Evaluation of toxicity in tributaries of the Mersey estuary using the isopod Asellus aquaticus (L.)

Increasing numbers of industrial, agricultural and natural chemicals are present in sewage effluent and are known to elicit toxic effects in laboratory exposures, but little is known of their combined sub-lethal effect in the field. In this study, a combination of esterase activity and ventilation rate assays was performed to determine the neurological and physiological function of the freshwater crustacean Asellus aquaticus (L.) at sites above and below a sewage treatment works (STW). Cholinesterase and carboxylesterase activities were significantly inhibited (n=8, P<0.05) and ventilation rates increased (n=8, P=0.0001) in A. aquaticus at STW sites compared to those from reference sites, indicating a decrease in neurological and physiological function. The ecological relevance of these findings for the population dynamics of the organisms in the field is discussed.     

The Role of Isopod Crustaceans in the Reef Crest Community at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize

Abstract. The species composition and numbers of specimens of isopod crustaceans from the rubble of a Belizean reef crest were obtained. Four sets of 30 samples were taken from three rubble zones (rubble with algal turf, rubble between Thalassia plants, and pure rubble), in four different collecting periods. Twenty-four species of isopods were identified, sexed and counted. By means of a Likelihood Ratio Chi-square Contingency Table Analysis the presence of 13 species was shown to be positively correlated with habitat, 15 species with season, and nine species with habitat and season combined. From the spread of total numbers and of ovigerous females it is proposed that the isopods may be grouped into three patterns: a) those present and breeding in the reef crest rubble throughout the year, i. e. stress-tolerant species; b) those showing a breeding peak in summer and a population decrease in winter-spring, i. e. opportunist species; and c) those showing a breeding peak in the fall, and a second peak in spring, and a decrease or complete avoidance of the habitat, especially by ovigerous females, in the summer. The diversity of the Belizean reef crest isopod fauna is compared with the published report of the isopod fauna of a coral reef in Madagascar. Several similarities in composition are noted. The multiplicity of microhabitats is invoked as a possible explanation for the relatively high diversity of anthuridean isopods in coral reefs.     

新发现的江河寄生性等足类——细角鳃虫的人工感染试验

珠江水系贺江段近年出现严重危害网箱养殖和江河鱼类资源的大型寄生虫病害．初步鉴定该虫隶属于甲壳纲．等足目．鳃虫科．细角鳃虫属．是国内新发现的淡水鱼类寄生虫。用该虫对草鱼、银鲫、麦鲮进行人工感染．结果表明：该虫具有很强的寄生能力．累积感染率为76．2％～100．0％；对寄生部位具有一定的选择性，以寄生在鳃部的比例（55．6％～72．0％）最大．胸鳍（11．7％～28．8％）次之；对试验鱼有较强的致死性；该虫吸血后体长（L）增长较大．体宽（W）基本不变；从寄主体上主动脱落的虫体，其L／W的增长率（16．32％～18．00％）较大，而一直寄生在寄主身上的虫体．其L／W的增长率则因各自摄食量的不同而存在较大的差异。     

Local and regional species diversity of benthic Isopoda (Crustacea) in the deep Gulf of Mexico

Recent studies of deep-sea faunas considered the influence of mid-domain models in the distribution of species diversity and richness with depth. In this paper, I show that separating local diversity from regional species richness in benthic isopods clarifies mid-domain effects in the distribution of isopods in the Gulf of Mexico. Deviations from the randomised implied species ranges can be informative to understanding general patterns within the Gulf of Mexico. The isopods from the GoMB study contained 135 species, with a total of 156 species including those from an earlier study. More than 60 species may be new to science. Most families of deep-sea isopods (suborder Asellota) were present, although some were extremely rare. The isopod family Desmosomatidae dominated the samples, and one species of Macrostylis (Macrostylidae) was found in many samples. Species richness for samples pooled within sites ranged from 1 to 52 species. Because species in pooled samples were highly correlated with individuals, species diversity was compared across sites using the expected species estimator (n=15 individuals, ES₁₅). Six depth transects had idiosyncratic patterns of ES₁₅, and transects with the greatest short-range variation in topography, such as basins and canyons, had the greatest short-range disparity. Basins on the deep slope did not have a consistent influence (i.e., relatively higher or lower than surrounding areas) on the comparative species diversity. ES₁₅ of all transects together showed a weak mid-domain effect, peaking around 1200–1500 m, with low values at the shallowest and deepest samples (Sigsbee Abyssal Plain); no longitudinal (east–west) pattern was found. The regional species pool was analyzed by summing the implied ranges of all species. The species ranges in aggregate did not have significant patterns across longitudes, and many species had broad depth ranges, suggesting that the isopod fauna of the Gulf of Mexico is well dispersed. The summed ranges, as expected, had strong mid-domain patterns, contrasting with the local species richness estimates. The longitudinal ranges closely matched a randomized pattern (species ranges placed randomly, 1000 iterations), with significant deviations in the east attributable to lower sampling effort. The depth pattern, however, deviated from the mid-domain model, with a bimodal peak displaced nearly 500 m shallower than the mode of the randomized distribution. The deviations from random expectation were significantly positive above 1600 m and negative below 2000 m, with the result that regional species richness peaked between 800 and 1200 m, and decreased rapidly at deeper depths. The highest species richness intervals corresponded to the number of individuals collected. Residuals from a regression of the deviations on individual numbers, however, still deviated from the randomized pattern. In this declining depth-diversity pattern, the Gulf of Mexico resembles other partially enclosed basins, such as the Norwegian Sea, known to have suffered geologically recent extinction events. This displaced diversity pattern and broad depth ranges implicate ongoing re-colonization of the deeper parts of the Gulf of Mexico. The Sigsbee Abyssal Plain sites could be depauperate for historical reasons (e.g., one or more extinction events) rather than ongoing ecological reasons (e.g., low food supply).     

新发现的江河寄生性等足类——细角鳃虫的人工感染试验

珠江水系贺江段近年出现严重危害网箱养殖和江河鱼类资源的大型寄生虫病害,初步鉴定该虫隶属于甲壳纲,等足目,鳃虫科,细角鳃虫属,是国内新发现的淡水鱼类寄生虫。用该虫对草鱼、银鲫、麦鲮进行人工感染,结果表明:该虫具有很强的寄生能力,累积感染率为76.2%~100.0%;对寄生部位具有一定的选择性,以寄生在鳃部的比例(55.6%~72.0%)最大,胸鳍(11.7%~28.8%)次之;对试验鱼有较强的致死性;该虫吸血后体长(L)增长较大,体宽(W)基本不变;从寄主体上主动脱落的虫体,其L/W的增长率(16.32%~18.00%)较大,而一直寄生在寄主身上的虫体,其L/W的增长率则因各自摄食量的不同而存在较大的差异。