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1.
Rapa (27°36′ S, 144°20′ W) is a small (~40 km2) volcanic island isolated in the Southern Austral Archipelago, where direct anthropogenic stressors are extremely limited. Here, we present the results of the first quantitative survey of coral community structure across habitats and depths around the island. Despite its geographical isolation in the depauperate South Central Pacific, its small size and unfavourable environmental conditions (competition with macroalgae, low sea surface temperatures, reduced reef accretion), the diversity of scleractinian corals at Rapa is particularly high (112 species from 32 genera, including 37 species of Acropora) in comparison to other French Polynesian islands and subtropical Pacific locations. Our results indicate that the abundance (>100 colonies per 10 m2 recorded at nine of the 17 sampling stations) and cover (>40% at four stations) of corals are relatively high for a marginal reef location. Strong spatial heterogeneity was found, with high variation in diversity, abundance, cover and community composition among stations. Variation in community composition was related to habitat types, with distinct assemblages among fringing reefs within bays, reef formations at bay entrances, and those on the submerged platform surrounding the island. On the platform, a depth gradient was detected, with generic richness, abundance and cover generally greater at deeper stations (18–20 m depth) compared with medium‐depth (10–12 m) and shallow (1–3 m) stations. A gradient was also recorded along bays, with increasing coral diversity and abundance from the bay heads to the bay entrances. The coral community at Rapa was characterized by the presence of several taxa not found in other French Polynesian archipelagos and the rarity of others that are common and abundant in the Society and the Tuamotu islands. Another distinctive feature of reef communities at Rapa is the high cover and dominance of macroalgae, particularly in the shallower parts of the surrounding platform, which probably explains the lower densities of coral colonies recorded there. These characteristics of the diversity and biogeographical composition of coral assemblages at Rapa provide considerable ecological grounds for its conservation.  相似文献   

2.
Corals in the Eastern Pacific extend south from the Gulf of California to Ecuador and oceanic Chile, and west from Colombia to Clipperton Atoll. Nevertheless, large stretches of the Mexican Pacific remain fundamentally unstudied. Therefore, to assess the current conditions of coral communities, a coastal fringe ～300 km long (17°40′ N, 101°39′ W to 16°46′ N, 99°49′ W) was surveyed within the Southern Mexican Pacific, between 2005 and 2009. Fifteen stony coral species were identified at 13 coral communities and six Pocillopora‐dominated fringing reefs, with Pocillopora verrucosa and Pocillopora damicornis the primary contributing taxa. Reef development was identified in embayments or behind rocks or islands that offered shelter from northern and northwestern winds. Observations of Pocillopora effusus, Pocillopora inflata, Porites lobata, Pavona clavus, and Pavona varians expanded the species known geographic ranges by several degrees of latitude, suggesting reef building fauna comprised a mixture of widespread and relatively rare Eastern Pacific corals. Results indicated greater live coral cover in the Ixtapa‐Zihuatanejo area (15–73%) than in the Acapulco localities, which had high algal dominance; the reefs in the latter region exhibited high erosion. Regional differences are likely the result of long‐standing anthropogenic pressures around Acapulco since 1950, when it became an important tourist destination. This paper is the first detailed report of ecologically stressed corals and coral reefs from the state of Guerrero on the Mexican Southern Pacific coast.  相似文献   

3.
This study evaluated the effect of environmental stimuli and selective pressures in different geographical areas along a latitudinal gradient, on the juvenile recruitment, population structure, and sex ratio of the speckled swimming crab Arenaeus cribrarius. Samples were collected monthly during 1 year in three locations along the Brazilian coast: Macaé, state of Rio de Janeiro (MAC, 22°47′ S, 41°45′ W); Ubatuba, São Paulo (UBA, 23°27′ S, 44°58′ W); and São Francisco do Sul, Santa Catarina (SFS, 26°08′ S, 48°34′ W). The specimens of A. cribrarius were identified, counted, sexed, and measured for maximum carapace width (CW). The largest juvenile found was in UBA (47.7 ± 1.36 mm); and the largest adult females and males in MAC (74.26 ± 0.93 and 77.04 ± 0.79 mm, respectively). Recruitment in MAC was continuous, whereas in UBA and SFS, recruitment showed seasonal characteristics. The sex ratio was skewed toward females only in UBA; in MAC and SFS, males and females were present in equal proportions. These results indicate that geographical variations can cause differences in the recruitment and population structure of A. cribrarius. These regional differences call attention to the necessity for improved management plans and control of shrimp fishing, which can affect population patterns such as juvenile recruitment, population structure and life history of the target species and species that are caught in bycatch from shrimping, such as the swimming crab A. cribrarius.  相似文献   

4.
The effects of tropical instability waves (TIW) within the eastern equatorial Pacific during the boreal fall of 2005 were observed in multiple data sets. The TIW cause oscillations of the sea surface temperature (SST), meridional currents (V), and 20 °C isotherm (thermocline). A particularly strong 3-wave packet of ～15-day period TIW passed through the Galápagos Archipelago in Sep and Oct 2005 and their effects were recorded by moored near-surface sensors. Repeat Argo profiles in the archipelago showed that the large temperature (>5 °C) oscillations that occurred were associated with a vertical adjustment within the water column. Numerical simulations report strong oscillations and upwelling magnitudes of ～5.0 m d?1 near the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy at 0°, 95°W and in the Archipelago at 92°W and 90°W. A significant biological response to the TIW passage was observed within the archipelago. Chlorophyll a measured by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) increased by >30% above 1998–2007 mean concentrations within the central archipelago. The increases coincide with coldest temperatures and the much larger increases within the archipelago as compared to those of 95°W indicate that TIW induced upwelling over the island platform itself brought more iron-enriched upwelling waters into the euphotic zone.  相似文献   

5.
Baraza  J.  Ercilla  G.  Farrán  M.  Casamor  J. L.  Sorribas  J.  Flores  J. A.  Sierro  F.  Wersteeg  W. 《Marine Geophysical Researches》1997,19(2):115-135
Multibeam bathymetric and ultra high-resolution seismic data reveal that the distal course of the Equatorial Atlantic Mid-Ocean Channel (EAMOC) extends further east and south than was previously known, and is controlled by the presence of morphologic highs related to the Fernando de Noronha Fracture Zone. Distal course of the EAMOC is buried by sediments, and does not have bathymetric expression on the seafloor. The channel fill consists of three seismic sequences, suggesting that the recent geological evolution of the channel is composed of successive phases of decreasing sedimentary activity that finally resulted in its complete burial. Tectonic and volcanic activity related to the Fernando de Noronha Fracture Zone and Ridge, together with the effect of strong pulses of the Antarctic bottom water current during the upper Pliocene are suggested to have contributed to the progressive burial and the final abandonment of the EAMOC.  相似文献   

6.
We investigated the effect of interannual variation on the biodiversity and distribution of decapod larvae at Saint Paul's Rocks, an isolated small group of equatorial islands linked to the Atlantic Mid‐Ocean ridge. Zooplankton samples were collected between 2003 and 2005 from a range of different environments off the archipelago. Horizontal surface hauls were conducted in the inlet and at three increasing distances from the archipelago, both in the morning and at night, using a 200‐μm mesh net. Decapod larvae collected included 11 species and 37 individual taxa. Seven of them have not previously been recorded in the area. Samples taken at the shortest distance from the archipelago exhibited a significantly greater abundance than samples taken further away. No significant differences were detected between months in terms of decapod larvae abundance in the inlet. However, in the open ocean at night, the mean abundance was much higher in May and July. Decapod larvae abundance was much higher at night for both the open ocean and the inlet. Brachyuran and caridean larvae exhibited the greatest abundance and frequency in the inlet, mainly represented by the first‐stage larvae of: Grapsus grapsus, Plagusia depressa, Platypodiella spectabilis and Alpheidae. In contrast, Sergestidae holopelagic shrimps were the most abundant and the most frequent larvae in the surface waters of the open ocean. The composition, abundance and distribution of decapod larvae were very similar during the 2 years sampled. Species accumulation curves indicate that even greater diversity exists, demonstrating that long‐term research is important for acquiring accurate knowledge about the biodiversity of dynamic ecosystems such as those at Saint Paul's Rocks.  相似文献   

7.
The present study explores the distribution of the invasive herbivore fish Siganus luridus (Rüppell 1829) and its relationship to native herbivores and macroalgal assemblages in the shallow sublittoral of the Cyclades Archipelago, Aegean Sea, Greece. In situ underwater surveys of herbivore abundance (fishes and sea urchins) and algal coverage were carried out at 180 sampling sites in 18 islands. Siganus luridus accounted for 17% of the total herbivore abundance, with a decrease in relative abundance from the southeastern to the northwestern islands. In Santorini Island (in the southeast of the study area) S. luridus abundance accounted for 90% of the total herbivore fish abundance, while in Kea Island (at the northwestern limit of the study area), S. luridus was absent. The spatial variation of minimum sea surface temperature is possibly the reason for its distributional pattern. Siganus luridus abundance was found to be positively correlated to the native herbivore Sparisoma cretense (Linnaeus 1758). A significant negative relationship was found between the abundance of the invasive species and the sum of erect and canopy algae cover (Dictyotales and Cystoseira spp.), which are the main components of its diet in the region. On the other hand, its occurrence was particularly high in barren sites. The results arising from this study reinforce evidence from studies in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin that the expansion of the invasive species S. luridus may have profound impacts on native communities in the Mediterranean infralittoral zone.  相似文献   

8.
Rocas, the only atoll in the South Atlantic, is located 266 km off the northeast Brazilian coast. Spatial patterns in community structure of meiofauna, particularly nematodes, and macrofauna were examined along a transect through the sediment path from windward to leeward of the Rocas Atoll sand flat. Differences in benthic community structure between four zones of the sand flat were found to be significant and related to the major local processes of carbonate-grain transport and sedimentation. Both meiobenthic and macrobenthic assemblages were significantly more diverse and abundant within the sediment inflow zone (the initial part of the detrital path of Rocas sand flat) than in the other zones, where a clear impoverishment of benthic invertebrates occurred. This first study of the benthos of an intertidal sand flat over a reef island in the Atlantic showed that the meiofauna is numerically dominated by the nematodes Metoncholainussp. 1 (Oncholaimidae) and Epsilonema sp. 1 (Epsilonematidade), whilst the macrofauna is largely dominated by oligochaetes and large Oncholaimidae nematodes. Analysis of the species composition, trophic structure and abundance of both the meiobenthos and the macrobenthos revealed an impoverished community subjected to an intense water-movement disturbance.  相似文献   

9.
Larvae of benthic marine organisms are released amid high densities of suspension feeding and predatory adults and are highly subject to being consumed, even by conspecifics or their own parent. During laboratory feeding trials conducted in June 2006, female shore crabs (Hemigrapsus oregonensis) from Stege Marsh in San Francisco Bay (37°54.530′ N, 122°19.734′ W) that released their larvae during the previous 24 h ate fewer conspecific larvae than females that had not recently released larvae, though the behavior was not repeated during similar trials in 2007. Additionally, the number of larvae eaten increased with increasing starvation time, and hungrier females showed a trend toward eating more larvae from a different species (Carcinus maenas) than larvae of conspecifics. Thus, suppression of suspension feeding may reduce conspecific predation of newly released larvae, but this response partially depends on hunger level. This is the first time crabs have been shown to suppress feeding to reduce cannibalism of larvae, and this behavior could affect reproductive success and population dynamics.  相似文献   

10.
To date, only a few coral proxy studies have investigated coral growth as an indicator of climate variability. This study presents the first extension-rate record (Porites lutea) from the Maldives (NW Indian Ocean), inferred from skeletal δ18O chronology for the lagoon of Rasdhoo Atoll (4°N/73°W) in the central area of the Maldives, influenced by the Indian monsoon. The record spans 90 years over the period 1917–2007. The mean annual extension over this period was 9.9 mm/year, and an increase of annual extension rates until 1990 by 3 mm/year can be explained by a rise of 0.7°C in sea surface temperature (SST) in this region. After 1990, the extension rates do no continue increasing, possibly due to ecological stress caused by progressive ocean warming and acidification. The correlation between annual extension rates and SSTs is thus significant and strong in the lower part of the record until 1955 (r = +0.69, p < 0.0001), but weaker thereafter (r = +0.44, p < 0.001). The extension rates yield a distinct interannual variability of 3–4 years, caused by interannual SST fluctuations driven by the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation. A variability of 8–9 years is likely driven by SST variations endemic to the Indian Ocean. Spectral peaks between 18–19 years and 6–7 years cannot be explained by SST fluctuations, but by variations in the strength of the SW monsoon currents. It is suggested that during phases of stronger monsoon activity, the coral sacrificed coral extension in favor of a denser, more robust skeleton. The geomorphology of the atoll may strengthen the potential of this new coral archive to track climate variability.  相似文献   

11.
The suspended particulate organic matter (sPOM) around two isolated NE Atlantic seamounts, Seine (33°46′N 14°21′W; summit at ∼170 m) and Sedlo (40°19′N 26°40′W; summit at ∼780 m), was studied over a period of 2 years during four 2–4-week oceanographic surveys. Elemental (C and N), chlorophyll a and lipid biomarker concentrations and N stable isotopic values were variable close to the surface (40–90 m), although some chlorophyll a enrichment above the summits was discerned sporadically. Results from near-surface waters showed a generally “fresh”, mainly phytoplankton signature in sPOM with some seasonality, which was more pronounced around Sedlo. sPOM concentrations and composition changed with depth, apparently controlled by seasonality and proximity to the seamounts. A few metres above the Seine summit, the suspended particulate organic carbon (sPOC) concentrations and labile polyunsaturated fatty acids (% of lipids) were higher than elsewhere at similar depths (∼200 m) in summer 2004. In the same season at Sedlo, polyunsaturated fatty acids were also relatively more abundant (up to 43% of total lipids) around the topographic feature throughout the water column, indicating supply of more labile sPOM, perhaps by advection, downwelling or passive sinking of locally produced phytoplankton and/or in situ production. The high-quality sPOM that seems to be present around the seamounts could provide an important food source to the biological community.  相似文献   

12.
Full-depth conductivity-temperature-depth-oxygen profiler (CTDO2) data at low latitudes in the western North Pacific in winter 1999 were analyzed with water-mass analysis and geostrophic calculations. The result shows that the deep circulation carrying the Lower Circumpolar Water (LCPW) bifurcates into eastern and western branch currents after entering the Central Pacific Basin. LCPW colder than 0.98°C is carried by the eastern branch current, while warmer LCPW is carried mainly by the western branch current. The eastern branch current flows northward in the Central Pacific Basin, supplying water above 0.94°C through narrow gaps into an isolated deep valley in the Melanesian Basin, and then passes the Mid-Pacific Seamounts between 162°10′E and 170°10′E at 18°20′N, not only through the Wake Island Passage but also through the western passages. Except near bottom, dissolved oxygen of LCPW decreases greatly in the northern Central Pacific Basin, probably by mixing with the North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW). The western branch current flows northwestward over the lower Solomon Rise in the Melanesian Basin and proceeds westward between 10°40′N and 12°20′N at 150°E in the East Mariana Basin with volume transport of 4.1 Sv (1 Sv=106 m3 s−1). The current turns north, west of 150°E, and bifurcates around 14°N, south of the Magellan Seamounts, where dissolved oxygen decreases sharply by mixing with NPDW. Half of the current turns east, crosses 150°E at 14–15°N, and proceeds northward primarily between 152°E and 156°E at 18°20′N toward the Northwest Pacific Basin (2.1 Sv). The other half flows northward west of 150°E and passes 18°20′N just east of the Mariana Trench (2.2 Sv). It is reversed by a block of topography, proceeds southward along the Mariana Trench, then detours around the south end of the trench, and proceeds eastward along the Caroline Seamounts to the Solomon Rise, partly flowing into the West Mariana and East Caroline Basins. A deep western boundary current at 2000–3000 m depth above LCPW (10.0 Sv) closes to the coast than the deep circulation. The major part of it (8.5 Sv) turns cyclonic around the upper Solomon Rise from the Melanesian Basin and proceeds along the southern boundary of the East Caroline Basin. Nearly half of it proceeds northward in the western East Caroline Basin, joins the current from the east, then passes the northern channel, and mostly enters the West Caroline Basin (4.6 Sv), while another half enters this basin from the southern side (>3.8 Sv). The remaining western boundary current (1.5 Sv) flows over the middle and lower Solomon Rise, proceeds westward, then is divided by the Caroline Seamounts into southern (0.9 Sv) and northern (0.5 Sv) branches. The southern branch current joins that from the south in the East Caroline Basin, as noted above. The northern branch current proceeds along the Caroline Seamounts and enters the West Mariana Basin.  相似文献   

13.
On 12 November 2006, 3 kg of sulfur hexafluoride were released in a 1.2 km long streak in the axial summit trough of the East Pacific Rise at 9°30′N to study how circulation and mixing affect larval dispersion. The first half of a tracer survey performed approximately 40 days after the injection found a small percentage of the tracer on the ridge axis between 9°30′N and 10°10′N, with the main concentration near 9°50′N, a site of many active hydrothermal vents. These observations provide evidence of larval connectivity between vent sites on the ridge. The latter half of the survey detected the primary patch of tracer west of the ridge and just south of the Lamont Seamounts, as a majority of the tracer had been transported off the ridge. However, by the end of the survey, the eastern edge of this patch was transported back to within 10 km of the ridge crest at 9°50′N by a reversal in the subinertial flow, suggesting another pathway for larvae between points along the ridge. Both the horizontal and vertical distributions of the tracer were complex and were likely heavily influenced by topography and vents in the area. Elevated tracer concentrations within the axial summit trough and an adjacent depression on the upper ridge flank suggest that tracers may be detained in such depressions. Correlated tracer/turbidity profiles provide direct evidence of entrainment of the tracer into vent plumes from 9°30′N to 10°N. A comparison of the vertical tracer inventory with neutral density vent-plume observations suggests that on the order of 10% of the tracer injected was entrained into vent plumes near the injection site. The results imply that effluent from diffuse hydrothermal sources and larvae of hydrothermal vent fauna can be entrained in significant quantities into plumes from discrete sources and dispersed in the neutrally buoyant plumes.  相似文献   

14.
To date, coral proxy studies have proved largely unsuccessful in reconstructing temporal variability of the Indian monsoon system in the NW Indian Ocean. In a recent publication in this journal, Storz and Gischler demonstrated that extension rates in corals can be used to fill this gap. Those authors found a link between decadal and interannual variations of the SW monsoon current velocities and Porites lutea extension rates in the lagoon of Rasdhoo Atoll (4°N/73°W) in the central Maldives for the period 1917–2007. This sister paper shows that this extension-rate record can be used to reconstruct decadal variations of summer monsoon rainfall over peninsular India and adjacent areas. The amount of monsoon rainfall and current velocities during summer are both affected by the strength of the Indian monsoon system. Assessments of coral extension rates and the mean May–September All India Monsoon Rainfall index, a measure of monsoon strength over the Indian subcontinent, revealed a significant spectral coherence within periods of 18–19 and 6–7 years. Almost 92% of variance is shared between both time series in the former band, and 85% in the latter. A correlation between the 5-year running mean extension rate and rainfall records from the Western Ghats (grid of 73–76°E/13–15°N) is significant especially for 1958–2006 (r = −0.82, p < 0.05). These findings imply that coral growth characteristics can serve as a new marine archive to reconstruct past variations of the Indian monsoon system on interannual to decadal timescales.  相似文献   

15.
The Cape gannet is endemic to the southern African coast where it currently breeds at six islands: Mercury, Ichaboe and Possession off South West Africa and Bird (Lambert's Bay), Malgas and Bird (Algoa Bay) off South Africa. Previously, breeding also occurred at Hollams Bird, Halifax and Seal (False Bay) Islands. Equivocal records for Marcus, Dassen and Dyer Islands are not accepted. Off South West Africa, gannets were breeding at Hollams Bird, Mercury and Ichaboe Islands at least as early as 1828, but they only occupied Halifax and Possession Islands sometime between that date and c. 1885, possibly as a result of displacement of gannets from Ichaboe Island during exploitation of accumulated guano deposits in the early 1840s. Gannets bred at Hollams Bird Island until at least 1938, but had ceased breeding at Halifax Island by 1928. Off South Africa the earliest records of breeding are 1648, 1687, 1755 and 1912 for Malgas, Seal (False Bay), Bird (Port Elizabeth) and Bird (Lambert's Bay) Islands respectively. Gannets have not been reported at Seal Island since the late 17th century. On the west coast of Africa the Cape gannet is a regular nonbreeding winter visitor as far north as 4°20′N 6°00′E, but west of 6°E it is rare. On the east coast of Africa it is a common winter visitor as far north as Delagoa Bay, but farther north it is rare. Within its normal range the Cape gannet seldom occurs farther off shore than 100 km; it hardly ever moves inland. Aerial censuses of Cape gannets at breeding islands in 1967, 1969, 1978, 1980 and 1981 are compared with an aerial census conducted in 1956 and other published estimates of abundance. Between 1956 and 1980 the estimated number of breeding pairs at all colonies decreased from c. 150 000 to c. 80 000 and numbers decreased at all three extant gannetries off South West Africa. These decreases are attributed to a greatly diminished food resource following the collapse of the South West African pilchard stock after the late 1960s. The number of gannets decreased at Bird (Lambert's Bay) and Malgas Islands between 1956 and the late 1960s but subsequently increased, trends that are related to performances of the Western Cape pilchard and anchovy resources respectively. At Bird Island (Algoa Bay) gannets were up to 3,5 times more abundant in the late 1970s than in 1956. Other marine resources located east of Cape Point have shown similar large increases in recent years. Rates of increase of gannets at islands off South Africa during the 1970s would have required an unrealistically high survival for the first year had other population parameters remained constant. It is possible that birds emigrated from the South West African Islands. Few gannets have been reported oiled, and conservation of the species seems to be mainly affected by greatly reduced prey availability and injudicious guano harvesting. Human exploitation of juvenile gannets off the West African coast is difficult to assess.  相似文献   

16.
Cymodocea rotundata is an ecologically important tropical pioneer seagrass species distributed in the Indo‐Pacific region. The population genetic diversity and structure of this species were analysed at 46 sites spanning the Philippines, Ryukyu Islands (northern limit) and Hainan Island, by using microsatellite simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Analyses revealed the persistence of C. rotundata likely relies on local population dynamics and fitness influenced by environmental gradients, with sexual reproduction prevalent in the Philippines while the Ryukyu and Hainan populations were predominantly established by clonal spread. Analysis of molecular variance showed significant genetic differentiation (P < 0.001) among three geographic regions: the Philippines, Ryukyu and Hainan. Furthermore, the mean fixation index value was very high (FST = 0.36), indicating poor dispersal potential or limited gene flow. Allelic richness and heterozygosity of C. rotundata was comparable in the Philippines and Ryukyu Islands populations. More private alleles were found in the Philippines and excess heterozygotes in the Ryukyu Islands. STRUCTURE analysis revealed that the Ryukyu and Hainan populations were mosaics of admixed alleles of individuals from the Philippines. An assignment test suggested that recruitment occurs from the Northeast Philippines to Ryukyu Islands. These results suggest that the Philippine populations are tropical seagrass hotspots and perhaps the origin of the populations in the Ryukyu and Hainan Islands. This scenario is most likely driven by the Kuroshio Current and island integration events during plate tectonic activities. The Philippine Archipelago is considered of high importance for conservation objectives and management plan of seagrasses. Likewise, the Ryukyu Islands are also important in terms of conserving regional diversity because locally adapted genotypes have important evolutionary potential in the face of environmental change.  相似文献   

17.
Size‐frequency distributions can support reliable inferences concerning population dynamics of brachiopods, but only a few data are available so far. In this study, length and width frequency distributions of dead specimens of the Recent brachiopods Joania cordata and Argyrotheca cuneata from the Marine Protected Area ‘Secche di Tor Paterno’, Central Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy (41°35′ N, 12°20′ E), are reported in order to add new data about size‐frequency distributions of brachiopods. The studied specimens came from death assemblages in the coralligenous substrate, in the Posidonia oceanica meadows, and in the sand channels. The observed patterns vary from left‐skewed (J. cordata) to right‐skewed (A. cuneata), indicating respectively a low and high mortality of smaller individuals. Significant differences between the coralligenous substrate and the P. oceanica meadow were observed for both species, revealing a variation among different habitats. All length and width distributions are clearly polymodal, but the biological meaning of the peaks is difficult to interpret, as the two species seem to have a 2‐year life span. A biometric analysis of shell sizes revealed that length and width are the most variable parameters during the growth of the animal.  相似文献   

18.
Despite the distribution of dugongs Dugong dugon ranging across nearshore waters of the tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, their distribution in the western Indian Ocean is highly fragmented and appears to be declining. The population of the Bazaruto Archipelago is believed to comprise the only viable population in the region. In all, 27 surveys were flown over the Bazaruto Bay area to define the distribution and estimate the abundance of the species in the area. A total of 9 052 nautical miles of survey effort was flown during the surveys, from which there were 355 sightings of 760 dugongs. Two core areas of distribution were apparent within the surveyed area; a northern core area spread within the 10 m isobath between the Save River mouth and Ponta Bartolomeu Dias (21°24′S), and a southern core area aligned with the shallow sandbanks to the north and south of Santa Carolina Island. Group sizes recorded in the Bazaruto Archipelago were comparable to group sizes recorded in other regions where dugongs occur, although few large (>20) groups of dugongs were seen in this study. Line transect analyses of each survey showed dugong densities were considerably lower than densities recorded in surveys in Australian waters or in the Arabian Gulf, with a population estimate of 247 dugongs (CV = 34.1) when all surveys were considered, and 359 dugongs (CV = 38.2) when only the surveys that were carried out under adequate sighting conditions were included.  相似文献   

19.
We conducted full-depth hydrographic observations between 8°50′ and 44°30′N at 165°W in 2003 and analyzed the data together with those from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment and the World Ocean Database, clarifying the water characteristics and deep circulation in the Central and Northeast Pacific Basins. The deep-water characteristics at depths greater than approximately 2000 dbar at 165°W differ among three regions demarcated by the Hawaiian Ridge at around 24°N and the Mendocino Fracture Zone at 37°N: the southern region (10–24°N), central region (24–37°N), and northern region (north of 37°N). Deep water at temperatures below 1.15 °C and depths greater than 4000 dbar is highly stratified in the southern region, weakly stratified in the central region, and largely uniform in the northern region. Among the three regions, near-bottom water immediately east of Clarion Passage in the southern region is coldest (θ<0.90 °C), most saline (S>34.70), highest in dissolved oxygen (O2>4.2 ml l?1), and lowest in silica (Si<135 μmol kg?1). These characteristics of the deep water reflect transport of Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (LCDW) due to a branch current south of the Wake–Necker Ridge that is separated from the eastern branch current of the deep circulation immediately north of 10°N in the Central Pacific Basin. The branch current south of the Wake–Necker Ridge carries LCDW of θ<1.05 °C with a volume transport of 3.7 Sv (1 Sv=106 m3 s?1) into the Northeast Pacific Basin through Horizon and Clarion Passages, mainly through the latter (～3.1 Sv). A small amount of the LCDW flows northward at the western boundary of the Northeast Pacific Basin, joins the branch of deep circulation from the Main Gap of the Emperor Seamounts Chain, and forms an eastward current along the Mendocino Fracture Zone with volume transport of nearly 1 Sv. If this volume transport is typical, a major portion of the LCDW (～3 Sv) carried by the branch current south of the Wake–Necker and Hawaiian Ridges may spread in the southern part of the Northeast Pacific Basin. In the northern region at 165°W, silica maxima are found near the bottom and at 2200 dbar; the minimum between the double maxima occurs at a depth of approximately 4000 dbar (θ～1.15 °C). The geostrophic current north of 39°N in the upper deep layer between 1.15 and 2.2 °C, with reference to the 1.15 °C isotherm, has a westward volume transport of 1.6 Sv at 39–44°30′N, carrying silica-rich North Pacific Deep Water from the northeastern region of the Northeast Pacific Basin to the Northwest Pacific Basin.  相似文献   

20.
Conservation actions for sharks are hampered partly by the negative beliefs and inaccurate knowledge about them among the general public. This paper investigated the knowledge and attitude of residents and tourists towards shark species of Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, a marine protected area, and one of the major ecotourism destinations in Brazil. Findings showed that residents had a lower knowledge of sharks and less positive attitudes towards sharks than tourists. Even though residents did not see sharks as threats to humans and they were aware of the role of the archipelago as a shark nursery, they did not completely understand the sharks' ecological and economic importance. This distinction between residents' and tourists' perceptions of sharks demands different strategies to assure engagement in management and conservation policies relating to both groups. Management actions focusing on providing enjoyable experiences with sharks to residents and enhancing their participation in tourist activities related to sharks are presented. They would require innovative cooperation between scientific, management and environmental institutions to build initiatives aimed at increasing the knowledge and improving attitudes of residents towards shark conservation and to homogenise conservation values held by the entire public on the archipelago.  相似文献   

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