Biological invasions continue to increase around the world, with impacts on many coastal marine systems. Here we review the South African marine invasion literature which, despite the field being relatively new, has grown to have significant presence in both the local and international arenas. Of the 79 papers reviewed, 70% focused on the establishment and spread of alien species, with modes of transport and introduction largely overlooked. An emphasis was also apparent towards field studies, in particular survey work, with few experimental studies. The overwhelming majority of papers focused on a single species, the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, reflecting the scale of this invasion and the tractable nature of rocky shores as study systems. With the exception of this one species, the impacts of marine alien species have rarely been quantified. We suggest that future research extends the taxonomic coverage of present work and develops a better understanding of the mechanisms of introduction, establishment and spread of marine alien species. Through an experimental approach, the drivers of altered ecological patterns and processes resulting from invasions should be addressed, providing insight into associated impacts. This approach will maintain the local applicability and international relevance of South African marine invasion research. 相似文献
The efficacy of ocean colour remote sensing in assessing the variability of phytoplankton biomass within Saldanha Bay is examined. Satellite estimates of chlorophyll a (Chl a) were obtained using the maximum peak-height (MPH) algorithm on full-resolution (300?m) data from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS). Subsurface Chl a maxima often occur within Saldanha Bay below the mean detection depth of the satellite (1.5?m) during periods of thermal stratification. Consequently, the MPH product was poorly correlated to in situ data from 4?m depth (r2 and average relative percentage difference [RPD] of 0.094 and 53% respectively); however, the coefficient of determination was much improved if limited to in situ data collected under conditions of mixing (r2 and RPD of 0.869 and 89%, respectively). Composites of monthly MPH Chl a data reveal mean concentrations consistent with in situ seasonal trends of phytoplankton biomass, confirming the capability of the MPH algorithm to qualitatively resolve surface Chl a distribution within the bay. 相似文献
Saldanha Bay is a narrow-mouth bay on the west coast of South Africa linked to the southern Benguela upwelling system. Bay productivity was investigated by use of the conventional light-and-dark bottle oxygen method, and, for comparison, through assimilation of the stable isotope tracer 13C. Gross community production GCP and net community production NCP, as determined from the oxygen method, were respectively 2.6 and 2.4 times higher than estimates determined from the stable isotope method. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations increased with the onset of spring and well-defined subsurface maxima developed in association with increasingly stratified conditions (mean water column Chl a concentrations ranged from 5.4 to 31.5?mg m?3 [mean 15.5?mg m?3; SD 7.6]). A sharp decline in photosynthetic rates P* (GCP normalised to Chl a concentration) with depth was attributed to light limitation, as demonstrated by the high vertical attenuation coefficients for downward irradiance Kd, which varied from 0.29 to 0.70?m?1 (mean 0.48?m?1; SD 0.12). Productivity maxima were consequently near-surface despite the presence of deeper subsurface biomass maxima. The community compensation depth Zcc, where gross community production balances respiratory carbon loss for the entire community, ranged from 2.9 to 9.2?m (mean 5.8?m; SD 2.2), and was typically shallower than the 1% light depth for PAR (photosynthetically available radiation), Z1%PAR, which is traditionally assumed to be the depth of the euphotic zone and which ranged from 6.6 to 15.9?m (mean 9?m; SD 2.6). Autotrophic communities, where organic matter is produced in excess of respiratory demand, were confined on average to the upper 5.8?m of the water column, and often excluded the bulk of the phytoplankton community, where light limitation is considered to lead to heterotrophic community metabolism. Estimates of integrated water column productivity ranged from 0.84 to 8.46?g C m–2 d?1 (mean 3.35?g C m?2 d?1; SD 1.9). 相似文献
During November 1997, an extreme rainfall event caused flooding in the Olary Creek and created a terminal lake within mallee vegetation on Nagaela Station, far western New South Wales. To assess the effect of this rare event on native flora, six 25×25 m2 grazing exclusion plots were established on flooded (4), and un-flooded control (2) areas. We investigated (i) the distribution of Nicotiana glauca in relation to the 1997 flooding event (ii) the variation in density of N. glauca soil-stored seed between soil in control and exclosure plots (iii) the allelopathic effects of N. glauca on germination of Lactuca sativa seeds. Analysis of N. glauca stem sections revealed a maximum of five growth rings, confirming an origin following the 1997 flood event. At a September 1998 assessment, no N. glauca were found across flooded and control plots. In October 2000 N. glauca occurred at densities of 24 and 12 N. glauca seedlings ha−1 in the flooded unfenced and fenced plots respectively. No N. glauca individuals were recorded either from control fenced or unfenced plots. The soil-stored seed study revealed that larger numbers of N. glauca seeds were recovered from the flooded open plot (1936±968) than in flooded fenced plots (856±428.12) but none was found in the control plots. Leachates obtained from dry leaves and twigs had a significantly greater negative impact (p>0.001) on germination of L. sativa seeds than leachates obtained from fresh leaves and bark. This study showed that the density of N. glauca is high in areas where grazing had eliminated competition from native shrubs and grasses. N. glauca is potentially a serious weed along the Olary Creek and ephemeral lake boundaries. Management strategies such as reducing grazing pressure from native and introduced animals and/or effective eradication programs should be adopted, to minimize further infestation. 相似文献
Episodic high rainfall has been proposed as an important factor in perennial species recruitment but flooding based on rainfall at a distance from the site has received little attention. Although such flood events in arid Australia are rare, studies of the ephemeral Olary Creek indicate that occasional floods can also have a high impact on the vegetation and landscape. During February 1997, a high-rainfall event caused flooding in the Olary Creek. One branch of the creek created a terminal lake within mallee vegetation on Nagaela Station in far-western New South Wales. The flood path of Olary Creek and this terminal lake allow study of the importance of rainfall-driven flood events in shaping vegetation in arid environments. This paper reports (i) the response of arid land plant species to high-rainfall-driven episodic flood events and (ii) how grazing pressure from native and introduced herbivores can impact on native species response.
A systematic study was conducted to understand the botanical composition in flooded and control areas based on 25 m2 fenced and unfenced plots subjected to flooding and non-flooding. For 6 years following flooding, species richness in the flooded area was twice that of unflooded areas. In particular, 27 native species from 13 families were recorded both in the enclosed and open plots located in the flooded area. Over the study period nine species: Brachyscome ciliaris, Helichrysum leucopsidium, Vittadinia cuneata, Casuarina pauper, Maireana sedifolia, Salsola kali, Sclerolaena obliquicuspis, Eremophila sturtii and Eucalyptusfoecunda germinated only in the flooded enclosed plots. Further, 11 exotic species from five families were recorded in the flooded (both enclosed and open) plots over the study period. Knowledge gained from this study will contribute to management strategies for arid land vegetation. 相似文献
Evaluation of spatial-temporal variability of species composition and diversity in oceanic ecosystems is not easy because it is usually difficult to obtain sufficient data quantifying such variability.In this study,we examined pelagic species diversity indicators,species richness,Shannon-Wiener index of diversity and Hurlbert's species evenness,for fish assemblages from two areas(north and south) in the North Pacific Ocean(2°±12°N,178°E±165°W) during May±July 2008.The assemblages were based on data collecte... 相似文献