Fish Predation on Juvenile Penaeid Shrimp: Examining Relative Predator Impact and Size-Selective Predation     

Marvin M. MaceIII  Lawrence P. Rozas 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(7):2128-2134

Predation is likely the primary source of mortality for juvenile penaeid shrimp and, therefore, a key factor driving their population dynamics. We sampled juvenile penaeids and their potential predators in a salt marsh from July to August 2012 to examine the impact of these predators and possible size-selective predation on the shrimp population. We quantified predator impact using the frequency of occurrence (FO) index and a relative predation index (RPI) that accounts for predator abundance and the number of shrimp consumed per individual predator. Size selectivity was assessed by comparing the size distribution of shrimp in the study area to the size distribution of shrimp removed from predator stomachs. Two penaeid species, white shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus and brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus, were collected, and most (86%) were juvenile white shrimp ≤?12 mm carapace length. Spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus, which consumed relatively large shrimp, was the most important predator based on the FO index. Bay whiff Citharichthys spilopterus, which ate the smallest shrimp, was the most important predator based on the RPI. The size distribution of shrimp removed from predator stomachs differed from those collected in the study area; the smallest shrimp were disproportionally more abundant in predator stomachs. Using the RPI, we identified some potentially important predators (e.g., bay whiff) that may impact shrimp populations by consuming the smallest shrimp in estuarine nurseries. Our approach could be useful for examining predator impacts on other populations of juvenile penaeids and more generally for any prey consumed by fish predators.  相似文献   

Increase in Dissolved Silica of Rivers Due to a Volcanic Eruption in an Estuarine Bay (Sorsogon Bay,Philippines)     

Fernando P. Siringan  Erwin Don R. Racasa  Carlos Primo C. David  Rhodelyn C. Saban 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(8):2277-2288

Mount Bulusan, the Philippines’ fourth most active volcano, erupted in February 21, 2011, sending volcanic ash and pyroclastic materials to its surrounding rivers. The waters drained into the estuary of harmful algal blooms plagued Sorsogon Bay. We aim to determine the impact of the 2011 volcanic eruption and the preceding volcanic ash emissions to the dissolved silica concentration of rivers draining the flanks of Mt. Bulusan and its possible implications to the phytoplankton assemblage of the bay. Six river water sampling periods from August 2010 to October 2012 overlapped with Mt. Bulusan’s active phase of volcanism. Our data shows that mean river silica from pre-eruption levels of ~?500 μM increased by more than 200% during and post-eruption. Highest Si concentration of 2270 μM was measured from Cadacan River in August 2011. Here, we argue that the sustained general increase of dissolved silica is due to the silica-containing materials from Mt. Bulusan’s eruption and that their concentration in river waters is also a function of watershed lithology and precipitation. Increase in dissolved silica and other nutrients caused a shift to diatom domination and, possibly, termination of Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum blooms. Silica load increase in embayments is a natural process that controls the dominance of algae. Our study also highlights the importance of Philippine rivers to the global ocean silica budget as a function of high precipitation, tectonics in general, and volcanism in particular.  相似文献   

Phytoplankton Spatial Variability in the River-Dominated Estuary,Apalachicola Bay,Florida     

Natalie L. Geyer  Markus Huettel  Michael S. Wetz 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(7):2024-2038

In shallow estuaries with strong river influence, the short residence time and pronounced gradients generate an environment for plankton that differs substantially in its dynamics from that of the open ocean, and the question arises “How is phytoplankton biomass affected?” This study assesses the small-scale spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton in Apalachicola Bay, a shallow bar-built estuary in the Florida Panhandle. Phytoplankton peaks were characterized to gain insights into the processes affecting spatial heterogeneity in biomass. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) distribution at 50-m spatial resolution was mapped using a flow-through sensor array, Dataflow©, operated from a boat that sampled four transects across the bay every 2 weeks for 16 months. Chl a peaks exceeding background concentrations had an average width of 1.3?±?0.7 km delineated by an average gradient of 3.0?±?6.0 μg Chl a L^?1 km^?1. Magnitude of E-W wind, velocity of N-S wind, tidal stage, and temperature affected peak characteristics. Phytoplankton contained in the peaks contributed 7.7?±?2.7% of the total integrated biomass observed along the transects during the study period. The river plume front was frequently a location of elevated Chl a, which shifted in response to river discharge. The results demonstrate that despite the shallow water column, river flushing, and strong wind and tidal mixing, distinct patchiness develops that should be taken into consideration in ecological studies and when assessing productivity of such ecosystems.  相似文献   

Pico- and Nanophytoplankton Dynamics in Two Coupled but Contrasting Coastal Bays in the NW Mediterranean Sea (France)     

Floriane Delpy  Bruno Serranito  Jean-Louis Jamet  Gérald Grégori  Christophe Le Poupon  Dominique Jamet 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(7):2039-2055

Due to its ecological context, the Toulon bay represents a site of scientific interest to study temporal plankton distribution, particularly pico- and nanophytoplankton dynamics. A monthly monitoring was performed during a two-year cycle (October 2013–December 2015) at two coupled sampling sites, referred to as Little and Large bays, which had different morphometric characteristics and human pressures. Flow cytometry analyses highlighted the fact that pico- and nanophytoplankton were more abundant in the eutrophic Little bay. Furthermore, it evidenced two community structures across the Toulon bays: at times, a co-dominance of picoeukaryotes, nanoeukaryotes, Synechococcus 1-like cells and Prochlorococcus-like cells was found, and at other times, a Synechococcus 1-like dominated community existed. The alternation of one structure or the other can be explained by a combined action of temperature regime, nutrient conditions and degree of contamination. This study showed that pico- and nanophytoplankton dynamics were mainly driven by temperature in both sites, as in other temperate Mediterranean regions. Thus, the community was mainly composed of picoeukaryotes and Prochlorococcus-like cells in the winter (<?15 °C), while it was dominated by Synechococcus 1-like cells in the summer (>?20 °C). Additionally, the multiple human stressors in the Little bay seemed to affect the increase in abundance of Synechococcus 1-like cells as they were preferentially observed in the Large bay.  相似文献   

Effects of Wave–Current Interaction on Salt Intrusion During a Typhoon Event in a Highly Stratified Estuary     

Wenping Gong  Yunzhen Chen  Heng Zhang  Zhaoyun Chen 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(7):1904-1923

Wave–current interaction (WCI) is important in modulating hydrodynamics and water mixing in estuaries, and thereby the transport of water-borne materials. However, the effects of WCI on salt transport and salt intrusion in estuaries during storm events have been rarely examined. In the present study, we use a coupled atmosphere–ocean–wave–sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system to investigate the effects of WCI on salt intrusion in the highly stratified Modaomen Estuary during Typhoon Hagupit (2008). The model is validated by the measured wave, water elevation, and surface salinity data, and several diagnostic model experiments are conducted. WCI increases the storm surge by 0.8 m at the peak surge (25% of the total surge height). The wave-breaking-induced momentum flux and the Stokes drift increase the magnitude of the landward flow by 0.3 m s^?1 (30% of the total landward flow). In addition, the waves increase water mixing by 2–4 times compared with that without waves. Hence, WCI significantly increases the landward advective salt transport and decreases the steady shear transport. The net effect of the WCI is a significant increase of salt import and salt intrusion during the typhoon event. However, in the aftermath of the storm, the imported salt water is rapidly flushed out by the increased river discharge, and the estuary regains its stratification within one day.  相似文献   

Weathering characterization for landslides modeling in granitoid rock masses of the Capo Vaticano promontory (Calabria,Italy)   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

Fabio Ietto  Francesco Perri  Federico Cella 《Landslides》2018,15(1):43-62

This work focuses on developing multidisciplinary researches concerning weathering profiles related to landscape evolution of the Capo Vaticano promontory on the Calabria Tyrrhenian side (southern Italy). In this area, the tectonic uplift, occurred at least since Pleistocene, together with the Mediterranean climatic conditions, is the main cause of deep weathering and denudation processes. The latter occurred on the outcropping rocks of the crystalline-metamorphic basement, made up of weathered granitoids, in turn belonging to the Monte Poro granitoid complex (intermediate to felsic plutonic rocks covered by Cenozoic sedimentary successions). Field observations coupled to borehole explorations, geophysical surveys, and minero-petrographical analyses allowed the characterization of the granitoid outcrops typical of the studied area in terms of kind and degree of slope instability. This characterization was based on suitable correlations verified between several factors as weathering degree, elastic properties of rocks, and discontinuity features. Weathering profiles are mainly composed by rock masses varying from completely weathered rock with corestones of highly weathered rock (classes IV–V) to slightly weathered rocks (class II). The weathered rocks are involved in several landslide typologies such as debris flow (frequency 48.5%), translational slide (frequency 33.3%), and minor rock fall and rotational slide (frequency 9%). The achieved data allowed the establishment of a general correlation between weathering degree and type of slope instability. Debris flow-type instabilities are predominant on the steeper slopes, involving very poor rock masses ascribed to the shallowest portions of the weathering class IV. Translational slides are less widespread than the previous ones and often involve a mixture of soil and highly weathered rocks. Rotational slides are more frequently close to the top of the slopes, where the thicknesses of more weathered rocks increase, and involve mainly rock masses belonging to the weathering classes IV and V. Rock falls mostly occur on the vertical escarpments of the road cuts and are controlled by the characteristics of the main discontinuities. The assessment of rock mass rating and slope mass rating, based on the application of the discontinuity data, allowed respectively an evaluation of the quality of rock masses and of the susceptibility of rock slopes to failure. The comparison between the last one and the real stability conditions along the cut slopes shows a good correspondence. Finally, the geological strength index system was also applied for the estimation of rock mass properties. The achieved results give a worthy support for a better understanding of the relationship between the distribution of landslides and the geological features related to different weathering degrees. Therefore, they can provide a reliable tool to evaluate the potential stability conditions of the rock slopes in the studied area and a general reference framework for the study of weathering processes in other regions with similar geological features.  相似文献   

Testing for Sediment Acidification Effects on Within-Season Variability in Juvenile Soft-Shell Clam (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mya arenaria</Emphasis>) Abundance on the Northern Shore of the Bay of Fundy     

Jeff C. Clements  Heather L. Hunt 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(2):471-483

Soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria) can serve important ecological roles in intertidal mudflats and are an important economic and recreational resource in the northwestern Atlantic. However, environmental factors affecting newly-settled and juvenile clam abundances within a given settlement season remain uncertain. We conducted a field study assessing relationships between juvenile soft-shell clam abundance and spatial, temporal, and environmental variables in coastal mudflats of the northern shore of the Bay of Fundy. Sediment pH and low-tide water temperature (tide pools) were monitored in situ on a biweekly–monthly basis over the course of the M. arenaria settlement season in 2012 at four study sites to quantify diel variation in sediment pH and temperature. Core samples were also collected to quantify M. arenaria (<6 mm) abundance. Sea-surface and air temperature, and in situ sediment pH and water temperature were then used to predict clam abundance. Sediment pH was spatially and temporally variable, while in situ temperature was stable and declined over the sampling season. Akaike’s information criterion model selection indicated that models incorporating site, date, and air temperature best predicted 2012 recruitment patterns in linear models when all variables were included. When only environmental variables were included, the best linear model included minimum air temperature and sediment pH. When data were averaged across dates for each site to remove potential temporal effects, mean clam abundance displayed a significant positive relationship with sediment pH and sediment grain size, but not minimum air temperature. The results of this study suggest that sediment pH and/or sediment grain size may influence within-season juvenile soft-shell clam abundances across mudflats in the Bay of Fundy. Field experiments at the same (or similar) sites are now needed to confirm the mechanism driving the observed relationships.  相似文献   

Using Simple Dilution Models to Predict New Zealand Estuarine Water Quality     

David R. Plew  John R. Zeldis  Ude Shankar  Alexander H. Elliott 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(6):1643-1659

A tool based on simple dilution models is developed to predict potential nutrient concentrations and flushing times for New Zealand estuaries. Potential nutrient concentrations are the concentrations that would occur in the absence of nutrient uptake or losses through biogeochemical processes, and so represent the pressure on a system due to nutrient loading. The dilution modelling approach gives a single time- and space-averaged concentration as a function of flow and nutrient input, with the capability to include seasonal nutrient and flow differences. This tool is intended to be used to identify estuaries likely to be highly sensitive to current nutrient loads based on their physical attributes, or to quickly compare the effects of different land-use scenarios on estuaries. The dilution modelling approach is applied both to a case study of a single New Zealand estuary, and used in a New Zealand-wide assessment of 415 estuaries. For the NZ-wide assessment, annual nutrient loads to each estuary were obtained from a GIS-based land-use model. Comparison with measured data shows that the predicted potential nitrate concentrations are significantly correlated with, but higher than, measured nitrate values from water quality sampling time series. This is consistent with expectations given that the measured concentrations include the effects of nitrogen uptake and loss. The estuary dilution modelling approach is currently incorporated into the GIS-land use model, and is also available as a web-app for assessing eutrophication susceptibility of New Zealand estuaries.  相似文献   

Contribution of Mangroves and Salt Marshes to Nature-Based Mitigation of Coastal Flood Risks in Major Deltas of the World     

Rebecca Van Coppenolle  C. Schwarz  S. Temmerman 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(6):1699-1711

Nature-based solutions are rapidly gaining interest in the face of global change and increasing flood risks. While assessments of flood risk mitigation by coastal ecosystems are mainly restricted to local scales, our study assesses the contribution of salt marshes and mangroves to nature-based storm surge mitigation in 11 large deltas around the world. We present a relatively simple GIS model that, based on globally available input data, provides an estimation of the tidal wetland’s capacity of risk mitigation at a regional scale. It shows the high potential of nature-based solutions, as tidal wetlands, to provide storm surge mitigation to more than 80% of the flood-exposed land area for 4 of the 11 deltas and to more than 70% of the flood-exposed population for 3 deltas. The magnitude of the nature-based mitigation, estimated as the length of the storm surge pathway crossing through tidal wetlands, was found to be significantly correlated to the total wetland area within a delta. This highlights the importance of conserving extensive continuous tidal wetlands as a nature-based approach to mitigate flood risks. Our analysis further reveals that deltas with limited historical wetland reclamation and therefore large remaining wetlands, such as the Mississippi, the Niger, and part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra deltas, benefit from investing in the conservation of their vast wetlands, while deltas with extensive historical wetland reclamation, such as the Yangtze and Rhine deltas, may improve the sustainability of flood protection programs by combining existing hard engineering with new nature-based solutions through restoration of former wetlands.  相似文献   

Floodgate Operations and Fish Communities in Tidal Creeks of the Lower Fraser River (British Columbia,Canada)     

Rebecca E. Seifert  Jonathan W. Moore 《Estuaries and Coasts》2018,41(4):1206-1221

Tidal creeks in large coastal deltas can be important habitat for fish but are often highly modified by human activities. Connectivity between tributary creeks and mainstem channels is often constrained by structures such as dikes and floodgates, designed to protect urban and agricultural areas from flooding. While they play important roles in flood mitigation, floodgates can diminish habitat quality and block fish from accessing tidal creeks. It is likely that floodgates differ in their operations and may consequently open for different amounts of time; however, floodgate operations and their effects are not well quantified. We asked the question: how does the mechanical functioning of these floodgates affect fish communities in tidal creeks? We used time-lapse cameras and quantified the timing of gate openings for 22 tributaries of the Lower Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada, and related these operational data to differences in fish communities above and below floodgates. Floodgate operations varied substantially, with some floodgates opening daily while others opened less than 20% of the day, on average. Sites with floodgates that seldom opened were associated with greater differences in fish communities and with reduced upstream native species richness by about one species on average. Where floodgates opened infrequently, we also found lower upstream dissolved oxygen concentrations than at sites where floodgates opened for longer periods of time. Thus, floodgate operations can influence fish communities as well as water quality. These data indicate a large scope for improving floodgate operations for connectivity.  相似文献