Local distribution patterns of macroalgae in relation to environmental variables in the northern Baltic Proper

The relationship between macroalgal assemblages and abiotic factors was quantified by gradient analyses in an area where long-term changes in macroalgal depth distributions have previously been documented. Biomass data from 4, 6, 8 and 10 m depth in an area of similar salinity (5) and substrate (rock) in the northern Baltic Proper was constrained by a set of environmental variables defining different aspects of abiotic control of species distributions (sediment cover, effective fetch, clarity index, the curvature and slope of the bottom, and direction of exposure) in multivariate analyses at different scales. Fucus vesiculosus dominated the biomass at 4, 6 and 8 m depth, and Furcellaria lumbricalis at 10 m. The applied models explained 30.7–53.3% of the total variance in community structure, and 49.3–60.9% when analysed separately for each depth. A separate analysis of species depth distributions demonstrated that effective fetch was most strongly related to upper limits of the algal belts, sediment cover to the lower limit and density of the F. vesiculosus belt, and clarity index to the lower limits of F. vesiculosus, perennial red algae, and of the red algal and Sphacelaria spp. belts. The results show a strong correlation between environmental variables and vegetation structure even on a small, local scale in the northern Baltic Proper, indicating a high suitability of the phytobenthic zone for environmental monitoring. The results add to previous studies that show a strong importance of abiotic factors on large-scale variation in phytobentic community composition in the Baltic Sea.     

Spatial intertidal distribution of bivalves and polychaetes in relation to environmental conditions in the Natori River estuary,Japan

This paper aims to reveal spatial variation in the abundance of infaunal bivalves and polychaetes at different spatial scales (station: 200–800 m intervals; plot: 5–20 m), and to reveal environmental variables affecting the spatial distribution of animals in the Natori River estuary, Japan. We found six bivalve species and eight polychaete species from 52 plots at 12 stations. Nuttallia olivacea and Heteromastus sp. were found to be the most abundant species of bivalves and polychaetes, respectively. Assemblage patterns of bivalves and polychaetes were classified into five distinct groups. Substrata (silt-clay contents), salinity, and relative elevation were the variables found to affect the infaunal assemblage patterns. Chlorophyll a was not a significant variable, but benthic animals were absent at sites with extremely low chlorophyll a conditions. Macrobenthic assemblage patterns were different not only between stations but often differed between plots at the same station, reflecting the complex assemblage structure of benthic invertebrates. Detailing such animal–environment relationship is essential in understanding the potential food supply for estuarine fishes.     

长江口以南我国沿岸海域经济贝类中的重金属

本文报道了长江口以南我国沿岸海域经济贝类中各重金属的含量及其分布趋势。结果表明，各种贝类体内Zn的含量总是最高，Hg的含量总是最低。各重金属平均含量一般呈Zn＞Cu＞As≈Cd＞Cr≈Pb＞Hg的排列顺序。该海域牡蛎的Hg、Pb、Cr、As的含量低，区域分布较均匀；Cu、Zn、Cd的含量相差悬殊，以珠海海区牡蛎的Cu、Zn、Cd含量最高，分别为431×10-6～474×106，864×10-6～1044×10-6，7．02×10-6～8．25×10-6（m／m），其主要原因可能是工业排污造成的。本调查牡蛎分布较广，对Cu、Zn、Cd有较强的积累能力，推荐它为我国局部海域海洋污染监测Cu、Zn、Cd的指示生物。     

A comparative study of mercury contamination in the Tagus estuary (Portugal) and major French estuaries (Gironde,Loire, Rhône)

Concentrations of mercury were determined for the waters, suspended matter and sediments of the Tagus and of major French estuaries.The Tagus estuary is one of the most contaminated by mercury derived from the outfalls of a chloralkali plant and from other industrial sources. In deposited sediments the median level, 1·0 μg Hg g^?1, is twenty times higher than the natural background and Hg contents depend on the sediment grain-size, age and the distance from waste-outfalls. Suspended matter is more regularly and highly contaminated (median value: 4·5 μg Hg g^?1). In the French estuaries Hg levels in the suspended material decrease with salinity due to dilution and/or remobilization processes. In June 1982, in the Loire estuary, high values of Hg are observed in the middle estuary and attributed to urban and industrial sources.In the Tagus estuary, the general distribution of total dissolved Hg confirms the contamination: it increases seaward from 10 ng 1^?1 in the river to 80 ng 1^?1 in the estuary outlet. The dissolved Hg is almost totally organic in the river, inorganic in the middle estuary due to inorganic Hg effluents and again organic in the lower estuary. This variation is related to the dissolved organic carbon values. The dissolved Hg levels in the Loire Estuary (5–300 ng 1^?1) are much higher than in the Gironde estuary (3–6 ng 1^?1) and of the same order as those observed in the Tagus estuary.     

长江口大型底栖动物群落的演变过程及原因探讨

根据近30年来的长江口大型底栖动物群落的历史资料,以及2009年和2010年的现场调查数据,从长江口底栖动物群落结构变化特征出发,分析了其长期演变的过程和规律,旨在阐明底栖动物群落的演变趋势,识别其重要演变时段。同时结合长江口海域近50~60年来的入海径流量和携沙量变化、营养盐和DO等水质特征变化,分析底栖动物群落的变化原因。分析结果表明,长江口底栖生物群落的变化可大体分为3个阶段,第一阶段是20世纪90年代之前,底栖生物群落无论物种数、生物量都维持相对较高的水平;第二阶段发生在20世纪90年代初至2005年,由于受到气候变化和人类活动的综合影响,底栖生物群落的上述指标都有所降低,表明受到自然和人为因素干扰的加剧;第三阶段是2005年之后至现在,由于长江口水域的各项生态环境保护措施加强,底栖生物群落得到一定程度的恢复。通过对长江口海域各种环境因素的分析表明,底栖生物群落变化受到长江口区域生物因素和非生物因素的共同影响,变化趋势也与环境因素的变化比较吻合。     

Metazoan meiofauna abundance in relation to environmental variables in the northern Gulf of Mexico deep sea

In order to more fully understand the distribution of meiofauna and how they respond to topographic, geochemical and physical forcing in the northern Gulf of Mexico, meiofauna abundance and environmental variables were analyzed in a hypothesis-based univariate and multivariate design. Meiofauna abundance was significantly related to water depth, but also exhibited significant longitudinal differences resulting from proximity to Mississippi River outflow. Canyon features in proximity of Mississippi River outflow were found to greatly enhance meiofauna abundance. The Florida Escarpment interacts with Mississippi River outflow and the Loop Current to enhance meiofauna abundance at stations lying directly above and below the escarpment. Multivariate comparisons of meiofauna abundance with environmental variables revealed a strong Mississippi River influence. River outflow alters local sediment characteristics, and interacts with loop current eddies and dynamic slope topography to increase particulate organic matter flux in the northeastern region, thus creating areas of higher than normal meiofauna abundance.     

Heavy metal distribution and partitioning in the vicinity of the discharge areas of Lisbon drainage basins (Tagus Estuary,Portugal)

Worldwide estuarine ecosystems are by their privileged geographic location, anthropogenically impacted systems. Heavy metal contamination in estuarine waters and sediments are well known to be one of the most important outcomes driven from human activities. The partitioning of these elements has been widely focused, due to its importance not only on the estuarine biogeochemistry but also on its bioavailability to the trophic webs. As observed in other estuaries, in the Tagus basin, no increase in the partition coefficients with the increasing suspended particulate matter concentrations was observed, mostly due to a permanent dilution process of the suspended matter, rich in heavy metals and less contaminated and resuspended bottom sediments. Another important outcome of this study was the common origin of all the analysed heavy metals, probably due to the large industrialization process that the margins of the Tagus estuary suffered in the past, although no relationship was found with the presence of the different discharge areas. In fact, metal partitioning seems to be mostly influenced by the chemical species in which the pollutant is delivered to the system and on water chemistry, with a higher emphasis on the metal cycling essentially between the particulate and dissolved phase. This partitioning system acquires a relevant importance while evaluating the impacts of marine construction and the associated dredging operations, and consequent changes in the estuarine water chemistry.     

Ecological classification of European transitional waters in the North-East Atlantic eco-region

A new methodology to classify European North-East Atlantic transitional waters into ecological types has been developed based on the most important hydrological and morphological features that are likely to determine the ecology of aquatic systems in transitional waters. Hydrological indicators help identifying if a transitional water area is dominated by fresh or sea water and/or by intertidal or subtidal areas, while morphological indicators allow an estimation of the complexity of the transitional water and the diversity of the habitats involved. Twelve transitional waters of the southern Bay of Biscay were classified using this methodology and the five hydro-morphological types obtained were validated with benthic macro-invertebrate data. Transitional waters with a complex morphology showed the highest values of species diversity, while those with a smaller tidal influence showed lower species diversity. The ‘Scrobicularia’ and ‘Abra’ assemblages, previously identified in the study area, were found to be related to different types of transitional waters. The ‘Abra’ assemblage only appeared in estuaries with a complex morphology and dominated by tidal influences, while the ‘Scrobicularia’ assemblage was detected in all the transitional waters except for a single coastal lagoon. This classification of transitional waters may therefore be useful to establish the biological reference conditions needed for European Directives.     

南麂列岛附近海域浮游动物的分布及其与浮游藻类和营养盐的关系

本文描述了南麂列岛附近海域浮游动物的分布及其与浮游藻类和营养盐之间的关系。结果显示：浮游动物丰度与浮游藻类细胞总密度和硅藻细胞密度有正相关性,与硅酸盐和硝酸盐的浓度有负相关性。     

Small-scale distribution of Solea solea and Solea senegalensis juveniles in the Tagus estuary (Portugal)

The distribution of Solea solea and Solea senegalensis in the Tagus estuary was studied following a small-scale approach. Preliminary sampling revealed that sole concentrated in two areas within their nursery grounds, the main subtidal channel and a large intertidal mudflat. Beam trawls were conducted intensively in the two areas in July 2006. Depth, salinity and water temperature were measured. Substrate samples were collected for sediment type determination and macrobenthos identification and quantification. Generalized linear models were applied in order to explain the occurrence and variability of soles' densities, using depth, salinity, water temperature and abundance of polychaetes, oligochaetes, amphipods, isopods and bivalves as explanatory variables. While S. solea was more abundant in the main subtidal channel, a deeper, warmer and lower salinity area, S. senegalensis abundance was highest at the intertidal mudflat area. Presence of both species in the two areas was associated with abundance of polychaetes (generally with another variable associated), and for S. senegalensis in the subtidal channel it was associated with amphipods and depth. Abundance of S. solea in the main subtidal channel was associated mainly with polychaetes abundance, while that of S. senegalensis was associated with amphipods density. In the intertidal mudflat, bivalves and polychaetes presented significant relationships with both species densities. Some of the factors that had been reported to be important for the distribution of these species in previous studies also do so at a finer scale; however, this small-scale approach provided an in-depth knowledge on habitat selection and spatial segregation of these species within this nursery area.     

Fish assemblage structure of Koycegiz Lagoon–Estuary, Turkey: Spatial and temporal distribution patterns in relation to environmental variation

Spatial and temporal variation in fish assemblage structure of Koycegiz Lagoon–Estuarine System (KLES), located on the northwestern Turkish coast of Mediterranean, was investigated along an estuarine gradient where salinity ranged from 5 in upper reaches to 40 in lower reaches during October 1993–September 1994. Throughout the study, 42 species, consisting of marine (25), marine–estuarine-dependent (12), freshwater (3), catadromous (1), and estuarine resident (1) forms, were collected in trammel nets. Although species richness of marine species was greater than that of other groups, numerical contribution by marine species to the total catch was only 16%. Tilapia spp., the most abundant species mostly during summer and early spring at upper reaches, contributed 17% of the total samples. Among the seven species of Mugilidae, which contributed 42% of the total catch, Mugil cephalus, Liza aurata, and Liza salines contributed 10, 13, and 10% of the total catch, respectively. Consistent with findings from other studies, species richness and abundance were highest during late spring and summer and the lowest during winter and early spring. Samples from sites at or near the sea had more marine species. Samples from upper reaches had more freshwater and marine–estuarine-dependent species. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that salinity and turbidity were the most important environmental parameters affecting fishes. Sites near the sea were associated with high salinity and low turbidity, and sites in upper reaches had low salinity and high turbidity. Thus, the pattern observed in fish assemblage structure appears to be strongly influenced by species' responses to dominant salinity and turbidity gradients.     

Spatial macrozoobenthic distribution patterns in relation to major environmental factors- A case study from the Pomeranian Bay (southern Baltic Sea)

The aim of this study was to identify potential environmental “key factors” causing spatial distributions of macrozoobenthic communities to improve our understanding concerning benthic biotic/abiotic interactions and ecosystem functioning. To this end benthic and environmental data, collected over a period of 4 years (2003–2006) at 191 sampling stations in the Pomeranian Bay (southwest Baltic Sea), were analysed. This represents the most comprehensive study performed in this respect in the Baltic Sea up to date and also the necessary first step towards a model able to predict macrofaunal distributions regarding autecological species-environment interactions. Based on species abundances, distinctive macrobenthic community patterns were identified and evaluated via univariate correlation methods, multivariate numerical classification and ordination techniques (e.g. PCA, CCA). These patterns were caused by clear responses of several benthic species to certain prevailing environmental conditions. The observed distribution of selected species followed a strong gradient of depth and was explained best by the sediment parameters total organic carbon (TOC), median grain size and sorting. By using different statistical methods these abiotic/biotic interactions were modelled allowing to extend our knowledge concerning ecosystem functioning, and provide a tool to assess natural and anthropogenic forced changes in species distribution.     

Benthic macroinvertebrates' vertical distribution in the Tagus estuary (Portugal): The influence of tidal cycle

In this work we evaluated the vertical distribution pattern of benthic infauna during the tidal cycle at one of the most important mudflats of the Tagus estuary. Samples were collected hourly during 24 h periods at four complete tidal cycles, using a corer specifically designed for the study purpose that allowed easy and effective separation of 15 different sediment layers. A particular case of general linear models, the hurdle model, was used to analyse data sets. We found that different species have different distribution and abundance according to sediment layers. Results showed that individuals tend to go deeper into sediment with a lower water column height and that these migrations are more visible during spring tides.     

春季珠江口水域鱼卵和仔稚鱼的分布及其与环境因子的关系

根据2004~2007年春季珠江口水域10个站位的鱼卵和仔稚鱼调查资料,着重就鱼卵和仔稚鱼的数量分布和年际变化及其与环境因子的相关关系进行研究.结果表明：其鱼卵和仔稚鱼隶属于9目33科58种（类）,以鲈形目种类数所占比例最高（为53.4%）,其次为鲱形目（为20.7%）.鱼卵和仔稚鱼大致分成半咸水性、近岸性和近海性3个生态类群.鱼卵和仔稚鱼优势种类共9种,其中鱼卵优势种为6种,仔稚鱼的也为6种.青洲附近水域是春季鱼卵和仔稚鱼的最主要分布区域之一.鱼卵和仔稚鱼数量的年际变化明显,鱼卵和仔稚鱼个体数量的最大值均出现在2006年.水温、pH值和溶解氧含量是影响鱼卵个体数量的较显著因子,盐度和溶解氧含量为影响仔稚鱼个体数量的较显著因子.盐度、pH值及溶解氧、悬浮物、叶绿素a含量对鱼卵和仔稚鱼种类数均有不同程度的影响.     

Estimation of the non-seasonal production of Spartina maritima (Curtis) Fernald in a South African Estuary

Net aerial production of Spartina maritima (Curtis) Fernald, in a warm temperature estuary in Algoa Bay, South Africa, occurring possibly as an exotic, was estimated as 523–680 g dry weight m^?2 year^?1. The method of production measurement designed here used community structure data and accounted for the species' extremely slow shoot production (3.1–6.7 dry g m^?2 year^?1) and continuous leaf turnover (516–676 dry g m^?2 year^?1). Standard methods of production measurement for other Spartina species failed by not accounting for the non-seasonal growth of S. maritima. N, C, organic and energy content of live and dead shoots remained constant through the seasons. The P : B ratio is 1.1, which is lower than for other Spartina species, but agrees with the low vigour shown by negligible regrowth a year after clipping. Decomposition rates were 90 mg g^?1 month^?1 in winter and 305 mg g^?1 month^?1 in summer. Monthly decomposition values showed significant correlation with air temperature (r = 0.86; P < 0.01), and water temperature (r = 0.80; P < 0.01), suggesting that monthly litterbag losses are a valid means of determining decomposition rate.     

基于BP神经网络的西北太平洋柔鱼资源丰度时空变化研究

西北太平洋柔鱼(Ommastrephes bartramii)是我国鱿钓船队重要捕捞对象,其资源分布的时空变化对资源的可持续开发和利用有重要影响。本文以2000−2015年7−10月西北太平洋柔鱼渔业数据的单位捕捞努力量渔获量作为应变量,以年份、月份、经度、纬度、海表面温度、海表盐度、海面高度、叶绿素a浓度作为自变量,构建BP神经网络模型,推测该段时间西北太平洋柔鱼丰度时空变化规律,并探究环境因子对柔鱼资源丰度的影响。通过比较,确定输入层为年份、月份、经度、纬度、海表面温度和海表盐度,隐含层神经元数量为8的模型均方误差最小,模型最优。结果表明,单位捕捞努力量渔获量年间波动明显,每年的7月、10月柔鱼资源丰度较低,且空间分布分散在整个作业渔场,8月、9月资源丰度较高,并集中在41.5°～43.5°N, 155°～160°E局部区域。研究认为,海表面温度和海表盐度对柔鱼资源丰度时空变动有较大影响,在今后柔鱼资源评估与管理中予以考虑。