Ecological quality of some Tunisian coast and lagoon locations,by using benthic community parameters and biotic indices

Three Tunisian coastal and lagoon sites, variously affected by human activities, and differing according to their degree of communication with the sea, were studied. The total organic matter content and the granulometry of the sediment were measured and the macro-invertebrates were sampled and identified. Currently due to the lack of an efficient single biotic index for quality assessment, indications from these measurements can contribute to enrich our knowledge of the southern Mediterranean areas. Several biotic indices (AMBI, BENTIX, BOPA, BOPA modified, I2EC, ITI), most of which have been used in the context of the European Water Framework Directive, and some other structural parameters were used. The results show that the Bizerte lagoon, an almost closed area characterized mainly by extreme salinity/temperature and with a strong fluctuation of nutrients, appears biologically more impoverished. The Dkhila coast, which is more open to the sea, however, appears to be less dominated by the principal species. Biotic indices showed that the most polluted areas included the region exposed to urban inputs of Bizerte, the mouth of Hamdoun wadi and the harbour areas. In these locations, benthic macrofauna is dominated by opportunistic species like Capitella capitata, Scolelepis fuliginosa, Prionospio malmgreni, Polydora sp., Cirratulus cirratus and Cirriformia tentaculata. Other stations, which are farther from the sources of disturbance such as the mouths of the principal Wadis, the south of the Bizerte ship canal and the south of the Tunis bay, appear to be in good ecological condition and hosted a variety of sensitive species, Other stations were classified differently by the biotic indices used mainly because of the lack of a real inter-calibration of the various classification methodologies used by these indices.     

Floating and fixed artificial habitats: Spatial and temporal patterns of benthic communities in a coral reef environment

While natural marine habitats with motion capabilities, e.g., kelps and seaweeds, have been studied alongside their associated fouling communities, little is known of the effect of motion on the communities of floating artificial habitats such as buoys, rafts, and pontoons, particularly in tropical systems. Hydrodynamic features greatly differ between floating and fixed artificial substrata, which in turn affect the structure of their associated communities. This study tested the hypothesis that floating and fixed artificial installations in a tropical reef system (Eilat, Red Sea) would support different benthic communities throughout space and time. Specifically, we examined differences in communities recruited onto settlement plates between floating and fixed installations deployed at three different sites, along a two-year monitoring period. The three sites exhibited distinct differences in species assemblages between the monitoring dates (6, 12, 18 and 24 months post deployment), mainly between the first and the last two dates. The average level of dissimilarity between floating and fixed installations increased over time at all sites. Over 50% of the dissimilarity between the floating and fixed installations resulted from five taxonomic groups i.e., bryozoans, bivalves, barnacles, sponges, including the amount of bare space on the settlement plates. The contribution of these groups to the dissimilarity changed both temporally within each site, and spatially among sites. The observed differences were related to the hydrodynamic characteristics of floating and fixed habitats, interacting with biotic features such as predation, successional processes and seasonality; and abiotic features including small-scale spatial changes, light, and position in the water column.     

Mapping benthic habitat in regions of gradational substrata: An automated approach utilising geophysical,geological, and biological relationships

The relationship between acoustic backscatter, sediment characteristics and benthic habitat is examined using high-resolution sidescan sonar data collected at the Loch Linnhe artificial reef site on the west coast of Scotland. The site is typical for the continental shelf of NW Europe, with a mix of seabed environments from muddy to coarse, stony substrata on a 10–100 m length scale. A sidescan sonar mosaic was produced and classified according to derived backscatter parameters (mean, median and standard deviation of the backscatter values) using an unsupervised classification procedure. The accuracy of the final classified map was assessed by comparison with a ground-truthing survey in which the biological habitat was derived from underwater video footage. The sidescan correctly predicted seabed surface characteristics of observed biological habitat with 78% accuracy. A second, and more challenging test of the acoustic data to correctly predict biological habitat was made by comparing it with data from 21 grab sampling stations. These stations were divided into three groups using multivariate statistical techniques based on their backscatter properties. Benthic assemblage structure was found to be significantly distinct between the high and low, and the medium and low backscatter stations. There was a low to moderate but significant correlation between the multivariate patterns of acoustic backscatter, benthic assemblage structure, and particle size distribution. The work shows that even in areas with subtle and gradational changes in substratum, the sidescan was able to predict biological community with an acceptable accuracy.     

大连温带海域潮间带底栖海藻固碳和储碳潜力模拟研究

底栖海藻是海洋生态系统中重要的初级生产力,开展其固碳和储碳机制研究,有利于提高对我国海域海洋固碳和储碳潜力的认识。本文基于海区条件的模拟,开展了大连海域潮间带优势海藻的日固碳量、日呼吸量和日有机碳释放量的测定,结合海区生物量的调查,阐述了3个海藻床潮间带海藻固碳和储碳的季节变化规律。结果显示:在海藻固碳能力方面,绿藻类的固碳能力最强,褐藻类次之,红藻类最低。大连海域潮间带海藻的固碳量、储碳量和有机碳释放量在12月至5月处于较高水平,6月至11月较低,平均每个海藻床潮间带区域年固碳量和年有机碳释放量分别为1.72×105 g/a和2.1×104 g/a。潮间带海藻月固碳量是储碳量的1.7倍。     

高通量测序分析北仑河口红树林潮间带底栖真核生物分布

为了解红树林不同潮位沉积物中底栖真核生物群落分布,基于18S rRNA基因采用高通量测序方法分析了广西北仑河口陆缘、林中和海缘3个潮位红树林沉积物中底栖生物群落结构。结果表明,北仑河口潮间带红树林沉积物中底栖生物多样性丰富,Shannon-Wiener指数变化范围在6. 08～6. 73之间; PCA分析表明潮间带中底栖生物群落差异较大,陆缘红树林中扁形动物、节肢动物和软体动物相对丰度较高,林中区域中纤毛虫、环节动物和轮虫相对丰度较高,海缘红树林中硅藻相对丰度较高;红树林中主要OTUs有桡足类的太平洋纺锤水蚤(Acartia pacifica)、硅藻类的海链藻(Thalassiosira sp.)、纤毛虫类的前管虫(Prorodon teres)、多毛类的小头虫(Capitella sp.)。高通量测序方法能较全面反映红树林区微型/小型底栖生物群落,研究结果为丰富红树林底栖生物群落研究和解析底栖生物在红树林生态系统发挥的作用提供基础数据。     

寒武纪生物大爆发之后的底栖生态系统工程建造者:以河南地区为例

扰动生物作为生态系统工程建造者,通过对沉积底质的改造直接影响沉积物和水体之间的相互作用(营养物质的循环、迁移和存储),对底栖生态系统工程有重要的影响.遗迹化石作为底栖生物活动的载体,为研究寒武纪大爆发之后底栖生态系统工程建造者的演化规律,并评价底栖生态系统工程建造者对生态系统工程产生的影响提供了依据.对河南地区8个寒武...     

鲍育苗生物学中饵料硅藻的相关研究进展

底栖硅藻是鲍育苗阶段不可缺少的饵料,也是诱导鲍浮游幼体附着和变态的重要物质,硅藻的种类、营养价值、生态状况等对幼体的附着变态及其后以微藻为饵料阶段的生长率和成活率都有至关重要的影响。总结近10a国内外与饵料硅藻相关的研究概况,包括硅藻对鲍附着变态、生长率和成活率的影响;鲍幼苗饵料转化与消化器官发育的关系;影响硅藻营养的生理生化因子;与鲍幼苗掉板死亡相关的藻类研究等,为鲍育苗生物学的研究提供借鉴和参考。     

闽三角红树林底栖软体动物共存格局及机制

以漳江口国家级红树林自然保护区、九龙江口省级红树林自然保护区和泉州湾省级湿地保护区3个红树林分布区作为研究对象,研究底栖软体动物在中等尺度下的共存格局及机制。利用非度量多维标度分析、基于蒙特卡洛的零模型和网络分析探讨底栖软体动物的共存格局,利用raup-crik零模型识别决定性过程和随机过程测定底栖软体动物的相对重要性。结果显示,漳江口、九龙江口和泉州湾湿地共发现37种底栖软体动物,底栖软体动物的平均密度、物种数及群落物种组成差异显著。软体动物的共存格局呈现非随机分散和模块化,这些格局同时受到决定性过程和随机过程的调控作用,其中,物种竞争起主导作用。