Scleractinian coral population size structures and growth rates indicate coral resilience on the fringing reefs of North Jamaica

Coral reefs throughout the world are under severe challenges from many environmental factors. This paper quantifies the size structure of populations and the growth rates of corals from 2000 to 2008 to test whether the Discovery Bay coral colonies showed resilience in the face of multiple acute stressors of hurricanes and bleaching. There was a reduction in numbers of colonies in the smallest size class for all the species at all the sites in 2006, after the mass bleaching of 2005, with subsequent increases for all species at all sites in 2007 and 2008. Radial growth rates (mm yr⁻¹) of non-branching corals and linear extension rates (mm yr⁻¹) of branching corals calculated on an annual basis from 2000–2008 showed few significant differences either spatially or temporally. At Dairy Bull reef, live coral cover increased from 13 ± 5% in 2006 to 20 ± 9% in 2007 and 31 ± 7% in 2008, while live Acropora species increased from 2 ± 2% in 2006 to 10 ± 4% in 2007 and 22 ± 7% in 2008. These studies indicate good levels of coral resilience on the fringing reefs around Discovery Bay in Jamaica.     

Engaging the public in climate change-related pro-environmental behaviors to protect coral reefs: The role of public trust in the management agency

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role that stakeholder trust in a management agency, as a source of information about climate change, plays in relationships among antecedents to climate change-related pro-environmental behavior. Data collected from a survey of Australian residents living adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park revealed that lower intensities of institutional trust were associated with a less biocentric worldview, a lower reported awareness of consequences of the impacts of climate change, and a lower sense of obligation to adopt pro-environmental behaviors. Findings suggest that managers should attempt to foster the trust their stakeholders have in their agency because when trust increases, stakeholders develop stronger relationships among the antecedents of pro-environmental behavior.     

Interannual fluctuations in recruitment of walleye pollock in the Oyashio region related to environmental changes

The Japanese Pacific walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) stock is the largest stock of this species in Japanese waters. It is a key component of the Oyashio ecosystem. In southern Hokkaido waters, these fish spawn mainly during January and February near the mouth of Funka Bay (FB), and most eggs and larvae are transported into FB. During midsummer juvenile pollock migrate along the southern coast of Hokkaido to a nursery ground on the continental shelf off eastern Hokkaido (Doto area). However, some eggs and larvae are transported southward to the Tohoku region (TR). Transport depends largely on the Oyashio, which generally flows southward along the eastern coasts of Hokkaido and Tohoku. Thus, this stock has two different recruitment routes: FB–Doto and FB–TR. In the 1980s, when the southward flow of the Oyashio was strong, the number of age-2 pollock estimated from a virtual population analysis (VPA) indicated that recruitment to the entire stock remained at a medium level. In the 1990s, when the Oyashio weakened, strong year-classes occurred in 1991, 1994, and 1995, but not in the latter half of the 1990s. Juvenile catches in the TR by commercial fisheries, which can be taken as indices of recruitment level via FB–TR, were high during the 1980s and decreased in the 1990s. Although there was no significant difference in the average number of recruits between the 1980s and the 1990s as estimated from a VPA, the recruitment patterns differed between the two decades. Here, we propose that recruitment routes of this stock shifted in response to environmental changes.     

Geographical distribution of fish catches and temperature variations in the northeast Atlantic since 1945

Warming of the northeast Atlantic is expected to affect the location and productivity of fish stocks. It is examined whether variations in catches of cod, herring, mackerel, anchovy and sardines in the ICES statistical areas are related to variations in ocean temperature. Temperatures at certain locations along the Norwegian coast are taken as proxies for temperatures in the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea. It is found that the catches of cod in the North Sea are inversely correlated with temperature and that recruitment and catches of cod in the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea are positively related to temperature. There is also some indication of a positive correlation between temperature and the catches of mackerel in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea, and between temperature and the catches of sardines in the North Sea.     

Decadal changes in common reef coral populations and their associations with algal symbionts (Symbiodinium spp.)

Decadal populations changes in four coral taxa and their patterns of association with algal symbionts (Symbiodinium spp. – 10 years of sampling) were examined on Kenyan back reefs over a period of climatic disturbances (1991?2009). Some of the better surviving taxa, Pavona and Pocillopora, were associated with variable temperature regimes and >50% of sampled colonies in these taxa had some of the more thermally tolerant Symbiodinium in clade D. In contrast, only around 35% of Acropora and no branching forms of Porites contained detectable levels of clade D, and both taxa experienced high levels of thermally‐induced mortality and poor recovery. Overall, however the relationship between Symbiodinium clade and population‐level success of coral hosts was not strong, and differential success inside and outside fisheries closures suggests that other factors, such as predation on corals, were also influential. Consequently, while Symbiodinium in clade D may contribute to the success of coral hosts across thermal disturbances, multiple ecological factors and additional biological traits also influence their long‐term survival.     

Tropical species at the northern limit of their range: Composition and distribution in Bermuda's benthic habitats in relation to depth and light availability

Surveys were undertaken on the shallow Bermuda marine platform between 2006 and 2008 to provide a baseline of the distribution, condition and environmental characteristics of benthic communities. Bermuda is located in temperate latitudes but coral reefs, tropical seagrasses and calcareous green algae are common in the shallow waters of the platform. The dominant organisms of these communities are all living at or near their northern latitudinal range limits in the Atlantic Ocean. Among the major benthic autotrophs surveyed, seagrasses were most restricted by light availability. We found that the relatively slow-growing and long-lived seagrass Thalassia testudinum is restricted to habitats with much higher light availability than in the tropical locations where this species is commonly found. In contrast, the faster growing tropical seagrasses in Bermuda, Syringodium filiforme, Halodule sp. and Halophila decipiens, had similar ecological compensation depths (ECD) as in tropical locations. Increasing sea surface temperatures, concomitant with global climate change, may either drive or allow the poleward extensions of the ranges of such tropical species. However, due to latitudinal light limitations at least one abundant and common tropical autotroph, T. testudinum, is able to occupy only shallower depths at the more temperate latitudes of Bermuda. We hypothesize that the poleward shift of seagrass species ranges would be accompanied by restrictions to even shallower depths of T. testudinum and by very different seagrass community structures than in tropical locations.     

近165年来中沙环礁中北暗沙滨珊瑚生长率及其对海温变化的响应

海水温度是控制珊瑚生长的关键环境因素之一,随着全球气候变暖,海温持续升高已成为珊瑚生长面临的全球性威胁。文章对采自中沙环礁中北暗沙水深约16m的澄黄滨珊瑚岩心样品开展了生长率分析,揭示出中沙环礁滨珊瑚近165年来的生长历史及变化规律;并通过与西沙群岛永兴岛滨珊瑚生长率的对比,探讨了南海中部滨珊瑚生长的区域差异及其对海温升高的响应关系。过去100多年来中北暗沙和永兴岛海区的平均海温分别为(27.4±0.37)℃和(27.09±0.36)℃,两个海区的海温均呈线性升高趋势,升温速率一致,约为0.43℃·ha^–1。过去100多年间中北暗沙和永兴岛滨珊瑚的平均生长率分别为(0.70±0.16)cm·a^–1和(1.19±0.16)cm·a^–1,但中北暗沙滨珊瑚生长率呈线性下降趋势,下降速率约为9.4%·ha^–1;而永兴岛滨珊瑚生长率呈线性上升趋势,增长速率约为10.9%·ha^–1。过去100多年间两个礁区的滨珊瑚生长率均存在年代际波动,大致与海温的年代际波动对应。两个礁区滨珊瑚生长率与海...     

早渐新世钙质超微化石演变与营养盐及二氧化碳关系

南海北部早渐新世发生明显的营养供给和二氧化碳浓度的变化,相关地质记录为研究颗石藻的生理机制提供了理想的自然实验室。在本研究中,我们建立了一个新的颗石藻群落演化的指标,定义为E*比值。该比值由富营养属种和中等-贫营养属种的相对丰度计算而得（E^*=e/(e+c)×100,e代表富营养属种,c代表中等-贫营养属种）。其中富营养属种包括小Reticulofenestra, Reticulofenestra lockeri组,Reticulofenestra bisecta组和Coccolithus pelagicus组,而中等-贫营养属种包括Cyclicargolithus spp.。E^*指标与早渐新世营养盐指标具有较强的相关性,但在不同二氧化碳浓度的条件下表现不同的公变趋势。将群落组合与已发表的二氧化碳浓度数据对比,我们提出颗石藻可能在二氧化碳持续降低的环境下改变其对碳源和营养盐的利用方式,指示颗石藻的碳浓缩机制可能开始于早渐新世。     

鸭绿江河口西岸潮滩沉积物有机质对流域变化的响应

河流颗粒有机质提供了陆地碳循环的重要信息以及人类活动的记录,通过河口地区沉积物有机质组成,可反映流域变化及海陆间相互作用。2010-2011年分两次于鸭绿江河口西岸潮滩采集柱样4根及表层样23个。对样品进行有机质碳氮总量(TOC、TN)、碳氮同位素(δ13C、δ15 N)及沉积物粒度测试。分析结果表明,由河口向西,有机质受改造程度加深且来源逐渐复杂化,致TOC/TN与δ13C的相关性逐渐降低,δ15 N与沉积物粒度的相关性也随之降低。文中以δ13C为主线探讨沉积物有机质的来源及运移,TOC/TN作为辅助,δ15 N则用于指示生化条件的改变。柱样的δ13 C分布与河流入海输沙密切相关,水库对入海泥沙的拦截,致河口潮滩沉积速率减缓,从而增加了沉积物中海源有机质的含量,δ13C随之增加。潮滩西侧柱样的δ15 N增加指示了生活工业污水的大量排放。此外,表层样δ13C分布的方向性,指示了西水道门口处的快速堆积及潮下带物质的向岸运移,并在西岸潮滩向岸一侧富集。