Community ecology of the metazoan parasites of snoek Thyrsites atun (Euphrasen, 1791) (Perciformes: Gempylidae) off South Africa

The parasite assemblage of snoek Thyrsites atun, a commercially important fish in the Benguela system, was examined over a one-year period. In all, 16 parasite taxa including eight new host records (Bolbosoma vasculosum, Caligus coryphaenae, Caligus dakari, Corynosoma australe, Hatschekia conifera, Nothobomolochus fradei, Rhadinorhynchus cadenati, Tentacularia coryphaenae) and four new locality records (B. vasculosum, C. dakari, Molicola uncinatus, Pseudoterranova sp.) were recovered from 210 specimens. The dominance of larval helminths in the component community suggests that T. atun occupies an intermediate position in the food web. The ‘nestedness metric based on overlap and decreasing fill’ (NODF) indicated that the parasite assemblage exhibited no nestedness (NODF = 73.3, p = 0.103). Generalised additive mixed modelling results indicated that host length is the main determinant of parasite species richness in T. atun. PERMANOVA and ANOSIM suggested that infracommunity structure varied little with respect to the sex, length, seasonality and capture region of the host. The stability and randomness in parasite acquisition, as indicated by the lack of nestedness of the parasite assemblage, can be ascribed to the opportunistic feeding behaviour and nomadic movement of T. atun in the southern Benguela. The homogeneity of the community structure of long-lived endoparasites suggests that a single T. atun stock occurs off South Africa.     

MODULATION OF MADDEN-JULIAN OSCILLATION ON TIBETAN PLATEAU VORTEX

This study uses NCEP/NCAR daily reanalysis data, NOAA outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) data, the real-time multivariate MJO (RMM) index from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Tibetan Plateau vortex (TPV) data from the Chengdu Institute of Plateau Meteorology to discuss modulation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) on the Tibetan Plateau Vortex (TPV). Wavelet and composite analysis are used. Results show that the MJO plays an important role in the occurrence of the TPV that the number of TPVs generated within an active period of the MJO is three times as much as that during an inactive period. In addition, during the active period, the number of the TPVs generated in phases 1 and 2 is larger than that in phases 3 and 7. After compositing phases 1 and 7 separately, all meteorological elements in phase 1 are apparently conducive to the generation of the TPV, whereas those in phase 7 are somewhat constrained. With its eastward propagation process, the MJO convection centre spreads eastward, and the vertical circulation within the tropical atmosphere changes. Due to the interaction between the mid-latitude and low-latitude atmosphere, changes occur in the baroclinic characteristics of the atmosphere, the available potential energy and eddy available potential energy of the atmosphere, and the circulation structures of the atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and surrounding areas. This results in significantly different water vapour transportation and latent heat distribution. Advantageous and disadvantageous conditions therefore alternate, leading to a significant difference among the numbers of plateau vortex in different phases.     

A Ring Model for Limit Analysis of Spatial XX Tubular Joints

-A ring model is developed to investigate the ultimate strength of tubular X and XX joints in the case that the brace is compressed. In the present analysis, the tubular joint is made of elasto-perfectly-plastic material, and the arch element of the chord section intersecting with the brace is assumed to be rigid. It is found that when 6 plastic hinges for X joint and 8 plastic hinges Tor XX joint appear in the ring, the limit state is reached, and by means of the equivalent ring width Be formula proposed in a previous paper by the authors, the ultimate strength of tubular X and XX joints subjected to compression can be obtained.     

Long-Term Joint Distribution of One-Tenth Large (or Significant) Wave Height with Average Period

- In this paper, by using the wave data from a few oceanographic observation stations in the coastal zone of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea, the long-term joint distribution of the one-tenth large (or significant) wave height with average period is studied. The statistical data demonstrate that the long- term distribution of the one- tenth wave height or average period fits the log-normal distribution, thus the joint distribution also fits the two-dimensional log-normal distribution. Then the conditional probability distribution of the average period is derived, and the range as well as the mode of the average wave period corresponding to a certain return period of wave height can be calculated easily.     

节理统计锥体单元法的探讨

本文提出在投影球内建立锥体单元统计系统,直接计算以产状表示的单元轴线与节理法线的夹角,统计该夹角小于单元锥角半角的数目。统计结果更合理、可靠。     

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.     

The Gambia River estuary: A reference point for estuarine fish assemblages studies in West Africa

The Gambia River is one of the last aquatic ecosystems in West Africa that has not yet been affected by strong environmental changes and human disturbances. In contrast to the neighbouring Casamance and Sine Saloum estuaries, the Gambia estuary is free of major climatic perturbation and remains a “normal” estuary, with a salinity range from freshwater to 39. The present paper aims to study the spatial and seasonal variability of fish assemblages in this estuary in terms of bio-ecological categories and of their relation with some environmental variables. Four surveys were conducted, from June 2001 to April 2002, in order to cover the major hydroclimatic events, at 44 sampling sites along the lower, intermediate and upper zones of the Gambia estuary (up to 220 km). Fish assemblages were sampled using a purse seine net, fish were identified to species level and environmental variables such as water depth, transparency, salinity, temperature and percentage oxygen saturation were measured. The main spatial structure of the fish assemblages and its seasonal changes were first studied using the STATIS-CoA multitable method. The combination of fish assemblages and environmental variables was then analysed using the STATICO method, designed for the simultaneous analysis of paired ecological tables. A total of 67 species were observed, belonging to all bio-ecological categories characterizing West African estuaries. The marine component of the community was largely dominant throughout the estuary, while the freshwater component was permanently observed only in the upstream zone. The main spatial structure was a longitudinal gradient contrasting marine and freshwater affinity assemblages, with strong seasonal variations. The most complete gradient was observed in December, at the beginning of the dry and cool season, while in June, at the end of the dry and warm season, there was the least structured gradient. The role of salinity, always correlated with temperature, was emphasized, while turbidity appeared to be another important factor. Oxygen and depth did not play a major role at the estuary scale. The relative importance of the bio-ecological categories varied according to the season and the distance to sea. Stable fish assemblages were observed in the lower zone at the end of the dry season, in the upper zone during the flood and in the middle zone throughout the year. In some situations, a relative inadequacy between fish assemblages and their environment was noticed. The present study contributes to the definition of the functioning of a “normal” West African estuary, the Gambia estuary, with balanced effects of marine and freshwater influences and the presence of all bio-ecological categories. The Gambia estuary can therefore be considered to be a reference ecosystem for further comparisons with other tropical estuarine ecosystems, subjected to natural or artificial perturbations.     

An Advanced Probabilistic Neural Network for the Design of Breakwater Armor Blocks

In this study,an advanced probabilistic neural network(APNN)method is proposed to reflect the global probability density function(PDF)by summing up the heterogeneous local PDF which is automatically determined in the individual standard deviation of variables.The APNN is applied to predict the stability number of armor blocks of breakwaters using the experimental data of van der Meer,and the estimated results of the APNN are compared with those of an empirical formula and a previous artificial neural network(ANN)model.The APNN shows better results in predicting the stability number of armor blocks of breakwater and it provided the promising probabilistic viewpoints by using the individual standard deviation in a variable.