Shallow Cystoseira (Fucales: Ochrophyta) assemblages thriving in sheltered areas from Menorca (NW Mediterranean): Relationships with environmental factors and anthropogenic pressures     

Marta Sales  Enric Ballesteros   《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009,84(4):476-482

The distribution of Cystoseira species was studied at 103 coves in the island of Menorca (Balearic Islands, NW Mediterranean). Both geomorphological parameters and anthropogenic pressures were considered in order to investigate which were the main environmental factors explaining their distribution. Several factors contributed to explain the composition of Cystoseira assemblages in the sampled coves being coastal morphology, bottom nature, nutrient concentration in seawater and urbanization level of the coast the most important. The relatively high number of Cystoseira species found in Menorca suggested a general high quality of the environment. However, in southern coves the number and abundance of Cystoseira spp. was reduced compared to the northern ones. This pattern seems to be related both to a higher anthropogenic pressure and to a less favourable geomorphology at southern coves. When strong anthropogenic disturbances were present (proximity to harbour areas), coves were completely devoid of Cystoseira specimens. As historical data is available for some of these sites, we can document the disappearance of some Cystoseira species at these coves, which seems to be related to increased pollution levels. However, as the absence of Cystoseira assemblages can also respond to a lack of a suitable geomorphology, their use as bioindicators of water quality needs of a definition of proper reference sites.  相似文献   

Spatial, temporal and ontogenetic variation in diet of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) on the Algerian coast (SW Mediterranean)     

M. Bacha  R. Amara   《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009,85(2):73-264

The diet of anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus was studied in three regions (Béjaia, Bénisaf and Ghazaouet) along the Algerian coast. Ontogenetic, spatial and seasonal variations in anchovy diet were investigated using multivariate analyses and analysed in relation with sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a. 46 prey taxa of varying size between 0.57 mm (Euterpina acutifrons) and 6.8 mm (fish larvae) were recorded. Whatever the season, the region or the fish size, anchovy is exclusively zooplanktivorous and copepods were the most present prey, constituting 87% by number of the prey taken and found in 98% of the anchovy stomachs examined. However, their occurrence and number varied according to the different areas, seasons and fish size. During its first year of life, anchovy feeds almost exclusively on copepods (mainly small and medium size prey). As anchovy grows, copepods are gradually substituted by large crustaceans such as decapods and amphipods. Hierarchical cluster analysis, analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) and similarities percentage (SIMPER) indicated a distinct diet of anchovy of the bay of Bejaia from those of the bays of Bénisaf and Ghazaouet probably due to differences in hydrologic conditions. Diet differences also occurred between seasons. Summer and spring have distinct prey assemblages each and showed low diet similarities with the two other seasons. More prey species were found in the diet during winter (36) and autumn (30) and the vacuity index was lower in winter. Temporal variability in satellite-derived chlorophyll-a matched the seasonal variability in the diversity of the anchovy prey and feeding intensity as reflected by the vacuity index, suggesting further investigation of the potential use of satellite-derived chlorophyll-a data as a proxy for anchovy feeding intensity.  相似文献   

Do Mediterranean fish assemblages associated with marine caves and rocky cliffs differ?     

S. Bussotti  P. Guidetti 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2009

Fish assemblages associated with marine caves and rocky cliffs were investigated in the Salento Peninsula (SE Italy, Mediterranean Sea) by using visual census methods. Sampling was done at three sites, each of which included 4 habitat types: the external and the internal portions of caves, and shallow and deep rocky cliffs. 10 and 13 species were found exclusively inside cave habitats (e.g. Corcyrogobius lichtensteini, Thorogobius ephippiatus and Grammonus ater) or in rocky cliffs (e.g. Diplodus annularis, Sarpa salpa, Sparisoma cretense, Spondyliosoma cantharus), respectively. The four habitat types shared 10 species, and the external portions of the caves shared the most species (both with the internal cave portions and the external rocky cliffs). As a general rule, dissimilarity in the fish assemblage structure between habitats was far greater than dissimilarity between sites. Apogon imberbis (mostly associated with caves) and Chromis chromis (typifying rocky cliffs, mainly the deep ones) mostly contributed to dissimilarities between caves and rocky cliffs. Apogon imberbis (mostly associated with internal caves) and Coris julis (mainly associated to external cave portions) contributed strongly to dissimilarities between internal and external cave portions, while C. chromis, Symphodus mediterraneus and C. julis (associated with the deeper cliffs) and Thalassoma pavo (mostly present in shallow cliffs) differentiated deep and shallow cliffs. Diplodus vulgaris, Oblada melanura and Mullus surmuletus showed a marked increase in density during the cold season in the caves. These results show that fish assemblages associated with rocky reefs rich in marine caves (in terms of relative densities, species composition, species richness, exclusive species and presence of juveniles of some valuable species) may be affected by the peculiar ecological conditions within caves, which could provide additional resources for fishes (e.g. food availability, refuge against predators, sand patches within a rocky matrix) compared to rocky reefs without caves. These results suggest that stretches of rocky coasts rich in marine caves should be considered within management/conservation programs (e.g. when establishing Marine Protected Areas).  相似文献   

Further investigations on why POC concentrations differ in samples collected by Niskin bottle and in situ pump     

Zhanfei Liu  J. Kirk Cochran  Cindy Lee  Beat Gasser  Juan Carlos Miquel  Stuart G. Wakeham 《Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography》2009,56(18):1558-1567

Particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations measured in bottles are often higher than those measured by in situ pumps when samples are taken concurrently. In previous work, we suggested that differential collection of zooplankton might explain this systematic discrepancy in POC between these small volume (bottle) and large volume (in situ pump) techniques. We have now further quantified the carbon contributed by zooplankton collected in the >70-μm particulate fractions from both bottles and pumps at sites in the Mediterranean Sea and Long Island Sound. Our results show that zooplankton abundance and lipid concentrations from zooplankton are one order of magnitude higher in the bottles than in the pumps, supporting the idea that part of the pump–bottle difference is due to collection of more zooplankton by the bottles. Particle washout off the 70-μm mesh used in the in situ pump may cause loss of some particles as well. However, zooplankton in the >70-μm fraction from the bottles contributed only about 1–2 μM POC, which cannot explain the up to 20 μM POC differences observed in this study. Thus, the mechanisms leading to such a large POC difference are still unclear and need to be further investigated. POC concentrations measured using microquartz filters were similar to those using glass fiber filters, suggesting that filter types cannot explain the higher POC observed in bottles, where glass fiber filters are normally used. Furthermore, we investigated several different pump inlet designs to determine how these might affect the ability of pumps to collect and retain large (>70 μm) particles, including zooplankton. The comparison among different pump inlets suggests that inlet design affects the efficiency and retention of large particles and that a sealed filter holder with a narrow right-angle tubular opening is the most efficient at catching/retaining zooplankton.  相似文献   

Time-series measurements of Th in water column and sediment trap samples from the northwestern Mediterranean Sea     

J. Kirk Cochran  Juan Carlos Miquel  Robert Armstrong  Scott W. Fowler  Pere Masqu  Beat Gasser  David Hirschberg  Jennifer Szlosek  Alessia M. Rodriguez y Baena  Elisabet Verdeny  Gillian M. Stewart 《Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography》2009,56(18):1487-1501

Disequilibrium between ²³⁴Th and ²³⁸U in water column profiles has been used to estimate the settling flux of Th (and, by proxy, of particulate organic carbon); yet potentially major non-steady-state influences on ²³⁴Th profiles are often not able to be considered in estimations of flux. We have compared temporal series of ²³⁴Th distributions in the upper water column at both coastal and deep-water sites in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea to coeval sediment trap records at the same sites. We have used sediment trap records of ²³⁴Th fluxes to predict temporal changes in water column ²³⁴Th deficits and have compared the predicted deficits to those measured to determine whether the time-evolution of the two coincide. At the coastal site (327 m water depth), trends in the two estimates of water column ²³⁴Th deficits are in fairly close agreement over the 1-month deployment during the spring bloom in 1999. In contrast, the pattern of water column ²³⁴Th deficits is poorly predicted by sediment trap records at the deep-water site (DYFAMED, 2300 m water depth) in both 2003 and 2005. In particular, the transition from a mesotrophic to an oligotrophic system, clearly seen in trap fluxes, is not evident in water column ²³⁴Th profiles, which show high-frequency variability. Allowing trapping efficiencies to vary from 100% does not reconcile the differences between trap and water column deficit observations; we conclude that substantial lateral and vertical advective influences must be invoked to account for the differences.Advective influences are potentially greater on ²³⁴Th fluxes derived from water column deficits relative to those obtained from traps because the calculation of deficits in open-ocean settings is dominated by the magnitude of the “dissolved” ²³⁴Th fraction. For observed current velocities of 5–20 cm s⁻¹, in one radioactive mean-life of ²³⁴Th, the water column at the DYFAMED site can reflect ²³⁴Th scavenging produced tens to hundreds of kilometers away. In contrast, most of the ²³⁴Th flux collected in shallow sediment traps at the DFYFAMED site was in the fraction settling >200 m d⁻¹; in effect the sediment trap can integrate the ²³⁴Th flux over distances 40-fold less than water column ²³⁴Th distributions. In some sense, sediment trap and water column sampling for ²³⁴Th provide complementary pictures of ²³⁴Th export. However, because the two methods can be dominated by different processes and are subject to different biases, their comparison must be treated with caution.  相似文献   

胶西北地区“焦家式”典型金矿床深部与浅部矿体特征对比研究   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

袁文花  王化江 《山东国土资源》2009,25(5)

以近几年来胶西北地区几个大型以上规模“焦家式”典型金矿床的深部勘查资料为基础,从矿体形态、规模及产状变化、蚀变及矿化,主要有益组分金、银含量及变化、金矿物特征等方面对矿床深部和浅部矿体特征进行了综合分析对比研究。研究结果显示,矿床深部矿体规模变大,产状变缓,大部分矿体无明显的侧伏,矿体形态由复杂到简单;矿体主要有益组分金、银含量在矿体浅部的中上部相对较高,向下逐渐变贫;深部矿体总体品位较浅部低,较均匀,变化较小;在主矿体之下远离主裂面分布在黄铁绢英岩化花岗岩带内的矿体,金品位明显高于主矿体,品位变化较大;由浅而深金银品位比值有逐渐增大趋势。  相似文献   

Long‐term changes in hydroid (Cnidaria,Hydrozoa) assemblages: effect of Mediterranean warming?     

Stefania Puce  Giorgio Bavestrello  Cristina Gioia Di Camillo  & Ferdinando Boero 《Marine Ecology》2009,30(3):313-326

Marine hydroids are markedly seasonal in temperate seas, being extremely sensitive to climatic changes disrupting seasonal patterns. Modifications in the composition, seasonality, bathymetric distribution and reproductive period of hydroid assemblages are useful to evaluate the influence of global warming on the marine ecosystem. The hydroids on the rocky cliff of the Portofino Promontory (Ligurian Sea, Italy) were carefully studied between 1976 and 1983; in particular, in 1980 the study was carried out along a vertical transect. The hydroids were sampled again throughout 2004, with the same techniques and along the same transect. Species diversity decreased slightly in the 2004 survey. Some species present in 1980 had disappeared in 2004, but other species with southern affinity, never recorded from the area, became abundant in 2004. Species that were present in summer in the first period were also present in winter in the second one. Furthermore, shallow summer species widened their bathymetric distribution, reaching deeper levels. These data strongly suggest that the Portofino hydroid assemblage reacted to the water temperature increase found in the Mediterranean Sea.  相似文献   

Community structure of bathyal decapod crustaceans off South-Eastern Sardinian deep-waters (Central-Western Mediterranean)     

Maria Cristina Follesa  Cristina Porcu  Alice Gastoni  Antonello Mulas  rea Sabatini  & Angelo Cau 《Marine Ecology》2009,30(S1):188-199

Community structure and faunal composition of bathyal decapod crustaceans off South-Eastern Sardinian deep-waters (Central-Western Mediterranean) were investigated. Samples were collected during 32 hauls between 793 and 1598 m in depth over the 2003–2007 period. A total of 1900 decapod specimens belonging to 23 species were collected. Multivariate analysis revealed the occurrence of three faunistic assemblages related to depth: (i) an upper slope community at depths of 793–1002 m; (ii) a middle slope community at depths of 1007–1212 m and (iii) a lower slope community at depths greater 1420 m. In the upper and middle slopes the benthic ( Polycheles typhlops ) and epibenthic–endobenthic feeders (mainly Aristeus antennatus and Geryon longipes ), which eat infaunal prey, were dominant, followed by the macroplankton–epibenthic feeders such as Acanthephyra eximia and Plesionika acanthonotus . In the deepest stratum, the most remarkable feature was the prevalence of macroplankton–epibenthic feeders ( A. eximia and P. acanthonotus ). A small percentage of the benthic deep-sea lobster Polycheles sculptus was also present. The biomass presented higher values in the middle slope and declined strongly in the lower slope. There was no general pattern of mean individual weight/size versus depth among decapods, and the changes seemed to be species-specific with different trends.  相似文献   

Spatio-temporal patterns of abundance,size structure and body condition of Atherina boyeri (Pisces: Atherinidae) in a small non-tidal Mediterranean lagoon     

S. Maci  A. Basset 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2010

Sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, is a very abundant, widespread, locally harvested species, able to successfully survive and reproduce over a wide range of abiotic conditions and aquatic ecosystem types. In the North Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea transitional ecosystems its life history is well known, but very little information is available about the influence of intra-ecosystemic abiotic gradients on micro-scale patterns of distribution, body size and condition of individuals. In a small non-tidal Mediterranean lagoon, the cohorts' structure and evolution of sand smelt was described and the temporal and spatial variability of abundance, size structure and body condition was addressed. The study was carried out at the Acquatina lagoon (Lecce, Italy) where four stations, situated in two habitat types along a confinement gradient, were sampled twice per month for one year with fyke nets. The abundance of collected individuals was very high throughout the sampling period, with a peak in Summer and a constant decrease afterwards. Measured Standard Length ranged from 20 to 90 mm and the majority of individuals were estimated to be within 2 years old. The confined station resulted more abundantly colonized, especially by smaller size classes, and characterized by a narrower size frequency distribution. Also relative body condition showed significant spatial variations, with larger individuals having a better condition than smaller ones where optimal temperature and dissolved oxygen levels were available. Size-specific temporal patterns of body condition followed the seasonal climatic oscillations and the species' cycle of growth and reproduction, with larger individuals reaching higher fatness than smaller ones during Autumn and Winter, thus having more chances to survive and contribute to the reproductive effort. The results of the present study emphasised that, even at a very small scale, the presence of strong environmental gradients can drive movements, habitat preference and condition of individuals and thus promote an intra-ecosystemic spatial heterogeneity comparable to that observed between ecosystems at the land–ocean or geographical scale.  相似文献   

Changes in amphipod (Crustacea) assemblages associated with shallow-water algal habitats invaded by Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea in the western Mediterranean Sea   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Vázquez-Luis M  Sanchez-Jerez P  Bayle-Sempere JT 《Marine environmental research》2008,65(5):416-426

The effects of the invasive species Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea (hereafter C. racemosa) on amphipod assemblages associated with shallow-water rocky habitats were studied. Two habitats located along the SE Iberian Peninsula were compared; invaded and non-invaded. The results showed that growth of C. racemosa affects habitat structure, influencing the species composition and biomass of macroalgae, and detritus accumulation. In turn, such changes in habitat features affected the associated amphipod assemblages with different ecological requirements. However, the species richness of amphipods was relatively high in both habitats, while the species composition of amphipods changed completely. For example, some species such as Ampithoe ramondi and Hyale schmidti did not colonize invaded habitats, while others such as Apocorophium acutum were favoured by the spread of C. racemosa. Habitat invasion by C. racemosa can have an important influence on biotic assemblages, modifying both habitat structure and the associated fauna, with unknown effects on the overall ecosystem.  相似文献