Diversity and Distribution of the Bryozoa along Underwater Cliffs in the Adriatic Sea with Special Reference to Thermal Regime

Abstract.  The diversity and distribution of bryozoans have been surveyed at two localities, Cape Struga on Lastovo Island (South Adriatic) and Cape Šilo on Prvić Island near Senj (North Adriatic), with similar characteristics of topography and exposure but markedly different sea temperature conditions. Continuous measurements over one year have shown that temperature conditions differ in two aspects. First, the annual range of temperature is much larger in the North. Second, in the South during summer, marine life within the thermocline layer is exposed to large high-frequency temperature oscillations, partly due to an internal diurnal tide, a phenomenon recorded for the first time in the Adriatic. Altogether, 78 species have been recorded, 57 in Lastovo and 50 in Prvić, and 29 in both localities. The comparison of mean zooid lengths of 14 bryozoan species occurring at both localities indicates no consistent difference in zooid size between northern and southern sites. Seventeen bryozoan species have been recorded in the Eastern Adriatic Sea for the first time.     

The continental shelf pump for CO2 in the North Sea—evidence from summer observation

Data on the distribution of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂) were obtained during a cruise in the North Sea during late summer 2001. A 1° by 1° grid of 97 stations was sampled for DIC while the pCO₂ was measured continuously between the stations. The surface distributions of these two parameters show a clear boundary located around 54°N. South of this boundary the DIC and pCO₂ range from 2070 to 2130 μmol kg⁻¹ and 290 to 490 ppm, respectively, whereas in the northern North Sea, values range between 1970 and 2070 μmol kg⁻¹ and 190 to 350 ppm, respectively. The vertical profiles measured in the two different areas show that the mixing regime of the water column is the major factor determining the surface distributions. The entirely mixed water column of the southern North Sea is heterotrophic, whereas the surface layer of the stratified water column in the northern North Sea is autotrophic. The application of different formulations for the calculation of the CO₂ air–sea fluxes shows that the southern North Sea acts as a source of CO₂ for the atmosphere within a range of +0.8 to +1.7 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹, whereas the northern North Sea absorbs CO₂ within a range of −2.4 to −3.8 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹ in late summer. The North Sea as a whole acts as a sink of atmospheric CO₂ of −1.5 to −2.2 mmol m⁻² day⁻¹ during late summer. Compared to the Baltic and the East China Seas at the same period of the year, the North Sea acts a weak sink of atmospheric CO₂. The anticlockwise circulation and the short residence time of the water in the North Sea lead to a rapid transport of the atmospheric CO₂ to the deeper layer of the North Atlantic Ocean. Thus, in late summer, the North Sea exports 2.2×10¹² g C month⁻¹ to the North Atlantic Ocean via the Norwegian trench, and, at the same period, absorbs from the atmosphere a quantity of CO₂ (0.4 10¹² g C month⁻¹) equal to 15% of that export, which makes the North Sea a continental shelf pump of CO₂.     

Cadmium and zinc concentrations in zooplankton in the subarctic region of the North Pacific

Cadmium and zinc concentrations were determined in 10 species of pelagic zooplankton collected in the northern North Pacific, the Bering Sea, the Okhotsk Sea and off Hokkaid?, during the summers of 1974–1976. The mean cadmium contents in euphausiids, copepods, and amphipods were 1.16μg/g dry wt (range: 0.36–2.17μg/g), 6.63μg/g (1.66–14.55μg/g), and 8.28μg/g (2.83–14.50μg/g), respectively. Cadmium in euphausiids was significantly lower in concentration than in the other two crustacean groups. The difference in cadmium levels among the crustacean groups is discussed on the basis of feeding habits and physiological characteristics of the zooplankton. Zinc levels in the crustaceans were similar, with values around 100μg/g (range: 59–195μg/g). Both cadmium and zinc concentrations in euphausiids taken from coastal waters off Hokkaid? were significantly higher than those from the Bering Sea and the northern North Pacific. This trend may reflect coastal pollution rather than characteristics of the species. Contribution No. 117 from the Research Institute of North Pacific Fisheries, Faculty of Fisheries, Hokkaido University     

Eolian dust from the lower atmosphere of the eastern Atlantic and Indian Oceans,China Sea and Sea of Japan

Dust-loadings in the lower atmosphere of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the China Sea and Sea of Japan are given. Average dust-loadings decrease in the following order: North Atlantic (northeast trades, ～ 7.7 μg/m³ of air) > northern Indian Ocean (～ 1.2 μg/m³ of air) > South Atlantic (southeast trades, ～ 0.78 μg/m³ of air) = southern Indian Ocean (～ 0.68 μg/m³ of air) > China Sea (～ 0.21 μg/m³ of air).There are differences in the clay mineralogies of dusts transported in similar latitudes in the North Atlantic and northern Indian Oceans. Dusts in the Atlantic northeast trades are dominated by kaolinite from the soils of equatorial Africa; dusts in the northeast monsoons of the northern Indian Ocean have a source in the arid regions of the Rajasthan desert where illite is the principal clay mineral.In the regions investigated quartz occurs in larger amounts in the dusts of the Northern Hemisphere (～ 7% quartz) than those of the Southern Hemisphere (～ 3% quartz) over both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.From the results given in the present paper and those reported in the literature a map is presented illustrating the order of magnitude of lower atmospheric dust-loadings in part of the world ocean.     

Tectonics related to the North Anatolian Fault in the Sea of Marmara: evidence from seismic reflection data

The North Anatolian Fault crosses the Sea of Marmara from east to west. Tectonic features of the Sea of Marmara were studied using multi-channel deep seismic reflection data. The northern branch of the North Anatolian Fault is active as a right lateral strike-slip fault zone and indicates both negative and positive flower structures. The North Anatolian Fault splays into two faults at the Sea of Marmara as a northern branch and north segment of the southern branch. The northern branch named the Main Marmara Fault extends in a complicated manner from the north of the Kapıdağı Peninsula to westward in the Sea of Marmara. The north segment of southern branch extends between the Gemlik and Bandırma gulfs in the south of the Sea of Marmara. In addition, uplift areas arose by compression and a push-up style in between the Kapıdağı Peninsula and the Main Marmara Fault. The North Anatolian Fault is characterized by a negative flower structure in basins and push-up style in uplift areas in the Sea of Marmara. An uplift area arose between the north segment of the southern branch and the northern branch of the North Anatolian Fault. The north segment of the southern branch of the North Anatolian Fault is a strike-slip fault and displays a pull-apart style in the seismic reflection data.     

白令海特征区域的表层沉积硅藻分布及其古海洋学意义

对白令海表层沉积物样品进行硅藻分析,共鉴定硅藻30属56种(含变种),并确定17种硅藻新记录,其中包括Kisseieviella carina等3种化石种。白令海表层沉积物中的硅藻优势种为Neodenticula seminae,Fragilariopsis cylindrus和Fragilariopsis oceanica,在白令海北部陆坡深水区附近以Neodenticula seminae为主,而在白令海北部陆架以Fragilariopsis cylindrus和Fragilariopsis oceanica为主。对硅藻结果进行聚类分析,可以划分出3个硅藻组合,硅藻组合Ⅰ代表海冰种硅藻组合,组合Ⅱ代表受阿拉斯加流影响的大洋浮游硅藻组合,组合Ⅲ代表上述两个硅藻组合之间的过渡组合。Fossula arctica是17种硅藻新记录之一,首次记录于白令海表层沉积物中,其百分含量分布趋势与Fragilariopsis cylindrus和Fragilariopsis oceanica的相近,在白令海北部陆架为11.7%~17.1%,而在陆坡深水区附近明显减少,是继Fragilariopsis cylindrus和Fragilariopsis oceanica之后白令海又一海冰指示种,并有望成为一种有效的海冰变化替代物运用于晚第四纪以来白令海海冰进退历史研究。     

白令海BR断面海-气CO2通量及其参数特征

通过对2008年夏季白令海大气和海水pCO2连续观测资料,结合BR断面上站位水体垂直采样测量,对白令海不同海区pCO2的分布特征及其与理化参数的关系进行了初步研究,结果表明,将白令海划分为4个具有不同CO2吸收能力的海区,其中陆坡流区碳通量高达-18.72 mmol/(m2·d),是海盆北区的近2倍,比海盆南区高一个量...     

Temporal changes in euphausiid distribution and abundance in North Atlantic cold-core rings in relation to the surrounding waters

The species composition of euphausiids was investigated in relationship to the hydrographic conditions in the North Atlantic cold-core rings (CCR) and adjacent waters to elucidate species succession in evolving water masses. Using data, dating back to the 1970s, from as many CCRs as possible and selecting typical cases where no major physical perturbations occurred, a general pattern of euphausiid succession and change in vertical distribution in rings with time was obtained. This pattern was related to the general distribution of euphausiids in the northwestern North Atlantic Ocean, aiming at providing basic information on probable response of North Atlantic marine ecosystem to global warming. Of the 34 euphausiid species identified, 5 were cold-water species, 17 were warm-water species, 6 were wide-ranging warm-water species, 1 was transitional, 4 were cosmopolitan and the remaining was Thysanoessa parva. Among cold-water species, Euphausia krohni and Nematoscelis megalops were dominant in CCRs. E. krohni became rare in rings older than 6 months, whereas N. megalops survived longer, being abundant in some rings of 9 months or older, by staying within its preferred temperature range as the CCR elevated isotherms sank to depths where they are normally found in the Sargasso Sea and because it is an omnivore–carnivore. Among warm-water species, epipelagic species appeared first in rings, corresponding to the physical change occurring most rapidly in the surface layers. Mesopelagic species appeared later. Cold-water species made up 65–85% of the total euphausiid population in number in younger rings (1–5 months old), while warm-water species contributed only 2–7%. Wide-ranging warm-water species made up about up to one fourth of the total in rings 5 and 7 months old. Warm-water species, mainly E. brevis, increased in older rings (9 months old or older) and made up 50% of the total in the oldest ring. The contribution of cold-water species decreased to 14% in older rings. T. parva made up 26–38% of the total in rings 6 months or older. CCR populations can be characterized by high species number, but intermediate evenness between the Slope Water and northern Sargasso Sea. In CCRs, only a limited number of species were dominant even if there were more species present in rings as old as 9–12 months than in the northern Sargasso Sea. In rings older than 9 months, euphausiids showed two peaks in their vertical distribution: a shallow daytime peak at about 400 m and a nighttime peak in the upper 100 m consisting of warm-water species (mainly E. brevis) and a deeper persistent peak at 800 m or deeper consisting of the species N. megalops and T. parva. This shallow peak in CCRs is shallower than that in the surrounding northern Sargasso Sea, and the deep peak is rarely observed in these waters.     

Distribution and size composition of the arctic lamprey Lethenteron camtschaticum in the North Pacific

Results of the long-term study of the spatial and vertical distribution of the parasitic anadromous Arctic lamprey Lethenteron camtschaticum (Tilesius, 1811) (Petromyzontidae) in the North Pacific and data on its size composition are given. This species is most frequent in the northwestern Sea of Japan and the western Bering Sea. The maximum concentrations are noted in waters of southern Primorye, southwestern Sakhalin, the northwestern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, and the northern part of the Bering Sea, which is probably explained by the increased number of its victims, Pacific salmon. Near the bottom, Pacific lampreys are extremely few and are primarily encountered at depths less that 400 m, and in the Pelagic zone, in the 100-m layer. The catches have contained Arctic lampreys having a total length of 15–79 cm. The lampreys of several size groups in the catches may indicate that L. camtschaticum spends not less than four years in the sea. No relationship has been found between the body length and the capture depth. Analyzed are the relationships between the body length and weight and the body length and the condition factor. The seasonal dynamics of these indices are considered.     

The deep waters from the Southern Ocean at the entry to the Argentine Basin

Hydrographic data from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and South Atlantic Ventilation Experiment (SAVE) in the region of transition between the Scotia Sea and the Argentine Basin are examined to determine the composition of the deep water from the Southern Ocean that enters the Atlantic, and to describe the pathways of its constituents. The deep current that flows westward against the Falkland Escarpment is formed of several superposed velocity cores that convey waters of different origins: Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (LCDW), Southeast Pacific Deep Water (SPDW), and Weddell Sea Deep Water (WSDW).Different routes followed by the WSDW upstream of, and through, the Georgia Basin, lead to distinctions between the Lower-WSDW (σ₄>46.09) and the Upper-WSDW (46.04<σ₄ <46.09). The Lower-WSDW flows along the South Sandwich Trench, then cyclonically in the main trough of the Georgia Basin. Although a fraction escapes northward to the Argentine Basin, a comparison of the WOCE data with those from previous programmes shows that this component had disappeared from the southwestern Argentine Basin in 1993/1994. This corroborates previous results using SAVE and pre-SAVE data. A part of the Upper-WSDW, recognizable from different θ–S characteristics, flows through the Scotia Sea, then in the Georgia Basin along the southern front of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Northward leakage at this front is expected to feed the Argentine Basin through the northern Georgia Basin. The SPDW is originally found to the south of the Polar Front (PF) in Drake Passage. The northward veering of this front allows this water to cross the North Scotia Ridge at Shag Rocks Passage. It proceeds northward to the Argentine Basin around the Maurice Ewing Bank. The LCDW at the Falkland Escarpment is itself subdivided in two cores, of which only the denser one eventually underrides the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) in the Atlantic Ocean. This fraction is from the poleward side of the PF in Drake Passage. It also crosses the North Scotia Ridge at Shag Rocks Passage, then flows over the Falkland Plateau into the Atlantic. The lighter variety, from the northern side of the PF, is thought to cross the North Scotia Ridge at a passage around 55°W. It enters the Argentine Basin in the density range of the NADW.     

蜑螺属Nerita几个混淆种的比较研究(腹足纲, 珍珠蜑螺目, 蜑螺科)*

蜑螺科 Neritidae 蜑螺属 Nerita 的一些种类形态近似, 形态鉴定上存在种类混淆、同物异名或错误鉴定等现象。作者在整理中国科学院南海海洋生物标本馆和中国科学院海洋生物标本馆历年来采集的蜑螺科标本时, 对4种隶属于蜑螺属的易混淆种进行了比较研究。通过对标本的反复对比, 分别找出了它们之间外部形态、地理分布以及生活习性方面的差异, 澄清了混淆, 确立了其分类地位: 1) 矮狮蜑螺Nerita chamaeleon Linnaeus, 1758和圆蜑螺Nerita histrio Linnaeus, 1758两者贝壳形态相近, 在我国海区分布重叠, 存在混淆以及错误鉴定的现象, 根据螺旋部以及壳面雕刻可将它们区分开, 即前者壳面螺肋光滑, 后者螺肋粗糙, 而前者螺旋部较后者高; 2) 锦蜑螺 Nerita polita Linnaeus, 1758和杂色蜑螺 Nerita litterata Gmelin, 1791两个种常被混淆在一起, 都鉴定为锦蜑螺, 前者在我国见于台湾、海南岛和西沙群岛, 后者在我国见于台湾、福建、广东、广西和西沙群岛, 其中杂色蜑螺此前在我国仅见于台湾, 本文的报道进一步完善了该种的地理分布信息。     

Caribbean current variability and the influence of the Amazon and Orinoco freshwater plumes

The variability of the Caribbean Current is studied in terms of the influence on its dynamics of the freshwater inflow from the Orinoco and Amazon rivers. Sea-surface salinity maps of the eastern Caribbean and SeaWiFS color images show that a freshwater plume from the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers extends seasonally northwestward across the Caribbean basin, from August to November, 3–4 months after the peak of the seasonal rains in northeastern South America. The plume is sustained by two main inflows from the North Brazil Current and its current rings. The southern inflow enters the Caribbean Sea south of Grenada Island and becomes the main branch of the Caribbean Current in the southern Caribbean. The northern inflow (14°N) passes northward around the Grenadine Islands and St. Vincent. As North Brazil Current rings stall and decay east of the Lesser Antilles, between 14°N and 18°N, they release freshwater into the northern part of the eastern Caribbean Sea merging with inflow from the North Equatorial Current. Velocity vectors derived from surface drifters in the eastern Caribbean indicate three westward flowing jets: (1) the southern and fastest at 11°N; (2) the center and second fastest at 14°N; (3) the northern and slowest at 17°N. The center jet (14°N) flows faster between the months of August and December and is located near the southern part of the freshwater plume. Using the MICOM North Atlantic simulation, it is shown that the Caribbean Current is seasonally intensified near 14°N, partly by the inflow of river plumes. Three to four times more anticyclonic eddies are formed during August–December, which agrees with a pronounced rise in the number of anticyclonic looper days in the drifter data then. A climatology-forced regional simulation embedding only the northern (14°N) Caribbean Current (without the influence of the vorticity of the NBC rings), using the ROMS model, shows that the low salinity plume coincides with a negative potential vorticity anomaly that intensifies the center jet located at the salinity front. The jet forms cyclones south of the plume, which are moved northwestward as the anticyclonic circulation intensifies in the eastern Caribbean Sea, north of 14°N. Friction on the shelves of the Greater Antilles also generates cyclones, which propagate westward and eastward from 67°W.     

Spatial variation in life history characteristics of common megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) on the Northern Shelf

In recent years stock structure recommendations for megrim on the Northern Shelf have varied, primarily due to a lack of biological and fishery data. In this study, we compared a number of life history characteristics of the common megrim Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis (Walbaum) between the northern North Sea and Rockall, the latitudinal extremes of the species’ distribution on the Northern Shelf. Reproductive timing, sex ratio, maturity and growth were different between the two study areas. Reproductive timing in the northern North Sea was more protracted than at Rockall and other areas. There were differences in sex ratio between the study areas and female megrim in the northern North Sea exhibited different growth rates and larger size at maturity than at Rockall. The results of this study support the recent changes to the definition of the Northern Shelf stocks which recommend that the northern North Sea be treated separately to Rockall.     

Distribution and population structure of deep‐dwelling red coral in the Northwest Mediterranean

Commercially harvested since ancient times, the highly valuable red coral Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758) is an octocoral endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it occurs on rocky bottoms over a wide bathymetric range. Current knowledge is restricted to its shallow populations (15–50 m depth), with comparably little attention given to the deeper populations (50–200 m) that are nowadays the main target of exploitation. In this study, red coral distribution and population structure were assessed in three historically exploited areas (Amalfi, Ischia Island and Elba Island) in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean Sea) between 50 and 130 m depth by means of ROV during a cruise carried out in the summer of 2010. Red coral populations showed a maximum patch frequency of 0.20 ± 0.04 SD patches·m^?1 and a density ranging between 28 and 204 colonies·m^?2, with a fairly continuous bathymetric distribution. The highest red coral densities in the investigated areas were found on cliffs and boulders mainly exposed to the east, at the greatest depth, and characterized by medium percentage sediment cover. The study populations contained a high percentage (46% on average) of harvestable colonies (>7 mm basal diameter). Moreover, some colonies with fifth‐order branches were also observed, highlighting the probable older age of some components of these populations. The Ischia population showed the highest colony occupancy, density and size, suggesting a better conservation status than the populations at the other study locations. These results indicate that deep dwelling red coral populations in non‐stressed or less‐harvested areas may diverge from the inverse size‐density relationship previously observed in red coral populations with increasing depth.     

Relative importance of estuarine flatfish nurseries along the Portuguese coast

The relative importance of nursery areas and their relationships with several environmental variables were evaluated in nine estuarine systems along the Portuguese coast based on trawl surveys. Historical data were used to outline changes and trends in the nursery function of some of these estuaries over the past decades. The dominant flatfish species in Portuguese estuaries were Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758), Solea solea (Linnaeus, 1758), Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858 and Monochirus hispidus Rafinesque, 1814, but their occurrence differed among the estuaries. P. flesus only occurred in estuaries north of the Tejo estuary (39°N), S. solea was quite rare along the southern Portuguese coast (south of 37°30′N), S. senegalensis occurred in estuaries throughout the coast, but its abundance varied considerably, and the occurrence of M. hispidus was limited to the Sado estuary and Ria Formosa. A Correspondence Analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between flatfish species abundance and geomorphologic and hydrologic characteristics of estuaries (latitude, freshwater flow, estuarine area, intertidal area, mean depth and residence time). Abiotic characteristics (depth, temperature, salinity, sediment type) of nursery grounds of each flatfish species were also evaluated. Results showed that some estuaries along the Portuguese coast have nursery grounds used by several flatfish species (e.g. Ria de Aveiro, Sado estuary), while in other systems a segregation was noticed, with juveniles of different species occurring in distinct estuarine areas (e.g. Minho and Mondego estuaries). This emphasizes the relevance of niche overlap, but the potential for competition may be considerably minimized by differences in resource use patterns and by an extremely high abundance of resources. Peak densities of flatfishes recorded in nurseries areas along the Portuguese coast were within the range of values reported for other geographical areas. Inter-annual abundance variability of all the species in the Tejo and Sado estuaries was extremely high, with a drastic decrease in P. flesus in the Tejo estuary, probably related to higher water temperature in recent years due to global climate change.     

Late Devonian rifting in the central North Sea: Evidence from altered felsic volcanic rocks in the Embla oil field

In the Embla oil field on the northern flank of the Mid North Sea High, the central North Sea, multiple quartz porphyric volcanic beds at ca. 4600 m depth form part of a volcano-sedimentary interval above the Caledonian basement as interpreted from seismic data. Zircon U–Pb laser ablation ICPMS date one bed to 374 ± 3 Ma, indicating that the volcanic rocks and interbedded sediments are early Famennian and correlate to the Buchan Formation. The volcanic rocks have been extensively clay and carbonate altered in a near-surface environment, but high field strength element data show that the protoliths were alkali rhyolites, yielding intra-plate signatures in tectonic discrimination diagrams. Famennian quartz porphyric volcanic rocks have also been reported from well A17-1 on the southern flank of the Mid North Sea High. The Famennian volcanism on the northern and southern flanks testify to an active magmatic environment in the central North Sea in the early Famennian, supporting the existence of a late Devonian proto-Central Graben rift extending northwards into the central North Sea. The rift is likely an early example of strain localisation to a zone of reduced crustal strength along the Caledonian suture between Avalonia and Baltica.     

Tendencies in Coccolithophorid Blooms in Some Marine Environments of the Northern Hemisphere according to the Data of Satellite Observations in 1998–2013

Based on the method developed for the delineation of E. huxleyi blooms, a new technique is achieved for (1) the automated detection of E. huxleyi blooms among coexisting massive blooms of microalgae species of other phytoplankton groups and (2) quantifying the boom surface of this type of coccolithophores. As a result, according to the data of the Climate Change Initiative Ocean Colour (OC CCI) for 1998–2013, we have obtained multiyear time series of variability in both the incidence of E. huxleyi bloom and its area in the North, Norwegian, Greenland, Barents, and Bering seas. It is found that E. huxleyi blooms propagate within the intra-annual cycle from the studied middle-latitude marine areas towards the northern areas of the Northern Atlantic Ocean (NAO) and the Arctic Ocean (AO) following the pathways of the main Gulfstream and its branches. It is also found that E. huxleyi blooms are formed annually, initially in the vicinity of the British Islands; then they successively emerge in the northward direction following the western coast of the Great Britain, turn over its northern extremity to reach, firstly, the North Sea (in May), the Norwegian Sea, and finally the Greenland Sea (in June). Then they burst out in the Barents Sea, where the typical period of blooming lasts until late August and, in some years, even to mid-September. We determine the patterns of maximal rates and duration of blooms for each of the seas studied in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. As for the Bering Sea, the temporal and spatial variability in the growth of E. huxleyi has an irregular pattern: after a period of remarkably high expression of this phenomenon in 1998–2001, there was an abrupt decrease in both the number and, especially, extent of bloom areas.     

Nursery areas of red mullet (Mullus barbatus), hake (Merluccius merluccius) and deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) in the Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea

The spatial pattern of the nursery areas of red mullet (Mullus barbatus), hake (Merluccius merluccius) (Linnaeus, 1758) and deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) (Lucas, 1846) was studied in the South Adriatic and North Ionian Seas (Eastern-Central Mediterranean) applying geostatistical techniques and data from time series trawl surveys conducted in the area. The analysed variables were: R (number of recruits/km²) and R/Tot (fraction of recruits on the total sampled population). The structural analysis showed a spatial pattern of both variables characterized by continuity on a small scale. Predictions of nursery area localization with probability of finding recruits at different threshold values were obtained through median indicator kriging. For the red mullet the nurseries were mainly identified in the South Adriatic Sea off the Gargano peninsula and between Molfetta and Monopoli within 50 m in depth. The main concentration of hake juveniles was found to be between 100 and 200 m in depth along the Gargano peninsula and between Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca, where a nursery of deep-water rose shrimp was also detected. An overlapping depth, between 100 and 200 m, was identified for hake and deep-water rose shrimp nurseries. Protection of these areas through limitations of fishing pressure is discussed.     

Temporal variability of Centropages typicus in the Mediterranean Sea over seasonal-to-decadal scales

Centropages typicus is one of the most common, abundant and best studied calanoid copepods in neritic waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which means it can provide useful information about the long-term dynamics of the Mediterranean epipelagic ecosystem. This paper presents the first comparative overview of the seasonal and long-term variability of C. typicus in different Mediterranean regions. This review is based on quantitative information from the published literature and novel data from five ongoing zooplankton time-series carried out in the Mallorca Island (Balearic Sea), the Bay of Villefranche (Ligurian Sea), the Gulf of Naples (Tyrrhenian Sea), the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic Sea), and the Saronikos Gulf (Aegean Sea). In most Mediterranean regions, C. typicus has a perennial occurrence, with peaks of abundance that reflect the succession of different generations. Throughout the Mediterranean, the annual cycle of C. typicus is characterized by minima in winter and major peaks in April–June, which is earlier than those observed in European Atlantic waters, where the peaks are more frequently recorded in summer and fall. In the regions investigated, the annual cycle shows remarkable similarities in terms of timing, but notable differences in the peak height; populations are far more abundant in coastal north-western regions and less abundant in the eastern basin. In the long-term, changes in C. typicus phenology observed in the Bay of Villefranche and in the Gulf of Naples are related to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. In these two regions, the species responds to climate forcing similarly in terms of average seasonal patterns (bi-modal patterns in years of positive NAO, unimodal patterns in years of negative NAO) but oppositely in terms of quantity, indicating different influence of the NAO on the two regions. At decadal scales, C. typicus populations show high interannual variability with marked geographical differences. In some areas, the patterns are clearly characterized by alternate phases of higher and lower annual abundances, at higher frequency (mainly 1–2 years) in the Gulf of Naples, and lower frequency in the Saronikos Gulf (mainly 4–5 years) and in the Gulf of Trieste (mainly 5–6 years). Synchronous phases of increasing or decreasing abundance are discernable only for a few sites and short periods, for example from 1998 to 2000 in the Gulf of Naples, Gulf of Trieste and Saronikos Gulf. The regional differences observed in the long-term patterns of C. typicus populations suggest that the temporal dynamics of this species are significantly more affected by local conditions than by any possible common driving force acting at basin scale through teleconnections.     

The rate of feeding of the bryozoan,Zoobotryon verticillatum

The ctenostome bryozoan Zoobotryon verticillatum was found to clear suspensions of four species of algae, at rates ranging from 0.152–1.05 ml per zooid per hour, or 13.9–96.2 ml per mg dry weight per hour, when the algal suspensions were below the satiation concentrations and thus maximum clearance rates would be expected. Suspensions of Monochrysis lutheri, a small flagellate on which the bryozoan grew well and with which most experiments were made, was cleared below the satiation concentration of 7,900 cells per ml, at the mean rate of 0.368 ml per zooid per hour or 33.7 ml per mg dry weight per hour.

Satiation concentrations of the four species of algae were of the same order as the highest concentrations of nannoplankton to be expected in the bryozoan's natural habitat.

The bryozoan colony fed fairly constantly over a 48 hour period.

Assuming oxygen consumption was similar to that of other bryozoans, Zoobotryon verticillatum cleared about 11.6 litres per ml of oxygen consumed.