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1.
Previous research has suggested that competitive bottlenecks may exist for the Mediterranean grey mullets (Osteichthyes, Mugilidae) at the fry stage with the exotic Cyprinus carpio (Osteichthyes, Cyprinidae) playing a central role. As a consequence, the structure of grey mullet assemblages at later stages is thought to reflect previous competition as well as differences in osmoregulatory skills. This paper tests that hypothesis by examining four predictions about the relative abundance of five grey mullet species in 42 Western Mediterranean estuary sites from three areas (Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, Ebro Delta and Minorca) differing in the salinity level and occurrence of C. carpio. Field data confirmed the predictions as: (1) Liza aurata and Mugil cephalus were scarce everywhere and never dominated the assemblage; (2) Liza saliens dominated the assemblage where the salinity level was higher than 13; (3) Liza ramado always dominated the assemblage where the salinity level was lower than 13 and C. carpio was present; and (4) Chelon labrosus dominated the assemblage only where the salinity level was lower than 13 and C. carpio was absent. The catch per unit effort of C. labrosus of any size was smaller in the presence of C. carpio than where it had not been introduced, which is in agreement with the juvenile competitive bottleneck hypothesis. Discriminant analysis confirmed that the assemblage structure was linked to the salinity level and the occurrence of C. carpio for both early juveniles and late juveniles as well as adults. The data reported here reveal that the structure of grey mullet assemblages inhabiting Mediterranean estuaries is determined by salinity and competitive interactions at the fry stage. 相似文献
2.
Resource partioning among the planktivorous stages of eight fish species occurring in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon was studied. Five species were migratory mullets that spawned in the sea (Liza ramada, L. aurata, L. saliens, Chelon labrosusandMugil cephalus), while the other three species were resident and spawned in the lagoon (Atherina boyeri, Cyprinus carpioandGambusia holbrooki).Mullet fry exhibited similar diets, based on the consumption of zooplanktonic Crustacea such as copepods and cladocerans, although adult chironomids were also important.Gambusia holbrookiandA. boyerifed on small prey such as copepod nauplii, copepodites and rotifers, whileC. carpioconsumed larger prey preferentially (cladocerans and copepods).According to the trophic overlap and niche width results, seven species pairs could be competing in the estuary, although further experimental evidence is still required. 相似文献
3.
Roberto Carlucci Lembo Giuseppe Maiorano Porzia Capezzuto Francesca Marano Chiara Alessandra Sion Letizia Spedicato Maria Teresa Ungaro Nicola Tursi Angelo Gianfranco D'Onghia 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009,83(4):529-538
The spatial pattern of the nursery areas of red mullet (Mullus barbatus), hake (Merluccius merluccius) (Linnaeus, 1758) and deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) (Lucas, 1846) was studied in the South Adriatic and North Ionian Seas (Eastern-Central Mediterranean) applying geostatistical techniques and data from time series trawl surveys conducted in the area. The analysed variables were: R (number of recruits/km2) and R/Tot (fraction of recruits on the total sampled population). The structural analysis showed a spatial pattern of both variables characterized by continuity on a small scale. Predictions of nursery area localization with probability of finding recruits at different threshold values were obtained through median indicator kriging. For the red mullet the nurseries were mainly identified in the South Adriatic Sea off the Gargano peninsula and between Molfetta and Monopoli within 50 m in depth. The main concentration of hake juveniles was found to be between 100 and 200 m in depth along the Gargano peninsula and between Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca, where a nursery of deep-water rose shrimp was also detected. An overlapping depth, between 100 and 200 m, was identified for hake and deep-water rose shrimp nurseries. Protection of these areas through limitations of fishing pressure is discussed. 相似文献
4.
5.
摄食水平对梭鱼的生长和能量收支的影响 总被引：16，自引：1，他引：16
于 1 999年 8— 1 2月 ,在水温为 (2 4 .0± 0 .5 )℃ ,摄食水平分别为体重的 0 %、1 %、2 %、3 %、4%和饱食的条件下进行梭鱼的摄食 -生长实验。结果表明 ,梭鱼湿重、干重、蛋白质和能量的特定生长率 (SGR)与摄食水平呈直线关系 ,其转化效率与摄食水平的增加成正比 ;梭鱼的湿重、蛋白质、干重和能量的维持水平分别为体重的 1 .85 1、1 .85 3、2 .882和 2 .3 4 2 (% d) ;排粪率和排泄率随摄食水平的增加而增加 ,并呈直线关系。在最大摄食水平下 ,能量收支等式为 :1 0 0C =4.41F +1 1 .1 8U +47.0 6R +3 7.3 5G 相似文献
6.
长江口水域四种鱼类的耳石微化学研究 总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2
利用X-射线电子探针微区技术(electron probe microanalysis, EPMA),对长江口不同水域中捕获的焦氏舌鳎、皮氏叫姑鱼、鮸鱼和光泽黄颡鱼耳石中的Sr含量进行耳石微化学研究,结果发现,焦氏舌鳎是典型的海水鱼类,不仅Sr:Ca比(按惯例标准化为Sr:Ca×10~3)的移动平均值高(7),而且Sr含量面分析图亦呈现为对应高盐度海水的黄色或红色图谱。虽然皮氏叫姑鱼和鮸鱼从出生直至被捕Sr:Ca比的移动平均值都在3—7间波动,总体上属河口半咸水栖息鱼类,但从Sr含量面分析图来看,皮氏叫姑鱼生活史履历更为复杂,可包括淡水(对应蓝色图谱)和半咸水生境(对应绿色图谱);而鮸鱼仅在长江口较高盐度半咸水或海水生境中活动,未见进入过淡水的履历。光泽黄颡鱼表现出仅利用淡水生境的履历,其Sr:Ca比的移动平均值仅在1.5—3间窄幅波动,整个生活史均在淡水区域里活动,表现为长江口典型的淡水栖息鱼类。本研究从新的角度提供了较为客观、直观和最新的信息,用以较为准确地重建和掌握长江口这些不同鱼类的生境利用特征。 相似文献
7.
Spatial and temporal variation in fish assemblage structure of Koycegiz Lagoon–Estuarine System (KLES), located on the northwestern Turkish coast of Mediterranean, was investigated along an estuarine gradient where salinity ranged from 5 in upper reaches to 40 in lower reaches during October 1993–September 1994. Throughout the study, 42 species, consisting of marine (25), marine–estuarine-dependent (12), freshwater (3), catadromous (1), and estuarine resident (1) forms, were collected in trammel nets. Although species richness of marine species was greater than that of other groups, numerical contribution by marine species to the total catch was only 16%. Tilapia spp., the most abundant species mostly during summer and early spring at upper reaches, contributed 17% of the total samples. Among the seven species of Mugilidae, which contributed 42% of the total catch, Mugil cephalus, Liza aurata, and Liza salines contributed 10, 13, and 10% of the total catch, respectively. Consistent with findings from other studies, species richness and abundance were highest during late spring and summer and the lowest during winter and early spring. Samples from sites at or near the sea had more marine species. Samples from upper reaches had more freshwater and marine–estuarine-dependent species. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that salinity and turbidity were the most important environmental parameters affecting fishes. Sites near the sea were associated with high salinity and low turbidity, and sites in upper reaches had low salinity and high turbidity. Thus, the pattern observed in fish assemblage structure appears to be strongly influenced by species' responses to dominant salinity and turbidity gradients. 相似文献
8.
本研究以鲫鱼(Carassius auratus)为研究对象,采用巢式PCR和RACE技术克隆鲫鱼半胱亚磺酸脱酸酶CSAD基因c DNA序列,并且利用实时荧光定量PCR检测了CSAD m RNA在鲫鱼不同组织和昼夜节律中的相对表达水平,同时还研究了牛磺酸对鲫鱼肠道CSAD m RNA表达的影响。结果表明:(1)鲫鱼CSAD基因c DNA序列包含186bp的5?UTR序列,675bp的3?UTR序列,1503bp开放阅读框,编码500个氨基酸。同源性分析表明,鲫鱼和鲤鱼的同源性为97.2%。系统发育分析表明,鲫鱼与鲤鱼之间的亲缘关系最接近,置信度为100。经预测,其编码的蛋白质的分子量和等电点分别为56.82k Da和5.77;(2)Ca CSAD m RNA在肌肉、心脏、肠道及肝脏中的表达水平较高,在脑和鳃组织中的相对表达量较低;(3)鲫鱼肠道CSAD m RNA的相对表达量在6:00am点时最高,9:00pm点时相对表达量最低;(4)鲫鱼CSAD的相对表达丰度随着牛磺酸添加量的增加而逐渐下降。本研究结果不仅有助于理解鲫鱼CSAD基因的分子特征,同时将为进一步研究鱼类CSAD营养调控功能提供理论依据。 相似文献
9.
Characteristic flora and fauna that are highly sensitive to disturbances colonize coastal detritic bottoms in the Mediterranean Sea. In the present study, a comparison of the assemblage composition and colonization by invasive macroalgae was made between two coastal detritic macrophyte assemblages, one dominated by rhodoliths (free-living non-geniculate Corallinales) and the other dominated by fleshy algae, in an area that has been exposed to important levels of anthropogenic disturbance, mainly pollution (including changed sedimentation regimes) in the recent past (bay of Marseilles, France). In comparison with less strongly impacted Mediterranean regions, the macrophyte assemblages in the bay of Marseilles were characteristic in terms of species identity and richness of coastal detritic macrophyte assemblages. However, extremely low species abundance (cover) was observed. As far as invasive species were concerned, Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea was only abundant in the rhodolith assemblage whereas the two invasive Rhodophyta Asparagopsis armata and Womersleyella setacea were mainly found in the fleshy algae assemblage. The seasonality observed in the Rhodolith assemblage seemed to be related to the development of C. racemosa var. cylindracea and did not follow the typical pattern of other Mediterranean assemblages. This study represents the first study of coastal detritic assemblages invaded by C. racemosa var. cylindracea. 相似文献
10.
鱼类Ghrelin的研究主要集中在摄食和生长方面,在免疫方面的研究甚少。本文以沿海经济鱼类黑鲷(Acanthopagrus schlegelii)为研究对象,检测了不同盐度(10、20、30)环境下腹腔注射Ghrelin(生理浓度,10ng/100g体重)对黑鲷部分免疫指标(超氧化物歧化酶SOD、溶菌酶活性LYS、血清补体3含量C3、免疫球蛋白M含量Ig M和丙二醛含量MDA)的影响。结果如下:在30盐度(正常盐度)时,腹腔注射Ghrelin对SOD和C3无显著影响(P0.05),1h后Ig M含量显著提高(P0.05),2h后LYS和MDA也明显增加(P0.05);在20盐度(轻盐度胁迫)时,腹腔注射Ghrelin不影响Ig M含量(P0.05),1h后SOD、LYS、C3均有明显上升(P0.05),而MDA则显著下降(P0.05),影响持续时间较长;在10盐度(重盐度胁迫)时,腹腔注射Ghrelin对所检测的5种免疫指标均有显著影响,其中1h后LYS、C3、Ig M含量明显提高(P0.05),3h后MDA下降,6h后SOD明显升高(P0.05)。以上结果表明:在低盐度肋迫下,Ghrelin可显著提高海水鱼黑鲷血清中SOD、LYS、C3和Ig M水平,降低MDA水平(P0.05),使黑鲷免疫力提高,以缓解其对低盐度胁迫的适应。因此,Ghrelin在海鱼的淡化驯养中具有潜在的应用前景,有望开发为一种海鱼淡化驯养的饲料添加剂。 相似文献
11.
研究表明 :腐屑食性鱼类——梭鱼对环境中有机氮的摄入能力随体重的增加而增加 ,随温度的升高 ,体重系数显著减少。摄入氮 (CN,mg/ d)与体重 (W,g)和温度 (T,℃ )的数值关系可用如下模型表示 :CN=0 .6 370 W1 .0 642 ln(3.70 0 8T)。体重为 1 0 0 g的梭鱼每日可消耗环境中 332 mg氮有机质。梭鱼氮的吸收效率主要受温度的影响 ,而氮的转化效率与体重呈显著的正相关关系。随体重的增加 ,排泄氮所占比例降低 相似文献
12.
Seasonal succession of cyanoprokaryotes in a hypereutrophic oligo-mesohaline lagoon from the South of France 总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2
Nicolas Chomrat Robert Garnier Cline Bertrand Arlette Cazaubon 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2007,72(4):591-602
The Bolmon lagoon (South of France) is an oligo-mesohaline coastal lagoon that has undergone intense eutrophication in the past decades, resulting from a strong concentration of human activities in its drainage basin. Consequently, it exhibits some characteristics typical of an advanced trophic state; namely, the disappearance of submerged vegetation, the permanently intense phytoplankton growth and the recurrence of cyanoprokaryote blooms. As cyanoprokaryote dominance in south-temperate saline lagoons is little reported, we carried out this study in order to understand the seasonal variations in the phytoplankton composition and biomass, and to analyse the influence of environmental parameters such as salinity, nutrients and climate on the seasonal succession of species. In this lagoon, the phytoplankton was permanently dominated by cyanoprokaryotes, probably because of high availability of nutrients, low light penetration in the water column and frequent turbulent mixing induced by wind. The two most abundant species Planktothrix agardhii (in winter–spring) and Pseudanabaena limnetica (in summer) have low light requirements and are well adapted to a high mixing frequency, which defines the S1 functional group in Reynolds' typology for phytoplankton. Although widely studied in north-temperate lakes, blooms of these typically freshwater species are almost unreported in the Mediterranean area, especially in brackish ecosystems that are not their normal habitat. In the Bolmon lagoon, all their requirements for nutrients, light and mixing are satisfied and they seem to cope with a moderate presence of salt but P. agardhii was less competitive than P. limnetica at highest salinities, the latter being probably more halophytic. Contrary to the observations in lakes located at higher latitudes, the Mediterranean climate seems to induce a typical seasonal pattern of succession characterised by the dominance of P. agardhii (winter) – Chroococcales (spring) – Pseudanabaenaceae (summer) – P. agardhii (autumn, winter). The warm temperatures seemed to have a major influence on the phytoplankton succession, being responsible for the survival of Planktothrix during winter and its rapid and intense development in early spring. Intense mixing and high irradiance in summer promoted the development of Pseudanabaenaceae, as reported in another south-temperate lagoon, the Albufera of Valencia (Spain). The ecological success of Oscillatoriales observed in the Bolmon lagoon is a perfect example of a shift to the “turbid stable state” as proposed for freshwater shallow lakes only. Our work demonstrated that hypereutrophic Mediterranean lagoons can function very similarly to shallow lakes at higher latitudes; but the warmer climate and higher irradiances are probably responsible for differences in the seasonal pattern of species dominance. 相似文献
13.
Sofie Vandendriessche Marlies Messiaen Sarah O'Flynn Magda Vincx Steven Degraer 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2007,71(3-4):691-703
Floating seaweed is considered to be an important habitat for juvenile fishes due to the provision of food, shelter, a visual orientation point and passive transport. The importance of the presence of the highly dynamical seaweed clumps from the North Sea to juvenile neustonic fishes was investigated by analysing both neuston samples (without seaweed) and seaweed samples concerning fish community structure, and length-frequency distributions and feeding habits of five associated fish species. While the neustonic fish community was mainly seasonally structured, the seaweed-associated fish community was more complex: the response of the associated fish species to environmental variables was species specific and probably influenced by species interactions, resulting in a large multivariate distance between the samples dominated by Chelon labrosus and the samples dominated by Cyclopterus lumpus, Trachurus trachurus and Ciliata mustela. The results of the stomach analysis confirmed that C. lumpus is a weedpatch specialist that has a close spatial affinity with the seaweed and feeds intensively on the seaweed-associated invertebrate fauna. Similarly, C. mustela juveniles also fed on the seaweed fauna, but in a more opportunistic way. The shape of the size-frequency distribution suggested enhanced growth when associated with floating seaweed. Chelon labrosus and T. trachurus juveniles were generally large in seaweed samples, but large individuals were also encountered in the neuston. The proportion of associated invertebrate fauna in their diet was of minor importance, compared to the proportions in C. lumpus. Individuals of Syngnathus rostellatus mainly fed on planktonic invertebrates but had a discontinuous size-frequency distribution, suggesting that some of the syngnathids were carried with the seaweed upon detachment and stayed associated. Floating seaweeds can therefore be regarded as ephemeral habitats shared between several fish species (mainly juveniles) that use them for different reasons and with varying intensity. 相似文献
14.
Juvenile grey mullet (Chelon labrosus) were fed either a basal (4.4 mg Cu/kg dry wt) or high-Cu diet (2400 mg Cu metal/kg dry wt) for 10 weeks to assess the relationship between growth and Cu-induced oxidative damage. No mortalities were observed, but growth rate and food intake were reduced by 43 and 29%, respectively, in the high-Cu group. This was not only attributed to peroxidative damage of the food which reduced food intake (palatability), but also to direct effects of hepatic lipid peroxidation. Hepatic α-tocopherol concentrations were 63% lower, while malondialdehyde (MDA) increased by 304% in mullet fed a high-Cu diet for 67d. Cu-exposure reduced apparent α-tocopherol retention by 420%. Hepatic Fe and Zn levels fell, while Cu increased (p < 0.05). The results show that oral Cu exposure induces oxidative stress in grey mullet. Quantification of lipid peroxidation (rancidity) in the food, reflecting palatability, is essential to differentiate the direct toxic effects of Cu on growth from the secondary influences of reduced food intake. 相似文献
15.
Keita W. Suzuki Kouji Nakayama Masaru Tanaka 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009,83(4):516-528
The estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) that develops in the lower salinity areas of macrotidal estuaries has been considered as an important nursery for many fish species. Mysids are one of the dominant organisms in the ETM, serving as a key food source for juvenile fish. To investigate the horizontal distribution and population dynamics of dominant mysids in relation to the fluctuation of physical conditions (temperature, salinity, turbidity, and freshwater discharge), we conducted monthly sampling (hauls of a ring net in the surface water) along the macrotidal Chikugo River estuary in Japan from May 2005 to December 2006. Hyperacanthomysis longirostris was the dominant mysid in the estuary, usually showing peaks of density and biomass in or close to the ETM (salinity 1–10). In addition, intra-specific differences (life-cycle stage, sex, and size) in horizontal distribution were found along the estuary. Larger males and females, particularly gravid females, were distributed upstream from the center of distribution where juveniles were overwhelmingly dominant. Juveniles increased in size toward the sea in marked contrast with males and females. The findings suggest a possible system of population maintenance within the estuary; gravid females release juveniles in the upper estuary, juveniles grow during downstream transport, young males and females mature during the upstream migration. Density and biomass were primarily controlled by seasonal changes of temperature, being high at intermediate temperatures (ca. 15–25 °C in late spring and fall) and being low at the extreme temperatures (ca. 10 °C in midwinter and 30 °C in midsummer). High density (up to 666 ind. m−3) and biomass (up to 168 mg dry weight m−3) of H. longirostris were considered to be comparable with those of copepods in the estuary. 相似文献
16.
Patrick Berrebi Pascal Rodriguez Jean-Antoine Tomasini Ghislaine Cattaneo-Berrebi Alain J. Crivelli 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2005,65(4):708-716
The presence and the distribution of two cryptic sedentary gobies, Pomatoschistus microps and Pomatoschistus marmoratus, were investigated in several lagoons stretching along the Golfe du Lion, southern France Mediterranean coast, and Corsica. Pomatoschistus microps is the only sedentary Pomatoschistus species in two shallow lagoons with large variations of salinity and temperature. In contrast, P. marmoratus, another sedentary species, can be found preferentially in a deep salty lagoon with small salinity variations. Both species occur sympatrically in the Rhone Delta and hybridise, producing fertile offspring. Using allozymes, competition, linked to fitness, is invoked to explain the distribution pattern of these sibling species. 相似文献
17.
Theresa Lasiak 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》1984,18(3):347-360
Short-term changes in the King's Beach surf-zone fish assemblage were investigated by means of two 24 h studies (January and August 1979), and by seine netting on three consecutive days at both high and low tide. They revealed considerable variation in the fish assemblage over a 24 h period. Four species: the gorrie, Pomadasys olivaceum; the mullet, Liza richardsoni; the streepie, Sarpa salpa; and the sand steenbras, Lithognathus mormyrus, dominated the catches of both 24 h studies. The number of species caught reached a peak just after twilight. Trends in other community parameters were not consistent for these two sets of data. Considerable variation in dominant species, numbers and species diversity indices was observed from day to as well as between high and low tide. Shortterm fluctuations in various community parameters often exceeded the long-term variability observed in a seasonal study of this fish assemblage. 相似文献
18.
Since the late 1980s, the small-sized non-commercial flatfish species solenette (Buglossidium luteum) and scaldfish (Arnoglossus laterna) have increased in abundance in the southern North Sea. Because these species are considered as possible competitors for prey of commercial flatfish, this study aimed at advancing knowledge of their feeding ecology.Between January 2009 and January 2010 stomach contents of solenette and scaldfish and benthic infauna were sampled seasonally in a study area in the German Bight. The objectives were to investigate the seasonal variability of feeding activity and diet composition of both flatfish species related to benthic prey availability.For both flatfish, the highest feeding activity was found in summer, at the same time that the highest prey densities occurred in the study area. A reduced feeding activity was observed during the winter of 2010, but not in the winter of 2009, probably related to higher 2009 water temperatures.In all seasons, diet composition of solenette was dominated by meiofauna, mainly harpacticoid copepods. Macrofauna prey species, namely juveniles of bivalves and echinoderms became important in spring. An increase in amphipods and cumaceans was found in the stomach contents during summer and autumn, simultaneously with their increased abundance in the benthic infauna. In contrast, polychaetes were rarely found in the diet, but dominated the infauna during all seasons.Diet composition of scaldfish was dominated by larger and mobile prey, and, during all seasons, was mainly comprised of crustaceans. Amphipods characterised the diet in both winters, while decapods such as Crangon spp. and Liocarcinus spp. were the dominant prey from spring to autumn. Additionally, juveniles of flatfish (Pleuronectids) and bivalves were found in the scaldfish diet in spring, replaced by cumaceans in summer. No dietary overlap between both flatfish species was found across seasons, indicating partitioning of prey resources between solenette and scaldfish. Their different feeding strategies and prey preferences, in turn were influenced by the seasonal variability of available prey. 相似文献
19.
Maria Joo Almeida Augusto A.V. Flores Henrique Queiroga 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2008,80(4):509-516
Post-settlement processes are a major focus in the study of the dynamics of marine populations and communities. Post-settlement movement of juveniles is an important, but often ignored, process which affects local predator–prey and competitive interactions. We used benthic suction sampling and pitfall traps to examine density and locomotory activity of Carcinus maenas juveniles in different intertidal habitat types in the Rio Mira Estuary, Portugal, to better understand intra-specific interactions in a system where density-dependent processes are known to regulate population dynamics. As expected, significantly higher densities of juvenile shore crabs were found from bare mud compared to densely vegetated habitats. At the time of sampling, small and intermediate stages together outnumbered by far the larger juveniles. Conversely, larger crabs were much more frequent than smaller ones in traps. A locomotory index (LI), i.e. the ratio between crab catch in pitfall traps and their density within their moving range, is proposed as a measure of movement. LI analyses indicated that: (1) movement is an order of magnitude higher in large than small juveniles and much higher in sparse than dense vegetation cover; (2) activity of small juveniles is mostly crepuscular, regardless of vegetation cover; and (3) movement of large juveniles is very limited in dense Zostera patches, but very high in sparsely vegetated areas, during the day and night. These results suggest that small juveniles are relatively protected under dense vegetation cover due to lower mobility of larger crabs, and provide evidence of temporal segregation of activity windows between juvenile crabs of different sizes, which may be a key mechanism to reduce cannibalism and therefore increase the carrying capacity of nursery habitats. 相似文献
20.
Victor Quintino Ana Maria Rodrigues Rosa Freitas Ana R 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2008,79(3):525-532
Most of the studies on biological and ecological effects associated with brine discharge into the marine environment are related to the operation of desalination plants, for the production of freshwater. In this study we analysed the biological effects of a brine effluent from a completely different source, produced from the lixiviation of rock salt caves, for the creation of natural gas storage caverns. Lethal and sub-lethal endpoints following exposure to the brine were studied in a range of macrofauna species characteristic of the soft and hard bottom habitats in the vicinity of the discharge area, namely the isopod Eurydice pulchra, the annelids Sabellaria alveolata and Ophelia radiata, the sea-urchin Paracentrotus lividus and the bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis. In a first series of experiments, brine, with salinity above 300, was diluted in distilled water to a salinity value close to that of the seawater in the discharge area (salinity 36) and, surprisingly, none of the exposed species was able to survive or develop into viable larvae. A second series of experiments exposed the species to brine diluted with seawater, simulating more realistic discharge circumstances. All the tested species at all the measured endpoints (adult survival, larval abnormal development, sperm fertilization success) showed negative biological effects in brine solutes always at a lower salinity than that of a salinity control obtained with concentrated seawater. The sub-lethal experiments with larval development of P. lividus, S. alveolata and M. galloprovincialis, and the fertilization success of P. lividus gave EC50 values for the brine solute with salinity in the range of 40.9–43.5, whereas the EC50 values for the concentrated seawater were in the range of salinity 44.2–49.0. It is hypothesised that differences in the ionic composition of the brine cause the inability of the species to tolerate the exposure to brine. 相似文献