Ecological energetics of the tropical sea urchin Diadema antillarum Philippi in Barbados, West Indies

The common tropical sea urchin Diadema antillarum Philippi is the dominant herbivore on fringing coral reefs in Barbados, West Indies. The biological importance of Diadema as an agent of energy transfer was evaluated from energy budgets constructed for the population and for individuals of 10 size groups. Monthly energy budgets for urchins of various size groups balance within 1 kcal except for urchins of the largest size group examined. Approximately 20% of the monthly net benthic primary production of the fringing coral reef is consumed by Diadema. This percentage is considerably larger than the 7% reported for the consumption of benthic algal production by a population of the temperate water sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, feeding in kelp beds but is lower than the 47% reported for the consumption of sea grass by the tropical urchin Lytechinus variegatus. Higher rates of secondary production of Diadema compared to that of Strongylocentrotus may be in part due to higher net and gross growth efficiencies exhibited by Diadema. It is apparent that Diadema is more efficient at converting its algal food resources into urchin biomass than is Strongylocentrotus of similar size. In comparison to Strongylocentrotus and Lytechinus, Diadema releases as much energy to the benthos in the form of fecal pellet detritus as do the other two species. The production of fecal pellet detritus is the most important pathway of energy transfer on the fringing coral reef. Fecal pellet detritus contributes approximately 26 kcal m⁻² month⁻¹ to the benthic community. This amount is equivalent to 7·4% of the monthly net primary production of the benthic algae or approximately 37% of the caloric intake of the urchin population. In addition fecal pellet detritus produced by Diadema contains about 10 times the caloric content of surface sediments found to the north and south of the fringing reef and approximately 1·7 times the caloric content of sediments within the reef. The utilization of this energy-rich fecal pellet detritus by other reef organisms is discussed briefly.     

Coral communities and reefs from Guerrero,Southern Mexican Pacific

Corals in the Eastern Pacific extend south from the Gulf of California to Ecuador and oceanic Chile, and west from Colombia to Clipperton Atoll. Nevertheless, large stretches of the Mexican Pacific remain fundamentally unstudied. Therefore, to assess the current conditions of coral communities, a coastal fringe ～300 km long (17°40′ N, 101°39′ W to 16°46′ N, 99°49′ W) was surveyed within the Southern Mexican Pacific, between 2005 and 2009. Fifteen stony coral species were identified at 13 coral communities and six Pocillopora‐dominated fringing reefs, with Pocillopora verrucosa and Pocillopora damicornis the primary contributing taxa. Reef development was identified in embayments or behind rocks or islands that offered shelter from northern and northwestern winds. Observations of Pocillopora effusus, Pocillopora inflata, Porites lobata, Pavona clavus, and Pavona varians expanded the species known geographic ranges by several degrees of latitude, suggesting reef building fauna comprised a mixture of widespread and relatively rare Eastern Pacific corals. Results indicated greater live coral cover in the Ixtapa‐Zihuatanejo area (15–73%) than in the Acapulco localities, which had high algal dominance; the reefs in the latter region exhibited high erosion. Regional differences are likely the result of long‐standing anthropogenic pressures around Acapulco since 1950, when it became an important tourist destination. This paper is the first detailed report of ecologically stressed corals and coral reefs from the state of Guerrero on the Mexican Southern Pacific coast.     

南黄海环流的若干特征

主要根据近几年来中韩黄海水循环动力学合作调查结果,结合有关历史资料,对南黄海环流的若干特征进行了分析。所得主要认识为:(1)南黄海环流存在明显的季节变异。冬、夏季环流的基本形态有着较大的差别。(2)黄海暖流的路径和强度均有一定的年际变化。分析显示,1997年冬季,暖流路径明显偏于槽的西侧;而1986年冬,暖流的主流路径则沿槽北上。(3)黄海暖流并非对马暖流的直接分支。黄海暖流水是对马暖流水和陆架水混合而成。而且,它主要是在济州岛西侧海域,从锋区中衍生出来的。(4)夏季黄海表、底层环流大致皆是由一大的道时针向流系构成。但在其表层海盐尺度的气旋式环流内部还存在小的气旋和反气旋流环。分析亦表明,不论表层或底层,皆无高盐暖水从济州岛邻近海域进入黄海东部的明显迹象。     

Study on low-temperature lipase of psychrophilic bacterium 2-5-10-1 isolated from deep sea of Southern Ocean

A strain of psychrophilic bacterium, 2-5-10-1, which produces low-temperature lipase, is isolated from the deep sea of Prydz Bay in Southern Ocean. The highest lipase secretion of this strain is observed at 5 ℃ and this temperature is also for optimal growth. Tween 80 and olive oil enhance secretion of lipase. The optimal temperature and pH for lipase activity are 35 ℃ and 7.5 ℃ respectively. At 0℃, the lipase still has 37% relative enzyme activity. The lipase shows high thermolability, more than 50% activity lost after incubation at 60 ℃ for 15 min. EDTA has no effect on lipase activity, indicating the lipase activity is independent of divalent cation. In contrast, the lipase activity is inhibited drastically by Cu2 and Zn2 .     

南大洋深海嗜冷菌2-5-10-1及其低温脂肪酶的研究

从南大洋普里兹湾的水样中筛选到一株产低温脂肪酶的深海嗜冷菌2-5-10-1,对其生长及产酶情况和酶性质做了初步研究.该菌株的最适生长温度为5℃,此时分泌的胞外脂肪酶最多;添加Tween80,橄榄油可显著促进脂肪酶的产生.该脂肪酶的最适作用温度为35℃,在0～20℃均保持较高的酶活性,在0℃可保持37%的相对酶活性;酶的最适作用的pH值为7.5,在pH6～9的范围内均存在较高酶活性;对热较敏感,在60℃保温15min可丧失50%以上的酶活性.该脂肪酶的催化作用不需要金属离子的参与,Cu2+和Zn2+对酶活有着强烈的抑制作用.     

The effects of trophic interactions and spatial competition on algal community composition on Hawaiian coral reefs

Much of coral reef ecology has focused on how human impacts change coral reefs to macroalgal reefs. However, macroalgae may not always be a good indicator of reef decline, especially on reefs with significant sea urchin populations, as found in Kenya and Hawaii. This study tests the effects of trophic interactions (i.e. herbivory by fishes and sea urchins) and spatial competition (between algae and coral) on algal community structure of reefs surrounding two Hawaiian Islands that vary in their level of human impacts. Reef‐building organisms (corals and crustose coralline algae) were less abundant and turf algae were more abundant on Maui as compared to Lanai, where human impacts are lower. In contrast to previous studies, we found no evidence that macroalgae increased with human impacts. Instead, low turf and macroalgal abundance were best explained by the interactive effects of coral cover and sea urchin abundance. Fishing sea urchin predators appeared to have cascading effects on the benthic community. The absence of sea urchin predators and high sea urchin densities correspond to a disproportionately high abundance of turf and crustose coralline algae. We propose that high turf algal abundance is a better indicator of reef decline in Hawaii than high macroalgal abundance because turf abundance was highest on reefs with low coral cover and few fish. The results of this study emphasize that understanding changes in community composition are context‐dependent and that not all degraded reefs look the same.     

Biotic consequences of a shift in invertebrate ecosystem engineers: Invasion of New Zealand rocky shores by a zone‐forming ascidian

The pervasive effects of invasive ecosystem engineers, that is those species that modify their environment, are well documented, but rarely have the broader impacts of one foundation invertebrate species being replaced by another been examined. In New Zealand, green‐lipped mussels, Perna canaliculus, commonly dominate wave‐exposed rocky shores. The recent appearance of an invasive ecosystem engineer, the ascidian Pyura doppelgangera, at the very northern tip of New Zealand now threatens to exclude these bivalves from this habitat. Here, we report major shifts in assemblages associated with the invader and chronicle its continued spread. We examined epibiota associated with clumps of mussels and clumps of Pyura from two rocky shore habitats—pools and emergent substrata at two locations. We detected some differences in species richness in biota associated with the two foundation species, but faunal abundance only differed between the locations. These minor changes were dwarfed by the shift in species composition within clumps of each foundation species. Molluscs, particularly gastropods, and crustaceans dominated the assemblage within mussels. In contrast, tubicolous polychaetes dominated the fauna associated with the ascidian. Sessile epifauna, notably barnacles and calcareous tube‐dwelling polychaetes, were common on mussels, but never encountered on the ascidian. Multivariate analysis revealed marked dissimilarity (>80%) between the characteristic mussel and ascidian faunas with virtually no overlap. This biotic shift overshadowed any differences between habitats and locations. The broader implications of these faunal shifts for local and regional patterns of biodiversity, as well as ecosystem function, remain unclear, but deserve further attention.     

厦门邻近海域油类污染状况评价

本文根据1998年7月和11月两个航次厦门邻近海区油类污染调查资料，对该海区的含量分布特征进行了分析研究。结果表明：厦门邻近海区油类含量均在海水水质标准范围内，如含量较高的马銮湾内其油含量为22．5μg/dm^3，九龙江口8号站为32．16μg/dm^3，马銮湾外6号站在11月份的37．28μg/dm^3。厦门邻近海区的油类来源主要是由于码头和船舶排污造成的，并且与其环境条件直接相关。     

南海岛礁周边海域表面叶绿素浓度的时空特征

南海海域内岛礁众多, 渔业资源丰富, 而目前针对岛礁周边海区生态要素开展的研究仍较少。本文利用近20年多卫星融合水色遥感数据, 分析了南海38个主要岛礁周边区域海面叶绿素浓度的空间分布、季节变化和年际变化特征。结果表明, 岛礁周边普遍存在叶绿素浓度高值区, 其浓度约在离岛礁5个等效半径外降至海区背景水平。岛礁周边海域的叶绿素(相对于背景值的)浓度异常受海区背景值影响, 两者在南海的空间分布格局与背景值基本一致: 在平均温度较低、季风强度较大的东沙、西沙海区, 叶绿素浓度异常高于温度较高、季风强度相对较弱的中沙、南沙海区。叶绿素浓度呈现出明显的季节变化和年际变化特征, 一般在冬季风期间升高, 而在夏季风爆发前降至最低; 在El Ni?o次年随海温升高和季风减弱而下降, 在La Ni?a次年则相反。岛礁周边的叶绿素浓度异常受到温度变化的影响, 随着近年来海温变化幅度加大, 其年均水平呈显著下降趋势(P=5.05×10 ^-5)。这些结果可为我国岛礁区域渔业资源的开发和管理提供信息支持。     

Diversity and large-scale biogeography of Paramesochridae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) in South Atlantic Abyssal Plains and the deep Southern Ocean

Multicorer samples for meiofaunal study were obtained within the framework of the international project CeDAMar, at 21 stations occupied during the DIVA and ANDEEP campaigns (2000, 2002 and 2005) to the southern Atlantic Ocean (Guinea, Angola and Cape Basins) and the Southern Ocean (Weddell and Scotia Seas), respectively. A total of 311 adult Paramesochridae Lang, 1944 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) was extracted from 437 cores obtained during 83 deployments of the corer at depths between 1107 and 5655 m. All specimens were determined to species based on morphological characteristics. They belonged to 19 species and four genera (Kliopsyllus Kunz, 1962, Leptopsyllus T. Scott, 1894, Paramesochra T. Scott, 1892 and Scottopsyllus Kunz, 1962). Eleven species were restricted to single regions, whereas the others showed a much wider distribution. For example, Kliopsyllus andeep Veit-Köhler, 2004 and Kliopsyllus diva Veit-Köhler, 2005, were both collected from Guinea, Angola and Weddell Abyssal Plains, and Kliopsyllus schminkei Veit-Köhler & Drewes, 2009 occurred in the three West-African basins. This study provides a first insight into the large-scale biogeography of deep-sea harpacticoids, represented by the Paramesochridae, and indicates that distribution ranges, at least in this family, may extend across South Atlantic and Southern Ocean Abyssal Plains.     

利用南大洋漂流浮标数据评估AMSR-E SST

利用AOML(Atlantic Oceanographical and Meteorological Laboratory)SVP漂流浮标的海表面温度数据,针对30°S以南的南大洋海域,对目前主要使用的微波遥感产品(AMSR-E,Ad-vanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System)反演的SST进行了较为系统的评估。结果表明,AMSR-E SST比浮标数据偏冷,偏差为-0.01℃,标准差为0.70℃。夏季的偏差为0.004℃,标准差为0.64℃;冬季的偏差为-0.06℃,标准差为0.75℃,冬季的偏差和标准差较大。温差ΔT受流速影响,随着流速的增大而减小,且这种趋势在夏季更为显著。具备托伞结构的浮标与总体情况基本一致,而无托伞结构的浮标受流速的影响要大一些。同时,温差ΔT受水汽的影响,随着水汽的增加而减小,且这种影响在冬季更大一些。进一步对4个穿极和绕极浮标的追踪分析表明,温差ΔT受大洋海流系统的影响显著。在海流大的大西洋边界流和南极绕极流中,温差ΔT的不确定性要明显大于总体情况。     

Spatial and temporal patterns of seagrass habitat use by fishes at the Ryukyu Islands,Japan

To investigate whether or not regional–temporal patterns of seagrass habitat use by fishes existed at the Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan), visual surveys were conducted in seagrass beds and adjacent coral reefs in northern, central, and southern Ryukyu Islands, in November 2004, and May, August, and November 2005, the northern region having less extensive seagrass beds compared with the central and southern regions. During the study period, the seagrass beds were utilized primarily by 31 species, the densities of some of the latter differing significantly among regions. With the exception of Apogonidae and Holocentridae, all species were diurnal and could be divided into 6 groups based on seagrass habitat use patterns; (1) permanent residents A (10 species, e.g. Stethojulis strigiventer), juveniles and adults living in seagrass beds as well as other habitats; (2) permanent residents B (5 species, e.g. Calotomus spinidens), juveniles and adults living only or mainly in seagrass beds; (3) seasonal residents A (4 species, e.g. Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus), juveniles living in seagrass beds as well as other habitats; (4) seasonal residents B (6 species, e.g. Lethrinus atkinsoni), juveniles living only or mainly in seagrass beds; (5) transients (5 species, e.g. Parupeneus indicus), occurring in seagrass beds in the course of foraging over a variety of habitats; and (6) casual species (1 species, Acanthurus blochii), occurring only occasionally in seagrass beds. Regarding temporal differences, juvenile densities in each group were high in May and August compared with November in each region, whereas adult densities did not differ drastically in each month. For regional differences, juvenile and adult densities of permanent residents A and B were higher in the southern and central regions than in the northern region. Moreover, some seasonal residents showed possible ontogenetic habitat shift from seagrass beds to coral reefs in each region. These results indicated that seagrass habitat use patterns by fishes changed temporally and regionally and there may be habitat connectivity between seagrass beds and coral reefs via ontogenetic migration in the Ryukyu Islands.     

A new coral reef province in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia: Colonisation, growth and submergence during the early Holocene

Multibeam sonar mapping, drill cores and underwater video data have confirmed the existence of a previously unknown coral reef province in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Seven reefs, comprised of coral limestone that support living corals have been mapped so far and as many as 50 other reefs may exist in the region. U/Th ages show that reef growth commenced shortly after limestone pedestals were submerged by rising sea level around 10.5 kyr BP, making them the oldest Holocene reefs known in Australia. Reef growth persisted for ~ 2.0 kyr but it had ceased at most locations by ~ 7.0 kyr BP. Measurements of reef growth rates (0.95 to 4 m kyr^− 1), indicate that the reefs were unable to keep pace with contemporaneous rapid sea level rise (> 10 m kyr^− 1), which is consistent with a “give up” reef growth history. Core samples from reef platforms demonstrate that Pleistocene limestone is exposed at depths of 27 and 30 m below present mean sea level. These depths represent regionally significant phases of reef growth during a prolonged sea level still stand. We conclude that the reefs are therefore mostly relict features, whose major phase of growth and development relates to an earlier, pre-Holocene sea level still stand.     

Experimental analysis of recruitment patterns of coral reef fishes in seagrass beds: Effects of substrate type, shape, and rigidity

Habitat choice of reef fish larvae at settlement is one of the mechanisms proposed to explain spatial patterns in the distribution of fishes and the corresponding spatial structure of communities. Field experiments using Pomacentridae were conducted at Iriomote Island, southern Japan, in order to determine if rare recruitment of coral reef fishes in seagrass beds is due to larval settlement preference. When three types of natural patch treatments (branching coral patch, seagrass patch, and control without patches) were established in cleared seagrass squares in the center of a seagrass bed, four pomacentrid species, Amblyglyphidodon curacao, Dischistodus prosopotaenia, Cheiloprion labiatus, and Dascyllus aruanus, recruited exclusively onto the coral patches, indicating that larvae distributed in the seagrass bed may have preferred a coral rather than seagrass substrate as a settlement habitat. The effects of differences in physical shape (grid structure for branching coral vs. vertical structure for seagrass leaves) and rigidity (rigid substrate for coral vs. flexible substrate for seagrass) between coral and seagrass substrates on such recruitment patterns were investigated using artificial coral and seagrass units. When artificial habitat units with predator exclusion cages were established in the cleared seagrass squares as above, high densities of A. curacao and D. prosopotaenia recruits were observed on the rigid rather than flexible habitat units (both unit types having similar shape), whereas differences in recruit numbers of the two species were unclear in differently shaped units. These results demonstrated that even though pomacentrid larvae are distributed in the seagrass bed, they do not settle on the seagrass substrate owing to their habitat choice being partially based on a preference for substrate rigidity. Moreover, non-recruitment of C. labiatus and D. aruanus on artificial habitat units suggested that the presence of living coral substrates rather than physical shape/rigidity of substrates are an important cue for habitat choice of these fishes.     

Persistent alternate abundance states in the coral reef sea urchin Diadema savignyi: evidence of alternate attractors

Alternate attractors have been shown to exist in a variety of terrestrial and aquatic systems, e.g. temperate forests, savannas, shallow lakes, wetlands, coral reefs, kelp forests. The shift from one attractor to another, also referred to as a regime shift, is thought to occur when a system passes some critical threshold such that the trajectory of the system changes direction. Alternate attractors in population dynamics can also exist, leading to alternate stable states in the population abundance of a species. This study explored alternate attractors in the population dynamics of the Indo‐Pacific sea urchin Diadema savignyi and the potential underlying mechanisms that promote its bi‐stability. In Moorea, French Polynesia, the local abundance of D. savignyi, a functionally important herbivore in lagoon habitats, occurs in two states: (i) solitary individuals that occupy crevices in low densities and (ii) aggregations of tens to hundreds of individuals. These different states are temporally stable and are not explained by spatial differences in recruitment rates of juveniles. A field experiment revealed that the per capita mortality rate of adult D. savignyi was substantially lower at sites where urchins occurred in aggregations compared with sites at which they were solitary individuals. An additional experiment showed that per capita mortality decreased with increasing aggregation size. Individuals in high‐density aggregations, however, had significantly smaller test diameters than solitary individuals, indicating that individuals in aggregations may be food limited. Collectively, the evidence suggests that the two different local abundance states of D. savignyi result from negative feedback loops where high local density can be maintained by aggregative behavior that greatly reduces per capita risk of predation when the local number of adult sea urchins is sufficiently large; sites with few sea urchins remain at low density because individuals are more susceptible to predation when crevices are occupied but there are not enough individuals to form large aggregations. Thus, there may be alternate attractors in the population dynamics of D. savignyi that can produce either persistently low or high local population densities.     

中—晚全新世高海平面的琼海珊瑚礁记录

采用精确的高程测量和高精度的TIMS铀系定年方法,对海南岛东部琼海青葛附近低潮时出露的原生死珊瑚和外礁坪上的活微环礁进行调查研究。调查结果表明,青葛附近外礁坪上的微环礁存在狭窄的生长上限(±8cm),位于最低低潮面上,是相当精确的海平面标志物。原生死珊瑚顶面与附近现代活微环礁顶面的高差数据和精确可靠的TIMS铀系年龄数据显示,5500~5200aBP (U/Th年龄,相对于2008年)时海平面至少高出现在(100±8) cm,真实的海平面很可能比现在高2.0~2.2m。总体上,5500~3500aBP期间海平面波动变化,波动幅度约为0.6m,且这种波动与气候波动有较好的对应性。4400~3900aBP期间琼海珊瑚礁的发育缺失很可能与此时的气候干冷有关。     

利用南极走航观测评估卫星遥感海表面温度

利用1989-2005年间南极走航观测的海表面温度,对目前3个主要的卫星反演的SST产品AVHRR(Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer),TMI(TRMM Microwave Imager)和AMSR-E(Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System)进行了较为系统的评估,并着重检验了它们在南大洋的准确性.结果表明,AVHRR SST比观测数据偏冷,白天的偏差为-0.12℃,夜晚的偏差为-0.04℃,而且南大洋的冷偏差更为显著.TMI SST比观测数据明显偏暖,白天的偏差为0.48℃,夜晚的偏差为0.57℃,其温差ΔT受37GHz风速影响,在强风速(>6m/s)下这种影响仍然存在.AMSR-ESST比观测数据偏暖,白天的偏差为0.34℃,夜晚的偏差为0.27℃,而且南大洋的暖偏差相对较大.AMSR-E SST温差受水汽影响,并在南大洋随着水汽的增加而增加.通过进一步比较微波(AMSR-E和TMI)和红外(AVHRR)遥感的SST在2004年北半球冬季(即南半球夏季)的差别,发现微波遥感在热带(15°S-15°N)和南大洋区域(45°S以南)比红外遥感偏暖,而且在南大洋区域的偏差相对较大,相反在北半球中纬度区域(15°~40°N)偏冷.AMSR-E与AVHRR SST的温差,从白天到夜晚有减小的趋势,而TMI与AVHRR SST的温差无明显的变化.     

南沙群岛海域断裂体系构造特征及其形成机制

南沙地块从中生代晚期开始裂离华南陆缘,在其向南运动的过程中受到欧亚板块、太平洋-菲律宾海板块和印度-澳大利亚板块等几大板块的联合作用,导致该区断裂构造较为复杂。通过对南沙群岛海域地震资料的综合解释并结合前人的研究成果,认为南沙群岛海域断裂构造可分为伸展断裂系、走滑断裂系和逆冲断裂系3类。伸展断裂遍布全区,主要受SE—近S-N向拉张作用,经历两大期次的构造活动;走滑断裂主要分布于南沙地块的周缘,受周缘地块与南沙地块相对运动控制,经历三期构造活动;逆冲断裂主要分布于南沙地块的南缘,受古南海俯冲和逆时针旋转控制,经历三期构造活动。从不同断裂体系的活动期次可见,南沙群岛海域应力系统主要经历了3个演化阶段:早期主要受拉张作用控制,中期主要受拉张和走滑应力控制,而晚期主要受压剪应力控制。