Ecotone or Ecocline: Ecological Boundaries in Estuaries   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

M. J. Attrill  S. D. Rundle 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2002,55(6):929

Two main ecological boundaries, ecotone and ecocline, have been defined in landscape ecology. At this scale, the estuary represents a boundary between rivers and the sea, but there has been no attempt to fit empirical data for estuaries to these boundary models. An extensive data set from the Thames estuary was analysed using multivariate techniques and species-range analysis, in order to investigate whether the ecocline or the ecotone model was most relevant to this estuary. Data for periods of high and low freshwater flow allowed the impact of large-scale fluctuations implicit in both models to be determined.A continuum of assemblages existed along the salinity gradient from freshwater river to the North Sea, with shifts in the ranges of organisms apparent in response to changes in freshwater flow. This pattern closely fits an ecocline model. However, the estuary differs from previously defined ecoclines in having two overlapping gradients in the major stressor: from river to mid-estuary for freshwater species and from sea to mid-estuary for marine species. We propose, therefore, that the estuary represents a two-ecocline model, with fauna inhabiting the mid-estuary being either freshwater or marine species at the edge of their range, rather than ‘ true estuarine organisms ’. This allows a redefinition of the Remane diagram, with estuarine species removed, and supports previous arguments that brackish-water species do not exist. Such two-ecocline models may also exist in other marine systems, such as rocky shores.  相似文献   

Reproductive ecology of the mudskipper Boleophthalmus pectinirostris     

HONG Wanshu  CHEN Shixi  ZHANG Qiyong  WANG Qiong 《海洋学报(英文版)》2007,26(4):72-81

The reproductive ecology of the mudskipper Boleophthalmus pectinirostris was investigated during the spawning season in the Funing Bay, Fujian, China. The fish burrows were basically Y-shaped and had two openings onto the mudflats. Part of the intersection at the center of the burrow was dilated to form a "spawning chamber". The dissolved oxygen concentrations (0.40~0.65 mg/dm3)of water 15 cm deep inside the burrows were much lower than those (5.96~6.19 mg/dm3) of intertidal pool water. Water temperatures inside the burrows were much lower than those of intertidal pools. Field investigations indicated that eggs were laid on the inner wall and ceiling of the spawning chamber by means of filamentous attachments, and a male stayed inside the burrows to guard it. Field investigations also suggested that fish of both sexes constructed mud burrows by themselves but that the spawning chamber was made only in the male burrow. The male attracted a female to his burrow for mating and spawning. There was no water in the spawning chamber, and thus the eggs were exposed to the air in the chamber. Changes in spawning readiness and gonadosomatic index indicated that synchronization of spawning was related to the semi-lunar periodicity, and this is the first report of this relationship in the mudskippers.  相似文献   

Food and feeding ecology of juvenile albacore, Thunnus alalunga, off the Bay of Biscay: a case study     

Pusineri  C.; Vasseur  Y.; Hassani  S.; Meynier  L.; Spitz  J.; Ridoux  V. 《ICES Journal of Marine Science》2005,62(1):116-122

  相似文献   

Habitat characteristics and spatial arrangement affecting the diversity of fish and decapod assemblages of seagrass (Zostera marina) beds around the coast of Jersey (English Channel)     

Emma L. Jackson  Martin J. Attrill  Malcolm B. Jones 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2006,68(3-4):421

Recent research and management plans for seagrass habitats have called for landscape level approaches. The present study examines the spatial utilisation of subtidal seagrass beds by fish and decapods around the coast of Jersey (49°N 02° W). A hierarchical scale of landscape configuration and the plant characteristics of eight seagrass beds were measured and the contributions of these variables as predictors of the properties of the fish and decapod assemblages were evaluated using multiple linear regression models. The results indicated that total diversity had a negative relationship with transect heterogeneity and total species number had a weak negative association with increasing fragmentation. Both total diversity and total species number showed a positive relationship with depth. In fact, in all models of species number and densities, values were higher in deeper seagrass beds. Total decapod density increased with aggregation of seagrass patches within a landscape. In addition to landscape configuration, smaller-scale structural changes in both canopy height and epiphyte load appeared to influence densities of decapod crustaceans. At night, fewer patterns could be explained by the independent variables in the model.  相似文献   

Effects of an area closed to fisheries on the composition of the benthic fauna in the southern North Sea     

Duineveld  Gerard C. A.; Bergman  Magda J. N.; Lavaleye  Marc S. S. 《ICES Journal of Marine Science》2007,64(5):899-908

  相似文献   

Artificial Reefs in the Low Productive Marine Environments of the Southeastern Mediterranean   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

E. Spanier    M. Tom    S. Pisanty  G. Almog-Shtayer   《Marine Ecology》1990,11(1):61-75

Abstract. Fishery yields in the oligotrophic waters of the Southeastern Mediterranean arc low due to habitat and food limitations. A four year study of a complex of artificial structures established in the coastal waters of Israel points to several possible solutions to these problems. One approach is the artificial enrichment of the man-made reef with trash fish. This, together with the configuration of the reef, caused a significant increase in the abundance of fish predators such as groupers of the genus Epinephclus. Omnivores and herbivores were attracted only by the presence of artificial structures. Some species, such as the slipper lobster Scyllurides lulus, only use the man-made reef for shelter during part of the day or season; they forage over a much larger area the rest of the time and are important "importers" of food to the artificial habitat. Artificial kelp were effective in recruiting juveniles and small fishes to the site.  相似文献   

Temporal patterns in the structure of macrobenthic communities of an Australian estuary     

Sebastian Rainer 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》1981,13(6):597-620

  相似文献   

Empirical weighting of multiple stock-abundance indices for parameter estimation and stock assessment in a multi-zone or multi-species fishery     

McDonald  A. David; Kendrick  Terese H.; Breen  Paul A. 《ICES Journal of Marine Science》2001,58(1):204-215

  相似文献   

Scientific tools to support the practical implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management   总被引：5，自引：1，他引：5  

Smith  A. D. M.; Fulton  E. J.; Hobday  A. J.; Smith  D. C.; Shoulder  P. 《ICES Journal of Marine Science》2007,64(4):633-639

  相似文献   

Predicting total allowable catches for Icelandic capelin, 1978-2001     

Gudmundsdottir  Asta; Vilhjalmsson  Hjalmar 《ICES Journal of Marine Science》2002,59(5):1105-1115

  相似文献