Structure of Caribbean coral reef communities across a large gradient of fish biomass

The collapse of Caribbean coral reefs has been attributed in part to historic overfishing, but whether fish assemblages can recover and how such recovery might affect the benthic reef community has not been tested across appropriate scales. We surveyed the biomass of reef communities across a range in fish abundance from 14 to 593 g m⁻², a gradient exceeding that of any previously reported for coral reefs. Increased fish biomass was correlated with an increased proportion of apex predators, which were abundant only inside large marine reserves. Increased herbivorous fish biomass was correlated with a decrease in fleshy algal biomass but corals have not yet recovered.     

1株水产饵料用光合细菌粪红假单胞菌的分离筛选

从凡纳滨对虾池塘水样、底泥中分离光合细菌,依次通过菌株培养液性状、菌体粗蛋白含量、类胡萝卜素、氨基酸及辅酶Q种类和含量综合评价,筛选营养成分较丰富的菌株,为鱼虾贝类提供优良的开口饵料。试验共分离得到35株光合细菌,其中11株菌液均一、稳定且颜色鲜艳;9株菌粗蛋白含量高于60%;3株菌Rh16、Rh25、Rh34类胡萝卜素含量显著高于其他菌株(P0.05),必需氨基酸与总氨基酸的比值分别为41%、41%和40%,含有的泛醌种类为Q_(10),其中Rh16的Q_(10)含量最高,达6.49μg/mL,可以开发为水产养殖动物优良开口饵料。经培养形态、生理生化特征、16S rRNA基因序列鉴定及系统发育分析表明,菌株Rh16为粪红假单胞菌(Rhodopseudomonas faecalis)。     

The habitats exploited and the species trapped in a Caribbean island trap fishery

We visually observed fish traps in situ to identify the habitats exploited by the U.S. Virgin Islands fishery and to document species composition and abundance in traps by habitat. Fishers set more traps in algal plains than in any other habitat around St. John. Coral reefs, traditionally targeted by fishers, accounted for only 16 % of traps. Traps in algal plain contained the highest number of fishes per trap and the greatest numbers of preferred food species. Traps on coral reefs contained the most species, 41 of the 59 taxa observed in the study. Acanthurus coeruleus was the most abundant species and Acanthuridae the most abundant family observed in traps. Piscivore numbers were low and few serranids were observed. Traps in algal plain contained the most fishes as a result of: ecological changes such as shifts in habitat use, mobility of species and degradation of nearshore habitat (fishery independent); and, catchability of fishes and long-term heavy fishing pressure (fishery dependent). The low number of serranids per trap, dominance of the piscivore guild by a small benthic predator, Epinephelus guttatus, and dominance of trap contents overall by a small, fast-growing species of a lower trophic guild, Acanthurus coeruleus, all point to years of intense fishing pressure.     

玛曲渔场几种裂腹鱼类消化道的形态结构与其食性的相互关系

本文对玛曲渔场几种裂腹鱼类消化道的大体形态及显微结构进行了观察与比较,并对其结构与食性的关系作了初步探讨,结果如下:(1)这几种裂腹鱼类消化道的大体形态同林浩然(1962)报道的鲤科鱼类者一致,但显微结构差异甚大。与Mohsin(1961)报道的G.giurus鱼的显微结构相似。(2)各种硬骨鱼类分泌粘液的细胞组成不同,这种组成与食性有关。食道上皮除复层鳞形上皮外,还有复层柱状上皮。食道肌层的纤维走向与肠部者相反。(3)鱼类消化道的形态结构与其食性一致,主要表现在口腔、咽、食道和肠的长短方面。肠的显微结构,几乎没有对特有食性的适应变化。       

Electrofishing results corrected by selectivity functions in stock size estimates of brown trout (Salrno trutta L.) in brooks

To overcome the problems usually met as a consequence of small numbers of fish collected for trout stock size evaluation in small rivers, a selectivity function was developed and tested in two small rivers in western Switzerland. The function takes the form In E = bL ^−k where E is the fishing efficiency, L is the fish length in cm, k is a constant and b is the slope, estimated by regression analysis.
A good fit was obtained for k = 1 (R. Flon de Carrouge) and k = 2 (R. Cerjaule). Individual selectivity functions have to be computed for each survey, because they depend on the operators of the fishing gear and on the physical and biological conditions in the rivers.
The results are discussed in the light of the Petersen mark-recapture method and the De Lury removal method for stock evaluation. The mark-recapture method gives better results when time intervals between successive fish removals are short.     

Predicting the effects of exploitation on male-first sex-changing fish

Sex change is widespread among tropical marine fishes, many of which are targeted by fisheries. Conservation concerns have been raised that sex-changing species may be particularly prone to overexploitation by size-selective fishing. In the case of male-first sex-changers, populations may become egg limited if large females are disproportionately killed. However, if males reduce the size at which they change sex in response to higher female mortality, the population may still be sufficiently productive. We develop an age-based model to explore the effects of fishing on two types of male-first sex-changing fish: one with flexibility in size-at-sex-change and one without. These effects were compared with those of non-sex-changing populations with similar life-history and population characteristics. The model predicts that if male-first sex-changers cannot respond to elevated female mortality by adjusting their size-at-sex-change, the population will be more prone to recruitment limitation and extinction than non-sex-changers. These effects will be amplified as smaller individuals become susceptible to fishing mortality. However, if size-at-sex-change is flexible, sex-changers may be as resilient to fishing as non-sex-changers. Knowledge of a species' size-at-sex-change, and the mechanisms controlling it, should be fundamental to the selection of fisheries conservation strategies.     

Modifications to reduce bycatch in prawn trawls: A review and framework for development

The incidental capture of non-target species fromprawn trawling has recently attracted worldwide attention. Primarily, concerns arisefrom the perception that prawn trawls catch anddiscard large numbers of juveniles of species that,when larger, are targeted in other commercial andrecreational fisheries. While several managementoptions are available, the majority of fisheries inthe world have attempted to address this issue throughphysical modifications to trawls, designed to improveselectivity. The types of modifications used reflectfishery-specific characteristics; however, mostcan be broadly classified into twocategories, including: (1) those that separate speciesby differences in behaviour; and (2) those thatmechanically exclude unwanted organisms according totheir size. In the present paper, I provide achronological review of publications in the primaryliterature that describe experiments examiningmodifications within these categories. This reviewshows that inherent variabilities among differentfisheries greatly influence the types of designs thatneed to be applied and although some designs have thepotential for application across different fisheries,significant modification and re-evaluation are oftenrequired. By collating information from previousstudies, I also propose a framework encompassingthe various stages involved in developing and applyingsuccessful modifications in prawn-trawl fisheries. The key stages identified include: (1) quantificationof bycatches and accumulation of fishery-relatedinformation; (2) examination and re-evaluation ofmodifications; (3) assessment of damage inflicted onescaping individuals; and (4) promotion of recommendeddesigns.     

Diet and niche breadth variation in the marbled parrotfish,Leptoscarus vaigiensis,among coral reef sites in Kenya

Studies on feeding ecology of fishes are important for understanding ecosystem structure and function. This study tested the hypothesis of diet and niche breath variation in the marbled parrotfish (Leptoscarus vaigiensis) among coral reefs of different protection levels in Kenya. Fish samples were obtained from protected (Malindi and Watamu marine parks), moderately fished (Malindi and Watamu marine reserves) and highly fished (Vipingo and Kanamai) reefs. Total lengths of fish samples were measured and their stomach contents quantified using the point method. Seasonal dietary composition, niche breaths and feeding intensities were compared between the sites using multivariate statistics. Results showed the parrotfish is a predominantly reef macroalgal grazer. Fish from protected sites fed on diverse dietary items compared to those from reserves and highly fished sites. Fish niche breadths differed between sites and seasons. Higher niche breadths occurred in protected sites during the north‐east monsoon, while higher values occurred at fished sites during the south‐east monsoon season. This study, the first of its kind in Kenya and most of the western Indian Ocean, describes feeding in the marbled parrotfish and spatial variation in niche breadth as influenced by fishing pressure, environmental variability and biological interactions.     

污染土壤植物修复效率影响因素研究进展

为提高植物修复技术对污染土壤的修复效率,根据当今植物修复技术在污染土壤修复中的应用现状及发展趋势,对近年来国内外植物修复技术的各种影响因素进行分析。首先从污染物的理化性质及其交互作用、土壤与气象因子、植物种类及其根际效应以及栽培措施等方面,系统论述影响土壤中重金属污染物及有机污染物植物修复效率的主要因素,阐述植物添加剂对植物修复效率的影响。最后指出植物修复今后研究的重点:营造促进植物生长发育的环境,针对影响植物修复效率的各个因素对植物修复技术进行改良及强化,并合理应用植物添加剂,提高植物修复效率。