Macrofauna distribution in brackish inland waters in relation to chlorinity and other factors

Summary In 1981, 16 brackish inland waters on the Dutch island of Texel were sampled qualitatively for macrofauna. The sampling stations consisted of ditches, small canals and isolated ponds. They were clustered according to their species composition. It appeared that the major fauna differences are closely related to the occurrence of present or past connections of the locality with other water bodies and to the origin and development of a habitat. The distribution of the macrofauna taxa was compared with differences in average chlorinity and variation in chlorinity between the habitats studied. Relations between the number and kind of species and chlorinity were also investigated. It was found that chlorinity cannot be regarded as a master factor affecting the fauna distribution. Hence, it is concluded that, within the range of the mesopolyhalinicum, environmental and historical factors, rather than chlorinity, have to be regarded as the most discriminating abiotic factors determining the species composition in brackish inland waters.     

The distribution of aquatic oligochaetes in brackish inland waters in the SW Netherlands

Macrobenthic fauna was sampled in inland waters with unstable environmental parameters in the SW Netherlands. The distribution of 23 species of aquatic oligochaetes was related to chlorinity. Oligochaetes and other macrofaunal taxa were grouped by cluster analysis. Brackish-marine oligochaetes appeared to have a similarly large tolerance for chlorinity variations, as is known for the better researched euryhaline macrofauna.Communication no. 221.     

Plant and animal communities in brackish supra-littoral pools (‘dobben’) in the northern part of the Netherlands

Fifty brackish supra-littoral pools bordering the Waddenzee were studied. The structure of plant communities (Potamogeton pectinatus L., Ranunculus baudotii Godr. and Zannichellia pedunculata Rchb.) is discussed in relation to water level fluctuations, chlorinity and water transparency. Chlorinity tolerances of the macrophytes (7 species) are discussed. The macrofauna was studied semi-quantitatively. The aquatic Coleoptera had the greatest diversity (24 species). A distinct relationship between the number of Coleoptera species and the percentage of macrophyte coverage was found. The distribution patterns of the most frequent species with respect to chlorinity categories are shown in histograms. The number of aquatic Heteroptera species is also discussed in relation to chlorinity and vegetation coverage. Less important macrofaunal groups (the Crustacea, Mollusca and Odonata) occurred in low species numbers.     

不同生态恢复阶段无瓣海桑人工林湿地中大型底栖动物群落的演替

对广东省珠海市淇澳岛红树林自然保护区恢复背景相同的6个月林龄、3a林龄、6a林龄无瓣海桑人工林和光滩湿地中的大型底栖动物群落进行了比较研究。结果显示:处于不同生态恢复阶段的无瓣海桑人工林林地中大型底栖动物优势种(Y>0.02)存在差异;相似性分析检验(One-Way ANOSIM)表明4种生境间大型底栖动物群落结构差异显著。等级聚类和非参数多变量标序也显示4种生境间的大型底栖动物群落结构差异显著。相似性百分比分析(SIMPER)显示,各生境动物群落主要特征及群落间的差异主要是受各生境大型底栖动物优势种所决定。研究结果还表明:光滩、6个月林龄、3a林龄无瓣海桑人工林湿地中大型底栖动物群落的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Pielou均匀度指数和Margalef丰富度指数呈上升趋势,这说明无瓣海桑种植的前3a,随着植被的迅速恢复,大型底栖动物多样性增加明显。BIOENV分析结果表明:3a林龄之前的无瓣海桑人工林湿地中,大型底栖动物物种多样性主要受植被特征的影响,快速恢复的植被提供了荫蔽,既减轻了高温和水分蒸发对大型底栖动物的胁迫,又给动物提供了一个躲藏和逃避敌害的场所。而相对于植被的快速恢复,无瓣海桑人工林林地土壤理化性质的改变要缓慢和滞后得多。但随着恢复时间的延长,6a林龄无瓣海桑人工林湿地中的大型底栖动物群落的上述3个物种多样性指数反而明显下降。这是由于6a林龄无瓣海桑人工林林地土壤已具有红树林酸性硫酸盐土的基本特征,林地土壤理化性质的显著变化影响了大型底栖动物群落,还可能与无瓣海桑提供了和乡土红树植物不同营养水平(如C/N比)和单宁含量的"凋零物"食物源有关,具体机制还需进一步研究。     

The biodiversity of macrofaunal organisms in marine sediments

Marine sediments cover most of the ocean bottom, and the organisms that reside in these sediments therefore constitute the largest faunal assemblage on Earth in areal coverage. The biomass in these sediments is dominated by macrofauna, a grouping of invertebrate polychaetes, molluscs, crustaceans and other phyla based on size. Globally, only a small portion of marine habitats have been sampled for macrofauna, but sampled areas have led to global estimates of macrofaunal species number ranging from 500,000 to 10,000,000. Most of these species are undescribed, and global syntheses of patterns of individual taxa and biodiversity are few and based on limited samples. The significance of biodiversity in marine sediments to ecosystem processes is poorly understood, but individual species and functional groups are known to carry out activities that have global importance. Macrofaunal activity impacts global carbon, nitrogen and sulphur cycling, transport, burial and metabolism of pollutants, secondary production including commercial species, and transport of sediments. Documented extinctions of marine macrofauna are few, but the ramifications of species loss through habitat shrinkage and undocumented extinctions are unknown. Limited data suggest there is substantial functional redundancy in macrofauna within trophic groups but whether this redundancy is sufficient to allow species loss without significantly altering ecosystem processes is unknown. Sorely needed are experiments that test specific hypotheses on biodiversity, redundancy, and ecosystem processes as they relate to marine macrofauna.     

Effects of weed control on species composition of aquatic plants and bank plants and macrofauna in ditches

For several years, the effect of ditch management measures on the species composition of aquatic and bank flora and macrofauna were studied in a polder with a peat soil. The mowing basket increased the presence of floating plants whereas the ditch-scoop increased filamentous algae and submerged plant species. Monospecific stands of aquatic plants had fewer macrofaunal species than stands with many plant species. Direct and indirect effects of management measures on the macrofauna composition were shown.     

海南清澜港红树林滩涂大型底栖动物初步研究

对海南清澜港红树林滩涂大型底栖动物进行了定性及定量调查,记录到大型底栖动物４５种,隶属于４个门,２６个科。其中软体动物３１种,占记录到物种数的６８９％;甲壳动物１０种,占记录到物种数的２２２％。优势种是珠带拟蟹手螺（ＣｅｒｉｔｈｉｄｅａｃｉｎｇｕｌａｔａＧｍｅｌｉｎ）、古氏滩栖螺（ＢａｔｉｌａｒｉａｃｕｍｉｎｇｉＣｒｏｓｅ）、中国紫蛤（ＨｉａｔｕｌａｃｈｉｎｅｎｓｉｓＭｏｒｃｈ）及奥莱彩螺（ＣｌｉｔｈｏｎｏｕａｌａｎｉｅｎｓｉｓＬｅｓｏｎ）。大型底栖动物的生物量平均１９８５ｇ／ｍ２、栖息密度３５２４个／ｍ２。软体动物的生物量占到９９％,这可能与取样设在中、低潮区有关。     

Deep-Sea Macrobenthic Communities at Contrasting Sites off Portugal,Preliminary Results: I Introduction and Diversity Comparisons

Species diversity, faunal composition and abundance in the deep-sea macrobenthos are investigated at two, adjoining deep-sea areas off Portugal experiencing contrasting hydrodynamic conditions in order to test for the importance of disturbance in structuring the community. The first was located at 5,035 m depth on a presumably low current-energy site on the Tagus Abyssal Plain (TAP) and the second was centered in the lower end of the Setubal Canyon (SC) at 3,400 m depth where high levels of hydrodynamic activity are inferred from ripple bedforms visible in sea bed photographs. Closely grouped, transponder-mapped, “vegematic” box core samples were taken at each site. Agglutinated foraminifers numerically dominate the macrofauna (retained by 300 μm sieve) at both sites. Seagrass content in the SC cores indicates downslope detrital input from shallow water which is absent in the TAP samples. This must contribute, possibly with high levels of resuspended particles in near-bed flow, to the almost tenfold difference in abundance of metazoan macrofauna at the two sites. Expected species diversity measured from rarefaction is highest at TAP, both for pooled data and when foraminifers. tanaids and bivalve are considered separately. Evenness (equitability) in species' abundances is also higher at TAP than at SC. These differences are compared with benthic community data from the hydrodynamically disturbed High Energy Benthic Boundary Layer (HEBBLE) site on the Nova Scotia continental rise, and from the Rockall Trough (N.E. Atlantic). In common with these sites, strong bed flow at SC is thought to result in relatively high abundances, lower species richness and greater unevenness by acting to periodically disturb and reduce populations. Differences in the degree to which different faunal groups seem to be affected might be related to differences in lifestyle, particularly burrowing depth.     

Interacting effects of leaf litter species and macrofauna on decomposition in different litter environments

The leaf litter environment (single species versus mixed species), and interactions between litter diversity and macrofauna are thought to be important in influencing decomposition rates. However, the role of soil macrofauna in the breakdown of different species of leaf litter is poorly understood. In this study we examine the multiple biotic controls of decomposition – litter quality, soil macrofauna and litter environment and their interactions. The influence of soil macrofauna and litter environment on the decomposition of six deciduous tree species (Fraxinus excelsior L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Acer campestre L., Corylus avellana L., Quercus robur L., Fagus sylvatica L.) was investigated in a temperate forest, Wytham Woods, Southern England. We used litterbags that selectively excluded macrofauna to assess the relative importance of macrofauna versus microbial, micro and mesofauna decomposition, and placed single species bags in either conspecific single species or mixed species litter environments. The study was designed to separate plant species composition effects on litter decomposition rates, allowing us to evaluate whether mixed species litter environments affect decomposition rates compared to single species litter environments, and if so whether the effects vary among litter species, over time, and with regard to the presence of soil macrofauna. All species had faster rates of decomposition when macrofauna were present, with 22–41% of the total mass loss attributed to macrofauna. Macrofauna were most important for easily decomposable species as soon as the leaves were placed on the ground, but were most important for recalcitrant species after nine months in the field. The mass loss rates did not differ between mixed and single species litter environments, indicating that observed differences between single species and mixed species litterbags in previous field studies are due to the direct contact of neighbouring species inside the litterbag rather than the litter environment in which they are placed.     

海南东寨港红树林滩涂大型底栖动物多样性的初步研究

记录到海南东寨港红树林滩涂大型底栖动物68种,其中软体动物39种,占记录到物种数的57.4%;甲壳动物19种,占记录到物种数的27.9%。冬季优势种是珠带拟蟹手螺(Cerithidea cingulata )、古氏滩栖螺(Batillaria cumingi )和环肋樱蛤(Cyclotellina remies );夏季优势种是珠带拟蟹手螺、环肋樱蛤和红肉河蓝蛤(Potamocorbula rubromuscula )。大型底栖动物的生物量夏季平均为133.0 g/m²,冬季平均为63.0 g/m²; 栖息密度夏季平均为106.4 个/m²,冬季平均为103.5 个/m²。以密度为计量单位的物种多样性指数夏季为1.841,冬季为0.380,均匀度指数夏季为0.514,冬季为0.112;以生物量为计量单位的物种多样性指数夏季为1.994,冬季为1.751, 均匀度指数夏季为0.556,冬季为0.520。大型底栖动物的生物量、栖息密度、物种多样性指数和均匀度指数大都有季节变化及底质差异,基本趋势是夏季明显高于冬季,沙泥底的滩涂高于泥底质的滩涂。     

乐清湾大型底栖生物群落特征及其对水产养殖的响应

乐清湾大型底栖生物的四季采样研究。发现124种大型底栖生物,其中多毛类41种、软体动物37种、甲壳类22种、棘皮动物10种和其他类14种。乐清湾大型底栖生物年均生物量41．95g·m^-2年均密度85个·m^-2,生物量棘皮动物居首（约占60％）;密度软体动物最大（约占35％）。生物量和密度分布春季为最高。对乐清湾大型底栖生物分布现状与以往资料及邻近海湾进行了比较,并将大型底栖生物群落对乐清湾牡蛎养殖和网箱养殖的响应做了分析探讨。     

散孔材与环孔材树种枝干、叶水力学特性的比较研究

为揭示散孔材与环孔材树种树木水分生理特性的差异,选取了常见的3种散孔材落叶树种(毛白杨、法国梧桐和樱花)和3种环孔材落叶树种(刺槐、合欢和白蜡),研究了其枝干与叶水力学性质的差异及其协调性。结果表明:3种环孔材树种枝干横截面积基础上的最大比导水率(Ks-max)大于3种散孔材树种,但其木质部对空穴化的脆弱性(P50branch)高于散孔材树种,6种树木枝干的水分传输能力和抵抗空穴化能力之间存在一种相互制约的权衡关系。3种散孔材与3种环孔材树种的叶最大水力导度(Kl-max)和水力脆弱性(P50leaf)并无显著差异;对于3种散孔材树种,叶的水力脆弱性要高于枝干,但对3种环孔材树种而言,枝干的水力脆弱性要高于叶。6种树木枝干和叶的水力学性质(Kmax、P50)之间并无相关关系。这些结果表明:散孔材与环孔材树种的枝干水力学特性有明显差异,但叶水力学特性无差异;枝干与叶水力学性质之间是相互独立的。     

不同红树植物群落中大型底栖动物群落的比较

2005—2006年对广东湛江红树林国家级自然保护区湿地三种红树植物群落(白骨壤 桐化树群落、桐花树群落、木榄 桐花树群落)的大型底栖动物群落特征进行了分析研究。白骨壤 桐化树群落大型底栖动物群落的物种数、栖息密度、生物量、丰富度指数和多样性指数均最高,优势度指数居中,均匀度指数略低于桐花树群落;桐花树群落大型底栖动物物种数急剧减少,尤其是底内型、底上附着型和穴居型种类减少明显,生物量和栖息密度下降到最低,由于个体数种间分配较为均匀而导致优势度指数下降而均匀度指数增高,虽丰富度指数略低于白骨壤 桐化树群落,但多样性指数接近于白骨壤 桐化群落;木榄 桐花树群落,大型底栖动物群落的物种数,尤其是穴居型和底内型种数继续减少,但生物量和栖息密度有所上升,个体数种间分配不均匀而使优势度指数增高而均匀度下降,加上丰富度指数最低,故多样性指数最小。白骨壤 桐化树群落优势种的生活型是底内型和穴居型;桐花树和木榄 桐花树群落优势种的生活型均是穴居型。三种红树植物群落中的大型底栖动物群落的GS/GSB分别为0.48、0.63、0.80。相同红树植物群落大型底栖动物群落结构都较为相似,木榄 桐花树群落的相似性最高,而不同红树植物群落大型底栖动物群落特征的差异明显,反映了不同红树群落对底栖动物群落作用的差别,同时也展示了各种大型底栖动物对不同红树群落生境的适应情况。     

The major anions in Lake Maryût waters

Summary Determinations for sulphate, bromide content and the alkalinity of Lake Maryût water were carried out at six stations during the four seasons of 1966. The sulphate chlorinity ratio increases with the decrease of chlorinity. It has an average of 0.2649 which is higher than the ratio of 0.1395 for sea water and lower than the ratio for river waters. Regional variations in the SO₄/Cl ratio are attributed to the effect of drainage water which have a high sulphate content. The average bromine chlorinity ratio 0.00360 is compared with 0.00348 for sea water. The seasonal and regional variation of the Br/Cl ratio is less significant than the SO₄/Cl ratio. The specific alkalinity decreases with the increase of chlorinity. The average specific alkalinity for the lake water is 3.20 which is higher than that for sea water, (0.126), and lower than that for river waters.     

Effect of the invasive bivalve Mytilopsis sallei on the macrofaunal fouling community and the environment of Yundang Lagoon,Xiamen, China

Mytilopsis sallei is a small marine bivalve and is considered as a serious pest. We assume that the invasive bivalve M. sallei changed the community structure of fouling macrofauna and reduced the species diversity index in Yundang Lagoon, Xiamen, China. In order to verify the above hypothesis, test panels were submerged seasonally at five stations during four seasons in Yundang Lagoon, and some chemical parameters were determined. The results showed there were significant differences in density and biomass of M. sallei and other fouling macrofauna with season and with station. The species diversity of the macrofaunal fouling community at stations B and F was low in summer, because high density of M. sallei was found at two stations. There were significantly positive correlations between density and biomass of M. sallei and water temperature and COD, and significantly negative correlations with pH. The results confirmed that this invasive species changed the density and biomass compositions of fouling macrofauna, reduced the species diversity index during the summer period, and somewhat worsened the aquatic environmental quality in Yundang Lagoon, because the pH and the DO were the lowest, and the BOD and the COD were the second lowest in summer among four seasons.     

Indirect effects of Atrina zelandica on water column nitrogen and oxygen fluxes: The role of benthic macrofauna and microphytes

The effects of ecosystem engineers can be mediated by direct and indirect interactions. For suspension-feeding bivalves that contribute to benthic-pelagic coupling, indirect effects have been linked to hydrodynamics; however, the influence of these ecosystem engineers may also operate through interactions with surrounding sediments, microphytes and macrofauna that, in turn, affect nutrient and oxygen fluxes. This study investigated the indirect effects of an epibenthic suspension-feeding bivalve (Atrina zelandica) on ammonium and nitrate-nitrite effluxes from the sediment, and oxygen consumption in the overlying waters, under dark conditions, at two sites with different environmental characteristics. Location-dependent effects were observed in the relative strength of the effect of Atrina on microphyte and macrofaunal abundance. The difference between the strength of the effect of Atrina on macrofauna between sites was not driven by a single species or type of species; rather all the species decreasing in abundance away from Atrina were small species that utilised the sediment water interface. Location-dependent effects were also observed in the relative strength of the effect of microphyte and macrofaunal abundance on oxygen and nutrient fluxes. While microphytes were an important consumer of oxygen at one site, at the other site, small infaunal macrofauna were important. Similarly, the strength of the effect of surrounding macrofauna on ammonium efflux varied between sites. These findings demonstrate the importance of natural history and species functions for understanding complex responses. They suggest that indirect effects by key benthic macrofaunal species in marine systems can also be important to benthic-pelagic coupling. In particular, while key species are often large, excretion and respiration of smaller macrofauna can be important to the exchange of nutrients near the seafloor and oxygen consumption in the benthic boundary layer.     

无瓣海桑与乡土红树植物混交对林地大型底栖动物的影响

选择广东省雷州市附城镇和珠海市淇澳岛沿海1年生无瓣海桑人工林,分别在林下混种乡土红树植物红海榄或木榄幼苗,对混交林和无瓣海桑纯林林地大型底栖动物群落进行比较,探讨无瓣海桑与乡土红树植物混交对林地大型底栖动物的影响。结果显示,混交林和无瓣海桑纯林之间大型底栖动物群落的优势种存在差异;相似性分析检验(One-Way ANOSIM)、等级聚类和非参数多变量标序结果均表明1年无瓣海桑+红海榄混交林、1年无瓣海桑+木榄混交林和1年无瓣海桑纯林之间大型底栖动物群落结构差异显著。研究还发现在无瓣海桑人工林林下混交红海榄或木榄这两种乡土红树植物,可提高林地底栖动物的生物量和物种多样性。BIOENV分析说明大型底栖动物分布与红海榄或木榄这两种混交的乡土树种的凋落物量密切相关,这进一步证实了混交乡土红树植物对林地底栖动物多样性和分布的影响。两个研究地实验结果均显示,在无瓣海桑林下种植木榄的效果要优于红海榄,表现在木榄的平均苗高、凋落物量、凋落物量占群落凋落物总量百分比和幼苗成活率均高于红海榄,其对提高林地大型底栖动物生物量和物种多样性的效果也明显优于红海榄。     

Diversity of larger consumers enhances interference competition effects on smaller competitors

Competition between large and small species for the same food is common in a number of ecosystems including aquatic ones. How diversity of larger consumers affects the access of smaller competitors to a limiting resource is not well understood. We tested experimentally how species richness (0–3 spp.) of benthic deposit-feeding macrofauna changes meiofaunal ostracods’ incorporation of fresh organic matter from a stable-isotope-labeled cyanobacterial bloom, using fauna from the species-poor Baltic Sea. Presence of macrofauna mostly decreased meiofaunal incorporation of bloom material, depending on the macrofauna species present. As expected, the species identity of macrofauna influenced the incorporation of organic matter by meiofauna. Interestingly, our results show that, in addition, species richness of the macrofauna significantly reduced meiofauna incorporation of freshly settled nitrogen and carbon. With more than one macrofauna species, the reduction was always greater than expected from the single-species treatments. Field data from the Baltic Sea showed a negative correlation between macrofauna diversity and meiofaunal ostracod abundance, as expected from the experimental results. We argue that this is caused by interference competition, due to spatial niche differentiation between macrofauna species reducing the sediment volume in which ostracods can feed undisturbed by larger competitors. Interference from macrofauna significantly reduces organic matter incorporation by meiofauna, indicating that diversity of larger consumers is an important factor controlling the access of smaller competitors to a limiting food resource.     

Characteristics of macrofauna and their response to aquiculture in Yueqing Bay, China

Four seasons of investigations on macrofauna in Yueqing Bay, China were carried out from August 2002 to May 2003. One hundred and twenty four species of macrofauna were identified, including 41 species of polychaeta, 37 species of mollusc, 22 species of crustacea, 10 species of echinoderm and 14 others. The average biomass was 41.95 g·m⁻² and the average density was 85 ind·m⁻². The echinoderm contributed the highest proportion (about 60%) to the total biomass, and the mollusc contributed the maximum proportion (about 35%) to the total density. Biomass and density in spring were higher than those in other seasons. This article analyzes the macrofauna distribution, compares the study results with the history data of Yueqing Bay and adjacent bays, and discusses the response of macrofauna community to the aquiculture in Yueqing Bay.