Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Algal and Animal Communities in a Posidonia oceanica Meadow

Abstract. Investigations were carried out in a Posidonia oceanica meadow at Ischia (Gulf of Naples) along a depth gradient from 1 to 32 m in November 1979 and May 1981.
In these two months, different discontinuities were found at the sampling stations (1, 5, 10, 20, 30 m) at 10 m for leaf features, between 1 and 5 m for the algal community and the vagile fauna. The leaf features (length, surface, and biomass) along the transects show a delay in leaf production toward the deeper stations, below the thermocline.
The algal community shows in both seasons and in all stations a persistence of an encrusting layer, mostly represented by Corallinaceae and the brown alga Myrionema orbiculare , while at the shallowest station (1 m) the community is characterized by a more developed upright layer.
The vagile fauna of the leaf stratum, mostly represented by Polychaeta, Mollusca , and Crustacea (Peracarida and Decapoda) , shows a consistent zonation in both seasons along the transect. A superficial community at I m, characterized by a low number of species and individuals and specialized for high environmental energy levels, and a deeper community, persistent in time and more strictly related to the Posidonia oceanica meadows, are identified.
The influence of environmental factors and the importance of meadow structure for the zonation of the algal and animal communities are discussed.     

In Situ Measurement of Pinna nobilis Shells for Age and Growth Studies: A New Device

Abstract. Pinna nobilis Linnaeus 1758 is an endemic bivalve mollusc in the Mediterranean Sea, where it inhabits seagrass meadows, especially Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile. It is the largest bivalve in the Mediterranean, reaching lengths up to 120 cm. In its natural habitat, P. nobilis lives with the anterior part of the valve buried in the seabed, attached to Posidonia rhizomes by byssus threads.
This habit makes it impossible to measure its total length directly in situ. As the only way to determine the individual age is the relationship between age and total length, several equations have been proposed to estimate total length by relating it to the unburied parts of the shell. Such measurements are essential to ecological studies that consider age, growth, and population dynamics, and that evaluate the environmental factors that affect this species.
Accurately estimating total length depends on the accuracy and precision of the method employed to measure the unburied shell parts. In this paper, we point out the lack of precision of the instruments and methods used until now; we also demonstrate the reason for this imprecision. A new device to measure unburied parts of Pinna nobilis with a precision comparable to that obtained when measuring extracted valves is described. This device is unaffected by substratum type and reduces measurement time. The latter is a very important feature, because these procedures are usually performed whilst SCUBA diving. Finally, a growth equation has been fitted to the measurements obtained with the new device from a population located in Moraira (Alicante, western Mediterranean).     

Diet of Phycis blennoides (Gadidae) in Relation to Fish Size and Season in the Western Mediterranean (Spain)

Abstract. Despite its commercial value, little is known about the feeding ecology of the greater forkbeard, Phycis blennoides (Brünnich 1768). The stomach contents of 2631 greater forkbeard were taken at monthly intervals off the coast of the Gulf of Valencia (western Mediterranean). They were examined in order to assess the diet and to determine the fish size- and season-related dietary variation of the species. Prey items were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. The basic food consisted of epibenthic species, mostly Decapoda, Mysidacea and Teleostei. A change in food composition based on fish size was observed and seasonal variation in diet was also recorded. The food overlap analysis indicated a high convergence in diet among similar size groups.     

Depth and Seasonal Distribution of Some Groups of the Vagile Fauna of the Posidonia oceanica Leaf Stratum: Structural and Trophic Analyses

Abstract. The taxonomical and trophic structures of the vagile fauna communities of the leaf stratum in a Posidonia oceanica meadow at Ischia (Gulf of Naples, Italy) were investigated at five stations along a depth gradient (1 to 25 m). Sampling was performed in July, November, February, and May. The analyzed groups - polychaetes, molluscs, tanaids, isopods, amphipods, and decapods - exhibited similar distributional trends in all seasons, with coenotic discontinuities occurring at well-defined depths. The same zonation pattern was produced by feeding-guild analysis. Eleven trophic groups were identified. The most abundant groups were: Herbivores, which were found mainly at the shallow stations; Herbivores-deposit feeders, which were widely distributed along the transect; Deposit feeders-carnivores, found mainly at the deep stations.
This study suggests that in the Posidonia leaf stratum, herbivores and herbivores-deposit feeders, as consumers of epiphytic micro- and macroflora and deposited particulate organic matter, play an important role in the energy transfer from producers to higher trophic levels of the system.     

Determination of cadmium(II), copper(II), manganese(II) and nickel(II) species in Antarctic seawater with complexing resins

The strong species of cadmium(II), copper(II), manganese(II) and nickel(II) in an Antarctic seawater sample are investigated by a method based on the sorption of metal ions on complexing resins. The resins compete with the ligands present in the sample to combine with the metal ions. Two resins with different adsorbing strengths were used. Very stable metal complexes were investigated with the strong sorbent Chelex 100 and weaker species with the less strong resin, Amberlite CG-50. Strong species were detected for three of the considered metal ions, but not for Mn(II). Cu(II) is completely linked to species with a side reaction coefficient as high as log α_M(I) = 11.6 at pH = 7.3. The ligand concentration was found to be similar to that of the metal ion, and the conditional stability constant was around 10²⁰ M^− 1. In the considered sample, only a fraction of the metal ions Cd(II) and Ni(II) is bound to the strong ligands, with side reaction coefficients equal to log α_M(I) = 5.5 and 6.5 at pH = 7.3 for Cd(II) and Ni(II), respectively. These findings were confirmed by the test with the weaker sorbent Amberlite CG-50. It can be calculated from the sorption equilibria that neither Mn(II) nor Ni(II) is adsorbed on Amberlite CG-50 under the considered conditions and, in fact, only a negligible fraction of Mn(II) and Ni(II) was adsorbed. A noticeable fraction of Cd(II) was adsorbed on Amberlite CG-50, meaning that cadmium(II) is partially linked to weak ligands, possibly chloride, while no copper(II) was adsorbed on this resin, confirming that copper(II) is only combined in strong species. These results are similar, but not identical, to those obtained for other seawater samples examined in previous investigations.     

A Functional Analysis of the Benthic Macrofauna of the São Sebastião Channel (Southeastern Brazil)

Abstract.  The major problem in coastal areas of developing countries is disturbance caused by anthropogenic influence. This disturbance can be quantified by analysing the distribution and composition of marine communities using uni- and multivariate techniques and the biotic index. A study of benthic macrofauna was carried out along the São Sebastião Channel, northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil, in an area with a submarine outfall, a petroleum terminal and a commercial harbour. Sampling was undertaken seasonally, by means of a van Veen grab (0.1 m²) at 15 oceanographic stations, from November 1993 to August 1994. A total of 392 species were identified (129 Polychaeta, 127 Mollusca, 98 Crustacea, 28 Echinodermata and 10 other phyla). The sedimentary pattern recorded for the São Sebastião Channel is very heterogeneous, influenced mainly by strong wind-driven currents, and differs from nearby shelf areas. The study area could be divided into three regions based on sediment texture and fauna: one region dominated by medium and coarse sand with low values of organic carbon; a second area where pelitic fractions were dominant with high values of organic carbon and nitrogen; and a third region characterised by fine and very fine sand, presenting intermediate organic carbon values. No temporal significant variation in abundance and species composition was found, except in autumn. The use of the 'marine Biotic Coefficient' showed the same ecological trend as the faunal abundance and demonstrated that the central continental region of the channel is affected by human activities.     

Meiobenthic Organisms as Indicators of Mixing Processes in the Baltic Surface Sediments*

Abstract. Two sediment cores were collected in the southern Baltic Sea and sliced into 1.0cm-thick layers. Sediments of each layer were analysed for activities of ²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs and for the density of meiobenthic organisms (meiofauna). Zones with the rapid mixing occur in the uppermost layers (0–3 cm) of the cores based on ^I34Cs profiles. The extent and density of meiofauna confirmed the rapid mixing and revealed layers with slow mixing (4–8 cm). Sedimentation rates were derived from ²¹⁰Pb profiles below the mixing zones (1.21 and 1.72 mm a-^I) and were confumed by ¹³⁷Cs distribution. Of twenty-one major meiofauna taxa commonly found in the Baltic sediments, three were present in the cores.     

Distribution of soft-bottom polychaetes in two coastal areas of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy): Structural analysis

Multidimensional statistical analysis was used to study the polychaete distribution in soft-bottoms of two coastal areas of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), which are influenced by the discharges of the rivers Tiber and Ombrone. In both areas the distributional patterns of these organisms are determined mainly by sediment types and related factors such as hydrodynamics, river input, and sedimentation. The grain-size gradient from the coast to the open sea affects not only species composition, but also species richness, diversity and abundance.In both areas three main communities have been identified: a sandy biocoenosis, a mixed-sediment biocoenosis and a muddy biocoenosis. The sandy coastal community is characterized by only a few species, while the intermediate zone of sandy-mud sediments presents the highest species richness and diversity. At the mouth of the River Tiber the influence of the river is more evident than at the mouth of the River Ombrone. This is due to the Tiber's greater river flow, which determines an environmental uniformity and a ‘cenotic continuum’ from sandy to muddy communities. This does not occur at the mouth of the Ombrone, where the river flow is less important and the polychaete communities are better defined.