Physical disturbance and subtidal habitat structure on open rocky coasts: Effects of wave exposure, extent and intensity     

Thomas Wernberg  Sean D. Connell 《Journal of Sea Research》2008,59(4):237-248

Canopy-forming algae occur across of range of energy environments (i.e., wave sheltered to exposed coasts) where disturbances are frequent (i.e., gap formation) and benthic patterns largely reflect variation in post-disturbance processes. Disturbances vary in extent (area affected) and intensity (degree of damage), and this may affect recolonisation at local scales. On an open oceanic coast, we tested whether habitat structure (patches of canopy algae) differed between heavy and relatively lighter wave exposure (sheltered vs. exposed sides of islands), and whether wave exposure affected the response of prominent habitat-formers to varying disturbance regimes (different sizes of partial and complete canopy removal). Observations of naturally occurring patterns showed sheltered coasts to be characterised by small patches of fucoids, whereas exposed coasts were characterised by large patches of kelp. Canopy-gaps were larger at exposed than sheltered coasts, and mixed canopies constituted > 24% of the subtidal rocky habitat independently of wave exposure. Experimental disturbances showed the local density of kelps to affect recovery through greater recruitment to partial clearings (80% canopy removal). Fucalean algae, on the other hand, mainly recruited into complete clearings (100% removal), but when their recruits were abundant, they also recruited into partial clearings. The covers of filamentous, turf-forming algae increased in all clearings, and more so at exposed than sheltered sites. Extent of disturbance had no detectable effect on recolonisation by canopy-forming algae across the scales examined (i.e., 1.5 m, 3 m diameter loss of canopy). Recolonisation varied among islands kilometres apart, and correlations (r > 0.85) between cover of canopies and cover of their recruits in clearings at the scale of sites, suggested that differences in propagule supply could account for variation in patterns of recolonisation at scales of kilometres. There was no evidence to suggest that the effect of disturbance depended on wave exposure within the range of exposures tested in this study (i.e. open coasts). We recognise that wave exposure can be fundamental to habitat structure of subtidal rocky coasts, but we suggest that its influence may be mediated by the biological setting (e.g., canopy composition).  相似文献   

Book reviews     

John Connell  Tony Fuller 《GeoJournal》1982,6(4):396-390

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Brown trout (Salmo trutta) removal by rotenone alters zooplankton and phytoplankton community composition in a shallow mesotrophic reservoir     

IC Duggan  SA Wood  DW West 《新西兰海洋与淡水研究杂志》2013,47(3):356-365

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) are known to have effects on multiple trophic levels in New Zealand streams, but their impacts on lower trophic levels are less well understood within lentic systems. We examined the effects of brown trout removal using rotenone on zooplankton and phytoplankton community composition in the Upper Karori Reservoir, New Zealand. Significant shifts were observed in zooplankton and phytoplankton composition following removal of brown trout from the reservoir. Shifts in zooplankton community composition did not occur immediately following trout removal (February), but instead followed the likely timing of galaxiid spawning (July). The removal of brown trout likely resulted in reduced predation pressure on galaxiids. A major change occurred in the zooplankton community with the dominance shifting from larger crustaceans to smaller rotifers, indicating an increased predation pressure from the larval native galaxiid. A delayed response in zooplankton community composition change indicates rotenone was not the direct cause of this. A major shift in phytoplankton community composition occurred immediately following trout removal. This was not consistent with the trophic cascade hypothesis of reduced grazing pressure from larger zooplankton due to increased galaxiid predation as a result of brown trout removal.  相似文献   

A numerical comparison of time and frequency‐domain marine electromagnetic methods for hydrocarbon exploration in shallow water     

Dylan Connell  Kerry Key 《Geophysical Prospecting》2013,61(1):187-199

In shallow water the frequency domain controlled source electromagnetic method is subject to airwave saturation that strongly limits the sensitivity to resistive hydrocarbon targets at depth. It has been suggested that time‐domain CSEM may offer an improved sensitivity and resolution of these deep targets in the presence of the airwave. In order to examine and test these claims, this work presents a side‐by‐side investigation of both methods with a main focus on practical considerations, and how these effect the resolution of a hydrocarbon reservoir. Synthetic noisy data for both time‐domain and frequency domain methods are simulated using a realistic frequency dependent noise model and frequency dependent scaling for representative source waveforms. The synthetic data studied here include the frequency domain response from a compact broadband waveform, the time‐domain step‐response from a low‐frequency square wave and the time‐domain impulse response obtained from pseudo‐random binary sequences. These data are used in a systematic resolution study of each method as a function of water‐depth, relative noise and stacking length. The results indicate that the broadband frequency domain data have the best resolution for a given stacking time, whereas the time‐domain data require prohibitively longer stacking times to achieve similar resolution.  相似文献   

DNA identification of the phyllosoma diet of Jasus edwardsii and Scyllarus sp. Z     

SC Connell  R O'Rorke  AG Jeffs 《新西兰海洋与淡水研究杂志》2014,48(3):416-429

The development of an effective artificial larval diet has been a major stumbling block for advancing the aquaculture of spiny lobsters internationally. Attempts to determine the natural diet of spiny lobster larvae have been impeded by their small size and sparse distribution in the open ocean, making these larvae difficult to study using conventional methods. Recent advances in molecular genetic techniques have provided a novel route for identifying the natural prey of spiny lobster larvae (phyllosoma). In this study, sequences from zooplankton found associated with phyllosomas, along with sequences from GenBank, were used to design a suite of group-specific primers. These primers were able to amplify via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a short (100–200 base pair) DNA fragment from the 16S or COI locus of potential prey but not from lobster. These methods were applied to four wild-caught phyllosomas of Jasus edwardsii and two phyllosomas of Scyllarus sp. Z. Gadiforme, Cnidaria, Gastropoda and Decapoda crustacean (non-lobster) DNA sequences were obtained from the gut contents of these lobster larvae and inferred as prey. These initial results confirm previous studies using other less definitive methods which have indicated that phyllosomas are opportunistic predators of a wide range of zooplankton taxa.  相似文献   

Spawning location and distribution of early life stages of alewife and blueback herring in a Virginia stream     

Ann M. O’Connell  Paul L. Angermeier 《Estuaries and Coasts》1997,20(4):779-791

During the 1992 spawning season of river herring, three sites in a tributary of the Rappahannock River, Virginia, were studied to characterize spawning and nursery habitats of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and to identify differences in habitat use along an upstream to downtream gradient. The sites were sampled (using drift and dip nets and a plankton sampler) and habitat variables were measured on a 5-d, four-time interval rotation: at the end of 5 d, each site had been sampled once at dawn, noon, dusk, and midnight. Considerable non-overlap in spawning seasonality was apparent between species. For both species, densities of river herring adults, eggs, and yolk-sac larvae were highest at the upstream site, indicating 1) that the upstream site is more important for spawning than downstream areas, and 2) these species do not use different spawning areas in this stream. Densities of post-yolk-sac larvae did not differ significantly among sites, indicating post-spawning dispersal to downstream areas. The upstream site was smaller in area, more acidic, had faster water flow, clearer water, more vegetation, and siltier substrate than the downstream sites. At times, pH levels in the upstream site were within the lethal range reported for blueback herring larvae. Possible reasons for selection of the upstream habitat include: 1) adults may migrate as far upstream as possible to avoid predation or potential competition with other species of fish for spawning habitat; or 2) adults may historically enjoy greater spawning success in the upstream habitat due to physicochemical features of this area. More study is needed to determine the reasons for river herring use of upstream habitats in Virginia streams.  相似文献   

Urban structures as marine habitats: an experimental comparison of the composition and abundance of subtidal epibiota among pilings, pontoons and rocky reefs     

Connell SD 《Marine environmental research》2001,52(2):115-125

There remains little understanding of the relationship between the ecologies of urban habitats (pilings and pontoons) and natural habitats (rocky reef) for sessile plants and animals (epibiota) living on urbanised coasts. This study describes the structure of subtidal assemblages of epibiota among pilings, pontoons and adjacent rocky reef in Sydney Harbour, Australia. I tested the prediction that the experimental provision of substrata of the same age and composition in all three habitats would produce assemblages that: (1) differed among all three habitats; and (2) differed most on floating pontoons relative to the two fixed habitats (pilings and reef). As predicted, the results suggested that both pilings and pontoons, particularly the latter, create novel habitats for epibiotic assemblages independent of age and composition of substratum. It is not fully understood why these urban structures act as such different habitats from natural rocky reefs. The important point is that they are different and we are yet to understand the implications of this for the ecology of coastal areas subject to urbanisation.  相似文献   

A kind of development? Spatial and structural changes in the beef cattle industry of Papua New Guinea     

J. Connell Dr. 《GeoJournal》1979,3(6):587-598

The PNG cattle industry grew slowly until after 1963 when both expatriate-owned ranches and locally-owned smallholder schemes expanded with the assistance of foreign aid. This expansion continued throughout the country until the mid-1970's when the number of cattle in both sectors began to decline and production stabilised. Ranches faced a future of political uncertainty whilst the prestige associated with being the owner of a smallholder scheme was not reflected in increased incomes for those involved; demands on labour were high, management skills lacking and incomes from cash crops were usually higher. The economic and social differentiation that followed cattle smallholding emphazised existing disparities. Increased local demands for beef imports have encouraged a revised national policy directed at producing beef on locally owned but principally expatriate managed ranches on a limited number of available grassland sites. This policy which is now being implemented may also minimise both local economic defferentiation and regional inequalities.Fieldwork was completed in 1979 during secondment to the institute of Applied Social and Economic Research in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. I am grateful to them for logistical and financial support.  相似文献   

An experimental investigation of the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds on two-phase aggregate elastic properties     

J.Peter Watt  Richard J. O&#x;Connell 《Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors》1980,21(4):359-370

Existing data supporting or disputing the validity of the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds on the elastic properties of multiphase aggregates often do not consider porosity, elastic anisotropy, or experimental errors. In this experiment, two-phase aggregates of KCl + (NH₄Br, TlBr, CsCl, NaCl, Cu, and LiF) at every 20% volume fraction were vacuum hot-pressed and the compressional and shear velocities were measured with a computer-controlled ultrasonic interferometer to ±0.2%. The ratio of the shear moduli, μ, (phase 2/KCl) varied from about 1 to 5, producing a range of separations between the theoretical two-phase Hashin-Shtrikman bounds for the composites. Samples were generally 99% or better of the theoretical density, with less than 1% velocity anisotropy. Porosity corrections were applied assuming spherical pores, based on the observed velocity-pressure behaviour. Velocities agreed with the HS bounds calculated from the end-member single-crystal stiffnesses when anisotropy was taken into account.The velocity data were also used to estimate the bulk modulus, K, and shear modulus of the second phase by means of the matrix method — taking the K and μ of KCl as known and calculating the moduli of the other phase assuming that the measured velocities were the two-phase Hashin-Shtrikman bounds or the Voigt-Reuss-Hill average. A narrow range of moduli estimates results only if the μ's of both phases are fairly closely matched. For μ's mismatched by a factor of 5, the theoretical uncertainty in the estimates can be 10 times larger than the experimental uncertainty. Estimates using the VRH average can lie outside the HS-based results.  相似文献   

Application of Species Distribution Models to Identify Estuarine Hot Spots for Juvenile Nekton     

Ann Commagere Hijuelos  Shaye E. Sable  Ann M. O’Connell  James P. Geaghan  David C. Lindquist  Eric D. White 《Estuaries and Coasts》2017,40(4):1183-1194

Modeling the distribution and habitat capacities of key estuarine species can be used to identify hot spots, areas where species density is significantly higher than surrounding areas. This approach would be useful for establishing a baseline for evaluating future environmental scenarios across a landscape. We developed species distribution models for early juvenile life stages of brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus), blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), and spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in order to delineate the current coastal hot spots that provide the highest quality habitat conditions for these estuarine-dependent species in Louisiana. Response curves were developed from existing long-term fisheries-independent monitoring data to identify habitat suitability for fragmented marsh landscapes. Response curves were then integrated with spatially explicit input data to generate species distribution models for the coastal region of Louisiana. Using spatial autocorrelation metrics, we detected clusters of suitable habitat across the Louisiana coast, but only 1% of the areas were identified as true hot spots with the highest habitat quality for nekton. The regions identified as hot spots were productive fringing marsh habitats that are considered the most vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic impacts. The species distribution models identify the coastal habitats which currently provide the greatest capacity for key estuarine species and will be used in the Louisiana coastal planning process to evaluate how species distributions may change under various environmental and restoration scenarios.  相似文献