Multi-stakeholder collaboration yields valuable data for cetacean conservation in Gamba,Gabon

Private industry, the Government of Gabon and two international NGOs collaborated to conduct marine surveys off the coast of Gabon, Central Africa. Surveys addressed multiple objectives of surveillance and monitoring, the documentation of the distribution of and threats to the marine megafauna, and capacity-building among government agents and local early-career scientists. During 22 days of survey effort over a two-year period, observers documented humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae, bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, Atlantic humpback dolphins Sousa teuszii and common dolphins Delphinus delphis. Humpback whale presence was limited to the months of July to November. Bottlenose dolphins were present year-round and photo-identification of individuals indicated a closed, resident population, with an abundance estimate of 118 (CV = 21.6%, 95% CI 78–180). Small open-decked fishing vessels with gillnets were observed concentrated around river mouths within 2 km of shore, while commercial trawlers were at least 10 km offshore; all were confirmed to be registered and legal. Observations of marine turtles, flocks of marine birds, and floating logs and other debris were sparse. This multi-stakeholder collaboration to conduct a marine survey can serve as an effective model by which funding and logistic support from private industry paired with technical expertise from NGOs and academic institutions can benefit marine and coastal conservation.     

Spatial and temporal variation in subtidal molluscan diversity amongst temperate estuarine habitats

Effective management of marine ecosystems is enhanced when detailed information on biodiversity is available. Key information to underpin management actions and conservation planning includes relationships between species assemblages and environmental gradients, and information on species distributions. We conducted a subtidal biodiversity assessment of surface‐dwelling subtidal molluscs in eight a priori defined habitat types using underwater visual censuses to quantitatively explore relationships between molluscan assemblages, and their correlation with benthic habitats and abiotic variables. In addition, variations in diversity were examined for two key habitat types (areas dominated by Dendronephthya australis and by filter feeders) over a period of 15 months to examine temporal change. We found that molluscs form distinct assemblages within subtidal habitats, but that assemblages within key habitats show inherent temporal variability. Regional (gamma) diversity of molluscs was found to result from a combination of: (i) within habitat alpha diversity, which increased with habitat complexity; (ii) between habitat beta diversity, with significant differences in molluscan assemblages amongst habitats with differing benthic growth, substrate type, and depth; and (iii) temporal beta diversity, with significant changes detected in molluscan assemblages over time. The results demonstrate how habitats and abiotic variables (principally depth and substrate type) combine to contribute to molluscan biodiversity in temperate estuaries, and illustrate the value of these factors as surrogates for surface‐dwelling subtidal molluscs in conservation planning.     

Estimation and prediction of plastic waste annual input into the sea from China

Marine plastic debris has been a pervasive issue since the last century, and research on its sources and fates plays a vital role in the establishment of mitigation measures. However, data on the quantity of plastic waste that enters the sea on a certain timescale remain largely unavailable in China. Here, we established a model using material flow analysis method based on life cycle assessment to follow plastic product from primary plastic to plastic waste with statistical data and monitoring data from accurate sources. This model can be used to estimate and forecast the annual input of plastic waste into the sea from China until 2020. In 2011, 0.547 3–0.751 5 million tons of plastic waste entered the seas in China, with a growth rate of 4.55% per year until 2017. And the amount will decrease to0.257 1 to 0.353 1 million tons in 2020 under the influence of governmental management. The amount of plastic waste discharged from coastal areas calculated in this study was much larger than that from river, thus it is suggested to strengthen the governance and control of plastic waste in coastal fishery activities in China in order to reduce the amount of marine plastic waste input.     

An Analysis of the Coastal Fish Assemblage of the Ustica Island Marine Reserve (Mediterranean Sea)

A study of the coastal fish assemblages in the marine park of Ustica Island (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean) was conducted from June 1994 to September 1995 and from June 1996 to September 1997. The principal aims of the research were to: (1) define the faunistic features of local fish communities; (2) assess the effectiveness of the protection regime of the marine park on the fish assemblages ('reserve effect'); (3) provide information on the distribution of some Epinephelus and Diplodus species in the shallowest depth zone of the island. During seasonal surveys, underwater visual censuses were carried out at several sites located in three zones of the island, each with a different level of protection. Observations were made along 250 m² transects at 3–5, 10–15 and 25–30 m depth ranges. Additional surveys were made by SCUBA diving and snorkelling. A statistically significant effect of depth on the fish community parameters was observed, whereas differences linked to protection level, zones, sites and seasons were not significant. The abundance and frequency of occurrence of some species, particularly dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus , were positively correlated with the degree of protection of the different zones of the marine park. Certain sites of the island are important as nursery areas for three species of the genus Diplodus ( i.e., D. puntazzo, D. sargus and D. vulgaris ).     

海洋功能区开发潜力评价方法

借鉴海洋资源开发潜力、旅游开发潜力、土地开发潜力、主体功能区开发潜力、可持续发展能力和多指标综合评价等方面的研究方法和指标体系,首次提出了海洋功能区开发潜力的概念、构成和指标,并分析了层次分析法在海洋功能区开发潜力评价中的适用性,总结了海洋功能区开发潜力评价的方法、步骤和存在的问题。     

海洋污损细菌群落结构及其发酵液中化学成分的研究

从烟台附近海域通过挂板取样获得了污损微生物膜样品。利用高通量测序鉴定其中细菌有假交替单胞菌(Pseudoalteromonas sp.),芽孢杆菌(Bacillus sp.),盐单胞菌(Halomonas sp.),嗜冷杆菌(Psychrobacter sp.),肠杆菌(Enterobacter sp.)。通过对微生物膜污损细菌进行发酵培养,结合天然产物分离纯化和核磁共振鉴定技术,共从发酵液中分离并鉴定了9种次级代谢产物,其中4种是二酮哌嗪(Diketopiperazine,DKP)类信号分子,环(脯氨酸-甘氨酸)(1),环(脯氨酸-丙氨酸)(2),环(4-羟基-脯氨酸-亮氨酸)(3),环(脯氨酸-酪氨酸)(4),以及尿嘧啶(5),胸腺嘧啶(6),对羟基苯乙醇(7),十五烷酸(8),邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基己)酯(9)。研究结果表明,烟台海域污损微生物膜中细菌组成多样,以假交替单胞菌和芽孢杆菌为主;污损细菌产生了多种代谢物,其中包括4种DKP类信号分子,该类物质可能对生物污损的发生具有调控作用,为探究生物污损和生物膜的作用机制奠定了基础。     

Consolidation and creep behaviors of two typical marine clays in China

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the deformation characteristics of two typical marine clays obtained from Dalian and Shanghai, respectively, in China. Three kinds of laboratory tests, i.e. conventional oedometer tests, one-dimensional and triaxial creep tests were carried out. The results obtained from consolidation tests demonstrate linear v e ？ log？ relationships for Shanghai clay at normally consolidated state, while partly or even global non-linearrelationships for Dalian clay. The compression index c C for both clays follows the correlation of Cc=0.009（WL-10）where WL is the liquid limit of soil. The relationship between v log Kv （ Kv is the hydraulic conductivity of soil） and voidratio e is generally linear and the hydraulic conductivity change index kv C can be described by their initial void ratio forboth clays. The secondary compressibility of Dalian clay lies in medium to high range and is higher than that of Shanghaiclay which lies in the range of low to medium. Furthermore, based on drained triaxial creep tests, the stress-strain-timerelationships following Mesri＇s creep equation have been developed for Dalian and Shanghai clays which can predict thelong-term deformation of both clays reasonably well.     

福建深沪湾不同环境样品中总汞和甲基汞含量的分布

测定了福建省泉州深沪湾海水、沉积物和生物体中的总汞含量,测定了沉积物、生物体中的甲基汞含量.海水总汞含量范围是1.16 ～7.29 ng/dm3,平均值为3.32 ng/dm3.沉积物中总汞含量为0.006～0.066 μg/g,甲基汞占总汞的比例为4.7％ ～38.6％,该比例与总汞含量呈负相关关系(r=-0.840,p＜0.05),这可能是因为总汞含量的升高使甲基汞合成反应受到抑制,导致反应速率降低甚至为负,即甲基汞的分解.生物体中总汞含量为0.037 ～0.353 μg/g(干重),甲基汞含量为1.01 ～42.50 ng/g(干重),甲基汞占总汞的比例为1.5％ ～40.4％.甲基汞含量与总汞含量显著相关(r =0.484,p＜0.10);总汞含量与甲基汞占总汞比例略有相关(r=-0.293,p＜0.10);甲基汞含量与其占总汞比例无相关性(r=0.061,p＞0.05).可以推测,生物体中的总汞和甲基汞都是外源性的,不同生物体甲基汞占总汞的比例变化很大.对深沪湾居民进行海产品摄入量评估,以美国EPA规定的甲基汞参考计量0.1 μg/(kg·d)为标准,计算得深沪湾周边居民每周食用3次(600g)湾内的海产品是安全的,不会产生汞中毒.未来还需要测定海水中甲基汞的含量,用以计算生物富集因子,表征不同生物对甲基汞的富集程度;通过测定鱼体中的δ13C、δ15N比值来确定不同鱼类的营养级,进而研究甲基汞的生物累积效应与营养级的关系.