The Reproductive Cycle of Ophioderma brevispinum (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea)

Abstract. .The reproductive cycle of the brittlestar Ophioderma brevispinum is described using histological and organ index data for a population in Massachusetts, U.S.A. The cycle consists of a one month mid-summer spawning phase followed by gametogenesis and gradual gonadal growth during the winter, and greatly accelerated gonadal growth from May to June. At the end of the spawning season, oogonia proliferate near the base of the ovary, and a continuous layer of spermatogonia lines the testis. As oocytes grow to a maximum diameter of 350 um, yolk granules accumulate and the cytoplasm becomes less basophilic. Prior to spawning, the testis becomes branched and sulcate, and a whorl of spermatozoa produced by columns of spermatids accumulates in the lumen. Comparisons between the reproductive cycles of different populations of O. brevispinum and its congeners support the hypothesis that temperature may be a critical exogenous factor, but definitely not the only factor, in the initiation and duration of the growth and spawning phases of the ophiuroid reproductive cycle.     

Interaction between water flow and oxygen deficiency on growth in the infaunal brittle star Amphiura filiformis (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea)

Interactions between ‘oxygen concentration’ (normoxia: >80% oxygen saturation, and hypoxia: 18% oxygen saturation) and ‘water flow velocity’ (low: 0.1 cm s⁻¹, and moderate: 0.5 cm s⁻¹) were studied on growth rates in the brittle star Amphiura filiformis in a flow-through aquaria system. Effects of ‘sublethal predation’ on growth rates were investigated as ‘number of amputated arms’ (1 and 3 arms) and ‘amputation of the disk’. A significant interaction between oxygen concentration and water flow velocity was observed in mean arm regeneration rate, but in both flow velocities higher mean arm regeneration rates were observed in normoxia compared to hypoxia. In hypoxia a positive response in arm regeneration rate was observed in moderate flow compared to low flow velocity. In normoxia, however, no response to flow velocity was observed. The latter observation indicates that Amphiura filiformis is able to maintain the ventilation of the burrow at low flow velocities, but in low oxygen concentrations hydrodynamic forces seem to affect growth. A significant interaction between oxygen concentration and disk amputation was observed in both arm and disk regeneration rates, indicating that the disk is the major organ for gas exchange in this species. The number of arms amputated, however, did not affect mean arm regeneration rate. The results obtained in this study suggest that the secondary production in subtidal infaunal populations could be negatively affected by low oxygen concentrations and that this response is even more negative in combination with low flow velocities in the near-bottom water.     

Community structure of bathyal decapod crustaceans off South-Eastern Sardinian deep-waters (Central-Western Mediterranean)

Community structure and faunal composition of bathyal decapod crustaceans off South-Eastern Sardinian deep-waters (Central-Western Mediterranean) were investigated. Samples were collected during 32 hauls between 793 and 1598 m in depth over the 2003–2007 period. A total of 1900 decapod specimens belonging to 23 species were collected. Multivariate analysis revealed the occurrence of three faunistic assemblages related to depth: (i) an upper slope community at depths of 793–1002 m; (ii) a middle slope community at depths of 1007–1212 m and (iii) a lower slope community at depths greater 1420 m. In the upper and middle slopes the benthic ( Polycheles typhlops ) and epibenthic–endobenthic feeders (mainly Aristeus antennatus and Geryon longipes ), which eat infaunal prey, were dominant, followed by the macroplankton–epibenthic feeders such as Acanthephyra eximia and Plesionika acanthonotus . In the deepest stratum, the most remarkable feature was the prevalence of macroplankton–epibenthic feeders ( A. eximia and P. acanthonotus ). A small percentage of the benthic deep-sea lobster Polycheles sculptus was also present. The biomass presented higher values in the middle slope and declined strongly in the lower slope. There was no general pattern of mean individual weight/size versus depth among decapods, and the changes seemed to be species-specific with different trends.     

Reproductive cycle of Ophiopholis mirabilis (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in Zhangzi Island area,northern Yellow Sea

Ophiopholis mirabilis is a common species with a high population density on the western coasts of the northern Pacifi c Ocean.The number of O.mirabilis has been increasing recently in the scallop aquaculture zone(the Zhangzi Island area,northern Yellow Sea)in China.To explore the mechanism of its population variation,the reproductive cycle of O.mirabilis was investigated in this area(39°04′N;122°51′E)from February 2017 through January 2018 and determined by the monthly gonad index(GI),histological examinations of the gonads and the oocyte size-frequency distribution.O.mirabilis had a clear annual reproductive cycle that was synchronous between males and females.Sea temperature and food availability played important roles in O.mirabilis reproduction.The GI value was less reliable for determining reproductive activity in O.mirabilis because the nutritive tissues within the gonads may be utilized to synthesize gametes,leading to a decrease in GI during maturation.The histological results also show that abundant nutritive phagocytes were present in the gonads of O.mirabilis,which,together with the germ cells,aff ected the weight of the gonads.In addition,the mature oocytes of O.mirabilis were relatively small(75–150μm),indicating that the larval development was planktotrophic.This study provided insights into the reproductive patterns and biology of O.mirabilis and is an essential basis for the quantity control of this species in aquaculture areas.     

Environmental Instability and Demographic Variability in Acrocnida brachiata (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in Douarnenez Bay (Brittany: France)

Abstract. The recruitment and growth modalities of two populations of Acrocnida brachiata (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from the intertidal and from a depth of 20 m in Douarnenez Bay (Brittany) were compared. This study was conducted in order to establish whether the populations developed differently according to environmental stability. The results were compared with those found in another amphiurid, Amphiura filiformis , distributed along a similar gradient of disturbance in the subtidal zone. The purpose was to determine whether the biological parameters from different species vary in a similar manner along such a gradient and. if not, what is the role of biotic and physical factors in the control of demographic structure in intertidal and subtidal populations.     

西北太平洋深海海山的一种蛇尾新记录

Ophioleila elegans是一种非常少见的蛇尾。2014年大洋35航次中利用“蛟龙”号载人潜器在西北太平洋麦哲伦海山链的采薇平定海山水深1660m处采集到2株该种标本。该种首次发现于夏威夷海山相似的生境当中,本次采集到的样品是继首次发现之后的再次公开报道。本文中对该种的形态学特征,如腕部骨骼等,进行了更加详细的研究,同时基于COI序列进行系统发育分析。形态和系统发育分析的结果都表明,Ophioleila属与辐蛇尾科更加接近。     

Seasonal variations of the deep-sea macrobenthos communities in the coastal and bathyal zones off sanriku,northeastern Japan

Seasonal variations of macrobenthos communities were analyzed over six years at two fixed stations at the depths of 500 m and 1,000 m in the bathyal zone off Sanriku, northeastern Japan, and were compared with those of the 80 m station established at the mouth of Otsuchi Bay, northeastern Japan. Significant seasonal variations of macrobenthos density were detected at the 80 m and 500 m stations. While the density increased in late spring and decreased until July at the 80 m station, it increased between May and August, and decreased in September at the 500 m station. At the 1,000 m station, no seasonal variation of macrobenthos abundance could be detected. The seasonal variations of the density observed at the 80 m and 500 m stations are probably related to that of the supply of organic materials derived from surface phytoplankton. Differences in the patterns of seasonal variations among the three stations may reflect the different periods of food supply to the sea floor. Significant seasonal variation in the feeding structure of the polychaete communities could be detected at the 80 m and 1,000 m stations.     

Patterns of bottom environments and macrobenthos communities along the depth gradient in the bathyal zone off sanriku,Northwestern Pacific

Quantitative samples of sediments and macrobenthos were collected with a spade corer to reveal the relationships between macrobenthos communities and bottom environments. Twenty-five stations were established along a transect in the lower sublittoral and bathyal zones between the depths of 120 m and 2,600 m off Sanriku, the northeastern coast of the Japanese mainland, Northwestern Pacific.These stations were clustered into two groups on the basis of the principal component analysis of environmental factors and topographic features of the study area. The clustering of stations corresponded to that based on polychaete species composition.The biomass of macrobenthos followed two different patterns in two oceanographic environments; the first trend is found from the shelf to the seaward margin of the deep-sea terrace where macrobenthos biomass did not depend on depth, and the second trend on the lower continental slope, where biomass decreased exponentially with depth as Rowe's formula predicted. The density of macrobenthos showed a simple exponential decrease with depth over the two ecological zones. The data of stable carbon isotope ratio of organic matter in the sediments and topographic features suggested that the pattern of the biomass of macrobenthos corresponded with two different modes of food supply to the deep-sea bottom communities,i.e., vertical transport of the surface products and horizontal transport of food materials.     

Particulate organic carbon supply to the sea bottom: stable carbon isotope ratio analysis of the sediment trap samples at the mouth of otsuchi bay,Northeastern Japan

An array of sediment traps was deployed for the analysis of the pattern of particulate organic carbon (POC) supply to the sea bottom in April, May and July 1988 at the mouth of Otsuchi Bay (about 80 m depth), Northeastern Japan.On the basis of a simple two-component mixing model using stable carbon isotope ratios, the POC flux was separated into marine planktonic and terrestrial components. Both the planktonic and terrestrial POC fluxes had maximum values at 30 m above the sea bottom throughout the three experiments. The planktonic POC flux showed a significant decrease with depth between 30 m and 10 m or 5 m above the bottom. Vertical supply of the planktonic POC and supply of the resuspended planktonic POC were estimated on the basis of regression lines between water depth and the planktonic POC flux in the depth range where the flux decreases with depth.Vertical supply of the planktonic POC and supply of the resuspended planktonic POC to the sea bottom were largest in May (52.1 mgC m^–2 d^–1 and 19.5 mgC m^–2 d^–1 at 5 m above the sea bottom), and horizontal supplies of the terrestrial POC were almost constant (31.9±3.5 mgC m^–2 d^–1 at 5 m above the bottom) throughout the three experiments.     

Downward particle fluxes within different productivity regimes off the Mauritanian upwelling zone (EUMELI program)

A 2-yr record of downward particle flux was obtained with moored sediment traps at several depths of the water column in two regions characterized by different primary production levels (mesotrophic and oligotrophic) of the eastern subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. Particle fluxes, of ∼71–78% biogenic origin (i.e. consisting of CaCO₃, organic matter and opal) on average, decrease about six-fold from the mesotrophic site (highest fluxes in the North Atlantic) nearer the Mauritanian margin (18°30′N, 21°00′W) to the remote, open-ocean, oligotrophic site (21°00′N, 31°00′W). This decrease largely reflects the difference in total primary production between the two sites, from ∼260 to ∼110 g organic C m⁻² yr⁻¹. At both sites, temporal variability of the downward particle flux seems to be linked to westward surface currents, which are likely to transport seaward biomass-rich water masses from regions nearer the coast. The influence of coastal upwelling is marked at the mesotrophic site. The large differences between the 1991 and 1992 records at that site, where carbon export is large, underscore the interest of long-term studies for export budget estimates. The different productivity regimes at the two sites seem to induce contrasting downward modes of transport of the particulate matter, as shown in particular by the faster settling rates and the higher E ratio (particulate organic carbon export versus total primary production) estimated at the mesotrophic site.     

Modeling of spring bloom in the western subarctic Pacific (off Japan) with observed vertical density structure

Effects of vertical stability on spring blooms of phytoplankton were investigated for the western subarctic Pacific ocean using a one-dimensional (depth) ecosystem model. In the model, vertical stability was expressed by diffusion constants calculated from observed density distribution. Dynamics of phytoplankton in blooms was calculated by the model using the vertical diffusion. Then, the calculated results were compared with the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) data. The comparison shows that the shallow surface mixed layer causes early start days of spring blooms at inshore (northern) stations. In addition, spring blooms continue long at inshore (northern) stations since a water column has weak stability. This is because weak stability of a water column causes large nutrient supply from a deep layer and large diffusive transport of phytoplankton biomass from the subsurface maximum.     

Geological structure of the marginal plateau off Tottori,Southern-West of Honshu,Japan

A geological and geophysical survey off Tottori, southern-west of Honshu, Japan, was carried out by the Hydrographic Department of Japan during May and June (26 days) of 1974.In the survey area, there is marginal plateau which lies under the slope of the continental shelf adjacent to the Sanin district. By the closely-spaced surveying the marginal plateau was divided into two different zones based on differences of genesis and structure, which are identified in this paper as marginal plateaus A (west side) and marginal plateau B (east side). The tectonic boundary between marginal plateaus A and B, previously believed to exist near Tottori City, was not confirmed. An erosional plane, beneath the horizontally bedded upper layer was found to be 75 m lower than the submerged surface of marginal plateau A. Marginal plateau B is hypothesized to have been generated by the sliding of the upper layer. This is suggested by the presence of prominent slumping directed toward the bottom of the Oki Trough. This result implies that the submergence of the Oki Trough area and formation of the marginal plateau are closely related.     

Metazoan meiofauna within the oxygen-minimum zone off Chile: Results of the 2001-PUCK expedition

A quantitative study of metazoan meiofauna was carried out at continental shelf and slope stations affected by the oxygen-minimum zone in the eastern South Pacific off Chile. Densities of meiobenthos at the investigated stations off Antofagasta (22°S), Concepción (36°S), and Chiloé (42°S) ranged from 1282.1 to 8847.8 ind 10 cm⁻². Oxygen deficiency led only to average abundances, despite higher food availability and freshness at the corresponding sites. Sediment organic carbon, chlorophyll-a, and phaeopigment contents were used as measures of the input from water-column primary production, which accumulated at the oxygen-minimum zone stations. The highest abundances were found at a station with an oxygen content of 0.79 mL L⁻¹, which was slightly elevated from what is defined as oxygen minimum (0.5 mL L⁻¹). The most oxygenated site yielded the lowest densities. Meiofauna assemblages became more diverse with increasing bottom-water oxygenation, whereas nematodes were the most abundant taxon at every station, followed by annelids, copepods, and nauplii.     

Variations in the thermal conductivities of surface sediments in the Nankai subduction zone off Tokai, central Japan

We investigated the relationship between variations in the thermal conductivity of surface sediments and the topography in the Nankai subduction zone off Tokai, central Japan, the easternmost part of the Nankai subduction zone, which has an accretionary prism with varied topography. We analyzed sediment thermal conductivity data obtained from the trough floor and accretionary prism. Variations in the thermal conductivity of sediments were related to the topographic features formed by accretionary prism development. Thermal conductivities of 1.1?W/m?K were measured on the trough floor where thick terrigenous turbidites have been deposited. The thermal conductivity of Nankai Trough floor sediments decreases from northeast to southwest along the trough, probably because of the decreased grain size and/or changes in sediment mineral composition. High thermal conductivities (??1.0?W/m?K) were measured in fault scarps on the accretionary prism. A landward increase in these values on the prism may be explained by decreased porosity of the sediments attributable to tectonic deformation during accretionary prism development. At the base of the fault scarp of the frontal thrust, low thermal conductivities (<0.9?W/m?K) were measured, likely reflecting the high porosity of the talus deposits. Low thermal conductivity (0.9?W/m?K) was also measured in slope basins on the accretionary prism, likely also related to the high porosity of the sediments. Our results demonstrate that, for accurate heat flow measurement in an area of varied topography, the geothermal gradient and the thermal conductivity of the sediments must be measured within regions with similar topographic features.     

Density,biomass and community structure of demersal fishes off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan

Demersal fish communities were studied on the lower continental shelf and the upper continental slope along the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. Species composition, number and weight of each species were examined based on otter trawl samples at 45 stations. Mean density and biomass of demersal fishes were 131 ha^–1 and 21 kg ha^–1, respectively. The ten most abundant species comprised of about 95% of total number and weight of overall catch indicating simple species composition. Gadiform fishesTheragra chalcogramma, Gadus macrocephalus andPhysiculus maximowiczi were the most important species by number, weight and frequency of occurrences, and three main community types represented by the three key species were recognized.Theragra-dominant community showed higher density and biomass, and lower diversity thanPhysiculus-dominant community did. Species diversity of demersal fish community was negatively correlated to density and biomass. Density and biomass of demersal fish community were high on the uppermost slope, and the high abundance resulted from low-diversity communities dominated byT. chalcogramma andG. macrocephalus.     

Life history of the bathyal octopus Pteroctopus tetracirrhus (Mollusca,Cephalopoda) in the Mediterranean Sea

The life cycle of the deep-sea octopus Pteroctopus tetracirrhus was studied from monthly samples obtained throughout the year in different areas of the western Mediterranean (mainly around the Balearic Islands and along the coast of the Iberian Peninsula). A total of 373 individuals (205 females, 168 males) were analyzed; females ranged from 4.5 to 14.0 cm mantle length (ML) and males from 4.5 to 11.5 cm ML. There were few small-sized octopuses (<7 cm ML) in the samples, which might indicate that these individuals inhabit rocky grounds that are not accessible to trawlers or waters deeper than the maximum depth sampled (800 m). The species occurred more frequently around the Balearic Islands than along the Iberian Peninsula as they appeared in 20% and 7%, respectively, of the hauls in these areas. The octopus inhabits the lower continental shelf and upper slope in both areas, primarily between 200 and 500 m depth. Modal lengths were followed from autumn, when recruits were caught by trawlers, to summer, when reproduction took place. Females grew from 8 to 10 cm ML from winter to spring, but this modal size did not increase further in summer; males grew from 7 to 9 cm ML from winter to spring. The total disappearance of large individuals after summer suggests a life cycle lasting a single year. The evolution of the monthly mean sizes showed that the growth was best described by log-linear functions in both sexes. The length at first maturity was clearly higher in females (12 cm ML) than in males (8 cm ML). A total of 30 different prey items, belonging to four major taxonomic groups (crustaceans, osteichthyes, cephalopods and gastropods), were identified in the stomach contents. The diet of the octopus was based on crustaceans and teleosts, which accounted for 75% and 23% of the prey items, respectively. Cephalopods and gastropods were accessory prey as they only represented 1.6% and 0.7%, respectively, of the total. The octopus showed a marked preference for the benthic fish Symphurus nigrescens and the endobenthic crustacean Alpheus glaber. The bathymetric distribution of P. tetracirrhus coincides with those of these two main prey, which suggests that the distribution of the octopus might be strongly linked to its trophic resources.     

中国海域海盘车科(棘皮动物门,海星纲)种类记述

基于中国科学院海洋生物标本馆的馆藏标本,通过传统形态学,结合扫描电子显微镜等方法,对分布于中国海域的海盘车科(Asteriidae)种类进行了系统的分类学研究,共鉴定出该科5属10种,分别为:粗钝海盘车(Asterias argonauta Djakonov, 1950)、多棘海盘车(Asterias amurensis Lütken, 1871)、罗氏海盘车(Asterias rollestoni Bell, 1881)、异色海盘车(Asterias versicolor Sladen, 1889)、日本滑海盘车(Aphelasterias japonica (Bell, 1881))、张氏滑海盘车(Aphelasterias changfengyingi Baranova Wu, 1962)、日本长腕海盘车(Distolasterias nipon(D?derlein,1902))、美丽长腕海盘车(Distolasterias elegans Djakonov,1931)、座冠海星[Coronaster volsellatus(Sladen,1889)]和尖棘筛海盘车[Coscinasterias acutispina(Stimpson,1862)]。文中对物种的鉴别特征进行了描述,并提供了地理分布和种属鉴定所需要的检索表。