Behavioral thermoregulation by Ammocoete larvae of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in an electronic shuttlebox

Ammocoete larvae of the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus, a member of the primitive vertebrate class Agnatha, were tested for thermoregulatory behavior in an electronic shuttlebox (ichthyotron). The final preferendum derived from pooled data for 24 individually tested ammocoetes was characterized by a mean of 13.6 ± 0.17 (s.e.m.)°C, a mode and median of 140°C, and a range of voluntarily occupied temperatures from 10–19°C over a 3-day period.     

A phytosociological study of weed communities on the southwestern Coastal Plain of North Carolina

Summary The vegetation of cultivated, fallow and ‘old’ fields of Scotland County, N.C. was both randomly and subjectively sampled throughout the growing season of 1973. Relevés were placed in each of the above management units, and the data collected in this relevé analysis were sorted into phytosociological charts, with the aid of the digital computer. Weed associations delimited in the charts reflected the importance of edaphic factors, time (aspect), and man's agricultural activities as causal factors in the determination of characteristic assemblages of weeds. Several character and differential species were denoted, in a tentative classification of the weed associations. The cultivated and fallow stands in the spring aspect were noted to be dominated by a group of spring annuals. Summer annuals were more prevalent in homologous situations in the summer. It was determined that perennials, appearing mainly as seedlings in cultivated and fallow fields, attained dominance in ‘old’ fields, one to five years in age. Within each of the major spheres of management, and in each season, associations of weeds mainly reflected differences in edaphic factors. Many character species were noted to maintain affinities to an assortment of soil types that ranged from moist loams to xeric, sterile sands. A study of roadsides, hedgerows, field margins and other ecotonal areas inhabited by weeds was carried throughout the growing season of 1973, also. Species presence was documented in each of these habitat types and reported in Sharp (1974). The weed flora of Scotland County was found to be rich in species. A total of 506 species representing 248 genera and 80 families were encountered throughout the study. Of the total number of species listed, approximately 25 percent were of foreign origin, and 28 percent represented additions to the flora of Scotland County. This paper is the short version of a masters thesis for the Department of Botany, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The author would like to extend his appreciation and gratitude to Professors H. Lieth, A. E. Radford and J. Hardin for their generous advice and encouragement extended through the duration of the study.     

Biogeography of dinoflagellate cysts in northwest Atlantic estuaries

Few biogeographic studies of dinoflagellate cysts include the near‐shore estuarine environment. We determine the effect of estuary type, biogeography, and water quality on the spatial distribution of organic‐walled dinoflagellate cysts from the Northeast USA (Maine to Delaware) and Canada (Prince Edward Island). A total of 69 surface sediment samples were collected from 27 estuaries, from sites with surface salinities >20. Dinoflagellate cysts were examined microscopically and compared to environmental parameters using multivariate ordination techniques. The spatial distribution of cyst taxa reflects biogeographic provinces established by other marine organisms, with Cape Cod separating the northern Acadian Province from the southern Virginian Province. Species such as Lingulodinium machaerophorum and Polysphaeridinium zoharyi were found almost exclusively in the Virginian Province, while others such as Dubridinium spp. and Islandinium? cezare were more abundant in the Acadian Province. Tidal range, sea surface temperature (SST), and sea surface salinity (SSS) are statistically significant parameters influencing cyst assemblages. Samples from the same type of estuary cluster together in canonical correspondence analysis when the estuaries are within the same biogeographic province. The large geographic extent of this study, encompassing four main estuary types (riverine, lagoon, coastal embayment, and fjord), allowed us to determine that the type of estuary has an important influence on cyst assemblages. Due to greater seasonal variations in SSTs and SSSs in estuaries compared to the open ocean, cyst assemblages show distinct latitudinal trends. The estuarine context is important for understanding present‐day species distribution, the factors controlling them, and to better predict how they may change in the future.     

花鲈对不同饲料原料的表观消化率

试验以Cr2 O3 为指示物 ,以 70 %基础饲料和 30 %的待测饲料原料组成试验饲料 ,测定花鲈对红鱼粉、豆粕、花生粕、菜籽粕、肉骨粉和棉籽粕中干物质、粗蛋白、粗脂肪、能量和氨基酸的表观消化率。在水温 2 5± 1℃的试验条件下 ,花鲈对鱼粉、豆粕、花生粕的干物质表观消化率均在 6 0 %以上 ;对鱼粉、豆粕、花生粕和菜籽粕的蛋白质、脂肪的表观消化率都在 80 %以上 ;花鲈对能量的表观消化率变化范围在 16 99%— 83 96 %。测得每种原料的 16种氨基酸的表观消化率 :花鲈对原料氨基酸消化率的变化与对蛋白质消化率的变化相一致 ,除了赖氨酸、缬氨酸、蛋氨酸之外 ,花鲈对肉骨粉中氨基酸的利用率最低。花鲈对饼粕类原料中的含硫氨基酸 (如蛋氨酸 )的表观消化率低于其他氨基酸 ,对鱼粉中氨基酸利用率最低的为组氨酸 ,对肉骨粉中氨基酸利用率最低的为苏氨酸。     

A dynamic mass balance model for phosphorus fluxes and concentrations in coastal areas

This paper presents a general, process-based mass balance model (CoastMab) for total phosphorus (TP) in defined coastal areas (at the ecosystem scale). The model is based on ordinary differential equations and calculates inflow, outflow and internal fluxes on a monthly basis. It consists of four compartments: surface water, deep water, erosion/transportation areas for fine sediments and accumulation areas for fine sediments. The separation between surface water and deep water is not done based on water temperature, but on sedimentological criteria instead (from the theoretical wave base). There are algorithms for all major internal TP fluxes (sedimentation, resuspension, diffusion, mixing and burial). Validations were performed using data from 21 different Baltic coastal areas. The results show that the model predicts monthly TP in water and chlorophyll a very well (generally within the uncertainty bands of the empirical data). The model has also been put through sensitivity tests, which show that the most important factor regulating the predictions of the model is generally the TP concentration in the sea beyond the coast. The model is simple to apply, since all driving variables may be accessed from maps or monitoring programs. The driving variables include coastal area, section area (between the defined coastal area and the adjacent sea), mean and maximum depths, latitude (used to predict water temperatures, stratification and mixing), salinity and TP concentration in the sea. Many of the model structures are general and could be used for areas other than those included in this study, e.g., for open coasts, estuaries or tidal coasts, as well as for other substances than phosphorus.     

棉铃虫发生与北太平洋海温的遥相关 及其长期灾变预警

本文分析了山东郓城26年（1974～1999）、德州22年（1978～1999）和江苏丰县20年（1980～1999）棉铃虫百株累计卵量与北太平洋海温的遥相关关系及其时空动态规律,并选出相关显著程度P<0.05概率水平、空间分布范围较大、持续时间较长而稳定的组合作为关键预测因子组建了郓城、德州棉铃虫三代卵,丰县棉铃虫二代卵的预测模型,并筛选出最优长期灾变预警模型。结果表明：① 北太平洋海温场与棉铃虫种群数量消长存在显著或极显著的遥相关区域,其位置及范围随时间变化,但存在若干呈现出空间稳定性和时间持续性的大面积相关显著区域。② 郓城棉铃虫三代卵量和丰县棉铃虫二代卵量与北太平洋海温场的相关区分布形式很相似,与前两年1月份北太平洋月平均海温场存在大片相关显著的区域（35°～ 55°N,135°E～135°W）,持续时间达4个月之久;而德州棉铃虫三代卵量与前两年7～9月份北太平洋低纬度海温有大范围相关显著区（1°～17°N,165°E～120°W）。 ③ 用前两年1～11月份北太平洋海温场相关显著区内各格点的月平均海温距平的平均值做因子建立了棉铃虫长期灾变预警模型,预测检验结果表明：郓城棉铃虫三代卵6年（1994～1999）中报准5年,丰县棉铃虫二代卵5年（1995～1999）中报准3年,德州棉铃虫三代卵5年（1995～1999）全部符合。据此可提前20～27个月做棉铃虫的长期灾变预警。     

Microhabitat selection by tadpoles of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Buergeria japonica</Emphasis> inhabiting the coastal area

Microhabitat selection is particularly important to increase the survival rate and reproductive success of animals inhabiting heterogeneous environments. I investigated microhabitat selection of Buergeria japonica tadpoles inhabiting the stream in a coastal area to reveal how animals select their appropriate habitat under heterogeneous and unstable environments on the subtropical Okinawa Island of Japan. Tadpoles are sensitive to subtle environmental changes, and the mouths of streams in coastal areas that have intense environmental fluctuations such as desiccation and sudden changes in current velocity would be risky habitat for tadpoles. Tadpoles of B. japonica can inhabit both lotic and lentic systems. Field observations showed that, among six physical factors (water depth, water temperature, salinity, pH, current velocity, and substrate), current velocity and water temperature were key factors in microhabitat selection by tadpoles. It is likely that tadpoles stay at low current velocity sites to reduce the probability of being washed out to the sea by a sudden squall and that selection of warmer sites would accelerate development of tadpoles so as to escape the heterogeneous aquatic habitat sooner.     

The Influences of Environment, Mating Habitat, and Predation on Evolution of Pinniped Lactation Strategies

Seals have adapted their social systems and lactation strategies to marine environments that include open and ice-covered oceans, high and low productivity, extremes in seasonality, and ocean- and terrestrial-type predators. Different explanations for the variation in pinniped lactation systems have been proposed but tests of alternative hypotheses have not sufficiently accounted for phylogeny and body size. After controlling for this variation, I predicted that environment, mating habitat, and predation would yield a fuller explanation. Lactation traits, duration, pup growth rate, and fat content were significantly influenced by both body size and phylogeny, which together explained 20–69% of the variation. After controlling for this variation, initial results did not support the environment hypothesis, as no differences in lactation traits were found between species living in polar (≥60°N) versus equatorial (<60°N) environments. In contrast, seals that nurse in areas of Arctic sea ice contending with ice-hunting predators, such as polar bears, had relatively short lactation compared to species living in the Antarctic and more equatorial regions. Also, the availability of predator-free islands for terrestrial mating and parturition was related to a harem mating system, increased sexual size dimorphism (SSD), and slow juvenile growth rates, less fat in milk, and longer lactation. Using structural equation modeling, latitude and size of harems provided independent explanations for all three lactation traits. Thus, use of islands in ice-free waters, predation in Arctic ice-covered waters, and more milk fat in high-latitude seals together provided adequate explanations for the evolution of lactation diversity among pinnipeds.     

雷州半岛灯楼角珊瑚礁的生态特征与资源可持续利用

分布于雷州半岛西南部灯楼角的珊瑚礁,自海向陆可分为6个生态带,已鉴定出现代活石珊瑚(Scleractinia) 13科2 5属39种3未定种。该珊瑚礁位于热带北缘,附近人口密集,它的发育受自然因素和人类活动双重制约。气候方面,近4 2 a来的温度总体上升有利于本区珊瑚礁的发育,而台风活动对本区珊瑚礁可能有负面的影响;人类活动对本区珊瑚礁的影响表现为旅游业的快速发展与保护行动滞后威胁珊瑚礁、渔业和养殖业影响珊瑚礁、作为建筑材料使用而破坏珊瑚礁等3个方面。作为一种重要的海洋生态资源,本区珊瑚礁若得以科学保护,将具有广阔的可持续利用前景     

Evidence that Early Carboniferous ostracods colonised coastal flood plain brackish water environments

A study of the stable isotope composition (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) of biogenic (ostracod, mollusc) and authigenic carbonates in the Ballagan Formation, Lower Carboniferous of Scotland, coupled with evidence from sedimentology and associated fossil fauna and flora, supports the argument that this formation was deposited in a coastal flood plain setting, in brackish (0.5 < 30‰ NaCl) and hypersaline (> 40‰ NaCl) waters, but in the absence of persistent normal marine conditions. The oxygen isotope data from the Ballagan Formation divide into three clusters: a diagenetic field defined by low δ¹⁸O (< − 11‰ VPDB); an intermediary field (δ¹⁸O − 11‰ to − 9‰) composed of a mixture of known primary and secondary (diagenetic) carbonates; and samples within the range of − 9‰ to − 4‰ which, as far as we can ascertain, are largely unaltered. No samples give typical Early Carboniferous δ¹⁸O marine values. Average marine carbonates from Europe have δ¹⁸O between − 4‰ to − 3‰. The Ballagan Formation carbonates were probably deposited in evaporated freshwater and/or brackish water. This conclusion is supported by the presence of evaporites (gypsum, anhydrite, halite pseudomorphs) and common desiccation-cracked mudstone surfaces throughout the Ballagan Formation, suggesting conditions of fluctuating salinity in ephemeral bodies of water. The stable isotope data support the notion that the ostracod assemblages of the Ballagan Formation were colonising brackish water and hypersaline ecologies on a coastal flood plain during the Early Carboniferous, a stage of development that may have encouraged their colonisation of fully non-marine (limnetic) environments during the later Carboniferous. The ostracods include cytherellacean and kloedenellacean species known from marginal marine sites elsewhere, but probably tolerant of brackish water, podocopid species such as ‘Bythocypris’ aequalis that may have been adapted for brackish water settings on coastal flood plains (ephemeral lakes and lagoons), and paraparchitacean-dominated assemblages that may signal harsh (hypersaline or desiccating) environments.