Coralligenous habitat in the northern Adriatic Sea: an overview

The rocky outcrops irregularly scattered in the sandy‐muddy sea bed of the Northern Adriatic, formed by a base rock and a superimposed concretion of vegetal and animal organisms, are considered an infralittoral coralligenous habitat, according to the most recent definition. In the last four decades, research has mainly concentrated on their geology because of the question of the origin of the base rock – very similar to beachrock – which has only recently been attributed to sedimentary cementation induced by methane seeps. Studies on their macrobenthic assemblages have also been published recently, but true comparisons among them are difficult because they mostly refer only to a few selected phyla or to short‐term observations. Very few papers deal with the whole of the animal and plant communities, including all taxonomic groups and the most important environmental variables. On the basis of the literature data concerning several outcrops in the Gulf of Venice, we suggest that the Adriatic reefs differ slightly from the classic deeper coralligenous assemblages around the Mediterranean coast because they have smaller concretions of algae builders. We also suggest that the Northern Adriatic coralligenous reefs are younger than the other reefs occurring in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Structural complexity influences the ecosystem engineering effects of in-stream large wood

Large wood (LW) is an ecosystem engineer and keystone structure in river ecosystems, influencing a range of hydromorphological and ecological processes and contributing to habitat heterogeneity and ecosystem condition. LW is increasingly being used in catchment restoration, but restored LW jams have been observed to differ in physical structure to naturally occurring jams, with potential implications for restoration outcomes. This article examines the structural complexity and ecosystem engineering effects of LW jams at four sites with varying management intensity incorporating natural and restored wood. Our results reveal: (i) structural complexity and volume of jams was highest in the site with natural jams and low intensity riparian management, and lowest in the suburban site with simple restored jams; and (ii) that structural complexity influences the ecosystem engineering role of LW, with more complex jams generating the greatest effects on flow hydraulics (flow concentration, into bed flows) and sediment characteristics (D₅₀, organic content, fine sediment retention) and the simplest flow deflector-style restored jams having the least pronounced effects. We present a conceptual model describing a continuum of increasing jam structural complexity and associated hydromorphological effects that can be used as a basis for positioning and evaluating other sites along the management intensity spectrum to help inform restoration design and best practice.     

新疆县域农林牧渔业空间差异分析——基于ESDA与GIS方法

应用ESDA并结合标准差指数(S)、变异系数(V)等方法,从空间相关的视角分析新疆各县市农林牧渔业人均产值的空间差异。结果显示:以农林牧渔业人均产值来计算的新疆县域间的农林牧渔业人均产值呈现北疆高于东疆、南疆的空间差异。2003-2012年间:新疆县域农林牧渔业人均产值的空间自相关测度Moran's I呈曲线性增减态势,表明农林牧渔业人均产值的空间集聚性呈曲线性波动,但农林牧渔业人均产值的年增长率逐年上升。从局部自相关分析来看,区域间呈现两个极端化较为明显,说明新疆农林牧渔业人均产值在空间分布上具有不均衡性。     

Spatial and temporal patterns of seagrass habitat use by fishes at the Ryukyu Islands,Japan

To investigate whether or not regional–temporal patterns of seagrass habitat use by fishes existed at the Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan), visual surveys were conducted in seagrass beds and adjacent coral reefs in northern, central, and southern Ryukyu Islands, in November 2004, and May, August, and November 2005, the northern region having less extensive seagrass beds compared with the central and southern regions. During the study period, the seagrass beds were utilized primarily by 31 species, the densities of some of the latter differing significantly among regions. With the exception of Apogonidae and Holocentridae, all species were diurnal and could be divided into 6 groups based on seagrass habitat use patterns; (1) permanent residents A (10 species, e.g. Stethojulis strigiventer), juveniles and adults living in seagrass beds as well as other habitats; (2) permanent residents B (5 species, e.g. Calotomus spinidens), juveniles and adults living only or mainly in seagrass beds; (3) seasonal residents A (4 species, e.g. Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus), juveniles living in seagrass beds as well as other habitats; (4) seasonal residents B (6 species, e.g. Lethrinus atkinsoni), juveniles living only or mainly in seagrass beds; (5) transients (5 species, e.g. Parupeneus indicus), occurring in seagrass beds in the course of foraging over a variety of habitats; and (6) casual species (1 species, Acanthurus blochii), occurring only occasionally in seagrass beds. Regarding temporal differences, juvenile densities in each group were high in May and August compared with November in each region, whereas adult densities did not differ drastically in each month. For regional differences, juvenile and adult densities of permanent residents A and B were higher in the southern and central regions than in the northern region. Moreover, some seasonal residents showed possible ontogenetic habitat shift from seagrass beds to coral reefs in each region. These results indicated that seagrass habitat use patterns by fishes changed temporally and regionally and there may be habitat connectivity between seagrass beds and coral reefs via ontogenetic migration in the Ryukyu Islands.     

Hog Daddy and the Walls of Steel: Catch Shares and Ecosystem Change in the New England Groundfishery

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration implemented market-based fishery management in the New England groundfishery as catch shares, controlling aggregate harvests through tradable annual catch quotas allocated to fishing groups called sectors. Policy supporters assert that resulting markets raise conservation incentives. In compliance with the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, species assessments permit catch shares to replace more spatially and temporally specific constraints on fishing gear, time, areas, and daily harvest limits. Qualitative evidence from field interviews and participant observation questions the efficacy of catch shares. Fishing industry members observe that increased presence of large trawl vessels in previously protected areas damages fish subpopulations and benthic habitat. Regulatory bioeconomic models fail to consider these lay observations. The consequent inability of quota markets to recognize the materiality of human–environment relationships at the spatiotemporal scales of fishing activity, and to internalize associated externalities, may have devastating consequences for the fishery.     

东海区小黄鱼渔业生物学现状的分析

以2001年东海区渔业资源监测调查资料为依据,对小黄鱼的体长、体重、生长、死亡等渔业生物学特征及临界年龄等进行了分析研究。结果表明,目前东海区小黄鱼优势体长组为110～130mm,占41．34％;优势体重组为20～40g,占50．91％;总死亡系数为2．05,自然死亡系数为0．58,捕捞死亡系数为1．47,临界年龄为2．18龄。对照东海区小黄鱼生物学特征的历史状况分析,目前东海区小黄鱼个体小型化、低龄化、性成熟提早现象明显,生物学参数发生较大变化。建议在东海区现行资源状态下,小黄鱼的可捕标准应充分考虑其生物学现状加以科学调整。     

几种养殖鲍同工酶生化遗传的比较研究

运用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳对我国主要养殖鲍(皱纹盘鲍、盘鲍及九孔鲍)12种同工酶(LDH、ME、MDH、GPI、PGM、IDH、IDDH、SOD、EST、ODH、ADH、AAT)26个基因座位进行了分析．结果表明：EST、PGM可以作为区分三种(亚种)鲍的生化遗传标记；在所分析的位点中，未发现多态现象，表明三种养殖鲍杂合子缺失严重，其主要原因可能在于哑基因、近交与自然选择。     

Hydraulic and sedimentary controls on the availability and use of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) spawning habitat in the River Dee system, north-east Scotland

The hydraulic and sedimentary characteristics of the spawning habitat of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in tributary and mainstem locations in a river system in north-east Scotland are described. Salmon used spawning sites with a relatively wide range in sediment characteristics, although measures of central tendency were all in the gravel (2–64 mm) size-class. The dominant factor differentiating the sediment characteristics of study sites was the level of fine sediment, which accounted for significant differences between tributary and mainstem samples. The ranges of depth and velocity in areas used for spawning by salmonids were found to be similar in all tributary study sites. However, due to the interdependence of depth and velocity, major differences were observed between tributary and mainstem study sites in that spawning in larger streams tended to be associated with deeper, faster flowing water. Spawning locations were shown to have similar Froude number, despite different sized streams and species of salmonid. Due to its dimensionless nature and significance in characterising flow hydraulics, the Froude number is proposed as a potentially useful variable for describing the habitat of aquatic organisms.