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1.
Eelgrass beds have been postulated to support different faunal communities from unvegetated sandflats, in part because of the stabilisation of sediments in eelgrass beds and their destabilisation in sandflats due to bioturbation. More specifically, eelgrass beds have been hypothesised to support disproportionately greater numbers of small, flexible and non-burrowing species, and bioturbated sandflats to support more large, hard-bodied burrowers. These concepts were tested in Langebaan Lagoon on the west coast of South Africa, where beds of the eelgrass Zostera capensis and sandflats dominated by Callianassa kraussi bioturbation are mutually exclusive. In eelgrass beds, sediment penetrability was significantly reduced compared to that in sandflats. Distinctly different faunal communities occurred in the two habitats, and the suite of species characteristic of each was consistent between years and between sites. Overall, density was higher in eelgrass beds than in sandflats. In contrast to previous studies, however, richness and diversity in sandflats were greater than, or equal to, values for eelgrass beds. There is convincing support for the hypothesis that burrowers are more prevalent in sandflats and less prevalent in eelgrass beds. Conversely, body flexibility does not differ between habitats and sizes are greater in the eelgrass beds than in the sandflats.  相似文献   

2.
Seagrass beds serve as nursery grounds for many fish species and often play an important role in the juvenile stages of economically and recreationally important fishes. The eelgrass Zostera capensis is the dominant submerged macrophyte in permanently open South African estuaries and occupies large intertidal and subtidal areas within the Knysna system. The primary objective of this study was to compare the occurrence of sparids and mugilids in eelgrass and nearby bare sediment areas using sampling with seine nets. The hypothesis that was tested is that mugilids are dominant in unvegetated areas of the Knysna Estuary littoral whereas sparids predominate within eelgrass beds located in the same zone. The results indicate that the family Mugilidae is better represented at unvegetated sites when compared to members of the family Sparidae, with the exception of Lithognathus lithognathus, but that the dominant three sparids and dominant two mugilids were most abundant in sparse eelgrass beds that included both bare and vegetated areas within this habitat type. The main fish species responsible for the separation of fish assemblages associated with unvegetated sites versus those associated with vegetated areas were Rhabdosargus holubi, Liza dumerili, Liza richardsonii, Lithognathus lithognathus, Sarpa salpa and Diplodus capensis, with R. holubi, S. salpa and D. capensis being mainly attracted to eelgrass habitats and L. dumerili, L. richardsonii and L. lithognathus having a stronger affinity for bare areas. This finding confirms a previous estuarine study in the nearby Swartvlei lake littoral, which found that sparids dominated areas where aquatic macrophytes were extensive and that mugilids became more prevalent at those same sites when the macrophytes underwent complete senescence. The length-frequency distributions of some sparid and mugilid species differed considerably between eelgrass and bare sediment areas, whereas those of other species showed little or no difference between these two habitat types.  相似文献   

3.
Ecosystem engineering by plants and animals significantly influences community structure and the physico-chemical characteristics of marine habitats. In this paper we document the contrasting effects of ecosystem engineering by the cordgrass Spartina maritima and the burrowing sandprawn Callianassa kraussi on physico-chemical characteristics, microflora, macrofaunal community structure and morphological attributes in the high shore intertidal sandflats of Langebaan Lagoon, a marine-dominated system on the west coast of South Africa. Comparisons were made at six sites in the lagoon within Spartina and Callianassa beds, and in a “bare zone” of sandflat between these two habitats that lacks both sandprawns and cordgrass. Sediments in Spartina habitats were consolidated by the root-shoot systems of the cordgrass, leading to low sediment penetrability, while sediments in beds of C. kraussi were more penetrable, primarily due to the destabilising effects of sandprawn bioturbation. Sediments in the “bare zone” had intermediate to low values of penetrability. Sediment organic content was lowest in bare zones and greatest in Spartina beds, while sediment chl-a levels were greatest on bare sand, but were progressively reduced in the Spartina and Callianassa beds. These differences among habitats induced by ecosystem engineering in turn affected the macrofauna. Community structure was different between all three habitats sampled, with species richness being surprisingly greater in Callianassa beds than either the bare zone or Spartina beds. In general, the binding of surface sediments by the root systems of Spartina favoured rigid-bodied, surface-dwelling and tube-building species, while the destabilising effect of bioturbation by C. kraussi favoured burrowing species. The contrasting effects of these ecosystem engineers suggest that they play important roles in increasing habitat heterogeneity. Importantly, the role of bioturbation by C. kraussi in enhancing macrofaunal richness was unexpected. By loosening sediments, reducing anoxia and enhancing organic content, C. kraussi may engineer these high shore habitats to ameliorate environmental stresses or increase food availability.  相似文献   

4.
The intensity and effects of a flood in September–October 1975 on certain macrobenthic species of the soft substrata of the Swartkops Estuary were assessed. Significant decreases were recorded in populations of the bivalve Solen cylindraceus and the prawns Upogebia africana and Callianassa kraussi in the middle and upper reaches. The reductions were respectively some 93, 49 and 28 percent of the pre-flood values. No decrease was noted in populations of the bivalve Dosinia hepatica in the middle reaches or of U. africana in the lower reaches. Both large and small S. cylindraceus and C. kraussi were apparently affected by the flood, but in the case of U. africana it was primarily small individuals that suffered. Possible causes of these decreases are discussed.  相似文献   

5.
Fish, epibenthos and macroinfauna were collected in a Zostera marina bed and nearby unvegetated sediments in the estuary of the Damariscotta River, on the mid-coast of Maine. Samples of epibenthic fauna and fish were collected at low tides both during day and night, and samples of infauna at low tides during the day. The mean density of Zostera shoots in the study area was 335 m−2. Abundance and species number of fish were greater at night than during the day and greater in eelgrass beds (Z. marina) than in unvegetated habitats. Daytime fish collections were dominated by Atlantic silversides (Medinia medinia), while juvenile winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) dominated night collections. Also Zostera-associated epifaunal abundances and number of species were significantly higher at night than during the day. Mysis stenolepis, Idotea balthica and Littorina obtusata were dominant species in the epifauna samples. Of the total of 37 invertebrate species encountered, only five occurred both in the infaunal and epifaunal samples. Nineteen different taxa were collected from the benthic core samples. The most abundant invertebrate infaunal taxa were sipunculids, the polychaete Nereis virens, and oligochaetes. Infaunal invertebrate abundances and species diversity were significantly higher in eelgrass beds than in unvegetated sediments. The abundance and number of species of benthic invertebrates were also positively correlated to seagrass biomass. Community diversity values (H′) were relatively low but fit well in the general pattern of decreasing diversity towards northern latitudes.  相似文献   

6.
The effect of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) presence in eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds was studied from June 2004 to July 2005 in Flensborg fjord, Denmark. The field experiments were conducted at two stations, one with only Z. marina (Eelgrass station) present and one where M. edulis were present in the Z. marina beds (Mixed station). Zostera marina parameters were measured (growth of leaves, shoot density, leaf length, and nutrient content) in combination with epiphyte cover and sediment parameters (sulphate reduction rates, sediment nutrient fluxes, organic content, C, N and P content) to examine possible positive and negative effects of the mussels on eelgrass performance. The fluxes of ammonium from the sediments were stimulated at all sampling dates at the Mixed station, and possibly stimulated epiphyte growth at this station. Further 15N signals in epiphytes from the Mixed station suggested that excretion products from the mussels were important nitrogen sources at this station. Sulphate reduction rates were enhanced at the Mixed station and also sediment sulphide concentrations increased under mussel influence, which may have resulted in sulphide toxicity and decreased growth of Z. marina at this station. The study indicates that for Z. marina beds in Flensborg Fjord the effects of M. edulis in seagrass beds are primarily negative, and raises the question whether this leads to negative effects on the stability and expansion of Z. marina beds.  相似文献   

7.
A study of an expanding seagrass bed on the south-west coast of British Columbia, Canada involved documentation and explanation of the pattern of expansion of the vegetation as well as documentation and experimental investigation of the accompanying changes in the distribution of infaunal invertebrates. Expansion followed a major environmental change, improved water clarity initiated in 1969 when a causeway blocked access to the site for silty Fraser River water. The original eelgrass (Zostera marina) bed expanded landward over 30 m year−1, probably causing more and more water to be retained in the bed at low tide and thus improving its own habitat. More rapid expansion occurred from 1979–1983 after Z.japonica colonized at the landward edge of the eelgrass bed and in a separate intertidal area. Expansion ceased around 1983 coincident with, but probably independent of, further construction.Burrowing shrimp (Callianassa californiensis) decreased in abundance between 1977 and 1984 in areas where the two seagrasses colonized. Short-term experiment over one summer and fall showed that removal of all shoots allowed adult shrimp and tube worms to colonize the sediment while addition of shoots of Z. japonica by transplanting caused temporary decreases in shrimp abundance. After a few weeks an established shrimp population destroyed the transplants. Among reasonable alternate hypotheses for the decline in Callianassa, the effect of sediment texture can be eliminated, but either direct negative effects of seagrass, i.e. inhibition of the burrowing of adult shrimp or of settlement of juveniles, or indirect effects, i.e. the harboring of more predators of shrimp in seagrass beds, deserve further study.  相似文献   

8.
This study collates published and unpublished data on the ichthyofaunas associated with beds of eelgrass Zostera capensis in eight estuaries and one lagoon in southern Africa. These macrophyte beds are utilized predominantly by small teleosts, both species which breed in the estuary and juvenile marine fish. By far the most abundant of the 97 species of fish recorded in these beds were Atherina breviceps, Gilchristella aestuaria, Liza dumerilii, Liza richardsonii and Rhabdosargus holubi. Classification grouped the ichthyofaunas of the six warm-temperate estuaries in the South-Eastern and Southern Cape at a similarity level >50 per cent. Ordination produced a similar clustering and also demonstrated that the subtropical Richards Bay and warm-temperate Mngazana estuary, together with the cold-temperate Langebaan Lagoon, were outliers. Classification and ordination showed that, within an estuary, the ichthyofaunas of dense and sparse Zostera areas were more similar than either was with those of non-vegetated areas. The species richness (R) of fish within eelgrass habitats along the southern African coast tended to decrease from north-east to south-west, a trend attributable to an attenuation in the number of tropical/subtropical Indo-Pacific species. The numerically dominant fish families in eelgrass beds in South Africa showed a greater degree of overlap with those of south-eastern Australia than with those of either southern Japan or eastern North America.  相似文献   

9.
Seagrass beds have higher biomass, abundance, diversity and productivity of benthic organisms than unvegetated sediments. However, to date most studies have analysed only the macrofaunal component and ignored the abundant meiofauna present in seagrass meadows. This study was designed to test if meiobenthic communities, especially the free-living nematodes, differed between seagrass beds and unvegetated sediments. Sediment samples from beds of the eelgrass Zostera capricorni and nearby unvegetated sediments were collected in three estuaries along the coast of New South Wales, Australia. Results showed that sediments below the seagrass were finer, with a higher content of organic material and were less oxygenated than sediments without seagrass. Univariate measures of the fauna (i.e. abundance, diversity and taxa richness of total meiofauna and nematode assemblages) did not differ between vegetated and unvegetated sediments. However multivariate analysis of meiofaunal higher taxa showed significant differences between the two habitats, largely due to the presence and absence of certain taxa. Amphipods, tanaidacea, ostracods, hydrozoans and isopods occurred mainly in unvegetated sediments, while kinorhyncs, polychaetes, gastrotrichs and turbellarians were more abundant in vegetated sediments. Regarding the nematode assemblages, 32.4% of the species were restricted to Z. capricorni and 25% only occurred in unvegetated sediments, this suggests that each habitat is characterized by a particular suite of species. Epistrate feeding nematodes were more abundant in seagrass beds, and it is suggested that they graze on the microphytobenthos which accumulates underneath the seagrass. Most of the genera that characterized these estuarine unvegetated sediments are also commonly found on exposed sandy beaches. This may be explained by the fact that Australian estuaries have very little input of freshwater and experience marine conditions for most of the year. This study demonstrates that the seagrass and unvegetated sediments have discrete meiofaunal communities, with little overlap in species composition.  相似文献   

10.
鳗草(ZosteramarinaL.)广布于北半球温带浅海海域,其形成的鳗草床具有重要的生态价值。近些年来,我国黄渤海海域鳗草退化严重,较大面积、连续分布的海草床已经非常少见。在渤海兴城-觉华岛海域发现较大面积的海草床,可以作为渤海沿海海草床的典型代表。基于此,2018年5月、9月、11月和2019年3月对该海草床进行了初步调查,探究了渤海兴城-觉华岛海草床鳗草种群补充等生态特征,分析了海草床生境的主要威胁,并提出了对海草床进行有效保护和科学管理的相关建议。结果表明:渤海兴城-觉华岛海草床总面积为791.61ha,海草种类为鳗草和日本鳗草(Z.japonica),以鳗草为优势种,日本鳗草极少且呈斑块状分布;鳗草生物量在2018年5月达到最大值(1241.22—1632.64g/m2);鳗草叶片碳、氮、磷元素含量分别为35.35%—36.57%、1.89%—3.35%、0.14%—0.48%;鳗草海草床以无性繁殖为主要补充方式,有性繁殖补充比例平均仅为1.92%,明显低于国内其他鳗草草床,具有鲜明的独特性;该海草床主要受围填海、捕蛤、围网捕鱼等人类活动的严重影响,并致使海草床边缘区域呈现斑块化趋势。建议对这片珍贵的海草床加以保护和修复。  相似文献   

11.
乔永亮  徐少春  周毅  贾小平 《海洋科学》2022,46(12):103-114
为全面了解我国黄渤海鳗草(Zostera marina L.)床重金属污染水平, 本研究以大连林阳北海、葫芦岛兴城、唐山乐亭-曹妃甸和青岛湾四处鳗草床为研究对象。于夏季采集鳗草、海水和沉积物样品并分析其重金属(Cu、Zn、Pb和Cd)含量。以此分析海草的重金属富集特征, 并对比评估不同鳗草床重金属潜在生态风险。结果表明, 夏季四处鳗草床海水重金属含量由高到低依次为: Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd, 均低于国家一级水质标准; 对沉积物来说, 重金属含量由高到低依次为: Zn > Pb > Cu > Cd, 均低于国家一级沉积物质量标准。鳗草对重金属的富集因重金属种类和海草积累部位而异, 其地上组织对Cu、Zn、Cd的富集能力高于地下组织。研究区域海水中Cu、Zn、Pb和Cd潜在风险等级均处于低风险水平。而对沉积物而言, 葫芦岛兴城鳗草床Cd的潜在风险等级处于较高风险水平(Ei值为156.9)。唐山乐亭-曹妃甸和青岛湾鳗草床的地质累积指数(Igeo)由大到小依次为: Cd > Pb > Zn > Cu。综合所有元素的潜在生态风险指数(IR), 葫芦岛兴城鳗草床的潜在生态风险值最高。  相似文献   

12.
山东荣成天鹅湖海草场大型底栖贝类时空分布研究   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  
为了了解天鹅湖不同微生境条件下底栖贝类的群落结构及时空分布特征,于2013年12月至2014年11月,对天鹅湖矮大叶藻区、空白区、大叶藻区边缘及其内部的底栖贝类和环境特征进行了调查。共发现15种大型底栖贝类,隶属14科15属;贝类种类组成、分布密度、生物量以及物种多样性指数在4种生境中差异显著,但均无明显的季节变化。空白区域中贝类总密度和单位面积生物量最高,大叶藻区内部最低,但矮大叶藻区和大叶藻区内部多样性指数较高。大叶藻区内部的贝类以腹足类锈凹螺、日本月华螺、刺绣翼螺等刮食者为主,而双壳贝类则更倾向于选择无海草覆盖的空白区或者海草较为稀疏的草场边缘。综合分析表明,天鹅湖底栖贝类的分布和多样性受底质特征和海草覆盖影响最为显著,同时与水深密切相关。  相似文献   

13.
日本鳗草(Zostera japonica)原是中国沿海潮间带较为常见的海草种类,近些年来随着生境的破坏其分布面积急遽下降,较大面积连续分布的海草床已经非常少见。2015年5月和8月,在山东黄河河口区发现了超过1000 ha几乎连续分布的日本鳗草海草床,与互花米草生境相邻,形成独特的生态景观。对日本鳗草生物量和种群补充等基本生物学指标也进行了调查。该发现极大丰富了中国海草数据库,并为日本鳗草的深入研究及保护提供了得天独厚的实验基地。  相似文献   

14.
大叶藻移植方法的研究   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
为探索适宜的大叶藻(Zostera marina)移植修复方法,2008年10～11月,利用沉子法、枚钉法、直插法、夹苗法和整理箱法,在山东荣成俚岛近岸海域进行了大叶藻移植试验,监测了移植后1个月内大叶藻的生长、存活与渗透压的变化,比较了天然大叶藻和移植大叶藻之间的差异,并分析了移植海区主要环境因子与大叶藻生长与存活之间的关系。结果显示,5种移植方法大叶藻的平均存活率为沉子法(100%)>枚钉法(86.7%)>直插法(66.7%)>夹苗法(20%)>整理箱法(0%);移植大叶藻的平均绝对生长率为沉子法(0.358 cm/d)>直插法(0.242 cm/d)>对照组(0.211 cm/d)>枚钉法(0.083 cm/d)>夹苗法(0.067 cm/d);与天然大叶藻相比,移植后大叶藻根的渗透压显著升高,而茎和叶的渗透压则显著降低(P<0.01);移植后大叶藻的生长与存活和移植海区水流、光照、底质等主要环境因子显著相关。研究结果为研发适宜的低成本大叶藻受损生物群落生态修复技术提供了参考。  相似文献   

15.
In the northern Wadden Sea, the extent of intertidal seagrass beds, their plant biomass and shoot density highly depends on local current regimes. This study deals with the role of intertidal Zostera noltii beds as nursery for mobile epibenthic macrofauna and the impact of seagrass bed characteristics on their abundance and distribution patterns. According to their exposure to the main tidal gullies, sampling sites were separated into exposed, semi-exposed and sheltered. Dominant species of crustaceans and demersal fish were studied in respect of their abundances within seagrass beds and adjacent unvegetated areas. Quantitative sampling was performed at day and night high tide using a portable drop trap. In general, species composition varied little between seagrass beds and bare sand. However, the presence of vegetation had a quantitative effect increasing individual numbers of common epifaunal species. Abundances of 0-group shore crabs (Carcinus maenas), common gobies (Pomatoschistus microps) and brown shrimps (Crangon crangon) were highest within sheltered seagrass beds. With decreasing plant density habitat preference of epibenthos changed on species level. By regulating the habitat complexity the currents regime is profoundly influencing the nursery function of intertidal seagrass beds in the Wadden Sea.  相似文献   

16.
近些年来随着生境的破坏其分布面积急遽下降,较大面积连续分布的海草床已经非常少见。本研究首次将声呐探测技术应用到海草床时空分布特征的相关研究中,在河北唐山乐亭-曹妃甸沿海发现目前中国面积最大的鳗草(Zostera marina)海草床,海草床面积高达29.17 km~2,绘制了鳗草分布图和水深分布图,并对鳗草生物量和茎枝高度等基本生物学指标进行了调查。该发现极大丰富了中国海草数据库,并为鳗草的深入研究及保护提供了得天独厚的实验基地,也为周边海洋牧场的构建打下良好的基础。  相似文献   

17.
Stable isotope analyses (δ13C and δ15N) were used to evaluate the spatial variations in carbon flow from primary producers to consumers at two sites in the temperate and permanently open Kariega Estuary on the southeastern coast of South Africa during October 2005 and February 2006. One site was located opposite a salt marsh while the second was upstream of the marsh. Except for significantly enriched δ13C values of Zostera capensis and surface sediments near the salt marsh, the δ13C and δ15N signatures of the producers were similar between sites. The invertebrates were clustered into groups roughly corresponding to the predominant feeding modes. The suspension feeders showed δ13C values closest to the seston, whereas the deposit feeders, detritivores and scavengers/predators had more enriched δ13C values reflecting primary carbon sources that were likely a combination of seston, Spartina maritima and Z. capensis at the upstream site, with an increased influence of benthic algae and Z. capensis at the salt marsh site. The δ15N signatures of the consumers showed a stepwise continuum rather than distinct levels of fractionation, indicating highly complex trophic linkages and significant dietary overlap among the species. Consumers exhibited significantly enriched δ13C values at the salt marsh site, an effect that was attributed to enriched Z. capensis detritus in this region in addition to increased phytoplankton biomass in their diets compared with invertebrates living upstream. The data reinforce the concept that between-site variations in the stable isotope ratios of consumers can result not only from dietary shifts, but also from alterations in the isotope ratios of primary producers.  相似文献   

18.
Seagrasses are well-known ecosystem engineers. They reduce water dynamics and sediment resuspension, and trap fine sediments. However, exceptions of this paradigm have been reported. To test whether these exceptions could be related to plant cover and environmental conditions, we investigated sediment modification under influence of seagrass presence in various annual eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds with varying plant cover and sediment composition.  相似文献   

19.
The eelgrass Zostera marina is a key structural and functional species across the European coastline. The separate and interactive effects of eelgrass canopy removal and sediment addition on the sediment characteristics and the structure of benthic communities were studied in a factorial field experiment in the Northern Baltic Sea in July–August 2006. The removal of eelgrass canopy temporarily increased the sediment oxygen consumption, reduced the content of fine particles (<100 μm) and organic matter in the sediment, and increased the share of sand fraction (250–500 μm). Sediment addition increased the content of fine particles (<100 μm) and reduced the share of sand fraction (250–1000 μm). The effects were strongest in the presence of eelgrass canopy. Benthic invertebrates and macroalgae were affected by eelgrass canopy removal but not by sediment addition. The removal of eelgrass canopy significantly decreased benthic species richness and invertebrate and macroalgal densities. To conclude, our experiment demonstrates that Z. marina defines the patterns of benthic macroalgae and invertebrates but has moderate effects on sediment structure and metabolism in the Northern Baltic Sea.  相似文献   

20.
The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution and abundance of Zostera marina (eelgrass) in relation to the distribution of the mat forming bacteria Beggiatoa spp., and the levels of sulfide and organic material (wood waste) in the sediment. Underwater videography and intertidal surveys were used to map the distribution and abundance of Z. marina beds and Beggiatoa in the nearshore area of Commencement Bay, WA (USA), a location that has a long history of sawmill activity. Zostera marina occurred from the intertidal to ?6 m mean lower low water (MLLW) on sandy substrates in areas with low levels of sulfide (<50 μm ) and organic material (<5 % total volatile solids). Areas with high sulfide levels (>200 μm ) occurred where there were significant amounts of organic material in the sediments, which was found to be wood waste that had been discarded from sawmills. Zostera marina was absent from the intertidal and occurred at lower densities in areas with high sulfide levels. In contrast, mats of Beggiatoa were only found in areas where the sulfide levels were >1000 μm and there were significant deposits of wood. Thus, the negative correlation between the distribution and abundance of Z. marina and Beggiatoa suggests that the presence of Beggiatoa mats could be used as a biological indicator of inhibiting levels of hydrogen sulfide in the marine environment.  相似文献   

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