Spatiotemporal variation in benthic polychaetes (Annelida) and relationships with environmental variables in a tropical estuary

Annelida constitute a dominant functional component in soft-bottom macrobenthic communities and reveal a wide range of adaptability to different marine and coastal habitats. Analyses in different polychaete assemblages and their responses to habitat conditions reflect the biological effects of marine pollution and habitat disturbance. The present study is designed to study colonization and community structure of polychaetes in two ecologically distinct locations of the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve on the northeast coast of India. Polychaete assemblages are characteristically different at the two sites in the extreme northern (Ghusighata) and southern (Gangasagar) portions of the Biosphere Reserve. Levels of heavy metals in polychaete body tissues also reveal interspecific and regional variations. The predominant polychaete fauna exhibited a distinct and unique assemblage of two types: (i) Mastobranchus indicus – Dendronereides heteropoda in the sewage-fed substratum at Ghusighata and (ii) Lumbrinereis notocirrata – Ganganereis sootai – Glycera tesselata at Gangasagar at the mouth of the Hugli estuary where chronic anthropogenic stress and contamination with agricultural and industrial effluents occur. The faunistic composition of polychaetes and their potential for the accumulation of heavy metals from the ambient medium are distinctly different. The study demonstrates that textural composition of the sediments, together with hydrodynamic and geotechnical properties, seem to have the greatest control to quantify the differences of the polychaete community in the two study stations. An in-depth comparative study of polychaete community structure at multiple spatial scales is strongly recommended for future environmental impact assessment in this fragile environment.     

Trace metals in mangrove seedlings: role of iron plaque formation

Metal-rich mineral deposits on the roots of aquatic plants, denominated iron plaques, may moderate the uptake of essential, but potentially toxic metals by roots. We investigated the iron plaque formation on the fine, nutritive roots of mangrove seedlings growing in contrasting environments (oxidizing sand flat sediments and reducing mangrove forest sediments) in southeast Brazil. The results indicate that Avicennia schaueriana, Laguncularia racemosa, and Rhizophora mangle seedlings developed an efficient exclusion of Fe, Mn, and Zn through iron plaque formation. This process seems to be influenced substantially by species-specific responses to environmental conditions. While Fe and Zn translocation to leaves appear to be suppressed by accumulation within root tissues, this did not appear to occur for Mn, suggesting that Mn trapping in rhizosphere sediments and iron plaque formation are the main mechanisms responsible for the Mn exclusion from the organism level. In addition to factors well recognized as affecting mangrove seedling development (e.g., salinity stress and nutrient availability), the mediation of trace metal uptake by iron plaque formation possibly contribute to determine the seedling adaptability to waterlogged conditions.     

Phylogenetic relationships of Combretoideae (Combretaceae) inferred from plastid,nuclear gene and spacer sequences

Phylogenetic relationships of the subfamily Combretoideae (Combretaceae) were studied based on DNA sequences of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, the plastid rbcL gene and the intergenic spacer between the psaA and ycf3 genes (PY-IGS), including 16 species of eight genera within two traditional tribes of Combretoideae, and two species of the subfamily Strephonematoideae of Combretaceae as outgroups. Phylogenetic trees based on the three data sets (ITS, rbcL, and PY-IGS) were generated by using maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) analyses. Partition-homogeneity tests indicated that the three data sets and the combined data set are homogeneous. In the combined phylogenetic trees, all ingroup taxa are divided into two main clades, which correspond to the two tribes Laguncularieae and Combreteae. In the Laguncularieae clade, two mangrove genera, Lumnitzera and Laguncularia, are shown to be sister taxa. In the tribe Combreteae, two major clades can be classified: one includes three genera Quisqualis, Combretum and Calycopteris, within which the monophyly of the tribe Combreteae sensu Engler and Diels including Quisqualis and Combretum is strongly supported, and this monophyly is then sister to the monotypic genus Calycopteris; another major clade includes three genera Anogeissus, Terminalia and Conocarpus. There is no support for the monophyly of Terminalia as it forms a polytomy with Anogeissus. This clade is sister to Conocarpus. Electronic Publication     

海南岛东寨港红树林群落甲烷通量研究

 采用静态箱法对海南东寨港4个站位的5个红树林群落的土壤甲烷通量进行了研究,结果表明林地土壤平均甲烷通量为0.81mg·m-2·d-1。利用聚乙烯袋密闭法测定了6种红树植物叶片的甲烷通量,发现红树植物叶片具有吸收大气甲烷的效应。通过海莲(Bruguiera sexangula)红树林的研究还表明,林地土壤甲烷通量的日变化与林内潮水淹浸状况有关。海莲林不同滩面土壤甲烷通量的差异与土壤含水量有关。土壤甲烷通量的季节差异因植被类型或土壤性质不同而表现为两种形式。     

海南鸟东寨港港红树林群落甲烷通量研究

采用静态箱法对海南东寨港４个站位的５个红树林群落的土壤甲烷通量进行了研究,结果表明林地土壤平均甲烷通量为０．８１ｍｇ．ｍ＾－２．ｄ＾－１。利用聚乙袋密闭法测定了６种红树植物叶片的甲烷通量,发现红树植物叶片具有吸收大气甲烷的效应。通过海莲（Ｂｒｕｇｕｉｅｒａ ｓｅｘａｎｇｕｌａ）红树林的研究还表明,林地土壤甲烷通量的日变化与林内潮水淹浸状况有关。海莲林不同滩面土壤甲烷通量的差异与土壤含水量有关。土壤     

广西红树林蜘蛛群落研究

广西红树林区及其近邻非红树林生境共采集到蜘蛛８２种,隶属于１３科４９属,其中红树林区有１３科３２属５５种。红树林区以园蛛科、非红树林区以猫蛛科和狼蛛科种类所占比例较高。角腹艾蛛是红树林区的优势种。物种多样性和丰富度红树林区比非红树林区高。     

深圳福田两种红树林植物叶片分解研究

利用分解袋法研究两种红树林植物(秋茄、桐花)叶片在野外实地分解过程中的干物质和有机C、N、P变化情况.结果表明,秋茄叶片野外分解的速度要比桐花叶片快得多,初始非灰分物质干重(AFDW)损失一半所需的时间秋茄为12d,桐花35d左右.分解开始后,两种叶片的N含量均迅速上升,到达峰值后逐渐下降;而P含量则先略为下降,之后慢慢回升;叶片有机C含量则始终保持在相对较为稳定的水平上.试验的结果还表明,桐花叶片在红树林系统内沿潮汐梯度的不同滩面位置上分解时,各地点的分解速率间无显著差异.     

广东林业生态省建设与红树林保护

广东是我国红树林分布最多的省份之一,有红树植物17科31种,红树林湿地面积21 438.3hm²,主要分布在粤西,其次是珠江三角洲地区。红树林具有防灾减灾、净化环境、调节区域小气候、保护生物多样性等重要生态功能。在广东林业生态省建设中,保护和发展红树林被列为八大林业生态工程之一。本文对红树林的生态功能进行了具体分析;阐述了广东红树林资源分布现状、红树林在广东林业生态省建设中的作用以及保护、发展状况;指出目前红树林还面临围海造田、围海养殖、沿海城市化、废水污染等威胁,红树林保护任务艰巨;并就加强红树林保护提出建议。     

红树林恢复对海岸湿地土壤影响的初步研究

初步研究了不同林龄的再植红树林对海岸湿地土壤理化性质的影响。结果表明,红树林恢复对深层土壤(20～25cm)的影响强于表层(0～5cm);与光滩相比,红树林恢复对表层土壤的氧化还原性无显著影响,但导致20～25cm土层氧化性增强;再植红树林对土壤营养盐有明显吸收作用,其中NH₄⁺-N含量显著高于NO₂^--N和NO₃^--N,为主要吸收营养盐,PO₄^3--P含量虽与IN相当,但红树林对P的吸收并不明显;随着红树林恢复时间的延长(林龄增加),20-25cm土层的pH值显著下降,红树林酸化作用增强;各样地表层土壤SO₄^2-含量无显著差别,但恢复林地深层土壤明显高于光滩。     

珠海市淇澳岛红树林群落组成初步研究

本文研究了珠海市淇澳岛红树林的组成、群落类型、群落结构外貌、生态序列及红树林内的主要动物种类.初步调查结果显示:该地区有红树植物7科9种,半红树5科6种,红树林伴生植物4科8种,脊椎动物中鸟类10目20科46种.淇澳岛红树林群落类型主要有:秋茄-桐花树-老鼠筋群落、桐花树-芦苇群落、老鼠筋群落、无瓣海桑群落、木榄-银叶树群落.本文还针对珠海淇澳岛红树林湿地资源现状提出可持续发展建议.