Cadmium release caused by the die-back of the saltmarsh cord grass Spartina anglica in Poole Harbour (UK)

As in many other areas, the perennial cord grass Spartina anglica C.E. Hubbard has been extremely successful at colonising the English and Irish south coasts, but it is dying back for reasons that are not completely understood. The present study considers the relationship between die-back and metal concentrations in estuarine sediment. No obvious impact of the metal contamination on the S. anglica growth/die-back could be detected in the study zone, Poole Harbour, although the die-back did seem to have substantially influenced the metal concentrations in the sediments of the estuary. Based on core profiles, the remaining patches of S. anglica still retain elevated concentrations and the overall cadmium concentrations in the sediments have risen since 1925. However, considerable quantities of the cadmium stored in the sediment by S. anglica appear to have been washed out rapidly in the die-back zones. Should serious erosion of the saltmarsh occur, triggered for example by sea-level rise, then sudden and high levels of cadmium release may cause harmful effects to marine biota.     

Learning from the systematic approach to aquaculture zoning in South Australia: A case study of aquaculture (Zones – Lower Eyre Peninsula) Policy 2013

South Australia is among the regions internationally, where there are currently strong drivers for anthropogenic and ecosystem marine planning decisions. Specifically, South Australia, in both State and adjacent Commonwealth Waters, is currently accommodating increasing interests such as oil exploration by multi-national companies in the Great Australian Bight, implementation of recently declared State Marine Parks, an increased public awareness of marine developments, commissioning of a desalinisation plant, government-focused marine science initiatives, long-standing commercial fisheries, a transparent legislative and political stage, and a relatively new aquaculture industry. Amongst this growing diversity in marine-based activities, a dedicated aquaculture legislative framework was created in South Australia with the commencement of the Aquaculture Act 2001 (the Act) to centralise the legislative processes required to underpin aquaculture regulation and administration. This centralisation has helped to create an effective platform to streamline administrative processes, reduce duplication between various government agencies such as planning authorities and environment protection agencies, and ultimately fostered investment in, and growth of, the South Australian aquaculture industry. As such Aquaculture zone policies are a key strategic management tool for sustainable aquaculture development in South Australia into the future. This paper provides a case study (Aquaculture (Zones – Lower Eyre Peninsula) Policy 2013) of the legislated regional marine planning framework for aquaculture development used in South Australia, with a focus on the key functions and processes that may have broader applications.     

The decomposition rates of dead plant materials of two species of Spartina and the changes in their nutritive components

-The detritus from the decomposition of dead plant materials of Spartina with great biomass provides abundant food for the heterotrophs in estuarine and nearshore coastal waters. It is for this reason that the decomposition rates of S. anglica and S. alterniflora near the estuary of obsolete Huanghe River were studied. The changes in nutritive components during decomposition are also studied.Results showed that the decomposition rate of dead leaves of S. anglica on ultra-low marsh was about 90% for the first year. In the eighth month, it was 80% and 76 % respectively for S. anglica and S. alterniflora on low marsh. Protein content of the two species of Spartina increased in the course of decomposition, with a maximum increment of 100% or more. The energy value also increased, whereas cellulose content decreased markedly. The percentage content of ash and lipid varied significantly with zonal differences.     

Invading cord grass vegetation changes analyzed from Landsat-TM imageries: a case study from the Wanggang area, Jiangsu coast, eastern China

Cord grass colonization on the Jiangsu coast, eastern China, modifies the native salt marshes in terms of ecosystem structure. The Landsat TM images from 1992 to 2003 were analyzed to identify salt-marsh vegetation distribution patterns and their changes over this coastal region, in order to evaluate the effects of the spreading of the artificially introduced halophyte Spartina. Supervised classification was performed using Bands 3, 4 and 5 in conjunction with in situ training samples, to derive the distribution pattern of the vegetation in the study area. Further, in order to identify the intertidal areas with different tidal elevations, a data treatment procedure was designed to combine regional water level data using harmonic analysis with the waterlines on the TM images extracted by density slice. The results show that: (1) the Spartina alterniflora area has been expanding towards the sea rapidly since it was introduced, especially at initial stages; (2) in the upper part of the inter-tidal zone, the local marsh plant Suaeda salsa and the exotic species Spartina anglica were present only near the sea dyke, occupying only a small part of the entire salt marsh, and the area of these two species has been reduced by land reclamation; (3) there has been a trend for Spartina alterniflora to become the dominant species in the salt marshes in the study area; and (4) the elevation of Spartina alterniflora’s seaward fringe was close to mean high water on neaps, and its landward boundary was slightly higher than mean high water. The salt marsh environment of the study area has been modified rapidly by the Spartina vegetation for the last 12 years.     

福建省罗源湾互花米草扩展过程及其特征分析

为探讨外来引种的互花米草（Spartina alterniflora Loisel）在我国海湾的扩展过程,根据1989-2010年遥感影像和野外观测数据,对罗源湾互花米草的分布特征进行分析,结果显示,对该区互花米草近20 a的扩展过程划分为3个阶段:前5 a其沿着高潮带平行于海岸线呈带状扩展;之后5 a在中潮带向湾内快速拓殖;后10 a则扩展缓慢,种群内部的空隙地逐渐被米草覆盖。截至2010年,罗源湾互花米草的总面积约为741.13 hm2。受潮滩环境分带性影响,罗源湾互花米草在高潮带平行于海岸线的扩展速度明显大于垂直于海岸线的扩展速度;在中潮带的快速扩展过程中互花米草倾向于先在潮沟两侧分布,这可能与归槽水和滩面摩阻作用有关,相比较,互花米草在浅洼地的扩展较滞后,该区域随着滩面的淤高过程逐渐被米草覆盖。在其整个扩展过程中,由于互花米草对潮流及悬浮颗粒的阻滞作用,使得其扩展前缘米草斑块和连续种群之间的光滩区成为悬浮颗粒及米草种子容易沉降的区域,互花米草易朝向该区域扩展。     

Mangrove planning and management in New Zealand and South East Australia – A reflection on approaches

The mangrove Avicennia marina var. australasica occurs on the temperate coastlines of New Zealand's north island and New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia in South East Australia. Mangroves are increasing in area with seaward expansion in New Zealand and landward expansion in temperate Australia. Their expansion has been viewed as unnatural. With pressure from residential and coastal development, planning and management authorities in both countries are being exerted to allow for the removal and destruction of mangroves, partly for protecting and re-instating other impacted habitats such as saltmarsh and mudflats and partly to maintain recreational and amenity values of coastal communities. Estuary management planning is a useful tool that can integrate and balance policy directions for mangroves and other estuarine habitats in a strategic manner. Mangroves should not be considered as ‘bad’ in isolation but viewed as part of the mosaic of tidal habitats important for estuary function and health.     

Coral reef management in Belize: an approach through integrated coastal zone management

Belize has one of the most extensive reef ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere, comprising one of the largest barrier reefs in the world, three atolls and a complex network of inshore reefs. Until recently, the main impacts were probably from natural events such as hurricanes. However, anthropogenic threats such as sedimentation, agrochemical run-off, coastal development, tourism and overfishing are now of concern. To limit these impacts, Belize is taking the approach of integrated coastal zone management. The programme is building on the existing legislative framework and involves the development of an appropriate institutional structure to co-ordinate management activities in the coastal zone. A Coastal Zone Management Plan is being prepared, which will include many measures that will directly benefit the reefs: a zoning scheme for the coastal zone, incorporating protected areas; legislation and policy guidelines; research and monitoring programmes; education and public awareness campaigns; measures for community participation; and a financial sustainability mechanism.     

象山港滨海湿地互花米草入侵过程遥感监测与评估

互花米草在20世纪70年代后期作为海岸带生态防护工程物种引入我国,由于其超强的繁殖能力,目前已经对我国的滨海湿地生态环境健康与安全造成了严重的威胁,成为生长在中国沿海的一种典型生态入侵植物,引起了相关部门的高度重视。文章选择浙江象山港为重点研究区,通过遥感技术手段,基于2003年,2009年和2014年中分辨率Landsat系列遥感卫星数据,采用空间与光谱特征相结合的综合判读,提出了生境空间环境支持下的植物群落遥感自动识别方法,动态监测了互花米草在象山港的繁衍和入侵过程已经空间格局变化。研究结果表明:过去10年余年,互花米草在象山港呈现指数模型的爆炸性增长。2003年,整个象山港互花米草的分布面积约为590 hm²;2009年其分布面积达到1745 hm²;2014年互花米草在象山港的分布面积超过5715 hm²。2003-1014年10年间互花米草在该区域分布面积翻了近10倍,几乎占据了海岸带所有的泥质海滩,成为象山港滨海湿地区的主导型盐生植被和区域优势种,对附近农田,尤其是淡水水域构成巨大的威胁。而在快速扩张的驱动要素方面,研究认为强劲的自我繁殖性能是互米花草在区域能够快速扩张的主要原因;人类围垦活动促进了这一快速扩张进程。以上研究结论可为区域互花米草的综合治理提供数据支持和遥感监测提供技术参考。     

Potential impacts of invasive Spartina alterniflora on spring bird communities at Chongming Dongtan,a Chinese wetland of international importance

Invasive smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora, hereafter Spartina) has been expanding rapidly in the estuarine wetlands at Chongming Dongtan (East China) at the expense of native sea-bulrush (Scirpus mariqueter, hereafter Scirpus) and common reed (Phragmites australis, hereafter Phragmites). To examine the potential impacts of the Spartina invasion on bird diversity, we compared the abundance and species richness of birds in habitats created by Spartina, Phragmites, Spartina mixed with Phragmites, Scirpus, and the bare intertidal zone at Chongming Dongtan in spring 2008. Most birds were recorded in the native habitats, with songbirds and breeding birds being most abundant in the Phragmites habitats, and waterbirds and migrants being most abundant in the Scirpus habitats and bare intertidal zone. Both species number and population densities of birds were lower in the exotic Spartina habitats than in the other four habitats. Although some songbirds and breeding birds used the Spartina-invaded habitats, and even preferred Spartina-invaded habitats to Scirpus habitats and bare intertidal zone, their densities were lower in the Spartina-invaded habitats than in the native Phragmites habitats. This might have resulted from the dense Spartina stands restricting bird movement and providing insufficient useable food for most birds. We conclude that the spread of exotic Spartina has negative impacts on local bird communities. Because Chongming Dongtan is an important stopover site for energy replenishment of shorebirds in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, urgent measures are needed to control further spread of Spartina and to restore the native habitats for birds.     

2010年夏季雷州半岛沿岸海域浮游动物群落结构特征

2010年7月对雷州半岛海岸带的浮游动物群落结构及相关环境因子进行了调查,共鉴定出浮游动物87种和34类浮游幼体,其中原生动物4种,占总种类数的4.6%;腔肠动物20种,占总种类数的23.0%;介形类1种,占总种类数的1.1%;枝角类2种,占总种类数的2.3%;桡足类37种,占总种类数的42.5%;十足类2种,占总种类数的2.3%;毛颚动物7种,占总种类数的8.0%;被囊动物6种,占总种类数的6.9%;浮游软体动物8种,占总种类数的9.2%。优势种有13种和3类浮游幼体,孔雀强额哲水蚤和小毛猛水蚤是该海域重要的优势种群,几乎在全海域均为优势种,桡足类幼体为全海域优势类群。半岛沿岸海域浮游动物种类数由近岸往远岸逐渐增多,浮游动物丰度分布则相反。浮游动物种类数由多到少的顺序为东北部、东南部、西北部和西南部、南部,丰度由大到小的顺序为西北部、西南部、东北部、东南部、南部,生物量由大到小的顺序为东北部、西南部、西北部、东南部、南部,浮游动物丰度和生物量的平面分布反映了人类对海岸带开发利用的活动概貌。多样性指数和均匀度平均值分别为2.96和0.57。相关分析表明:浮游动物丰度与水温、细菌总数、浮游动物生物量均呈极显著的正相关关系,与磷酸盐呈显著的负相关关系;浮游动物生物量与TOC、细菌总数、叶绿素a、浮游植物丰度均呈极显著的正相关关系,与pH呈显著的正相关关系,与盐度呈显著的负相关关系。     

The conservation of seals in Irish waters: How research informs policy

Ireland's waters represent a valuable resource encompassing productive fishing grounds and important oil and gas reserves. As a species rich marine environment, Ireland's waters are also an important habitat for many species of marine mammal. Specifically, grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) and harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are widespread in Irish coastal waters and at least 24 species of cetacean have been reported at sea. The coastal zone represents critical habitat for many of these species, in particular seals that use both terrestrial and aquatic coastal habitat and are vulnerable to habitat degradation. Increasing exploitation of marine resources has increased their exposure to a range of anthropogenic effects including pollution and habitat loss. As top predators seals interact with commercial fisheries both directly and indirectly for resources and conflicts arise. The relatively recent move towards ‘greener’ resource exploitation such as marine renewable energy does not come without negative consequences for marine mammals including seals, which are afforded protection under national and international conservation legislation, highlighting the difficulties faced by resource managers. The sustainable exploitation of resources whilst conserving biodiversity is a challenging task and effective management implementation depends on appropriate policy informed by reliable scientific data. This paper outlines the conservation needs of seals in Irish waters, reviews our current knowledge of these species in Irish water, provides a critical analysis of the existing legislative framework and describes how research outputs can inform present and future policy decisions.     

Interactions between a natural food web,shellfish farming and exotic species: The case of the Bay of Mont Saint Michel (France)

To ensure sustainable uses of the coastal zone, an integrated ecosystemic approach and ecosystem models are required to frame ecological processes and evaluate environmental impacts. Here, a mass-balance trophic (Ecopath) model of the Mont Saint Michel Bay (MSMB) was developed, to analyze the bay's functioning as an ecosystem. This bay, intensively exploited by fishing and for shellfish farming, is also suffering from the proliferation of the gastropod Crepidula fornicata, an exotic species.     

Mesoscale distribution of clupeoid larvae in an upwelling filament trapped by a quasi-permanent cyclonic eddy off Northwest Africa

The distribution of fish larvae in relation to a filament shed from the Northwest African coastal upwelling was studied in February 2001. During the cruise, the filament was located between 27°N and 28°N, extending from the African coastal upwelling zone to the south of Fuerteventura Island (Canary Islands). This filament was trapped and remained over the quasi-permanent cyclonic eddy observed in previous studies. Almost all Sardina pilchardus, Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardinella aurita larvae caught during the cruise were associated with upwelled waters and filament structures. The sampled larval fish assemblage was composed by 12.6% of clupeoid larvae. These were distributed as follows: 73.9% were S. pilchardus, 20.7% were E. encrasicolus and 5.4% were S. aurita. Their distribution suggested that the coastal upwelling filament is a mechanism of transport from the upwelling area to oceanic waters, but its junction with the generated cyclonic eddy may not always work as a retention structure for those transported larvae, as described in previous studies. Physiological studies based on gut fluorescence and ETS activity of clupeoid larvae, as proxies for grazing and respiration, respectively, denoted a switch from pigmented food near the upwelling zone to unpigmented food toward the ocean. This pattern agrees with observed mesozooplankton feeding along an upwelling filament in previous studies. Therefore, this work confirms the close relationship between clupeoids distribution and mesoscale circulation, as well as constitutes the first assessment of the metabolic activity of those larvae in the region.     

水培大米草吸收汞及其净化环境作用的探讨

互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)是美国东南沿海的主要盐沼植物,其每年的生产量至少为700g/m~2。H.L.Windom指出,这种植物每年对汞的富集量为当年沉积物中汞的积累量的十倍以上。作为互花米草和欧洲米草的天然杂交种大米草(S.anglica),对汞污染的反应如何呢?我们的试验证明,大米草对汞等污染物质的吸收和抵抗能力至少不应小于其亲本。同时,本文在用大米草净化环境方面提供了一些设想。     

Community-based governance of coastal zone and marine resources in Madagascar

On account of the “legal transplant” of French civil law into traditional customary law in Madagascar, the traditional social code generally known as “Dina” has coexisted with the modern law since the pre-colonial era and has conditioned the implementation of such law. The concept and use of Dina has been influenced by that process.This paper illustrates the role of Dina as a mechanism for reconciling modern decentralized and traditional governance of marine resources and the coastal zones in Madagascar. Democratic participation is important for enforcing the regulations governing marine resources and coastal zones. As law should be the will of people themselves, it is therefore necessary to develop legislation in community forum such as through Dina. It is especially critical that regulations be imbued with community aspiration and culture so that the population can respect laws freely.The three cases cited in this paper illustrate the different ways in which Dina may be used depending on the interests of the actors. Integrating the ‘legal’ and the ‘legitimate’ is a big challenge. In some cases, this legal mechanism is not successful at protecting local community or fishermen rights. Given the potential for integrated coastal zone management and community-based management, Dina may be strengthened in order to more effectively protect local people's rights.     

Invasive plants on disturbed Korean sand dunes

The sand dunes in coastal regions of South Korea are important ecosystems because of their small size, the rare species found in this habitat, and the beautiful landscapes they create. This study investigated the current vegetative status of sand dunes on three representative coasts of the Korean peninsula, and on the coasts of Cheju Island, and assessed the conditions caused by invasive plants. The relationships between the degree of invasion and 14 environmental variables were studied. Plots of sand dunes along line transects perpendicular to the coastal lines were established to estimate vegetative species coverage. TWINSPAN (Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis), CCA (Canonical Correspondence Analysis), and DCCA (Detrended Canonical Correspondence Analysis) were performed to classify communities on sand dunes and assess species composition variation. Carex kobomugi, Elymus mollis, and Vitex rotundifolia were found to be the dominant species plotted on the east, the west, and the peripheral coasts of Cheju Island, respectively. Vegetation on the south coast was totally extinct. The 19 communities, including representative C. kobomugi, C. kobomugi–Ixeris repens, C. kobomugi–Oenothera biennis, E. mollis, Lolium multiflorum–Calystegia soldanella, and V. rotundifolia–C. kobomugi, were all classified according to TWINSPAN. Oenothera biennis and L. multiflorum were exotics observed within these native communities. CCA showed that invasive native and exotic species distribution was segregated significantly, according to disturbance level, exotic species number, gravel, sand and silt contents, as well as vegetation size. It further revealed that human disturbance can strongly favor the settlement of invasive and exotic species. Restoration options to reduce exotic plants in the South Korean sand dune areas were found to be the introduction of native plant species from one sand dune into other sand dune areas, prohibition of building and the introduction of exotic soils, and conservation of surrounding sand dune areas.     

Effects of varying sulphate and nitrogen supply on DMSP and glycine betaine levels in Spartina anglica

The relationship between sulphate, dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP), and glycine betaine concentrations as well as the interaction with nitrogen supply in Spartina anglica Hubbard was investigated. Several studies have already shown that nitrogen affects levels of DMSP and glycine betaine in Spartina. It has further been suggested that sulphate is important to the growth of the salt marsh grass Spartina. We hypothesised that DMSP might be involved in a high sulphur requirement. It was further hypothesised that the effect of sulphate would depend on nitrogen supply. S. anglica shoots were treated with a range of nutrient solutions containing four different sulphate treatments, 0, 80, 800 or 1600 μM and two different nitrogen levels, 0 or 2 mM ammonium nitrate. Plant parts were analysed for DMSP and glycine betaine, as well as total nitrogen and total sulphur. Plants were analysed for proline as well but levels were very low or non-detectable and patterns were not consistent. Total sulphur was affected by both the nitrogen and sulphate treatments while total nitrogen was affected by the nitrogen treatments only. Sulphate had no effect on growth (leaf length or biomass), but nitrogen increased growth of S. anglica shoots. Levels of DMSP and glycine betaine were unaffected by increased sulphate supply. Nitrogen significantly decreased concentrations of DMSP and glycine betaine. However, due to increased biomass production, total amounts of DMSP and glycine betaine per plant were significantly higher in the 2 mM nitrogen treatments. The data suggest that pools of DMSP in roots and stems are more important than previously thought.     

Shelf spawning habitat of Emmelichthys nitidus in south-eastern Australia – Implications and suitability for egg-based biomass estimation

The spawning habitat of Emmelichthys nitidus (Emmelichthyidae) in south-eastern Australia is described from vertical ichthyoplankton samples collected along the shelf region off eastern through to south-western Tasmania during peak spawning in October 2005–06. Surveys covered eastern waters in 2005 (38.8–43.5°S), and both eastern and southern waters in 2006 (40.5°S around to 43.5°S off the south-west). Eggs (n = 10,393) and larvae (n = 378) occurred along eastern Tasmania in both years but were rare along southern waters south and westwards of 43.5°S in 2006. Peak egg abundances (1950–2640 per m⁻²) were obtained off north-eastern Tasmania (40.5–41.5°S) between the shelf break and 2.5 nm inshore from the break. Eggs were up to 5-days old, while nearly 95% of larvae were at the early preflexion stage, i.e. close to newly emerged. Average abundances of aged eggs pooled across each survey declined steadily from day-1 to day-5 eggs both in 2005 (97-18) and 2006 (175-34). Moreover, day-1 egg abundances were significantly greater 2.5 nm at either side of the break, including at the break, than in waters ≥5 nm both inshore and offshore from the break. These results, complemented with egg and larval data obtained in shelf waters off New South Wales (NSW; 35.0–37.7°S) in October 2002–03, indicate that the main spawning area of E. nitidus in south-eastern Australia lies between 35.5°S off southern NSW and 43.5°S off south-eastern Tasmania, and that spawning activity declines abruptly south and westwards of 43.5°S around to the south-west coast. In addition, quotient analyses of day-1 egg abundances point to a preferred spawning habitat contained predominantly within a 5 nm corridor along the shelf break, where waters are 125–325 m deep and median temperatures 13.5–14.0 °C. Spawning off eastern Tasmania is timed with the productivity outburst typical of the region during the austral spring, and the temperature increase from the mixing between the southwards advancing, warm East Australian Current and cooler subantarctic water over the shelf. Overall, ichthyoplankton data, coupled with reproductive information from adults trawled off Tasmania, indicate that E. nitidus constitutes a suitable species for the application of the daily egg production method (DEPM) to estimate spawning biomass. This finding, together with evidence in support of a discrete eastern spawning stock extending from southern NSW to southern Tasmania, strengthens the need for DEPM-based biomass estimates of E. nitidus prior to further fishery expansion.     

First record of mosquitofish,Gambusia holbrooki,in Tasmania,Australia: Stock structure and reproductive biology

The first population of mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, was discovered in a wetland area of the upper Tamar Estuary, northern Tasmania, Australia, in November 2000. We report aspects of the structure and reproductive biology of this population, based on 1567 fish collected between August 2001 and January 2002. Females dominated most catches. Maximum lengths were 48.9 and 23.6 mm standard length (SL) for females and males, respectively. Growth of the over‐wintered cohort was evident from October, when temperatures reached >19°C; growth rates in the young‐of‐season cohort from length frequency plots were 0.38 mm/ day for females and 0.19 mm/day for males. Estimated SL at 50% maturity for females (25.0 mm) and males (17.4 mm) were attained within 7 weeks of birth. Developing embryos were present from mid October and offspring from mid November; average number of stage III embryos was 55.5 (3–144). Given their rapid reproductive turnover (c. 34‐day gestation period) and resilience to broad environmental conditions, it is likely that this exotic pest will spread to other Tasmanian localities, as it has already been discovered in areas near the wetlands since the completion of this study.