Low reproductive success for copepods during a bloom of the non‐aldehyde‐producing diatom Cerataulina pelagica in the North Adriatic Sea

Egg production rates and/or hatching success in the copepods Acartia clausi, Calanus helgolandicus and Temora longicornis were negatively affected by a late spring (May–June 2003) phytoplankton bloom in the North Adriatic Sea, dominated mainly by the large diatom Cerataulina pelagica. Highest total concentrations of 3.3·10⁴ cells·ml^?1 were located in the vicinity of the Po River, which also corresponded to the area where the highest numbers of phaeophorbides were measured (0.779, 0.528 and 0.419 μg·l^?1, respectively, compared to an average of the remaining stations of 0.183 ± 0.049 SD), suggesting some grazing on the bloom. Phytoplankton biomass in terms of carbon was dominated by diatoms, representing on average 42% of total phytoplankton carbon and more than 80% at several stations. Cerataulina pelagica, Cyclotella spp., Chaetoceros spp. and small unidentified centric diatoms dominated the diatom community numerically but C. pelagica was by far the dominant diatom in terms of carbon due to its large cell size. This species represented more than 60% of the diatom biomass at nine of the 14 stations sampled, and was absent only at one station, which was the most offshore station sampled during the cruise. Although polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) were not detected, other oxylipins which are hydroxy and keto derivatives of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids that affect copepod reproduction were found in these samples. Hence, we can attribute the negative impact of diatoms not only to PUAs, as previously believed, but also to these compounds. This is the first direct evidence of the presence of oxylipins other than PUAs in marine blooms dominated by diatoms.     

A case study of sewage discharge in the shallow coastal area of the Northern Adriatic Sea (Gulf of Trieste)

A case study was carried out in 2000 in the shallow coastal area of the Northern Adriatic Sea (Gulf of Trieste) where untreated domestic sewage and industrial wastes are discharged at rate of 5500 m³·day^?1. The sewage plume above the outfall was followed using faecal coliforms (FC) and overturning length scale (l_T). The latter was rejected as a marker as the discharge conditions prohibit following the turbulence of sewage water. Intermittent sewage discharge is reflected in the minimal effect of eutrophication. Increase of phytoplankton biomass is thus only minor compared with the unpolluted area regardless of elevated concentrations of sewage‐derived nutrients (confirmed by correlation coefficients between FC and NH₄⁺, TP, PO₄^3?: 0.78, 0.71 and 0.67, respectively). Deteriorated trophic status, determined by the TRIX index, was observed only in the surface layer (average TRIX: 5.67). High FC content well above the regulation limit (up to 2.6 × 10⁵ FC·100 ml^?1) represents, therefore, the major negative impact of the improperly treated waste for the risk to human health.     

Structure and photosynthetic properties of phytoplankton assemblages in a highly dynamic system, the Northern Adriatic Sea

The photosynthetic properties of phytoplankton populations as related to physical–chemical variations on small temporal and spatial scales and to phytoplankton size structure and pigment spectra were investigated in the Northern Adriatic Sea off the Po River delta in late winter 1997. Large diatoms (fucoxanthin) dominated the phytoplankton in the coastal area whereas small phytoflagellates (mainly 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, chlorophyll b, 19′-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin) occurred outside the front. The front was defined by the steep gradient in density in the surface layer separating low-salinity coastal waters from the offshore waters.Physical features of the area strongly influenced phytoplankton biomass distributions, composition and size structure. After high volumes of Po River discharge several gyres and meanders occurred in the area off the river delta in February. Decreasing river discharge and the subsequent disappearance of the gyres and the spreading dilution of the river plume was observed in March. The dynamic circulation of February resulted in high photosynthetic capacity of the abundant phytoplankton population (>3.40 mg m⁻³). In March, the slow circulation and an upper low-salinity water layer, segregated from the deeper layers, resulted in lack of renewal of this water mass. The huge phytoplankton biomass, up to 15.77 mg chl a m⁻³, became nutrient depleted and showed low photosynthetic capacity. In February, an exceptionally high P_max^B, 20.11 mg C (mg chl a)⁻¹ h⁻¹ was recorded in the Po River plume area and average P_max^B was three-fold in February as compared to the March recordings, 10.50 mg C (mg chl a)⁻¹ h⁻¹ and 3.22 mg C (mg chl a)⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively.The extreme variability and values of phytoplankton biomass in the innermost plume area was not always reflected in primary production. Modeling of circulation patterns and water mass resilience in the area will help to predict phytoplankton response and biomass distributions. In the frontal area, despite a considerable variability in environmental conditions, our findings have shown that the phytoplankton assemblages will compensate for nutrient depression and hydrographic constraints, by means of size and taxonomic composition and, as a result, the variability in the photosynthetic capacity was much less pronounced than that observed for other parameters.     

Inter-annual variability in phytoplankton summer blooms in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary (Belgium)

The inter-annual variability in phytoplankton summer blooms in the upper reaches of the Schelde estuary was investigated between 1996 and 2005 by monthly sampling at 10 stations. The large inter-annual variations of the chlorophyll a concentration in the freshwater tidal reaches were independent from variations in chlorophyll a in the tributary river Schelde. Summer mean chlorophyll a concentrations were significantly negatively correlated with flushing rate (Spearman correlation: r = −0.67, p = 0.05, n = 9) but not with temperature, irradiance and suspended particulate matter or dissolved silica (DSi) concentrations. During dry summers, low flushing rates permitted the development of dense phytoplankton populations in the upper part of the estuary, while during wet summers high flushing rates prevented the development of dense phytoplankton blooms. Flushing rate was also found to be important for the phytoplankton community composition. At low flushing rates, the community was dominated by diatoms that developed within the upper estuary. At high flushing rates, chlorophytes imported from the tributary river Schelde became more important in the phytoplankton community. The position of the chlorophyll a maximum shifted from the head of the estuary when flushing rates were low, to more downstream when flushing rates were high. Although DSi concentrations tended to be lower during years of high phytoplankton (mainly diatom) biomass, the relation with flushing rate was not significant.     

Spatial partitioning between species of the phytoplankton-feeding guild on an estuarine intertidal sand flat and its implication on habitat carrying capacity

The fishery yield of Manila clams, Ruditapes philippinarum, increased considerably in the 1970s but has decreased rapidly since the middle 1980s on extensive intertidal sand flats in Ariake Sound (Kyushu, Japan). A survey conducted in 2004 on a 3.4-km² sand flat located in the central part of the Sound (Shirakawa sand flat) revealed four dominant species: two thalassinidean shrimps (Upogebia major and Nihonotrypaea japonica), which are deep-reaching burrow dwellers with strong bioturbation activities, and two bivalves (Mactra veneriformis and R. philippinarum). All four species belong to a phytoplankton (diatom)-feeding guild. In the late 1970s, the Manila clam population prevailed in high densities over the entire sand flat, whereas its distribution was restricted to the lowest quarter of the shore in 2004. In contrast, the population sizes and zones of occurrence of the other phytoplankton feeders have expanded in the absence of R. philippinarum, perhaps an indication of competitive release. After establishment, effects of the thalassinidean shrimps on sediment stability appear to have further reduced clam abundances. Across the sand flat in 2004, wet weight population biomass estimates for N. japonica, U. major, M. veneriformis, and R. philippinarum (whole body for shrimps and soft tissue for bivalves) were 304, 111, 378, and 234 tonnes, respectively. Based on Manila clam fishery yield records from Shirakawa, the carrying capacity of the Shirakawa sand flat in the late 1970s was estimated to be two times greater than the sum value for the whole phytoplankton-feeding guild in 2004. It is hypothesized that (1) the amount of phytoplankton determines the carrying capacity for the benthic community on the Shirakawa sand flat, with both phytoplankton and benthic biomass at maxima in the late 1970s, and (2) the subsequent increases in competition for space have caused further declines in the Manila clam population biomass to approximately one-eighth of its past value.     

Distribution of phytoplankton community in relation to environmental parameters in cage culture area of Sepanggar Bay,Sabah, Malaysia

This paper covers spatial and temporal variation in phytoplankton communities and physico-chemical water properties in the cage culture area of Sepanggar Bay, Sabah, Malaysia based on field measurement conducted during July 2005 to January 2006 to study the spatial and temporal variation in phytoplankton communities and physico-chemical water properties of the bay. Phytoplankton samples and water parameters data were collected from five different stations located inside the bay during Southwest, Interseasonal and Northeast monsoons. Forty phytoplankton genera, representatives of 23 families, were found in the study area with a mean abundance of 1.55 ± 1.19 × 10⁶ cells L⁻¹. Most of these genera belong to diatoms (82.17%), Dinoflagellates (17.55%) and cyanobacteria (0.29%). Three genera were found to be dominant (>10%) in phytoplankton abundance and these were Coscinodiscus spp. (36.38%), Chaetoceros spp (17.65%) and Bacteriastrum spp. (10.98%). The most dominant genus was Coscinodiscus spp. which showed high abundance during all monsoons and stations (except Station 3). Among the seven environmental parameters tested in this study, water temperature, pH and suspended sediment concentration were found to be significantly different between monsoons. On the other hand, no significant differences were found between stations for the studied physico-chemical parameters. A clear differences in phytoplankton densities were observed between monsoons and stations with higher mean abundances during interseasonal monsoon (2.40 ± 1.37 × 10⁶ cells L⁻¹) and at station five (2.05 ± 0.74 × 10⁶ cells L⁻¹), respectively. Conversely, the diversity indices, both Shannon–Wiener (H^′)$\left(H^{\prime }\right)$ and Pielou (J^′)$\left(J^{\prime }\right)$, showed no significant difference throughout stations and monsoons (except (H^′)$\left(H^{\prime }\right)$ for monsoons). Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) results demonstrated temporal differences in phytoplankton community structure with highly diverse phytoplankton assemblage. Through cluster analysis five groups of phytoplankton were attained (at 40% similarity level) though no marked separation of the taxonomic classes pointed towards the constant pattern of the phytoplankton assemblage in the studied area.     

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。     

浅议地籍图形管理系统的开发

针对地籍管理的特点,分析了地籍图形管理系统所应具备的功能,详细介绍了地籍图形管理系统的各个功能模块.     

Possibility of recent changes in vertical distribution and size composition of chlorophyll-a in the western North Pacific region

Our analysis of the last three decades of retrospective data of vertical distributions and size composition of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) over the western North Pacific has revealed significant changes of three indices related to Chl-a during summer season, as follows: (1) decreasing linear trend of the proportion of Chl-a in surface layer to that of the whole water column by 0.4 and 2.3% year⁻¹ in the subtropical area along 137°E (STA₁₃₇) during 1972 to 1997 and in the Kuroshio Extension area along 175°E (KEA₁₇₅) during 1990 to 2001; (2) increasing linear trend of the depth of subsurface Chl-a maximum (DCM) by 0.4 and 2.6 m year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅; and (3) decreasing linear trend of larger-size Chl-a (>3 μm) by 0.1 and 2.5% year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅, respectively. Water density (σ _θ ) at 75 m depth had also decreased by 0.006 and 0.05 year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅, respectively. The ratio of biogenic opal to biogenic CaCO₃ in the sinking flux decreased by 0.015 year⁻¹ in the subtropical region from 1997 to 2005. These findings may indicate that the subsurface chlorophyll maximum is deepening and larger phytoplankton such as diatoms has been decreasing during the past decade, associated with the decreasing density of surface water caused by warming in the western North Pacific, especially in the summer.