Concentration-dependent Stable Isotope Analysis of Consumers in the Upper Reaches of a Freshwater-dominated Estuary: Apalachicola Bay,FL, USA

The goals of this study were to quantify organic matter source utilization by consumers in the freshwater-dominated region (East Bay) of a high river flow estuary and compare the results to consumers in marine-influenced sites of the same estuary to understand how organic matter utilization by consumers may be changing along the salinity gradient. We used the results from these evaluations to establish the baseline against which we isotopically determined trophic level for consumers in East Bay. Average isotope values for consumers sampled in East Bay ranged from −20.1‰ to −24.8‰ for carbon and from 8.9‰ to 14.3‰ for sulfur. These values were well-constrained by the four identified sources: plankton, benthic organic matter, macroalgae, and terrestrial detritus. Application of a concentration-corrected mixing model resulted in contributions of benthic production and detrital sources (averaged over the food web) to East Bay consumers of 41% and 33%, respectively, with the remainder made up of plankton and benthic macroalage. While benthic organic matter was an important organic matter source for consumers at both sites, we found that the influence of terrestrial detritus varied significantly throughout the bay. Terrestrial detritus contributed only 18% of average total organic matter in organisms inhabiting marine-influenced sites. Although terrestrial detritus did contribute to all consumers examined, most fish species in Apalachicola Bay reflect a greater reliance on autochthonous sources. Our results suggest that, while terrestrial detritus does appear to be a major contributor to commercially important shellfish species (most notably oysters and penaeid shrimp), it is not the major source fueling the diversity of secondary production in Apalachicola Bay. Thus, production in Apalachicola Bay is highly dependent on riverine influx in two ways: (1) economically important bivalves and crustaceans are being fueled by terrestrial organic matter supplied by river flooding and (2) secondary and above consumer fish species are supported by in situ production which, in turn, is reliant on nutrients supplied by the Apalachicola River. These findings are significant in light of decisions regarding water usage and river flow restrictions in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint drainage basin. The results of this study confirm that in situ estuarine organic matter is the dominant source supporting secondary production in this river-dominated estuary.     

Seasonal Fisheries Changes in Low-Rainfall Mangrove Ecosystems of Iran

To determine the role of mangroves for fisheries in the arid region of the Persian Gulf, we investigated fish community structure and trophic diversity in intertidal creeks with and without mangroves. Fish community abundances and biomass were compared across habitats and seasons. To identify variations in overall community trophic niches among habitats and seasons, we measured niches with size-corrected standard ellipse areas (SEA_c) calculated from C and N stable isotope values. Although there was a slightly greater species richness occurred in mangrove creeks, we found a general similarity in the diversity patterns in creeks with and without mangroves. Also, there were no consistent differences in fish abundance or biomass for mangrove vs. non-mangrove fish collections. Community trophic diversity measured as SEA_c also showed no significant difference between mangrove and non-mangrove sites. Instead, strong seasonal patterns were observed in the fish assemblages. Winter samples had consistently higher fish abundance and biomass than summer samples. Winter SEA_c values were significantly higher, indicating that the fish community had a larger isotopic niche in winter than summer. Overall, we found that seasonality was much stronger than habitat in determining fish community structure and trophic diversity in the mangrove and non-mangrove ecosystems of Qeshm Island, Iran.     

Modeling Trophic Structure and Energy Flows in a Coastal Artificial Ecosystem Using Mass-Balance Ecopath Model

Using a large-scale enclosed sea area in northern Hangzhou Bay as a case study, the trophic interactions, energy flows, and ecosystem properties of a coastal artificial ecosystem were analyzed by ecotrophic modeling using Ecopath with Ecosim software (EwE, 5.1 version). The model consists of 13 functional groups: piscivorous fish, benthic-feeding fish, zooplanktivorous fish, herbivorous fish, crabs, shrimp, mollusca, infauna, carnivorous zooplankton, herbivorous zooplankton, macrophytes, phytoplankton, and detritus. Input information for the model was gathered from published and unpublished reports and from our own estimates during the period 2006–2007. Results show that the food web in the enclosed sea area was dominated by a detritus pathway. The trophic levels of the groups varied from 1.00 for primary producers and detritus to 3.90 for piscivorous fish in the coastal artificial system. Using network analysis, the system network was mapped into a linear food chain, and five discrete trophic levels were found with a mean transfer efficiency of 9.8% from detritus and 9.4% from primary producer within the ecosystem. The geometric mean of the trophic transfer efficiencies was 9.6%. Detritus contributed 57% of the total energy flux, and the other 43% came from primary producers. The ecosystem maturity indices—total primary production/total respiration, Finn’s cycling index, and ascendancy—were 2.56, 25.0%, and 31.0%, respectively, showing that the coastal artificial system is at developmental stage according to Odum’s theory of ecosystem development. Generally, this is the first trophic model of a large-scale artificial sea enclosure in China and provides some useful insights into the structure and functioning of the system.     

Food Web Structure in a Chesapeake Bay Eelgrass Bed as Determined through Gut Contents and <Superscript>13</Superscript>C and <Superscript>15</Superscript>N Isotope Analysis

Changes in seagrass food-web structure can shift the competitive balance between seagrass and algae, and may alter the flow of energy from lower trophic levels to commercially important fish and crustaceans. Yet, trophic relationships in many seagrass systems remain poorly resolved. We estimated the food web linkages among small predators, invertebrate mesograzers, and primary producers in a Chesapeake Bay eelgrass (Zostera marina) bed by analyzing gut contents and stable C and N isotope ratios. Though trophic levels were relatively distinct, predators varied in the proportion of mesograzers consumed relative to alternative prey, and some mesograzers consumed macrophytes or exhibited intra-guild predation in addition to feeding on periphyton and detritus. These findings corroborate conclusions from lab and mesocosm studies that the ecological impacts of mesograzers vary widely among species, and they emphasize the need for taxonomic resolution and ecological information within seagrass epifaunal communities.     

Detritus fuels ecosystem metabolism but not metazoan food webs in San Francisco estuary's freshwater delta

Detritus from terrestrial ecosystems is the major source of organic matter in many streams, rivers, and estuaries, yet the role of detritus in supporting pelagic food webs is debated. We examined the importance of detritus to secondary productivity in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Delta (California, United States), a large complex of tidal freshwater habitats. The Delta ecosystem has low primary productivity but large detrital inputs, so we hypothesized that de tritus is the primary energy source fueling production in pelagic food webs. We assessed the sources, quantity, composition, and bioavailability of organic matter among a diversity of habitats (e.g., marsh sloughs, floodplains, tidal lakes, and deep river channels) over two years to test this hypothesis. Our results support the emerging principle that detritus dominates riverine and estuarine organic matter supply and supports the majority of ecosystem metabolism. Yet in contrast to prevailing ideas, we found that detritus was weakly coupled to the Delta's pelagic food web. Results from independent approaches showed that phytoplankton production was the dominant source of organic matter for the Delta's pelagic food web, even though primary production accounts for a small fraction of the Delta's organic matter supply. If these results are general, they suggest that the value of organic matter to higher trophic levels, including species targeted by programs of ecosystem restoration, is a function of phytoplankton production.     

Indirect Hurricane Effects on Resource Availability and Microbial Communities in a Subtropical Wetland-Estuary Transition Zone

Three sequential hurricanes made landfall over the South Florida peninsula in August and September 2004. The storm systems passed north of the Everglades wetlands and northeastern Florida Bay, but indirect storm effects associated with changes in freshwater discharge during an otherwise drought year occurred across the wetland–estuary transition area. To assess the impacts of the 2004 hurricane series on hydrology, nutrients, and microbial communities in the Everglades wetlands to Florida Bay transition area, results are presented in the context of a seasonal cycle without hurricane activity (2003). Tropical activity in 2004 increased rainfall over South Florida and the study area, thereby temporarily relieving drought conditions. Not so much actual rainfall levels at the study site but more so water management practices in preparation of the hurricane threats, which include draining of an extensive freshwater canal system into the coastal ocean to mitigate inland flooding, rapidly reversed hypersalinity in the wetlands-estuary study area. Although annual discharge was comparable in both years, freshwater discharge in 2004 occurred predominantly during the late wet season, whereas discharge was distributed evenly over the 2003 wet season. Total organic carbon (TOC), ammonium ( \operatornameNH ⁺ ₄ \operatorname{NH} ^{ + }_{4} ), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations increased during the hurricane series to concentrations two to five times higher than long-term median concentrations in eastern Florida Bay. Spatiotemporal patterns in these resource enrichments suggest that TOC and SRP originated from the Everglades mangrove ecotone, while \operatornameNH ⁺ ₄ \operatorname{NH} ^{ + }_{4} originated from the bay. Phytoplankton biomass in the bay increased significantly during storm-related freshwater discharge, but declined at the same time in the wetland mangrove ecotone from bloom conditions during the preceding drought. In the bay, these changes were associated with increased nanophytoplankton and decreased picophytoplankton biomass. Heterotrophic bacterial production increased in response to freshwater discharge, whereas bacterial abundance decreased. Hydrochemical and microbial changes were short-lived, and the wetland–bay transition area reverted to more typical oligotrophic conditions within 3 months after the hurricanes. These results suggest that changes in freshwater discharge after drought conditions and during the hurricane series forced the productivity and P-enriched characteristics of the wetland’s mangrove ecotone, although only briefly, to the south into Florida Bay.     

Mangrove development and its response to environmental change in Yingluo Bay (SW China) during the last 150 years: Stable carbon isotopes and mangrove pollen

Located at the interface of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, mangroves are particularly sensitive to environmental change. They provide a sedimentary sink for organic carbon, whereby cores can provide detailed records of mangrove species. We aimed to trace the history of mangrove development over the past 150 years in Yingluo Bay, SW China. Sedimentation rates (avg. 0.32 and 0.37 cm/year) were calculated on the basis of ln(²¹⁰Pb_ex) vs. mass depth, and offset the rate of relative sea level rise (0.22–0.24 cm/year), leading to a seaward expansion of new mangrove habitats. Chemical tracers (δ¹³C_org and C:N) and an isotope mixing model were utilized to trace the contribution of mangrove-derived organic matter (MOM). Changes in the relative abundance of pollen from mangrove plants was used to compensate for diagenetic alteration of the stable isotope values and potential overlaps in isotope values for different sources of organic matter. The result of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the MOM was moderately positive correlated with total mangrove pollen, indicating that stable carbon isotopes and mangrove pollen provide similar information for tracing mangrove ecosystems. Based on results from this study, compositional changes in mangrove communities could be divided into two main stages: a degradation period (1870–1930 AD) and a flourishing period (1930–2011 AD), corresponding to colder temperature and warmer temperature, respectively. Owing to the location being far away from any industrial area and human activity, temperature may be a key factor for mangrove development.     

Water quality assessment of Gautami — Godavari mangrove estuarine ecosystem of Andhra Pradesh, India during September 2001

Some chemical and biological parameters were analysed at sixteen stations in the mangrove ecosystem, of the neighbouring Gautami-Godavari (GG) river estuary and Kakinada (KKD) bay to understand the present status of water quality and the impact of external terrigenous inputs during southwest (SW) monsoon in the study areas. High concentrations of nutrients in the mangrove ecosystem compared to the bay and estuarine ecosystems reveal the importance of this zone as a source of nutrients to the adjacent coastal ecosystems. Low Si:N:P (29:4:1) ratios in these ecosystems are due to the enrichment of these nutrients through external anthropogenic inputs even after the utilization by phytoplankton in the biological cycle. The mean Chl b/Chla and Chl c/Chla ratios and high phaeopigments (Pp) concentrations compared to Chlb and high ratios of Chl a/Pp suggests the possibility of the potential growth of phytoplankton populations in lower light intensity and low turbulent areas of these mangrove ecosystems.     

Contemporary Rates of Carbon Sequestration Through Vertical Accretion of Sediments in Mangrove Forests and Saltmarshes of South East Queensland,Australia

Mangrove forests and saltmarshes are important habitats for carbon (C) sequestration in the coastal zone but variation in rates of C sequestration and the factors controlling sequestration are poorly understood. We assessed C sequestration in Moreton Bay, South East Queensland in mangrove forests and tidal marshes that span a range of environmental settings and plant communities, including mangrove forests and tidal marshes on the oligotrophic sand islands of the eastern side of Moreton Bay and on the nutrient enriched, western side of the bay adjacent to the city of Brisbane. We found that rates of C sequestration in sediments were similar among mangrove forests over the bay, despite large differences in the C density of sediments, because of different rates of vertical accretion of sediments. The C sequestration on the oligotrophic sand island tidal marshes, dominated by Juncus kraussii, had the highest rate of C sequestration in the bay while the western saltmarshes, which were dominated by Sarcocornia quinqueflora, had the lowest rate of C sequestration. Our data indicate C sequestration varies among different tidal wetland plant community types, due to variation in sediment characteristics and rates of sediment accretion over time.     

Origin of rare earth element anomalies in mangrove sediments,Sepetiba Bay,SE Brazil: used as geochemical tracers of sediment sources

Elemental contents were determined in two mangrove habitats along Sepetiba Bay, SE Brazil, an area impacted by local industrial activities, as well as hinterland water diversion networks. This study demonstrates how specific REEs (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb and Lu) may be used as a sediment source tracer to mangrove-dominated coastlines. From the two stations studied, a pair of cores was collected, one in the mangrove forest and the other in the tidal flat. Station 1 results show a general enrichment in most of the fractioned patterns of the REEs normalised by Post-Archean Australian Shale. The relatively light rare earth elements are similarly enriched in the generally more polluted Station 1. Despite the probable difference in background sediment characteristics, a common sharp increase in mud contents patterns in the upper part of the mangrove sediment core was related to a lower REE content as well as Eu anomalies. With existing knowledge of clockwise water circulation in the bay, these patterns can be explained by man-made water diversion from the São Francisco and Guandu rivers, initiated more than 30 years ago, whereby suspended matter with relatively large contents of REEs and material originating from industrial sources accumulate in the eastern sector of the bay. This is the first comprehensive assessment of REEs as sedimentary tracers in a mangrove ecosystem in Brazil.     

Life history strategies of estuarine nekton: The role of marsh macrophytes,benthic microalgae,and phytoplankton in the trophic spectrum

The stable isotope signatures of marine transient and resident nekton were used to investigate trophic linkages between primary producers, marsh macrophytes, phytoplankton, benthic microalgae, and consumers within the Delaware Bay. A whole estuary approach was used to compare the flux of nutrients from primary producers to juvenile weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), and white perch (Morone americana) in open waters of the lower and upper Bay and adjacent salt marshes dominated by eitherSpartina alterniflora orPhragmites australis. Our results suggest that trophic linkages vary significantly along the salinity gradient, reflecting the transition fromSpartina toPhragmites-dominated marshes, and secondarily, in a marsh to open water (offshore) direction at a given salinity. Superimposed on this pattern was a gradient in the proximate use of organic matter that depended on life history traits of each species ranging from pelagic to benthic in the order bay anchovy > weakfish > white perch.     

Deciphering the Seasonal Cycle of Copepod Trophic Dynamics in the Strait of Georgia,Canada, Using Stable Isotopes and Fatty Acids

Characterizing trophic flows is central to our understanding of energy transfer in marine ecosystems. The food webs of coastal systems are difficult to study because the proportion of autochthonous to allochthonous sources often varies seasonally and is often overlaid on a seasonal cycle of zooplankton composition. Here, we use a combination of fatty acids and stable isotopes to disentangle the trophic pathways in a productive coastal system (the Strait of Georgia (SoG), Canada). Over the span of a year, Metridia pacifica, a ubiquitous omnivorous copepod, can utilize a wide range of dietary items including diatoms, flagellates, bacteria, detritus, and microzooplankton. M. pacifica can switch from herbivory to carnivory in response to declining chlorophyll concentrations after the spring bloom and can occasionally utilize detrital sources. These findings are discussed in the context of previous knowledge of the SoG ecosystem, the current state of ecosystem modeling in the region, and the use of stable isotopes and fatty acids to assess trophic dynamics.     

Vertical distribution and feeding types of nematodes from Chetumal Bay, Quintana Roo, Mexico

The vertical distribution and feeding type of nematodes in sediments of Chetumal Bay, Mexico, were studied in five intertidal transects along the urbanized zone in June and December 1995. Sediments were collected with a PVC corer to 6-cm sediment depth and cut immediately into three equal 2-cm depth fractions. Nematode density varied from 7.4 × 10³ to 5.3 × 10⁵ m^?2 in June and from 1.7 × 10⁴ to 7.2 × 10⁵ m^?2 in December. In June, the epistrate feederPseudochromadora sp. was the most abundant in the deepest sediment fraction (4–6 cm), whereas epistrate feeders,Neotonchoides sp.,Desmodora sp., and the deposit feederBathylaimus australis were dominant in the top most sediment (0–2 cm). In December, deposit feeders,Desmolaimus zeelandicus, Parodontophora sp., and the epistrate feederOncholaimus oxyuris were the most abundant in the deepest sediment, whereasNeotonchoides sp. andPseudochromadora sp. dominated the first 2 cm of sediments. Highest nematode density was recorded in the uppermost sediment layer (0–2 cm). Feeding types showed different abundance among transects and between months. There was a seasonal change in vertical distribution of nematodes, with the highest abundance in the deepest sediment layer in December, possibly due to the effect of wind waves on sediments of Chetumal Bay. The trophic composition of the nematode fauna in Chetumal Bay showed a dominance of deposit feeders and epistrate feeders, most likely in response to organic enrichment that is typical of eutrophic environments.     

Phosphorus and nitrogen inputs to Florida Bay: The importance of the everglades watershed

A large environmental restoration project designed to improve the hydrological conditions of the Florida Everglades and increase freshwater flow to Florida Bay is underway. Here we explore how changing freshwater inflow to the southern Everglades is likely to change the input of nutrients to Florida Bay. We calculated annual inputs of water, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) to Everglades National Park (ENP) since the early 1980s. We also examined changes in these nutrient concentrations along transects through the wetland to Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. We found that the interannual variability of the water discharge into ENP greatly exceeded the interannual variability of flow-weighted mean nutrient concentrations in this water. Nutrient inputs to ENP were largely determined by discharge volume. These inputs were high in TN and low in TP; for two ENP watersheds TN averaged 1.5 mg l^?1 (0.11 mM) and 0.9 mg l^?1 (0.06 mM) and TP averaged 15 μg l^?1 (0.47 μM) and 9 μg l^?1 (0.28 μM). Both TP and DIN that flowed into ENP wetlands were rapidly removed from the water. Over a 3-km section of Taylor Slough, TP decreased from a flow-weighted mean of 11.6 μg l^?1 (0.37 μM) (0.20 μM) and DIN decreased from 240 μg l^?1 (17μM) to 36 μ l^?1 (2.6 μM). In contrast, TN, which was generally 95% organic N, changed little as it passed through the wetland. This resulted in molar TN:TP ratios exceeding 400 in the wetland. Decreases in TN concentrations only occurred in areas with relatively high P availability, such as the wetlands to the north of ENP and in the mangrove streams of western ENP. Increasing freshwater flow to Florida Bay in an effort to restore the Everglades and Florida Bay ecosystems is thus not likely to increase P inputs from the freshwater Everglades but is likely to increase TN inputs. Based on a nutrient budget of Florida Bay, both N and P inputs from the Gulf of Mexico greatly exceed inputs from the Everglades, as well as inputs from the atmosphere and the Florida Keys. We estimate that the freshwater Everglades contribute <3% of all P inputs and <12% of all N inputs to the bay. Evaluating the effect of ecosystem restoration efforts on Florida Bay requires greater understanding of the interactions of the bay with the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent mangrove ecosystems.     

Phytoplankton Biomass and Composition in a River-Dominated Estuary During Two Summers of Contrasting River Discharge

Estuaries located in the northern Gulf of Mexico are expected to experience reduced river discharge due to increasing demand for freshwater and predicted periods of declining precipitation. Changes in freshwater and nutrient input might impact estuarine higher trophic level productivity through changes in phytoplankton quantity and quality. Phytoplankton biomass and composition were examined in Apalachicola Bay, Florida during two summers of contrasting river discharge. The <20 μm autotrophs were the main component (92?±?3 %; n?=?14) of phytoplankton biomass in lower (<25 psu) salinity waters. In these lower salinity waters containing higher dissolved inorganic nutrients, phycocyanin containing cyanobacteria made the greatest contribution to phytoplankton biomass (69?±?3 %; n?=?14) followed by <20 μm eukaryotes (19?±?1 %; n?=?14), and phycoerythrin containing cyanobacteria (4?±?1 %; n?=?14). In waters with salinity from 25 to 35 psu that were located within or in close proximity to the estuary, >20 μm diatoms were an increasingly (20 to 70 %) larger component of phytoplankton biomass. Lower summer river discharges that lead to an areal contraction of lower (5–25 psu) salinity waters composed of higher phytoplankton biomass dominated by small (<20 μm) autotrophs will lead to a concomitant areal expansion of higher (>25 psu) salinity waters composed of relatively lower phytoplankton biomass and a higher percent contribution by >20 μm diatoms. A reduction in summer river discharge that leads to such a change in quantity and quality of estuarine phytoplankton available will result in a reduction in estuarine zooplankton productivity and possibly the productivity of higher trophic levels.     

Sources and Exchange of Particulate Organic Matter in an Estuarine Mangrove Ecosystem of Xuan Thuy National Park, Vietnam

The spatio-temporal variations in stable isotope signatures (??¹³C and ??¹⁵N) and C/N ratios of particulate organic matter (POM), and physicochemical parameters in a creek water column were examined in an estuarine mangrove ecosystem of Xuan Thuy National Park, Vietnam. The objective was to examine the factors influencing creek water properties, and the sources and exchange of POM in this important mangrove ecosystem. The diel and seasonal variations in water temperature, flow velocity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and salinity demonstrated that tidal level, season, and biological factors affected the creek water properties. Mangroves had relatively low ??¹⁵N and very low ??¹³C values, with respective average values of 1.5?±?0.9?? and ?28.1?±?1.4??. The low mangrove leaf ??¹⁵N indicated minor anthropogenic nitrogen loading to the mangrove forests. A significant positive correlation between POM?C??¹³C and salinity along the axis of Ba Lat Estuary, Red River, indicated that marine phytoplankton (??¹³C value, ?21.4?±?0.5??) was the predominant source of POM at the estuary mouth. Based on the co-variation of ??¹³C and C/N ratios, marine phytoplankton and mangrove detritus were predominant in POM of major creeks and small creeks, respectively. During the diurnal tidal cycle, the dynamics of POM were affected by sources of organic matter, tidal energy, and seasonal factors. The contribution of mangrove detritus to POM reached a maximum at the low tide and was enhanced during the rainy season, whereas marine phytoplankton contribution was highest at high tide.     

Utilization and flow of energy in tropical ecosystem: A test case for two Ox-bow lakes

To estimate the rate of organic production, two solar powered tropical natural aquatic systems (Oxbow lakes) have been studied for 24 months. The study of utilization of energy in those two tropical lakes has revealed that herbivores were more efficient in energy utilization than autotrophs. Silver carp and grass carp were found to be most efficient in conversion of energy in the grazing and detritus food chain of these lakes. The efficiency of the system to fish production was found to be 0.05 % of the total available solar radiation. Various forms of life are all accompanied by energy changes, even though no energy is created or destroyed in the studied system.     

广西珍珠湾红树林湿地沉积物重金属分布及评价

沉积物中的重金属属于持久性污染物,具有富集性、难降解性和毒性,长时间累积会对生态环境和人体健康造成威胁。为研究珍珠湾红树林湿地表层沉积物中的重金属含量分布特征及质量现状,2021年9月在珍珠湾红树林分布区采集13件表层沉积物样品,分析测试重金属含量。结果表明: 与国内其他红树林湿地相比,珍珠湾红树林湿地表层沉积物中的重金属含量处于相对较低水平; 地累积指数法显示大部分表层沉积物样品无重金属污染,仅有2个站位受到Cd和Hg的轻微污染,潜在生态风险指数法表明湾内各站位均为低生态风险; 相关性分析和主成分分析表明,Cd主要受江平江输入和珍珠湾东南部海水养殖的影响,其他元素主要为自然背景的岩石风化沉积,利用主成分-多元线性回归模型对重金属的来源进行解析认为,表明江平江输入的重金属贡献率为57%,海水养殖影响的重金属贡献率为43%。综上所述,珍珠湾红树林湿地整体生态状况良好,但仍需重点关注Cd的输入。     

The response of fishes to physicochemical changes in the mangroves of northeast Florida Bay

Historically, large volumes of fresh water from the Everglades reached Florida Bay in the form of overland sheet flow. South Florida's extensive canal system has diverted fresh water from its historic course, resulting in shorter hydroperiods and higher salinities than would have occurred in an unaltered system. The mixing zone between the freshwater Everglades and euryhaline Florida Bay is primarily characterized as a dwarf red mangrove forest. The small, demersal fishes found in this habitat are an important food source for a variety of predators and are excellent bioindicators for both short-term and long-term perturbations in the system. I examine the effect of fluctuating water level, salinity, and temperature on this fish community in order to better understand the impact water diversion has had on the ecotone. Fish were collected at four sites within the ecotone over a t-yr period using a 9-m² drop trap. Principal components analysis was used to generate 10 composite variables (PCs) from a temporal array of 59 physicochemical variables. These composite variables were used in regression analyses to evaluate spatial and temporal changes in the fish community. Regression analysis indicated fish density was significantly related to short-term and long-term changes in water level and with long-term temperature variation (r²=0.50). An ANOVA of density between sites supports the regression results, indicating that sites with longer hydroperiod had higher density than sites with shorter hydroperiod. The impact of changes in density on biomass was reflected by regression analysis, which indicated that increased water level and decreased variability in depth were correlated with higher biomass (r²=0.61). Biomass was also influenced by changes in the salinity regime, presumably through increases in individual fish body size or through a shift in the community toward heavier-bodied fish species. An ANOVA of biomass between sites indicates sites with longer freshwater periods had higher biomass than sites with shorer freshwater periods. The first two axes of a detrended correspondence analysis on community biomass explained 59.2% of the variance in the community and supported the hypothesis that salinity was a primary determinant of community structure. These results indicate historic changes in water deliver could have altered the mangrove fish community, thereby lowering prey availability for higher trophic levels.