Slow Growth and Lack of Recovery in Overfished Holothurians on the Great Barrier Reef: Evidence from DNA Fingerprints and Repeated Large-Scale Surveys

Abstract:  Commercially fished holothurians have important functions in nutrient recycling, which increases the benthic productivity of coral reef ecosystems. Thus, removal of these animals through fishing may reduce the overall productivity of affected coral reefs. To investigate the potential for recovery of overfished holothurian (  Holothuria nobilis ) stocks on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), we (1) conducted field surveys on 23 reefs after fishery closure, (2) modeled total virgin biomass and compared it with the total amount fished, and (3) estimated individual growth rates with a DNA fingerprinting technique. Two years after fishery closure, no recovery of H. nobilis stocks on reefs previously open to fishing was observed. Densities on reefs protected from fishing since the onset of the fishery in the mid 1980s remained about four times higher than on fished reefs. Based on density estimates and geographic information system data on the habitat area of each reef, we calculated that the virgin biomass (in the main fished area between 12° and 19°S) was about 5500 t and is now about 2500 t. The reduction is on the same order of magnitude as the total amount fished until 1999 (approximately 2500 t). The DNA analysis of repeated samples on three locations indicated high recapture rates of fingerprinted and released individuals of H. nobilis . Fitting growth curves with Francis's growth function indicated that medium-sized individuals (1 kg) grew 35–533 g /year, whereas large animals (2.5 kg) consistently shrank. Small animals (<500 g) were rarely observed. In combination, these data indicate that production of H. nobilis stocks is very low, presumably with low mortality, low recruitment, and slow individual growth rates. Consistent with anecdotal evidence, recovery of H. nobilis stocks on the GBR may take several decades, and we suggest a highly conservative management plan to protect both the stocks and the ecosystem.     

MODELKEY. Models for assessing and forecasting the impact of environmental key pollutants on freshwater and marine ecosystems and biodiversity (5 pp)

BACKGROUND: Triggered by the requirement of Water Framework Directive for a good ecological status for European river systems till 2015 and by still existing lacks in tools for cause identification of insufficient ecological status MODELKEY (http:// www.modelkey.org), an Integrated Project with 26 partners from 14 European countries, was started in 2005. MODELKEY is the acronym for 'Models for assessing and forecasting the impact of environmental key pollutants on freshwater and marine ecosystems and biodiversity'. The project is funded by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme. OBJECTIVES: MODELKEY comprises a multidisciplinary approach aiming at developing interlinked tools for an enhanced understanding of cause-effect-relationships between insufficient ecological status and environmental pollution as causative factor and for the assessment and forecasting of the risks of key pollutants on fresh water and marine ecosystems at a river basin and adjacent marine environment scale. New modelling tools for risk assessment including generic exposure assessment models, mechanistic models of toxic effects in simplified food chains, integrated diagnostic effect models based on community patterns, predictive component effect models applying artificial neural networks and GIS-based analysis of integrated risk indexes will be developed and linked to a user-friendly decision support system for the prioritisation of risks, contamination sources and contaminated sites. APPROACH: Modelling will be closely interlinked with extensive laboratory and field investigations. Early warning strategies on the basis of sub-lethal effects in vitro and in vivo are provided and combined with fractionation and analytical tools for effect-directed analysis of key toxicants. Integrated assessment of exposure and effects on biofilms, invertebrate and fish communities linking chemical analysis in water, sediment and biota with in vitro, in vivo and community level effect analysis is designed to provide data and conceptual understanding for risk arising from key toxicants in aquatic ecosystems and will be used for verification of various modelling approaches. CONCLUSION AND PERSPECTIVE: The developed tools will be verified in case studies representing European key areas including Mediterranean, Western and Central European river basins. An end-user-directed decision support system will be provided for cost-effective tool selection and appropriate risk and site prioritisation.     

底栖动物扰动对河床渗透性的影响研究

河床渗透性是影响地表水与地下水相互交换的重要因素,为探究底栖动物扰动对河床渗透性的影响,以渭河干流上5个研究点为例,通过对河床沉积物垂向渗透系数和沉积物粒度进行分析,再结合底栖动物的种类和密度,研究垂向渗透系数与底栖动物之间的相关性,以及底栖动物扰动对河床渗透性的影响.结果表明,沉积物成分分布以沙和砾石为主的草滩,渗透系数达到18.479 m·d-1,底栖动物的生物密度为139 ind·m-2;沉积物成分中粉沙和黏土占很大比重的眉县,渗透系数为2.807 m·d-1,底栖动物的生物密度为2 742 ind·m-2;沉积物粒度分布基本相同的眉县、咸阳、临潼和华县等4个渗透性较差研究点中底栖动物的生物密度和垂向渗透系数均差别较大,但是生物密度和垂向渗透系数呈显著相关性,其两者之间皮尔森相关系数r=0.987.不同研究点影响沉积物渗透性的主要决定因素不同,渗透性较强研究点主要为沉积物颗粒大小,渗透性较差研究点主要为底栖动物扰动;不同研究点内生物密度差别较大,不同生物种类差别也较大;底栖动物的生物扰动能够缓解细小沉积物的阻塞,以使弱渗透性河床沉积物的渗透性增强.     

Relationships between Sensitivity to Agricultural Intensification and Ecological Traits of Insectivorous Mammals and Arthropods

Abstract: We tested the hypothesis that variation in the sensitivity of animals to habitat change is explained by ecological traits (life‐history traits, trophic level, and mobility). We measured the sensitivity of insectivorous mammals (shrews and bats) and their prey (arthropods active at the soil surface and nocturnal aerial arthropods) to three aspects of agricultural intensification in a matched‐pair experimental design: increased use of agrochemicals (comparison of organic and conventional cereal crops, with pairing for the size of the boundary hedge), change in grassland management from hay to silage (with pairing for the size of the boundary hedge), and increased field size due to hedgerow loss (with boundary‐field comparisons as a proxy). We assessed the sensitivity of taxa as the difference in their relative abundance between pairs of high‐ and low‐intensity sites for each aspect of agricultural intensification. We used phylogenetically informed analyses to explore cross‐species relationships between our measures of sensitivity and seven ecological traits of animals (e.g., trophic level, mobility, and reproductive rate). Several traits were related to the sensitivity of animals to agricultural intensification. These traits were mainly associated with fast life histories (high reproductive output and low trophic level) and low mobility. Trophic level of adults was related to sensitivity to habitat change for all three aspects of agricultural intensification, but the direction of the relationship differed between the three aspects of intensification. The significance of the relationship between other ecological traits and sensitivity to intensification varied for the three aspects of agricultural intensification. Our results show that some ecological traits can be used to preselect taxa that are predicted to be sensitive to habitat change, and their sensitivity can be tested empirically for use as biotic indicator taxa. Understanding which traits are related to sensitivity to habitat change is vital because sensitivity is important in determining a taxon's ability to survive in dynamic environments.     

人工纳米材料对典型生物的毒性效应研究进展

纳米科技的快速发展及纳米材料的广泛应用导致纳米材料不可避免地释放到环境中。进入环境中的纳米材料可能会对环境中的许多物种,包括从微生物到更复杂的生物体及生物种群和群落,产生毒性作用,甚至会通过食物链传递,给生态系统带来潜在的危险。因此,纳米生态毒理学的研究引起了人们的高度重视。系统评述了纳米生态毒性的主要影响因素,以及纳米材料对单一生物(微生物、藻类、大型溞和鱼)、经食物链传递、在种群和群落水平上的生物毒性效应和纳米材料与环境中其他污染物结合产生的复合效应,最后在总结目前研究现状的基础之上,提出了纳米材料生态毒性效应还需深入研究的若干方面。     

The definition of species richness used by species sensitivity distributions approximates observed effects of salinity on stream macroinvertebrates

The risk of chemicals for ecological communities is often forecast with species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) which are used to predict the concentration which will protect p% of species (PC_p value). However, at the PC_p value, species richness in nature would not necessary be p% less than at uncontaminated sites. The definition of species richness inherent to SSDs (contaminant category richness) contrasts with species richness typically measured in most field studies (point richness). We determine, for salinity in eastern Australia, whether these definitions of stream macroinvertebrate species richness are commensurable. There were strong relationships (r² ≥ 0.87) between mean point species, family and Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera and Plecoptera species richness and their respective contamination category richness. Despite differences in the definition of richness used by SSDs and field biomonitoring, their results in terms of relative species loss from salinity in south-east Australia are similar. We conclude that in our system both definitions are commensurable.     

Sediment quality triad assessment of an industrialized estuary of the northeastern USA

The lower Passaic River in northern New Jersey (USA) has been heavily industrialized since the mid-nineteenth century and its shoreline and aquatic habitats degraded or destroyed. Similar to other urban systems, Passaic River sediments, both surface and buried, historically have contained elevated levels of numerous contaminants that may pose risks to ecological receptors and humans. Sediments from 15 stations in the lower Passaic River and 3 reference stations in the Mullica River in southern New Jersey were sampled in 1999 and characterized for chemical contamination, toxicity, and impairment of the benthic community. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence, degree, and nature of degraded surficial sediments in the area to support subsequent plans for restoration of the system. Results demonstrated that Passaic River sediments had concentrations of many organic and inorganic contaminants at levels significantly greater than the reference area and effect-based guidelines. Sediments were toxic to marine amphipods at 11 stations and the benthic assemblages were impaired relative to the reference area at all stations. The weight-of-evidence of this sediment quality triad (SQT) assessment indicates that impacts from multiple contaminants are occurring throughout the lower Passaic River and, that these impacts must be evaluated further and addressed as part of ongoing restoration initiatives for the river.     

土壤生态毒理风险评价中的陆生无脊椎生物标志物

综述了目前土壤生态毒理风险评价中常用的陆生无脊椎生物标志物,并对一些新的生物标志物作了简介。对目前研究的不足及今后需加强领域提出了建议。     

Experimental test of the effects of a non-native invasive species on a wintering shorebird

The abundance of nearly one-quarter of the world's shorebird species is declining. At the same time, the number of non-native species in coastal ecosystems is increasing rapidly. In some cases, non-native species may affect negatively the abundance and diversity of shorebird prey species. We conducted an experimental study of the effects of the introduced European green crab (Carcinus maenas) on prey consumption by wintering Dunlin (Calidris alpina) in a central California estuary. We placed green crabs and Dunlin sequentially in field enclosures and measured changes in density of benthic invertebrate prey (e.g. polychaetes and small clams), Dunlin biomass, and gut contents of both Dunlin and crabs and observed foraging behavior of Dunlin. Green crabs significantly affected Dunlin foraging success through both direct and indirect multitrophic linkages. In enclosures with high densities of green crabs, crab foraging reduced the availability of polychaetes, and Dunlin consumed significantly fewer polychaetes compared with Dunlin in enclosures without crabs. High densities of green crabs were also associated with increased availability of small clams. Dunlin consumed significantly more small clams compared with Dunlin in enclosures without crabs. In our literature survey of studies of effects of non-native invasive species on shorebirds, we found three prior experiments that addressed the effect of non-native invasive species on shorebirds. Results of two of these studies showed positive direct effects of non-native invertebrates on shorebirds, 1 showed negative direct effects of a non-native plant on shorebirds through habitat conversion, and none showed indirect effects of non-native invertebrates. We suggest future management of shorebirds explicitly examine how non-native marine species, particularly invertebrates, directly and indirectly affect shorebirds.     

辽东湾野生四角蛤蜊性畸变调查

为揭示辽东湾近海海域环境内分泌干扰物(EDCs)的生物效应与潜在生态风险,利用组织学方法系统调查辽东湾近海海域野生四角蛤蜊性畸变发生情况,并利用GC-MS/MS分析了组织体内典型酚类污染物包括壬基酚(NP)、辛基酚(Op)和双酚A(BPA)的浓度水平.调查结果表明:5月、6月和8月野生四角蛤蜊雌雄同体发生率分别为30%,20%和14%,软体部组织中NP浓度则分别为410.70,254.95,227.15ng/g dw(干重), BPA浓度分别为7.60,4.30,7.05ng/gdw,但是没有检出OP.研究结果表明环境EDCs已经影响了辽东湾海洋生物繁殖系统、并对区域海洋生态系统造成潜在风险.