Thorn fish Terapon jarbua (Forskål) predation on juvenile white shrimp Penaeus indicus H. Milne Edwards and brown shrimp Metapenaeus monoceros (Fabricius): the effect of turbidity, prey density, substrate type and pneumatophore density

A series of laboratory experiments was conducted at Inhaca Island Marine Biological Station, Mozambique, in order to assess the separate effects of turbidity, prey density, substrate type, pneumatophore density, and the combined effects of turbidity with the latter three, on rate of predation by the thorn fish Terapon jarbua (Forskål, 1775) on white shrimp Penaeus indicus and brown shrimp Metapenaeus monoceros.Significant interactions between turbidity and the other three factors on shrimp predation for both prey species were detected. Regardless of prey density, increasing turbidity decreased predation on P. indicus, but not on M. monoceros, for which increasing densities reduced the protective effect of turbidity. Increasing prey density increased predation on P. indicus in clear water, and increased predation on M. monoceros in low and high, but not in intermediate turbidity or clear water. The presence of a substrate suitable for burying decreased predation on M. monoceros in clear water, but not in the turbidity levels used. In clear water, solely sandy-shell substrate afforded protection to P. indicus, while in turbid water, no substrate offered significant protection and muddy substrate even increased prey vulnerability to fish probably as a result of increased preys' locomotor activity. Raising pneumatophores density seems to lower the protective value of turbidity for both species. In clear water, only low and high structure density provided a deterrent effect on predation on P. indicus; in turbid water, intermediate and higher structure density increased predation. Increasing structural complexity reduced predation on M. monoceros linearly in clear water; but in low turbid water it increased. In high turbid waters, the increase was only significant in intermediate pneumatophore density. High structural complexities impair the pursuing capacity of fish and thus decreased predation rates. The results indicate that the effective provision of shelter of different habitats depends not only on the various environmental parameters analysed, but also on the way they interact and on the behaviour of prey and predator as well.     

Linkages between seagrass,mangrove and saltmarsh as fish habitat in the Botany Bay estuary,New South Wales

Shallow-water vegetated estuarine habitats, notably seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh, are known to be important habitats for many species of small or juvenile fish in temperate Australia. However, the movement of fish between these habitats is poorly understood, and yet critical to the management of the estuarine fisheries resource. We installed a series of buoyant pop nets in adjacent stands of seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh in order to determine how relative abundance of fishes varied through lunar cycles. Nets were released in all habitats at the peak of the monthly spring tide for 12 months, and in the seagrass habitat at the peak of the neap tide also. The assemblage of fish in each habitat differed during the spring tides. The seagrass assemblage differed between spring and neap tide, with the neap tide assemblage showing greater abundances of fish, particularly those species which visited the adjacent habitats when inundated during spring tides. The result supports the hypothesis that fish move from the seagrass to the adjacent mangrove and saltmarsh during spring tides, taking advantage of high abundances of zooplankton, and use seagrass as a refuge during lower tides. The restoration and preservation of mangrove and saltmarsh utility as fish habitat may in some situations be linked to the proximity of available seagrass.     

Penicisimpins A⿿C,three new dihydroisocoumarins from Penicillium simplicissimum MA-332, a marine fungus derived from the rhizosphere of the mangrove plant Bruguiera sexangula var. rhynchopetala

Three new dihydroisocoumarin derivatives, penicisimpins A⿿C (1⿿3), were isolated and identified from Penicillium simplicissimum MA-332, a fungus derived from the rhizosphere of the marine mangrove plant Bruguiera sexangula var. rhynchopetala. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods in combination with X-ray diffraction experiment. Compounds 1⿿3 exhibited brine shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality as well as broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities.     

High level of genetic differentiation in the marine isopod Sphaeroma terebrans (Crustacea Isopoda Sphaeromatidae) as inferred by mitochondrial DNA analysis

Sphaeroma terebrans Bate 1866 is a marine isopod belonging to the large family Sphaeromatidae, which normally colonises the aerial roots of the mangrove genus Rhizophora in tropical and subtropical areas. S. terebrans is part of a group of species whose complete life cycle occurs within the same mangrove wood. In this paper, we provide clear evidence of significant genetic differentiation among geographic populations of the taxon S. terebrans. The consistently low internal variation and the large interpopulation distances indicate that almost all the mitochondrial variation (cytochrome oxidase I) in S. terebrans is apportioned among populations rather than within them. The mean haplotype diversity (h) is 0.71%, and the mean nucleotide diversity (π) is 0.34%. The Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) reveals a complex pattern: three principal haplotype groups corresponding to the geographic locations investigated are distributed in a network. This suggests an ancient evolutionary history and very restricted gene flow between populations. The large genetic distances between the populations of S. terebrans could suggest that this taxon is not a single species but a species complex whose taxonomic status must be revaluated.     

三种红树植物叶片的比较解剖学研究

研究了采自福建九龙江口的3种红树植物,秋茄(Kandeliacandel)、木榄(Bruguieragymnorrhiza)和红海榄(Rhizophorastylosa)的叶片结构并探讨了其生态学意义。结果表明,这3种红树植物叶片都具有适应海生环境的结构,较厚的角质层,表皮之内有内皮层,内皮层属贮水组织;气孔都分布在下表皮,下陷,并有大的孔下室;中脉有发达的维管束,其导管粗大。从叶片的横切面来看,秋茄叶片具有对称的结构,为等面叶;木榄和红海榄的叶片结构不对称,为异面叶。3种植物叶内都含有较丰富的单宁,以秋茄最高,红海榄次之,木榄最少。这些结构差异可为物种鉴定提供依据。     

1株裂殖壶菌(Schizochytrium sp.)的分离鉴定

采用松树花粉诱集法从乐清湾红树林分离到一株纯培养物,其特点为：营养菌体为椭圆球形,单核;营养菌体的细胞壁由许多紧压在一起的致密鳞片层构成,在细胞壁不连续处可分辨鳞片;营养菌体形成外质网,它产生于外质网形成体;营养菌体以产生游动孢子行无性繁殖,游动孢子为双鞭毛;无性繁殖过程中形成四分体结构。据此鉴定为裂殖壶菌（Schizochytrium sp．）。     

海南岛红树林湿地的水鸟多样性

从2015年10月至2016年6月,调查了海南岛17个沿海红树林湿地春、夏、秋、冬四季的湿地鸟类。共记录水鸟74种,隶属5目12科,其中,翘鼻麻鸭（Tadorna tadorna）为海南鸟类分布新记录种。位于海南省儋州市白马井镇洋浦湾的新英作为黑脸琵鹭（Platalea minor）新的越冬点被发现。全岛水鸟数量较多的地点在万宁小海、海口东寨港和乐东莺歌海,种类较多的地点在东寨港、东方四更和莺歌海。Jaccard指数分析表明,栖息地具有相似适合度的地方,水鸟种类相似性更高,人工湿地之间的水鸟相似性高,人工湿地与天然湿地之间的水鸟相似性低。海南岛沿海红树林湿地的鸟类种类和数量随季节变化,秋、冬季种类多、数量丰富,春、夏季的种类和数量均较少。鸻鹬类在春、冬季种类和数量占比均为最大,秋、夏季数量最多的为鹭类。Shannon-Wiener指数、Pielou均匀度指数分析得出东寨港的多样性指数最高,东寨港和莺歌海的均匀度指数表现较高。研究表明,海南岛的沿海红树林湿地是很多水鸟的重要栖息地,保护红树林是保护湿地水鸟多样性的关键。     

人工红树林中黑口滨螺和黑线蜒螺分布的差异性

研究了福建九龙江河口不同林龄、不同红树种类的人工林中黑口滨螺（Littoraia elanostoma）和黑线蜒螺（Nerita lineata）的分布情况.结果表明,黑线蜒螺主要分布于秋茄林内,且其生物量随林龄增加而增加;桐花树林内黑口滨螺的生物量和密度均大于林龄相近的秋茄林,但个体大小则小于秋茄林.黑口滨螺的生物量在桐花树林内随林龄增加呈现先增加后减少的趋势,而在秋茄林内则随林龄增加而减少.这种差异性反映了人工红树林植物种类及其演替过程对腹足类动物分布的影响.     

Distribution and Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter in Mangrove Sediment Pore Waters along the Coastline of French Guiana

Mangroves represent a major environment of tropical coasts. They are highly productive, and act both as a source and a sink of organic carbon. Concentrations and characteristics (fluorescence and hydrophobic–hydrophilic fractions) of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were investigated in relation to the organic content of sediments and to the chemistry of pore waters along the coastline of French Guiana. The pore waters studied were extracted (centrifugation, soil moisture sampler) from sediments cored beneath A. germinans mangrove stands representative of development stages: pioneer, mature and senescent. In order to asses the effects of seasonal changes, two cores were performed in each location, just after dry and wet seasons, respectively. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in pore waters of the upper sediment were found to increase, from 0.7 mmol l⁻¹ under the pioneers to 9 under senescent mangroves. The evolution of sedimentary organic carbon (SedOC) in the same sediment paralleled that of DOC, increasing from 0.7 to 28%. On the contrary, in the lower parts of sediment cores SedOC and DOC displayed contrasting vertical trends: SedOC decreased sharply with depth while DOC increased, reaching concentrations up to 30 mmol l⁻¹ at 50 cm in the older, senescent mangroves. In addition, the Fluorescence/DOC ratios and the hydrophobic contents of DOC were higher at greater depths in most cores, expressing changes in the DOC composition. These results suggest that the DOC of the upper layers originated directly from the SedOC of the enclosing sediment, while the hydrophobic and fluorescent DOC accumulated in the anoxic bottom layer. The mechanisms responsible for this accumulation at depth requires additional research to be fully understood. However, the anoxic conditions and high pH values prevailing in the lower sediment, by lessening DOM sorption and enhancing SedOC dissolution, may be partly responsible for the high DOC concentrations and fluorescences at depth. In addition, seasonal variation may be involved. During the rainy season, water sources were mixed resulting in lower DOC concentrations in the upper sediment, whereas during the dry season, increased evapotranspiration concentrate salts and DOC, which are transported vertically with percolating water.