Reproductive Cycle of the Caribbean Feather Star Nemaster rubiginosa (Echinodermata: Crinoidea)

Abstract. The reproductive cycle of the comatulid crinoid Nemaster rubiginosa from Discovery Bay, Jamaica is described histologically. The cycle is annual and may be divided into (1) a "resting" phase (summer) in which most adults possess immature, unsexable gonads, (2) a recovery phase (early fall) marked by the re-initiation of gametogenesis and rapid gonadal growth, (3) a breeding phase (late fall and winter) during which the gonads are mature and repeated spawning likely takes place, and (4) a post-spawning phase (spring) during which relict gametes are removed from the shrinking gonads. Although unsexable individuals predominate during the "resting" phase, a small proportion of the adult population is unsexable at all times of the year. The reproductive condition of animals in the same month in two successive years was very similar, suggesting that the timing of reproduction is quite predictable from year to year. The re-initiation of gametogenesis in the early fall is correlated with both rising sea temperature and shortening daylength, and the October to March breeding season corresponds to the period of short daylengths at the study site. The well-defined and synchronized annual reproductive cycle of Nemaster rubiginosa contrasts with the more prolonged and variable reproductive cycles reported for other tropical crinoids and points to a diversity of breeding patterns among tropical crinoids.     

欧氏六线鱼Hexagrammos otakii Jordan & Starks性腺发育的周年变化研究

根据对青岛附近水域欧氏六线鱼（已达性成熟年龄）性腺周年宏观和组织学观察，性腺发育可分为：①重复发育Ⅱ期；②开始成熟期；③接近成熟期；④临产期或产卵期；⑤产后期。按性腺指数变化并结合性腺组织切片确定，欧氏六线鱼性腺发育在青岛海区一年一个周期，繁殖期在１０月下旬至１２月，繁殖盛期是１１月下旬至１２月中旬。     

Deep ocean fluxes and their link to surface ocean processes and the biological pump

Intense studies of upper and deep ocean processes were carried out in the Northwestern Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea) within the framework of JGOFS and related projects in order to improve our understanding of the marine carbon cycle and the ocean’s role as a reservoir for atmospheric CO₂. The results show a pronounced monsoon-driven seasonality with enhanced organic carbon fluxes into the deep-sea during the SW Monsoon and during the early and late NE Monsoon north of 10°N. The productivity is mainly regulated by inputs of nutrients from subsurface waters into the euphotic zone via upwelling and mixed layer-deepening. Deep mixing introduces light limitation by carrying photoautotrophic organisms below the euphotic zone during the peak of the NE Monsoon. Nevertheless, deep mixing and strong upwelling during the SW Monsoon provide an ecological advantage for diatoms over other photoautotrophic organisms by increasing the silica concentrations in the euphotic zone. When silica concentrations fall below 2 μmol l⁻¹, diatoms lose their dominance in the plankton community. During diatom-dominated blooms, the biological pathway of uptake of CO₂ (the biological pump) appears to be more efficient than during blooms of other organisms, as indicated by organic carbon to carbonate carbon (rain) ratios. Due to the seasonal alternation of diatom and non-diatom dominated exports, spatial variations of the annual mean rain ratios are hardly discernible along the main JGOFS transect.Data-based estimates of the annual mean impact of the biological pump on the fCO₂ in the surface water suggest that the biological pump reduces the increase of fCO₂ in the surface water caused by intrusion of CO₂-enriched subsurface water by 50–70%. The remaining 30 to 50% are attributed to CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere. Rain ratios up to 60% higher in river-influenced areas off Pakistan and in the Bay of Bengal than in the open Arabian Sea imply that riverine silica inputs can further enhance the impact of the biological pump on the fCO₂ in the surface water by supporting diatom blooms. Consequently, it is assumed that reduced river discharges caused by the damming of major rivers increase CO₂ emission by lowering silica inputs to the Arabian Sea; this mechanism probably operates in other regions of the world ocean also.     

Model simulations of carbon sequestration in the northwest Pacific by patch fertilization

Iron fertilization of nutrient-rich surface waters of the ocean is one possible way to help slow the rising levels of atmospheric CO₂ by sequestering it in the oceans via biological carbon export. Here, I use an ocean general circulation model to simulate a patch of nutrient depletion in the subpolar northwest Pacific under various scenarios. Model results confirm that surface fertilization is an inefficient way to sequester carbon from the atmosphere (Gnanadesikan et al., 2003), since only about 20% of the exported carbon comes initially from the atmosphere. Fertilization reduces future production and thus CO₂ uptake by utilizing nutrients that would otherwise be available later. Effectively, this can be considered as leakage when compared to a control run. This “effective” leakage and the actual leakage of sequestered CO₂ cause a significant, rapid decrease in carbon retention (only 30–45% retained after 10 years and less than 20% after 50 years). This contrasts markedly with the almost 100% retention efficiency for the same duration using the same model, when carbon is disposed directly into the northwest Pacific (Matsumoto and Mignone, 2005). As a consequence, the economic effectiveness of patch fertilization is poor in two limiting cases of the future price path of carbon. Sequestered carbon in patch fertilization is lost to the atmosphere at increasingly remote places as time passes, which would make monitoring exceedingly difficult. If all organic carbon from one-time fertilization reached the ocean bottom and remineralized there, acidification would be about −0.05 pH unit with O₂ depletion about −20 μmol kg⁻¹. These anomalies are probably too small to seriously threaten deep sea biota, but they are underestimated in the model because of its large grid size. The results from this study offer little to advocate purposeful surface fertilization as a serious means to address the anthropogenic carbon problem.     

人工养虾池生态系统结构特点及其控制对策

为养殖对虾而修筑的大大小小的养虾池都是一相对独立的生态系统。在池内生态条件适于对虾正常要求的情况下，对虾可以在其中生存、生长。如果生态条件逐步恶化，非但影响对虾的正常生活、生长，严重时甚至导致全部对虾死亡。粗放式的养殖，其影响也相对小些，高密度养殖情况下潜在的危险较大，对养殖池的环境状况要特别注意。ｌ人工养虾生态系统的基本特点１·１人工养殖池是一个结构简单的生态系统。在池内除放养的对虾（有时混养贝类等）外自然存在的生物通常是浮游植物和浮游动物，食物链大体上是二个层次（对虾靠投饵喂养例外）。养虾池…     

秋茄和榕树叶片中正构烷烃分布和单体化合物δ13C值及其光合作用

对深圳福田、阳江、海南新竹红树林秋茄Kandelia candel及海口榕树Ficusm icrocarpa叶中类脂物进行萃取,分离出正构烷烃,通过气相色谱(GC)及色谱-质谱(GC MS)分析,测出了正构烷烃的碳数分布和相对含量.气相色谱-稳定同位素比质谱仪(GC-IRMS)测定了正构烷烃单体化合物的稳定同位素组成δ13C.秋茄叶和榕树叶正构烷烃的碳数分布均为C17C33,主要集中在C23-C31(＞90%).化合物含量最高为C27的有深圳福田秋茄、海南新竹秋茄、海口榕树,而阳江秋茄为C25.单体化合物的稳定同位素δ13C深圳福田秋茄为-31.42‰-34.48‰,阳江秋茄为-31.69‰-33.62‰,海南新竹秋茄为-30.30‰-33.04‰,海口榕树为-29.92‰33.56‰;平均值分别为-32.95‰、32.67‰、31.67‰、-31.74‰.结果表明,秋茄和陆地植物榕树的光合作用都是通过C3途径,是典型C3植物.     

Understanding El Niño — The importance of Grey Literature in Coastal Ecosystem Research and Management

Access to information about past states of the environment and social systems is fundamental to understand, and cope with, the challenges of climate change and over-exploitation of natural resources at the onset of the 21st century. The loss of (old) data is a major threat to understanding better and mitigating long-term effects of human activities and anthropogenic changes to the environment. Although this is intuitively evident for old and local literature of any kind, even present-day international publishing of papers without the underlying raw data makes access to basic information a crucial issue. Here, we summarise experience resulting from a EU-funded International Science & Technology Cooperation (INCO) project (CENSOR) addressing Coastal Ecosystem Research and Management in the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) context. We show that indeed “Grey Literature” is still one of the most important sources of knowledge about natural science research and management of natural resource systems in Latin American countries. We argue that public archiving of original data of present-day research and old (Grey) Literature and easy public access are important for appreciating today's global environmental challenges caused by human activities, both past and present.