Structure and distribution of the benthic macrofauna on a Northwest African sandy beach close to a freshwater river discharge

The effects of the freshwater discharge of the Oued Sebou River on the macroinfauna, was studied on the sandy beach of Mehdia through the analysis of the abiotic parameters and of the macrozoobenthos. In autumn 2002 and spring 2003, three beach sites, each with two transects, localized at 50, 3500 and 5720 m from the river mouth respectively, were studied. Positive correlations were recorded for beach slope and pH whereas negative ones were obtained for organic matter content and salinity at increasing distances from the river mouth. Significant differences between beach sites and seasons occurred for median grain size, organic matter content and pH. For each beach site, mean macroinfauna abundance varied between 30 and 100 ind.·m⁻² and in spring there was a significant correlation between this parameter and the increasing distance from the river mouth. No significant correlation was instead found between species richness and the increasing distance, although the farthest beach site from the mouth had the highest number of species during both seasons. The results indicated the importance of organic matter content and salinity for the macrofaunal abundance whereas the diversity indices were more affected by beach slope and grain size. The results showed that there was no clear spatial trend in compound indices of the macrofauna across the sampled sites and the influence of the river discharge of Sebou River did not seem to be significant and consistent on the macrobenthos of this mesotidal shore. Comparison with microtidal shores revealed the influence of the tidal excursion and swell characteristics on the response of the benthic structures of sandy beaches to discharges of freshwater.     

Study on copper complexing ligand concentrations in several China’s coastal waters

Copper complexing ligand concentrations in the Daya Bay, Qingdao coast, Jiaozhou Bay, South China Sea and Huanghe Estuary waters were determined by the anodic stripping voltammetry technique. The distribution regularity and the relationship with other parameters were discussed. The results were as follows: Copper complexing ligand concentrations of the South China Sea were a little higher than those of other sea areas, and they were apparently higher than those of the ocean. Compared with the subsurface layer (SSL) in the sea surface microlayer copper complexing ligand concentrations showed an enrichment phenomenon, of which the mechanism is similar to dissolved organic matter. The metal complexing ligand concentration profiles of the South China Sea showed that the value in the sea surface was the highest, then it decreased with depth accruing, and a higher value appeared at the bottom. Copper complexing ligand concentrations were higher than those of cadmium and lead. Ligands in each sea area exhibited a complicated property. In short, the distribution regularity of copper complexing ligand concentrations in China' s coastal waters was consistent with that of other regions in the world. Meanwhile, the positive relationship between the copper complexing ligand concentrations and biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved organic carbon, and viscosity were found clearly.     

Southern elephant seal trajectories, fronts and eddies in the Brazil/Malvinas Confluence

This study describes the association between transient, mesoscale hydrographic features along the axis of the Brazil–Malvinas Confluence, in the SW Atlantic, and the foraging behavior of 2–3-year-old (focal) juvenile southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, from Península Valdés, Argentina. Departing from the dominant pattern of foraging on predictable bathymetric fronts on the Patagonian shelf and slope, three females out of 12 satellite-tracked juveniles remained at the edge of young warm-core eddies and near the outer core of cold-core eddies, coinciding with the most productive areas of these temperature fronts. Seal trajectories along high-temperature gradients were always consistent with the speed and direction of surface currents inferred from the temperature distribution and confirmed by surface drifters. Movements of foraging seals were compared with those of surface drifters, coinciding in time and space and yielding independent and consistent data on regional water circulation parameters. The diving pattern recorded for one focal seal yielded shallower dives and a loose diel pattern in the eddy, and a marked diurnal cycle compatible with foraging on vertically migrating prey in the cold waters of the Malvinas Current. Pre-reproductive females that use the mesoscale fronts of the Argentine Basin as an alternative foraging area would benefit from lower competition with more experienced seals and with other top predators that reproduce along the coast of Patagonia.     

Examining fault architecture and strain distribution using geospatial and geomechanical modelling: An example from the Qaidam basin,NE Tibet

The investigation of complex geological setting is still dominated by traditional geo-data collection and analytical techniques, e.g., stratigraphic logging, dip data measurements, structural ground mapping, seismic interpretation, balance section restoration, forward modelling, etc. Despite the advantages of improving our understanding in structural geometry and fault architecture, the geospatial modelling, applying computer-aided three-dimensional geometric design, visualization and interpretation, has rarely been applied to such complex geological setting. This study used the Lenghu fold-and-thrust belt (in Qaidam basin, NE Tibetan Plateau) to demonstrate that the application of geospatial and geomechanical modelling could improve our understanding and provide an effective technique for investigating the fault architecture and strain distribution. The three-dimensional configuration of the Lenghu fold-and-thrust belt was initially derived from traditional analysis techniques, such as regional stratigraphic logging, cross section construction, meso-scale ground mapping and landsat image interpretation. The high-resolution field data and landsat image were integrated to construct the geospatial model, which was subsequently used to quantitatively investigate the fault throw changes along the Lenghu thrust fault zone and to understand its control on the lateral structural variation. The geospatial model was then restored in three dimensions to reveal the kinematic evolution of the Lenghu fold-and-thrust belt. Geomechanical modelling, using a Mass-Spring algorithm, provided an effective three-dimensional tool for structural strain analysis, which was used to predict the strain distribution throughout the overall structure, e.g., normal faults with throws ranging from meters to tens of meters in the hanging-wall. The strain distribution predicted by geomechanical modelling was then validated by the natural normal faults in the hanging-wall. The high accordance between the strain prediction and statistics of natural normal faults demonstrates good applicability of geospatial and geomechanical modelling in the complex geological setting of the Lenghu fold-and-thrust belt. The geospatial models and geomechanical models, therefore, can provide a robust technique for analyzing and interpreting multi-source data within a three-dimensional environment. We anticipate that the application of three-dimensional geospatial modelling and geomechanical modelling, integrating both multi-source geologic data and three-dimensional analytical techniques, can provide an effective workflow for investigating the fault architecture and strain distribution at different scales (e.g., ranging from regional-to meso-scale).     

Dugong abundance and distribution in the Bazaruto Archipelago,Mozambique

Despite the distribution of dugongs Dugong dugon ranging across nearshore waters of the tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, their distribution in the western Indian Ocean is highly fragmented and appears to be declining. The population of the Bazaruto Archipelago is believed to comprise the only viable population in the region. In all, 27 surveys were flown over the Bazaruto Bay area to define the distribution and estimate the abundance of the species in the area. A total of 9 052 nautical miles of survey effort was flown during the surveys, from which there were 355 sightings of 760 dugongs. Two core areas of distribution were apparent within the surveyed area; a northern core area spread within the 10 m isobath between the Save River mouth and Ponta Bartolomeu Dias (21°24′S), and a southern core area aligned with the shallow sandbanks to the north and south of Santa Carolina Island. Group sizes recorded in the Bazaruto Archipelago were comparable to group sizes recorded in other regions where dugongs occur, although few large (>20) groups of dugongs were seen in this study. Line transect analyses of each survey showed dugong densities were considerably lower than densities recorded in surveys in Australian waters or in the Arabian Gulf, with a population estimate of 247 dugongs (CV = 34.1) when all surveys were considered, and 359 dugongs (CV = 38.2) when only the surveys that were carried out under adequate sighting conditions were included.     

Midwater fishes collected in the vicinity of the Sub-Polar Front,Mid-North Atlantic Ocean,during ECOMAR pelagic sampling

The ECOMAR project was a multidisciplinary process study conducted in the mid-North Atlantic, coincident hydrodynamically with the Sub-Polar Front (SPF; 48–54°N) and topographically with Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, as part of the Census of Marine Life field project MAR-ECO. Midwater trawling was conducted during the 2007 and 2009 ECOMAR expeditions at 14 stations north and south of the SPF, day and night, in four discrete depth intervals from 0 to 1000 m. A total of 56 species of midwater fishes representing 44 genera and 18 families were collected, several of which are new records for the region and/or were not previously sampled during MAR-ECO sampling. An annotated species list with depth-of-capture data is provided. Three species of the genus Cyclothone (Cyclothone braueri, Cyclothone microdon and Cyclothone pallida) and the myctophid Benthosema glaciale combined to contribute ~88% of all specimens collected. This finding differs from results of previous net-based sampling in the same area, likely due to sampling scheme differences (diel sampling, upper 800 m concentration) and gear selectivity (mesh size, trawl speed). Quantitative data from ECOMAR midwater sampling and the previous 2004 G.O. Sars MAR-ECO expedition are compared. Despite differences in gear between the major MAR-ECO expeditions, abundance estimates of some dominant species were remarkably similar. Data showed that the SPF is an asymmetrical, taxon-specific biogeographic boundary for deep-pelagic fishes in the North Atlantic; the SPF is semi-permeable to some species in one direction, while a strong boundary for species in another direction. Deeper-living fish species did not appear as affected by the SPF as a boundary.     

Evidence of the restricted gene flow within a small spatial scale in the Japanese common intertidal goby Chaenogobius annularis

Elucidating the scale of gene flow among populations is an important challenge for understanding the ecological dynamics and local adaptation of marine organisms. We assessed whether gene flow is restricted even at a small spatial scale in the Japanese common intertidal goby Chaenogobius annularis, using highly polymorphic DNA markers, involving the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and 15 microsatellite DNA (msDNA), because past ecological studies have suggested low dispersal ability for rocky intertidal fishes. We found significant heterogeneities between four neighboring local populations by both mtDNA and msDNA analyses. In addition, no genetic heterogeneity was detected by either method across generations within a population; it was considered that such genetic differentiation is retained across generations and that the gene flow of this species is restricted to within a radius of a few kilometers. This is the first report showing a clear genetic subdivision in rocky intertidal fish.     

虹鳟(Oncorhynchus mykiss)选育群体的血清类固醇激素周年变化

采用放射性免疫(RIA)和组织学切片技术,系统地研究了虹鳟(Oncorhynchus mykiss)选育群体的血清性类固醇激素周年变化与性腺发育特点的关系,以及血清中性类固醇激素雌二醇(E2)和睾酮(T)在雌雄亲本中的周年变化规律和生理作用。结果表明,虹鳟性腺发育可划分为6期。雌鱼血清中E2在10月(V期性腺)达到峰值,T浓度在11月达到峰值,而进入繁殖期后(11—12月)E2开始下降。雄鱼血清T浓度在11月达到最大值,E2在6月份达到峰值,在11月之后T开始下降。在各月份,雌鱼E2浓度水平远高于雄鱼,而雄鱼T浓度个别月份低于雌鱼。这些研究揭示出,测定血清性类固醇激素浓度水平可用于准确判断鱼类的生殖状态,且可为虹鳟家系选育出早熟亲本群体提供重要技术依据。     

基于多卫星融合资料的南海浪高时空分布特征研究

为提高对南海波浪场的认识, 采用基于多卫星融合的2009年9月～2011年11月的AVISO(Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic data)有效浪高格点数据对南海浪高的月变化特征进行分析, 并结合南海的波浪特征和地形特点, 将南海划分为6个海区, 讨论南海浪高的空间分布规律。研究发现南海浪高具有以下2个特征: (1)南海浪高表现为由东向西、由北往南递减: 北部深水区>北部陆架区>南海中部≈北部湾>南部陆架区>泰国湾。(2)浪高的月变化与季风的变化密不可分: 10月～次年3月(冬季风影响期间)>4月和9月(季风转换期)>5月～8月(夏季风影响期间), 1月最大, 5月最小。该研究成果对开展南海海浪的中长期预报、保障南海资源开发和军事安全等有一定的借鉴意义和参考价值。