Influence of submersion season on the development of test panel biofouling communities in a tropical coast

The effect of test panel submersion season on the colonization of biofouling communities in a tropical coast revealed that the effects of panel submersion time should be taken into consideration for modelling fouling community recruitment dynamics in coastal systems or during the field trials of antifouling coatings. Wooden test panels fitted onto a raft were submerged during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons for the development of the biofouling community. Results showed considerable variation in the colonization of fouling communities on test panels submerged during different seasons. Barnacles, tubeworms, ascidians and seaweeds were the major fouling communities that colonized the test panels. The total biomass of the fouling communities that settled on the post-monsoon season panels varied from the initial value of 2.72 g dm⁻² to a maximum of 44.5 g dm⁻². On the panels submerged during monsoon season, the total biomass of fouling communities varied between 0.78 g dm⁻² and 69.9 g dm⁻². The total fouling biomass on the pre-monsoon season panels varied between 2.95 and 33.5 g dm⁻². Barnacles were the initial colonizers on the panels submerged during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Soft-bodied organisms such as ascidians dominated the monsoon season-initiated panel series during the initial period.     

Impact of freshwater influx on microzooplankton mediated food web in a tropical estuary (Cochin backwaters – India)

The diversity, abundance and biomass of microzooplankton in Cochin backwaters were studied for the first time during pre-summer monsoon to peak of summer monsoon (April–July 2003) to understand the impact of large freshwater influx. Microzooplankton abundance and biomass were highest during pre-summer monsoon (av. 3817 ind. L⁻¹ and 146 μg C L⁻¹) that declined with the onset (av. 2052 ind. L⁻¹ and 45 μg C L⁻¹) and peak (av. 409 ind. L⁻¹ and 10 μg C L⁻¹) summer monsoon. Species diversity, richness and evenness of microzooplankton also showed similar trends as that of abundance and biomass. Grazing experiment showed that microzooplankton consumes 43 ± 1% of the daily phytoplankton standing stock during the high saline condition (27.5). Low abundance of microzooplankton during summer monsoon period (1/8 of the pre-summer monsoon value) along with the concomitant occurrence of low mesozooplankton (1/8 times of pre-summer monsoon value) suggests that there could be a general lack of planktonic grazers. This would result in a weak transfer of primary and bacterial carbon to higher trophic levels, eventually leaving behind much unconsumed basic food in the estuary during summer monsoon. Thus a major portion of the primary carbon either settles down or gets transported to the coastal regions during monsoon. High flushing of Cochin backwaters also facilitates faster removal of primary producers to the coastal regions during monsoon.     

Spatial and temporal patterns in bacterial abundance, production and viral infection in a temporarily open/closed southern African estuary

The spatial and temporal patterns in bacterial abundance, biomass, production, nanoflagellate abundance and the loss of bacterial production due to viral lysis were investigated in a temporarily open/closed estuary along the eastern seaboard of southern Africa over the period May 2006 to April 2007. Bacterial abundance, biomass and production ranged between 1.00 × 10⁹ and 4.93 × 10⁹ cells l⁻¹, 32.43 and 108.59 μg C l⁻¹ and 0.01 and 1.99 μg C l⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. With a few exceptions there were no significant spatial patterns in the values (P > 0.05). Bacterial abundance, biomass and production, however, demonstrated a distinct temporal pattern with the lowest values consistently recorded during the winter months. Bacterial dynamics showed no effect of mouth opening events. Nanoflagellate and bacterial abundances were significantly correlated to one another (P < 0.05) suggesting a strong predator-prey relationship. The frequency of visibly infected bacterial cells and the number of virus particles within each bacterial cell during the study demonstrated no significant temporal or spatial pattern (P > 0.05) and ranged from 0.5 to 6.1% and 12.0 to 37.5 virus particles per bacterium, respectively. Viral infection and lysis was thus a constant source of bacterial mortality throughout the year. The estimated percentage of bacterial production removed by viral lysis ranged between 7.8 and 88.9% (mean = 30.3%) of the total which suggests that viral lysis represents a very important source of bacterial mortality during the study.     

Elevated biomass of mesozooplankton and enhanced fecal pellet flux in cyclonic and mode-water eddies in the Sargasso Sea

Accumulating evidence points to the importance of mesoscale eddies in supplying nutrients to surface waters in oligotrophic gyres. However, the nature of the biological response and its evolution over time has yet to be elucidated. Changes in mesozooplankton community composition due to eddy perturbation also could affect biogeochemical cycling. Over the course of two summers we sampled seven eddies in the Sargasso Sea. We focused on and followed a post-phytoplankton bloom cyclonic eddy (C1) in 2004 and a blooming mode-water anticyclonic eddy (A4) in 2005. We collected zooplankton in all eddies using a Multiple Opening and Closing Net Environmental Sampling System (MOCNESS) and quantified biomass (>0.15 mm, in five size fractions) from 0 to 700 m over nine discrete depth intervals. Zooplankton biomass (>0.5 mm) in the upper 150 m was similarly enhanced at night for the periphery of C1 and the center of A4 at 0.514 g m⁻² and 0.533 g m⁻², respectively, compared to outside (0.183 g m⁻² outside C1 and 0.197 g m⁻² outside A4). Despite minimal chlorophyll a enhancement and dominance by picoplankton in C1, zooplankton biomass increased most for the largest size class (>5 mm). Gut fluorescence for euphausiids and large copepods was also elevated on the C1 periphery. In A4, peak biomass occurred at eddy center coincident with peak primary production, but was highly variable (changing by >3-fold) over time, perhaps resulting from the dense, but patchy distribution of diatom chains in this region. Shifts in zooplankton community composition and abundance were reflected in enhancement of fecal pellet production and active transport by diel vertical migration in eddies. Inside C1 the flux of zooplankton fecal pellets at 150 m in June 2004 was 1.5-fold higher than outside the eddy, accounting for 9% of total particulate organic carbon (POC) flux. The flux of fecal pellets (mostly from copepods) increased through the summer in eddy A4, matching concurrent increases in zooplankton <2 mm in length, and accounting for up to 12% of total POC flux. Active carbon transport by vertically migrating zooplankton was 37% higher on the periphery of C1 and 74% higher at the center of A4 compared to the summer mean at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) station. Despite contrasting responses by the phytoplankton community to cyclonic and mode-water eddies, mesozooplankton biomass was similarly enhanced, possibly due to differential physical and biological aggregation mechanisms, and resulted in important zooplankton-mediated changes in mesoscale biogeochemistry.     

Response of Nereis diversicolor (Polychaeta, Nereidae) populations to reduced wastewater discharge in the polluted estuary of Oued Souss, Bay of Agadir, Morocco

Field investigations on the population dynamics of Nereis diversicolor were carried out from January 2002 to December 2003 in the estuary of Oued Souss (southwestern Morocco) to determine the changes caused by setting up of a domestic and industrial wastewater purification plant (M'zar) before and after by the end of wastewater discharges in November 2002 on the structure of the ecosystem. Samples of N. diversicolor were collected monthly in the intertidal zone at low tide before (during 2002) and after (during 2003) the end of wastewater discharges.Separation of cohorts using the Algorithm EM method (McLachlan, G.J., Krishnan, T., 1997. The EM algorithm and extensions. Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics. Wiley, New York, 274 pp.) allowed determination of the growth rate (mm day⁻¹) by cohort and the annual production. The data showed significant differences between populations of Nereis diversicolor before and after the end of wastewater discharges. During the wastewater discharge period (2002), the population had a mean annual density of 1992 ind m⁻², a mean annual biomass of 75.52 g DW m⁻² and an annual secondary production of 141.3 g DW m⁻² with a P/B ratio of 1.87. After the end of discharges (2003), density, biomass and secondary production decreased significantly. The annual averages for these parameters were 740 ind m⁻², 14.16 g DW m⁻² and 23.83 g DW m⁻², respectively, with a P/B ratio of 1.68.The important decrease observed in density, biomass and secondary production of Nereis diversicolor may be attributed (a) to the environmental changes observed after the end of wastewater discharges in the estuary of Oued Souss, namely the increase of salinity and the decrease of organic matter content, and (b) to the migration of this species towards other areas.     

Flux of Reduced Sulfur Gases Along a Salinity Gradient in Louisiana Coastal Marshes

Seasonal and diurnal reduced sulfur gas emissions were measured along a salinity gradient in Louisiana Gulf Coast salt, brackish and freshwater marshes. Reduced sulfur gas emission was strongly associated with habitat and salinity gradient. The dominant emission component was dimethyl sulfide (average: 57·3 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹) in saltmarsh with considerable seasonal (max: 144·03 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹; min: 1·47 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹) and diurnal (max: 83·58 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹; min: 69·59 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹) changes in flux rates. Hydrogen sulfide was dominant (average: 21·2 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹, max: 79·2 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹; min: 5·29 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹) form in brackishmarsh and carbonyl sulfide (average: 1·09 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹; max: 3·42 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹; min: 0·32 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹) was dominant form in freshwater marsh. A greater amount of H₂S was evolved from brackishmarsh (21·22 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹) as compared to the saltmarsh (2·46 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹) and freshwater marsh (0·30 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹). Emission of total reduced sulfur gases decreased with decrease in salinity and distance inland from the coast. Emission of total reduced sulfur gases over the study averaged 73·3 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹ for the saltmarsh, 32·1 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹ for brackishmarsh and 2·76 μg S m⁻² h⁻¹ for the freshwater marsh.     

Atmospherically-promoted photosynthetic activity in a well-mixed ecosystem: Significance of wet deposition events of nitrogen compounds

Wet atmospheric deposition of dissolved N, P and Si species is studied in well-mixed coastal ecosystem to evaluate its potential to stimulate photosynthetic activities in nutrient-depleted conditions. Our results show that, during spring, seawater is greatly depleted in major nutrients: Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN), Dissolved Inorganic Phosphorus (DIP) and Silicic acid (Si), in parallel with an increase of phytoplanktonic biomass. In spring (March–May) and summer (June–September), wet atmospheric deposition is the predominant source (>60%, relative to riverine contribution) for nitrates and ammonium inputs to this N-limited coastal ecosystem. During winter (October–February), riverine inputs of DIN predominate (>80%) and are annually the most important source of DIP (>90%). This situation allows us to calculate the possibility for a significant contribution to primary production in May 2003, from atmospheric deposition (total input for DIN ≈300 kg km⁻² month⁻¹). Based on usual Redfield ratios and assuming that all of the atmospheric-derived N (AD-N) in rainwater is bioavailable for phytoplankton growth, we can estimate new production due to AD-N of 950 mg C m⁻² month⁻¹, during this period of depletion in the water column. During the same episode (May 2003), photosynthetic activity rate, considered as gross primary production, was estimated to approximately 30 300 mg C m⁻² month⁻¹. Calculation indicates that new photosynthetic activity due to wet atmospheric inputs of nitrogen could be up to 3%.     

The colonization of artificial substrata by marine sessile organisms in False Bay. 1. Community development

Marine sessile communities developing on stainless steel test panels set 10 and 20 m deep in False Bay over periods ranging from a month to a year were examined. The establishment of communities was characterized by seasonal succession, colonization rates being lowest during winter. Community development differed between depths. At 10 m, barnacles appeared first but numerous mussels settled on them, eventually smothering them. Later, secondary settlement of barnacles on the mussels increased the bulk of the layer. Initial development was slower at the 20 m site, progressing from barnacle dominance to a more complex community including barnacles, serpulids, hydrozoans and compound ascidians. The settlement of solitary ascidians during summer led to their final dominance alongside barnacles. It is suggested that solitary ascidians and barnacles would normally dominate at sublittoral depths up to 20 m in False Bay, except where mussel dominance develops first.     

Growth and mortality of larval and juvenile Japanese seaperch Lateolabrax japonicus in relation to seasonal changes in temperature and prey abundance in the Chikugo estuary

Japanese seaperch Lateolabrax japonicus migrate from Ariake Bay to the estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) zone of the Chikugo River and inhabit there through the post-migration period (15–20 mm in standard length). The feeding, growth and mortality during the post-migration period of Japanese seaperch were analyzed in relation to seasonal changes in temperature and prey concentration. Larvae and juveniles were collected from ten sampling stations at 4–7 day intervals from 24 February to 24 April 2005 in the Chikugo estuary. Based on the otolith microstructure analysis the sampled fish were divided into nine cohorts, each cohort covering a 5 day hatch date period (22 December 2004 to 4 February 2005). The growth coefficient (G, day⁻¹) was higher and the mortality coefficient (M, day⁻¹) was lower in the later cohorts. The ratio of G to M as an index of stage-specific survival during the post-migration period significantly increased as the season progressed and exceeded 1.0 in the last cohort examined. Variability in abundance of the major prey organism, Sinocalanus sinensis, had a significant effect on the Japanese seaperch ingestion rate. Increase in temperature and spring bloom of S. sinensis is concluded to provide the later cohorts with a higher survival probability through increasing ingestion and growth rates during their post-migration period in spring 2005.     

A regional analysis of new production on the northwest European shelf using oxygen fluxes and a ship-of-opportunity

Seasonal new production (g C m⁻²) estimates obtained from dissolved oxygen and nitrate concentrations in surface waters (5 m depth) along a track between the UK (Portsmouth) and northern Spain (Bilbao) are compared. An oxygen flux method, in combination with a ship of opportunity (SOO), was tested on the northwest European shelf for its value in distinguishing high production in frontal regions. Dissolved oxygen, nitrate and chlorophyll a samples were collected monthly from February to July 2004, alongside continuous autonomous measurements of salinity, temperature and chlorophyll fluorescence. Depth integrated new production estimates for all the individually analysed hydrographic regions of the route were produced.Results from three widely used gas-exchange parameterizations gave seasonal (February–July) new production estimates of 54–68 g C m⁻² for the Ushant region of the western English Channel and 31–40 g C m⁻² for the shelf slope, averaging 24–31 g C m⁻² for the route. This is double the route average obtained using the nitrate assimilation method (17 g C m⁻²) and within the ranges of previous estimates in the same region. The oxygen flux method gave a fivefold enhancement compared to the nitrate method in the Ushant frontal region and a threefold enhancement in the English Channel and shelf break regions. Determining oxygen fluxes to estimate new production may be more reliable than nitrate assimilation in active tidal or frontal regions of shelves where nitrate may be added to the system post-winter through advection or entrainment.     

东沙群岛西部海区污损生物研究

海洋污损生物系指海洋环境中附着或栖息在船舶和各种人工设施上、对人类经济活动产生不利影响的动、植物和微生物，是影响海洋设施安全与使用寿命的重要因素之一。根据其形态结构上是否具备石灰质外壳或骨架，可分为硬性污损生物和软性污损生物两种，前者包括双壳类软体动物、无柄蔓足类和苔藓虫等生物，后者则为海藻和水螅等种类。海洋污损生物对大型海洋结构物的危害主要通过增大构件直径和表面粗糙度，增强对波浪和海流的阻力，从而造成结构物静力载荷和动力载荷增加。此外，导管架表面所附着的生物还会妨碍水下作业，甚至损坏潜水设备。 为适应我国海洋石油工业发展的需要，近十多年来科研人员对南海北部近海海区人工设施的污损生物状况进行了系统调查，并陆续发表了有关研究成果(严涛等，1997，1998，1999，2000)。然而，在珠江口东南、东沙群岛以西远离大陆和岛屿的深水海区，有关污损生物资料至今未见报道。本文根据实海调查结果，详细论述了该海区人工设施上的污损生物状况，以期丰富人类的海洋生态学知识，并为该海区海洋结构物的设计、保养和维修提供科学依据。     

Potential effects of temperature on the benthic infaunal community on the southeastern Bering Sea shelf: Possible impacts of climate change

In the late 1950s, Soviet researchers collected benthic infaunal samples from the southeastern Bering Sea shelf. Approximately 17 years later, researchers at University of Alaska Fairbanks also sampled the region to assess infaunal biomass and abundance. Here, the two data sets were examined to document patterns and reveal any consistent differences in infaunal biomass among major feeding groups between the two time periods. No significant differences in the geometric mean biomass of all taxa pooled were indicated between the two study periods (1958–1959=49.1 g m⁻²; 1975–1976=60.8 g m⁻²; P=0.14); however, significant differences were observed for specific functional groups, namely carnivores, omnivores and surface detritivores. Of the 64 families identified from both data sets from all functional groups, 21 showed statistically significant (P0.05) differences in mean biomass. Of the 21 families showing significant differences, 19 (91%) of the families had higher mean biomass in the 1975–1976 data set. The above differences suggest a trend toward higher overall infaunal biomass for specific functional groups during mid 1970s compared with the late 1950s. Temperature measurements and literature data indicate that the mid-1970s was an unusually cold period relative to the period before and after, suggesting a mechanistic link between temperature changes and infaunal biomass. Food-web relationships and ecosystem dynamics in the southeastern Bering Sea indicate that during cold periods, infaunal biomass will be elevated relative to warm periods due to elevated carbon flux to the benthos and exclusion of benthic predators on infaunal invertebrates by the cold bottom water on the shelf. As long-term observations of temperature and sea-ice cover indicate a secular warming trend on the Bering Sea shelf, the potential changes in food-web relationships could markedly alter trophic structure and energy flow to apex consumers, potentially impacting the commercial, tourist and subsistence economies.     

Mesozooplankton biomass and grazing responses to Cyclone Opal, a subtropical mesoscale eddy

As part of E-Flux III cruise studies in March 2005, plankton net collections were made to assess the effects of a cyclonic cold-core eddy (Cyclone Opal) on the biomass and grazing of mesozooplankton. Mesozooplankton biomass in the central region of Cyclone Opal, an area of uplifted nutricline and a subsurface diatom bloom, averaged 0.80±0.24 and 1.51±0.59 g DW m⁻², for day and night tows, respectively. These biomass estimates were about 80% higher than control (OUT) stations, with increases more or less proportionately distributed among size classes from 0.2 to >5 mm. Though elevated relative to surrounding waters south of the Hawaiian Islands (Hawai’i lee), total biomass and size distribution in Cyclone Opal were almost exactly the same as contemporary measurements made at Stn. ALOHA, 100 km north of the islands, by the HOT (Hawaii Ocean Time-series) Program. Mesozooplankton biomass and community composition at the OUT stations were also similar to ALOHA values from 1994 to 1996, preceding a recent decadal increase. These comparisons may therefore provide insight into production characteristics or biomass gradients associated with decadal changes at Stn. ALOHA. Gut fluorescence estimates were higher in Opal than in ambient waters, translating to grazing impacts of 0.11±0.02 d⁻¹ (IN) versus 0.03±0.01 d⁻¹ (OUT). Over the depth-integrated euphotic zone, mesozooplankton accounted for 30% of the combined grazing losses of phytoplankton to micro- and meso-herbivores in Opal, as compared to 13% at control stations. Estimates of active export flux by migrating zooplankton averaged 0.81 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ in Cyclone Opal and 0.37 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ at OUT stations, 53% and 24%, respectively, of the carbon export measured by passive sediment traps. Migrants also exported 0.18 mmol N m⁻² d⁻¹ (117% of trap N flux) in Cyclone Opal compared to 0.08 mmol N m⁻² d⁻¹ (51% of trap flux) at control stations. Overall, the food-web importance of mesozooplankton increased in Cyclone Opal both in absolute and relative terms. Diel migrants provided evidence for enhanced export flux in the eddy that was missed by sediment trap and ²³⁴Th techniques, and migrant-mediated flux was the major export term in the observed bloom-perturbation response and N mass balance of the eddy.     

Seasonal and spatial variation in abundance and egg production of Paracalanus parvus (Copepoda: Calanoida) in/out Jiaozhou Bay, China

The spatial distribution of stage-specific abundance and reproduction of the copepod Paracalanus parvus were studied from October 2005 to September 2006 in the Jiaozhou Bay. This copepod occurred continuously in this bay throughout the year. The species reached the lowest abundance in April and peaked in June. From October to December, distribution center mainly occurred in offshore water and at the mouth of the bay. In winter, early copepodites and adults gradually decreased and till February, most of the population was only comprised of CIV–CV stages. Overwintering copepodites matured in March and males tended to mature before female. From May to September, each stage occurred in the population and gradually reached high abundance. Temperature and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentration in the three stations can't clearly explain the seasonal variation in stage-specific abundance, so we surmised the important effect of the Yellow Sea. Egg production rate (EPR) reached its lowest in winter and peaked in June at 60.8 eggs female⁻¹ day⁻¹ in nearshore water. In the warming period, EPR in nearshore water was statistically higher and EPR > 10 eggs female⁻¹ day⁻¹ lasted longer than that in offshore water, showing the importance of nearshore water for recruitment of P. parvus. Our study showed that EPR was positively related to temperature and total chlorophyll a in offshore water and mouth of the bay. In nearshore water, the relationships between EPR and temperature and Chl-a in three size fractions were not the same as those in offshore water, suggesting complicated ecosystem in such a eutrophic area in warming period.     

Annual Primary Production in Narragansett Bay with no Bay-Wide Winter–Spring Phytoplankton Bloom

Primary production was estimated over the annual cycle from ¹⁴C incubations conducted in 5 m deep enclosures and modeled for 16 stations in Narragansett Bay with data from biweekly surveys in which light, chlorophyll, attenuation coefficients and other parameters were measured. Annual values ranged from 160 g C m⁻² y⁻¹ in the lower West Passage to 619 g C m⁻² y⁻¹ at the mouth of the Providence River. The annual bay-wide, area mean fell near the middle of this range at 323 g C m⁻² y⁻¹ and was not apparently different from previous surveys. In the 1998 warm, El Niño winter, no bay-wide winter–spring phytoplankton flowered. Bloom limitation was correlated with warm temperatures which may have stimulated grazing rates. The lack of a bloom did not change annual levels of primary production but this alteration in carbon flow may impact macrofauna in the benthic infauna community.     

Downward carbon transport by diel vertical migration of the copepods Metridia pacifica and Metridia okhotensis in the Oyashio region of the western subarctic Pacific Ocean

Seasonal change in the downward carbon transport due to respiration and mortality through diel vertical migration (DVM) of the calanoid copepods Metridia pacifica and Metridia okhotensis was estimated in the Oyashio region, western subarctic Pacific during six cruises from June 2001 to June 2002. M. pacifica (C4, C5 and adult females) was an active migratory species throughout the year though its DVM amplitude varied among seasons and stages. The mean distribution depths of adult females during the daytime were positively related with the illumination level in the water column, being shallowest in April and deepest in January. M. okhotensis generally showed less-extensive migrations than M. pacifica. Therefore, together with their lower abundance, this species is considered to be a less-important mechanism of downward transport of carbon except for April when their DVM was more active and descended deeper than M. pacifica, which remained in the upper 150 m even during the daytime. The mean migrating biomass of the two Metridia species was 558 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ and was high during summer to winter (263–1676 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) and low during spring (59–63 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹). Total downward flux through DVM fluctuated between 1.0 and 20.0 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ with an annual mean of 8.0 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹. Contribution of the respiratory flux was greater than the mortality flux and accounted for 64–98% of total migratory flux throughout the year except for January when contribution of both fluxes was equal. Overall the annual carbon transport by DVM of Metridia spp. was estimated as 3.0 g C m⁻² year⁻¹, corresponding to 15% of the annual total POC flux at 150 m at the study site, suggesting that DVM is a significant process for carbon export in the subarctic region as well as that in tropical and subtropical oceanic regions. Since DVM in M. pacifica is more active during the non-bloom season when the gravitational flux of particulate matter is low, this species plays an important role in driving the biological pump in the subarctic Pacific during summer to winter.     

Factors influencing benthic bacterial abundance, biomass, and activity on the northern continental margin and deep basin of the Gulf of Mexico

As part of a larger project on the deep benthos of the Gulf of Mexico, an extensive data set on benthic bacterial abundance (n>750), supplemented with cell-size and rate measurements, was acquired from 51 sites across a depth range of 212–3732 m on the northern continental slope and deep basin during the years 2000, 2001, and 2002. Bacterial abundance, determined by epifluorescence microscopy, was examined region-wide as a function of spatial and temporal variables, while subsets of the data were examined for sediment-based chemical or mineralogical correlates according to the availability of collaborative data sets. In the latter case, depth of oxygen penetration helped to explain bacterial depth profiles into the sediment, but only porewater DOC correlated significantly (inversely) with bacterial abundance (p<0.05, n=24). Other (positive) correlations were detected with TOC, C/N ratios, and % sand when the analysis was restricted to data from the easternmost stations (p<0.05, n=9–12). Region-wide, neither surface bacterial abundance (3.30–16.8×10⁸ bacteria cm⁻³ in 0–1 cm and 4–5 cm strata) nor depth-integrated abundance (4.84–17.5×10¹³ bacteria m⁻², 0–15 cm) could be explained by water depth, station location, sampling year, or vertical POC flux. In contrast, depth-integrated bacterial biomass, derived from measured cell sizes of 0.027–0.072 μm³, declined significantly with station depth (p<0.001, n=56). Steeper declines in biomass were observed for the cross-slope transects (when unusual topographic sites and abyssal stations were excluded). The importance of resource changes with depth was supported by the positive relationship observed between bacterial biomass and vertical POC flux, derived from measures of overlying productivity, a relationship that remained significant when depth was held constant (partial correlation analysis, p<0.05, df=50). Whole-sediment incubation experiments under simulated in situ conditions, using ³H-thymidine or ¹⁴C-amino acids, yielded low production rates (5–75 μg C m⁻² d⁻¹) and higher respiration rates (76–242 μg C m⁻² d⁻¹), with kinetics suggestive of resource limitation at abyssal depths. Compared to similarly examined deep regions of the open ocean, the semi-enclosed Gulf of Mexico (like the Arabian Sea) harbors in its abyssal sediments a greater biomass of bacteria per unit of vertically delivered POC, likely reflecting the greater input of laterally advected, often unreactive, material from its margins.     

Microphytobenthic biomass and species composition in intertidal flats of the Nakdong River estuary, Korea

Intertidal microphytobenthos (MPB) were investigated monthly from August 2006 to March 2008 at four different sites in the sand flats of Nakdong River estuary, Korea. Samples of surface sediment (ca. 1 cm) were collected, and chlorophyll a was extracted as biomass estimation. Species identification and enumeration were carried out by light microscopy, assisted where necessary by scanning electronic microscopy. Biomass varied between 0.47 and 16.58 μg cm⁻³, abundance changed from 5.25 to 414.75 × 10³ cells cm⁻³, while the Shannon diversity indexes ranged between 0.69 and 2.35 H′. Thirty-nine MPB taxa were identified, primarily composed of epipelic diatoms, among which Amphora and Navicula were the most abundant genera. Based on the biomass, abundance, species composition and their dynamics, MPB assemblages of sampling sites were grouped into three distinct communities corresponding to their sediment composition characteristics. Multivariate correlation analysis revealed that biomass was positively related to mud and very fine sand, negatively related to fine and medium sand, but not significantly related to environmental factors such as pore water nutrients, light intensity and salinity, which fluctuated rapidly during emersion period. Cluster analysis corroborated the division of MPB communities according to site types on seasonal scales, and also showed seasonality between sites by cluster of all summer groups. Principal component analysis identified that variability in species composition was significantly affected by mud, very fine sand, fine sand, light intensity, and sediment temperature. This study suggests that sediment composition plays an important role in the functioning of intertidal MPB communities in estuarine ecosystems.     

A Trophic Flow Model of the Caeté Mangrove Estuary (North Brazil) with Considerations for the Sustainable Use of its Resources

The Caeté Estuary lies within the world's second largest mangrove region, 200 km south-east of the Amazon delta. It has an extension of about 220 km²and is subjected to a considerable human impact through intensive harvest of mangrove crabs (Ucides cordatus) and logging of mangroves. In order to integrate available information on biomass, catches, food spectrum and dynamics of the main species populations of the system, a trophic steady state model of 19 compartments was constructed using the ECOPATH II software (Christensen & Pauly, 1992). Ninety-nine percent of total system biomass is made up by mangroves (Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia germinans andLaguncularia racemosa ), which are assumed to cover about 45% of the total area and contribute about 60% to the system's primary production. The remaining biomass (132 g m⁻²) is distributed between the pelagic and benthic domains in proportions of 10% and 90% respectively. Through litter fall, mangroves inject the main primary food source into the system, which is either consumed directly by herbivores (principally land crabs, Ucides cordatus) or, when already metabolized by bacteria, by detritivors (principally fiddler crabs, Uca spp.). These two groups are prominent in terms of biomass (80 g and 14·5 g m⁻²), and food intake (1120 g m⁻² yr⁻¹and 1378 g m⁻² yr⁻¹respectively). According to the model estimates, energy flow through the fish and shrimp compartments is of relatively low importance for the energy cycling within the system, a finding which is contrary to the situation in other mangrove estuaries reported in the literature. The dominance of mangrove epibenthos is attributed to the fact that a large part of the system's production remains within the mangrove forest as material export to the estuary is restricted to spring tides, when the forest is completely indundated. This is also the reason for the low abundance of suspension feeders, which are restricted to a small belt along the Caeté River and the small creeks which are watered daily. Phytoplankton, temporarily refloating benthic diatoms, neritic zooplankton and small pelagic fish dominate the (low) pelagic biomass. Total system throughput (10 559 g m⁻² yr⁻¹) and mean transfer efficiency between trophic levels (9·8%) calculated by the model fit well into the range reported for other tropical coastal ecosystems. The very high gross efficiency of the fishery (catch/net primary production) of 8·6% and its low trophic level (2·1) is explained by a high harvesting rate of mangroves and the fact that the main animal resource in the system are the mangrove crabs (Ucides cordatus), which feed at the first trophic level. The model was balanced asuming a turnover rate for the land crabs of P/B=0·25 (P/B: production per unit of biomass) which is possibly too high. If this value was replaced by a (possibly more realistic) lower value, the model would not balance, suggesting a situation in which more biomass is being harvested than produced, which hints to an overexploitation of this resource A ranking of the various system components in terms of their contribution to the system function (ascendency sensu Ulanowicz, 1997) revealed that detritus and associated bacteria contribute 34%, mangroves 19%, fiddler crabs 13%, phytoplankton and microphytobenthos 10%, mangrove crabs 10%, and the remaining 14 groups 14% to the total ascendency. Summary statistics of the model are given and compared with those of other coastal ecosystems.     

Phosphorus metabolism in anthropogenically transformed lagoon ecosystems: The Comacchio lagoons (Ferrara, Italy)

Inorganic phosphorus dynamics were investigated with the use of ³²P in the hypertrophic Comacchio lagoons (NE Adriatic) during an extremely dense, quasi-permanent bloom of picocyanobacteria. Concentrations of dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) in waters of the blooming lagoons were usually near the detection limit (0.01 μmoles·dm⁻³). DIP uptake rates by microplankton at near-ambient concentrations (0.01 to 0.1 μmoles·dm⁻³) were in the range of 9.6 to 16.1 nmoles P·dm⁻³·min⁻¹, and turnover times were 1.5 to 3 min. The turnover time was >40 h in the eutrophic coastal waters of the adjacent Adriatic Sea. The uptake rate of DIP depended on its initial concentration. In water samples artificially enriched with DIP, the uptake rate rose to its maximum of 0.10 to 0.13 μmoles P·dm⁻³·min⁻¹ (or 6 to 7 μmoles·dm⁻³·h⁻¹) when the initial concentration of DIP was elevated to 10 to 20 μmoles·dm⁻³. The potential capacity of microplankton in the water samples to consume and retain DIP was estimated at 25 μmoles·dm⁻³. Specific features are discussed of phosphorus metabolism in the anthropogenically transformed lagoon ecosystem with an anomalous food web with few animals.