Ecohydrographic constraints on biodiversity and distribution of phytoplankton and zooplankton in coral reefs of the Red Sea,Saudi Arabia

An integral concept of ecological research is the constraint of biodiversity along latitudinal and environmental gradients. The Red Sea features a natural example of a latitudinal gradient of salinity, temperature and nutrient richness. Coral reefs along the Red Sea coasts are supported with allochthonous resources such as oceanic and neritic phytoplankton and zooplankton; however, relatively little is known about how the ecohydrography correlates with plankton biodiversity and abundance. In this article we present the biodiversity of phytoplankton and zooplankton in Red Sea coral reefs. Oceanographic data (temperature, salinity), water samples for nutrient analysis, particulate organic matter, phytoplankton and zooplankton, the latter with special reference to Copepoda (Crustacea), were collected at nine coral reefs over ~1500 km distance along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. The trophic state of ambient waters [as indicated by chlorophyll a (Chl a)] changed from strong oligotrophy in the north to mesotrophy in the south and was associated with increasing biomasses of Bacillariophyceae, picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus as indicated by pigment fingerprinting (CHEMTAX) and flow cytometry. Net‐phytoplankton microscopy revealed a Trichodesmium erythraeum (Cyanobacteria) bloom north of the Farasan Islands. Several potentially harmful algae, including Dinophysis miles and Gonyaulax spinifera (Dinophyceae), were encountered in larger numbers in the vicinity of the aquaculture facilities at Al Lith. Changes in zooplankton abundance were mainly correlated to the phytoplankton biomass following the latitudinal gradient. The largest zooplankton abundance was observed at the Farasan Archipelago, despite high abundances of copepodites, veligers (Gastropoda larvae) and Chaetognatha at Al Lith. Although the community composition changed over latitude, biodiversity indices of phytoplankton and zooplankton did not exhibit a systematic pattern. As this study constitutes the first current account of the plankton biodiversity in Red Sea coral reefs at a large spatial scale, the results will be informative for ecosystem‐based management along the coastline of Saudi Arabia.     

海南岛三亚珊瑚礁区大型底栖动物群落特征

为了解海南省三亚市3个典型珊瑚礁区的底栖生物群落现状,并依此反映该区域珊瑚礁生态系统的健康现状和受扰动程度,作者于2011年11月22日~23日在海南岛三亚西岛、鹿回头和亚龙湾3个珊瑚礁自然保护区内采用潜水方法采集底栖动物,并对分析群落的物种组成、优势类群、丰度、生物量、Shannon-Wiener指数、物种丰富度指数和物种均匀度指数以及生物量/丰度比较曲线特征等进行研究。结果共获得三亚珊瑚礁大型底栖动物166种,优势类群为甲壳动物,优势种为珊瑚铠甲虾(Galathea coralliophilus)。调查区底栖动物平均栖息丰度为566.29个/m2,平均生物量为82.146 g/m2;Shannon-Wiener指数、物种丰富度指数和均匀度指数的平均值分别为3.0581、7.9116和0.8494。其中亚龙湾的上述3项指数均高于其他两个采样地点。生物量/丰度比较曲线表明亚龙湾的底栖群落最稳定,受扰动程度最小。     

Oxygen consumption in the epilimnia and hypolimnia of two eutrophic,warm‐monomictic lakes

Oxygen consumption was estimated for two eutrophic New Zealand lakes using a simple 2‐layer model, from estimates of net changes in oxygen, phytoplankton photosynthesis, inflow and outflow, diffusion, eddy diffusion, and changes in the depth of the thermocline. Of the total oxygen consumption, 75–85% occurred in the epilimnia. Epilimetic oxygen consumption per m³ and per m² in Lake Johnson were higher than in Lake Hayes, reflecting known differences in the trophic status of the lakes, but estimates for the hypolimnia of the two lakes were similar. Daily hypolimnetic areal deficits were sensitive to both the depths and time intervals chosen.

In the epilimnia, monthly oxygen production by photosynthesis averaged 1.1 and 1.8 times the initial oxygen content in Lakes Hayes and Johnson respectively. Diffusion appeared to be of similar magnitude to photosynthesis in the isothermal period, but was less important during stratification. Losses to the hypolimnia by eddy diffusion were less than 10% of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis in the hypolimnia contributed 30–40% of the oxygen consumed there and eddy diffusion supplied a further 20%.

In Lake Johnson a 3–5 m stratum of water in the metalimnion became anoxic for 2–3 months each summer while there were still up to 5.2 g.rer³ of oxygen remaining in the hypolimnion. Metalimnetic anoxia is attributed largely to oxygen consumption in situ, resulting from the highly eutrophic state of the lake and intense thermal stratification. Zooplankton respiration accounted for less than 10% of the maximum net decline in metalimnetic oxygen in 1970–71, but was more important in the other 2 years.

Changes in the oxygen content of the hypolimnion indicate that Lake Hayes has become more eutrophic since 1954–55. In Lake Johnson low oxygen concentrations at the autumn overturn (<5 g.m^‐3) represent a threat to the trout population.     

Effects of an artificial oyster shell reef on macrobenthic communities in Rongcheng Bay,East China

An artificial oyster shell reef was deployed in Rongcheng Bay, East China. However, the effects of this reef on the surrounding macrobenthic communities were unknown. We compared sedimentary factors, macrobenthic biomass, abundance, and community composition and ecological indicators between the reef and non-reef areas over a one year period. The mean values for chlorophyll a （Chl a）, total organic matter （TOM）, total organic carbon （TOC）, and total nitrogen （TN） content in surface sediments in the reef area were slightly higher than those in the non-reef area. The Chl a levels differed significantly between the two areas, but the TOM, TOC, and TN were not significantly different. The abundance of crustaceans was significantly different between the two areas, but the abundance and biomass ofpolychaetes, echinoderms, mollusk did not differ significantly. The permutational multivariate analysis of variance （PERMANOVA） revealed that the macrobenthic community differed significantly through time and analysis of similarity multivariate analyses （ANOSIM） revealed that the macrobenthic community differed significantly in some months. The ecological indicators revealed that the environmental quality of the reef area was slightly better than that of the non-reef area. Overall, our results suggest that the artificial oyster shell reef may change the macrobenthic community and the quality of the environment. Despite the lack of an effect in the short term, long-term monitoring is still needed to evaluate the effects of artificial oyster shell reefs on macrobenthic communities.     

What makes a “successful” marine protected area? The unique context of Hawaii′s fish replenishment areas

In 1998, in order to combat the degradation of yellow tang populations on the west coast of Hawaii Island, fish replenishment areas (FRAs) were established prohibiting aquarium fishing along more than thirty percent of the coastline. Unlike other marine management approaches in Hawaii, which have largely been controversial, fraught with confusion over regulations, inadequately enforced, and lacking public support, these FRAs have been lauded as a marine conservation success, with wide-ranging support and evidence of rapid replenishment of the yellow tang population. In order to better understand the contextual factors contributing to the success of the West Hawaii FRAs, this research explores the following questions: (1) What factors documented in the literature on marine protected areas (MPAs) have been demonstrated to contribute to or inhibit MPA success internationally; (2) which of these factors do the FRAs of West Hawaii exhibit; and (3) are there additional factors that may have contributed to their wide acceptance and success? Common factors contributing to MPA success are determined through a synthesis of the literature. These include: level of community engagement, socioeconomic characteristics, ecological factors, MPA design, governance, and enforcement. The outcomes of West Hawaii′s FRAs are examined in the context of these factors. While the common factors agreed upon in the literature were key to the success of the FRAs, additional contextual factors such as the unique nature of the aquarium fishery and its social marginalization also played a vital role.     

Emergence of co-management governance for Hawai‘i coral reef fisheries

Governance failures associated with top-down management have spawned a myriad of institutional arrangements to engage resource users in decision-making through co-management. Although co-management can take many forms and may not always lead to positive outcomes, it has emerged as a promising governance option available to meet social and ecological goals. Recent research on co-management of small-scale fisheries has used comparative approaches to test factors associated with social and ecological success. Less is known however, about how co-management institutional arrangements emerge and persist in the face of socioeconomic and environmental change. Here, we examine the emergence of co-management governance using a case study from coral reef fisheries in the Hawaiian Islands. We used a mixed methods approach, combining a robust policy analysis and a set of key respondent interviews to trace the evolution of this co-management arrangement. Our research uncovers a set of linked drivers and social responses, which together comprise the emergence phase for the evolution of co-management in this case study. Drivers include resource depletion and conflict, and social responses comprise self-organization, consensus building, and collective action. We share insights on key factors that affect these phases of emergence, drawing on empirical findings from our policy review and key respondent interviews. We conclude by describing ways that our findings can directly inform policy and planning in practice, including the importance of documenting the ‘creation story’ that spawned the new institutional arrangement, ensuring that enabling conditions are present, the complexity of defining community, the connection between process legitimacy and outcomes, and understanding the costs and timelines associated with co-management governance transitions.     

Middle and Late Devonian microbial carbonates,reefs and mounds in Guilin,South China and their sequence stratigraphic,paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic significance

The importance of calcimicrobes and microbialite in carbonate platform and reefal environments has been stressed in recent literature. Burne and Moore[1] introduced the term microbialite to describe the clotted, laminated and undifferentiated fabrics formed by mi-crobial communities. Microbialites are organosedi-mentary deposits that have accreted as a result of ben-thic (prokaryotic or eukaryotic) communities, trapping and binding detrital sediment[1]. Microbial organisms and microbialite are…     

西沙群岛珊瑚礁海域浮游动物群落结构初步分析*

为了解西沙群岛珊瑚礁海域浮游动物的群落特征, 于2015年5月末至7月初在西沙群岛8个岛礁(七连屿、永兴岛和东岛3个岛屿以及浪花礁、盘石屿、玉琢礁、华光礁和北礁5个环礁)进行了浮游动物采样, 分析了浮游动物的多样性、丰度和群落结构特征, 并比较了5个环礁潟湖内和向海礁坡区浮游动物群落组成的差异。调查海域共鉴定浮游动物180种(包括浮游幼虫13个类群), 其中桡足类最多, 达83种, 其次是水母类(38种)、浮游软体类(14种)、毛颚类(11种)和浮游被囊类(7种); 浮游动物平均丰度为256.4±117.8个·m^-3, 桡足类占总丰度的51.08%, 其次是浮游幼虫(16.30%)、浮游被囊类(13.22%)和毛颚类(7.70%)。浮游动物种数、多样性和均匀度指数、丰度在岛屿和环礁之间以及环礁的潟湖区和向海礁坡区均存在差异; 浮游动物多样性和丰度在东岛、玉琢礁和华光礁较高, 而在七连屿和北礁较低; 5个环礁向海礁坡区的浮游动物多样性和丰度皆高于潟湖区的。多元统计分析结果表明调查岛礁的浮游动物可划分两个聚群(相似水平85%); 岛屿近岸及环礁的潟湖群落(Ⅰ)和岛屿远岸及环礁的向海礁坡群落(Ⅱ); 两个聚群浮游动物组成差异较显著(r=0.832, p<0.001); 前者的种数、多样性指数、总丰度和主要浮游动物类群如桡足类、毛颚类和浮游幼虫的丰度显著低于后者。环礁潟湖区和向海礁坡区的空间异质性和生态环境差异可能是导致浮游动物群落结构呈现不同特征的主要因素。     

基于WorldView影像实现暗礁识别定位

通过对WorldView遥感影像的纠正、融合、直方图拉伸、采集等处理,获得了海域内暗礁的空间位置及其数字正射影像,并根据相关资料及外业调绘数据,录入暗礁属性信息,建立暗礁的地理信息数据库,实现暗礁的识别定位。     

基于卫星高光谱遥感影像的浅海水深反演方法

遥感水深反演具有非接触测量和省时省力等优点,能够为航海、岛礁工程与珊瑚礁生态调查等活动提供重要参考。随着高光谱遥感卫星数量的增长,基于高光谱遥感影像的水深反演具有良好的发展与应用潜力。HOPE（Hyperspectral Optimization Process Exemplar）算法是比较常用的高光谱水深反演算法。鉴于HOPE算法在低遥感反射率海域会出现水深被高估的问题,本文基于Hyperion高光谱遥感影像提出一种改进的水深反演算法。该算法针对危险或难以到达海域往往具有水体光学性质较为均一的特点,利用深水区遥感反射率的观测值来估计整个研究区域内的水体光学性质参数并将其固定,以便减少未知参数数量,解决水深被高估的问题,最终达到提高水深反演整体精度的目的。塞班岛和中业岛的实验结果表明,改进算法能够有效克服常规HOPE算法在低遥感反射率水域高估水深的问题。改进算法能够将平均遥感反射率小于0.0075sr^-1（塞班岛）和0.001 sr^-1（中业岛）范围内的水域的水深反演平均绝对误差从常规HOPE算法的2.94 m和6.44 m分别降低至2.56 m和4.99 m,从而能够相应地将整体的均方根误差从3.18 m和5.39 m分别降低至2.30 m和3.32 m,而将整体的平均相对误差从32.4%和27.1%分别降低至30.6%和23.9%。因此,改进算法在提高卫星高光谱遥感影像水深反演效果方面具有可行性和有效性。