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1.
Environmental factors that influence annual variability and spatial differences (within and between estuaries) in eelgrass meadows (Zostera marine L.) were examined within Willapa Bay, Washington, and Coos Bay, Oregon, over a period of 4 years (1998–2001). A suite of eelgrass metrics were recorded annually at field sites that spanned the estuarine gradient from the marine-dominated to mesohaline region of each estuary. Plant density (shoots m?2) of eelgrass was positively correlated with summer estuarine salinity and inversely correlated with water temperature gradients in the estuaries. Eelgrass density, biomass, and the incidence of flowering plants all increased substantially in Willapa Bay, and less so in Coos Bay, over the duration of the study. Warmer winters and cooler summers associated with the transition from El Niño to La Niña ocean conditions during the study period corresponded with this increase in eelgrass abundance and flowering. Large-scale changes in climate and nearshore ocean conditions may exert a strong regional influence on eelgrass abundance that can vary annually by as much as 700% in Willapa Bay. Lower levels of annual variability observed in Coos Bay may be due to the stronger and more direct influence of the nearshore Pacific Ocean on the Coos Bay study sites. The results suggest profound effects of climate variation on the abundance and flowering of eelgrass in Pacific Northwest coastal estuaries.  相似文献   

2.
This paper explores social, and economic aspects of coastal communities crucial to the management of estuaries in the Pacific Northwest. These aspects include the changing demographics and economies of coastal communities, and the public perceptions, attitudes, and values pertaining to estuarine ecosystems. Information from Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor in Washington and Tillamook, Yaquina, and Coos Bays in Oregon shows that the coastal communities are growing more slowly than the states overall., that the populations are relatively old, and that, although the local economies continue to rely on them, the extractive natural resource industries (fishing, aquaculture, agriculture, forest products) are declining in importance relative to tourism, recreation, and retirement industries. These trends suggest that human uses of the estuaries are changing in character, and altering the management problems. Coastal residents choose to live in these communities to enjoy the views and scenery, to experience rural living, to be near the ocean, and to recreate outdoors. People express coherent perceptions of risks to the estuaries, especially the threats of declining fish habitats, oil spills, shoreline development, invasive species, and logging in upland areas> Residential land values are enhanced by the presence of wetlands and forests and are diminished by the presence of hazardous waste sites. We conclude that, if recent trends in population age structure, income sources, and employment status continue, public attitudes and values will move towards stronger environmental protection. Because ecosystem management involves local public participation and collaboration, estuarine managers will be faced with both increased demands and opportunities.  相似文献   

3.
We investigated the distribution of meroplankton and water properties off southern Washington and simultaneously measured time series of larval abundance and water properties in two adjacent estuaries, Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. The cruise period, in late May 1999, coincided with large variation in the alongshore wind stress that caused dynamic change in the position of the Columbia River plume, coastal upelling and downwelling, and offshore phytoplankton production. In the coastal ocean, meroplankton groups responded differently to this wind event and the associated advection of water masses. Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) megalopae were largely indifferent to the wide salinity variation, and were found throughout the surveyed area in both plume and recently upwelled waters. Megalopae of kelp crab (Pugettia producta) and hermit crab (Pagurus spp). were more abundant in upwelled water and low numbers were caught in the plume water. Barnacle cyprids appeared to track the advective transport suggesting that they may be more passively dispersed. Within the estuaries, hydrography responded rapidly and synchronously to variation in wind stress. Intrusions of both plume and newly upwelled waters were detected at estuarine sites, depending on the type of water present at the coast, indicating a tight link between the estuaries and the coastal ocean in this region. A 90-d record ofC. magister megalopae abundance was made at 3 estuarine sites using light traps. The bulk of theC. magister recruitment was limited to a relatively brief period in late May through June. Within this window, megalopae occurred in distinct pulses of 3–5 d interspaced with periods of low or zero abundance.C. magister megalopae recruited to the estuaries over a wide range of wind forcing, and were transported into the estuary within varied water types. There were no periodic patterns indicative of spring-neap tidal variations in the abundance time series. Abundance was only weakly cross-correlated between the adjacent Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay estuaries, which contrasts with the more synchronous estuarine-coastal linkages measured for water properties. These results suggest the interaction of larval aggregation size in the ocean with estuary-ocean exchange processes likely controls patterns of estuarine recruitment.  相似文献   

4.
Estuaries provide nursery habitat for juvenile stages of several commercial decapod crustaceans worldwide, and those in the Northeastern Pacific are viewed as providing this function for Dungeness crab,Cancer magister. It is difficult to ascertain the degree to which such estuarine production of juveniles eventually contributes to coastal adult populations and fisheries since there are no direct surveys of adult abundance. As other authors have done, we used fishery landings data to compute the long-term average contribution of 1 + juvenile crab populations reared in estuaries to future coastal fisheries. We focused on Oregon and Washington states, but grouped landings in two large geographic zones by combining fishery ports as adjacent to Large Estuarine Zones (LEZ; Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, Washington, and both sides of the Columbia River) and Small Estuarine Zones (SEZ; all other ports in Oregon). Mortality estimates were used to reduce 1 + crab abundance to surviving legal males, and portrayed as percent of the fisheries. Trends in the SEZ indicate that an average of only about 5–7% of estuarine production adds to the coastal adult population and contributes about $0.7 million to the fishery. The contribution is 25–30% in the LEZ (but may be higher since interannual density varies up to 5 times) and is worth about $3.9 million based on present ex-vessel value. Analyses of crab distribution and density indicate that the majority of an estuarine population (50–80%) is located in lower side channels (LSC) in spring and summer where temperature is higher and prey within and on adjacent intertidal flats is high. The potential average dollar value of equivalent legal male crab produced from the juvenile population is about $180 ha?1 in LSC (but $280 ha?1 in Grays Harbor where long-term density is highest), and lower in other estuarine habitats ($50–100 ha?1). Estuarine juvenile production provides a relatively stable source of recruits to coastal adult populations, and large systems in the LEZ are important nurseries. Since direct coastal settlement of larvae does occur but is highly variable, the estuarine contribution may be especially important when physical forcing or unusual events lead to low survival of the coastal 0+ cohort. An unusually long period of very low landings in the LEZ from 1981–1987 is interpreted in light of the Mount St. Helens eruption (1980) and subsequent transport and deposition of very fine silt fractions over much of the LEZ nearshore shelf that may have adversely affected several year classes of small, early benthic phase juveniles at that time.  相似文献   

5.
Extensive trawl surveys were conducted in two large estuaries (Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay) on the Washington coast during 1983–1987, and in adjacent areas of the open coast. These surveys have shown that both English sole and Dungeness crab rely heavily on these estuaries as nursery areas, although the pattern of utilization differs substantially. Juvenile migration patterns can show substantial interannual variability and can only be delineated by concurrent surveys in both coastal and estuarine areas, conducted over a period of several years. English sole eggs and Dungeness crab larvae are released in coastal waters. Larvae of both species transform to the benthic stage in both coastal and estuarine areas, but most English sole eventually migrate into the estuaries during the first year of life, even if initial settlement is along the open coast. By the time English sole have attained a length of 55 mm (TL), most of them are found in estuaries. English sole begin emigrating from the estuaries at about 75 mm, and few remain there during the second year of life. In contrast, Dungeness crab appear to remain in the area of initial settlement throughout the first year of life. Growth is substantially faster in estuaries where 0+ crab reach a mean size of about 40 mm carapace width (CW) by September, with those off the coast are only about 14 mm CW. Juveniles remain in the area of settlement over their first winter but, in contrast to English sole, most coastal 1+ crab immigrate to estuaries to join siblings that settled there the previous year. By September of the second year, crab at about 100 mm CW emigrate to the open coast where they reach maturity. Advantages to juvenile stages that reside in estuaries are discussed in terms of accelerated growth at higher temperatures and potentially greater food supplies than found nearshore along the coast.  相似文献   

6.
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   

7.
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   

8.
Comparison of the relative abundance of fish species from different life-history groups and their temporal patterns of estuarine habitat use from two estuaries north and south of Cape Cod indicates that the Cape acts as a zoogeographic boundary. Between April 1988 and December 1989, monthly seine and trawl samples were collected from nearshore, shallow-water marsh, and beach and deeper open-water habitats in Wells Harbor, Maine, and Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Forty-eight species and 80,341 individuals were collected from Waquoit Bay compared to 24 species and 22,561 individuals from Wells Harbor. Waquoit Bay had proportionally fewer resident species and more marine, nursery, and occasional species than Wells Harbor. Annual density and biomass values were greater across all habitats in Waquoit Bay, with the summer values from the marsh habitat an order of magnitude higher than comparable summer data from the Wells habitats. We suggest that marsh and beach habitats provide a nursery area for young-of-the-year fishes, while deeper, open-water habitats serve as a corridor for fishes moving to nearshore habitats or serve as a refuge during low tide.  相似文献   

9.
We applied an index of estuarine biotic integrity (EBI) to 36 sites in 16 estuaries on Cape Cod and in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, U.S. Two estuaries were sampled in 6 years, from 1988–1999 (Waquoit and Buttermilk Bays), and a total of 14 others in Buzzards Bay were sampled in 1993, 1996, and 1998. Habitats at each site were classified as either low or medium quality by density and biomass of submerged rooted vegetation (eelgrass). The EBI and its metrics (fish abundance, biomass, total species, species dominance, life history, and proportion by life zone) were successful in classifying habitat quality. Greatest success and least bias of the EBI and its metrics in classifying habitat quality occurred when eelgrass habitats were least degraded. The EBI tracked habitat degradation over time in Waquoit and Buttermilk Bays. Average EBI values in medium-quality habitats of Buzzards Bay estuaries during 1996 and 1998 were less than expected based on earlier EBI values from Waquoit and Buttermilk Bays, suggesting that many of these sites are in transition from medium to low quality. Our results indicate that the EBI is sensitive to habitat quality change, and further suggest that low-quality habitats may approach a stable fish community structure that is well reflected by the EBI. The relationship of the EBI to an independent measure of water quality demonstrated inherent time lags between the degradation and improvement of water quality, fish habitat, and response of the fish community.  相似文献   

10.
Land-based eutrophication is often associated with blooms of green macroalgae, resulting in negative impacts on seagrasses. The generality of this interaction has not been studied in upwelling-influenced estuaries where oceanic nutrients dominate seasonally. We conducted an observational and experimental study with Zostera marina L. and ulvoid macroalgae across an estuarine gradient in Coos Bay, Oregon. We found a gradient in mean summer macroalgal biomass from 56.1 g dw 0.25 m−2 at the marine site to 0.3 g dw 0.25 m−2 at the riverine site. Despite large macroalgal blooms at the marine site, eelgrass biomass exhibited no seasonal or interannual declines. Through experimental manipulations, we found that pulsed additions of macroalgae biomass (+4,000 mL) did not affect eelgrass in marine areas, but it had negative effects in riverine areas. In upwelling-influenced estuaries, the negative effects of macroalgal blooms are context dependent, affecting the management of seagrass habitats subject to nutrient inputs from both land and sea.  相似文献   

11.
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   

12.
In this study, we explored the extent to which secondary production in a well-mixed estuary reflects local differences in biotic and physical characteristics of habitats, or larger-scale, estuary-wide characteristics governed by a freshwater-marine gradient. We addressed the following questions: To what extent do organic components of seston within habitats in an estuary reflect distributions of local autotrophs and to what extent do estuarine consumers such as sessile filter-feeders, respond to small-scale, local differences in habitat characteristics in a wellmixed estuary? We contrasted habitat quality and consumer growth at four sites within Padilla Bay estuary, Washington, representing the major autotrophic sources of organic carbon in Pacific Northwest estuaries (i.e., phytoplankton, eelgrass (Zostera marina), epibenthic and macro-algal species, and marsh macrophytes.) The natural abundances of stable carbon isotopes {ie898-1} were used to resolve origins of organic carbon in diets of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), a representative suspension feeder. To assess consumer responses to habitat, quality, we combined measures of sestonic food quantity and quality and physical parameters with in situ determination of mussel growth. We used measures of food quality {ie898-2} and consumer response (growth of transplanted mussels) to integrate the effects of high variability in estuarine physical and biological characteristics on primary and secondary production. Using ANOVA, we detected significant differences in the concentrations of sestonic food, seston composition as indicated by {ie898-3}, and mussel {ie898-4} values and growth rates among the four representative habitats. That significant differences in {ie898-5} values of mussel tissue corresponded to the significant differences in {ie898-6} values of local autotrophs and seston among habitats suggests that mussels in Padilla Bay rely primarily on local sources of carbon for food. Mussel growth throughout, the estuary was significantly correlated with both sestonic {ie898-7} and salinity. We conclude that differences in local seston composition and mussel growth rates reflect in part the heterogeneous, distribution of benthic primary producer habitats in Padilla Bay, despite its well-mixed nature. In addition, local differences in salinity levels, as opposed to the bay-wide freshwater-marine, gradient, explained a significant proportion of the variance in mussel growth within the bay. Our results counter the prediction that seston quality and consumer production are comparable throughout well-mixed estuaries, and suggest that the paradigm of physically and chemically determined gradients in estuarine secondary production needs to be broadened to include local biotic factors as well.  相似文献   

13.
Complex intertidal habitats characteristic of northeastern Pacific coastal estuaries provide critical nursery environments for young-of-the-year Dungeness crab,Cancer magister, yet their role in supporting subsequent year classes remains unclear. SubadultC. magister (40–130 mm; 1+ and >1+ year classes), which reach densities as high as 4,300 crabs ha?1 in subtidal channels during low tides, migrate during flood tides from subtidal refuges into intertidal habitats to forage. As with other brachyuran species that undertake extensive tidally-driven migrations, intertidal foraging may contribute significantly to the energy budget of subadultC. magister. In order to explore the energetic incentive for intertidal migrations by subadult crabs, we developed an ontogenetically-based bioenergetics model for crabs within Willapa Bay, Washington. The model showed that energetic demand varied spatially across the bay, with the highest average energetic demand of a population of subadult crabs (2.13×106 kJ ha?1) occurring in a habitat stratum termed lower side channel (LSC) and characterized by relatively little subtidal area and extensive intertidal flats. Comparison of model results with subtidal prey production revealed that the latter could not satisfy subadultC. magister energetic demands, especially in LSC where modeled crab predation depleted subtidal prey biomass within 17 simulation days. We estimate that 1 ha of subtidal crabs from LSC would minimally require an additional 1.6 ha of intertidal area to satisfy energetic demands without depleting prey biomass. Our model results support the assertion thatC. magister make regular migrations to forage on productive intertidal flats, and suggest that intertidal foraging may contribute significantly to the diet of subadult crabs in coastal estuaries.  相似文献   

14.
We reviewed the scale and intensity of disturbance, and the response of benthic and epibenthic communities, to intertidal aquaculture activities in Pacific Northwest estuaries. Available data indicate a spectrum of influences on the ability of estuaries to sustain biota unrelated to the cultured species. Certain disturbances, such as adding gravel to mudflats and sandflats to enhance clam production, may subtly impact certain benthic and epibenthic invertebrates without changing the carrying capacity for estuarine-dependent taxa, such as juvenile Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). However, habitat shifts might alter the relative suitability for different salmon species. In contrast, acute disturbances that produce large-scale changes in community dominants, such as manipulation of burrowing shrimp or eelgrass with pesticides or mechanical harvesting and manipulation of oyster grounds, strongly influence the carrying capacity for many fish and macroinvertebrates. Ensuring that estuarine ecosystems are sustainable for the breadth of processes and resources requires a comprehensive assessment of both natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes, landscape influences, and the effects of local management for particular species on other resources.  相似文献   

15.
We focus on the question of whether high phytoplankton production events observed in a United States Pacific Northwest estuary consist of estuarine species blooms fueled by oceanic nutrient input or reflect offshore oceanic blooms that have advected into the estuary. Our approach is to use certain phytoplankton species as indicators associated with water mass origin, either estuarine or oceanic, to help resolve this question in Willapa Bay, Washington. We used species analysis and primary production data from 10 selected dates in May–September of 1998 and 1999, representing periods of high through low productivity. Out of 108 phytoplankton species identified from Willapa Bay, nine were selected and tested as indicators of oceanic species, six as estuarine, and two as surf zone. Our test results demonstrated the oceanic and estuarine species to be satifactory indicators of source waters. The prevalence of these species indicators in our samples revealed that the highest primary production and the appearance ofPseudo-nitzschia spp. were associated with oceanic intrusions of phytoplankton biomass into Willapa Bay. While the largest blooms were oceanic in origin, numerous medium-sized production events were from either oceanic, surf zone, or estuarine sources, indicating a complex situation.  相似文献   

16.
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   

17.
We studied the late June–August fish community in extant and former eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) habitats in 15 estuaries of Buzzards Bay, and in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts, U.S. Our objective was to quantify the effects of eelgrass habitat loss on fish abundance, biomass, species composition and richness, life-history characteristics, and habitat use by examining the response of the fish community to eelgrass loss in Waquoit and Buttermilk Bays over an 11-yr period (1988–1999) and in 14 other embayments of Buzzards Bay during 1993, 1996, and 1998. Sampling sites were located in present-day or historical eelgrass beds and were classified according to eelgrass habitat complexity (zero complexity: no eelgrass; low complexity: <100 eelgrass shoots or <100 g wet weight m−2; high complexity: ≥100 shoots and ≥100 g wet weight m−2). Habitats that had lost eelgrass included a variety of substratum types, from bare mud bottom to dense accumulations of red, brown, and green macroalgae (up to 7,065 g wet weight m−2). Contemporaneous sampling of fish (by otter trawl) and vegetated habitat (by divers) was conducted at each site. Overall, fish abundance, biomass, species richness, dominance, and life history diversity decreased significantly along the gradient of decreasing eelgrass habitat complexity. Loss of eelgrass was accompanied by significant declines in these measures of fish community integrity. Ten of the 13 most common species collected from 1988–1996 in Waquoit and Buttermilk Bays showed maximum abundance and biomass in sites with high eelgrass habitat complexity. All but two common species declined in abundance and biomass with the complete loss of eelgrass.  相似文献   

18.
A bioenergetics model was developed and applied to questions of habitat use and migration behavior of nonindigenous European green crab (Carcinus maenas) in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA. The model was parameterized using existing data from published studies on the ecology and physiology ofC. maenas and allied brachyuran crabs., Simulations of the model were run describing four scenarios of habitat use and behavior during a 214-d simulation period (April–October) including crabs occupying mid littoral habitat, high littoral habitat, sublittoral habitat, and sublittoral habitat but undertaking intertidal migrations. Monthly trapping was done along an intertidal gradient in Willapa Bay to determine the actual distribution of crabs for the same time interval as the simulation period, and model results were compared to the observed pattern. Model estimates suggest no intrinsic energetic incentive for crabs to occupy littoral habitats since metabolic costs were c. 6% higher for these individuals than their sublittoral counterparts. Crabs in the littoral simulations were also less efficient than sublittoral crabs at converting consumed energy into growth. Monthly trapping revealed thatC. maenas are found predominantly in mid littoral habitats of Willapa Bay and there is no evidence of resident sublittoral populations. The discrepancy intimates the significance of other factors, including interspecific interactions, that are not incorporated into the model but nonetheless increase metabolic demand. Agonistic encounters with native Dungeness crabs (Cancer magister) may be chief among these additional costs, andC. maenas may largely avoid interactions by remaining in littoral habitats neglected by native crabs, such as meadows of nonindigenous smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). AdultC. maenas in Willapa Bay may occupy tidal elevations that minimize such encounters, and metabolic costs, while simultaneously maximizing submersion time and foraging opportunities.  相似文献   

19.
Washington State’s coastal estuaries are productive shallow water environments that support commercial fisheries for Dungeness crabs (Cancer magister) and English sole (Parophrys vetulus) by providing 0+(settlement to age l) populations with critical refuge and foraging habitats until subadults migrate to the nearshore coast. Intertidalmudflats also constitute prime areas for commercial oyster (Crassostrea gigas) culture, an, important industry for the coastal communities of Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor that supply much of the nation's oysters. Conflicts over natural resources and estuarine utilization have arisen over the last 37 yr due to the use of carbaryl (an organo carbamate pesticide) by oyster growers on their grounds to control populations of burrowing thalassinidean shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis and Upogebia pugettensis). Burrowing shrimp, which have an indirect negative effect on oyster survival and growth through bioturbation and sediment destabilization, are killed by carbaryl, as are 0+ and subadult Dungeness crabs, 0+English sole, and other non-target species prsent on the tideflats at the time of application. The pesticide is delivered at 9 kg ha?1 directly to the mudflat as a wetable powder during low tides in July and August. Commercial crabbers and other groups who have economic, recreational, and environmental interests in the estuaries have generally opposed use of the chemical that oyster growers maintain is essential to sustain production levels. For years, government natural resource agencies that regulate the use of carbaryl lacked critical information needed to effectively manage the program. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Supplemental EIS have provided much of that data and helped shape management decisions with regard to establishing carbaryl concentration rates and total allowable spray area. Additional research is needed to develop more economically and environmentally sound policies for shrimp control based on burrowing shrimp-oyster interactions on an estuarine-wide scale. In this paper we review issues pertaining to oyster culture, the use of carbaryl to control burrowing shrimp populations, and effects on non-target species, drawing upon research from, published articles as well as unpublished data collected by the authors. We also discuss what is known of burrowing shrimp life history and ecology and emphasize the importance of integrating information on shrimp, such as timing of recruitment, variability in year class strength, and patterns of habitat use, into carbaryl control policies or alternative strategies that may be developed in the future. We recommend controlled experimentation be done to examine the ecological effects of delaying carbaryl application to some ghost shrimp beds until October after peak recruitment of 0+ ghost shrimp has occurred, allowing the number of hectares treated each year to vary based on fluctuations in pest population densities, and modifying the substrate by applying a dense layer of oyster shell to the mudflat (shell pavement) to reduce recruitment of ghost shrimp.  相似文献   

20.
Three quarters of the global human population will live in coastal areas in the coming decades and will continue to develop these areas as population density increases. Anthropogenic stressors from this coastal development may lead to fragmented habitats, altered food webs, changes in sediment characteristics, and loss of near-shore vegetated habitats. Seagrass systems are important vegetated estuarine habitats that are vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors, but provide valuable ecosystem functions. Key to maintaining these habitats that filter water, stabilize sediments, and provide refuge to juvenile animals is an understanding of the impacts of local coastal development. To assess development impacts in seagrass communities, we surveyed 20 seagrass beds in lower Chesapeake Bay, VA. We sampled primary producers, consumers, water quality, and sediment characteristics in seagrass beds, and characterized development along the adjacent shoreline using land cover data. Overall, we could not detect effects of local coastal development on these seagrass communities. Seagrass biomass varied only between sites, and was positively correlated with sediment organic matter. Epiphytic algal biomass and epibiont (epifauna and epiphyte) community composition varied between western and eastern regions of the bay. But, neither eelgrass (Zostera marina) leaf nitrogen (a proxy for integrated nitrogen loading), crustacean grazer biomass, epifaunal predator abundance, nor fish and crab abundance differed significantly among sites or regions. Overall, factors operating on different scales appear to drive primary producers, seagrass-associated faunal communities, and sediment properties in these important submerged vegetated habitats in lower Chesapeake Bay.  相似文献   

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