The Ectoparasitic Gastropod Boonea (= Odostomia) impressa: Population Ecology and the Influence of Parasitism on Oyster Growth Rates

Abstract. Boonea (= Odostomia) impressa is a common ectoparasite of oysters. In the laboratory, small oysters (Crassostrea virginica) parasitized by natural densities of B. impressa produced 75 % less new shell than unparasitized oysters. Shell deposition rates of previously parasitized oysters increased significantly after all B. impressa were removed. Thus, the decrease in growth rate, although significant, apparently was not permanent. B. impressa preferentially parasitized small, living oysters (≤2.5cm) in the field, even though a higher percentage of large, living oysters (>2.5cm) was available. The snails maintained an aggregated distribution on the oyster reef. The number of B. impressa per oyster clump was positively correlated with the number of living oysters per clump, however some clumps with few or no living oysters had many B. impressa. Thus, food availability only partially explained the pattern of distribution. B. impressa was very mobile. About 50 % of the population moved in one week. Reproduction occurred throughout the year with a peak period in May. Recruitment was greatest in July, however new recruits were observed throughout the year. The reduction in growth rate of parasitized oysters, the snaiľs propensity towards parasitizing small oysters and the snail's tendency to be contagiously distributed suggests that B. impressa potentially exerts a significant influence on the population structure and health of oyster populations.     

Genetic Diversity in Marine Molluscs: A Test of the Niche-Width Variation Hypothesis

Abstract. A test of the niche width variation hypothesis was conducted in the three Mediterranean littoral species of the family Trochidae: Monodonta turbinata, M. turbiformis and Gibbula richardi. Allozymic variation encoded by 26 gene loci was analyzed, and the levels of polymorphism (P), heterozygosity (H) and allele diversity per locus (A) were estimated and appear to support the niche-width variation hypothesis. The broad-niche species, M. turbiformis and G. richardi are more polymorphic and heterozygous than the relatively narrow-niche M. turbinata (P = 0.571; 0.731 and 0.417; H = 0.108; 0.116 and 0.078; A = 2.025; 2.489 and 1.965, respectively).     

中国南极中山锚地勘测

本文介绍了南极中山锚地的选择条件,勘测实施过程及水文、气象特点,并对测量区域作了分析研究与评价,科学地确定了适合科考船抛锚的锚地,致使“雪龙”船首次在中山锚地抛锚试抛成功,结束了中山站附近海域无锚地的历史。     

Copepod grazing during spring blooms: Does Calanus pacificus avoid harmful diatoms?

During late winter and spring of 2002 and 2003, 24, 2–3 day cruises were conducted to Dabob Bay, Washington State, USA, to examine the grazing, egg production, and hatching success rates of adult female Calanus pacificus and Pseudocalanus newmani. The results of the copepod grazing experiments for C. pacificus are discussed here. Each week, copepod grazing incubation experiments from two different depth layers were conducted. Grazing was measured by both changes in chlorophyll concentration and cell counts. In 2002, there was one moderate bloom consisting mainly of Thalassiosira spp. in early February, and a larger bloom in April comprised of two Chaetoceros species and Phaeocystis sp. Similarly, in 2003, there were two blooms, an early one dominated by Thalassiosira spp., and a later one consisting of Chaetoceros spp. and Thalassiosira spp. Clearance rates on individual prey species, as calculated by cell counts, showed that C. pacificus are highly selective in their feeding, and may have much higher clearance rates on individual taxa than rates calculated from bulk chlorophyll disappearance. During weeks of high phytoplankton concentration, the copepods generally ate phytoplankton. However, they often rejected the most abundant phytoplankton species, particularly certain Thalassiosira spp., even though the rejected prey were often of the same genus and similar size to the preferred prey. It is speculated that this avoidance may be related to the possible deleterious effects that certain of these diatom species have on the reproductive success of these copepods. During weeks of medium to low phytoplankton concentration, the copepods selectively ate certain species of phytoplankton, and often had high electivity for microzooplankton. The selection mechanism must consist of active particle rejection most likely based on detection of surface chemical properties, since the diatoms that were selected were of the same genus, nearly the same size, and at lower numerical abundance than those cells that were avoided. The grazing choices made by these copepods may have important consequences for the overall ecosystem function within coastal and estuarine systems through changes in the transfer efficiency of energy to higher trophic levels.     

Seasonal and Spatial Variations of Iceberg Drift off Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, Detected by Satellite Scatterometers

Seasonal and spatial variations of iceberg drift were studied using continuous satellite scatterometer images off Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Generally, iceberg drift speed showed a westward increase to the Greenwich Meridian. Seasonal variations of the drift speed were high in autumn—early winter and low in spring, and their magnitudes also increased westward. Seasonal variations of the drift speed were significantly correlated with variations of sea levels at Syowa and Mawson Stations, and hence qualitatively consistent with geostrophic current variations. Thus, the scatterometer data are demonstrated to be useful in monitoring iceberg trajectory and oceanic current variations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

遥感与GIS支持下的海洋渔业空间分布研究——以东海为例

基于海洋渔业多年来生产实践所表明的海洋渔场与海洋水文要素密切相关性,将研究区的遥感融合信息与生产数据进行GIS空间配准,同时建立了诸多要素数据的空间聚类模式,利用该模式提取了水文信息和中心渔场信息相关联的空间分布规律的隐伏信息,由此阐述了实现海洋渔业现代化,应用空间遥感融合信息和GIS支持下指导海洋渔业生产的渔情预报有着重要意义.