Development of fouling communities on vertical structures in the Baltic Sea

The pillars of the bridge connecting the Island of Öland with the Swedish mainland were rebuilt between 1990 and 2000. The renovation produced pristine vertical concrete substrates, which became submerged in known years and seasons. The fouling communities on the pillars were examined in 2001 to determine whether the community structure could be explained in terms of either orderly successional development or of seasonal variation in the settlement of benthic organisms. As well, the communities on the pillars were compared to communities on the vertical surfaces of boulders in the area. The results indicated that an annual species composition is the final stage in the succession on the observed, vertical constructions. The few perennial species add to the variation between pillars as they increase in biomass (Polysiphonia fucoides) or become out-competed (Balanus improvisus). Also, observed seasonal differences in the biomass of these perennial species indicated that the time of year free space becomes available might be an important determinant of the future structure of the community. Comparison between the pillar and boulder communities showed that the artificial structures were not surrogates for the natural hard substrate: pillar communities differed in that they lacked most perennial algal species and had a high biomass of B. improvisus.     

Effects of a Short-term Environmental Change on a Brackish-water Polychaete Community

Abstract. Aquatina lake is a brackish basin, connected with the Adriatic Sea along the mast of Apulia (Italy), with a mean salinity of 26%. The abundance and biomass of fifteen polychaete species were recorded by monthly samples in a pilot area of the lake from February 1989 to February 1990. Naineris laevigata was dominant, both in number of individuals and biomass. During 1990, obstruction of freshwater inflow to the lake caused an increase in salinity up to 4O%, followed by some changes in the polychaete community. Noromasrus hiericeus became dominant, and the abundances of the other species decreased except for Naineris laevipru . Salinity assumed normal values after three months, but community responded slowly becauie the massive presence of N. latericeus inhibited the recovery of other species. An abiotic disturbance, followed by a biotic disturbance, altered the structure of the polychaete community.     

Impact of Two "El Niño" Events of Different Intensity on the Hypoxic Soft Bottom Macrobenthos off the Central Peruvian wast

Abstract. Monthly changes in the community structure of hypoxic soft-bottom macrobenthos have been studied at a station at 34 m depth in Ancón Bay (Peru) before and during two El Niño (EN) events. Of these events, 1982-83 is considered the strongest, and 1991–93 one of the most prolonged in the 20th century. On the oceanographic scale, EN 1982–83 ranges as "very strong", whereas EN 1991–93 ranges as "moderate".
The thermal anomalies at the station during EN 1982–83 (+ 7.8 °C) were almost twice those of EN 1991–93 (+ 4.1 °C). However, the community changes were not in all cases proportional to the extent of warming. Species numbers increased in a similar way (up to 24 species from near zero in each of the two events), but maximum faunal density was five times higher, and mean biomass was twice as high in 1982–83 compared with the event a decade later. Species diversity was slightly higher during EN 1982–83, whereas successional and trophic changes occurred on a broader scale during EN 1991–93. On the whole, the impact of the long-lasting event on the small soft-bottom macrofauna was not much weaker than that of the exceptionally strong event.
The authors discuss the mechanisms which may be responsible for the differences and similarities encountered in the benthic community dynamics during these two events. Both in the unusually strong and the unusually long EN, the community revealed a pattern of early biological response several months ahead of the onset of local warming which marks the official begin of EN. The question is addressed to what extent the increase of certain parameters in the benthic community could be used for predictive purposes.     

Climate change and coral reef bleaching: An ecological assessment of long-term impacts,recovery trends and future outlook

Since the early 1980s, episodes of coral reef bleaching and mortality, due primarily to climate-induced ocean warming, have occurred almost annually in one or more of the world's tropical or subtropical seas. Bleaching is episodic, with the most severe events typically accompanying coupled ocean–atmosphere phenomena, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which result in sustained regional elevations of ocean temperature. Using this extended dataset (25+ years), we review the short- and long-term ecological impacts of coral bleaching on reef ecosystems, and quantitatively synthesize recovery data worldwide. Bleaching episodes have resulted in catastrophic loss of coral cover in some locations, and have changed coral community structure in many others, with a potentially critical influence on the maintenance of biodiversity in the marine tropics. Bleaching has also set the stage for other declines in reef health, such as increases in coral diseases, the breakdown of reef framework by bioeroders, and the loss of critical habitat for associated reef fishes and other biota. Secondary ecological effects, such as the concentration of predators on remnant surviving coral populations, have also accelerated the pace of decline in some areas. Although bleaching severity and recovery have been variable across all spatial scales, some reefs have experienced relatively rapid recovery from severe bleaching impacts. There has been a significant overall recovery of coral cover in the Indian Ocean, where many reefs were devastated by a single large bleaching event in 1998. In contrast, coral cover on western Atlantic reefs has generally continued to decline in response to multiple smaller bleaching events and a diverse set of chronic secondary stressors. No clear trends are apparent in the eastern Pacific, the central-southern-western Pacific or the Arabian Gulf, where some reefs are recovering and others are not. The majority of survivors and new recruits on regenerating and recovering coral reefs have originated from broadcast spawning taxa with a potential for asexual growth, relatively long distance dispersal, successful settlement, rapid growth and a capacity for framework construction. Whether or not affected reefs can continue to function as before will depend on: (1) how much coral cover is lost, and which species are locally extirpated; (2) the ability of remnant and recovering coral communities to adapt or acclimatize to higher temperatures and other climatic factors such as reductions in aragonite saturation state; (3) the changing balance between reef accumulation and bioerosion; and (4) our ability to maintain ecosystem resilience by restoring healthy levels of herbivory, macroalgal cover, and coral recruitment. Bleaching disturbances are likely to become a chronic stress in many reef areas in the coming decades, and coral communities, if they cannot recover quickly enough, are likely to be reduced to their most hardy or adaptable constituents. Some degraded reefs may already be approaching this ecological asymptote, although to date there have not been any global extinctions of individual coral species as a result of bleaching events. Since human populations inhabiting tropical coastal areas derive great value from coral reefs, the degradation of these ecosystems as a result of coral bleaching and its associated impacts is of considerable societal, as well as biological concern. Coral reef conservation strategies now recognize climate change as a principal threat, and are engaged in efforts to allocate conservation activity according to geographic-, taxonomic-, and habitat-specific priorities to maximize coral reef survival. Efforts to forecast and monitor bleaching, involving both remote sensed observations and coupled ocean–atmosphere climate models, are also underway. In addition to these efforts, attempts to minimize and mitigate bleaching impacts on reefs are immediately required. If significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved within the next two to three decades, maximizing coral survivorship during this time may be critical to ensuring healthy reefs can recover in the long term.     

Ecological indicators showing the succession of macrofauna communities in Sonneratia apetala artificial mangrove wetlands on Qi’ao Island at Zhuhai, South China

The Sonneratia apetala artificial mangroves in the intertidal zone of Da Wei Bay at Qi’ao Island of Zhu-hai, South China were chosen as the macrofauna succession plots while bare tidal flats of the same size were established as control plots in surrounding interference-free areas. Conventional change indicators of community structure, such as biomass and biodiversity, and indicators, such as exergy and specific exergy, which reflect the information change of overall communities, were used to analyze the succession of macro-fauna communities inS. apetala artificial mangroves. The similarities and differences in variation tendency of the different ecological indicators and their reflected ecological principles were compared. The results showed that from D-1 to D-1275 after plantingS. apetala, the biomass of the macrofauna communities first increased, which was then followed by an increase in the network relationship between the macrofauna communities （analysis of the Pielou evenness index and Shannon-Wiener diversity index）. The system in-formation （specific exergy） increased the slowest. Between D-1460 and D-2370 after plantingS. apetala, there was a decrease in biomass, network structure, and system information in the succession plots. After the decrease in the system information （the specific exergy）, there was a decline in the network relationships （Pielou evenness index and Shannon-Wiener diversity index）. Biomass was the last indicator to decrease. The similarities and differences among the different ecological indicators varied during the succession pro-cess, which reflected the relativity and differences among the indicators. This study suggested that, although the species diversity index can be an effective indicator of two types of changes （network structure and system information）, it was quite clear that species diversity measurement was not suitable for expressing the changes in biomass during the succession process. While exergy and specific exergy can provide useful information     

冬季南黄海浮游动物群落结构及其对黄海暖流的指示

2009年12月和2010年1月对南黄海进行浮游动物采集, 以了解冬季浮游动物群落结构及其对黄海暖流的指示作用。结果表明, 南黄海冬季仍然以温带和暖温带种为主, 中华哲水蚤Calanus sinicus、强壮滨箭虫Aidanosagitta crassa、细足法Themisto gracilipes等温带和暖温带种类在浮游动物数量组成中具有较大优势。与此同时, 一些暖水种在调查海域局部出现。2009年12月暖水种仅分布在南黄海东南部黄海暖流源地附近。位于黄海中部的调查区东侧温盐层化现象明显, 近底层低温、高盐、高营养盐的水文特征体现了黄海冷水团的残留; 2010年1月在35°—36°N区域暖水种种类明显增加, 截平头水蚤Paracandacia truncata、长尾基齿哲水蚤Clausocalanus furcatus出现的位置与暖流路径相吻合, 海洋真刺水蚤Euchaeta rimana数量相比12月有明显向北推进的趋势。主成分分析显示暖水种的分布与温度有良好的相关性。Shannon-Weaver指数、丰富度指数、均匀度指数等没有呈现明显的分布规律, 对黄海暖流的指示作用不如种类明显。     

两种混养方式对异枝江蓠(Gracilaria bailinae)生长性能、表面附生细菌群落及抗生素抗性基因的影响

为揭示"鱼-藻"和"鱼-虾-藻"混养对异枝江蓠(Gracilaria bailinae)生长性能、表面附生细菌群落和抗生素抗性基因(antibiotic resistance genes,ARGs)的影响,阐明异枝江蓠表面附生细菌群落与生长性能、ARGs之间的关系,利用16S rDNA高通量测序技术和Real-time qPCR技术分析了异枝江蓠表面附生细菌群落和ARGs的组成与差异,冗余分析(RDA)探讨细菌群落与生长性能、ARGs之间的关联。结果表明:(1)"鱼-虾-藻"混养会促进异枝江蓠的生长性能,增加表面附生细菌群落的多样性。(2)异枝江蓠表面附生细菌群落主要属于变形菌门、蓝藻门、浮霉菌门和拟杆菌门,不同混养方式中优势菌属组成不同,"鱼-虾-藻"混养优势菌属多样性较高。(3)"鱼-虾-藻"混养的异枝江蓠ARGs/MGEs的相对丰度大多高于"鱼-藻"混养。(4)RDA分析表明,生长性能主要与Ralstonia、Blastopirellula等显著相关,ARGs/MGEs主要与Nitrosomonas、Alteromonas、Pleurocapsa;CC-7319等显著相关。"鱼-虾-藻"混养能够增强异枝江蓠的生长性能,提高异枝江蓠表面附生细菌群落的多样性。但"鱼-虾-藻"混养能够增加异枝江蓠ARGs/MGEs的相对丰度,存在一定的生态风险。因此,在注重经济效益的同时也要关注可能存在的对人类健康的危害。研究结果将有助于海水养殖环境的优化,为大型海藻在海水养殖业中的应用与推广提供理论基础。     

日照岚山港北作业区邻近海域春、秋季浮游动物群落结构研究

以2015年5月(春季)和10月(秋季)在日照岚山港北作业区邻近海域进行的浮游动物调查数据为例,分析了该海域浮游动物的群落结构特征。调查海域两季共发现浮游动物成体20种,浮游幼虫7类,其中春季成体12种,浮游幼虫4类,秋季成体19种,浮游幼虫6类;春、秋两季调查浮游动物平均丰度分别为128.1 ind./m³、103.3 ind./m³;平均生物量(湿重)分别为1 129.9 mg/m³、954.3 mg/m³;平均多样性指数分别为2.39、2.01;平均丰富度指数分别为0.85、1.21;平均均匀度指数分别为0.87、0.62;春季调查优势种为强壮箭虫(Sagitta crassa)、中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)、真刺唇角水蚤(Labibocera euchaeta)、太平洋纺锤水蚤(Acartia pacifica)、球型侧腕水母(Pleurobrachia globosa),秋季调查优势种为太平洋纺锤水蚤、小齿海樽(Doliolum denticulatum)、强壮箭虫、真刺唇角水蚤;聚类分析表明,调查海域浮游动物可划分为3个群落。本研究可为深入研究该海域浮游动物群落结构提供重要的基础数据。