A marine protected area network does not confer community structure resilience to a marine heatwave across coastal ecosystems

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have gained attention as a conservation tool for enhancing ecosystem resilience to climate change. However, empirical evidence explicitly linking MPAs to enhanced ecological resilience is limited and mixed. To better understand whether MPAs can buffer climate impacts, we tested the resistance and recovery of marine communities to the 2014–2016 Northeast Pacific heatwave in the largest scientifically designed MPA network in the world off the coast of California, United States. The network consists of 124 MPAs (48 no-take state marine reserves, and 76 partial-take or special regulation conservation areas) implemented at different times, with full implementation completed in 2012. We compared fish, benthic invertebrate, and macroalgal community structure inside and outside of 13 no-take MPAs across rocky intertidal, kelp forest, shallow reef, and deep reef nearshore habitats in California's Central Coast region from 2007 to 2020. We also explored whether MPA features, including age, size, depth, proportion rock, historic fishing pressure, habitat diversity and richness, connectivity, and fish biomass response ratios (proxy for ecological performance), conferred climate resilience for kelp forest and rocky intertidal habitats spanning 28 MPAs across the full network. Ecological communities dramatically shifted due to the marine heatwave across all four nearshore habitats, and MPAs did not facilitate habitat-wide resistance or recovery. Only in protected rocky intertidal habitats did community structure significantly resist marine heatwave impacts. Community shifts were associated with a pronounced decline in the relative proportion of cold water species and an increase in warm water species. MPA features did not explain resistance or recovery to the marine heatwave. Collectively, our findings suggest that MPAs have limited ability to mitigate the impacts of marine heatwaves on community structure. Given that mechanisms of resilience to climate perturbations are complex, there is a clear need to expand assessments of ecosystem-wide consequences resulting from acute climate-driven perturbations, and the potential role of regulatory protection in mitigating community structure changes.     

Changes in species diversity and size composition in the Firth of Clyde demersal fish community (1927-2009)

Following the repeal in 1962 of a long-standing ban on trawling, yields of demersal fish from the Firth of Clyde, southwest Scotland, increased to a maximum in 1973 and then declined until the directed fishery effectively ceased in the early 2000s. Since then, the only landings of demersal fish from the Firth have been by-catch in the Norway lobster fishery. We analysed changes in biomass density, species diversity and length structure of the demersal fish community between 1927 and 2009 from scientific trawl surveys, and related these to the fishery harvesting rate. As yields collapsed, the community transformed from a state in which biomass was distributed across numerous species (high species evenness) and large maximum length taxa were common, to one in which 90 per cent of the biomass was vested in one species (whiting), and both large individuals and large maximum length species were rare. Species evenness recovered quickly once the directed fishery ceased, but 10 years later, the community was still deficient in large individuals. The changes partly reflected events at a larger regional scale but were more extreme. The lag in response with respect to fishing has implications for attempts at managing a restoration of the ecosystem.     

福建海坛岛长江澳沙滩自由生活海洋线虫群落研究

于2013—2014年间在海坛岛长江澳沙滩采样,对小型底栖动物的类群组成、丰度及分布,自由生活海洋线虫(简称海洋线虫)群落的优势属、摄食类型、年龄结构及性比、物种多样性等方面进行研究。结果表明:小型底栖动物年平均丰度为(810.87±696.75)个/10 cm~2。在鉴定出的16个类群中,海洋线虫的丰度占小型底栖动物总丰度的52.36%,其次为腹毛虫,占21.14%。海洋线虫的年平均丰度为(424.54±400.23)个/10 cm~2,季节变化总趋势为夏季((783.45±336.45)个/10 cm~2)春季((600.67±309.42)个/10 cm~2)秋季((298.26±424.57)个/10 cm~2)冬季((113.05±95.79)个/10 cm~2)。4个季度共鉴定出海洋线虫105种或分类实体,隶属于75个属,26个科。4个季度数量百分比超过5%的优势海洋线虫属有10个,分别是Axonolaimus、Theristus、Metachromadora、Mesacanthion、Rhynchonema、Epacanthion、Microlaimus、Viscosia、Lauratonema和Enoploides,不同季度的优势属存在差异。CLUSTER聚类表明,春、夏、秋季各潮带海洋线虫群落较为相似,与冬季差异较大。海洋线虫4种摄食类型年平均丰度百分比由高到低的顺序是1B (32.19%) 2A (31.32%) 2B (31.12%) 1A (5.37%);春夏季以2A和1B为主导,秋冬季以2B和1B为主导。海洋线虫群落的物种多样性最高值出现在秋季(d=8.45,H′=3.36),最低在冬季(d=7.36,H′=2.92),春季与夏季的多样性相当;周年幼体的数量所占比例为45.47%,成体中雌雄个体比例为1.10∶1。     

Response of marine communities to local temperature changes

As global climate change and variability drive shifts in species’ distributions, ecological communities are being reorganized. One approach to understand community change in response to climate change has been to characterize communities by a collective thermal preference, or community temperature index (CTI), and then to compare changes in CTI with changes in temperature. However, important questions remain about whether and how responsive communities are to changes in their local thermal environments. We used CTI to analyze changes in 160 marine assemblages (fish and invertebrates) across the rapidly‐changing Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem and calculated expected community change based on historical relationships between species presence and temperature from a separate training dataset. We then compared interannual and long‐term temperature changes with expected community responses and observed community responses over both temporal scales. For these marine communities, we found that community composition as well as composition changes through time could be explained by species associations with bottom temperature. Individual species had non‐linear responses to changes in temperature, and these nonlinearities scaled up to a nonlinear relationship between CTI and temperature. On average, CTI increased by 0.36°C (95% CI: 0.34–0.38°C) for every 1°C increase in bottom temperature, but the relationship between CTI and temperature also depended on community composition. In addition, communities responded more strongly to interannual variation than to long‐term trends in temperature. We recommend that future research into climate‐driven community change accounts for nonlinear responses and examines ecological responses across a range of temporal and geographical scales.     

On the structure,typology and periodism of Cystoseira spinosa Sauvageau community and of Cystoseira zosteroides C. Agardh community from Eastern coast of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

A study on Cystoseira spinosa community and Cystoseira zosteroides community from Catania (Eastern coast of Sicily) is presented. It is based on monthly samples carried out throughout a year. That permitted to better characterize the communities as regards their periodism and floristic composition. From the comparative examination of samples made, resulted that the communities differ each other mainly in the Cystoseira species since their floristic composition are on the whole quite similar.     

Fish assemblages of Cais do Carvão Bay (Madeira Island) determined by the visual census technique

Fish assemblages in Cais do Carvão Bay, Madeira Island, a proposed marine protected area (MPA), were determined from a diver visual census. A total of 32 transect counts were performed. Habitats sampled included sandy bottom, rocky boulders, vertical walls and rocky outcrops. Species richness, diversity, density, trophic structure, size and spatial organization were documented for the fish assemblages. Forty‐four species from 23 families were encountered; 32% belonged to Sparidae (10) and Labridae (four). The greatest species richness (25) was observed in rocky boulder habitat at 10–15 m depth, while the lowest (five) occurred over a deeper sand habitat. The greatest density (760·5 individuals per 100 m²) was recorded over rocky outcropping (20–25 m deep), and the lowest of 11·6 individuals per 100 m² was over a sand bottom at 10–15 m depth. Thalassoma pavo , Abudefduf luridus and Chromis limbata had higher densities on hard bottoms, while Heteroconger longissimus was the most abundant species in sand bottom habitats. No significant differences were detected for all indices calculated among depth intervals for sand and rocky boulder stations. Sand and rock boulder substratum, however, differed significantly for the 10–15 m depth stratum.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of distribution and abundance of a tropical fish assemblage in a seasonal Sargassum bed, Cabo Frio Island, Brazil

The patterns of distribution and abundance of a fish community were influenced by the magnitude of the canopy of Sargassum furcatum . It is suggested that the fish community in the sublittoral of Farol Beach is structured mainly by factors related to the availability of space and habitats. Quantitative data were collected by visual census techniques, along a belt of 30X2 m in each habitat. Fish diversity was greater in S. furcatum bed and in the rocks, than in the sand where there is less structural complexity. The fish density was related to the macroalgal biomass. Correspondence analysis and cluster analysis were used to describe and compare fish assemblages in three different habitats. The association observed between the juveniles of the sparid Diplodus argenteus , the grunt Haemulon aurolineatum and the surgeonfish Acanthurus bahianus and the different habitats in the summer, and juveniles of the other species in the autumn, indicates a pattern of recruitment of the species in these periods.     

Species richness and interacting factors control invasibility of a marine community

Anthropogenic vectors have moved marine species around the world leading to increased invasions and expanded species'' ranges. The biotic resistance hypothesis of Elton (in The ecology of invasions by animals and plants, 1958) predicts that more diverse communities should have greater resistance to invasions, but experiments have been equivocal. We hypothesized that species richness interacts with other factors to determine experimental outcomes. We manipulated species richness, species composition (native and introduced) and availability of bare space in invertebrate assemblages in a marina in Monterey, CA. Increased species richness significantly interacted with both initial cover of native species and of all organisms to collectively decrease recruitment. Although native species decreased recruitment, introduced species had a similar effect, and we concluded that biotic resistance is conferred by total species richness. We suggest that contradictory conclusions in previous studies about the role of diversity in regulating invasions reflect uncontrolled variables in those experiments that modified the effect of species richness. Our results suggest that patches of low diversity and abundance may facilitate invasions, and that such patches, once colonized by non-indigenous species, can resist both native and non-indigenous species recruitment.     

海州湾鱼类群落平均营养级和大型鱼类指数的变化特征

为探究近年来海州湾鱼类群落的变化特征,本研究根据2011年及2013-2017年春季(5月)和秋季(9-10月)在海州湾及其邻近海域进行的渔业资源底拖网调查,分析了海州湾鱼类群落平均营养级(MTL)和大型鱼类指数(LFI),对海州湾鱼类群落结构特征进行研究.结果表明:海州湾的优势鱼种主要有大泷六线鱼、方氏云鳚、尖海龙、小黄鱼、长蛇鲻等,且优势鱼种季节性变化明显.海州湾鱼类群落的平均营养级存在明显的年际和季节变化,总体上秋季的MTL高于春季,而且秋季MTL变化具有滞后性.LFI计算结果表明,近年来海州湾及其邻近海域大个体鱼类资源量有所减少,鱼类群落结构呈现出明显的小型化趋势.     

渤海线虫群落的多样性及中性模型分析

对渤海的黄河口水下三角洲、莱州湾和渤海中部共9个站位的海洋线虫群落的多样性进行了研究.用于比较的海域和站位还包括1995年胶州湾的95B2站和1988年湄州湾的A01站.以上11个站位共鉴定出自由生活海洋线虫154种,分属于107属29个科.使用种丰度(SR),香农-维弗指数(H′)和均衡度(J)用来比较不同生境的生物多样性.不同生境和站位的生物多样性水平由高到低依次为渤海中部(9761、DA18、DA19和DA20,SR=8.60±0.84,H′=4.94±0.23)、莱州湾(9762、DA2和DA4,SR=6.48士0.40,H′=3.95±3.0)和黄河口水下三角洲(E9和E11,SR=4.18±0.56,H′=3.60±0.24).线虫生物多样性与海水的盐度和沉积物的异质性指数(h)呈显著的负相关(P≤0.01).Caswell 中性模型分析指明,大部分研究站位的"V"值为"-2～+2",说明未受到显著外界因子的扰动.渤海中部的9761站的"V"值为2.054,暗示环境稳定性的增强,而莱州湾的DA4站"V"值为-2.624指明受到外界环境因子的显著影响,可能与黄河口输送大量的物质有关.     

Natural acidification changes the timing and rate of succession,alters community structure,and increases homogeneity in marine biofouling communities

Ocean acidification may have far‐reaching consequences for marine community and ecosystem dynamics, but its full impacts remain poorly understood due to the difficulty of manipulating pCO₂ at the ecosystem level to mimic realistic fluctuations that occur on a number of different timescales. It is especially unclear how quickly communities at various stages of development respond to intermediate‐scale pCO₂ change and, if high pCO₂ is relieved mid‐succession, whether past acidification effects persist, are reversed by alleviation of pCO₂ stress, or are worsened by departures from prior high pCO₂ conditions to which organisms had acclimatized. Here, we used reciprocal transplant experiments along a shallow water volcanic pCO₂ gradient to assess the importance of the timing and duration of high pCO₂ exposure (i.e., discrete events at different stages of successional development vs. continuous exposure) on patterns of colonization and succession in a benthic fouling community. We show that succession at the acidified site was initially delayed (less community change by 8 weeks) but then caught up over the next 4 weeks. These changes in succession led to homogenization of communities maintained in or transplanted to acidified conditions, and altered community structure in ways that reflected both short‐ and longer‐term acidification history. These community shifts are likely a result of interspecific variability in response to increased pCO₂ and changes in species interactions. High pCO₂ altered biofilm development, allowing serpulids to do best at the acidified site by the end of the experiment, although early (pretransplant) negative effects of pCO₂ on recruitment of these worms were still detectable. The ascidians Diplosoma sp. and Botryllus sp. settled later and were more tolerant to acidification. Overall, transient and persistent acidification‐driven changes in the biofouling community, via both past and more recent exposure, could have important implications for ecosystem function and food web dynamics.     

Bacterial communities in the initial stage of marine biofilm formation on artificial surfaces

Succession of bacterial communities during the first 36 h of biofilm formation in coastal water was investigated at 3 approximately 15 h intervals. Three kinds of surfaces (i.e., acryl, glass, and steel substratum) were submerged in situ at Sacheon harbor, Korea. Biofilms were harvested by scraping the surfaces, and the compositions of bacterial communities were analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), and cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. While community structure based on T-RFLP analysis showed slight differences by substratum, dramatic changes were commonly observed for all substrata between 9 and 24 h. Identification of major populations by 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that gamma-Proteobacteria (Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Alteromonas, and uncultured gamma-Proteobacteria) were predominant in the community during 0 approximately 9 h, while the ratio of alpha-Proteobacteria (Loktanella, Methylobacterium, Pelagibacter, and uncultured alpha-Proteobacteria) increased 2.6 approximately 4.8 folds during 24 approximately 36 h of the biofilm formation, emerging as the most predominant group. Previously, alpha-Proteobacteria were recognized as the pioneering organisms in marine biofilm formation. However, results of this study, which revealed the bacterial succession with finer temporal resolution, indicated some species of gamma-Proteobacteria were more important as the pioneering population. Measures to control pioneering activities of these species can be useful in prevention of marine biofilm formation.     

Patterns and governing forces in aquatic microbial communities

In this review we survey recent publications employing molecular techniques to investigate the distribution of microbial species in aquatic environments. We analyzed the occurrence of microbial phyla in freshwater and marine habitats and observed patterns of distribution that could be explained by the adaptation of microorganisms to physical and biological parameters that vary in aquatic habitats. The gram-positive bacteria, the Verrucomicrobiales and the - and -subdivisions of the Proteobacteria are distributed throughout a range of aquatic habitats, while other phylogenetic groups appear to be adapted to more narrowly defined environmental niches such as anoxic water and sediments (-Proteobacteria) or floating aggregates (Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroides phylum). -proteobacterial sequence types have been detected throughout freshwater habitats, but these organisms are largely absent from open ocean environments. Within several of these divisions, clusters of closely related small sub unit ribosomal RNA sequence types have been detected in geographically disparate environments, suggesting that some microbial species are globally distributed. In addition to physical variables such as salinity and pH, biological variables also influence microbial community composition. This was illustrated by changes that occurred in the eukaryotic and bacterial species composition in laboratory mesocosms after a viral outburst. We conclude that physical and biological forces govern the composition of aquatic microbial communities and result in divergent evolutionary histories of the indigenous microbial species.     

Method for recovery of intact DNA for community analysis of marine intertidal microbial biofilms

A protocol is described for rapid DNA isolation from marine biofilm microorganisms embedded in large amounts of exopolysaccharides. The method is a modification of the hot phenol protocol used for plants tissues, where nonexpensive and easily available enzymes were used. The method is based on the incubation of biofilm biomass samples in an extraction buffer mixed with phenol preheated at 65°C. The procedure can be completed in 2 h and up to 20 samples can be processed simultaneously with ease and DNA of excellent quality, as shown by successfully amplification of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. DNA was recovered from a range of intertidal marine biofilms with varying amounts of exopolysaccharides.     

MOLECULAR DIVERSITY OF MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON COMMUNITIES BASED ON KEY FUNCTIONAL GENES1

The phylogeny and diversity of two key functional genes were investigated as the basis for improved understanding of the community structure of natural phytoplankton assemblages in marine environments. New partial NR (encoding eukaryotic assimilatory nitrate reductase) and rbcL (encoding LSU of RUBISCO) sequences from 10 cultured phytoplankton strains are reported. Phytoplankton community composition from Monterey Bay (MB), a coastal upwelling site on the California coast, and the Western English Channel (EC), a North Atlantic spring bloom environment, was elucidated based on NR and rbcL sequences. Diatoms were by far the most frequently detected group in both environments, consistent with their importance as a major bloom‐forming group. Both NR and rbcL libraries contained sequences representing cosmopolitan types such as Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann) W. W. Hay et H. P. Mohler, Phaeocystis, and Pseudo‐nitzschia. The NR and rbcL libraries also contained sequences from other chromophytic algal groups and the Dinophyceae (alveolates). Sequences showing identity with key bloom‐forming organisms including E. huxleyi, Phaeocystis pouchetii (Har.) Lagerh., Pseudo‐nitzschia sp., and Thalassiosira sp. in the rbcL libraries confirm previous studies from these environments based on traditional approaches. Diversity/pattern analyses detected significant compositional differences among the libraries, which were consistent with patterns identified by phylogenetic analysis, but these patterns were not strongly correlated with obvious environmental variables such as temperature and nitrate concentration. Many new and divergent NR and rbcL sequences are reported, but the extent to which they represent unknown types cannot be determined until greater effort is made to sequence the existing culture collections.     

Biofouling community composition across a range of environmental conditions and geographical locations suitable for floating marine renewable energy generation

Knowledge of biofouling typical of marine structures is essential for engineers to define appropriate loading criteria in addition to informing other stakeholders about the ecological implications of creating novel artificial environments. There is a lack of information regarding biofouling community composition (including weight and density characteristics) on floating structures associated with future marine renewable energy generation technologies. A network of navigation buoys were identified across a range of geographical areas, environmental conditions (tidal flow speed, temperature and salinity), and deployment durations suitable for future developments. Despite the perceived importance of environmental and temporal factors, geographical location explained the greatest proportion of the observed variation in community composition, emphasising the importance of considering geography when assessing the impact of biofouling on device functioning and associated ecology. The principal taxa associated with variation in biofouling community composition were mussels (Mytilus edulis), which were also important when determining loading criteria.