Finding of the Hydromedusa Hydractinia minima (Trinci, 1903) (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Hydractiniidae) in Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

The first finding of the hydromedusa Hydractinia minima (Trinci, 1903) in plankton of Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan) is reported. The hydromedusae are 0.24–0.51 mm in bell diameter and 0.25–0.53 mm in height. The size characteristics of the nematocysts of this species (desmonemes and microbasic euryteles) are given. H. minima is present in the plankton of Peter the Great Bay from June through October at water temperatures of 16.4 to 22°C with the highest mean monthly density of 151 ind./m³. The finding of H. minima in Peter the Great Bay extends the area of this species in the North Pacific to the low-boreal subzone.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Biologiya Morya, Chaplygina, Dautova.     

Vertical distribution and germination ability of Alexandrium spp. cysts (Dinophyceae) in the sediments collected from Kure Bay of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

The vertical distribution of Alexandrium tamarense/ catenella (hereinafter Alexandrium spp.) cysts was investigated with special attention to living cysts filled with fresh protoplasm and empty cysts. In addition, based on the incubation experiments of Alexandrium spp. cysts, the germination ability of the cysts was examined. A sediment core 63 cm in length, collected from Kure Bay of the Seto Inland Sea, West Japan, in September 2000, was provided for an analysis on the vertical distribution of Alexandrium spp. cysts. Samples from every 1 cm interval depth from the top down to 13 cm depth of the same core were taken to examine the germination ability of the cysts. Results show that Alexandrium spp. cysts were continuously observed from 59 to 60 cm depth to the top. The cyst densities in the upper parts of the core (from 9 to 10 cm depth to the top) were much more abundant those that in the lower parts (below 10–11 cm depth). The relationship between living and empty cysts in each depth did not reveal a positive correlation with the sediment depth. Based on the sedimentation rate of the core sediment (approximately 1.6 cm/year), Alexandrium spp. cysts have been produced since 1962, and a remarkable increase of these cysts was observed from ca 1993. Such a rapid increase of Alexandrium spp. cysts has probably been as a result of dense blooms of A. tamarense occurring since 1992 in Hiroshima Bay, including Kure Bay. The germination of Alexandrium spp. cysts was observed in samples collected from the top to 12–13 cm depth of the core. It suggests that the Alexandrium spp. cysts can keep the germination ability for more than 8 years.     

Microbian Indication of Pollution of the Coastal Zone of the Sea of Okhotsk and Avacha Bay

The results of microbiological analysis of a number of microorganisms of various ecological–trophic groups in plankton microbial communities of some water areas of the Sea of Okhotsk and Avacha Bay are presented. The data were compared to the hydrochemical parameters (temperature, salinity, BOD₅, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, organic phosphate, detergents) determined simultaneously. The microbian indication method is used for express assessment of water pollution of the surveyed areas. The data demonstrated that Avacha Bay was subjected to heavier anthropogenic impact than the water areas of the ports of Kholmsk and Magadan.     

胶州湾菲律宾蛤仔生物量与资源评估

利用1998∽2003年胶州湾10个站中3个站的具有统计学意义的调查数据,对菲律宾蛤仔的生物量、生长期、年龄结构等进行了分析,从而对近期蛤仔的资源进行了初步评估。结果表明,蛤仔种群经过多年的增长延滞期之后,目前开始慢慢恢复。     

Nutrient pulsing as a regulator of phytoplankton abundance and community composition in Galveston Bay, Texas

Galveston Bay, Texas, is a large shallow estuary with a watershed that includes 60% of the major industrial facilities of Texas. However, the system exhibits low to moderate (2-20 μg l⁻¹) microalgal biomass with sporadic phytoplankton blooms. Both nitrogen (N) and phosphate (P) limitation of phytoplankton growth have been proposed for the estuary. However, shifts between N and P limitation of algae growth may occur due to annual fluctuations in nutrient concentrations. The primary goal of this work was to determine the primary limiting nutrient for phytoplankton in Galveston Bay. Nutrient addition bioassays were used to assess short-term (1-2 days) phytoplankton responses (both biomass and community composition) to potentially limiting nutrients. The experimental bioassays were conducted over an annual cycle using natural water collected from the center to lower part of the estuary. Total phytoplankton biomass increased in the nitrate (10 μM) additions in 11 of the 13 bioassays, but no significant increases were detected in the phosphate (3 μM)-only additions. Bioassay results suggest that the phytoplankton community was usually not phosphate limited. All major groups increased in biomass following nitrate additions but diatoms increased in biomass at a faster rate than other groups, shifting the community composition toward higher relative abundance of diatoms. The results of this study suggest that pulsed N input events preferentially favor increases in diatom biomass in this estuary. The broader implications of this study are that N pulsing events, primarily due to river discharge, play an important role in structuring the phytoplankton community in the Galveston Bay estuary.     

Age, distribution and abundance of viable resting eggs of Acartia pacifica (Copepoda: Calanoida) in Xiamen Bay, China

The distribution and abundance of viable resting eggs of copepod Acartia pacifica in Xiamen Bay, China, were determined in the laboratory by the presence of nauplii hatched from the sediments. Sediment cores to a depth of 30 cm, sliced at 1.0 cm intervals, showed that most viable resting eggs of A. pacifica occurred near the sediment surface (0-5 cm), and the number of viable eggs sharply decreased with depth of the sediment, although resting eggs remained viable as deep as 23 cm. ²¹⁰Pb analyses of the sediments indicated that the maximum age of viable eggs of A. pacifica was 20.5 years and the mean egg age was 4.3 years. The egg mortality of A. pacifica in the sediment was 0.1408 year⁻¹, or 85.92% annual egg survival, calculated by regressing ln(egg density) on the age of the sediment. The horizontal distribution of viable resting eggs ranged from 2.27×10³ to 3.85×10⁵ m⁻², with a mean value of 9.49×10⁴ m⁻². Regressions between viable eggs of A. pacifica and all fine-fraction particle size classes (at 2 μm intervals) were not significant. The accumulation of viable resting eggs that can persist for an extended period of time provided evidence for the existence of an egg bank of A. pacifica in the seabed of Xiamen Bay.     

Effect of time on the natural regeneration of salt marsh

Abstract. The effect of time on natural regeneration of two salt marshes was studied in relation to plant and edaphic factors. The study was carried out in two naturally restoring salt marshes, differing in restoration time, in Txingudi (Bay of Biscay). After 20 yr, the younger salt marsh had the same plant species richness and high species similarity as a 35 yr old salt marsh (17 and 16, respectively, similarity index = 0.9), but both sites had lower species richness and similarity than a nearby natural salt marsh (36 plant species and similarity indices of 0.45 with the 35 yr old marsh and 0.46 with the 20 yr old marsh). Plant species present in the two recovering salt marshes followed a similar distribution pattern in relation to organic matter, conductivity and moisture content although this zonation differed from the natural salt marsh. The range of edaphic factors measured was also similar, but differed from those in the natural salt marsh. The process of plant species recolonization and spatial distribution might be delayed by a low probability of species arrival and by the time need for the restoration of hydrologic and edaphic factors. This study supports the necessity of long‐term monitoring in measuring coastal salt marsh restoration.     

Effect of Temperature on Oxygen Consumption of the Leopard Shark, Triakis Semifasciata

The leopard shark, Triakis semifasciata, regularly resides in California's Tomales Bay, which is characterized by thermally different regions ranging from 10°C to 26°C during the summer. Past studies have shown that leopard sharks feed on benthic invertebrate prey similar to that of the sympatric bat ray, Myliobatis californica. Fishes' metabolic (oxygen consumption) rates typically increase with temperature increases, and we measured leopard sharks' metabolic responses and sensitivity to ambient temperature, using flow-through respirometry. Leopard shark oxygen consumption rate increased with increasing temperature, over a range of 12–24°C, with a typical temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀ = 2.51). Whereas bat rays use a highly temperature-sensitive metabolism to efficiently feed (in warmer waters) and digest (in cooler waters) during different phases of the diel cycle, leopard sharks possess a more typical metabolic temperature sensitivity that allows for high-tide foraging, throughout the diel cycle.     

农业景观中山体的植物多样性分布：地形和土地利用的综合影响

 农业景观中,山体是被广阔农田包围的生境岛屿,是生物多样性保护的重点地段。存在人类干扰时,决定山体植物多样性的主要因素不是面积、年龄和隔离程度,而是地形和土地利用。在这种情况下,从岛屿生物地理学的观点来理解生物多样性的分布规律是不合适的,因此本文采用直接对比分析方法对此进行说明。选择环渤海地区河北省遵化市（39°55′～40°22′ N, 117°34′～118°14′ E）境内的10个山体,从山顶到山底沿坡面设置样带。记录不同坡位的土地利用类型及宽度,分层调查各个土地利用类型的乔木层、灌木层和草本层物种丰     

大亚湾水域原甲藻调查与鉴定

对1998年至2000年在广东省大亚湾海域所采集的样品进行了观察和分析。发现有8种原甲藻(Prorocentrum);反曲原甲藻（Prorocentrum sigmoides),海洋原甲藻（P.micans)。三角棘原甲藻（P.triestinum)。具齿原甲藻（P.mexicanum)和原甲藻未知种（P.sp)。对它们的形态特征和生态分布进行了描述。