Short-Term Benthic Recolonization after Dredging in the Harbour of Ceuta, North Africa

Abstract. The benthic recovery after dredging (area: 2625 m²) was studied in a polluted and enclosed area of the harbour of Ceuta, in which the recolonization through the water column (larvae and adult bedload transport) could be limited by the lack of renewal. The benthos was sampled at two sites (control and dredged) using a van Veen grab and adopting a BACI (Before, After, Control, Impacted) approach. Five samplings were conducted after dredging (3, 15, 30, 90, 180 days). The proportion of gravel in the sediment of the dredged site increased after dredging, while the organic matter decreased. The impact on the community was estimated at species level, using both univariate and multivariate analyses. The maximum negative effect on benthic macrofauna was a reduction by 65% for species richness (15 days after dredging) and by 75% for abundance (3 days after dredging). Between 15 and 30 days after dredging, the abundance of some species such as the molluscs Parvicardium exiguum and Retusa obtusa and the polychaete Pseudomalacoceros tridentata increased considerably in the dredged site, while typical ‘opportunistic’ species such as Capitella capitata were disfavoured by the disturbance. For this small‐scale dredging, about 6 months are required for the disturbed area to re‐establish a sediment structure and a macrobenthic community similar to the undisturbed area. Small‐patch dredging operations are proposed in harbour management whenever possible, since they allow a quick re‐adjustment of the initial sediment structure and benthic communities.     

The Amphipod Community as a Bioindicator in Algeciras Bay (Southern Iberian Peninsula) Based on a Spatio-Temporal Distribution

Abstract. The amphipod population associated with Bugula neritina (L.), a verycommon bryozoan species in Algeciras Bay (Strait of Gibraltar), was studied on a spatio-temporal scale, in order to define its role as a bioindicator. Samples were collected in December, March, June and September along a transect running from the external to the internal sampling stations.
Fifty-three species belonging to 22 families were identified; the most abundant species were Jassa marmorata H olmes , Ischyrocerus inexpectatus (R uffo ) and Phtisica marina S labber .
The spatial evolution of the amphipod community reflected the physico-chemical conditions of Algeciras Bay, yielding a clear gradient from the outer to the inner stations. The stations located at the mouth of the bay, characterised by high hydrodynamism and low sedimentation, had a higher diversity and species richness than the inner stations with low water movement and higher sedimentation. Eight species preferred for the outer stations, while another nine species were typical of the inner harbours.
The most notable aspect of the seasonal evolution was the increased dominance of the tube-builder and deposit-suspension feeder Jassa marmorota .
Structural and ordination analyses corroborate the outer-inner gradient in the bay and illustrate the importance of hydrodynamic forces and sedimentation in the amphipod community.     

Distribution of Phyllosoma Larvae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae,Scyllaridae and Synaxidae) in the Western North Pacific

Phyllosoma larvae were identified and their distribution was examined, based on the larvae in ichthyoplankton samples collected in the Japanese Eel Expedition to the spawning area of A. japonica in the western North Pacific from August 30 to September 13, 1986 (Leg. 1), and from September 22 to 25, 1986 (Leg. 2), on board the R/V Hakuho-maru. Phyllosoma larvae belonged to 3 families (Scyllaridae, Palinuridae and Synaxidae) representing 6 genera and 14 species. A total of 336 palinurid and synaxid phyllosoma larvae were collected, of which 233 larvae (about 70%) were identical with P. longipes s. l, while a total of 362 scyllarid phyllosoma larvae were collected, of which 274 larvae (about 76%) were identical with S. cultrifer. Phyllosoma larvae of P. longipes s. l and S. cultrifer showed a similar distribution to each other. The larvae were abundant in the water close to Mariana Islands, although late stage examples were abundant in waters of Luzon and eastern Taiwan. Distributions of these larvae may be related intimately with the North Equatorial Current existing along 15°N. The North Equatorial Current approaches the eastern coast of the Philippines and then separates into two branches of northward and southward flows. The northward flow contributes to generating the Kuroshio Current while the southward flow goes to generate the Mindanao Current. Judging from distributions of phyllosoma larvae in the present study, it is assumed that the larvae of the above two species may have been released in Mariana Islands and transported westward from there through the North Equatorial Current. These larvae may then be transported to eastern Taiwanese waters.     

山东半岛南部沿岸蜾蠃蜚属(Corophium) 的一个新种(甲壳纲、端足目)

1971-1973年,作者在山东省胶南县参加对虾(Penaeus orientalis Kishinouye)人工养殖,发现有几种无脊椎动物是对虾的优良基础饵料,其中特别使我们感到有兴趣的是一种底栖端足甲壳类,它们不仅数量较大,而且繁殖周期短,生长快。经过详细鉴定,作者确认它是端足目、蜾蠃蜚科、蜾蠃蜚属中的一个新种,定名为中华蜾蠃蜚(Corophium sinense sp. nov.)。     

2006年夏季北黄海海域磷的形态和分布

通过对2006年夏季对北黄海的现场调查,对该海域磷的形态和分布特征进行了探讨.结果表明: 夏季北黄海海域总磷(TP)浓度的变化范围是0.00～1.63 μmol/L,其中溶解无机磷(DIP)是最主要的存在形式,占TP的44%,溶解有机磷(DOP)略低,颗粒磷(PP)最少,总磷的分布呈现由南向北逐渐增高的趋势.北黄海海域水体中各种形态磷(除DOP外)均是表层低于底层,表底层PP的含量相差不大, 表层以DOP为主要存在形态,而底层则以DIP为主,大部分DIP浓度高的区域恰好是DOP浓度的低值区,一定程度上存在着负相关关系(r=-0.34).这样的分布趋势除了受生物活动的影响外,在底部海域还与黄海冷水团密切相关.     

Spatial Distributions of Phyllosoma Larvae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae and Scyllaridae) in Taiwanese Waters

Distributions and taxonomy of phyllosoma larvae were examined in Taiwanese waters, based on ichthyoplankton samples collected from May 1990 to July 1995. Phyllosoma larvae belonged to the two families Scyllaridae and Palinuridae representing 6 genera and 13 species. Of the collected phyllosoma larvae, those of Scyllarus and Panulirus species were most abundant, forming 90% of total numbers. Early stage Scyllarus and Panulirus phyllosoma larvae were abundant in Taiwanese waters. Middle to late stages (except the final stage) of Panulirus phyllosoma larvae were absent from the waters throughout the year, while those of Scyllarus phyllosoma larvae were collected in the waters. This suggests that all stages of Scyllarus phyllosoma larvae may be retained in the northern part of the waters around northern Taiwan while middle to late stages of Panulirus phyllosoma larvae may be flushed out from the waters, the sub-final and final stages then possibly returning to the waters. An anticlockwise eddy existed in the waters off northeastern Taiwan, which may be closely related to flushing out and returning of Panulirus phyllosoma larvae through a much longer planktonic period. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The reproductive biology of Parhyale basrensis Salman (Crustacea,Amphipoda) in the Shatt al-Arab river

Basic biological investigations on the intertidal amphipod Parhyale basrensis are made. The incubation period is 1–2 weeks. The generation time is 5–6 weeks. Females produce at least 4 broods before they die. The number of eggs carried by the female is a linear function of size of the female. Egg numbers varies from 4–37. Maturity occurs at a size of 4 mm for the female and 4·5 mm for the male. The breeding season is extending from late February to late November or December. Recruitment starts at the beginning of May. Successive broods may have different life spans. The maximum life span of the population is 13–15 months and the minimum life span is 6–7 months.     

Distribution of Scyllarid Phyllosoma Larvae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Scyllaridae) in the Kuroshio Subgyre

Using ichthyoplankton samples collected in the Kuroshio Subgyre during early summer cruises, we examined spatial distributions of scyllarid phyllosoma larvae in the Subgyre, particularly of the genus Scyllarus. The present study has two objectives: (1) to reveal species composition of Scyllarus phyllosoma larvae in the Kuroshio Subgyre, and (2) to examine larval recruitment of Scyllarus species as contrasted with that of Panulirus, particularly P. japonicus, the larval recruitment of which has been examined in detail. A total of 218 phyllosoma larvae collected in the present study belonged to two families (Palinuridae and Scyllaridae) representing 5 genera and 11 species. Phyllosoma larvae of two Scyllarus species (S. cultrifer and Scyllarus sp. c) were abundant among the collected larvae, and were found mainly in the following three regions located within the Kuroshio-Counter Current region south of Kuroshio Current: the water east of Okinawa Is., the water far east of Okinawa Is. (or far south of Shikoku Is.), and the water around Hachijojima Is. Larvae of each of the above two Scyllarus species collected in the three regions may belong to different populations: larvae collected in the water around Hachijojima Is. may come from their benthic populations along the Pacific coast of Honshu and Shikoku Is., central Japan, while larvae collected in the other two regions may come from their benthic populations of the Ryukyu Archipelago and Taiwan. Judging from their shorter larval period and current systems within the Kuroshio Subgyre, these Scyllarus larvae may be destined for death. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Spatial distribution of phytoplankton in Spring 2004 along a transect in the eastern part of the North Sea

We report the results from a 250 km long transect, from the Danish coast to the North Sea at 55°30′ N, which was sampled every 32 km in order to study the composition and distribution of phytoplankton, and their dependence on the distance from the coast, depth and other environmental factors. Altogether 144 species of algae were identified by light, epifluorescence and electron microscopy. Some ecological preferences were found on the basis of measured environmental parameters and compared with the literature. Possible controlling mechanisms for the distribution patterns of the plankton algae were analyzed by multivariate statistics. Only distance from the coast was found to be a significant factor for algal distribution along the transect. Three main areas of the transect were found: the coastal, middle and oceanic areas. Diatoms, mainly the centric ones, were the most abundant group of algae. The other less abundant groups were Dinophyceae, Dictyochophyceae, Prasinophyceae and Chlorophyceae. The pattern of distribution of diatoms and dinophytes along the transect was more or less similar, with larger numbers of cells found close to both the eastern and western parts of the transect, although the species composition was different. Some species were found to prefer coastal waters, other species were characterized as oceanic, and several species were found at all stations. Porosira glacialis showed an atypical distribution along the transect, with highest abundances at both coastal and oceanic stations.     

Spatial Distribution of Polychlorinated Biphenyls （PCBs） Contaminants in the Tidal-flat Sediments of Yangtze Estuary

1 IntroductionYangtze River estuary is the biggest one in China, and there are domestic and manufactural rubbish disposal sites for Shanghai city in this tidal-flat. The Shanghai city, the whole Yangtze delta, or even all the Yangtze basin, will be PCBs contaminant sources of Yangtze estuary tidal-flat[1]. According to literatures so far, only two investigations for waters have included PCBs in the Yangtze estuary[2, 3]. No PCBs pollution of the tidal-flat sediments has been reported…     

山东近岸黄海海域初级生产力的时空分布变化研究

于2006年8月(夏季)、2006年12月(冬季)、2007年4月(春季)、2007年10月(秋季)对山东黄海近岸初级生产力的分布进行了4个航次的调查,并对其时空分布特征进行了分析.结果显示:(1) 调查海域春、夏、秋、冬4个航次的初级生产力平均值分别为808.798,372.23,324.717和246.146 mg·m-2·d-1,春季的初级生产力最高,冬季的最低.(2) 春、夏、秋季初级生产力的变化在水平方向上总体呈现出近岸高于远岸的分布特征,而冬季的变化趋势正好相反;在垂直分布上,4个航次初级生产力均以相对海平面光强30%～10%的水层为最高,其中夏季初级生产力分层现象明显,春、秋、冬季各水层间的差异不显著.(3) 环境因子的变化对初级生产力的作用不同,利用同化指数法求得的初级生产力比14C同位素示踪法测得的数值高出1～70倍.     

The Distribution of Talitrid Amphipods (Crustacea) on a Salt Marsh in Southern Tasmania, in relation to Vegetation and Substratum

Supralittoral and terrestrial talitrid amphipods were collected from a salt marsh in Southern Tasmania by pitfall trapping along transects from the mid-tidal level to above the high-tide mark, and by hand collecting from sites chosen to represent the full range from salt marsh to terrestrial vegetation. At each site, the cover of all major plant species was recorded, and soil samples were collected from which soil moisture, organic content and salinity were measured.Eight talitrid species from four ecological groups were collected; one palustral species, one beachflea, three coastal landhoppers and three eastern forest landhoppers. There was substantial overlap in the distributions of these groups. The undescribed beachflea had the widest distribution, from the wettest, most saline sites to theSchoenus nitenstussock grassland at the extreme high-tide mark. The palustral species,Eorchestia palustris, overlapped substantially with the beachflea, but was found within a narrower band of salinities (though not in the most saline sites) and in more poorly-drained sites than the beachflea. Coastal landhoppers,Austrotroides maritimus,Keratroides rexand an undescribed species ofTasmanorchestia, were found mainly in theS. nitenstussock grassland, where they overlapped with forest landhoppers,Keratroides vulgaris,Mysticotalitrus tasmaniaeandM. cryptus, which were found mainly in non-saltmarsh terrestrial sites, well above the high-tide mark.These distributions are discussed in terms of the likelihood that salt marshes provided the route by which talitrid amphipods colonized land. There is no reason from these data to reject salt marshes as the route to land, and it is suggested that they are a more likely route than via rocky or sandy shores.     

Distribution and abundance patterns of two parapagurid hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) along the west and south coasts of South Africa

A series of over 6 000 research-trawl samples collected along the west and south coasts of South Africa between 1987 and 2014 were analysed for the presence and biomass of two parapagurid hermit crabs, Sympagurus dimorphus and Parapagurus bouvieri. The percentage of trawls that landed S. dimorphus and P. bouvieri and the mean caught biomass were higher on the west than on the south coast for both the more-abundant S. dimorphus (30.59 vs 5.81% success and 287.88 vs 31.37 kg km^–2, respectively) and for the less-abundant P. bouvieri (13.76 vs 3.58% success and 38.56 vs 16.32 kg km^–2, respectively). Very few parapagurids were caught shallower than 150 m; thereafter, the proportion of trawls containing hermit crabs increased, peaking over the depth range 201–250 m for S. dimorphus (54%) and 401–450 m for P. bouvieri (51%), and declining steadily thereafter. On the west coast, the relative caught biomass of S. dimorphus increased significantly from north to south, but there was no apparent latitudinal trend in relative biomass for P. bouvieri. Similarly, there was a significant decline in caught biomass of S. dimorphus with increasing longitude along the south coast, but no apparent trend for P. bouvieri. Although this represents by far the most comprehensive global analyses of distribution and abundance patterns for parapagurids to date, extremely little remains known about the biology and ecological relationships of these species, or indeed of other members of the group.     

Aspects of larval,post-larval and juvenile ecology of Macrobrachium petersi (Hilgendorf) in the Keiskamma estuary,South Africa

Although Macrobrachium petersi has nine larval stages, only stage I and a minimal number of stage II M. petersi larvae were caught in the Keiskamma estuary. Stage I larvae undergo a vertical migration at night which is markedly influenced by salinity, especially under stratified conditions. Larvae remain in the water column on the ebb tide, a behavioural pattern which effectively carried them to favourable salinities for growth and development. Stage I larvae show an association with salt front regions. The sudden decline in larval abundance from stage I to stage II downstream from the front suggests a change from a pelagic to an epibenthic existence. Later larval stages failed to appear in the plankton. However, post-larvae were caught in the estuary and a juvenile migration from the estuary to freshwater was monitored.     

Distribution and nature of organic matter in recent sediments of Lake Nokoué, Benin (West Africa)

The distribution and nature of organic matter clearly identify the principle sectors of the lagoon which vary according to hydrological and sedimentological conditions. The central area frequently includes coarse ancient fluviatile sediments. The rare organic matter there offers aliphatic and nitrogenous characters which may be derived from both the origin of organic matter (algae and meiofauna) and the level of oxygenation prevailing during deposition. In the southern sector, highly oxygenated conditions resulting from sea currents generated by the Cotonou outlet could cause the elimination of labile compounds, and hence be responsible for the high degradation state of organic matter. In the western sector, still water conditions allow fine sediments to be deposited. This frequently leads to the accumulation of organic matter showing such reducing conditions that they allow the integration of sulphur in humic compounds and a decrease of their solubility. In the northern area, the contribution of terrestrial material supplied by the Ouémé and Sô rivers is clearly indicated by the low average percentages of hydrolyzable fraction, C/N ratios ranging between 9 and 15, while H/C and N/C ratios are low in humic acids.     

茂名海域水体表层悬浮泥沙浓度时空分布特征的遥感分析

利用Gorden关系式,从茂名海域的多时相卫星影像定量反演了表层悬浮泥沙浓度的时空分布特征。经近期该海域实测悬沙资料验证表明,茂名沿海水体表层悬浮泥沙浓度偏低,一般低于200 mg/L;表层悬浮泥沙浓度在空间尺度上由岸向海呈带状分布,并逐渐降低,其中-1 m以浅区悬沙浓度最高,一般可超过100 mg/L,-10 m以深区浓度最低,一般低于20 mg/L。此外,沿海水体表层悬沙浓度往往在冬季高于夏季,大风天气高于平常天气。