The effects of chemical pollution on the bioturbation potential of estuarine intertidal mudflats

Bioturbation by benthic infauna has important implications for the fate of contaminants as well as for changes to the sediment structure, chemistry and transport characteristics. There is an extensive literature dealing with the influence of sedimentary variables on the structure and function of infaunal marine and estuarine organisms but less is known of the converse, the influence of biota on sedimentary structure. Although some work has been carried out regarding spatial and temporal patterns of bioturbation, little attention has been given to the effects of pollution. The paper gives a framework of animal sediment relationships in an intertidal environment and discusses the general role of macrofauna in structuring and modifying sedimentary features. A brief outline of the various techniques used for quantifying the degree of bioturbation is given and some of these techniques have then been used to demonstrate the effect of a petrochemical discharge on the bioturbation potential of intertidal communities in the Humber estuary, eastern England. These studies indicate an increase in bioturbation with increasing distance from the source of pollution, not only because of differences in abundance, animal size and depth of activity but also because of the difference in species composition between the communities. As a means of interpreting the responses, the species present have been broadly classified in terms of their feeding strategy and sediment modification potential. The paper concludes by discussing the potential impact, in terms of effect on sediment transport, of selectively removing the different guilds (by pollution). Received: 8 February 1999 / Received in revised form: 10 May 1999 / Accepted: 14 May 1999     

Tidal effects on the organic carbon mineralization rate under aerobic conditions in sediments of an intertidal estuary

Laboratory experiments and field measurements were conducted to examine the effect of tide on the organic carbon mineralization rate in sediments under aerobic conditions of an intertidal estuary. Core samples of surface sediments were collected from an intertidal estuary of the Kurose River, Hiroshima, Japan. To mimic low and high tide in the intertidal estuary, organic carbon mineralization rates in the samples were measured in the laboratory under both air-exposed and submerged conditions. Mineralization rates under air-exposed conditions were two to five times higher than those under submerged conditions. Field measurements of the rate of CO₂ emission from the sediment surface revealed a rapid increase in the rate as the sea level fell during ebb tide. The estimated amount of daily organic carbon mineralization assuming a constantly submerged condition was 30% less than that estimated when considering the semi-diurnal fluctuation in sea level. These results indicate that tide has a marked impact on the organic carbon mineralization rate in sediments under aerobic conditions on an intertidal estuary, and tidal effects need to be considered when the amount of mineralized organic carbon is estimated.     

The ichthyoplankton of a seasonally closed estuary in temperate Australia. Does an extended period of opening influence species composition?

Fish eggs and larvae were collected monthly between September 1987 and April 1989 from sites throughout the main basin and within the saline regions of the two main tributary rivers of Wilson Inlet, a seasonally closed estuary in south-western Australia. Of the eggs, 43.7% belonged to Engraulis australis (Shaw) and the rest to unidentified teleosts. The larval fish assemblage comprised 17 families represented by 25 species. The Gobiidae contained the highest number of species (four) and contributed approximately 57% of all larvae caught. Pseudogobius olorum (Sauvage) and E. australis were the most abundant species, contributing 43.9 and 27.9% to the total larval catch, respectively. The larvae of species which breed within Wilson Inlet dominated the assemblage, both in terms of number of species (64%) and contribution to total catch (99.9%). The numbers of the eight marine species and one freshwater species represented in the ichthyoplankton were very low. Classification and multi-dimensional scaling ordination showed that the composition of the larval fish fauna at the various sites during a period when the estuary remained open to the sea (December 1988-April 1989) was similar to that of the corresponding sites during the same period in the previous year when the estuary had become closed (December 1987-April 1988). This can be attributed to the spatial distribution, time of occurrence and abundance of estuarine-spawned larvae being similar in the two periods and to the rarity of marine-spawned larvae, even in the spring and summer of 1988/1989 when the estuary was open for the whole time when most marine teleosts spawn in south-western Australia. The low occurrence of marine-spawned larvae in Wilson Inlet reflects the fact that tidal water movement within the basin of the system is so small that it is unable to facilitate the transport and dispersion of larvae. The ichthyoplankton of Wilson Inlet resembles that of other poorly-flushed estuaries in that it is low in species richness and dominated by estuarine-spawned larvae.     

氮负荷增强对闽江河口芦苇残体分解及其养分释放的影响

选择闽江河口鳝鱼滩西北部的纯芦苇湿地为研究对象，基于野外氮负荷增强分解试验，探讨了氮负荷增强对芦苇残体分解及其养分释放的影响。试验设置了4个氮负荷水平，即NL0（无氮负荷处理，0 g N m^-2 a^-1）、NL1（低氮负荷处理，12.5 g N m^-2 a^-1）、NL2（中氮负荷处理，25.0 g N m^-2 a^-1）和NL3（高氮负荷处理，75.0 g N m^-2 a^-1）。结果表明，不同氮负荷处理下残体的分解速率整体表现为NL2（0.00284 d^-1）>NL1（0.00263 d^-1）>NL0（0.00257 d^-1）>NL3（0.00250 d^-1），低氮和中氮负荷总体促进了残体分解，而高氮负荷抑制了残体分解，原因主要与不同处理下残体分解过程中基质质量及pH的明显改变有关。不同氮负荷处理下，残体中的全碳（TC）含量在分解期间均呈不同波动变化特征；全氮（TN）和全磷（TP）含量均在分解初期（0-30 d）骤然降低，之后则呈不同波动变化，其中TN含量呈波动上升变化，而TP含量呈小幅波动变化。残留率是影响不同氮负荷处理下残体分解期间碳（C）、氮（N）和磷（P）净释放的共性因素，而氮负荷增强导致的残体基质质量（C/N、C/P、N/P）和主要环境因子（pH、电导率（EC））改变影响了其释放强度。研究发现，在氮负荷增强背景下残体养分的累积与释放发生了明显改变，闽江河口氮负荷水平的增加整体将抑制芦苇残体中C、N养分的释放，但其在分解中后期（90-240 d）可能对P养分释放具有较为明显的促进作用。     

Reproductive periodicity of the sparid,Acanthopagrus pacificus,on a hierarchy of temporal scales

The reproductive periodicity of the sparid, Acanthopagrus pacificus, over four temporal scales is described. Acanthopagrus pacificus had a short spawning season between June and September, and within this, a peak reproductive period from July to early September. During the peak period there were several spawning peaks corresponding to a lunar periodicity, with intense reproductive activity on new and full moons that peaked during the period of the full moon when the tidal range was greatest. At the smallest temporal scale, spawning occurred at night on ebb tides. Because this study draws on data collected in 1991 and 1995, it provides a useful baseline against which to judge future changes in reproductive periodicity.     

The food web in the lower part of the Seine estuary: a synthesis of existing knowledge

The Seine estuary illustrates the alterations to estuaries due to human activities heavy releases of pollutants of various origins and significant morphological changes beginning in the middle of the 19th century. The intertidal mudflat surface has been seriously reduced (< 30km²) since the channels of the Seine River came under management. While the role of the Seine estuary in the dynamics of the eastern English Channel ecosystem is recognized as important, the biological characteristics of the estuary remained relatively unknown until the 1990s. Biological diversity was progressively impoverished from the polyhaline zone to the oligohaline zone. In spite of a heavily contaminated environment, the macrobenthic and planktonic fauna of the Seine estuary remains similar to those of other northeastern Atlantic estuaries. The fauna exhibit clear contrasts between areas with very high abundance and others with very low abundance. The pelagic fauna, especially the copepod Eurytemora affinisand the shrimp Palaemon longirostris, are more abundant in the Seine estuary than in other estuaries. Diversified and abundant, Abra alba-Pectinaria koreni and Macoma balthica benthic communities occur, respectively, in the outer and inner parts of the estuary. In subtidal flats, benthic fauna is especially poor in terms of specific richness, abundance and biomass. Paradoxically, considering the high abundance of prey, fish are particularly scarce. Two food webs have been identified. In the oligohaline zone, where turbidity is maximum, the food web is exclusively planktonic, due to dredging that prevented benthic fauna from settling. In the polyhaline zone, fish populations that feed particularly on benthic fauna benefit from low turbidity and high oxygen concentrations. So, in spite of heavy organic and metallic contamination and human activities, the Seine estuary remains a highly productive ecosystem, which provides a nursery for marine fish and feeding grounds for migratory birds. A global management plan appears to be necessary in order to guarantee that the Seine estuary continues to function as it currently does.     

Contrasting dynamics of ciliate communities in sandy and silty sediments of an estuarine intertidal flat

During a 1-year study of the ciliate faunas of a silty and a sandy site on an intertidal flat in the Westerschelde estuary, a total number of 107 taxa were recorded belonging to at least 52 genera and 15 orders. Our results suggest that physical properties of the sediment were more important in regulating ciliate abundance, diversity and community composition than food availability, predation, temperature or oxygen concentration. Ciliate abundance and diversity were positively related to sediment grain size and the ciliate community of silty sediments was found to be a subset of that of sandy sediments. At the sandy site, where the sediment composition was stable, seasonal changes in the ciliate community were related to changes in food availability and/or temperature. At both the sandy and silty sites, a clear vertical gradient in the ciliate community was observed that appeared to be linked to gradients in food availability and oxygen concentration. These vertical gradients in ciliate community composition, however, were less steep than the measured oxygen gradients, probably due to the presence of oxic microniches in the anoxic zone.     

Factors Controlling Phytoplankton Blooms in a Temperate Estuary: Nutrient Limitation and Physical Forcing

A combination of enclosure nutrient enrichment experiments and historical data analysis was used to identify the factors controlling seasonal dynamics and competition of the phytoplankton community in the Curonian lagoon (Southeast Baltic Sea). Experiments using different nutrient (N, P and Si) manipulations were performed in 10-l enclosures for 48 h. Changes in chlorophyll a concentrations, inorganic nutrient concentrations, and plankton cell density were monitored. Results revealed that phytoplankton development in the lagoon is strongly affected by ambient physical factors (wind, temperature). Nutrient limitation, however, also plays an important role in seasonal succession mechanisms showing quite distinct seasonal development patterns. Based on the data, available phytoplankton seasonal succession in the Curonian lagoon could be described as composed by three phases corresponding to different domination and regulatory mechanisms.     

河口地区牡蛎礁的生态功能及恢复措施

在许多温带河口区,牡蛎礁是具有重要生态功能的特殊生境。牡蛎礁在净化水体、提供栖息生境、保护生物多样性和耦合生态系统能量流动等方面均具有重要的功能。近100年来,由于过度采捕、环境污染、病害和生境破坏等原因,许多温带河口区牡蛎种群数量持续下降,河口生态系统的结构与功能受到破坏,富营养化越来越严重。为了修复河口生态系统、净化水质和促进渔业可持续发展,近20年来,世界各地开展了一系列牡蛎礁的恢复活动,尤其美国在东海岸及墨西哥湾建立了大量的人工牡蛎礁,许多研究结果证实,构建的人工牡蛎礁经过2~3年时间,就能恢复自然生境的生态功能。本文介绍了我国首次牡蛎增殖放流工程-长江口南北导堤牡蛎礁,近2年的监测结果显示,长江口导堤牡蛎种群数量快速增长,附近水生生态系统的结构与功能得到明显改善。最后,针对目前牡蛎礁恢复过程中存在的不足,提出了需进一步研究的课题,包括牡蛎基础生物学(病害和分子系统进化),牡蛎礁恢复的关键技术、科学程序及成功的评价标准等。     

Distribution of heterotrophic flagellates at the littoral of estuary of Chernaya River (Kandalaksha Bay, White Sea)

Species composition, distribution, and the character of structural changes in the heterotrophic flagellate community were studied along environmental gradients in the Chernaya River estuary. There were 99 species and forms of heterotrophic flagellates, subdivided into three groups: prevalently marine species and euryhaline species preferring biotopes either of higher or decreased salinity. The heterotrophic flagellate community of the estuary was continuously divided into two distinct variants: (1) cenosis of halophilic species, prevalently of sea forms and euryhaline species preferring biotopes of increased salinity; (2) cenosis of halophobic species with prevalence of euryhaline forms gravitating to fresh biotopes. The arbitrary and indistinct boundary between the variants of the community ran at a salinity of 9–10‰. The response of estuarine communities of heterotrophic flagellates and infusorians to variation of abiotic factors was similar and differed from response of communities of microphyto-, meiozoo-and macrozoobenthos; this implied similarity of the response mechanism to environmental factors in organisms of one level of organization.