Urban stormwater quality I. Hillcrest,Hamilton, New Zealand

Water quality parameters associated with siltation (non‐volatile and volatile suspended solids), oxygen depletion (chemical and biochemical oxygen demand), nutrient enrichment (N, P), toxicity (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Cd), and human pathogenic micro‐organisms (coliforms, faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci) were measured in baseflow and stormflow from a residential catchment in Hamilton, New Zealand, from November 1979 to December 1981. A macro‐invertebrate survey was conducted. All parameters, except nitrogen, were predominantly associated with particulate material, and closely followed suspended solids behaviour during storm runoff. The concentrations of these particulate parameters are linearly related to suspended solid concentrations, which implies a reasonable consistency in the particulate source material, probably attributable to the uniform stable land use. The runoff was enriched with nitrate (from septic tank seepage) and the particles by Zn, Pb, and Cu. There was little or no enrichment of the particulates with phosphorus, nitrogen, organic matter, Cr, or Ni relative to catchment soils. Ni, Cr, and Cd were generally below detection limits. Dissolved reactive phosphorus and NH₄ ⁺‐N levels were low and unimportant in total P or N leaving the catchment. Most organic matter was particulate and only slowly degraded, and consequently the biological oxygen demand was only a small fraction (c. 13%) of chemical oxygen demand. Interpretation of the water quality data allows some tentative predictions to be made of potential receiving water impacts. It is doubtful that urban runoff will cause significant oxygen depletion, although the high level of organic‐rich particulate material could lead to a deterioration of receiving water sediments and affect benthic invertebrates. Urban runoff may be an important source of nutrients, but (apart from nitrate) its importance depends on the amount of suspended material in the runoff rather than increased input of nutrients from urban‐related activities. Bacterial counts indicate a poor water quality. The impact of metals will depend largely on the bioavailability of the particulate‐bound fraction. The key to the understanding of transport, treatment, and impact of most potential pollutants in urban runoff is probably their association with particulate materials.     

The invertebrate fauna of a forest stream and its association with fine particulate matter

The invertebrate fauna colonising wooden blocks placed in a beech forest stream was studied over a period of 1 year. At least 31 species were taken during the course of the study, with 3 species of Chironomidae predominating numerically. Most species were associated principally with fine particulate matter (FPM) deposited on the upper surfaces of blocks, although a stonefly, Spaniocerca zelandica, was most abundant on the barer surfaces. Of the Chironomidae, Paucispinig‐era approximata and Polypedilum canum had clearly defined life history patterns with emergence from February to April and October to January, respectively. Psectrocladius sp. had a poorly defined life history. Gut contents of 16 insect species showed that 4 were predominantly predatory, and the remainder were detritivores. The latter could be categorised as shredders (large particle detritivores) or collector‐browsers which mainly ingested particles in the dominant (<50 μm) size range. Oxygen consumption by fine stream sediments was similar at different times of year which suggests that the food quality of detritus may tie relatively constant at all times.     

Burrowing behaviour of the paddle crab Ovalipes catharus (White, 1843) (Brachyura: Portunidae)

The burrowing behaviour of Ovalipes catharus (White, 1843) is described and compared with that of some other burrowing crabs. O. catharus is a fast, back burrowing crab which makes temporary burrows in soft sand. The average time from initiation of burrowing to complete submergence was 6.5 s, there was no difference between males and females but burrowing time increased significantly with crab size. Similar morphological adaptations are required for burrowing and swimming: streamlined body shape, smooth lightly constructed exoskeleton, and flattened legs. O. catharus has a reversed respiratory current like O. guadulpensis but it differs in its burrowing behaviour. Compared to some other crabs, burrowing in O. catharus is rapid.     

The effect of membrane filtration on estimates of microbial ATP in New Zealand freshwaters

Concentrations of microbial ATP in 15 New Zealand lakes were determined using 2 extraction techniques. ATP was found in both the paniculate (>0.45 μm) and dissolved (<0.45 μm) fractions of the water samples. Higher concentrations of paniculate ATP were obtained when ATP was extracted directly from freshwater samples rather than following pre‐concentration on to membrane filters. Recovery of particulate ATP declined with increasing volumes of sample filtered. The magnitude of the filtration effect varied unpredictably between lakes and within lakes with time. Corrections for the presence of dissolved ATP were necessary before estimates of particulate ATP could be made by the direct extraction technique. Concentrations of dissolved ATP up to 1.2 μg L^‐1 were observed. The direct extraction technique is recommended for more accurate determination of particulate ATP in New Zealand freshwaters.     

Since turtles cannot talk: what beak movement sensors can tell us about the feeding ecology of neritic loggerhead turtles,Caretta caretta

Understanding the role that consumers play in an ecosystem requires knowledge about food selection and intake rates. However, such basic data are often difficult to obtain, particularly for marine animals that are not easy to observe. To overcome this problem, a beak movement sensor was employed on a free‐ranging loggerhead turtle in a neritic foraging habitat at the Domitian littoral (SW Italy). In combination with gastrointestinal content analysis from six turtles found dead in the same area we sought to identify which beak movement patterns were associated with which prey type, and to quantify the ingestion of the various prey types. Brachyuran crabs (100% occurrence), in particular Liocarcinus vernalis, and small molluscs (66% occurrence) were found most frequently in the stomach and intestine of the turtles. Beak movements revealed average ingestion rates of (mean ± SE) 0.27 ± 0.13 food items per minute and that feeding occurred predominantly during dives >4 m and during early morning and evening. Interestingly, the time spent feeding amounted to only 2.2% of the total observation time, whereas feeding‐associated dives added up to just above 10% of the total time. We thus established that loggerhead turtles in this area are specialised on brachyuran crabs, on which they prey with high success during the short time dedicated to foraging. This information strengthens our knowledge about turtle–prey and turtle–habitat interactions, which are essential data to delineate the role that turtles play in this and similar marine ecosystems. Moreover, since the same area is also intensively used by the regional bottom trawl fishery, our results have important conservation implications, because they clearly show the time of day and water depths for which fishing activity should be regulated to reduce the number of turtles that are currently being incidentally caught in this area.     

Is there a link between deep‐sea biodiversity and ecosystem function?

Studying the diversity‐ecosystem function relationship in the deep sea is of primary importance in the face of biodiversity loss and for our understanding of how the deep sea functions. Results from the first study of diversity‐ecosystem function relationships in the deep sea (Danovaro et al. 2008; Current Biology, 18, 1–8) are unexpected and show an exponential relationship between deep‐sea nematode diversity and ecosystem function and efficiency, although this relationship appears largely restricted to relatively low diversities [ES(51) <25]. Here, we investigate the relationship between nematode diversity and several independent measures/proxies of ecosystem function (sediment community oxygen consumption, bacterial biomass, bacterial extracellular enzyme activity) and efficiency (ratio of bacterial/nematode carbon to organic C content of the sediment) on the New Zealand continental slope. Nematode diversity at our study sites was relatively high [ES(51) = 30–42], and there was no relationship between species/functional diversity and ecosystem function/efficiency after accounting for the effects of water depth and food availability. Our results are consistent with a breakdown of the exponential diversity‐function relationship at high levels of diversity, which may be due to increased competition or greater functional redundancy. Future studies need to take into account as many environmental factors and as wide a range of diversities as possible to provide further insights into the diversity‐ecosystem function relationship in the largest ecosystem on Earth.     

Tidal exposure or microhabitats: what determines sandy‐beach nematode zonation? a case study of a macrotidal ridge‐and‐runnel sandy beach in Belgium

Lately, across‐shore zonation has been found to be more important in structuring the nematode community of a tropical macrotidal sandy beach than microhabitat heterogeneity. To evaluate whether this zonation pattern applies to a temperate beach, a macrotidal ridge‐and‐runnels sandy beach in the North Sea was studied. We investigated whether a similar zonation occurs in sandbar and runnel microhabitats, and whether the runnels harbour a different community from the subtidal. Our results indicate that nematode communities from runnel and sandbar habitats are significantly different. In addition, horizontal zonation patterns for nematode communities differ between both habitats. Nematode assemblages from sandbars are divided to lower, middle and upper beach while upper and middle runnels cluster together. The subtidal and upper runnels showed dissimilar nematode assemblages, although runnels showed the same dominant species (Daptonema normandicum), which increases its abundance towards the upper runnels. This study illustrates the importance of microhabitat heterogeneity, which resulted in different zonation patterns across the sandy beach examined. The divergent zonation between sandbars and runnels in the macrotidal temperate sandy beach, compared with the pattern observed for a subtropical sandy beach with similar morphodynamics, indicates that generalizations about nematode distribution patterns should be made with caution.     

Northern Adriatic phytoplankton response to short Po River discharge pulses during summer stratified conditions

A 275‐km‐long transversel Northern Adriatic profile from the mouth of the Po River (Italian Adriatic coast) to the Kvarner region (Croatian coastal island area) was investigated in three successive case studies in August 2008, 2009 and 2010. The short Po River pulses in August result in the surface advection of riverine water, nutrients and phytoplankton from the western to the eastern side of the Adriatic. This surface spreading exhibits inter‐annual variability depending on the riverine discharge in the preceding period. The Po River discharge pulse in August 2010 in particular resulted in an extraordinary tongue‐like advection of riverine water, nutrients, and phytoplankton towards the Eastern Adriatic coast. The phenomenon was detected using both satellite imagery and classical oceanographic measurements. In the advective water, toxic dinoflagellates were most abundant in August 2010, when the influence of the Po was greatest.     

On the use of Atterberg limits on marine soils

Abstract

On the basis of the Atterberg indexes of various sediments collected in the Mediterranean Sea, we select two major parameters indicative of the mechanical behavior of marine soils: the sedimentary facies (i.e., mechanism of deposition expressed by silt content) and the clay mineral association characterized by smectite content in the fraction finer than 2 μm. Activity and real thixotropic ability appear to be particularly important parameters in marine engineering; better values are obtained by a double test operation in distilled and marine water.     

A pleistocene mummified ostracod from the Wairarapa district

A mummified specimen of Scottia insularis Chapman is recorded from beds of Upper Nukumaruan age (Pleistocene) at Gladstone in the Wairarapa Valley. This is the first record of a mummified species from New Zealand.