is closely related to the element distribution in biomass and the population dynamics in ecosystems. Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) of different body lengths from the Huanghai Sea (Yellow Sea) were determined to better understand their variability and reasons during its life history. The mean content was 45.12%, 10.12% and 2.02% for C, N and P, respectively. Significant differences in C, N and P elemental composition were found among different sizes, which could be explained by varying proportions of storage compounds in whole body fish, and varying degrees of ossification. Considering abundant resources in Japanese anchovy, it was an important P-pool in the cycle of P. Moreover, the excreted N/P ratio was significantly different in fishes of different sizes, especially at high gross growth efficiency. In the past two decades, overexploitation tended to cause smaller body length in the community structure of anchovy, which presumably changed the nutrient cycle in food webs of the Huanghai Sea. Exptrapolation of the results indicates that Japanese anchovy may be important for conveying nutrient in the Huanghai Sea.     

Distribution of organochlorine compounds in water, porewater and sediments in Xiamen Harbour

I~IOXAmong a large number of man-made chemicals, organochlorines such as DDTs, HCHs (hexachlorobenzene) are of great concern due to their highly bioaccumulative nature and toxic biological effects. These chemicals are persistent in nature, can biomagnify in the food web and imalvarious toxic effects in marine mammals. They can cause abnormal thyroid function in Herringgull, feminising in western gull, and can impair Avian reproduction, among other deleterious effects (Carmichael, 1988).Th…     

十溴联苯醚(BDE-209)胁迫对褶皱臂尾轮虫(Brachionus plicatilis)摄食与选食的影响

实验生态条件下研究十溴联苯醚(BDE-209)的急性毒性胁迫对褶皱臂尾轮虫(Branchionus plicatilis)运动行为与摄食行为的影响,探讨可用以表征胁迫-响应的生物标志物。结果表明:(1)BDE-209胁迫24h显著性增加了褶皱臂尾轮虫的运动抑制率,由此得到24h半数有效抑制浓度(24h-EC_(50))为9.084mg/L,但未达到半数致死作用;(2)当分别以四种海洋微藻:小球藻(Chlorella vulgaris)、青岛大扁藻(Platymonas helgolandica)、等鞭金藻8701(Isochrysis galbana)和小新月菱形藻(Cylindrotheca closterium)为单一饵料来源时,褶皱臂尾轮虫对四种饵料单胞藻的滤水率(F)和摄食率(G)均随着胁迫时间和胁迫浓度的增加而不断下降,呈现出明显的浓度依赖性,说明BDE-209胁迫能显著抑制褶皱臂尾轮虫的摄食作用。(3)将其中三种微藻等生物量混合投喂时,褶皱臂尾轮虫对三种微藻的滤水率和摄食率与单一饵料投喂条件相比均发生变化,且对各种微藻的选食率(Sr)和摄食总生物量均随着胁迫时间和浓度的增加呈下降趋势,选择性指数(Si)发生变化,对小球藻的摄食选择性最高。滤水率的变化较其它指标更敏感,可用以指示浮游动物在个体水平上响应外源环境变化的标志物。结果表明,BDE-209胁迫能有效改变褶皱臂尾轮虫的摄食与选食行为,且其最适宜的饵料是小球藻。     

南黄海和渤海近海海域中华哲水蚤的现场摄食研究

桡足类是海洋生态系统中初级生产者和较高营养级消费者之间的关键联系环节,掌握桡足类的现场食物组成对于准确评估海洋食物网中的营养关系和能量转移至关重要。本研究中,我们以中华哲水蚤这一在中国、日本以及韩国近海具有重要生态地位的大型哲水蚤属桡足类为研究对象,应用之前开发的基于PCR的克隆技术,通过分析中华哲水蚤所摄食生物的18S rDNA序列,研究了中华哲水蚤的现场食物组成。结果揭示了南黄海（Y19站位）和渤海（B49站位）中华哲水蚤食物组成的多样性。共检测出43个操作分类单元（OTUs）,分别隶属于13个类群：硅藻（Bacillariophyta）、甲藻（Dinoflagellata）、硅鞭藻（Dictyochophyceae）、金藻（Chrysophyta）、Katablepharidophyta、浮生藻（Pelagophyceae）、无根虫（Apusozoa）、水螅水母（Hydrozoa）、栉水母（Ctenophora）、棘皮动物（Echinodermata）、被囊动物（Tunicata）、毛颚动物（Chaetognatha）以及海洋真菌。结果还表明,当发生藻类暴发时,中华哲水蚤可以摄食引发藻类暴发的藻种。当周围海域浮游植物的丰度相对较低时,中华哲水蚤可以选择摄食各种后生动物尤其是水螅水母和栉水母的卵、幼虫或者有机碎屑。我们的研究结果表明中华哲水蚤是一种杂食性桡足类,它对食物的选择依赖其生活海域中食物的可获得性。     

Relationships between water-column stratification,phytoplankton cell size and copepod fecundity in Long Island Sound and off central Chile

Changes in phytoplankton abundance and size brought on by changes in water-column stratification are shown to affect copepod fecundity. The response of copepods to changes in their food environment, as manifested by changes in rates of egg production, is compared for two different time-scales: seasonal-to-weekly in Long Island Sound, New York, and event-scale-to-daily off the coast of central Chile. The data sets discussed include a time-series of hydrographic and chlorophyll samples along with measurements of copepod egg production (made using an incubation technique) carried out each week in Long Island Sound during 1985 and a 25-day time-series of daily measurements of the same variables at a fixed station in the nearshore coastal upwelling zone off Concepción, Chile, in January 1986. Egg production was often low, suggesting food-limitation. Temporal variations in the fecundity of the copepods Temora longicornis and Acarlia tonsa in Long Island Sound did not follow changes in total phytoplankton biomass, but rather changes in the concentration of chlorophyll in the > 10 μm and > 20 μm size fractions. Off Chile, changes in fecundity of Calanus chilensis mirrored changes in both total phytoplankton biomass and the > 20 μm size fraction. This fact demonstrates that herbivorous copepods follow closely changes in their food environment and suggests that there is a close coupling between food quality of phytoplankton (in terms of particle size), ingestion and egg production by adult females.     

赤潮异弯藻(Heterosigma akashiwo)对蒙古裸腹溞(Moina mongolica)和日本新糠虾(Neomysis japonica)的毒性影响

采用生物急性和慢性毒性实验的方法,研究了赤潮异弯藻对蒙古裸腹溞和日本新糠虾的毒性影响,并初步探讨了赤潮异弯藻导致二者较快死亡的机制。结果发现,赤潮异弯藻不仅对蒙古裸腹溞和日本新糠虾的存活有显著影响,而且使其个体变小、产幼前发育时间延长、总生殖量降低、平均存活时间缩短,种群数量增长受抑制。显微观察发现,蒙古裸腹溞能摄食赤潮异弯藻,但摄食后,其粪便紧紧地粘在蒙古裸腹溞的肠道末端;日本新糠虾不摄食赤潮异弯藻,但该藻粘附在其触须、附肢以及腹部、尾部的刚毛上,以及作为食物的卤虫幼体也被大量粘附在一起,聚集成团,或通过赤潮异弯藻粘附在日本新糠虾的附肢上。因此赤潮异弯藻很可能通过干扰蒙古裸腹溞和日本新糠虾正常的生理活动,而导致其快速死亡。     

黄海春季和秋季中华哲水蚤脂类含量及组成分析

脂类物质在哲水蚤的休眠、繁殖以及个体发育过程中发挥着重要作用,通过分析2010年11月(秋季)和2011年4月(春季)黄海中华哲水蚤Calanus sinicus的脂类组成,对脂类各组分的生理功能进行了初步探讨。结果表明,春季、秋季中华哲水蚤雌体脂类平均含量占干质量的10.6%和12%,C5期个体脂类含量偏高,占到干质量的17%。中华哲水蚤所含脂类主要由蜡脂和磷脂组成,两种脂类约占总脂的90%,三酰甘油含量约占总脂的6%。结合种群结构对脂类的生理作用进行了初步探讨,发现:(1)蜡脂作为主要的能量储存方式,其含量变化反映出不同发育期、不同季节中华哲水蚤的能量需求变化;(2)磷脂作为结构性脂类在中华哲水蚤个体生长与生殖过程中具有重要作用;(3)三脂酰甘油在中华哲水蚤中的含量不高,但是可能在脂类转化利用过程中发挥作用。     

小型桡足类在海洋生态系统中的功能作用

依据渤海周年的中型浮游动物网样品 ,研究了小型桡足类的优势种小拟哲水蚤(Paracalanusparvus)、强额拟哲水蚤 (Paracalanuscrassirostris)和双刺纺锤水蚤 (Acartiabifilosa)生物量的季节变动、分布和年产量 ,并与渤海大型桡足类的优势种中华哲水蚤 (Calanussinicus)进行了比较。结果表明 ,三种小型桡足类成体的年产量分别为 2 4 .89、1 0 .83和 1 9.5 4mgC/(m3·a) ,中华哲水蚤的年产量为 1 8.30mgC/(m3·a)。小型桡足类主要分布在近岸 ,特别是渤海湾和莱州湾 ,这里正好是许多经济鱼类的产卵场和育幼场 ;而中华哲水蚤主要分布在中央水域。小型桡足类的高峰季节持续时间长 ,从 4月到 1 0月 ,覆盖了几乎所有仔稚鱼大量出现的月份 ;而中华哲水蚤高峰季节持续时间短 ,仅 6月和 7月。另外 ,在粒度上 ,小型桡足类的卵、无节幼体、桡足幼体和成体都比中华哲水蚤等大型桡足类小了一个数量级 (按体积计 ) ,特别适合作为仔稚鱼的饵料。因此认为 ,在近海生态系统中 ,小型桡足类较之大型桡足类起更为重要的作用     

Egg production rate of the copepod <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calanus sinicus</Emphasis> off the Korean coast of the Yellow Sea during spring

The egg production rate (EPR) of Calanus sinicus was measured from March 2007 to April 2010 at three stations along the Korean coast of the Yellow Sea (in coastal waters off Saemangum, Yeongheungdo, and Asan Bay) to estimate in situ maximum egg production rate (MEPR) and to understand whether the females were limited in their growth or fecundity in the field. The mean EPR of C. sinicus at each sampling date ranged from 10.3–34.9 eggs female⁻¹ d⁻¹ (mean 23.4 eggs female⁻¹ d⁻¹), and the EPR of individual copepods ranged from 0–81 eggs female⁻¹ d⁻¹. The mean EPR was positively correlated with the body weight of female copepods. The MEPR at each sampling date ranged from 40–81 eggs female⁻¹ d⁻¹ (mean 50.4 eggs female⁻¹ d⁻¹). Over 84% of eggs spawned hatched successfully. The weight-specific growth rate (WSGR) ranged from 0.038–0.111 d⁻¹ (mean 0.082 d⁻¹), indicating that 3.8–11.1% of the carbon in an adult female was produced daily as female growth. The WSGR was negatively correlated with water temperature. The ratio of mean EPR to observed mean MEPR ranged from 20–70% (mean 46%), indicating that ∼54% of a female’s growth might be limited in the field. We suggest that the ratio of observed EPR to mean MEPR of copepod can be applied to understand how the copepod responds to environmental changes, as well as EPR and hatching success.     

What do egg size distributions in marine invertebrates tell us about validity of fecundity‐time models?

An early mathematical model of egg size evolution in marine invertebrates (American Naturalist, 1973a, 107 , 353) traded fecundity against development time and resulted in a U‐shaped optimality curve suggesting that only extremes of egg sizes should be evolutionary stable. It was later suggested that the model predicts a bimodal distribution of egg sizes and therefore can be tested by examining histograms of egg sizes. More recent fecundity‐time models (American Naturalist, 1997, 150 , 48; American Naturalist, 2000, 156 , 175) came up with predictions of intermediate optimal egg sizes; however, comparisons of optimality curves with histograms of egg sizes remained central to model testing. Here the question whether the bimodality assumption has any basis has been addressed theoretically. Simulation modeling and analysis show that egg size distributions generally do not match the optimality curves produced by fecundity‐time models and that the shape of predicted frequency distributions depends on both the optimality curve and other model parameters. Therefore, egg size frequency distributions alone cannot be used for model testing.