Composition, structural characteristics and temporal patterns of fish assemblages in non-tidal Mediterranean lagoons: A case study

The importance of transitional water ecosystems as nursery habitats and feeding grounds for fish species is well-known. Detailed studies of colonization patterns of fish guilds in response to biotic and abiotic drivers are however unevenly distributed among ecosystem types. We address here the temporal variability of fish assemblages in small non-tidal lagoons in the Mediterranean basin. The study was carried out at the Acquatina lagoon (Lecce, Italy) where four stations, situated in two habitat types along a confinement gradient, were sampled twice per month for one year with fyke nets. Forty-five taxa ranging across 20 families were collected, with the most abundant species, Atherina boyeri, accounting for more than 95% of total abundance. Pooling all species together (excluding sand smelt), the structural features of the assemblage, relative abundance of families, and abundance of individual species all showed significant temporal patterns. Mean abundance peaked in Summer and Autumn and fell in Winter, whereas taxonomic richness and diversity were highest in Summer and lowest in Spring. Within the fish assemblage, multivariate ordination showed temporal segregation of species belonging to the same family or genus and expected to be functionally similar, suggesting that they avoid competition for space and resources by timing inward migration and peak occurrence differently. Of the environmental driving forces, which also showed temporal patterns of variation, salinity was the main factor affecting the distribution of individuals and species. The catch of young individuals of several marine species confirmed the role of this small lagoon as a nursery and feeding area, and emphasized the need for further studies.     

Colonization and Disappearance ofMytilus galloprovincialisLam. on an Artificial Habitat in the Mediterranean Sea

AMytilus galloprovincialispopulation, settled on a new artificial habitat at 12 m depth in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea, was investigated for 10 years. The new substratum, located at a depth lower than the preferential range of the species, was colonized temporarily by mussels which reached very high densities and dominated the benthic community from their colonization until the third year. The length-frequency distribution analysis showed a progressively complex population structure with up to three cohorts. The yearly recruitments were observed once a year in spring. The growth curve provided a maximum length higher than that reported for shallow waters. Nevertheless, the gregarious habits of mussels and the reduced water movement caused edaphic modifications of the substratum, which was covered progressively by sediments and biodeposits (pseudofaeces). Consequently, the population structure was affected by a reduction of the newly recruited cohorts, and mussels disappeared after 5 years of colonization. This may be explained by the reduction in the substratum available for the first settlement (hydroid covering), as well as by the modification of the surface required for final settlement.     

The invertebrate benthic community of two solar salt ponds in Aveiro,Portugal

The invertebrate benthic community of two Aveiro salt pond systems was studied in order to evaluate its diversity, density and the influence of organic matter and salt production. Samples were collected monthly at Esmolas and Tanoeiras. Five groups of benthic organisms were found: Nemathelminthes, Annelida (Nereis diversicolor), Crustacea (Sphaeroma serratum andTanais cavolini), Insecta (Chironomidae), Bivalvia Mollusca (Cerastoderma edule, Spisula solida andMya arenaria) and Gasteropoda Mollusca (Hydrobia ulvae, Cingulla cingullus, Cingulla semistriata, Odostomia rissoides, Odostomia unidentata, Scrobicularia alba, Valvata cristata andPaludestrina acuta). The highest density of the benthic community was observed during the non-productive season in all but the crystallizing pond systems. In both salt ponds, salinity acted as limiting factor. The dominant group was Gasteropoda, although high densities of Bivalvia were recorded in some ponds. In the feeder pond and the channels, species diversity was highest in the Tanoeiras salt pond, probably because its physical and chemical characteristics allowed the development of stable communities.     

Hispanic Community Types and Assimilation in Mex-America

I argue that discrepancies among Hispanic assimilation models can be interpreted through three distinct types of Hispanic communities—continuous, discontinuous, and new. Continuous communities were founded by Hispanics and Hispanics have always been the majority population. As a result, Hispanics have not assimilated as predicted by traditional models. Discontinuous communities were originally settled by Hispanics, but eventually were filled by a minority population. Since WWII, many of these communities have experienced a Hispanic demographic resurgence making assimilation more problematic. Hispanics in new communities are recent immigrants to Anglo dominant communities and are more apt to follow the traditional assimilation model.     

Short-term bacterial reactivity of nitrogen-enriched seawater of a eutrophic lagoon

We carried out, in September, a 24 h experiment to determine the potential reactivity of bacterial communities found in the sea water in Arcachon Basin (France). To create eutrophic systems, batches of seawater were enriched with 30 mgl^?1 of either ammonium chloride or amino acids. Samples were taken every 3 h. Quantitative measurements were made of direct counts (AODC), biomass and ATP content. The heterotrophic bacterial communities were defined in terms of their catabolic potentialities and ‘specific’ diversity. Bacterial heterotrophic activity was established by measuring heterotrophic uptake and the mineralization percentage of labelled glucose or amino acids. From these data, ratios of AMP/ATP and P/B were calculated where P is the uptake of labelled substrate and B is the biomass.After the nitrogen enrichment an increase of the respiration was seen at first. After 6 h, a biomass peak appeared associated with a continuous increase in the number of cells. Bacterial growth was concurrent with a qualitative modification of the community: UAI increased, and diversity dropped. A less diversified community resulted suggesting an immature ecological state (zymogenous bacterial). Low values of respiration percentage (20%) characterized high growth yields.     

论产业集群的知识协作机制

产业集群的知识协作机制包括：信任机制和知识共享机制。其信任机制表现为：集群信任的形成是企业个体(或私人)的内在利益诉求的必然结果,也是集群环境下市场选择与市场竞争监督的“社会实施”的产物;其知识共享机制表现为：集群的空间集聚与信任特征创造了“面对面交流”的有利条件,集群的社会文化特征促进集群整体默会性知识的扩散与共享,集群的网络特征加速知识外溢与创意流动,为群内企业工作人员的知识开发与创造构筑协作平台。     

Structure of the Epiphytic Community of Posidonia oceanica Leaves in a Shallow Meadow

Abstract. The structure of the epiphytic community (hydroids, bryozoans, and the most abundant macrophytes) of Posidonia oceanica leaves in a shallow meadow near Lacco Ameno, Ischia was studied. The structure of the community changed along an age gradient that extended from the inner to the outer leaves and from the basis to the apex of each leaf. This structure was also affected by microclimatic factors. The dynamics of community "maturation" is described.     

Biodiversity of zoobenthic hard-substrate sublittoral communities in the Eastern Mediterranean (North Aegean Sea)

The spatial dispersion of zoobenthos from sublittoral hard substrate communities in the northern part of the Aegean Sea has been studied during summer 1997 and 1998. Material was collected by SCUBA diving, by totally scraping off five replicate quadrates (400 cm² each) at three depth levels (15, 30, 40 m) from six sites located in Chalkidiki peninsula, plus one in Kavala Gulf. The examination of the 19,343 living specimens collected revealed the presence of 314 species. Though the multivariate analyses showed high similarity between stations, the structure of this sciaphilic algal community seems to have an increased spatial heterogeneity. Four distinct facies were recorded in accordance with the occurrence of different algal forms, the degree of hard substrate inclination and the water clarity. A short review on the biodiversity of sublittoral communities in the Mediterranean revealed the affinity between the western and the eastern basin and also among the photophilic and the sciaphilic algal communities.