Stock discrimination and connectivity assessment of yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) in northern South China Sea using otolith elemental fingerprints

Connectivity between fish stocks is fundamental to the understanding of population dynamics and the implementation of sustainable fisheries management. Otolith microchemistry is a promising tool as it can provide information on the continuous growth of otoliths and the environmental effects on otolith composition. Such elemental fingerprints can help distinguish different stocks or life history stages, identify the origins or nursery areas of fish, and assess population structure. In this study, we examined the stock discrimination and spatial connectivity of cage-cultured and wild stocks of yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) from the coastal waters of Shantou, Yangjiang, and Zhanjiang in China southern province Guangdong during 2012–2014, based on otolith trace-elemental signatures using multivariate statistical analysis and machine learning approaches. The concentrations of 13 elements (⁷Li, ²³Na, ²⁴Mg, ⁴⁰Ca, ⁵⁵Mn, ⁵⁶Fe, ⁵⁹Co, ⁵⁹Ni, ⁶⁴Cu, ⁶⁵Zn, ⁸⁸Sr, ¹²²Sb, and ¹³⁷Ba) in the natal spot of fish otoliths, representing the embryonic and paralarval stages of fish, were analyzed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Stepwise discriminant analysis and random forests were used to distinguish the cultured and wild stocks of yellowfin seabream, and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and cluster analysis were used to determine the spatial variation and connectivity of yellowfin seabream stocks. Overall, the cultured and wild stocks of yellowfin seabream could be identified with classification accuracy of 80.7% and 99.2% by using stepwise discriminant analysis and random forests respectively. When we compared site difference between cultured and wild stocks (site × stock interactions), the classification success was 60.4% for stepwise discriminant analysis and 85.7% for random forests. The misclassification of cultured and wild stocks within the three sites suggested the spatial connectivity between stocks and among sampling locations. Our findings suggested that the three wild stocks of yellowfin seabream from Guangdong coastal waters could be considered as one unit for management, and the difference between cultured and wild stocks was significant for yellowfin seabream from Shantou and Yangjiang, but less significant for yellowfin seabream from Zhanjiang. This study demonstrated that otolith elemental fingerprints can help improve our knowledge on the spatial connectivity, population structure, and life history of fish stocks, and random forests can be a useful tool for identifying cultured and wild stocks compared to the traditional stepwise discriminant analysis.     

三峡水库175 m试验性蓄水期库区及其上游江段鱼类群落结构时空分布格局

根据2010—2012年在三峡水库及其上游江段5个江段的商业性渔获物调查结果,对该区域鱼类群落结构的时空分布格局进行了分析。调查中共收集到鱼类87种,隶属于8目18科63属。沿坝前江段溯河而上至库尾以上流水江段,鱼类种类数逐渐增加。采用聚类分析(CA)和非度量多维标度(NMDS)方法对三峡水库175 m试验性蓄水期间各江段的鱼类种类组成进行分析,发现这5个调查江段的鱼类种类组成可以分为两个类群:类群Ⅰ包括秭归、巫山、云阳3个库区的江段,其鱼类种类组成在各年间的差异程度较大;而类群Ⅱ包括库尾的涪陵江段以及上游的江津江段,其鱼类种类组成在各年间差异程度较小。采用CA和NMDS方法对鱼类群落结构时空分布格局的分析结果表明,5个调查江段的鱼类群落结构在各年间可以分为不同类群;云阳与涪陵江段的鱼类群落结构的相似性逐年增加,而与秭归、巫山江段的相似性逐年减少;涪陵江段与江津江段的鱼类群落结构相似性也呈逐年减少趋势。总体而言,175m试验性蓄水对库中和库尾江段的鱼类群落结构的影响较大,但对库首以及库尾以上流水江段的影响均较小。     

Lack of tree layer control on herb layer characteristics in a subtropical forest,China

Question: Knowledge of the interaction between understorey herb and overstorey tree layer diversity is mostly restricted to temperate forests. How do tree layer diversity and environmental variables affect herb layer attributes in subtropical forests and do these relationships change in the course of succession? Do abundance and diversity of woody saplings within the herb layer shift during succession? Location: Subtropical broad‐leaved forests in southeast China (29°8′18″‐29°17′29″N, 118°2′14″118°11′12″E). Methods: A full inventory of the herb layer including all plants below 1‐m height was done in 27 plots (10 × 10 m) from five successional stages (<20, <40, <60, <80 and ≥80 yr). We quantified the contribution of different life forms (herbaceous, woody and climber species) to herb layer diversity and productivity and analysed effects of environmental variables and tree layer diversity on these attributes. Results: Herb layer composition followed a successional gradient, as revealed by non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), but diversity was not correlated to the successional gradient. There was no correlation of diversity across layers. Herb layer productivity was neither affected by tree layer diversity nor by herb layer diversity. Although abundance of woody species in the herb layer decreased significantly during succession, woody species contributed extraordinarily to herb layer species diversity in all successional stages. All environmental factors considered had little impact on herb layer attributes. Conclusions: The subtropical forest investigated displays an immense richness of woody species in the herb layer while herbaceous species are less prominent. Species composition of the herb layer shows a clear successional pattern, however, the presence or absence of certain species appears to be random.     

珠江水系鱼类群落多样性空间分布格局

珠江是我国南方第一大河,是我国重要淡水渔业生产基地和水生生物资源基因库。珠江鱼类在维持生物多样性、提供鱼类种质资源方面举足轻重。但是到目前为止,关于其鱼类空间分布格局的研究甚少。特别是近几十年来各种水工建设和过度捕捞使得渔业资源急剧衰退,鱼类空间分布的研究显得尤为重要。2015年对珠江全流域13个站位进行了全面调查,共采集渔获物10119尾,隶属于94种72属17科。鲤科鱼类占显著优势,其次种类较多的依次为鲿科、鳅科。采用非度量多维标度排序(NMDS)方法对鱼类群落空间分布特征进行了分析,结果表明珠江鱼类被划分为3个类群,即以餐、南方拟餐、黄颡鱼等小型鱼类为主的中上游类群、以赤眼鳟、鲮鱼、广东鲂等中型鱼类为主的中下游类群和以罗非鱼为主的重要支流类群。同时发现中下游物种多样性高,上游及河口江段多样性低的格局。采用冗余分析方法(RDA)分析了鱼类多样性与环境因子的关系,发现年均气温、降雨量、年均径流量、河流宽度与透明度是珠江水系河流鱼类群落结构差异的主要影响因子,其中年均气温是影响鱼类群落分布的最关键因子之一。与历史资料对比后发现,珠江鱼类种类明显减少、空间分布也发生了巨大改变。研究是珠江水系野生渔业资源长期调查的一部分,研究结果将对渔业资源的多样性保护和可持续利用具有指导意义。     

Environmental and spatial influences on benthic community composition in wooded headwater streams in Zoar Valley, New York, USA

This study determined the relative influences of environmental variation versus spatial autocorrelation on benthic macroinvertebrate community composition of temperate headwater streams. We enumerated fauna in riffle zones of 23 separate (i.e., not tributaries to each other) but closely grouped from first- to third-order woodland streams surrounding Zoar Valley Canyon, western New York State, USA, during spring, summer, and fall of 2006. Watershed geomorphology (stream order, catchment area, and forest cover) and semi-quantitative habitat characteristics, the latter of which were incorporated into a Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI), were also recorded for each stream. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) ordination was used to establish patterns of biotic similarity among these streams. Matrices of biological and environmental Euclidean distances were constructed for all between-stream pairings. Additionally, a between-stream spatial matrix was constructed based on global position system coordinates of sampling sites. Non-significant partial Mantel coefficients indicated that biological distances were uncorrelated with spatial distances both among all 23 study streams and among 12 first-order streams only. In contrast, biological distances were positively correlated with environmental distances (r _M = 0.375 and 0.289 for all streams and for first-order streams only, respectively; P values < 0.05). Environmental and spatial distances were uncorrelated (partial Mantel P values > 0.05), indicating that the measured environmental characteristics were not spatially structured. Each of the geomorphological and habitat variables was statistically associated with NMDS community composition axes (stepwise multiple regression, one-factor MANOVA). These results suggest that environmental filters and niche-based species sorting may operate here between separate streams, and that study sites appear to be effectively insular in their biota despite close physical proximity. Handling editor: Sonja Stendera     

黄土丘陵区典型小流域草地群落数量分类与结构特征及其影响因素

黄土丘陵区退耕还林(草)工程已实施20年，了解草地现状对该区草地生态系统保护与恢复调控措施选择具有重要意义。以安塞纸坊沟小流域内22个草地群落为研究对象，基于Ward聚类和非度量多维度排序(NMDS)方法，对草地类型、结构及其影响因素进行了分析。结果表明：(1)流域内草地共出现23科83种植物，其中禾本科、豆科和菊科物种重要值占比达75%—85%。草地可划分为狗尾草群丛、茵陈蒿群丛、甘草群丛、铁杆蒿群丛和白羊草群丛5类群丛。群丛间结构存在显著差异，狗尾草群丛盖度、地上生物量(AGB)、地下生物量(BGB)和根冠比均显著最低，但Shannon-Wiener指数和Pielou优势度指数均显著高于白羊草和铁杆蒿群丛。茵陈蒿、甘草与铁杆蒿群丛间AGB、BGB及多样性指数无显著差异。(2)功能群对群落结构产生显著影响，豆科矮草对AGB和BGB产生显著正效应，禾本科高草对BGB产生显著正效应，而菊科矮草对群落盖度与BGB产生显著负效应。(3)土壤有机碳(SOC)、全氮(TN)和全磷(TP)含量偏低(分别为6.21,0.82、0.53 g/kg),其中SOC和TN含量显著影响群丛物种组成、功能群和结...