Community structure of an assemblage of tidepool fishes on a tropical eastern Pacific rocky shore, Colombia

The composition, abundance, species richness and diversity of a rocky intertidal fish assemblage in the central zone of the Pacific coast of Colombia were determined. From July to December 2002, 10 tidepools with volumes ranging from 0·087 to 1·350 m³ were surveyed. A total of 893 fishes belonging to 14 species and 12 families were found. The most abundant species were Bathygobius ramosus and Abudefduf concolor , representing 71% of all fishes collected. Bathy gobius ramosus , Malacoctenus zonifer and Gobiesox adustus were residents, Abudefduf concolor , Abudefduf troschelii , Microsphatodon bairdii , Chaenomugil proboscideus , Halichoeres aestuaricola and Echidna nocturna were transients, and Apogon dovii , Sargocentron suborbitalis , Cerdale sp, Rypticus nigripinnis and Ctenochaetus marginatus were considered as accidental visitors. The temporal and spatial variation of assemblage structure was tested. The fish assemblage structure did not differ between months and there was not a clear relationship between tidepool surface area and depth, and community variables. Diversity and species richness were negatively correlated with tidepool height. It is suggested that the tidepool assemblage was stable and resilient in time on short (annual) scales. The constancy in time and space could have been a consequence of eurytopic features of the organisms and the lack of drastic seasonal changes in the tropics.     

On the circulation in the Puerto Morelos fringing reef lagoon

For a period of 22 months beginning in September 2003, an array of four current profilers were deployed on the Puerto Morelos fringing reef lagoon, a microtidal Caribbean environment characterised by the influence of the Yucatan Current (YC) and a Trade Wind regime. The dataset includes water currents, bottom pressure, and surface waves complemented with coastal meteorological data and surface currents from an acoustic Doppler current profiler moored 12 km offshore. Normal circulation conditions consisted of a surface wave-induced flow entering the lagoon over a shallow reef flat and strong flows exiting through northern and southern channels. This wave induced flow was modulated by a low-frequency sea level change related to a geostrophic response to the YC variability offshore, with tidal and direct wind forcing playing additional minor roles. Under extended summer low-wave height conditions, together with a decrease in sea level from the intensification of the offshore current, the exchange of the lagoon with the adjacent ocean was drastically reduced. Under normal wave conditions (H _S = 0.8 ± 0.4 m, mean ± SD), water residence time was on average 3 h, whereas during Hurricane Ivan’s extreme swell (H _S = 6 m) it decreased to 0.35 h.     

Lakeside reed border characteristics at Lake Constance (Untersee): A comparison between 1981–1983 and 1994

Eutrophication and the associated proliferation offilamentous algae were often considered importantcauses of reed die-back that occurred in the sixtiesand seventies at Lake Constance. According to thishypothesis the reduction in lake water nutrientconcentrations during the eighties and nineties shouldhave reduced the abundance of filamentous algae andwhich should have reduced the supposed mechanicalimpact of filamentous algae on the lakeside reedstands. To examine whether this had actually occurred,the condition of the lakeside reed border at LakeConstance (Untersee) was surveyed in 1994 and resultswere compared to those of similar surveys carried outin the years 1981–83. The extent of mechanical damageto reed stalks, the amount of macrophyte wash and thedegree of shoreline erosion were assessed forshoreline segments of 25 m along a total shorelinelength of 65 km. The results showed that mechanicaldamage to reed stalks was generally higher in 1994than in 1981–83, while macrophyte wash and shorelineerosion were generally less severe. The decreasedamount of macrophyte wash was associated with a changein macrophyte species composition from a dominance offloating filamentous algae to a dominance of rootedPotamogetonaceaeand fragile Characeae,and therefore probably was due to the lower nutrientconcentrations of the lake. The opposite trends foundfor mechanical damage to reed stands and the amount ofmacrophyte wash between 1981–83 and 1994, as well asthe absence of relation between the two variables in1994, suggested that macrophyte wash had only a minoreffect on the condition of lakeside reed stands atLake Constance. Highly damaged reed stands and erodedcliffs were often located at wind exposed sites orclose to highly frequented shipping routes in 1994,suggesting that mechanical stress from waves wasresponsible for the damage. Due to the lakewardprogression of reed stands during the early nineties,reed stalks were, on average, located in deeper waterin 1994 than in 1981–83. This might have strengthenedthe mechanical stress from wave action even more andhave caused the higher frequency of mechanical damageto reed stalks. Other causes of damage such asmacrophyte wash, roosts of birds or bird swarmsprobably played a minor and only local role.     

异龙湖湖滨带不同环境梯度下土壤养分空间变异性

随着环境梯度的变化,生态系统的特征会发生明显的变异,土壤是其重要的表征要素。以纵向岭谷区红河流域异龙湖湖滨带为案例,运用多种统计分析方法对其不同环境梯度下土壤单个养分指标和土壤养分综合质量的空间分布特征进行了研究,结果表明：在北部湖滨坡地,海拔对土壤养分空间分布的影响并不十分显著,而坡位对其影响较大;北部湖滨农田土壤,水分梯度对钾的影响较大,全氮和有机质则一部分受水分梯度影响,另一部分受径流作用的影响;异龙湖湖滨带土壤养分综合质量指数大小的排序为：南部湖演农田〉北部湖滨农田〉北部湖滨坡地）南部湖滨坡地。还探讨了不同环境因子对单个土壤养分指标和土壤养分综合质量的影响,其中,气温、湿度、坡向和坡型对土壤中磷空间分布的影响较大,土壤含水量、坡度和海拔对土壤有机质、全氮和全钾的影响较大;土壤含水量即水分梯度对土壤养分综合质量影响最大。     

The Response of Experimental Rocky Shore Communities to Nutrient Additions

The aim of this study was to determine whether the experimental nutrient enrichment of littoral rocky shore communities would be followed by a predicted accumulation of fast-growing opportunistic algae and a subsequent loss of perennial benthic vegetation. Inorganic nitrogen (N) and potassium (P) was added to eight concrete mesocosms inhabited by established littoral communities dominated by fucoids. The response to nutrient enrichment was followed for almost 2 1/2 years. Fast-growing opportunistic algae (periphyton and ephemeral green algae) grew significantly faster in response to nutrient enrichment, but the growth of red filamentous algae and large perennial brown algae was unaffected. However, these changes were not followed by comparable changes in the biomass and composition of the macroalgae. The biomass of opportunistic algae was stimulated only marginally by the nutrient enrichment, and perennial brown algae (fucoids) remained dominant in the mesocosm regardless of nutrient treatment level. Established rocky shore communities thus seem able to resist the effects of heavy nutrient loading. We found that the combined effects of the heavy competition for space and light imposed by canopy-forming algae, preferential grazing on opportunistic algae by herbivores, and physical disturbance, succeeded by a marked export of detached opportunistic algae, prevented the fast-growing algae from becoming dominant. However, recruitment studies showed that the opportunistic algae would become dominant when free space was available under conditions of high nutrient loading and low grazing pressure. These results show that established communities of perennial algae and associated fauna in rocky shore environments can prevent or delay the accumulation of bloom-forming opportunistic algae and that the replacement of long-lived macroalgae by opportunistic species at high nutrient loading may be a slow process. Nutrient enrichment may not, in itself, be enough to stimulate structural changes in rocky shore communities.     

Spatial patterns of abundance and growth of Mytilus edulis on boulders in the Northern Baltic Sea proper

Small scale spatial patterns of abundance, growth and condition of the mussel Mytilus edulis on sub-littoral boulders (approx. 1–2 m high) were investigated at the island of Askö in the northern Baltic proper. The effect of side (exposed/sheltered with respect to wave action and sunlight) of boulder and position (up/down) on boulder was investigated. A large spatial variability in abundance of M. edulis between boulders and between various sites within boulders were found. The highest numbers of mussels were found on the wave exposed side, near the top of boulders. Shell growth was favoured by a sheltered side and a down position. The body condition (meat weight/shell weight) of mussels was, on the other hand, affected only by position, the condition of mussels being better at the up position. Consequently, there seems to be temporal differences in the condition for growth within a spatial position. The body condition of the mussels was best near the top of boulders in the spring, but long-term shell growth was favoured by a sheltered side and a down position. This may reflect changes in the composition and availability of food during the year with phytoplankton as the major food source during the spring bloom and resuspension of benthic production and detritus as relatively more important during the rest of the year.     

Role of colonization in spatio-temporal patchiness of microgastropods in coralline turf habitat

The ability of benthic macrofauna to disperse and colonize new habitats throughout their life may contribute substantially to small-scale patchiness in abundances in different habitats. Microgastropods in coralline turf on rocky shores in Australia are very patchy in abundance at different spatio-temporal scales. They therefore represent an ideal assemblage for testing hypotheses about processes of colonization. Patterns and rates of colonization of 10 species of microgastropods were investigated in one intertidal habitat (coralline turf) in Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia, using artificial substrata, which are considered to be a good mimic of natural coralline turfs. The experiment was designed to test the hypotheses that (1) patterns (abundance of colonizing individuals) and mode (juveniles vs. adults) of colonization depends on the proximity of a patch to a potential source of dispersing colonists (i.e. patch of natural coralline turf), (2) different species show different rates of colonization, and (3) patterns of succession are not repeatable among different patches of natural algae. Seven different plots (natural patches of coralline turf) were randomly chosen in the area of study. Artificial units (called patches) were placed at different distances around each plot (within the plot and 0, 50 or 100 cm away from the edge). Samples were collected 6, 13, and 27 days after the experiment started. Colonization was rapid (i.e. within 6 days) for most species. Pattern (number of individuals) and mode of colonization (adults vs. juveniles) varied among algal plots. Most species responded differently across patches causing no consistent patterns of colonization. Furthermore, patterns of colonization of artificial units were not always synchronous with, or in the same direction as, changes in abundances in the nearest algal plots, which themselves showed no consistent spatio-temporal pattern.     

Strong patterns of head orientation in Patella spp. of the UK

Patellogastropod limpets are a widespread and extensively studied taxa, and yet comparisons between species and geographic regions are rare; instead, results are often generalized across these differences. This study investigated patterns of head orientation in Patella species at four locations in the UK. The proportion of downwards facing limpets was also compared between areas in two locations with and without barnacles. Regardless of location, there was a strong downwards bias in orientation and the proportion of downwards facing limpets did not differ in the presence of barnacles. The results are compared with patterns of orientation exhibited by the Australian patellogastropod Cellana tramoserica; this suggests that malacologists should be more cautious in extrapolating patterns of behaviour and distribution between species of patellogastropods and across regions.     

A microstructural study of the pleon‐holding mechanism in Carcinus maenas (Decapoda,Brachyura, Portunoidea,Carcinidae) of different sizes

Within the Brachyura there are a variety of specialized holding mechanisms, which facilitate the close attachment of the highly reduced pleon underneath the cephalothorax. The most common mechanism in eubrachyurans, known as the press‐button, consists of a sternal protrusion and a corresponding pleonal socket. Reports on the microstructural properties of the surface of these holding structures are scarce and patchy. In this study, the European Green Crab Carcinus maenas , is used as model to describe the microstructure of a typical press‐button mechanism with the use of scanning electron microscopy and light microscopic histology. A highly tuberculate cuticle and an apical ridge on the sternal knob are found in juveniles of both sexes. The microstructures are lost in adult males. In adult females, the holding structures themselves are reduced, but never completely lost. These findings show that C. maenas does not undergo a single “final puberty moult,” after which all juvenile characteristics are lost, as previously assumed. Further comparison of the morphology of juveniles to another species indicates a close resemblance of the holding structures at this stage. Therefore, the use of the microstructure of the pleon‐holding mechanism for phylogenetic analysis is restricted to adult specimens.     

Vulnerability to climate warming and acclimation capacity of tropical and temperate coastal organisms

Ecological forecasting on the likely impacts of climate warming is crucial at a time when several ecosystems seem to be responding to this environmental threat. Among the most important questions are: which are the most vulnerable organisms to climate warming and where are they? Recently, there has been debate on whether the tropics or temperate zones are more vulnerable to warming. Vulnerability toward higher temperatures will depend on the organisms’ thermal limits and also on their acclimation capacity, which remains largely unknown for most species. The aim of the present work was to estimate (1) the upper thermal limits (Critical Thermal Maximum (CTMax)), (2) the warming tolerance (CTMax – Maximum Habitat Temperature) and (3) the acclimation capacity of tropical and temperate rocky shore organisms. Differences in biological groups (decapod crustaceans vs fish) were investigated and the effect of region (tropical vs temperate) and habitat (intertidal vs subtidal) was tested. Overall, 35 species were tested. For the assessment of the acclimation capacity, tropical-temperate pairs of closely related species of shrimp, crab and fish were selected. Warming tolerance was higher for temperate species than for tropical species and higher for subtidal species than for intertidal species, confirming that species with the highest thermal limits have the lowest warming tolerance. All species tested presented some acclimation capacity (CTMax_Trial − CTMax_Control), with the exception of gobiid fish, which was not observed to acclimate. The tropical species tested showed a lower acclimation capacity than their temperate counterparts. Given that tropical rocky shore organisms are already living very close to their thermal limits and that their acclimation capacity is limited, it is likely that the impacts of global warming will be evident sooner in the tropics than in the temperate zone.