A taxonomical and ecological survey of rotiffer communities in Krottensee (Austria)

The composition and distribution of benthic, periphytic and planktonic rotifers in different habitats in Krottensee were investigated. Sixty-five rotifer taxa were identified, their relative abundance estimated. Classification of the data set by cluster analysis allowed the recognition of distinct habitat groups confined to acid bog ponds, macrophytes, sediments and open water. Five groups of rotifer taxa were identified on the basis of their habitat preferences and the occurrence of the taxa. Highest diversities were found on macrophytes and in acid bog ponds.     

中国辽宁-浙江沿海地区川蔓草分布现状、生态特征及其主要威胁

川蔓草(Ruppia)是一种广泛分布在咸水、半咸水生境中的广义海草, 其形成的川蔓草床具有重要的生态学价值。然而, 对于其在中国境内的分布情况尚缺乏大范围的调查。基于此, 本研究于2016—2019年对中国辽宁-浙江沿海区域的川蔓草分布情况进行了初步调查, 探究了调查区域内川蔓草的生境分布类型, 及生态特征, 分析了川蔓草床的主要威胁, 并提出了对川蔓草床科学管理的建议。结果表明: 川蔓草在中国浙江省、江苏省、山东省、天津市、河北省、辽宁省均有分布; 分布面积超过2 100 ha; 该区域内分布的川蔓草物种均为中国川蔓草, 主要分布生境包括咸水养殖池塘、咸水沟渠(池塘)、盐场、瀉湖(湖泊)、潮间带(围堰)5类; 人类活动影响(人工清捞、施药、河道工程等)与极端气候事件(极端干旱事件)都会导致川蔓草床退化, 但大部分川蔓草床可以依靠沉积物中的种子库在环境适宜时进行种群恢复; 不同生境中的川蔓草种群特征差异较大, 因此, 对不同生境中的川蔓草应制定差异性管理措施。     

Spatial patterns and environmental risks of ringnet fishing along the Kenyan coast

Ringnet fishing began in the early 20th century and is practised worldwide, mainly to target nearshore pelagic species. The method was introduced to Kenya’s coastal waters by migrant fishers from Tanzania. However, the impacts of this fishing gear remain poorly assessed. We assessed the spatial distribution of ringnet fishing effort and its possible effects on ecosystem components, such as coral reefs, marine megafauna and marine protected areas, on the south coast of Kenya. We tracked 89 ringnet fishing trips made from December 2015 to January 2016 and used spatial multicriteria analysis to determine hotspots of possible environmental risks. The results showed that habitat type and bathymetric profile influenced the spatial distribution of ringnet fishing effort. Mixed seagrass and coral habitats had the highest concentration of the effort. Most of the habitats in the study area were moderately exposed to the impacts of the ringnet fishery. The study identifies high-risk areas that require spatial measures to minimise possible environmental risks of the gear both to habitats and to endangered sea turtles.     

A summary of the geology and oil habitat of the Eastern Flank Hydrocarbon Province of South Oman

The Eastern Flank Hydrocarbon Province borders the southeastern edge of the South Oman Salt Basin in the southern part of Oman. An intensive exploration programme by PDO over the past seven years has led to the discovery of almost 2 × 10⁹ m³ of oil with current production of some 15000 m³/d from six fields.In stark contrast to other oil habitats of the Arabian Peninsula, the main play involves rock units and geological events ranging in age from Late Precambrian to Quaternary Times, while trap development and charging are closely related to syn-tectonic salt dissolution.The principal reservoirs and seals are poorly consolidated, Palaeozoic clastics which drape, due to salt dissolution, over residual ‘cores’ principally composed of either Lower Palaeozoic sandstones (Haima Group), or Late Proterozoic carbonates (Huqf Group), or some combination of these. Oils have been geochemically correlated with algal source rocks of the Huqf Eastern Flank. Structures are considered to have been ‘charged’ from Late Mesozoic times onwards in conjunction with progressive subsurface salt removal and the onset of maturation of local source rocks. The effectiveness of ‘charging’ along the retreating salt edge is indicated by the small percentage of dry wells.Major oil zones are found in both anticlinal and truncation traps which are commonly developed around sandstone (Haima Group) cores. Oils show a wide range of characteristics but are typically heavy, early expulsion crudes, high sulphur with little associated gas. Bacterial transformation is not uncommon.Producing reservoirs mainly occur at relatively shallow depths (600–1200 m). Primary recovery factors of around 7% reflect the high density and viscosity of the Eastern Flank crudes and have initiated interest in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques. Two such pilot projects, involving steam and polymer flooding, are due to commence in 1984 and, if successful, will substantially increase the reserve base of these fields.     

Regional variation in springtime ichthyoplankton assemblages in the northeast Pacific Ocean

The coastal regions of the northeast Pacific support large, economically valuable fishery resources and provide nursery areas for many fish species. Over the last few decades, there have been dramatic shifts in species abundance and composition in this area. In this paper, we examine the springtime spatial patterns in the ichthyoplankton of three oceanographically different regions, the Southeast Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska and the U.S. West Coast. The data examined are a subset of a larger database (comprising data from cruises conducted from 1972 to 1997) that is being used to investigate spatial, seasonal and interannual patterns in ichthyoplankton of the northeast Pacific in relation to environmental conditions. Ichthyoplankton were collected during seven cruises using 60-cm bongo nets. Spatial patterns of ichthyoplankton were examined using both classification and ordination techniques. Relative Bray-Curtis dissimilarity coefficients calculated from the log₁₀ (n+1) of abundance data were used as input to the numerical classification of species and stations. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling was also applied to the abundance data to examine geometric patterns in the data. The numerical analyses of the species abundance data sets for each cruise revealed spatial patterns in the ichthyoplankton that suggest the occurrence of geographically distinct assemblages of fish larvae in each region. For all three sampling regions, the assemblage structure is primarily related to bathymetry, and Shelf, Slope, and Deep-Water assemblages are described. This shallow to deep-water gradient in species occurrence and abundance reflects the habitat preference and spawning location of the adult fish. Another degree of complexity is superimposed on this primary assemblage structure in each region and seems to be related to local topography and the prevailing current patterns. The patterns in ichthyoplankton assemblages of the three regions in the northeast Pacific Ocean described here form the basis for future investigations of spatial and temporal patterns in the ichthyoplankton of the subarctic Pacific.Regional Index Terms: Northeast Pacific Ocean, Southeast Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, U.S. West Coast.     

Influence of submerged aquatic vegetation on size class distribution of perch (Perca fluviatilis) and roach (Rutilus rutilus) in the littoral zone of Lake Geneva (Switzerland)

The abundance of different size classes of perch and roach in the littoral zone of Lake Geneva was compared between submerged aquatic vegetation and unvegetated zones. Samples were taken with gillnets during four periods between June and October 1993. During the vegetation period (June to September), perch 9 cm and roach 10 cm were more abundant in vegetation whereas roach > 20 cm were more abundant in open water. Perch larger than 18 cm and medium roach were equally distributed in both habitats whatever the period, whereas medium perch distribution fluctuated according to the period. In October, after the decline of the vegetation, no more differences in fish distribution were observed except for small roach, which were always more abundant in the vegetated sites.     

Flow and form in rehabilitation of large-river ecosystems: An example from the Lower Missouri River

On large, intensively engineered rivers like the Lower Missouri, the template of the physical habitat is determined by the nearly independent interaction of channel form and flow regime. We evaluated the interaction between flow and form by modeling four combinations of modern and historical channel form and modern and historical flow regimes. The analysis used shallow, slow water (shallow-water habitat, SWH, defined as depths between 0 and 1.5 m, and current velocities between 0 and 0.75 m/s) as an indicator of habitat that has been lost on many intensively engineered rivers and one that is thought to be especially important in rearing of young fishes. Two-dimensional hydrodynamic models for modern and historical channels of the Lower Missouri River at Hermann, Missouri, indicate substantial differences between the two channels in total availability and spatial characteristics of SWH. In the modern channel, SWH is maximized at extremely low flows and in overbank flows, whereas the historical channel had substantially more SWH at all discharges and SWH increased with increasing discharge. The historical channel form produced 3–7 times the SWH area of the modern channel regardless of flow regime. The effect of flow regime is evident in increased within-year SWH variability with the natural flow regime, including significant seasonal peaks of SWH associated with spring flooding. Comparison with other reaches along the Lower Missouri River indicates that a) channel form is the dominant control of the availability of habitat even in reaches where the hydrograph is more intensively altered, and b) rehabilitation projects that move toward the historical condition can be successful in increasing topographic diversity and thereby decreasing sensitivity of the availability of habitat to flow regime. The relative efficacy of managing flow and form in creating SWH is useful information toward achieving socially acceptable rehabilitation of the ecosystem in large river systems.