The effects of stock size and environmental variability on Cape hake recruitment in Namibia: an unsolved puzzle (a comment on Kainge et al. 2013)

Measuring and forecasting recruitment are central to the understanding and management of fish stocks. Kainge et al. (2013) studied the effect of spawning stock size and environmental fluctuations on the recruitment levels of the Cape hake Merluccius capensis in Namibia. However, their study contains some flaws that undermine the conclusion that Cape hake recruitment is under the influence of upwelling in summer. Until those flaws are properly addressed, this conclusion, in our view, should be treated with caution.     

Age and growth of Cape stumpnose Rhabdosargus holubi (Pisces: Sparidae) in the Eastern Cape,South Africa

Rhabdosargus holubi is a small (maximum weight=2.4?kg) yet important fishery species in the estuaries of the south-east coast of South Africa. Little is known of its biology and specifically its growth rate, which is essential for sustainable management of the fishery. We examined and counted the opaque zones in the sectioned otoliths of 134 R. holubi to determine its age and growth parameters. The otoliths from two recaptured fish marked with oxytetracycline confirmed that one opaque zone was deposited annually. The species reached a maximum age of 18 years and growth was adequately described by a von Bertalanffy growth function of the form: L_t = 358.1 (1 – e^{?0.24(t+0.77)}) mm fork length. There were no significant differences between any of the male and female growth parameters (likelihood ratio test: p = 0.3). The growth was slow (omega index: ω = 86.56); however, despite this, the unique life history of R. holubi may provide a degree of resilience to heavy fishing pressure in estuaries.     

不同底质对方斑东风螺生长及存活的影响

比较了自然沙、棕色陶粒、白色陶粒、70%棕色陶粒+30%贝壳砂、贝壳砂等5种底质材料及空白对照组(无底质),对体质量为0.193 g±0.03 g的方斑东风螺生长、存活、摄食以及培育过程中水质的影响。结果表明,白色陶粒组的存活率为80%,显著低于其他各组(P0.05);棕色陶粒组的体质量特定生长率最高(4.31%/d),且显著优于白色陶粒组和对照组(P0.05);棕色陶粒处理组方斑东风螺的饵料转化效率显著高于白色陶粒组和空白对照组;水质中总氨氮、亚硝酸氮和COD均呈上升趋势,各组之间差异不显著。     

高分辨率青藏高原历史月降水数据重建

青藏高原对全球气候研究具有重要意义,而降水数据对水文、气象和生态等领域的研究也至关重要,且随着研究内容和尺度的变化,对高时空分辨率的历史降水数据的需求越发迫切。本文基于TRMM 3B43降水数据,采用随机森林算法,引入归一化植被指数(AVHRR NDVI)、高程(SRTM DEM)、坡度、坡向、经度、纬度6个地理因子,建立历史降水重建模型,获得1982-1997年分辨率为0.0833°的青藏高原年降水数据,然后根据比例系数法计算出月降水数据。为提高精度,利用站点数据对月降水数据进行校正。结果表明,该方法能简单有效地获得高时空分辨率的历史降水数据,决定系数R²大部分在0.4~0.9之间,平均值为0.6767,其中夏季效果最好,冬季效果最差;均方根误差RMSE和平均绝对误差MAE均在50 mm以下,RMSE均值为22.66 mm,MAE均值为15.97 mm;偏差Bias较小,基本在0.0~0.1之间。     

盐度对日本鳗鲡生长及非特异性免疫酶活性的影响

利用实验生态学和酶学方法,在浙江省海洋水产养殖研究所清江试验场研究了盐度对平均体长为25．1±5．6cm的日本鳗鲡（Anguillajaponica）生长及其血清溶茵酶（LZM）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）及碱性磷酸酶（AKP）活性的影响,实验持续60d．实验设置了5个盐度梯度（盐度5、10、15、20、25）和对照组（盐度0）,每梯度设3个平行组,各组盐度和pH值保持一致．日本鳗鲡血清中免疫酶活力指标：碱性磷酸酶、溶茵酶、超氧化物歧化酶在实验的第7天和第14天测定．实验结果表明,盐度5组相对增重率最高（279．78％±28．37％）,其次是盐度10组（278．74％±22．25％）,盐度15、20、25组相对增重率分别为234．39％±21．28％、230．28％±26．31％、228．01％±29．29％．对照组相对增重率为233．20％-4-25．18％,盐度5和10组与对照组差异显著（P〈0．05）,其余各组与对照组差异不显著．第7天和第14天,盐度10组碱性磷酸酶活性最高,分别为225．05U／dm。和251．11U／dm’,其次是盐度5组,分别为221．76U／dm。和236．01U／dm。,显著高于对照组（P〈0．05）．第7天和第14天盐度20、25组溶菌酶活性显著高于对照组（P〈0．01）．超氧化物歧化酶随着盐度的升高呈逐步上升趋势．第14天,盐度20、25纽溶菌酶活性仍保持较高水平,SOD回落至对照组水平,而各组AKP较第7天略有上升．     

低温对不同规格刺参幼参生长与耗氧率的影响

采用实验生态学方法, 选取（0.50±0.07）g（A）、（2.53±0.42）g（B）、（23.87±2.46）g（C）3 种不同规格的刺参（Apostichopus japonicus Selenta）幼参, 设置6℃（I）、8℃（II）、10℃（III）、13℃（IV）4 个不同温度处理组, 分析比较了低温对工厂...     

Interaction of solitary waves with emergent, rigid vegetation

In this study, solitary wave interaction with emergent, rigid vegetation was studied numerically and experimentally. Laboratory experiments were carried out in a wave flume with vegetation models of different lengths and porosities; the Boussinesq equations with the effects of the vegetation being modeled by a quadratic drag law are used to simulate the wave scattering by and the wave propagation through vegetation. Effects of incident wave height, vegetation density, and vegetation length are discussed. An empirical expression for the mean drag coefficient of emergent, rigid vegetation is presented and compared with other available data. The results are useful for studying tsunami hazard mitigation by coastal forests.     

Upstream dams and downstream clams: growth rates of bivalve mollusks unveil impact of river management on estuarine ecosystems (Colorado River Delta, Mexico)

We studied how the extensive diversion of Colorado River water, induced by dams and agricultural activities of the last 70 years, affected the growth rates of two abundant bivalve mollusk species (Chione cortezi and Chione fluctifraga) in the northern Gulf of California. Shells alive on the delta today (‘Post-dam’ shells) grow 5.8–27.9% faster than shells alive prior to the construction of dams (‘Pre-dam’ shells). This increase in annual shell production is linked to the currently sharply reduced freshwater influx to the Colorado River estuary. Before the upstream river management, lower salinity retarded growth rates in these bivalves. Intra-annual growth rates were 50% lower during spring and early summer, when river flow was at its maximum. Growth rates in Chione today are largely controlled by temperature and nutrients; prior to the construction of dams and the diversion of the Colorado River flow, seasonal changes in salinity played an important role in regulating calcification rates.Our study employs sclerochronological (growth increment analysis) and geochemical techniques to assess the impact of reduced freshwater influx on bivalve growth rates in the Colorado River estuary. A combination of both techniques provides an excellent tool to evaluate the impact of river management in areas where no pre-impact studies were made.