Trophic interactions, ecosystem structure and function in the southern Yellow Sea

The southern Yellow Sea is an important fishing ground, providing abundant fishery resources. However, overfishing and climate change have caused a decline in the resource and damaged the ecosystem. We developed an ecosystem model to analyze the trophic interactions and ecosystem structure and function to guide sustainable development of the ecosystem. A trophic mass-balance model of the southern Yellow Sea during 2000–2001 was constructed using Ecopath with Ecosim software. We defined 22 important functional groups and studied their diet composition. The trophic levels of fish, shrimp, crabs, and cephalopods were between 2.78 and 4.39, and the mean trophic level of the fisheries was 3.24. The trophic flows within the food web occurred primarily in the lower trophic levels. The mean trophic transfer efficiency was 8.1%, of which 7.1% was from primary producers and 9.3% was from detritus within the ecosystem. The transfer efficiency between trophic levels II to III to IV to V to >V was 5.0%, 5.7%, 18.5%, and 19.7%–20.4%, respectively. Of the total flow, phytoplankton contributed 61% and detritus contributed 39%. Fishing is defined as a top predator within the ecosystem, and has a negative impact on most commercial species. Moreover, the ecosystem had a high gross efficiency of the fishery and a high value of primary production required to sustain the fishery. Together, our data suggest there is high fishing pressure in the southern Yellow Sea. Based on analysis of Odum’s ecological parameters, this ecosystem was at an immature stage. Our results provide some insights into the structure and development of this ecosystem.     

黄海鱼类群落分类学多样性的研究

为开展不同取样区域,不同生境间和历史数据的比较研究,根据1985年和2000年秋季在黄海进行的渔业资源底拖网调查,应用分类学多样性指数从黄海、区域和局域3个空间尺度上分析了黄海鱼类群落分类学多样性的变化。在黄海尺度上,2000年等级多样性指数△^ 和分类差异变异指数∧^ 明显降低,而1985年的分类学多样性指数值则接近于黄海鱼类主名录的理论平均值。在区域尺度上,分类多样性指数△,分类差异指数△^ 在黄海中、北部较高,南黄海较低;等级多样性指数△^ 为南黄海最高,中黄海最低,其区域尺度变化主要是由鲈形目、鲽形目、鲱形目和鲉形目种类,特别是软骨鱼类的种类数的分布变化造成的。2000年3个区域的分类学多样性指数值分别低于1985年对应值。在局域尺度上,南黄海的南部、西部和中黄海的西部以及北黄海的鱼类群落等级多样性指数△^ 远小于黄海鱼类主名录的理论平均值,仅中昔海的东部和黄海的东部的等级多样性指数值接近理论平均值。     

渔业资源调查采样设计优化研究进展

渔业资源调查是指利用一定的采样设计,对渔业种群进行空间布点采样,以获取研究区域内鱼类时空分布以及生物学和生态学信息。但是大量的研究表明,不同的鱼类分布适合不同的采样设计,需要根据鱼类的分布特点和调查目标(种群丰度等)优化采样设计,保证数据的准确性和精度。近年来,相关的研究有很多,涉及不同采样设计的比较和应用以及影响数据质量因素的探究。作者着重介绍了定点采样、传统方法、适应性方法和基于地理统计学方法,叙述了计算机模拟及重采样技术在采样设计优化中的应用以及相对偏差、相对估计误差、设计效果和变异系数等评价采样设计性能的指标,同时对采样设计中需要注意的问题进行介绍,最后进行了总结并对未来的研究工作进行展望。     

黄、渤海小黄鱼耳石元素指纹分析及其在种群补充群体识别中的应用

利用电感耦合等离子质谱ICP-MS元素分析方法,测定了黄、渤海125尾小黄鱼的耳石元素指纹图谱,共检测到Mg、Al、Mn、Cu、Zn、Sr、Ba、Ca等8种指纹元素。不同采样站位小黄鱼耳石元素含量均存在显著性差异,线性判别分析可以有效识别不同站位的小黄鱼群体,判别成功率为65%~96%,整体判别成功率为86%。基于耳石元素指纹图谱特征进行聚类分析,可以将黄、渤海小黄鱼早期补充群体划分为渤海种群、黄海中部种群和南黄海种群,其中黄海中部种群站位交叉明显。     

黄海中部小黄鱼的食物组成和摄食习性的季节变化

根据2001年3月至2002年1月在黄海中部海域进行的4个季节的定点底拖网调查，应用聚类分析、单因素方差分析和列联表检验等方法，对小黄鱼(Pseudosciaena polyactis Bleeker)的食物组成和摄食的季节变化进行研究。结果表明，小黄鱼摄食的饵料种类有30余种，甲壳类(磷虾类和虾类)和鱼类是其主要的饵料类群，二者在食物中所占的重量百分比之和为97．45％。优势饵料种类有太平洋磷虾(Euphausia pacifica)、脊腹褐虾(Crangon affirnis)、细螯虾(Leptochela gracilis)和赤鼻棱缇(Thryssa kammalensis)。小黄鱼的摄食强度有显著的季节变化，秋季最高，春季和冬季较低。食物组成也随季节的不同而有所变化，夏季主要以虾类为食，其它季节则主要以磷虾类为食。聚类分析的结果表明，小黄鱼春、夏季的食物组成与秋、冬季相比，存在较大差异。通过与历史资料进行比较发现，黄海小黄鱼的食物组成发生了较大的变化，其中缇鱼(Engraulis japonicus)在食物中所占的比例有明显的下降。     

黄海大头鳕(Gadus macrocephalus)种群特征的年际变化

根据1999—2002年和2007—2009年各年冬季共7个航次的底拖网调查资料,对黄海大头鳕的种群特征及其年际变化进行了研究。结果表明,大头鳕种群相对密度升高,优势年龄由1龄组升高到3龄组,雌性性成熟比例升高;两个调查阶段大头鳕的体长-体重关系分别为W=4.564×10-3L3.333和W=1.550×10-2L2.994;主要饵料均为甲壳类,饵料多样性指数(H′)从1.0升高到1.9,表明大头鳕生境宽度增加。大头鳕种群特征的变化可能与气候变化、黄海生态系统食物网结构的变化以及渔业保护有关。与20世纪80年代相比,两个调查阶段的大头鳕年龄结构仍然较为简单,且其分布范围较窄,资源易受外界环境变化的影响。因此,需关注环境因子和捕捞压力变化对黄海大头鳕资源的影响,制定合理养护措施,促进资源的可持续利用。     

黄海小黄鱼生物学特征对多重压力的响应

Temporal changes in biological characteristics of small yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis in the Yellow Sea were examined for the period of 1960–2008. The body size and age of small yellow croaker decreased substantially, in particular, average length of fish in 2008 was reduced by ~85% than those occurring in 1985, and at that time ~93% of the total catch was dominated by one-year-old individuals. Correspondingly, growth parameters also varied significantly over the years, i.e., k(growth coefficient) and t_0(zero-length age) gradually increased from 0.26 and –0.58 year in 1960 to 0.56 and –0.25 year in 2008, respectively. Although, L∞(body length)sharply decreased from 34.21 cm in 1960 to 24.06 cm in 2008, and t_r(inflexion age) decreased from 3.78 year in1960 to 1.61 year in 2008. There was a great increase both in natural mortality coefficient and fishing mortality coefficient. However, according to the gray correlation analysis, changes in the biological characteristics of small yellow croaker were induced by different stressors ranked as: fishing vessel powerfeeding gradesea surface temperature. This study suggests that the active fishery management measures for biological characters of fish populations should be considered.