Sublittoral attached epifaunal development in Buzzards Bay,Massachusetts

Summary Sixteen epifaunal species are identified encrusting dead valves of Mercenaria mercenaria, Mya arenaria, and Aequipecten irradians exposed for one year on the bottom of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.The three most common cheilostomatous bryozoans are Schizoporella unicormis, S. biaperta, and Parasmittina trispinosa. Balanus (Balanus) amphitrite neveus demonstrates a preferred orientation of the rostro-carinal axis parallel to the growth lines of Mercenaria mercenaria, Mya arenaria and Aequipecten irradians.No preference for difference bivalve shells is apparent in any of the epifauna examined. The lesser abundance of most species on Mercenaria mercenaria valves may be due to the more rapid burial of these heavier valves in shifting sediments of the study area.     

Seagrass bed patchiness: effects on epifaunal communities in San Diego Bay, USA

Seagrass habitat structure influences epifaunal density, diversity, community composition and survival, but covariation of structural elements at multiple scales (e.g., shoot density or biomass per unit area, patch size, and patch configuration) can confound studies attempting to correlate habitat structure with ecological patterns and processes. In this study, we standardized simulated seagrass shoot density and bed area among artificial seagrass beds in San Diego Bay, California, USA to evaluate the singular effect of seagrass bed configuration (“patchiness”) on the density and diversity of seagrass epifauna. Artificial seagrass beds all were 1 m², but were composed of a single large patch (“continuous” treatment), four smaller patches (“patchy” treatment), or 16 very small patches (“very patchy” treatment). We allowed epifauna to colonize beds for 1 month, and then sampled beds monthly over the next 3 months. Effects of seagrass bed patchiness on total epifaunal density and species-specific densities were highly variable among sampling dates, and there was no general trend for the effects of fragmentation on epifaunal densities to be positive or negative. Epifaunal diversity (measured as Simpson's index of diversity) was highest in very patchy or patchy beds on two out of the three sampling dates. Very patchy beds exhibited the highest dissimilarity in community composition in the first two sampling periods (August and September), but patchy beds exhibited the highest dissimilarity in the third sampling period (October). Our results indicate that seagrass patch configuration affects patterns of epifaunal density, diversity, and community composition in the absence of covarying bed area or structural complexity, and that patchy seagrass beds may be no less valuable as a habitat than are continuous seagrass beds. The spatial pattern employed when harvesting or planting seagrass may influence epifaunal habitat use and should be a key consideration in restoration plans.     

The Possible Importance of Primary Amino Nitrogen in Nitrogen Regeneration by Coastal Marine Sediments in Buzzards Bay,Massachusetts

To investigate the role of primary amino nitrogen (PAN) in nitrogen regeneration by marine sediments, the distribution and fluxes of PAN in organic-rich coastal sediments off Massachusetts (USA) were investigated. Decreases with depth in the sediment of total organic carbon, organic nitrogen, and PAN contents indicate that organics with C to N ratios of about 6, such as primary amines, are selectively consumed. Near the sediment surface, dissolved PAN (DPAN) accumulates and supports a large DPAN flux into the water column and this flux greatly exceeds the inorganic nitrogen flux. Consumption of C, N, and PAN was investigated using diagenetic equations describing their exponentially decreasing distributions with depth and which included the effects of sediment mixing, sediment accumulation, and consumption, considered to be a first-order reaction rate. Calculations showed that the reaction rate constant for PAN was between 5.1 and 26.1 times faster than that for the utilizable organic N and the depth-integrated consumption of PAN accounted for between 8.6 and 43.9% of the N disappearance rate. These ranges are estimated when sediment accumulation dominates over sediment mixing (the lower values) and when mixing dominates over accumulation (the upper values). Although the magnitude of D is unknown, these calculations indicate that PAN, which comprises less than 2% of the organic N, has an important role in sedimentary nutrient dynamics because of its enhanced reactivity.     

The epifaunal communities of Pelvetia canaliculata and Fucus spiralis

The distribution, size and abundance of Pelvetia canaliculata (L.) and Fucus spiralis L. and the epifaunal communities associated with these two high shore fucoid algae have been studied at several contrasting sites in North Wales. Several environmental parameters were measured at each site and correlated with the distribution of the algae and their associated fauna. These weeds, which occur in perhaps the harshest zone of the shore, support exceedingly impoverished epifaunal communities in which the amphipod Hyale nilssoni (Rathke), small littorinids and acarines predominate. This contrasts markedly with the extremely diverse epifaunal communities associated with algae situated lower in the intertidal zone.     

Night-time lighting alters the composition of marine epifaunal communities

Marine benthic communities face multiple anthropogenic pressures that compromise the future of some of the most biodiverse and functionally important ecosystems in the world. Yet one of the pressures these ecosystems face, night-time lighting, remains unstudied. Light is an important cue in guiding the settlement of invertebrate larvae, and altering natural regimes of nocturnal illumination could modify patterns of recruitment among sessile epifauna. We present the first evidence of night-time lighting changing the composition of temperate epifaunal marine invertebrate communities. Illuminating settlement surfaces with white light-emitting diode lighting at night, to levels experienced by these communities locally, both inhibited and encouraged the colonization of 39% of the taxa analysed, including three sessile and two mobile species. Our results indicate that ecological light pollution from coastal development, shipping and offshore infrastructure could be changing the composition of marine epifaunal communities.     

Planktonic copepods of Boston Harbor,Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay, 1992

Zooplankton were collected by vertical tows with 102 µm mesh at ten stations in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay in February, March, April, June, August, and October, 1992. This study was part of a larger monitoring program to assess the effects of a major sewage abatement project, and sampling periods were designed around periods of major phytoplankton events such as the winter-spring diatom bloom, the stratified summer flagellate period, and the autumn transition from stratified to mixed waters. There was considerable seasonal variation in total zooplankton abundance, with minimal values in April (1929–11631 animals m^–3) during a massive bloom of Phaeocystis pouchetii, and maximum values (67 316–261075 animals m^–3) in August. There were no consistent trends of total abundance where any particular station had greater or lesser abundance than others over the entire year. Zooplankton abundance was dominated by copepods (adults + copepodites) and copepod nauplii (30.4–100.0% of total zooplankton, mean= 83.2%). Despite the large seasonal variation in zooplankton and copepod abundance, the copepod assemblage was dominated throughout the entire year by the small copepod Oithona similis, followed by Paracalanus parvus. Other less-abundant copepods present year-round were Pseudocalanus newmani, Temora longicornis, Centropages hamatus, C. typicus, and Calanus finmarchicus. Two species of Acartia were present, primarily in low-salinity waters of Boston Harbor: A. hudsonica during cold periods, and A. tonsa in warm ones. Eurytemora herdmani was also a subdominant in Boston Harbor in October. The potential role of zooplankton grazing in phytoplankton dynamics and bloom cycles in these waters must be considered in view of the overwhelming numerical dominance of the zooplankton by Oithona similis which may feed primarily as a carnivore. Furthermore, it seems unlikely that eutrophication-induced alteration of phytoplankton assemblages could cause significant trophic domino effects, reducing abundances of Calanus finmarchicus that are forage of endangered right whales seasonally utilizing Cape Cod Bay because C. finmarchicus has long been known to be a relatively unselective grazer, and most importantly, it is a trivial component of total zooplankton or total copepod abundance in these waters.     

大亚湾潮间带软体运动的物种多样性初步研究

1999年7月在大亚湾潮间带4种不同生境（岩石岸、砾石滩、泥沙滩、沙滩）10个样方采集软体动物38种,隶属于23个科。采用丰富度指数和多样性指数对不同生境软体动物的多样性进行研究。研究结果表明,大亚湾软体动物物种丰富度指数砾石滩、岩石岸(D=4.328～9.378)>泥沙滩(D=4.328～6.493)>沙滩(D=2.886)。多样性指数也显示砾石滩、岩石岸(H′=0.429～0.842)>泥沙滩(H′=0.315～0.450)>沙滩(H′=0.182)。对上述样方聚类结果表明,软体动物种类分布及数量受底质、浪击和污染的影响。     

Diversity and structure of bacterial communities in Fildes Peninsula, King George Island

To examine the bacterial community structure in the Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica, we examined the bacterial diversity and community composition of samples collected from lacustrine sediment, marine sediment, penguin ornithogenic sediments, and soils using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. The 70 strains fell into five groups: Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Gammaproteobacteria, and Betaproteobacteria. Bacterial diversity at the phylum level detected in Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles comprised Proteobacteria (including the subphyla Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma-, Deltaproteobacteria), Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Chlorobi, and Deinococcus-Thermus. Gammaproteobacteria was identified to be the dominant bacterial subphylum by cultivation and DGGE method. By cluster analysis, the overall structure and composition of bacterial communities in the soil and lacustrine sediment were similar to one another but significantly different from bacterial communities in penguin ornithogenic sediment and marine sediment, which were similar to one another. The majority of 16S rDNA sequences from cultured bacteria were closely related to sequences found in cold environments. In contrast, a minority of 16S rDNA sequences from the DGGE approach were closely related to sequences found in cold environments.     

大亚湾潮间带软体动物的物种多样性初步研究

1999年7月在大亚湾潮间带4种不同生境（岩石岸、砾石滩、泥沙滩、沙滩）10个样方采集软体动物38种,隶属于23个科。采用丰富度指数和多样性指数对不同生境软体动物的多样性进行研究。研究结果表明,大亚湾软体动物物种丰富度指数砾石滩、岩石岸(D=4.328～9.378)>泥沙滩 (D=4.328～6.493)>沙滩(D=2.886)。多样性指数也显示砾石滩、岩石岸(H′=0.429～0.842)>泥沙滩(H′=0.315～0.450)>沙滩 (H′=0.182)。对上述样方聚类结果表明,软体动物种类分布及数量受底质、浪击和污染的影响。     

Diversity and abundance of mollusks in the sublittoral epifaunal community of Punta Patilla, Venezuela

The diversity of a sublittoral epifaunal mollusk community of Punta Patilla, Sucre State, Venezuela, was studied from September 1990 to September 1991. We identified 25 species (14 bivalves and 11 gastropods) of mollusks that inhabit gravel, soft sand and bottoms covered by Thalassia testudinum. Total diversity indices were H' = 3.42. J' = 0.74 and 1-D = 0.85. Monthly diversity reached its maximum in March 1991 (3.12 bits/ ind.), June 1991 (2.88 bits/ind.) and September 1991 (2.95 bits/ind.); minimum diversity was recorded in August 1991 (1.20 bits/ind.). A log series model showed a diversity index alpha = 4.56 for species abundance data and alpha = 3.11 for biomass data. The more abundant species were Chione cancellata, Anigona listeri, Chione granulata and Area zebra among the bivalves, and Chicoreus brevifrons, Turritella variegata and Phllonotus pomum among the gastropods (which present maximum biomass). The average total biomass (56.80 g/m2) is low when compared to reports from other tropical zones.     

Relative influence of habitat complexity and proximity to patch edges on seagrass epifaunal communities

Habitat structure at many scales influences faunal communities. Although habitat structure at different scales often covaries, studies rarely examine the relative effects of structure at multiple scales on faunal density and diversity. In shallow‐water seagrass systems, epifaunal density at local scales generally increases with increased habitat structural complexity (e.g. shoot density per unit area). In turn, structural complexity often varies with other aspects of habitat structure at patch scales, such as proximity to patch edges, which itself modifies ecological processes that structure epifaunal communities. We conducted surveys and a manipulative experiment in the eelgrass Zostera marina beds of San Diego Bay, California, USA, to determine (1) whether eelgrass structural complexity, epifaunal density and diversity, and fish (predator) density and diversity vary with proximity to patch edges, and (2) the relative influences of structural complexity, proximity to patch edges and predator presence on epifaunal distribution. Seagrass structural complexity generally increased from patch edges to patch interiors at all sites and in all sampling periods. However, patterns of epifaunal density, diversity, and biomass varied among sites and sampling periods, with density and biomass increasing from patch edges to interiors at some sites and decreasing at others. In the manipulative experiment, we allowed epifauna to colonize sparse or dense artificial seagrass habitat at both the edge and interior of a seagrass patch, and enclosed a subset of experimental units in predator exclusion cages. Overall, proximity to patch edges had a larger influence on epifaunal density and community structure than did structural complexity or predation, with the exception of some common taxa which responded more strongly to either complexity or predator exclusion. Our results emphasize the importance of addressing and evaluating habitat structure at multiple scales to better understand the distribution and interactions of organisms in a particular environment.     

Structure of gorgonian epifaunal communities in Ecuador (eastern Pacific)

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs have high biodiversity and are important as ecosystem engineers, providing microhabitats for a large number of organisms. This study examines the patterns of diversity,...     

Effects of plant species richness and composition on epifaunal colonization in brackish water angiosperm communities

Studies conducted in terrestrial ecosystems have shown that increasing plant diversity enhances ecosystem processes such as primary production. In marine systems, knowledge of how plant diversity influences ecosystem processes and higher trophic levels is still limited. To examine how plant richness and composition influence recruitment and colonization processes, defaunated eelgrass (Zostera marina), sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) and perfoliate pondweed (Potamogeton perfoliatus) were planted on an unvegetated, sandy bottom in all possible combinations in July and August. Both field experiments lasted 1 week. Our results showed that in these plant assemblages plant richness had a negative effect on faunal diversity (H′) and evenness (J′), while total abundance showed strong temporal variation with weak, positive relationships with plant species richness in both August and July. Plant species composition had strong effects on amphipods (Gammarus spp.), thus both the abundance and biomass were higher in treatments containing P. perfoliatus. The colonization process was significantly influenced by the numerical dominance of a few faunal species, e.g. the settlement of lagoon cockles (Cerastoderma glaucum), and by the timing of the experiments. The results indicate that faunal colonization in these communities is rapid and significantly influenced by the traits of particular plant species.     

Littoral mollusc communities and water quality in southern Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Water quality and mollusc communities have been declining in Lake Winnipeg., the tenth largest freshwater lake in the world. Ninety sites were surveyed in the southern half of the lake. Nitrate and total dissolved solids were found to be significantly higher on the west side, while cadmium, copper and lead were higher on the east side. Agriculture, urban effluent, and recreational development were major factors directly affecting nearshore water quality. Human impacts were sporadically aggravated by Red River floodwaters entering the lake. A total of 26 gastropod were currently found in the lake, but 16 of them were found at 5 or fewer sites. Only 6 unionid species were found, compared to at least 11 historical species records. Species richness of both gastropods and unionids was positively correlated with total dissolved solids, and inversely with lead. Gastropod and unionid species richness were also mutually positively correlated. Catchment basin and shoreline management policies affecting Lake Winnipeg need to be reexamined to reduce further habitat decline.     

Diversity and structure of shrew communities in montane forests of southeast Kenya

As a step towards setting conservation priorities for declining moist forests in southeast Kenya, we assessed for small mammal diversity and distribution. These habitats are under severe pressure due to increased demand an forests products and arable land, yet there is a dearth of information an impacts an biodiversity. Over an eight-month period, we used a combination of box and pitfall traps with drift fences to study 13 forest fragments in five geographic areas ranging between 3°28′−4°10′ S and 38°28′−39°2b′ E. We recorded 12 species including 10 soricids and two macroscelids in 31440 trap nights. Diversity estimates using rarefaction method indicate a species richness of 12, consistent with our collection. There were six unique species, each limited in distribution to one forest fragment. Our record of Crocidura cf. selina in Kyulu Hills is the first outside Mabira forest in Uganda where it is considered endemic and endangered. We also report the first record of C. fuscomurina in Kenya, white those of C. Luna and Suncus megalura are first in the southeast of the country. By providing new ranges to four species, our study is of significance to the biogeography and conservation of forest small mammals in the region.     

Occupation of patches in the epifaunal communities on pier pilings and the bivalve Pinna bicolor at Edithburgh,South Australia

Summary The reoccupation of artificially cleared patches in a subtidal epifaunal community was investigated in two field experiments on the pilings of Edithburgh pier, South Austrlia. In most cases, the greatest proportion of the patch was reoccupied by the vegetative extension of established sponge and tunicate colonies adjacent to it. Larval recruitment by sponges, bryozoans, tunicates and serpulids contributed to the reoccupation but resulted in only a small proportion of the mean percentage cover. The relative abundances of individual species established in any patch were shown to be a function of the (1) position in space, (2) age, (3) time of creation, (4) initial size of the patch.There was a large amount of between-patch variation in all cases. Overgrowth interactions occurred frequently within patches, and for many pairs of species, neither species consistently overgrew the other. Overgrowth interactions were tested statistically, and a large number of pairs of species were found to be competitively equivalent. This represents a possible situation additional to the alternatives recognized in the literature, namely competitive hierarchies or networks. Interactions between species should be regarded as stochastic, with a wide range of possible outcomes. The situation at Edithburgh is likely to produce greater between-patch variability than either a network or a hierarchy.Despite this large variation, super-specific taxa differ fairly consistently in capacity for overgrowth. Tunicates overgrow sponges, which overgrow bryozoans, which overgrow serpulids. The occupation of most patches was directional in the sense that bryozoans and serpulids invaded first, but tunicates and sponges excluded them and came to dominate the patch. These realtionships are used to predict patterns of abundance for substrata which are small and isolated, and these predictions are compared with the epifauna of the bivalve Pinna bicolor, which provides such substrata adjacent to the pier.     

Diversity and structure of bacterial communities in Arctic versus Antarctic pack ice

A comprehensive assessment of bacterial diversity and community composition in arctic and antarctic pack ice was conducted through cultivation and cultivation-independent molecular techniques. We sequenced 16S rRNA genes from 115 and 87 pure cultures of bacteria isolated from arctic and antarctic pack ice, respectively. Most of the 33 arctic phylotypes were >97% identical to previously described antarctic species or to our own antarctic isolates. At both poles, the alpha- and gamma-proteobacteria and the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium group were the dominant taxonomic bacterial groups identified by cultivation as well as by molecular methods. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries from multiple arctic and antarctic pack ice samples revealed a high incidence of closely overlapping 16S rRNA gene clone and isolate sequences. Simultaneous analysis of environmental samples with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) showed that approximately 95% of 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained cells hybridized with the general bacterial probe EUB338. More than 90% of those were further assignable. Approximately 50 and 36% were identified as gamma-proteobacteria in arctic and antarctic samples,respectively. Approximately 25% were identified as alpha-proteobacteria, and 25% were identified as belonging to the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium group. For the quantification of specific members of the sea ice community, new oligonucleotide probes were developed which target the genera Octadecabacter, Glaciecola, Psychrobacter, Marinobacter, Shewanella, and Polaribacter: High FISH detection rates of these groups as well as high viable counts corroborated the overlap of clone and isolate sequences. A terrestrial influence on the arctic pack ice community was suggested by the presence of limnic phylotypes.     

Diversity and structure of ant communities associated with oak,pine, eucalyptus and arable habitats in Portugal

Summary In central Portugal, 28 species of ants were found in oak, 25 in pine, 35 in eucalyptus and 12 in arable habitats, a total of 43 species. They include five numerically dominant species, the exotic Argentine ant.Linepithema (Iridomyrmex) humile and four native species,Crematogaster scutellaris, Pheidole pallidula, Tapinoma nigerrimum andTetramorium hispanicum. L. humile occurred in 34% of sampled sites. When present, it was abundant in all three arboreal habitats, where it was associated with strikingly decreased ant species richness and equitability. Such diversity was greater inL. humile-colonised arable habitats, where the ant was much less abundant than in the arboreal habitats.WhereL. humile was absent,C. scutellaris andP. pallidula were usually co-dominants in oak and pine, andT. nigerrimum andT. hispanicum in the arable habitat, but all were absent or rare in eucalyptus. Ants were numerically least abundant in eucalyptus but, in the absence ofL. humile, species richness was greater and the community more equitable than in the other habitats.L. humile-absent arable habitats supported the poorest and least equitable ant community.     

Diversity, function and stability in parasitoid communities

The parasitoid assemblages associated with grass-feeding chalcid wasps in Great Britain were used to examine the relationships between diversity (species richness), community function (total parasitism rate) and stability (variability in parasitism rate over time). Species-rich communities did not generate higher parasitism rates than species-poor communities, nor was temporal variation of parasitism rates related to parasitoid community richness. The mechanisms underlying hypotheses linking species richness and community function and stability are discussed in the light of these results. Because all parasitoid species represent a single functional group, a lack of complementarity in the ways they use their resources may explain why diversity is not linked to function or community stability. A second likely reason is that these parasitoid communities are under bottom-up control, thus exerting little or no influence on total system function and variability. This is likely to be common in parasitoid communities.     

The development of sessile epifaunal communities in Kylesalia,Kilkieran bay (west coast of Ireland)

Test panels, which were suspended horizontally at three sites in a shallow inlet on the west coast of Ireland, were sampled monthly over a period of one year to investigate the development of epifaunal communities. In addition, the current regime and sedimentation at these sites were measured. The deposited materials, of high organic value, may enhance the food supply to the sessile organisms through resuspension. Heavy deposition at one site interrupted the study. At the other two sites, however, the experiment was not affected. At one site, initial settlement by colonial bryozoans, followed by solitary ascidians, was noted on the panels over the period studied. In the competition for space, the dense aggregations during settlement, the relative large size, and the rapid growth of these solitary animals may occlude the colonization by colonial bryozoan mats underneath. At the other site, a more diversified community with co-existence of many sedentary polychaete and colonial bryozoan species was recorded on the panels. The continuing availability of free space on the panels suggests that the development of sessile communities at this site may be hindered by the relatively slow current flow and heavy deposition and resuspension. Whilst differences in community development were observed on the panels at these two sites, it would be difficult, through such a short study period, to ascertain whether stable climax states had been reached.