Quantifying the environmental impacts of artisanal fishing gear on Kenya's coral reef ecosystems

The environmental impacts of artisanal fishing gear on coral reef ecosystems were studied in the multi-gear fishery of southern Kenya to evaluate which types of gear have the greatest impact on coral reef biodiversity. The gear types studied were large and small traps, gill nets, beach seines, hand lines and spear guns. Levels of coral damage, proportion of juvenile fish and discards, size and maturity stage at first capture were quantified and compared amongst the gear types. Results indicate that fishers using beach seines, spears and gill nets cause the most direct physical damage to corals. Spear fishers showed the highest number of contacts to live corals per unit catch followed by fishers using gill nets (12.6 ± 1.8 and 5.9 ± 2.0 coral contacts per kg fish caught per trip respectively). Apart from discarding 6.5% of their daily catch in the sea, as it was too small, beach seine fishers also landed the highest percentage of juvenile fish (68.4 ± 15.7%), a proportion significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in any other gear. The size and maturity stage at first capture for 150 of 195 species caught by all gear types was well below the lengths at which they mature. For example, 100% of Lethrinus xanthochilus, 99% of Lethrinus nebulosus and 94% of Lethrinus harak caught were juveniles. Across all gear types, 50.1 ± 22.7% of the catch consisted of juvenile fish, indicating serious growth overfishing. Field assessment of levels of coral density showed that fishing grounds where beach seines were still in use had a significantly lower density than where beach seining was not used. This correlation is likely to arise in part because seines cannot be used in the most coral rich areas, and in part because coral loss is a consequence of seine use. On a per gear basis therefore, beach seines had the most impact on coral reef biodiversity. This study emphasizes the need to enforce restrictions on destructive gear and mesh sizes.     

中东地区阿普特阶Shuaiba组碳酸盐岩沉积体系特征及模式探究

中东地区主力产油层系Shuaiba组的勘探及研究逐渐以地层岩性圈闭为主,笔者通过总结Bab盆地阿普特阶Shuaiba组沉积相类型,多油田地层格架及空间展布特征的对比,为系统恢复Shuaiba组沉积演化过程及模式提供地质依据。研究表明,阿普特阶Shuaiba组共发育开阔台地、台地边缘、台缘斜坡及盆地相4种沉积相单元和6种亚相类型,各相带单元受控于四个三级层序且沿Bab盆地周缘呈带状展布。开阔台地一侧,主要沉积了第二个三级层序对应的Lower Shuaiba地层;台地边缘往Bab台内盆地区域,则以第三和第四个三级层序对应的Upper Shuaiba地层为主。Shuaiba组生物礁、滩建造集中发育在第二个三级层序的高位域阶段,滩间海、缓坡及盆地相受控于海进和低位体系域。阿普特阶Shuaiba台地边缘生物建隆、台内浅滩在空间上相互叠置并成带展布,符合弱镶边型缓坡台地沉积模式,该类型台地具备深水陆棚性质的非常宽缓的斜坡,且缓坡往盆地一侧发育一个镶边台地边缘。     

Biodiversity Assessment of Mammal and Bird Species from Camera Trap Data in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve,Gansu Province,China

Camera traps serve as an important tool for monitoring species diversity. We used data from camera traps set for capturing snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in the Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu Province, China, to assess species richness with respect to mammal and birds species. We also assessed survey efficiency for species detection, and conducted an initial analysis of species interactions. The survey effort of 10, 171 camera workdays yielded 2, 868 suitable animal image events involving 17 mammal and 20 bird species. Among these, the dhole (Cuon alpinus) is considered to be Endangered, the snow leopard and white-lipped deer (Cervus albirostris) Vulnerable, and the Pallas’s cat (Feli smanul), mountain weasel (Mustela altaica), Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis) and cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) Near Threatened under the IUCN red list. Fourteen species were also listed as key protected wild animals according to China national standards. Both the rarefaction curves and richness estimators suggested our sampling for mammal and pheasant species is sufficient, while more survey efforts are still needed to detect other bird species. With a focus on the dominant species Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), occupancy models were used to estimate site use and detection probability for selected species, and to investigate predator-prey relationships between lynx on the one hand and woolly hare (Lepus oiostolus), pika (Ochotona spp.) and Tibetan partridge (Perdix hodgsoniae) on the other. We give recommendations on how to increase efficiency in camera-based species inventory and biodiversity monitoring.     

输导层和岩性圈闭中石油运移和聚集模拟实验研究

利用二维模型进行了输导层和岩性圈闭中石油运移与聚集模拟实验研究。结果表明：（１）地怪中的高渗透带是石油运移的主要通道,对油的运移和聚集构成重要的影响;（２）当上覆地层渗透性较大时,下部地层中的油可向上覆地层运移,并在运移过程中发生弥散和扩散作用,导致油的散失量增大;（３）油驱水过程中的排水过程滞后于注油过程,排出的水量并不随注油量加而线性增加,而是脉冲式变化。     

13C示踪技术在利玛原甲藻中腹泻性贝毒合成研究的应用

选取具有显著产毒差异的利玛原甲藻(Prorocentrum lima) SHG株与2XS株为研究对象,以2-¹³C-甘氨酸为示踪原料结合高分辨质谱方法,为腹泻性贝类毒素及其酯化态毒素合成与代谢途径的研究提供新方法和思路。结果表明,两株藻共发现16种腹泻性贝毒及其酯化态毒素成分。对照培养条件下SHG株(大田软海绵酸毒素含量为7.88 pg/cell,鳍藻毒素1含量为4.35 pg/cell)的产毒能力高于2XS株(大田软海绵酸毒素5.70pg/cell),而甘氨酸作为氮源培养条件可显著提高两株藻的产毒总量(P<0.05)。¹³C-甘氨酸标记组与甘氨酸培养组单细胞产毒量无显著变化(P>0.05)。腹泻性贝毒被标记后其同位素异构体丰度发生变化,其中酯化态受¹³C标记的影响程度更高,二级质谱图清晰表示出其碎片离子及脱水峰的标记情况。该方法直观阐明了甘氨酸可作为P. lima标记原料的产毒供体,并使用稳定同位素标记方法首次实现了酯化态的同步标记,有助于腹泻性贝毒生成机制的进一步研究。     

Seasonal insect emergence from three different temperate lakes

Knowing the aquatic resources, such as emerging insects, that are entering terrestrial systems is important for food web and conservation studies, especially when water availability or quality is limited. Even though studies concerning benthic macroinvertebrates are numerous, insect emergence from lakes is less studied.To understand if water parameters (e.g., water temperature, oxygen concentration etc) determine insect emergence and the possible seasonal differences, we collected emergent insects from three different lakes in South Germany, during three seasons. We searched for common patterns of insect emergence at the three lakes. Moreover, the relative contribution of insects of aquatic origin to aerial flying arthropods was assessed, with collecting aerial flying arthropods at the shore.Chironomidae constituted the highest number of emerged insects in all lakes, however different patterns of emergence occurred in each lake (unimodal vs. bimodal) with different season-dependent times for the emergence peaks (spring, summer, beginning of autumn). Aquatic insects constituted a considerable proportion (at least 17%) of the aerial flying arthropods at the shore. The variation in insect emergence was explained by water temperature, however not by other water parameters or the nutrient values. Seasonal and spatial differences in insect emergence, should be considered when investigating aquatic-terrestrial interactions and designing conservation plans. A total biomass of up to 1.8 g m⁻² of emerging insects from the littoral zone of Lake Constance can enter the terrestrial system in a year. We also provide length-dry weight relationships for emerged (adult) Chironomidae. These equations are useful to estimate the dry insect biomass from length data and currently such data lack for adult aquatic insects.     

A data‐based mechanistic modelling (DBM) approach to understanding dynamic sediment transmission through Wyresdale Park Reservoir,Lancashire, UK

This paper outlines the application of a new data‐based mechanistic (DBM) modelling methodology to the characterization of the sediment transmission dynamics in a small upland reservoir, Wyresdale Park, Lancashire. The DBM modelling strategy exploits advanced statistical procedures to infer the dynamic model structure and its associated parameters directly from the instrumented data, producing a parametrically efficient, continuous time, transfer function model which relates suspended sediment load at the reservoir inflow to the outflow at the event scale. The associated differential equation model parameters have physical attributes which can be interpreted in terms of sediment transmission processes and associated reservoir trap efficiency. Sedigraph analysis suggests that wind‐induced resuspension episodically supplies an additional load to the reservoir outlet. The stochastic nature of the DBM model makes it ideal for evaluating the effects of uncertainty through Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) for discharge and sediment transmission. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identifying the accidental-natural mortality of leporids in the archaeological record: insights from a taphonomical analysis of a pitfall without evidence of human presence

Leporids (Lagomorpha, Mammalia), especially the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), have been among the most abundant small game in western Europe since the Pleistocene. These animals are preferred prey for more than 40 predators, which increases the chances of finding their skeletal remains at archaeological or natural sites, and in particular karstic formations alternately occupied by Palaeolithic human societies and other predators. Moreover, specific eco-ethological characteristics for both species also offer the possibility to produce a substantial quantity of their bones accumulated by natural mortality without predation, making it more difficult to identify their origin in the fossil record. Despite this fact, the taphonomic signature of accidental-natural accumulations of leporids in karsts, such as pitfalls, has never been properly characterised. In order to address these issues, we carried out a detailed taphonomic study of leporid remains in a pitfall without any evidence of human activity, namely at Coulet des Roches (Monieux, Vaucluse, south-eastern France). At this site, leporids are the most abundant species throughout the Last Glacial Maximum sedimentary sequence. The bone accumulation was analysed in order to determine the most relevant criteria to identify a natural accumulation that results from the accidental fall of individuals in the pitfall. The relative proportions of each species are consistent with their current ethology, and their mortality profiles are compatible with the structure of a living natural population. The completeness rate of the different skeletal portions for both species is relatively high, bones are less fragmented and, unlike what might be expected, very few anatomical connections were preserved. The observed anatomical representation, breakage, and bone surface modification patterns are discussed and compared with available data concerning accumulations with predation. Taken together, the identified criteria contribute valuable help in the recognition of accidental mortality in the fossil record, as well as to evaluate the proportion of leporid bones accumulated naturally and those accumulated by predation, human or not, in a deposit.     

Horizontal water trap for measurement of aeolian sand transport

A new type of horizontal trap was developed for measuring the aeolian sand transport rate on a flat surface. The trap consists of an adjustable frame that is embedded level with the sand surface, into which a plastic liner is installed and filled with water to capture the blown sand. The water trap has high efficiency and does not disturb the wind field or induce upwind scour. Deployment on Padre Island, Texas, indicated that this portable and adjustable trap catches and retains all the sand blown into it, even under relatively strong wind. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.