江苏海门蛎岈山牡蛎礁生态现状评价

基于2013—2014年间的生态调查结果,评价了江苏海门蛎岈山牡蛎礁的生态现状。无人机航拍结果显示,江苏海门蛎岈山分布有750个潮间带区牡蛎礁斑块,总面积约为201519.37 m2;与2003年相比,海门蛎岈山牡蛎礁面积约下降了38.8%。活体牡蛎的平均盖度约为66%,2013年5和9月熊本牡蛎Crassostrea sikamea的平均密度分别为(2199±363)个/m2和(2894±330)个/m2。2013年5月海门蛎岈山熊本牡蛎种群的平均肥满度(CI)和性腺指数(GI)分别为(9.76±0.95)%和(1013±82)mg/g,均显著低于浙江象山港养殖的熊本牡蛎种群(P0.05)。海门蛎岈山熊本牡蛎的单倍体多样性和核苷酸多样性指数分别为0.119和0.00028,均高于长江口野生种群和浙江象山港养殖种群。海门蛎岈山熊本牡蛎种群受到尼氏单孢子虫(Haplosporidium nelson)的轻度浸染,其感染率(17.2%)低于浙江象山港养殖群体(47.3%)。泥沙沉积和人类捕捞是江苏海门蛎岈山牡蛎礁面临的主要胁迫因子,今后牡蛎礁恢复的重点是增加附着底物的数量。

Ecological status of a natural intertidal oyster reef in Haimen County, Jiangsu Province

Oyster reefs are important coastal habitats because they provide ecosystem services such as water filtration, habitat provision, shoreline stabilization, and nutrient retention. The Liyashan oyster reef is located inshore of the Dongzhao Port, Haimen County, Jiangsu Province, and it is a natural intertidal reef. The oyster reef supports abundant species and high fishery production, and it is a major spawning ground for the roughskin sculpin, Trachidermus fasciatus, which is listed as a second-grade state protection animal. However, there is limited information on the ecological status of the natural oyster reef. In this study, we mapped the reef footprint and monitored oyster populations (species, density, biomass, size-frequency, body condition, genetic diversity, and parasite infection) at the Liyashan oyster reef on the basis of field investigations conducted in 2013 and 2014 and compared the metrics to those of farmed oysters. Aerial photos obtained using an unmanned plane indicate that the natural oyster reef is composed of 750 intertidal reef patches, and the area of a patch ranges from 0.98 m² to 16330 m². The total area of the intertidal reef is approximately 0.201 km². However, the aerial footprint of the natural reef has declined by approximately 39% in the past decade because of sedimentation. Mean cover for live oysters was 66%, and mean densities of the oyster Crassostrea sikamea were between 2199 and 2894 ind./m². The percentage of oyster spats with respect to size-frequency distribution was greater in September than in May, showing high recruitment of oyster larvae in the summer. Mean flesh content, condition index, and gonad index of C. sikamea were (32.15±1.80)%, (9.76±0.95)%, and (600±116) mg/g, respectively. These values were significantly lower at the Liyashan natural oyster reef than at nearby aquaculture sites ((36.50±2.34)%, (15.24±1.04)%, and (1013±82) mg/g, respectively) in Xiangshan Bay, Zhejiang Province. Haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity index of the C. sikamea population at Liyashan were 0.119 and 0.00028, respectively, and were greater than the values observed at the aquaculture sites. The oyster population had been slightly infected by the parasite Haplosporidium nelsoni, and the infection frequency (17.2%) was lower at the natural reef than at the aquaculture sites (47.3%). The natural oyster reef is rapidly degrading because of heavy sedimentation. The oyster population at the reef had lower body condition, greater genetic diversity, and lower gonad index and parasite infections than those at the aquaculture sites. To protect this important biogenic reef, greater restoration efforts should be initiated to promote the oyster population and reef functions by supplementing hard substrates.