Fishery resources in arid zone mangroves in gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, northwest coast of India

The finfish and shellfish resources were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively in regard to their abundance in creek waters at three sites within a period of two years, from January 1999 to December 2000, in the western mangrove areas of Kachchh. The catch rate varied from 0.69 to 6.99 kg h⁻¹. It was low during monsoon (July to October), which could be due to the freshwater-flow-induced salinity reduction in all the sites. Among 38 species recorded, 5 were shellfish and 33 were finfish. The spawning period of fishes was found to be during summer and early monsoon period (May to August). Surface water temperatures varied from 17 °C to 37 °C. Salinity values varied from 34 to 44 and the pH ranged between 7 and 8.9. Variation in dissolved oxygen content was from 3.42 to 5.85 mL L⁻¹. The high fishery densities in these semi arid mangrove creek areas were recorded during monsoon and early winter season.     

Impact of microzooplankton and Calanus sinicus (Brodsky, 1962) on phytoplankton in the Yellow Sea during early summer

Dilution incubations and Calanus sinicus addition incubations were simultaneously conducted at five stations in the Yellow Sea in June of 2004 to evaluate the impact of microzooplankton and Calanus sinicus on phytoplankton based on the Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) levels. The Chl-a growth rates (k) ranged from 0.60–1.67 d⁻¹, while microzooplankton grazed the Chl-a at rates (g) of 0.29–0.62 d^t-1. The addition of C. sinicus enhanced the Chl-a growth rate (Z) by 0.004–0.037 d⁻¹ ind.⁻¹ L. C. sinicus abundance ranged from 84.1–160.9 ind. m⁻³, which occupied 90.7%–99.1% of the copepod (>500 μm) population. The in-situ increase in phytoplankton by C. sinicus community was estimated to be 0.000 4–0.005 9 d⁻¹. These results showed that microzooplankton were the main grazers of phytoplankton, while C. sinicus induced a slight increase in the levels of phytoplankton.     

In-situ studies of microzooplankton grazing pressure on phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Preliminary studies on microzooplankton grazing were conducted with dilution method in Jiaozhou Bay from summer 1998 to spring 1999. Four experiments were carried out at St. 5 located at the center of Jiaozhou Bay. Chlorophyll a concentrations were consistently dominated by netphytoplankton (net-, >20μm), except during the autumn 1998 cruise, when they were dominated by nanophytoplankton(nano-, 2–20μm). The contribution of picophytoplankton (pico-, <2μm) to total chlorophyll a concentrations (<200μm) varied considerably between cruises. Instantaneous growth coefficients(u) of phytoplankton varied from 0.098 to 1.947d⁻¹, with mean value of 0.902d⁻¹. Instantaneous coefficients(g) of microzooplankton grazing on phytoplankton ranged from 0.066 to 0.567d⁻¹, mean value of 0.265d⁻¹, which was equivalent to daily lose of 21.9% of the initial standing stock and 58.1% of the daily potential production. Project No KZCX3-SW-214 supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Standing crop and primary production of benthic microalgae on the tidal flats in Yueqing Bay

The standing stock and primary production of benthic microalgae on tidal flats were measured seasonally at 3 transects (Puqing, Dahengchuang and Puqi) in Yueqing Bay during 2002 2003. The results showed that the integral chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration in tidal flat mud exhibited a seasonal variation with the order of magnitude: winter (14.0 4.2 mg m-2) > spring (13.0 6.3 mg m-2) > autumn (7.7 5.9 mg m-2) > summer (4.6 3.2 mg m-2). The primary production showed an order of magnitude: spring (270.5 224.9 mgC m-2 d-1)>winter (238.7 225.5 mgC m-2 d-1)>autumn (214.1 56.2 mgC m-2 d-1)>summer (71.6 44.6 mgC m-2 d-1). Both chlorophyll a and primary production showed maximum values in the surface layer of sediment, and decreased rapidly with increasing depth due to sun light limitation. The results of variance analysis indicated that seasonal variation and tidal flat condition affected Chl a greatly, but had no significant effect on primary production. The annual primary production of benthic microalgae on tidal flats in Yueqing Bay was estimated at 16143 tons carbon, which is sufficient to support 1.02×105 tons shellfish production. The environmental factors affecting chlorophyll and primary production on the tidal flats in Yueqing Bay were discussed. By comparing with other bays on China’s coast, it was observed that Yueqing Bay is a region with high benthic microalgae standing crop and primary production, which may be related to the type of its sediment.     

Stable isotopes in aquatic food web of an artificial lagoon in the Hangzhou Bay, China

Stable isotope values, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N, were determined for four primary producers and 19 dominant consumers in a small artificial lagoon located in Hangzhou Bay. Based on these results the major pathways for energy flow and trophic structure of the artificial lagoon ecosystem were characterized. The mean δ¹³C values for the 19 consumers ranged from −22.99‰ to −14.24‰. Apart from so-iny mullet Liza haematocheila, the other 18 consumers had intermediate δ¹³C values between those of epibenthic microalgae and particulate organic matter (POM). The results of a multiple source linear mixing model (IsoSource model) indicated that 50% or more of the organic carbon in the tissues of most consumers was derived from epibenthic microalgae. This indicated that these primary producers were the main food source fueling the lagoon food web. The mean δ¹⁵N values for the 19 consumers varied between 4.93‰ and 12.97‰ and indicated four trophic levels in the lagoon. Four macroinvertebrates and zooplankton represented the primary consumers, whilst the other 14 consumers occupied the secondary and tertiary consumer levels. The 19 consumers were divided into three trophic guilds (detritivores/suspension feeders, omnivores and carnivores).     

CHANGE IN THE ACTIVITY OF THE RESPIRATORY ELECTRON TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN NATURAL PHYTOPLANKTON ASSEMBLAGES AND CULTURED ALGAE

Activities of the respiratory electron transport system (ETS), C uptake, chlorophyll and temperature were determined at a station in the center of Donghu Lake. Seasonal, fluctuations in ETS-activities ranged from 100 to 460μg O2 h-1.L-1. Production: respiration ratio (P/R) calculated from C uptake and ETS-activity, ranged from 0.2 to 6.8. The test on cultured algae ETS-activity revealed marked differences in different growth phases. ETS activity is suggested as an indicator of lake nutrient status.     

Methodology for studies of carbon dynamics between phytoplankton primary production and heterotrophic bacterial secondary production

The SCENTO-System was used to study the carbon dynamics between phytoplankton primary production and heterotrophic bacterial secondary production. Most of the methods used nowadays in situ for limnological synecology studies were applied. Primary production measurement showed an increasing tendency with increasing content of chlorophylla. It provided a true photosynthetic rate lying within the range of eutrophic lakes. Net EOC released from the algae ranged from 8.5 to 27.5 μg C l⁻¹(6h)⁻¹. Accompanying the algal products the number of bacteria increased from 1.475 ×10⁹ to 8.074×10⁹ cells l⁻¹. The bacterial mean cell volume was small, between 0.0315 and 0.0548μm³. Bacterial carbon production from direct growth estimates was compared with independent calculations of bacterial growth from EOC uptake and³H-thymidine incorporation. Direct estimates were 2.97–10.0 μg Cl⁻¹ (24h)⁻¹ with the exception of a zero-growth on the third day. EOC uptake was 123.5–191.0 μg Cl⁻¹ (6h)⁻¹. That calculated from³H-thymidine incorporation was 0.2–0.5 μg Cl⁻¹ (6h)⁻¹.¹⁴C-glucose dark uptake ran parallel to the increasing bacterial biomass. The respiration of glucose was 6.5% (avg.) of the gross uptake. Since the system operated without grazing pressure, a real carbon flow from primary production to bacterial secondary production could be observed.     

Transpiration rates of Carex Meyeriana in relation to micrometerological factors in a mountain valley wetland

In order to reveal transpiration rates of wetland plants and its relationships to micro- meterological factors in a mountain valley wetland, relative humidity, air temperature, leaf temperature, soil temperature, photo flux density and transpiration rates were measured once two hours in a Carex meyeriana wetland of the Changbai Mountain valley in dry （July） and wet （September） of 2003, respectively. Results showed that the tendency of ＂decreasing after increasing＂ was obvious in wet season. However, a relatively stable trend was observed for the transpiration in dry season.. Generally, the photon flux density of Carex meyeriana was higher in wet season than that in dry season. However, the variabilities of leaf temperature, air temperature and relative humidity were similar in both seasons. Higher transpiration rates of Carex meyeriana leaves were observed in July （varied from 40 to 150 mol.m^-2.s^-1） compared to those （varied from 7 to 14 mol.m^-2.s^-1） in September. Transpiration rates were significantly correlated with air temperature （P〈0.01）, leaf temperature （P〈0.01）, and wind speed （P〈0.05）, but correlationship between relative humidity and photo flux density was not significant （P〈0.05）.     

Starvation metabolism of two common species of chironomids in Biandantang Lake

1 INTRODUCTION Chironomid larvae are main groups in most aquatic ecosystems, playing a crucial ecological role in decomposition of detritus and material ex- changes between water column and the sediment (Liang et al., 1995a, b; Chen, et al., 1982). They a…     

Studies on culture conditions of benthic diatoms for feeding abalone

Effects of salinity, pH, nitrogenous and phosphate nutrients on the growth rate of four species of benthic diatoms were studied by using the method of in situ optical density measurement. The optimal culture conditions for the four species of diatoms are as follows: forAmphora coffeaeformis, s 35; pH 8.5; NO₃ ⁻−N 1.54, NH₄ ⁺−N, 7.0; CO (NH₂)₂−N, 2.5 (mg/L); PO₄ ³⁻−P 1.13 (mg/L); forCocconeis scutellum varparva, s 30; pH 8.5; NO ₃ ⁻ −N 3.08, NH ₄ ⁺ −N 3.5, CO(NH₂)₂−N 5.0 (mg/L); pO ₄ ³⁻ −P 0.283 (mg/L); forNavicula corymbosa s 25; pH 8.0; NO ₃ ⁻ −N 1.54, NH ₄ ⁺ −N 3.5 CO(NH₂)₂−N 5.0 (mg/L); PO ₄ ³⁻ −P 0.565 (mg/L); forNavicula mollis. s 25; pH 8.0; NO ₃ ⁻ −N 1.54, NH ₄ ⁺ −N 1.75, CO(NH₂)₂−N 1.25 (mg/L); PO ₄ ³⁻ −P 0.141 (mg/L). Part of the results of this paper were exchanged in the Fourth Asian Aquaculture Forum. Oct. 16–20. 1995. Beijing, P. R. China.     

Winter phytoplankton assemblages of coastal Yellow Sea connected to Jiaozhou Bay, China

I Introduction Phytoplankton play an important role in the primary production of ocean (Ning et al., 1995). They are impor-tant biological mediators of carbon turnover in seawater ecosystems (Zhu et al., 1993). Phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay have been preliminarily studied on the subjects of community structure, primary productivity and carbon budget (Qian et al., 1983; Guo et al., 1992; Jiao et al., 1994). It has been found that seasonal variation of phytoplankton cell abundance presents w…     

Abundance and Biomass of Benthic Bacteria in Jiaozhou Bay, China

The abundance and biomass of benthic heterotrophic bacteria were investigated for the 4 typical sampling stations in the northern muddy part of Jiaozhou Bay, estuary of the Dagu River, raft culturing and nearby areas of Huangdao in March, June, August and December, 2002. The abundance and biomass range from 0.98×10⁷ to 16.87×10⁷ cells g⁻¹ sediment and 0.45 to 7.08 μg C g⁻¹ sediment, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that heterotrophic bacterial abundance and biomass are significantly correlated to water temperature (R=0.79 and 0.83, respectively,P<0.01).     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and carbon fluxes across sea-air interface in the Changjiang Estuary and Hangzhou Bay

Partial pressure of CO2 （pCO2） was investigated in the Changjiang （Yangtze River） Estuary, Hangzhou Bay and their adjacent areas during a cruise in August 2004, China. The data show that pCO2 in surface waters of the studied area was higher than that in the atmosphere with only exception of a patch east of Zhoushan Archipelago. The pCO2 varied from 168 to 2 264 μatm, which fell in the low range compared with those of other estuaries in the world. The calculated sea-air CO2 fluxes decreased offshore and varied from -10.0 to 88.1 mmol m^-2 d^-1 in average of 24.4 ± 16.5 mmol m^-2 d^-1. Although the area studied was estimated only 2 × 10^4 km^2, it emitted （5.9 ± 4.0） × 10^3 tons of carbon to the atmosphere every day. The estuaries and their plumes must be further studied for better understanding the role of coastal seas playing in the global oceanic carbon cycle.     

Net primary productivity and species diversity of herbaceous vegetation in banj-oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus) forest in Kumaun Himalaya, India

Net primary productivity and species diversity of herbaceous vegetation of banj-oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A.Camus) forest in Kumaun Himalaya,India were analyzed.Across different growth forms (tall forbs,short forbs,cushion and spreading forbs,grasses),short forbs were most dominant component during rainy season (IVI=152) and winter season (IVI=167) and grasses during the winter season (IVI=148).Maximum above-ground production occurred during rainy season (132.5 g m-2) and minimum during winter season (2.8 g m-2).Below-ground production was maximum (85.9 g m-2) during winter season and minimum (14.9 g m-2) during summer season.Annual net shoot production was 150 g m-2 and below-ground production was 138 g m-2.Of the total input 61 % was channeled to above-ground parts and 39% to below-ground parts.     

Effects of sodium nitrate and sodium acetate concentrations on the growth and fatty acid composition of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachiomonas submarina</Emphasis>

One isolate of Brachiomonas submarina was tested for its ability to grow heterotrophicly on 5 different organic compounds. Sodium acetate and glucose were found to be effective in supporting the growth. Sodium acetate was chosen as the organic nutrient to test the combined effects of organic and inorganic solutions on the growth and fatty acid composition of Brachiomonas submarina. The best growth rates were achieved at 3 mmol L⁻¹ CH₃COONa and 0.88 mmol L⁻¹ NaNO₃ in heterotrophic condition, and 4 mmol L⁻¹ CH₃COONa and 3.52 mmol L⁻¹ NaNO₃ in mixotrophic condition. The differences between fatty acid contents were significant. The total polyunsaturated fatty acids (T. P. U. F. As) varied from 55.79% to 67.72% in heteritrophic growth and from 52.39% to 65.55% in mixotrophic growth. It is concluded that CH₃COONa and NaNO₃ at 3 mmol L⁻¹ and 3.52 mmol L⁻¹ should respectively be used in order to achieve the highest growth rate and fatty acid content.     

Determination of copper complexation in surface microlayer of Daya Bay and Jiaozhou Bay

1 INTRODUCTION Bioavailability to the biota and the biogeo-chemistry of trace metals in marine environment areaffected by their chemical speciation in the naturalsystem (Bruland et al., 1991; Van den Berg andDonat, 1992; Wells et al., 1998). Therefore, thesetwo parameters, the ligands concentrations andconditional stability constants, are important todetermine the complexing capacity. Sea surface microlayer (SML), the thin interfa-cial boundary between ocean and atmosphere, playsan imp…     

Transfeer of organic pollutants during sewage-seawater mixing

The transfer processes of organic pollutants during sewage-seawater mixing were simulated in three different mixing systems. The release rate of organic matter from sewage particles to seawater was found to be about 0.02–0.04 d⁻¹. The release processes can be simulated by an exchange-equilibrium kinetic model. Degradation of COD was observed in all three mixing systems and can be described by a first order kinetic equation. The degradation rate constantk ranged between 0.04 and 0.07 d⁻¹. These results have provided important parameters for estimation of environmental capacity.     

Variation of bacteria biomass and its possible controlling factors in the East China Sea

Two surveys were performed for determining bacteria biomass (BB), temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a (chl-a) and nutrient concentrations at 11 stations with three sampling depths in the high-incidence regions of red tide in the East China Sea (ECS) in the spring of 2006. Temperature and salinity increased from nearshore to offshore region and from high latitude to low latitude in the two cruises of 2006. BB were between 0.3–5.2 mgC m⁻³ (about 2.1 mgC m⁻³ on average) and 0.2–6.0 mgC m⁻³ (about 2.7 mgC m⁻³ on average) respectively in the two cruises. BB in the surface layer decreased from the Changjiang River estuary to high sea and from low latitude to high latitude. The results showed that bacterial growth was regulated by temperature, primary production and inorganic nutrient concentrations depending on different hydrographic conditions. In the surface and middle layers where the primary production can supply enough organic substrate, temperature was the main factor to control bacteria biomass. BB showed a good correlation between the surface and middle layers in both cruises. The distribution of nutrients during both cruises showed a similar decreasing trend from nearshore region and high latitude to offshore region and low latitude. High BB values were mainly recorded from samples in the middle layer where chl-a concentrations were also high, indicating primary production being strongly correlated with temperature over the ECS shelf. In the offshore area, phosphate and silicate became limiting factors for phytoplankton growth with indirect influence on BB. Bacteria played an important role in nitrogen regeneration process turning organic nitrogen to inorganic forms such as NH₄ ⁺. The increasing ratio of NH₄ ⁺/DIN could be a proof of that.     

Dietary manganese requirement ofP. Vannamei

Graded levels of manganese were supplemented to a semi-purified diet containing 45% crude protein, to provide six levels of manganese (i. e. containing 5, 25, 50, 70, 140 and 210×10⁻⁶, respectively) for two experiments with these experimental diets. The initial weight of shrimp used in the 35–day experiment I was 0.30±0.04 g, and that in the 70–day Experiment II was more than one gram. The results showed that optimum content in the semi-purified diet for the more than 1 gram shrimp ranged from 70 ×10⁻⁶, to 140×10⁻⁶, but supplementation of Mn was not necessary for the small shrimp. Contribution No. 2673 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass in autumn of the Changjiang （Yangtze） River Estuary and its adjacent waters after the Three Gorges Dam construction

A cruise was undertaken from 3rd to 8th November 2004 in Changjiang （Yangtze） River Estuary and its adjacent waters to investigate the spatial biomass distribution and size composition of phytoplankton. Chlorophyll-a （Chl-a） concentration ranged 0.42-1.17 μg L^-1 and 0.41-10.43 μg L^-1 inside and outside the river mouth, with the mean value 0.73 μg L^-1 and 1.86 μg L^-1, respectively. Compared with the Chl-a concentration in summer of 2004, the mean value was much lower inside, and a little higher outside the river mouth. The maximal Chl-a was 10.43 μg L^-1 at station 18 （122.67°E, 31.25°N）, and the region of high Chl-a concentration was observed in the central survey area between 122.5°E and 123.0°E. In the stations located east of 122.5°E, Chl-a concentration was generally high in the upper layers above 5 m due to water stratification. In the survey area, the average Chl-a in sizes of 〉20 μm and 〈20 μm was 0.28 μg L^-1 and 1.40 μg L^-1, respectively. High Chl-a concentration of 〈20 μm size-fraction indicated that the nanophytoplankton and picophytoplankton contributed the most to the biomass of phytoplankton. Skeletonema costatum, Prorocentrum micans and Scrippsiella trochoidea were the dominant species in surface water. The spatial distribution of cell abundance of phytoplankton was patchy and did not agree well with that of Chl-a, as the cell abundance could not distinguish the differences in shape and size of phytoplankton cells. Nitrate and silicate behaved conservatively, but the former could probably be the limitation factor to algal biomass at offshore stations. The distribution of phosphate scattered considerably, and its relation to the phytoplankton biomass was complicated.