Response of BITS (a benthic index based on taxonomic sufficiency) to water and sedimentary variables and comparison with other indices in three Adriatic lagoons

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC) recommends the development of biotic indices for assessing the ecological quality status of water bodies. The Benthic Index based on Taxonomic Sufficiency (BITS) was specifically developed for lagoonal systems, according to the tolerant/opportunistic approach. Macrobenthic data, variables indicative of eutrophication and variables indicative of sedimentary organic matter quality were collected during 18 surveys carried out between 2004 and 2005 in three Adriatic coastal lagoons (Venice Lagoon, Sacca di Goro, Lesina Lagoon). The relationship between environmental variables and biotic indices (AMBI, BENTIX, BITS, BOPA and FINE) was tested using multivariate analyses. Indices based on species classification level appeared to relate better with the variables describing organic matter quality, whereas BITS, which is based on family classification level, seemed related to eutrophication indicative variables, such as sulphide, ammonium, dissolved oxygen and orthophosphate concentrations. The BITS approach reduces the costs associated with sorting and identification of organisms. Providing a rapid assessment of ecological quality, and producing an ecologically relevant classification, BITS seems a promising tool for monitoring programs of Adriatic lagoonal ecosystems. Its sensitivity in reflecting the field conditions elsewhere, however, remains to be assessed.     

碳氮稳定同位素比值在潮间带大型底栖动物组织间差异性研究

近年来,稳定同位素技术已被广泛应用于食物网研究中。然而,生物样品取样部位对食物网构建的影响的研究相对少见。大型底栖动物作为潮间带食物网的重要组成部分,在食物网研究中有必要对其采样部位进行统一,以增加研究结果的准确性及可比较性。本研究选取黄河三角洲和烟台潮间带10种代表性的大型底栖动物,比较δ13C和δ15N在不同采样部位中的差异。结果显示,对于大多数底栖动物而言,采样部位将直接影响到δ13C和δ15N的测定结果。当底栖动物作为摄食者,需分析其食性和营养级时,应统一采用肌肉组织,如贝类的闭壳肌或足部肌肉,蟹类的鳌足肌肉,鱼类的背部肌肉;当底栖动物作为被摄食者,需分析次级消费者的食性和营养级时,除多毛类采用去除消化道内容物的体壁外,其他种类应选取整体（难以被消化的组织除外）,如贝类的软体部,蟹类肌肉与鳃等的混合组织。     

Measuring species richness on sandy beach transects: extrapolative estimators and their implications for sampling effort

Species richness is a measure that is fundamental to many studies in ecology, and it is particularly important on sandy beaches, where it underlies patterns described by the broadly accepted swash exclusion hypothesis. However, its estimation in practice is problematic. This has led ecologists in other fields to adopt extrapolative estimators of species richness, which project the total number of species present in a habitat by adjusting upward the number of species observed by an amount related to the number of rare species encountered in the samples. In so doing, the species richness can be estimated, with confidence intervals, at any level of sampling effort. Despite the availability and advantages of these methods, beach ecologists have continued to use the observed species richness as a point estimate of biodiversity for beaches. Here, we employ a Monte Carlo resampling approach over a range of routine transect designs used to sample sandy beaches, and evaluate the performance of seven non-parametric extrapolative estimators for species richness relative to that of the more conventionally used observed species richness. We find that the first-order Jackknife estimator (Jack 1) is the least biased, most accurate and most consistent across sites. Employing this estimator would allow accurate estimation of species richness on short (tens of metres) stretches of beach without exceeding the acceptable levels of sampling effort (4–5 m²). Spreading this effort evenly over three across-shore transects, each with a minimum of 13 equally spaced levels seems appropriately efficient. Although a greater number of research studies is required to ascertain the generality of these results beyond the beaches we sampled, we tentatively recommend the application of our results in biodiversity surveys on sandy beaches.     

Regional and temporal changes in bivalve diversity off the south coast of Portugal

From 2000 to 2006, a total of 75 bivalve species were identified, varying from 29 (spring 2001) to 54 species (spring 2005) per year. Seasonal tendencies in diversity varied according the year, thus the interpretation of long-term and regional scales is essential before drawing any conclusions in other studies. Richness and diversity consistently decreased with depth and increased with sediment grain size (from low in very coarse sand to high in coarse silt). Diversity decreased progressively from 3 to 16 m depth, thus the harsher shallower environments (due to waves and tidal air exposure) showed greater diversity than the most stable areas. Communities in finer sediments were more diverse than those in coarser sand. Evenness showed patterns opposite to diversity, overall.Diversity and evenness maps (produced with multivariate universal kriging), showed that most geographic areas with greater diversity were farer from river outflows and wastewater treatment plants. Two types of geographic pattern were observed: areas with persistently greater bivalve diversity through time and areas that changed locally from year to year. This spatial analysis can be used to establish priority conservation areas for management purposes, and to analyse the persistency of regional diversity patterns. The area with most habitat heterogeneity (Sotavento) corresponded to greatest diversity.There was a positive relationship between Spisula solida and Chamelea gallina landings and bivalve diversity 2 years and 1 year later, respectively. Possibly, local fisheries, by selectively withdrawing the commercial numerically dominant species from the ecosystem, increased diversity 1 to 2 years later, as the ecological niches of the dominants are quickly filled by several other species thereby creating a more even community. On regional scales, no significant impact was found on long-term bivalve diversity in local fisheries,     

长江口及其邻近海域大型底栖动物生物量、丰度和次级生产力的初步研究

为了解长江口及邻近海域大型底栖动物生物量、丰度和次级生产力的分布情况于2004年2月、5月、8月和11月共4个航次分别在长江口40个观测站采集大型底栖动物定量样品并利用Brey的经验公式对大型底栖动物栖息丰度、生物量、次级生产力和P/B值进行了研究计算.该调查海域共采到大型底栖动物202种,其中多毛类102种,软体动物51种,甲壳类27种,棘皮动物7种,其它动物15种.大型底栖动物年平均丰度为394.7 ind/m2;年平均生物量以去灰分干重计,为2.58 g(AFDW)/m2;年平均次级生产力以去灰分干重计,为3.52 g(AFDW)/(m2*a);P/B值平均为1.53.结果表明,长江口大型底栖动物次级生产力自长江入海口向东呈递增趋势.本文分析了长江口及其邻近海域大型底栖动物优势种的组成,主要生态类群的分布特征和次级生产力分布格局与生态环境的关系.通过比较,发现长江口大型底栖动物优势种发生了较大的变化;次级生产力高于东海而低于渤海和胶州湾;P/B值高于南黄海、胶州湾和渤海,也说明了长江口大型底栖动物群落中个体小、生活史短,代谢快的种类所占的比例高于以上海域.     

北黄海獐子岛附近海域大型底栖动物数量分布和季节变化

根据2009年8月至2010年6月4个季度月(夏、秋、冬、春季),对位于北黄海獐子岛附近海域所设的13个站进行的大型底栖动物生态调查所获得的资料,对该海域大型底栖动物的种数、密度和生物量的组成及季节变化进行分析研究,采用Shannon-Wiener指数(H’)、物种丰富度指数(D)和物种均匀度指数(J)分析该该海域大型底栖动物的物种多样性;并研究了该海域的次级生产力和P/B值的空间分布和季节变化。结果表明,北黄海獐子岛附近海域大型底栖动物全年总种数、年平均栖息密度和年平均生物量分别为211种、699.415个/m2和98.927 g/m2。各季度的种数(S)、平均密度D (个/m2)和平均生物量B (g/m2)的季节变化分别为: S春季(121)＞S秋季(118)＞S冬季(89)＞S夏季(87),D春季(794.58)＞D秋季(766.92)＞D夏季(674.62)＞D冬季(561.54),B春季(180.271)＞B夏季(107.121)＞B秋季(70.824)＞B冬季(37.493)。全年物种多样性指数H’值、物种丰富度指数D值和物种均匀度指数J值分别为2.976、4.135和0.707,该海域大型底栖动物的夏季、秋季和春节平均密度季节变化不明显,但冬季明显较少。而平均生物量和种数的季节变化比较明显,春季较高,冬季较低。该海域的平均次级生产力为15.335g(AFDW)/(m2.a),相对较高。P/B值的平均值为1.239。     

深圳湾福田潮滩重金属含量及对大型底栖动物的影响

根据2002年1月和10月在深圳湾福田潮滩同时获得的大型底栖动物和重金属数据进行分析表明，深圳湾福田潮滩Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd含量明显超标．2002年10月Pb、Cd、Cu、Zn含量的平均值比2002年1月高．与历史资料对比，近几年Cu含量有增加趋势．2002年1月，深圳湾福田潮滩奇异稚齿虫密度与沉积物中Pb、Cd、Cu、Zn含量均有显著负相关关系．尖刺缨虫密度与Pb、Cd、Zn含量均有显著负相关关系，与Cu的相关系数也接近显著相关临界值．2002年10月，只有小头虫密度与Cd有显著正相关关系．文中分析了影响重金属与大型底栖动物数量关系的环境因素．     

Macrobenthos of Kakinada Bay in the Godavari delta, East coast of India: comparing decadal changes

A one-year study (1995–1996) on the macrobenthos over a spread of (37) hydrographically differing GPS-fixed sites in Kakinada Bay (mean salinity 27.16±0.4) and adjacent mangrove channels (14.78±0.55) in the Godavari delta, one of India's largest estuarine systems, revealed a great preponderance of benthic life. There were 11 diverse taxa represented by 95 species collected through several (303) grab and dredge hauls. Based on Bray-Curtis similarity through hierarchical clustering implemented in PRIMER, it was possible to distinguish the benthos into four assemblages each of which represented sites in the Central and North bay (Paphia textrix – Typhlocarcinus sp. Assemblage), South-East bay (Protankyra similis – Paphia malabarica Assemblage), Mangrove Outlets (Cerithidea cingulata Assemblage) and Mangrove channels (Diopatra neapolitana Assemblage). Benthos densities (mean nos. dredge haul⁻¹) were highest (299 individuals) at sites close to mangrove outlets. Species diversity (Margalef, d; Shannon-Wiener, H′) was low in general (d 1.244 to 2.251 and H′ 0.038 to 1.502). Sediments were mostly clayey-silt in nature except in southeast bay where they are silt-sand. Organic matter (mean) was at or near 1.3%. The observations have revealed marked changes in benthic community structure relative to an earlier investigation held in 1958–1963 in this area. Over the years, species such as Turritella duplicata, Tonna dolium and Placuna placenta found in considerable numbers previously have dwindled. Anomia, Bursa and Atrina and echinoderms, Astropecten indica, Echinodiscus auritus and Temnopleurus toreumaticus and the brachiopod, Lingula sp. of common occurrence in early 60s are absent altogether attributable to long-term natural trends during the intervening years and/or events accompanying human impingement (e.g. industrial and urban growth, port expansion measures, aquaculture, mangrove denudation etc.). Despite such large-scale alterations in benthos community structure, there were no significant changes in “biodiversity” measured through Average Taxonomic Distinctness (AvTD) and Variation in Taxonomic Distinctness (VarTD). The investigation revealed that AvTD (Δ⁺) and VarTD (Λ⁺) for previous years and the present study remained well within the 95% confidence funnel implying taxonomic stability. It was found that species, which had replaced the earlier forms, were drawn from comparable (Linnean) hierarchy i.e. same phylum/class.     

Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Structure of Macrobenthic Assemblages. A Three-Year Study in the Northern Adriatic Sea in Front of the Po River Delta

Abstract. Coastal benthic communities in soft-bottom deposits of a restricted area were studied by seasonal sampling at nine stations. Faunal assemblages at three different depths were consistently different and exhibited a seasonal pattern of abundance and diversity. Multivariate statistical analyses suggest that each community structure is very similar during the three summer samplings; in autumn and winter many causes of disturbance can disrupt this structure, which is reconstituted the following summer. The stability of benthic communities in this physically variable environment is discussed and a "cyclic" adjustment mechanism of stability is proposed to explain the dynamics of the benthos in this area.