Growth and food consumption of whiting Merlangius merlangus

In the western Baltic Sea (WBS), whiting Merlangius merlangus is the main piscivorous fish together with cod Gadus morhua. In the present study, we investigate the growth and food consumption rates of WBS M. merlangus and compare the growth rates of males and females with those of M. merlangus in the North Sea (NS). Food consumption rates are estimated directly from sampled stomach contents in the WBS using a gastric evacuation rate model and indirectly by using a static energy‐budget model together with the growth rates. The results indicate that male and female M. merlangus in the WBS have similar feeding and growth strategies, while in the NS M. merlangus show more pronounced differences in food consumption and growth dynamics between the sexes. Female WBS M. merlangus grow significantly slower than their conspecifics in the NS, but there is no significant difference for males. Sexual size dimorphism is seen in both areas, but for M. merlangus in the WBS the difference is less pronounced. Food consumption rates in the WBS differ between seasons, with the lowest food intake in the first 2 quarters of the year and the highest in the 3rd quarter. No differences in consumption rates were seen between males and females, which could be related to the more similar growth pattern seen for M. merlangus in the WBS.     

Annual variation in gobiid larval density in the northern Baltic Sea

The highest densities of gobiid larvae along the Finnish Baltic coast from 1974 to 1996 were found in the Åland Islands and the Archipelago Sea. The annual variation in gobiid densities was three-fold (from 1· 1 to 3·3 larvae m⁻²) with peak densities in the years 1977 and 1992 and the lowest density in 1987. No long-term trends in the density were found. The earliest gobiids were caught in the first half of May and the occurrence of larvae peaked at the end of June to early July.Within breeding seasons there was a positive correlation between water temperature at a depth of 1 m and the density of larvae. The density of larvae, however, did not correlate with mean summer temperature or the mean temperature of the previous summer. Instead larvae production was negatively affected by the severity of the previous winter as indicated by the maximum ice cover in the Baltic. The density of larvae was independent of larval density of the previous year suggesting that gobiid production primarily depends on the spawning stock size and may hence be regulated by density-independent factors.     

Diet composition and food consumption rate of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the western Baltic Sea

Stomach content composition and prey‐specific consumption rates of juvenile and adult harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were estimated from a data set including 339 stomachs collected over a 32 yr period (1980–2011) in the western Baltic Sea. The stomach contents were mainly hard parts of fish prey and in particular otoliths. The bias originating from differential residence time of otoliths in the stomachs was addressed by use of a recently developed approach. Atlantic cod and herring were the main prey of adults, constituting on average 70% of the diet mass. Juvenile porpoises also frequently consumed gobies. Here, the mass contribution by gobies was on average 25%, which was as much as cod. Other species such as whiting, sprat, eelpout, and sandeels were of minor importance for both juveniles and adults. The diet composition differed between years, quarters, and porpoise acquisition method. Yearly consumption rates for porpoises in the western Baltic Sea were obtained in three scenarios on the daily energy requirements of a porpoise in combination with an estimate including the 95% CLs of the porpoise population size. Cod of age groups 1 and 2 and intermediate‐sized herring suffered the highest predation from porpoises.     

Female ornamentation and egg carotenoids of six sympatric gobies

Belly colouration, gonad carotenoid concentration and skin transparency were quantified in gravid Gobiusculus flavescens, as well as in females of five sympatric gobies where belly ornamentation has not been described. Although G. flavescens females did, indeed, have far more colourful bellies than the other species, this could only in part be explained by a high concentration of total gonad carotenoids. Comparable, or occasionally higher, carotenoid levels were found in the gonads of other species. Instead, the unusual ornamentation of G. flavescens arises from a unique combination of carotenoid‐rich gonads and a highly transparent abdominal skin.     

First record of Kudoa (Myxosporea) in Pomatoschistus microps in the Rhône Delta, France

Myxosporidiosis due to Kudoa sp. has been recorded in gobies Pomatoschistus microps , collected from the Etang du Vaccarès (Rhône Delta, France).     

Seasonal and short-term variation in denitrification and anammox at a coastal station on the Gulf of Finland,Baltic Sea

Benthic processes were measured at a coastal deposition area in the northern Baltic Sea, covering all seasons. The N₂ production rates, 90–400 μmol N m⁻² d⁻¹, were highest in autumn-early winter and lowest in spring. Heterotrophic bacterial production peaked unexpectedly late in the year, indicating that in addition to the temperature, the availability of carbon compounds suitable for the heterotrophic bacteria also plays a major role in regulating the denitrification rate. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) was measured in spring and autumn and contributed 10% and 15%, respectively, to the total N₂ production. The low percentage did, however, result in a significant error in the total N₂ production rate estimate, calculated using the isotope pairing technique. Anammox must be taken into account in the Gulf of Finland in future sediment nitrogen cycling research. Handling editor: J. Cole     

波罗的海放线菌的多样性

摘要:【目的】为了探索海洋放线菌的多样性,为发现新的药物先导化合物提供新菌源,我们分析了波罗的海的放线菌多样性及生物活性。【方法】采集100 份底泥样品,用7 种培养基分离放线菌809 株;去掉相同菌株后,选择280 株代表菌进行了初步分类鉴定;采用琼脂扩散法,检测了它们对5 种细菌、真菌的抗菌活性;用API ZYM system 测定了21 种酶的活性。【结果】用海藻糖-脯氨酸培养基和HV 培养基分离的放线菌中,稀有放线菌占60% 和63% ;波罗的海的放线菌有15 个属,其中3 个属是首次从海洋中分离     

Geographical variation in Fucus vesiculosus morphology in the Baltic and North Seas

Effects of stress and disturbance on morphology, reproductive effort, size and sex ratio were studied for Fucus vesiculosus populations from the Baltic Sea at Askö and the North Sea on the west coast of Sweden at Tjäm[otilde]. High morphological variation was found between Fucus populations, with significant differences in length and weight of individuals, thallus breadth, number of branches and receptacles and receptacle weight, not only between Baltic and North Sea populations but also between populations within the same area, differing in wave exposure. With increasing disturbance, individuals in both studied populations were smaller and less branched. Differences were observed in plant size, with longer, broader and more branched plants being found in Askö compared with Tjärnö. Fucus populations at Tjämö allocated more biomass to reproduction and had longer, heavier receptacles than at Askö. Although the observed morphological changes may be partly explained by differences in wave exposure and salinity between the two sites, it is not possible to rule out genetic differences between the Baltic and North Sea populations. However, it is unlikely that the variations observed within the populations and between populations from the same area are genetically determined.     

布氏田鼠非取食性牧草消耗量的测定

布氏田鼠 (Ｍｉｃｒｏｔｕｓｂｒａｎｄｔｉ)为内蒙古典型草原区的主要害鼠之一[1,6 ,8,9] 其危害主要表现为与牛羊争夺牧草资源。因此 ,测定其牧草消耗量 ,是定量地衡量其危害程度 ,推算鼠害防治经济阈值的重要基础。在牧草生长季节 ,该鼠对牧草的消耗主要分为两个方面 ,即取食量和非取食性消耗量 (布氏田鼠咬断而未取食的部分牧草或者食物残屑 )。有关该鼠食性与食量的研究已有一些报道[2 ,3 ,5] ,但对该鼠的非取食性牧草消耗量则缺乏研究。为此 ,本文开展了这项工作 ,为定量估算该鼠的危害程度提供依据。1　材料与方法本项研究是于 1997…     

Identification of gobies (Teleostei: Perciformes: Gobiidae) from the North and Baltic Seas combining morphological analysis and DNA barcoding

Gobies are difficult to identify, as they are very similar in appearance. Here, we identified (sub)adult specimens of 12 goby species from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea by carefully analysing meristic characters, coloration patterns, papillae row patterns and morphometric measurements. The results of the morphological identifications were congruent with those obtained with the analysis of COI DNA barcodes; sequences from morphological conspecific specimens were clustered together in clades with bootstrap values ≥ 99%. Mean intra‐ and interspecific distance (uncorrected p) was 0.37 and 18.97%, respectively. A gap between the maximum intraspecific distance and the distance to the nearest neighbour was apparent in every species and ranged from 2.35 to 16.11%. The Barcode Index Number (BIN) analysis performed on the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) web platform, assigned the DNA barcodes to 12 separate clusters corresponding to sequence‐ and morphology‐based identification. In 25% of the investigated species, the BIN clusters showed taxonomic discordances, as they contained sequences assigned to more than one species. This result demonstrates the importance of accurate morphological species identification at the beginning of the barcoding pipeline. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London     

根据野外调查资料评估鱼类的日摄食量

基于海洋渔业资源常规调查和河口定置网取样资料 ,将调查期间同一鱼种各取样时刻的消化道 (或胃 )内含物量视为发生在 2 4小时内的同一样本空间的不同事件 ,根据消化道内含物的变动确定鱼类的不摄食时段以计算排空率。为定量早期幼鱼及消化系统复杂的鱼类消化道内含物重量 ,建立了空消化道重 (EDW ) -体长(BL) -体重 (BW )经验关系式 ,即EDW =α BWBLβ δ。应用Eggers模型或Elliott Persson模型对日摄食量进行评估。研究获得以下鱼类的日摄食量 (约占体重百分比 ) :渤海大面调查所获幼鱼 ,蓝点马鲛 (Scomberomorusniphonius,16 0 1± 1 96cm ,3 0 95± 12 3 2 g ,n =159) 13 5%、黄鲫 (Setipinnataty ,7 2 6± 1 99cm ,2 89±4 0 8g ,n =2 3 9) 15%、小黄鱼 (Pseudosciaenapolyactis ,6 84± 1 41cm ,6 94± 4 0 7g ,n =2 72 ) 13 5% ,斑(Konosiruspunctatus ,9 49± 0 91cm ,10 0 8± 3 2 8g ,n =10 7) 110 % ;河口定置网所获早期幼鱼 ,斑 (1 77± 0 2 1cm ,0 0 4± 0 0 2g ,n =50 5) 40 % ,黄鳍刺虎鱼 (Acanthogobiusflavimanus ,1 82± 0 16cm ,0 0 6±0 0 1g ,n =93 0 ) 15%     

Grazing of bacteria and phytoplankton by heterotrophic nanoflagellates in a Baltic Sea sample

Grazing by heterotrophic nanoflagellates on bacteria and phytoplankton was studied in a laboratory experiment, using a natural pelagic community originating from the Tvärminne sea area off the southern coast of Finland. Water was prescreened to remove larger grazers. Four experimental treatments were used: light and dark, with and without added nutrients. The growth of the large heterotrophic flagellates was stimulated by increased production of < 3 m phytoplankton. Clearance rates for heterotrophic nanoflagellates were estimated and were found to be within the range of previously reported values.     

Variability in food consumption rate of natural populations in the spider,Nephila clavata

Mean daily food consumption and total lifetime food consumption of the spider, Nephila clavata, were estimated in natural populations. Daily food consumption in the late adult stage was 27–150 mg wet weight, which was nearly equivalent or slightly larger than that in other large web-building spiders. Considerable variation in food consumption was found among habitats or years. The largest variation among habitats in the same year was 7 and 5 fold for daily and lifetime consumption, respectively, while that among years in the same habitat was 3.5 and 2.5 for daily and lifetime consumption, respectively. Feeding conditions evaluated from the food consumption per body weight of spiders declined during the period from mid-July to mid-September in almost all the populations, which suggested that they faced to severe food limitation in this period.     

Benthic zonation of the Eastern Gotland Basin, Baltic Sea

In this paper recent benthic biological studies in the Eastern Gotland Basin area of the Baltic Sea are summarised. A general pattern of vertical distribution of macrofauna is presented and special reference is made to sharp temporal changes in macrofauna of deeper, subhalocline areas of the basin. Information on faunal sediment reworking ability is compiled. The environmental factors driving benthic zonation are discussed and the vertical benthic zones are defined on the basis of their major biological and abiotic features. This analysis shows that due to sharp gradients in environment and clear differences in composition of macrofauna, the ecological functioning of the Eastern Gotland Basin benthic zones is clearly different. Therefore, in the biogeochemical models of benthic-pelagic interaction, these zones (together with water layers they underlie) should be treated separately, as different sub-systems.     

Selectivity of fishing gears used in the Baltic Sea cod fishery

The Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) plays a very significant role in the Baltic Sea ecosystem being the major fish top predator and the most important commercial species for the Baltic Sea fishing industry. Consequently the management and understanding of the exploitation pattern of the stock is of major importance. Technical regulations, improving the selectivity of cod, have been a major management strategy and the Baltic Sea is likely to be the area where most fishing gear selectivity studies, focussing on size selectivity, have been conducted over time. The methodology for conducting and analysing selectivity data has been significantly improved in recent years. The subject is reviewed since the choice of methodology can have a significant effect on the interpretation of the outcome of selectivity experiments. Factors affecting the selectivity of trawl and gill nets are considered. Alternative ways to improve the size and species selectivity of trawls using selective devices are reviewed. Selectivity parameters from available literature are listed and the correlations of selectivity parameters to the mesh size for different gears are estimated. The historical legislation on selectivity is reviewed and the expected selectivity for trawls is estimated. Management considerations concerning the mortality of escaping and discarded fish and wider management impacts have to be considered if improving selectivity. The review is ended by conclusions including reflections on needed research in the future.     

基于文献计量的居民食物消费碳排放研究进展及发展态势

食物是人类生存和发展的基础,然而城市化过程中食物消费产生的碳排放也影响着生态环境与人类福祉。双碳目标下,如何协调食物消费增长与低碳减排之间的矛盾,亟需从不同尺度制定绿色消费优化策略。基于此,从居民食物消费碳排放研究的发文态势、研究方法以及研究内容3个方面进行归纳和梳理。研究发现：①由居民食物消费引起的碳排放问题仍是未来学术界的研究热点之一;②从生产端、消费端及系统视角3个方面对居民食物消费碳排放概念和内涵进行理解,有助于界定碳排放核算边界;③目前居民食物消费碳排放核算的主流测算方法包括生命周期评价（LCA）、碳排放系数、投入产出分析（IOA）和物质流分析（MFA）方法这4种;④从碳排放分布特征看,国内外学者从不同尺度（全球、国家、地区、省域、城市）、不同方式（直接与间接）、不同环节（生产与消费等）、不同消费结构（植物型与动物型）等多角度对其进行探讨;⑤从影响机制来看,基于多尺度时空融合视角量化分析居民食物消费碳排放作用机理这一科学问题值得关注。因此,综合考虑人口、社会、经济等多要素,同时考虑空间异质性,识别居民食物消费碳排放关键机制,构建面向双碳目标的碳减排潜力情景并揭示不同情景下的碳减排贡献,将有助于提出最优的居民生活绿色消费模式。     

Broad-scale patterns of abundance of non-indigenous soft-bottom invertebrates in Denmark

Quantifying the broad-scale distribution and abundance of non-indigenous species (NIS) is necessary to provide accurate estimations on impacts of invasions, to prioritize research, and to guide national management. Sediment grab-sampling is a standardized method for monitoring marine benthos. In Denmark, ~45,000 grab-samples were collected from 1970 to 2005. Using these samples, we compared densities of NIS and native species among 27 broad spatio-temporal groupings. Eight known NIS and one ‘cryptogenic species’ (the polychaete Neanthes succinea) were found in the samples. Most were present in low abundance, but the bivalve Mya arenaria, likely introduced by the vikings from North America, was particularly abundant. M. arenaria was found in ca. 20% of all samples and was among the 10 most common species in all of Denmark. M. arenaria’s high abundance, high filtration capacity and importance in food-web interactions, suggest that this species has dramatically impacted shallow coastal ecosystems in Denmark. The polychaete Marenzelleria viridis, the gastropod Potamopyrgus antipodarum and N. succinea were also widespread and abundant, and they too are likely to have had broad-scale impacts. In conclusion, 28% of grab-samples collected in Denmark over 35 years were affected by some degree of NIS or cryptogenic species, suggesting that centuries of human-mediated transfer of organisms has had a profound impact on the ecology of soft-bottom systems in Denmark.