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.     

Lower and Middle Ordovician conodonts of Laurentian affinity from blocks of limestone in the Rosroe Formation,South Mayo Trough,western Ireland and their palaeogeographic implication

The Middle Ordovician Rosroe Formation consists of some 1350 m of coarse, mainly siliciclastic to volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks, deposited in a submarine fan environment, and is restricted to the southern limb of the South Mayo Trough, western Ireland. Discrete allochthonous blocks, reaching 5 m in size, are present in the formation at several localities. Conodonts recovered from these blocks, collected from two separate locations, are of late Early and mid Mid Ordovician age. The conodonts have high conodont‐alteration indices (CAI 5) indicative of temperatures as high as 300^o to max. 480 °C; some found in the Lough Nafooey area have abnormally high indices (CAI 6), which correspond to temperatures of about 360^o to max. 550 °C. The oldest fauna is dominated by Periodon aff. aculeatus and characterized by Oepikodus evae typical of the Oepikodus evae Zone (Floian Stage; Stage Slices Fl2–3, Lower Ordovician). The younger conodont assemblage, characterized by Periodon macrodentatus associated with Oistodella pulchra, is referred to the P. macrodentatus conodont Biozone (lower Darriwilian; Stage Slices Dw1–2). The Rosroe conodont assemblages are of Laurentian affinity; comparable faunas are well known from several locations along the east to south‐eastern platform margin of Laurentia and the Notre Dame subzone of central Newfoundland, Canada. The faunal composition from the limestone blocks suggests a shelf edge to slope (or fringing carbonate) setting. The faunal assemblages are coeval with, respectively, the Tourmakeady Formation (Floian–Dapingian) and Srah Formation (Darriwilian) in the Tourmakeady Volcanic Group in the eastern part of the South Mayo Trough and probably are derived from the same or similar laterally equivalent short‐lived carbonate successions that accumulated at offshore ‘peri‐Laurentian’ islands, close to and along the Laurentian margin. During collapse of the carbonate system in the late Mid Ordovician, the blocks were transported down a steep slope and into deep‐water by debris flows, mixing with other rock types now found in the coarse polymict clastics of the Rosroe Formation. The faunas fill the stratigraphical ‘gap’ between the Lower Ordovician Lough Nafooey Volcanic Group and the upper Middle Ordovician Rosroe Formation in the South Mayo Trough and represent a brief interval conducive to carbonate accumulation in an otherwise siliciclastic‐ and volcaniclastic‐dominated sedimentary environment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

塔里木盆地巴楚地区T_7~4界面生屑灰岩微相分析及成岩作用研究

前人对塔里木盆地巴楚地区T74界面的研究主要以在地震反射剖面中大的不整合面形式为基础进行的,对界面具体的岩性、微相和成岩作用研究较少。位于塔里木盆地巴楚县东北方向一间房地区的T74露头剖面为上奥陶统与中—下奥陶统的分界面,岩性以生物碎屑泥粒灰岩和粒泥灰岩为主。镜下分析表明:T74界面生屑灰岩中生物碎屑以棘皮动物(主要为海百合碎片)和介形虫为主,其他生物碎屑包括腕足动物、软体动物、三叶虫、钙球粒、粗枝藻、龙介虫、有孔虫、海绵和苔藓等。通过镜下微相、C-O同位素以及X射线荧光等多种分析方法,认为T74界面地层沉积相为较温暖的低能陆棚相,后期经历了埋藏压实成岩作用、地层抬升后的淡水成岩作用和风化剥蚀作用等。岩石的缝合线发育,孔渗性较好,利于地下流体的运移和渗透,对中—下奥陶统的岩溶发育起着控制作用。     

鄂尔多斯盆地柳林地区下奥陶统冶里组竹叶状石灰岩的沉积环境和成因机制

鄂尔多斯盆地柳林地区早奥陶世冶里期沉积以浅灰色中薄层泥质白云岩为主,发育大量竹叶状碳酸盐岩。不同类型的竹叶状碎屑反映了不同的沉积环境。笔者对研究区剖面内的竹叶状碎屑进行分析和研究后认为,竹叶状石灰岩的形成可以分为早期沉积物的形成和早期沉积物的破碎、搬运和再沉积两个阶段。     

江西省莲花县江下垅粉石英矿地质特征及找矿方向

江西省莲花县江下垅粉石英矿,赋存于二叠系上统狮子形组,系硅质灰岩、硅质岩风化而成。矿体严格受地层控制,岩石硅质成分是成矿的先决条件,温暖湿润的气候是成矿的后天条件。     

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.