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1.
We evaluated nekton habitat quality at 5 shallow-water sites in 2 Rhode Island systems by comparing nekton densities and biomass, number of species, prey availability and feeding, and abundance of winter flounderPseudopleuronectes americanus. Nekton density and biomass were compared with a 1.75-m2 drop ring at 3 sites (marsh, intertidal, and subtidal) in Coggeshall Cove in Narragansett Bay and two subtidal sites (eelgrass and macroalgae) in Ninigret Pond, a coastal lagoon. We collected benthic core samples and examined nekton stomach contents in Coggeshall Cove. We identified 16 species of fish, 16 species of crabs, and 3 species of shrimp in our drop ring samples. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated differences in total nekton, invertebrates, fish, and winter flounder across the five sites. Relative abundance of benthic invertebrate taxa did not match relative abundance of prey taxa identified in the stomachs. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling plots showed groupings in nekton and benthic invertebrate prey assemblages among subtidal, intertidal, and marsh sites in Coggeshall Cove. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that biomass of macroalgae was the most important variable predicting abundance of nekton in Coggeshall Cove, followed by elevation and depth. In Rhode Island systems that do not experience chronic hypoxia, macroalgae adds structure to unvegetated areas and provides refuge for small nekton. All sites sampled were characterized by high abundance and diversity of nekton pointing to the importance of shallow inshore areas for production of fishes and decapods. Measurements of habitat quality should include assessment of the functional significance of a habitat (this can be done by comparing nekton numbers and biomass), some measure of habitat diversity, and a consideration of how habitat quality varies in time and space.  相似文献   

2.
Long-term monitoring studies are needed to understand changes in ecosystem status when restoration measures are implemented. A long-term data series (1996–2007) of the Tagus estuary (Portugal) intertidal and subtidal benthic communities was collected in a degraded area where mitigation measures were implemented. Multivariate analysis was used to analyze spatial and temporal patterns in benthic community composition and trends in five benthic community metrics (i.e., taxonomic richness, density, biomass, Shannon–Wiener diversity and the AMBI index) were also examined. The results revealed a clear separation between intertidal and subtidal assemblages, although they had 50% of taxa in common, including the most abundant. Significant positive trends were found for all metrics showing that both intertidal and subtidal communities responded to the restoration measures implemented. Nevertheless, biotic indices need some adaptation before being universally applied to intertidal and subtidal habitats.  相似文献   

3.
A benthic index of biotic integrity was developed for use in estuaries of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States (Delaware Bay estuary through Albemarle-Pamlico Sound). The index was developed for the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment Program (MAIA) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency using procedures similar to those applied previously in Chesapeake Bay and southeastern estuaries, and was based on sampling in July through early October. Data from seven federal and state sampling programs were used to categorize sites as degraded or non-degraded based on dissolved oxygen, sediment contaminant, and sediment toxicity criteria. Various metrics of benthic community structure and function that distinguished between degraded and reference (non-degraded) sites were selected for each of five major habitat types defined by classification analysis of assemblages. Each metric was scored according to thresholds established on the distribution of values at reference sites, so that sites with low scoring metrics would be expected to show signs of degradation. For each habitat, metrics that correctly classified at least 50% of the degraded sites in the calibration data set were selected whenever possible to derive the index. The final index integrated the average score of the combination of metrics that performed best according to several criteria. Selected metrics included measures of productivity (abundance), diversity (number of taxa, Shannon-Wiener diversity, percent dominance), species composition and life history (percent abundance of pollution-indicative taxa, percent abundance of pollution-sensitive taxa, percent abundance of Bivalvia, Tanypodinae-Chironomidae abundance ratio), and trophic composition (percent abundance of deep-deposit feeders). The index correctly classified 82% of all sites in an independent data set. Classification efficiencies of sites were higher in the mesohaline and polyhaline habitats (81–92%) than in the oligohaline (71%) and the tidal freshwater (61%). Although application of the index to low salinity habitats should be done with caution, the MAIA index appeared to be quite reliable with a high likelihood of correctly identifying both degraded and non-degraded conditions. The index is expected to be of great utility in regional assessments as a tool for evaluating the integrity of benthic assemblages and tracking their condition over time.  相似文献   

4.
Spatial patterns of estuarine biota suggest that some nearshore ecosystems are functionally linked to interacting processes of the ocean, watershed, and coastal geomorphology. The classification of estuaries can therefore provide important information for distribution studies of nearshore biodiversity. However, many existing classifications are too coarse-scaled to resolve subtle environmental differences that may significantly alter biological structure. We developed an objective three-tier spatially nested classification, then conducted a case study in the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast Alaska, USA, and tested the statistical association of observed biota to changes in estuarine classes. At level 1, the coarsest scale (100–1000’s km2), we used patterns of sea surface temperature and salinity to identify marine domains. At level 2, within each marine domain, fjordal land masses were subdivided into coastal watersheds (10–100’s km2), and 17 estuary classes were identified based on similar marine exposure, river discharge, glacier volume, and snow accumulation. At level 3, the finest scale (1–10’s km2), homogeneous nearshore (depths <10 m) segments were characterized by one of 35 benthic habitat types of the ShoreZone mapping system. The aerial ShoreZone surveys and imagery also provided spatially comprehensive inventories of 19 benthic taxa. These were combined with six anadromous species for a relative measure of estuarine biodiversity. Results suggest that (1) estuaries with similar environmental attributes have similar biological communities, and (2) relative biodiversity increases predictably with increasing habitat complexity, marine exposure, and decreasing freshwater. These results have important implications for the management of ecologically sensitive estuaries.  相似文献   

5.
Many studies compare utilization of different marine habitats by fish and decapod crustaceans; few compare multiple vegetated habitats, especially using the same sampling equipment. Fish and invertebrates in seagrass, mangrove, saltmarsh, and nonvegetated habitats were sampled during May–August (Austral winter) and December–January (Austral summer) in the Barker Inlet-Port River estuary, South Australia. Sampling was undertaken using pop nets in all habitats and seine nets in seagrass and nonvegetated areas. A total of 7,895 fish and invertebrates spanning 3 classes, 9 orders, and at least 23 families were collected. Only one fish species,Atherinosoma microstoma, was collected in all 4 habitats, 11 species were found in 3 habitats (mangroves, seagrass, and nonvegetated), and 13 species were only caught in seagrass and nonvegetated habitats. Seagrass generally supported the highest numbers of fish and invertebrates and had the greatest species richness. Saltmarsh was at the other extreme with 29 individuals caught from two species. Mangroves and nonvegetated habitats generally had more fish, invertebrates, and species than saltmarsh, but less than seagrass. Analyses of abundances of individual species generally showed an interaction between habitat and month indicating that the same patterns were not found through time in all habitats. All habitats supported distinct assemlages although seagrass and nonvegetated assemblages were similar in some months. The generality of these patterns requires further investigation at other estuaries. Loss of vegetated habitats, particularly seagrass, could result in loss of species richness and abundance, especially for organisms that were not found in other habitats. Although low abundances were found in saltmarsh and mangroves, species may use these habitats for varying reasons, such as spawning, and such use should not be ignored.  相似文献   

6.
We examined the community structure of fish and selected decapod crustaceans and tested for within estuary differences among habitats at depths of 0.6 m to 7.9 m, in Great Bay and Little Egg Harbor in southern New Jersey. Several habitat types were identified a priori (e.g., eelgrass, sea lettuce, and marsh creeks) and sampled by trawl (4.9 m headrope, 19-mm mesh wings, 6.3-mm mesh liner), monthly, from June 1988 through October 1989. Repetitive (n=4) 2-min trawl tows were taken at each habitat type from 13 locations. The fishes and decapod crustaceans collected were typical of other Mid-Atlantic Bight estuaries but varied greatly inseasonal abundance and species. In the years sampled, bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) was the dominant species (50.5% of the total number), followed by spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) (10.7%), Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia) (9.7%), fourspine stickleback (Apeltes quadracus) (5.9%), blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) (4.6%), and northern pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus) (4.2%). The biota were examined by multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) for habitat associations and “best abiotic predictor” of community structure. Percent silt combined with salinity was the most important abiotic determinant of the faunal distributions among habitats. Temperature was a major factor influencing seasonal occurrence of the biota but had less effect on habitat comparisons. The analysis confirmed the distinct nature of the assemblages associated with the habitats, that is, eelgrass, upper estuary subtidal creeks, channels, and open bay areas. Several species were associated with specific habitats: for example,A. quadracus andS. fuscus with eelgrass, clupeids with subtidal creek stations,L. xanthurus with marsh channels, and black sea bass (Centropristis striata) and spotted hake (Urophycis regia) with sponge-peat habitat. Species richness appeared to be positively related to habitat structural heterogeneity. Thus, the best predictors for these estuarine fish and decapod crustacean assemblages were seasonal temperature, percent silt and salinity combined, and the physical heterogeneity of the habitat.  相似文献   

7.
Despite estuary-to-estuary differences in assemblage composition, fish faunas of tropical Indo-Pacific estuaries show parallel patterns of temporal change, suggesting a common set of ecological drivers. One potentially important driver is the interaction of different patterns of occupancy by functional groups that display different life-history patterns. However, most studies that have considered temporal change lack the detail needed to understand life-history utilisation. Most have focussed on changes in catch per unit effort (CPUE) or probability of encounter, with only one study going further and investigating changes in size structure and then only for a single estuary. One of the reasons for this lack of detail is the large volume of work needed to collect comprehensive data on size structures of species rich assemblages across multiple estuary systems over time. To overcome the logistical limitations on data collection, we used joint patterns of change in CPUE and mean biomass per fish (BPF) as proxies for changes in size structure. We investigated how different life-history strategies contributed to overall temporal patterns of assemblage change across four tropical Indo-Pacific estuaries. The three life-history strategies displayed characteristically different patterns in CPUE and BPF and the relationships between CPUE and BPF that reflect differences in the way that the three groups use estuaries. These different patterns interacted to produce complex assemblage patterns that are likely to be sensitive to location-specific differences in the mix of species from each group, providing at least part of the explanation for the site-specific fish assemblage structures that are characteristic of tropical estuarine fish fauna.  相似文献   

8.
Estuarine seagrass ecosystems provide important habitat for fish and invertebrates and changes in these systems may alter their ability to support fish. The response of fish assemblages to alteration of eelgrass (Zostera marina) ecosystems in two ecoregions of the Mid-Atlantic Bight (Buzzards Bay and Chesapeake Bay) was evaluated by sampling historical eelgrass sites that currently span a broad range of stress and habitat quality. In two widely separated ecoregions with very different fish faunas, degradation and loss of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) habitat has lead to declines in fish standing stock and species richness. The abundance, biomass, and species richness of the fish assemblage were significantly higher at sites that have high levels of eelgrass habitat complexity (biomass >100 wet g m?2; density <100 shotts m?2) compared to sites that have reduced eelgrass (biomass <100 wet g m?2; density <100 shoots m?2) or that have completely lost eelgrass. Abundance, biomass, and species richness at reduced eelgrass complexity sites also were more variable than at high eelgrass complexity habitats. Low SAV complexity sites had higher proportions of pelagic species that are not dependent on benthic habitat structure for feeding or refuge. Most species had greater abundance and were found more frequently at sites that have eelgrass. The replacement of SAV habitats by benthic macroalgae, which occurred in Buzzards Bay but not Chesapeake Bay, did not provide an equivalent habitat to seagrass. Nutrient enrichment-related degradation of eelgrass habitat has diminished the overall capacity of estuaries to support fish populations.  相似文献   

9.
We compared distribution and abundance by habitat for age-0, young-of-the-year (YOY) winter flounder,Pseudopleuronectes americanus, in three estuaries (Hammonasset River, Navesink River, and Great Bay-Little Egg Harbor) in the northeastern United States to better define essential fish habitat (EFH). Two replicates of five representative habitats were sampled in most estuaries: eelgrass (Zostera marina), unvegetated areas adjacent to eelgrass, macroalgae, (primarilyUlva lactuca), unvegetated areas adjacent to macroalgae, and tidal marsh creeks. Fish were sampled every two weeks, May through October 1995 and 1996, with a beam-trawl (1-m width, 3-mm mesh net). Abundance of YOY winter flounder was highest in the Navesink River estuary and similar between years, but was significantly lower and differed between years in the Great Bay-Little Egg Harbor and Hammonasset River estuaries. Annual temperature differences appear to influence estuary use by YOY. In the years and estuaries studied, where habitat-related differences in abundance were significant, YOY were found in higher densities in unvegetated areas adjacent to eelgrass. The exception was in the Hammonasset River in 1995 when densities were higher in eelgrass. We conclude that the type of habitat most important to YOY winter flounder varies among estuaries and as a result, care should be taken in defining EFH, based only on limited spatial and temporal sampling.  相似文献   

10.
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11.
The differences and similarities between near-pristine estuaries of different latitudinal regions were examined by selecting three tropical systems from North Queensland, Australia (Jardine, Annan, Daintree) and three temperate systems from Scotland, United Kingdom (Inverness, Cromarty, Dornoch Firths) for comparison. Although estuaries from the different regions have a number of unifying features, such as salinity gradients, tidal variations and terrestrial inputs they also have a number of important differences. The most distinct of these is the timing and variability of the major physical forcings on the estuary (e.g., river flow, insolation). The three tropical estuaries were much more episodic than their temperate counterparts, with a much more dynamic salinity structure and more variable riverwater concentrations, so that delivery of material to the estuary is dominated by short-lived flood events. In contrast, seawater concentrations were more stable in the tropical estuaries due to a more constant input of insolation, resulting in year round biological activity. There was biological removal of dissolved inorganic phosphorus in the low salinity region of the tropical Jardine and Daintree estuaries and a low salinity input of nitrate in the tropical Annan estuary most likely due to nitrification in the bottom sediments, and the biological reaction zone in the tropical Annan Estuary was flushed out of the estuarine basin to the edge of the offshore plume during a flood. Similar effects were not seen in the temperate Inverness, Cromarty, and Dornoch Firths. Similarities between estuaries include mid-estuary inputs of ammonium which were seen in both the temperate and tropical estuaries, although they occur under vastly contrasting conditions of low river discharge and periods of flood, respectively. Five of the estuaries show a general increase in dissolved inorganic phosphorus concentrations towards the sea during low flows, reflecting their pristine condition, and all six estuaries had low salinity silicate maxima probably sourced from the dissolution of freshwater biogenic silicate that has been carried seaward, except in the tropical estuaries during the dry season when a benthic source is proposed.  相似文献   

12.
Exchanges of fish larvae between the inner continental shelf and estuaries can be critical to the functional significance of these habitats as nurseries. We sampled near-surface fishes on the inner continental shelf off New Jersey and in an adjacent estuary during the summer and fall of 2005 and 2006 to evaluate the occurrence and variation in these connections. Very few of the abundant taxa (Anchoa mitchilli, Brevoortia tyrannus, Urophycis regia, Etropus microstomus, Peprilus triacanthus, and Pomatomus saltatrix) were exclusive to either habitat but some did change in relative habitat affinity among seasons. For some species, this was indicative of a departure from the ocean for estuaries (e.g., Micropogonias undulatus) while others used both habitats during the summer and fall (e.g., Syngnathus fuscus, Scophthalmus aquosus, and A. mitchilli). Together, these observations confirm the high degree of connectivity between the near-surface larval fishes from the inner continental shelf and estuaries.  相似文献   

13.
An objective of the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment Program (MAIA) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is to develop an index for assessing benthic community condition in estuaries of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States (Delaware Bay through Pamlico Sound). To develop such an index, natural unimpaired communities must first be identified and variability related to natural factors accounted for. This study focused on these two objectives; Lnansó et al. (2002) describe the index. Using existing data sets from multiple years, classification analyses of species abundance and discriminant analysis were employed to identify major habitat types in the MAIA region and evaluate the physical characteristics that structure benthic infaunal assemblages. Sampling was restricted to soft bottoms and to the index development period, July through early October. The analyses revealed salinity and sediment composition as major factors structuring infaunal assemblages in mid-Atlantic estuaries. Geographical location was a secondary factor. Nine habitat classes were distinguished as a combination of 6 salinity classes, 2 sediment types, and the separation of North Carolina and Delaware-Chesapeake Bay polyhaline sites. The effect of sediment types on faunal assemblages was restricted to polyhaline sites, which were separated into two sediment groups above and below 90% sand content. Assemblages corresponding to each of these 9 habitats were identified in the context of widely recognized patterns of dominant taxa. Differences between North Carolina and Delaware-Chesapeake Bay polyhaline assemblages were attributed to the relative contributions of species and not to differences in species composition. No zoogeographic discontinuities could be identified. Our results reinforce the findings of recent studies which suggest that, with respect to estuarine benthic assemblages, the boundary between the Virginian and the Carolinian Provinces be moved to a new location south of Pamlico Sound.  相似文献   

14.
The distribution of macroinfauna was quantified in subtidal, soft-bottom habitats, extending from the estuarine mouth to the tidal head of the Gamtoos—a small, shallow, temperate estuary situated on the south coast of South Africa. Sampling covered the full salinity gradient from fresh to marine waters, and all sediment types from marine sands to fluvial silts. A total of 35 taxa was recorded, of which 22 occurred throughout the year. Species richness and diversity declined from the seawater-dominated mouth region toward the fresh water section at the tidal head of the estuary. Sediment type generally bore no clear relation to biotic diversity. A marked drop in salinity between winter and summer sample series (Δ 0.2‰ to 24‰) coincided with a reduction of mean macrofaunal density by 70%, a more seaward relocation, and a compression of axial ranges of most taxa. Numerical classification and ordination of faunistically similar regions and of co-occurring species delineated four habitat zones along the longitudinal axis of the estuary which harbour four distinct macrofaunal assemblages: 1) A tidal inlet area with salinities close to seawater; clean, coarse, marine sands, rich in CaCO3 harbour a stenohaline fauna normally found on adjacent, marine sandy beaches. 2) In the lower reaches, where fine, fluvial silts of high organic content prevail, euryhaline polychaetes dominate the macrozoobenthic community; bottom salinities in this zone seldom dropped below 25‰ 3) The middle reaches, characterized by oligohaline- to polyhaline waters, stretch over sandy sediments of intermediate carbonate, silt, and organic fractions; the fauna comprises typical estuarine forms, which occurred throughout most of the estuary except at its seaward and landward limits. 4) The upper reaches encompass the limnetic waters near the tidal head of the estuary with sediments in this zone being composed mostly of coarse, clean sands, low in CaCO3; the macrobenthos in this region is dominated by taxa of freshwater origin, which generally do not penetrate seaward beyond the oligohaline waters, and by exceptionally euryhaline estuarine species. Salinity appears as the main factor in controlling faunal assemblages at both extremes of the estuarine gradient (i.e., tidal inlet and head), whereas sediment type delineates between communities in the mesohaline to polyhaline reaches. Axial (i.e., from tidal inlet to tidal head of the estuary) zonation patterns of macroinfauna broadly matched those of mesozooplankton and fishes, supporting the notion of a general structure underlying species distribution patterns in the Gamtoos estuary.  相似文献   

15.
English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) is one of a few commercially important marine fishes on the Pacific coast of North America that use estuarine areas as nurseries for juvenile stages. Trawl surveys of four United States Pacific Northwest estuaries were conducted to determine spatial patterns of juvenile English sole residence in estuaries during 1998–2000. Additional data from 1983–1988 were also analyzed. Two size classes of juvenile English sole were identified during surveys, with densities of small (Total length [TL] <50 mm) sole ranging from 0 to 11,300 fish ha?1 across all sites, and densities of large (TL 50–150 mm) sole ranging from 0 to 33,000 fish ha?1 across all sites. Principal components analysis of static habitat data collected at each trawl survey site was used to define habitat types within each estuary, and discriminant function analysis was used to test the resulting classification scheme. Both small and large cohort English sole used lower side channel locations at significantly higher densities than other estuarine areas. Small English sole also showed significant relationships with both bottom temperature and depth. These patterns in habitat use were consistent across all estuaries and indicate that English sole used shallow depth areas surrounded by extensive tidal flats, where temperatures were optimal for growth. The analysis also suggested a carrying capacity may exist for large English sole in nursery estuaries.  相似文献   

16.
Development and validation of an estuarine biotic integrity index   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
We tested hypotheses about how estuarine fish assemblages respond to habitat degradation and then integrated these responses into an overall index, the Estuarine Biotic Integrity Index (EBI), which summarized observed changes. Fish assemblages (based on trawl catches) and habitat quality were measured monthly or biweekly at nine sites in two estuaries from March 1988 to June 1990. Submerged aquatic vegetation habitats were classified as low or medium quality based on year-round measurements of chemical and physical characteristics (phytoplankton blooms; macroalgae; dissolved oxygen; nutrients; dredged channels). We tested 15 metrics and selected 8 for inclusion in the EBI: total number of species, dominance, fish abundance (number or biomass), number of nursery species, number of estuarine spawning species, number of resident species, proportion of benthic-associated fishes, and proportion abnormal or diseased. Fish assemblages in low-quality sites had lower number of species, density, biomass, and dominance compared with medium-quality sites. Fish abundance peaked in July and August, and was lowest in January to March. The seasonal cycle in low-quality sites was damped compared with medium-quality sites. Abundances of fishes using estuaries as a spawning and nursery area and of benthic species were lower in low-quality sites compared to medium-quality sites. The individual metrics and the overall index correlated with habitat degradation. The EBI based on biomass did not do better than the EBI based on number, indicating that the extra effort to obtain biomass may not be warranted. We suggest the EBI is a useful indicator of estuarine ecosystem status because it reflects the relationship between anthropogenic alterations in estuarine ecosystems and the status of higher trophic levels.  相似文献   

17.
A eutrophication gradient was assembled from four spring-fed estuaries and four surface-fed estuaries to determine whether changes in zooplankton and hyperbenthos abundance along the gradient were gradual or abrupt. For 1 year in each estuary, monthly faunal surveys were conducted during nighttime flood tides using oblique plankton-net tows, producing abundance data for 316 taxa. Indicator taxa for the spring-fed and surface-fed groups were identified from a combination of abundance and encounter frequencies. Seventeen of the 20 strong indicator taxa for the spring-fed group (85 %) were benthic, whereas 10 of the 13 strong indicators for the surface-fed group (77 %) were plankton-oriented. The eight communities were ordinated by canonical analysis of principal coordinates (CAP); the estuarine faunas were found to be uniquely distributed along the principal CAP axis. Success of blind reclassification of plankton samples to their respective estuaries of origin ranged from 75 to 100 % (mean, 91 %). Given the assembled gradient was composed of distinctive communities that were distributed across a broad range of trophic states, the transition between benthic and plankton-oriented indicators was investigated and found to be abrupt, with strong shifts occurring nearer the oligotrophic end of the gradient. The CAP ordination agreed with trends in light attenuation, but not dissolved oxygen. We conclude that the abrupt faunal shifts were likely related to differences in basal resource (primary producer) availability brought about by differences in light environment. Abrupt loss of benthic basal resources will affect benthic consumers and those plankton-oriented consumers that intermittently depend on benthic biomass pathways whenever plankton-based pathways are unproductive.  相似文献   

18.
Subtidal accumulations of oyster shell have been largely overlooked as essential habitat for estuarine nekton. In southeastern U.S. estuaries, where oyster reef development is mostly confined to the intertidal zone, eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shell covered bottoms are often the only significant source of hard subtidal structure. We characterized and quantified nekton use of submerged shell rubble bottoms, and compared it to use of intertidal reefs and other subtidal bottoms in the North Inlet estuary, South Carolina. Replicate trays (0.8 m2) filled with shell rubble were deployed in shallow salt marsh creeks, and were retrieved after soak times of 1 to 25 days from May 1998 to March 2000. Thirty six species of fishes, representing 21 families, were identified from the 455 tray collections. Water temperature, salinity, soak time and the presence of a shell substrate all affected the catch of fishes in the trays. Catches during the warmer months were two to five times greater than those during the winter. Fishes were present in 98% of the trays with an overall average of 5.7 fish m?2. The assemblage was numerically dominated by small resident species including naked goby (Gobiosoma bose), oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau), and crested blenny (Hypleurochilus geminatus). Transient species accounted for 23% of all individuals and 62% of the total biomass due to the presence of relatively large sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) and black sea bass (Centropristis striata). Both the transient and resident species displayed distinct periods of recruitment and rapid growth from April to October. Lower abundances of juvenile gobies and blennies during 1998 were attributed to long periods of depressed salinity caused by high rainfall associated with El Niño conditions in spring. Crabs and shrimps, which were often more abundant than the fishes, accounted for comparable biomass in the tray collections. In comparisons of subtidal tray and trawl catches, trays yielded 10 to 1,000 fold higher densities of some demersal fish groups. Comparisons of intertidal and subtidal gear catches indicated that many species remain in the subtidal shell bottom at all stages of the tide. This study suggests that subtidal shell bottom may be essential fish habitat for juvenile seabass, groupers, and snappers and that it may be the primary habitat for a diverse assemblage of ecologically important resident fishes and crustaceans. Given the high levels of nekton use and the areal extent of oyster shell bottoms in eastern U.S. and Gulf estuaries, increased attention to protection and restoration of these areas appears justified.  相似文献   

19.
A probabilistic mathematical model of bivalve suspension-feeding in estuaries is based on bivalve abundance, filtering capacities, and water mixing parameters. We applied the model to five regions of the upper Chesapeake Bay, ranging from shallow tidal fresh habitats to deep mesohaline habitats, for the years 1985 to 1987. Model results indicated that existing suspension-feeding bivalves could consume more than 50% of annual primary production in shallow freshwater and oligohaline reaches of the upper Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. In deep mesohaline portions of the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River, suspension-feeding bivalves could consume only 10% of primary production. Independent estimates of benthic carbon demand based on benthic production supported the model predictions. Hydrodynamics of large estuaries restrict the potential of benthic suspension-feeders to crop phytoplankton production because the width and depth of these estuaries limit transport of pelagic waters to the littoral flanks of the estuaries where benthic suspension-feeders can be abundant. Benthic suspension-feeders are dominant consumers in shallow segments of the Chesapeake Bay system, but are suppressed in deeper segments. The suppression is below that set by hydrodynamic limits, and may be due to periodic hypoxia or other factors. Our results suggest that the proposed use of suspension-feeding bivalves to improve water quality of large estuaries will be limited by the depth and width of the estuary, unless the bivalves are suspended in the water column by artificial means.  相似文献   

20.
The movement of resource subsidies across natural systems can have important effects on recipient communities and has emerged as a key research area in ecology. Detrital subsidies are critical in marine ecosystems where communities are reliant on external sources of primary production, yet few studies have quantified the spatial extent of drift algae at coastal scales. Using observations of the seafloor (up to 140 m depth) from tow-camera surveys along 145 km of Nova Scotia coast, and bathymetric data of this region, we created the first predictive map of drift subsidy in a marine ecosystem. We used a random forest model to generate our predictions, which correctly classified 95 % of observations into a presence or absence of drift. Distance from source, slope, and bathymetric position index (elevation relative to surrounding landscape) was the main predictor variables of the occurrence of drift. Drift algae occurred across a range of benthic habitats within our study area, but most frequently within 1.4 km of the coast on flat bottoms or in regions with zero or negative bathymetric position index. Such areas were coincident with seafloor depressions and flat low-energy habitats. Repeated observations at some locations indicated that areas with steep slopes or large curvature tended to have variable patterns of drift compared to areas with little or no slope or curvature. We predict that deep subtidal environments receiving drift subsidy will be impacted by the declines in kelp biomass projected for this region (and others) due to changes in ocean climate.  相似文献   

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