Reef fishes recruited at midwater coral nurseries consume biofouling and reduce cleaning time in Seychelles,Indian Ocean

In coral reef restoration, coral gardening involves rearing coral fragments in underwater nurseries prior to transplantation. These nurseries become fish-aggregating devices and attract biofouling. We hypothesised that: (1) the presence of corals at a nursery is critical to recruit fish assemblages and (2) the recruited fish assemblages control biofouling, reducing person-hours invested in nursery cleaning. Three midwater coral nurseries were deployed at 8?m depth for 27 months within the marine protected area of Cousin Island Special Reserve, Seychelles, Indian Ocean. Each nursery consisted of a 6?m×6?m PVC pipe frame, layered with a recycled 5.5-cm-mesh tuna net. Human cleaning effort was calculated based on daily dive logs. Nursery-associated fish assemblages and behaviour were video-recorded prior to harvesting corals after a 20-month growth period and seven months post-coral harvesting. The density (ind. m–2) of blue-yellow damselfish Pomacentrus caeruleus was 12–16 times higher when corals were present than when corals were absent at the nurseries. Fish assemblages recruited into the nurseries included three trophic levels, from herbivores to omnivores, in six families: Ephippidae, Pomacentridae, Labridae (Scarinae), Gobiidae, Siganidae and Monacanthidae. Higher abundance of large fish (total number of individuals) resulted in 2.75 times less person-hours spent in nursery cleaning. These results have important implications for cost-effective coral reef restoration.     

砾石堤坝和多孔方型鱼礁消浪护滩的试验研究——以北戴河西海滩为例

本文通过物理模型试验,研究了砾石堤坝、多孔方型鱼礁、堤坝+鱼礁等不同防护措施对岸滩的保护作用。通过测量不同防护措施的波浪透射系数、输沙率、水下坡度角及床面地形变化,并与无防护措施的工况进行对比,结果发现：不同试验条件下堤坝+鱼礁工况的透射系数仅为0.21～0.36,对波浪具有显著的消减作用;同一水位不同防护措施下的输沙率由大变小依次为：堤坝、堤坝+鱼礁、无工程、鱼礁;堤坝迎浪面的水下坡度角随极限波高呈现先增大、后减小的趋势,堤坝工况的水下坡度角约是堤坝+鱼礁工况的2～4倍;对于近岸的地形恢复,堤坝+鱼礁工况的效果比较明显,且对岸滩附近的侵蚀较少。堤坝+鱼礁的防护措施可明显减小波浪的透射系数,增加向岸输沙率,对恢复近岸地形、保护岸滩有显著作用。     

南沙珊瑚礁区波纹钩鳞鲀(Balistapus undulatus)食性和营养级分析

波纹钩鳞鲀(Balistapus undulatus)是一种在热带珊瑚礁海域中广泛分布的杂食性鱼类, 研究其自然环境中的食物组成有助于了解其食物来源及其在生态系统中的功能地位。但目前的认识仅限于他们是珊瑚礁区的海胆捕食者, 对其准确的食物组成和生态功能定位尚不清晰。本研究于2017年夏季在南沙珊瑚礁区采集了波纹钩鳞鲀样品, 通过特异性引物扩增波纹钩鳞鲀消化道中的线粒体细胞色素C氧化酶亚基Ⅰ(COⅠ)基因, 以高通量测序技术分析了其现场食物组成, 并测定了碳、氮稳定同位素以分析其营养级。研究结果显示, 波纹钩鳞鲀摄食的食物种类有13种, 分属于节肢动物门(Arthropoda)、脊索动物门(Chordata)和环节动物门(Annelida)。其中最主要的食物来源是节肢动物门扇蟹科的蟹类, 如滑面蟹(Etisus sp.)、Luniella pubescens、皱纹花瓣蟹(Liomera rugata)等, 分别占61.8%、6.7%和1.8%。鱼类也有一定的贡献, 占总食物序列的23.5%。同位素结果显示其营养级为3.71±0.07, 与分子检测的结果相符。研究结果表明波纹钩鳞鲀的主要食物是小型甲壳类动物以及植食性鹦嘴鱼, 这拓展了以往对波纹钩鳞鲀所扮演生态角色的认识。     

象山港人工鱼礁投放对大型底栖动物群落结构的影响

为探明人工鱼礁生境中底栖生物群落结构的组成情况,评估人工鱼礁投放的生态修复效果,根据2006—2007年4季象山港全港区以及2010年4季人工鱼礁区和邻近区的调查资料,对比分析了3个不同区域大型底栖动物群落的差异。共鉴定出大型底栖动物116种,其中多毛类46种,软体动物35种,甲壳类18种,棘皮动物6种,其他类11种,各区域大型底栖动物的主要类群均为多毛类和软体动物。大型底栖动物密度、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Margalef丰富度指数表现为邻近区鱼礁区全港区,生物量为鱼礁区邻近区全港区。双因子方差分析结果表明:区域间,大型底栖动物种类数、密度、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Pielou均匀度指数和Margalef丰富度指数均存在显著性差异,生物量无显著性差异;季节间,大型底栖动物种类数和密度存在显著性差异,其余参数均无显著性差异。非度量多维尺度排序分析结果显示,鱼礁区和邻近区的大型底栖动物群落相似度较高,而与全港区的相似度较低。相似性百分比进一步揭示,鱼礁区和邻近区大型底栖动物群落间的平均非相似性为77.19%,不倒翁虫(Sternaspis scutata)为造成群落间差异的重要贡献物种;鱼礁区和全港区群落间的平均非相似性高达91.34%,不倒翁虫、薄云母蛤(Yoldia similis)、纵肋织纹螺(Nassarius variciferus)和洼颚倍棘蛇尾(Amphioplus depressus)为重要贡献物种;邻近区和全港区大型底栖动物群落间的平均非相似性也高达91.47%,不倒翁虫、薄片镜蛤(Dosinia laminata)和薄云母蛤为重要贡献物种。双因素相似性分析结果表明,人工鱼礁区、邻近区和全港区大型底栖动物群落季节间存在显著性差异,但区域间无显著性差异。不同区域两两间检验结果表明,人工鱼礁区和全港区的大型底栖动物群落存在显著性差异,人工鱼礁区和邻近区以及邻近区和全港区均无显著性差异。研究结果表明,象山港白石山群岛海域人工鱼礁的投放对大型底栖动物群落结构影响显著,但影响范围局限于人工鱼礁区附近。     

Constraints and solutions for managing Pacific Island sea cucumber fisheries with an ecosystem approach

The ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) is a holistic paradigm that considers stocks of exploitable species, marine ecosystems and stakeholders. Management agencies must strike a balance between their capacity constraints and the requisites of management measures. Most small-scale sea cucumber fisheries of Pacific Islands have been plundered while others are being opened to commercial exploitation. Data from fishery managers and a regional workshop were used to assess the current problems, institutional constraints and solutions to the management of sea cucumber fisheries in 13 Pacific Island countries (PICs). Technical capacity was often strong for some management actions such as developing marine reserves but weak for others, such as enforcement. Using multi-disciplinary indicators, half of the fisheries were diagnosed by their managers as being overfished or depleted, despite evidence of optimistic bias. Fishery governance varied greatly among the PICs, and co-management frameworks were not typical of any cultural region. Management objectives were prioritised differently among managers but most highly ranked was to protect ecological resilience. The fishery managers proposed different sets of regulatory measures and various management actions, such as surveys to collect socio-economic and fishery-dependent data, support for local governance and strong enforcement – all widely under-practised. Pacific sea cucumber fisheries exemplify how the transition to an EAF by management institutions must involve reorganisation of their technical and human-resource capacities among management tasks. Levies on exports need to be internalised to fund improved management. Management agencies should consider a shift in resources from developing marine reserves, conducting underwater surveys and aquaculture-based restocking to strengthening enforcement capacity, stakeholder involvement and communication with fishers. In concert with these actions, short fishing seasons, shortlists of allowable species and tighter enforcement at export points may serve to turn the tide on boom-and-bust exploitation and safeguard biodiversity.     

The co-location of offshore windfarms and decapod fisheries in the UK: Constraints and opportunities

The offshore wind sector in the UK is expanding rapidly and is set to occupy significant areas of the coastal zone, making it necessary to explore the potential for co-location with other economic activities. The presence of turbine foundations introduces hard substrates into areas previously dominated by soft sediments, implying that artificial reef effects may occur, with potential benefits for fisheries. This review focuses on the possibilities for locating fisheries for two commercially important decapods, the brown crab Cancer pagurus and the European lobster Homarus gammarus, within offshore wind farms.Existing understanding of habitat use by C. pagurus and H. gammarus suggests that turbine foundations have the potential to act as artificial reefs, although the responses of these species to noise and electromagnetic fields are poorly understood. Offshore wind farm monitoring programmes provide very limited information, but do suggest that adult C. pagurus associate with turbine foundations, which may also serve as nursery areas. There was insufficient deployment and monitoring of rock armouring to draw conclusions about the association of H. gammarus with offshore wind farm foundations. The limited information currently available demonstrates the need for further research into the ecological and socio-economic issues surrounding fishery co-location potential.     

珠江口盆地东沙隆起生物礁地质及地震特征

东沙隆起珠江组生物礁是珠江口盆地重要的储层类型,礁灰岩主要为珊瑚藻灰岩,分为骨架岩、粘结岩及障积岩。研究区生物礁发育于开阔台地、台地边缘及台地前缘斜坡3类沉积相中,生物礁类型可分为台内点礁、台地边缘堡礁及台缘斜坡塔礁,以台地边缘堡礁为主。珠江组沉积早期,东沙隆起发育滨岸砂质沉积;中期海水逐渐淹没东沙隆起,形成镶边浅水碳酸盐台地,发育生物礁;晚期海侵台地逐渐淹没消亡,被浅海陆棚泥质沉积代替。流花台地厚度最大,最厚达563m,台地顶面地震强反射使外形轮廓清晰,台地内部中-弱振幅至空白反射,连续性降低;惠州台地厚度较流花台地薄,厚度多大于100m,顶界面强反射轮廓清晰,内部层状反射能量强-中振幅、高-中连续、中-低频,局部空白反射;陆丰台地厚约30m,只有一个高连续的强振幅。生物礁地震响应以丘形、箱型、低丘-透镜状为特征,礁顶常为强振幅,内部为波状、有时见前积结构,翼部可见上超和披覆现象等。     

A Middle Miocene carbonate embankment on an active volcanic slope: Ilhéu de Baixo,Madeira Archipelago,Eastern Atlantic

Carbonate factories on insular oceanic islands in active volcanic settings are poorly explored. This case study illuminates marginal limestone deposits on a steep volcanic flank and their recurring interruption by deposits linked to volcaniclastic processes. Historically known as Ilhéu da Cal (Lime Island), Ilhéu de Baixo was separated from Porto Santo, in the Madeira Archipelago, during the course of the Quaternary. Here, extensive mines were tunnelled in the Miocene carbonate strata for the production of slaked lime. Approximately 10 000 m³ of calcarenite (−1 to 1ø) was removed by hand labour from the Blandy Brothers mine at the south end of the islet. Investigations of two stratigraphic sections at opposite ends of the mine reveal that the quarried material represents an incipient carbonate ramp developed from east to west and embanked against the flank of a volcanic island. A petrographic analysis of limestones from the mine shows that coralline red algae from crushed rhodoliths account for 51% of all identifiable bioclasts. This material was transported shoreward and deposited on the ramp between normal wave base and storm wave base at moderate depths. The mine's roof rocks are formed by Surtseyan deposits from a subsequent volcanic eruption. Volcaniclastic density flows also are a prevalent factor interrupting renewed carbonate deposition. These flows arrived downslope from the north and gradually steepened the debris apron westwards. Slope instability is further shown by a coral rudstone density flow that followed from growth of a coral reef dominated by Pocillopora madreporacea (Lamarck), partial reef collapse, and transport from a more easterly direction into a fore‐reef setting. The uppermost facies represents a soft bottom at moderate depths in a quiet, but shore‐proximal setting. Application of this study to a broader understanding of the relationship between carbonate and volcaniclastic deposition on oceanic islands emphasizes the susceptibility of carbonates to dilution and complete removal by density flows of various kinds, in contrast to the potential for preservation beneath less‐disruptive Surtseyan deposits. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sea-level and reef accretion history of Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 7 and late Stage 5 based on age and facies of submerged late Pleistocene reefs,Oahu, Hawaii

In situ Pleistocene reefs form a gently sloping nearshore terrace around the island of Oahu. TIMS Th–U ages of in situ corals indicate that most of the terrace is composed of reefal limestones correlating to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7, ~ 190–245 ka). The position of the in situ MIS 7 reef complex indicates that it formed during periods when local sea level was ~ 9 to 20 m below present sea level. Its extensiveness and geomorphic prominence as well as a paucity of emergent in situ MIS 7 reef-framework deposits on Oahu suggest that much of MIS 7 was characterized by regional sea levels below present. Later accretion along the seaward front of the terrace occurred during the latter part of MIS 5 (i.e., MIS 5a–5d, ~ 76–113 ka). The position of the late MIS 5 reefal limestones is consistent with formation during a period when local sea level was below present. The extensiveness of the submerged Pleistocene reefs around Oahu compared to the relative dearth of Holocene accretion is due to the fact that Pleistocene reefs had both more time and more accommodation space available for accretion than their Holocene counterparts.     

Paleoenvironmental setting and description of an estuarine oyster reef in the Eocene of Patagonia,southern Argentina

A middle Eocene Crassostrea sp. reef near Río Turbio, southwestern Patagonia (Argentina), represents the earliest record of an oyster reef associated with estuarine facies in the southern hemisphere, and also one of the few known worldwide occurring in Paleogene rocks. The reef grew in an outer estuary environment subject to periodic changes in salinity and may have reached a maturing phase. The Río Turbio reef – by its dimensions, geometry, and substrate lithology– would have been located in a tidal channel convergence area. This reef provides new evidence suggesting that estuaries served as refuges for Crassostrea populations allowing them to disperse into fully marine environments many times throughout the Cenozoic.