Changes in structural and functional diversity of nematode communities during a spring phytoplankton bloom in the southern North Sea

The response of nematode communities to the sedimentation of a spring phytoplankton bloom in a sandy, well-oxygenated sediment at a single station (station 330) in the Southern North Sea was investigated monthly from early March to July 1999. Both structural (nematode density, diversity, vertical distribution and community composition) and functional (feeding type distributions, number of species within feeding groups) characteristics showed considerable changes shortly after the arrival of fresh organic material at the sediment surface. The general increase in numerical densities and diversity was related to changes within the groups of selective deposit-feeding and epistrate-feeding nematodes. It is hypothesised that sedimentation and subsequent remineralisation of fresh organic matter during the spring phytoplankton bloom result in an increase of suitable food items (both living and dead). This, combined with the availability of oxygen, creates conditions in which many nematode species can co-exist.     

2009年冬季南海北部浮游植物粒度分级生物量和初级生产力

2009年2月在南海北部海域现场观测粒度分级叶绿素a质量浓度和初级生产力(PP)的分布。结果表明,调查海域水柱平均叶绿素a质量浓度的变化范围为0.11～8.37 mg/m³,平均为(1.28±2.23) mg/m³,高值区出现在珠江口及近岸海域;初级生产力的范围为344.8～1 222.5 mgC/(m²·d),平均为(784.2±351.4) mgC/(m²·d),高值区位于近岸及陆架海域。浮游植物粒度分级测定结果表明,在生物量较高的近岸海域,叶绿素a的粒级结构以小型浮游植物占优势,其贡献率为40.9%,微型和微微型浮游植物对总叶绿素a的贡献率分别为34.6%和24.5%;而在生物量较低的陆坡和开阔海域,各粒级浮游植物对叶绿素a的贡献率由大到小依次为微微型浮游植物(78.9%),微型浮游植物(17.2%)和小型浮游植物(3.9%)。相关性分析结果表明,调查海域分级叶绿素a的区域化分布特征与洋流运动下营养盐的分布密切相关,同时叶绿素a又高度影响着此区域PP的分布。此外,我们将调查海域实测所得浮游植物最佳光合作用速率与采用垂向归一化初级生产力模型估算的数据进行对比,发现后者明显低于前者,这说明通过水温估算最佳光合作用速率的算法在冬季南海北部可能存在低估。     

Tidal effects on phytoplankton assemblages in a near‐pristine estuary: a trait‐based approach for the case of a shallow tropical ecosystem in Brazil

The study of near‐pristine estuaries can be used as a tool for mitigation projects of harmful effects in anthropogenic eutrophic systems, since one can analyze the effect of temporal and spatial variations generated mainly by natural forces. Phytoplankton taxonomy has been used as a classical indicator to assess changes in transitional water communities, however alternative methods based on morphological, behavioral and physiological traits offer the opportunity to compare sites or moments with different taxonomic compositions. Our goal, in this context, is to evaluate phytoplankton community short‐term and seasonal variability in a near‐pristine estuary, Barra Grande estuary (Ilha Grande, RJ, Brazil), through species functional traits and thus community functional diversity. Samplings were carried out in a mooring in complete tidal cycles, seasonally during 2012. Our results showed a diverse phytoplankton community with 38 frequent and abundant taxa, marked by density variation (1.2 × 10.4–2 × 10.7 cell L^?1) in depth, with abundance inversely related to tidal currents. The functional structure of the phytoplankton community measured by functional diversity (FD), varied seasonally in and across a gradient of tidal energy. A core community, mainly represented by flagellates and dinoflagellates, occurred in all observations and was highly functional (high FD), exploiting a variety of habitats. The chain‐forming diatoms were associated with high tidal energy, and occurred in higher densities during summer. Phytoplankton cell size, cell shape, and the ability to form colonies are extremely plastic traits that can be regulated by the environment, however, isolated tychopelagic diatoms were present in the study area across all seasons, with higher contributions in autumn and winter, reflecting the shallow characteristic of this system. During the winter, an exposed sandbar was formed, and the lack of connection with the ocean resulted in an abundance of riverine and brackish water taxa. In this near‐pristine estuary the densities and occurrences of HAB phytoplankton are low. Trait‐based analyses add information about community structure, which can be impacted by anthropogenic actions in urbanized coastal systems. Thus the information provided by this study regarding phytoplankton functional diversity and its relation to nutrients and hydrography in Barra Grande Estuary can be applied as a baseline model for the development of public policies.     

Long‐term comparison of structure and dynamics of the red coral metapopulation of the Portofino Promontory (Ligurian Sea): a case‐study for a Marine Protected Area in the Mediterranean Sea

A large amount of data on the precious coral Corallium rubrum has attested to a dramatic shift in the size structure of its over‐harvested Mediterranean populations in recent decades. One of the main problems for the conservation of this species is the substantial lack of data concerning the time span necessary for a population subjected to pluri‐decennial harvesting pressure to return to its pristine status. Here, we present a multi‐annual data set gathered from the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Portofino, which hosts the most important shallow‐water coral populations in the Ligurian Sea and was subjected to strong harvesting pressure from the 1950s to the early 1970s. Quantitative comparison of the population structure data recorded in 1964, 1990 and 2012 indicated a strong size increase of the colonies (from 3 to 8 g mean weight), resulting in an increase in colony biomass from 300 to the current 1500 g·m^?2. As a consequence, over the same span of time, the density of colonies has slightly decreased. The role of mass mortality phenomena, like that occurred in this area during 1999, as possible biological features triggering the switch of red coral populations from a ‘grass plain‐like’ towards a ‘forest‐like’ structure, is discussed. All these data indicate that the instigation of MPAs is a winning strategy in the conservation of this precious species and similar management plans should also be evaluated for the protection of the deep benthic communities thriving on off‐shore banks.