Biodiversity patterns of free-living marine nematodes in a tropical bay: Cienfuegos, Caribbean Sea

Spatial and temporal biodiversity patterns of free-living marine nematodes were studied in Cienfuegos Bay, a tropical semi-enclosed basin in the Caribbean Sea. Taxonomic (to species level) and functional (biological trait) approaches were applied for describing the assemblage structure and relating it to abiotic environment based on a sampling scheme in six subtidal stations and three months. Biological trait approach added relevant information to species pattern regarding relationships between diversity patterns and the abiotic environment. The most common morphotypes were deposit feeding nematodes, with colonising abilities of 2–3 (in a scale from 1 to 5), tail conical cylindrical or filiforme and body slender; and their abundance were correlated with depth, organic matter and silt/clay fraction. In spite of a high turnover of species, functional diversity of assemblages did not change notably in space and time. A result probably due to sampling of the habitat pool of species and to low heterogeneity of the studied muddy bottoms. Chemical pollution (organic enrichment and heavy metals) and hydrodynamic regime possibly drove the biodiversity patterns. Spatial distribution of assemblages support the existence of two well differentiated basins inside the bay, the northern basin more polluted than the southern one. The low hydrodynamic regime would determine a poor dispersion of nematodes resulting in high spatial variance in the assemblage structure; and also the associated hypoxic conditions and pollutants in sediments can explain the dominance of tolerant nematode species such as Daptonema oxycerca, Sabatieria pulchra, Terschellingia gourbaultae, and Terschellingia longicaudata. A comparison of spatial–temporal patterns of biodiversity between Cienfuegos Bay and other semi-enclosed bays in temperate regions suggests several similarities: nematode assemblages are strongly influenced by anthropogenic disturbance, temporal trends are weak or overridden by spatial ones, and few cosmopolitan genera/species tolerant to pollution and hypoxic conditions are dominant.     

Infaunal burrow ventilation and pore-water transport in muddy sediments

The ventilation of burrows by tube-dwelling benthos is understood to be important in determining rates of exchange of solutes between the sediment and overlying water. However, few models have attempted to link the burrow ventilation behavior of tube-dwelling organisms with their geochemical consequences. The classic cylinder model of bioirrigation in muddy sediments (Aller, R.C., 1980. Quantifying solute distributions in the bioturbated zone of marine sediments by defining an average microenvironment. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 44, 1955–1965) links pore-water processes and burrow sizes and distributions in the sediment by assuming that burrows are fully flushed. The equivalence between the cylinder model and the more commonly used one-dimensional non-local exchange model depends upon this assumption. However, this assumption has seldom been tested in the field. We have extended the cylinder model of bioirrigation to include burrow ventilation activities of organisms. Burrow ventilation is modeled as a simple non-local exchange of burrow water with overlying water. Model simulations indicate that burrow ventilation has a large effect on vertical profiles and fluxes of solute tracers. We collected data on burrow geometry in the field by CT-scanning freshly collected sediment cores. At the same study sites, we measured activity profiles of ²²²Rn, a naturally occurring radionuclide tracer of pore-water transport. With model geometry independently constrained, we tested the model by comparing our model-predicted profiles with measured profiles. Our results demonstrate that burrows in the field are not fully flushed. Our estimated burrow ventilation rates compare favorably with previous laboratory measurements. The inclusion of realistic burrow ventilation in this pore-water transport model strongly affects modeled solute profiles and fluxes. We demonstrate how model parameters can be determined from field samples and present a model that more realistically simulates pore-water transport processes in muddy sediments.     

Distribution and spatial variation of hydrothermal faunal assemblages at Lucky Strike (Mid-Atlantic Ridge) revealed by high-resolution video image analysis

Whilst the fauna inhabiting hydrothermal vent structures in the Atlantic Ocean is reasonably well known, less is understood about the spatial distributions of the fauna in relation to abiotic and biotic factors. In this study, a major active hydrothermal edifice (Eiffel Tower, at 1690 m depth) on the Lucky Strike vent field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR)) was investigated. Video transects were carried out by ROV Victor 6000 and complete image coverage was acquired. Four distinct assemblages, ranging from dense larger-sized Bathymodiolus mussel beds to smaller-sized mussel clumps and alvinocaridid shrimps, and two types of substrata were defined based on high definition photographs and video imagery. To evaluate spatial variation, faunal distribution was mapped in three dimensions. A high degree of patchiness characterizes this 11 m high sulfide structure. The differences observed in assemblage and substratum distribution were related to habitat characteristics (fluid exits, depth and structure orientation). Gradients in community structure were observed, which coincided with an increasing distance from the fluid exits. A biological zonation model for the Eiffel Tower edifice was created in which faunal composition and distribution can be visually explained by the presence/absence of fluid exits.     

福建兴化湾围填海湿地景观生态影响研究

基于遥感与GIS技术,运用景观生态学的原理与方法,选取景观特征指数,通过历史回顾和类比分析,从景观自然性和景观破碎化两个方面,分析了兴化湾围填海工程对湿地景观生态造成的影响及其生态效应.历史上兴化湾围填海工程造成滩涂湿地景观萎缩、景观自然性急剧下降,斑块面积缩小、斑块隔离程度增大、景观破碎化程度加剧;兴化湾围填海规划的实施,将使得兴化湾湿地景观生态人工化与破碎化的趋势进一步加剧,其最终后果将可能导致兴化湾生物多样性下降、生态服务功能严重衰退.     

基于非线性动力学模型的旅游生态容量分析

近年来,大量增加的游客给景区的旅游生态容量带来了较大的压力,矛盾日渐突出。为了实现景区的环境保护与可持续发展,研究游客活动量与景区旅游生态容量之间的关系是十分必要的。本文从非线性动力学观点出发,构建二者非线性动力学模型,并进行平衡态分析。研究结果表明:(1)系统要达到可持续发展,必须建立在景区环境的自我更新能力及人工恢复程度之和大于外界污染水平,且游客的增长率必须保持在较低水平的基础上;(2)景区旅游生态容量的承载力是有限的,所能容纳的游客也是有限的,超过一定的限度就会引起生态系统失衡。采取严格控制游客量,加强对景区内外环境的保护和改善、提升游客素养等措施,对于系统的协调发展至关重要。     

水生动物热休克蛋白研究进展

由于栖息环境的特殊性,水生动物热休克蛋白的诱导及其生态意义具有不同于陆生动物的特性.本文总结了近年来水生动物热休克蛋白方面的研究进展,介绍热休克蛋白的调节机制及其功能,归纳水生动物热休克蛋白对温度、环境污染和其他因子的反应,着重分析热休克蛋白表达在水生动物中热耐受性和交叉保护中的作用,及其对水生动物分布和适合度的影响.     

中国海相碳酸盐岩的储层类型、勘探领域及勘探战略

中国海相碳酸盐岩有效储层成因类型主要包括古风化壳岩溶储层、礁滩储层及层状白云岩储层三大类。陆上中—古生界盆地三类储层均有分布,海上第三系盆地主要发育礁滩储层。针对我国海相油气地质特别是陆上中—古生界油气成藏的复杂性,提出应该加强对勘探及认识程度相对较低的礁滩储层形成的原生岩性-成岩圈闭油气藏的研究与勘探工作。石灰岩古风化壳岩溶储层具有强烈的非均质性,白云岩储层的含油气性比较依赖于有效储盖组合及构造圈闭。鉴于我国海相油气资源潜力巨大、勘探程度较低,故应该加强海相油气资源特别是陆上主要盆地海相油气资源及南海油气资源的研究与勘探开发,尤其要加强层序地层及岩相古地理编图等基础油气地质研究工作。     

象山港大型底栖动物群落特征

2006年7月—2008年8月,对象山港全港海域设立的13个采样站位采集的调查资料,用物种丰富度指数、物种均匀度指数和物种多样性指数分析象山港大型底栖动物物种的多样性和群落种类的组成,以及采用ABC曲线方法和大型多元统计分析软件PRIMER5对象山港大型底栖动物进行Bray-Curtis相似性聚类分析和非度量MDS标序,研究象山港大型底栖动物群落结构。调查显示象山港大型底栖动物不同采样站位之间物种丰富度指数(d)、均匀度指数(J)、辛普森多样性指数(D)和香农-威纳多样性指数(H’)差异皆高度显著(P0.01)。群落结构聚类分析和MDS标序表明,13个采样站位的大型底栖动物群落大致可分为3组。根据所调查象山港大型底栖动物的丰度和生物量资料做的ABC曲线分析表明,该海域大型底栖动物群落受到了严重的环境污染或者扰动,逐渐由一种或几种个体较小的种类占优势。     

珠江口滨海湿地退化现状、原因及保护对策

2007年和2008年秋季对珠江口滨海湿地进行了环境现状综合调查,结果表明,珠江口滨海湿地退化主要表现在4个方面:天然湿地面积减少、湿地生产力不断下降、湿地环境状况持续恶化和湿地景观破碎化。珠江口滨海湿地退化的原因主要为滩涂开发与围填海、污染物排放、养殖污染、海平面上升、过度捕捞、海砂开采和港口码头建设以及水土资源开发等因素。滨海湿地保护与利用对策主要有:制定有关滨海湿地保护的法律法规和湿地保护与利用规划;加强人才队伍建设和滨海湿地有关技术研究;建立滨海湿地动态监测体系;加大滨海湿地保护区建设的力度;加强宣传和教育。     

鱼类摄食生态研究的理论及方法

综合分析了鱼类摄食生态研究的理论，方法及其应用中的诸多问题：胃含物分析法，营养生境及食物重叠，食物链与食物网，营养结构与营养级，摄食器官的形态特征与摄食行为的关系，食物选择以及生理生太因子对鱼类摄食的影响；提出了食物排序的概念、优势度指数Ｄ及其判定公式，并以此比较客观地建立了摄食生态相似的鱼类群落主次食物的划分标准。