The effects of trophic interactions and spatial competition on algal community composition on Hawaiian coral reefs

Much of coral reef ecology has focused on how human impacts change coral reefs to macroalgal reefs. However, macroalgae may not always be a good indicator of reef decline, especially on reefs with significant sea urchin populations, as found in Kenya and Hawaii. This study tests the effects of trophic interactions (i.e. herbivory by fishes and sea urchins) and spatial competition (between algae and coral) on algal community structure of reefs surrounding two Hawaiian Islands that vary in their level of human impacts. Reef‐building organisms (corals and crustose coralline algae) were less abundant and turf algae were more abundant on Maui as compared to Lanai, where human impacts are lower. In contrast to previous studies, we found no evidence that macroalgae increased with human impacts. Instead, low turf and macroalgal abundance were best explained by the interactive effects of coral cover and sea urchin abundance. Fishing sea urchin predators appeared to have cascading effects on the benthic community. The absence of sea urchin predators and high sea urchin densities correspond to a disproportionately high abundance of turf and crustose coralline algae. We propose that high turf algal abundance is a better indicator of reef decline in Hawaii than high macroalgal abundance because turf abundance was highest on reefs with low coral cover and few fish. The results of this study emphasize that understanding changes in community composition are context‐dependent and that not all degraded reefs look the same.     

Community structure of infaunal macrobenthos around vestimentiferan thickets at the San Clemente cold seep,NE Pacific

The San Clemente cold seep lies within 100–200 km of other reducing habitats in the NE Pacific, offering an opportunity to compare diversity and species overlap among reducing habitats (i.e. whale‐, kelp‐, and wood‐falls) at similar depths within a single region. Video observations from the research submersible Alvin at the San Clemente seep (1800 m depth) indicated clumps (‘thickets’) of vestimentiferans distributed as meter‐scale patches interspersed with vesicomyid clam beds and black sediments. Sediment‐core samples were collected at distances of 0 to 80–200 m along randomly oriented transects radiating outward from vestimentiferan thickets to evaluate changes in macrofaunal community structure from thickets into the background community. Macrofaunal abundance was elevated at distances of 0–1 m compared to 80–200 m (i.e. the ‘background’ community). The tube‐building frenulate worms Siboglinum spp., along with peracarid crustaceans, dominated sediments within 1 m of vestimentiferan thickets. Species diversity was depressed within 1 m of thickets but with high rates of species accumulation, suggesting that seep sites greatly increase sediment heterogeneity and facilitate colonization by non‐background macrofaunal species. Stable isotope data indicate chemosynthetic nutrition for some dominant macrofaunal species within 1 m of tubeworm thickets. The macrofaunal community near vestimentiferan thickets in San Clemente seep contains intermediate levels of species richness and diversity compared to other deep‐sea seep areas in the northeast Pacific. There was low species overlap between the San Clemente seep macrofauna and communities in reducing habitats near wood‐, whale‐, and kelp‐falls at similar depths within the region, suggesting that seeps harbor a distinct infaunal community.     

DNA identification of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) in the New Zealand fishery

Muscle samples were collected from 69 specimens identified as Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) (Temminck and Schlegel, 1844) in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between 1990 and 2000. Identifications before 1996 were based on body size and colour of the caudal keel; later identifications were mostly based on the shape of abdominal cavity. The tissue samples were tested with a diagnostic mitochondrial DNA marker that distinguishes southern bluefin Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau, 1872) and Pacific bluefin tuna T. orientalis; 59 specimens were confirmed as T. orientalis and 10 as T. maccoyii. Specimens recorded as Pacific bluefin tuna by the shape of the abdominal cavity were correctly identified as T. orientalis, and this character can be used to identify large specimens landed on tuna vessels. Some specimens recorded as Pacific bluefin tuna on the basis of colour and size were T. maccoyii; and early records of T. orientalis in New Zealand waters, based on these characters, are unreliable. Unusual colour patterns were reported in some specimens of T. orientalis but not T. maccoyii. The Pacific bluefin tuna T. orientalis accounted for less than 0.3% of the bluefin tuna catch in the New Zealand EEZ during the 1990s.     

Movement patterns of individual migrating western rock lobster,Panulirus cygnus,in Western Australia

Abstract

Migrating and pre‐migrating western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus were tagged with datastorage tags that recorded temperature and pressure, which was converted to depth (Pressure (kPa) — surface pressure (kPa)/10)) at Dongara and Jurien Bay in Western Australia between December 2005 and December 2007. All lobsters were fitted with tag flotation devices, and returns were made by either commercial fishers or beachcombers who located detached tags. A total of 135 lobsters were released with “backpack” flotation tags, but only 84 (62.2%) of the backpacks carried data‐storage tags. Depths of release ranged from 5 to 113 m. Of the tagged lobsters released, commercial fishers recaptured 52 (38.5%), whereas 11 tags (8.1%) were found by beachcombers. At least 33%, and possibly up to 63%, of animals identified by their pale coloration as pre‐migrating individuals, failed to migrate. Those that did migrate (n = 11) were at liberty from 1 to 94 days and showed generally similar movement patterns in that they migrated only at night from darkness (after 2000 h) until after moonrise. However, their movement patterns were less constrained by the rising of the moon in deep water. Only 27% migrated nightly, compared with 73% that skipped migrating on one or more nights, to restart some days later. This latter proportion would likely have been considerably greater, but some migrating animals were only at large for short periods before recapture, and therefore had little time to show any variation to the nocturnal migration pattern. Individual speeds of migration during periods of activity were estimated for nine lobsters as 0.20 to 0.68 km h^?1, with a mean speed of 0.44 km h^?1, or 7.4 m min^?1. Improved knowledge of daily movement patterns resulting from this study provides a potentially important input into technological improvements in bait and pot design.     

The genus Pseudo-nitzschia (Bacillariophyceae) in New Zealand: analysis of the last decade's monitoring data

The diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia blooms throughout New Zealand's coastal waters. More than a decade of monitoring data were analysed in this study and seasonality was a significant factor in the appearance of Pseudo-nitzschia blooms. Austral spring and summer were the main bloom periods, although there were regional differences. Between January 2000 and August 2011, 8.4% of 29,000 seawater samples analysed for Pseudo-nitzschia exceeded the voluntary trigger level for biotoxin testing (10×10⁴ cells l^?1), and these were analysed by fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) assays. Pseudo-nitzschia fraudulenta and P. pseudodelicatissima (low domoic acid [DA] producers) were the dominant bloom formers throughout New Zealand (each contributing 25%) followed by the highly toxic P. australis (10%). Shellfish flesh testing for DA was triggered on 8477 occasions between 2000 and 2011, but no samples exceeded the regulatory limit (20 mg/kg); the maximum concentration was 13 mg/kg (Marlborough Sounds, mid-winter 2010).     

First record of the Australian ascidian Eudistoma elongatum in northern New Zealand

A colonial ascidian was first reported by marine farmers in Houhora Harbour, Northland, New Zealand in early 2005 and subsequently found on oyster racks in Parengarenga Harbour and the Bay of Islands. The Northland ascidian was identified with a combination of morphological characters and DNA cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequence data, as Eudistoma elongatum, a species native to Australia, where it is found from northern New South Wales to Northern Queensland, and distinguished from Eudistoma circumvallatum, the only reported species in this genus from New Zealand. Ascidian larvae are weak dispersers and long distance dispersal of E. elongatum is likely to be enhanced by vectors such as oyster barges and/or movement of cultured oysters. In its native range, E. elongatum is restricted to areas with a minimum winter sea temperature of 16°C. Assuming similar biological limitations apply in New Zealand, the spread of E. elongatum might be restricted to northern New Zealand (north of latitude 37°S).     

Genetic variation and population structure in the New Zealand snapper

Fifteen proteins encoded by 23 gene loci were electrophoretically surveyed in two samples of snapper Chrysophrys auratus (Forster) from Wellington Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf. Between 17% and 26% of the loci examined were found to be polymorphic and the proportion of heterozygous loci per individual was 7.9% to 8.4%. Using Rogers’ genetic distance coefficient an overall similarity of 0.98 was calculated between the two samples.

Three polymorphic loci Est‐4, Gpi‐1, and Idh were examined in an additional 10 samples from around New Zealand. Two genetically distinct stocks were apparent: one along the west coast, the other along the east coast of the North Island. There was an indication of stock mixing at Ninety Mile Beach and in the Bay of Plenty and East Cape. The distribution of alleles at the Est‐4 locus revealed a third stock in Hawke Bay that is genetically more similar to the west coast than the east coast stock. Hydrological conditions in Hawke Bay are more similar to those of the west coast than to those of the north east coast of the North Island. Thus it is possible that Est‐4 alleles are selectively maintained in response to an environmental factor.     

Seasonal changes in community composition and trophic structure of fish populations of five salt marshes along the Essex coastline, United Kingdom

European intertidal salt marshes are important nursery sites for juvenile fish and crustaceans. Due to the increasing threat of habitat loss, the seasonal changes of salt marsh fish communities need to be understood in order to appreciate the ecological and economic importance of the saltmarsh habitat. This study was the first in Great Britain to investigate the seasonal changes of salt marsh fish communities and the variation in community structure between closely located marsh habitats. Between February 2007 and March 2008, five marshes on three estuaries of the Essex coastline were sampled using flume nets to block off intertidal creeks at high tide. Fourteen fish species were caught. The community overall was dominated by three species that made up 91.6% of the total catch: the common goby Pomatoschistus microps (46.2% of the total catch), juvenile herring Clupea harengus (24.3%), and juvenile and larval sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (21.2%). Cluster analysis demonstrated clear seasonal patterns, with some community structures unique to specific marshes or estuaries. The marsh fish community shifts from a highly diverse community during spring, to a community dominated by D. labrax and P. microps in autumn, and low diversity during winter months. Gravimetric stomach content analysis of fish community identified three main trophic guilds; macroinvertivores, planktivores and omnivores. The macroinvertivore feeding guild contained D. labrax and P. microps, the two most frequently occurring species. This investigation demonstrates the importance of British salt marshes as nursery habitats for commercial fish species.