Metabolism and model of an estuarine bay ecosystem affected by a coastal power plant

The effects of a coastal power plant on an outer estuarine bay ecosystem on the west coast of Florida were evaluated with measurements and an ecological model. Field measurements of community metabolism and biomass were taken from the thermally affected bay and from similar control bays. Model simulations were used to help understand these observations in terms of ecosystem structure and functioning.In the outer discharge bay the direct impact of the thermal plume was diluted and spread overlarge areas. The ecosystem developed structure and functions with lower biomass than in the control bays but with slightly faster rates of organic turnover. The productive turnover time of producer biomass during the summer was about 5 days in the discharge bay and about 6 days in the control bays. Power plant influence on total community metabolism was small with less than 10% difference in annual averages between the discharge and control bays (5.22 and 5.58 g O₂/m²/day). The selection for faster metabolic turnover rates in the discharge by was evidenced by a dominance of plankton metabolism over benthic metabolism. The annual average gross planktonic production was around 3 g O₂/m²/day in the discharge bay and around 2 g/m²/day in the control bays.In the model, temperature served as a stimulant to both productivity and respiration. When the isolated effects of increased temperature were simulated the model responded with lower producer biomass and faster rates of organic turnover, as was found in field measurements. These simulations also showed increased nutrient recycling and indicated patterns of temperature-induced migrations. Since power plant operation affected water exchange in the bays, several levels of total water exchange were simulated. These simulations indicated the importance of water exchange as a stabilizing factor, especially for sensitive compartments with rapid turnover rates (i.e. plankton and phosphorus stocks). Simulations of the effects of future power plant units on the bay ecosystem showed no large changes in total metabolism but indicated larger effects of plankton entrainment mortality and temperature-induced migrations of larger organisms.     

Marine ecological habitat: a case study on projected thermal power plant around Dharamtar Creek, India

Estuaries and tidal creeks, harboring mangroves particularly, face tremendous anthropogenic pressures. Expansion of mega cities and the thermal power plants are generally proposed in the vicinity of estuaries and creek, due to the feasibility of intake and discharge of water for cooling. Discharges from such developments remain constant threat of increasing thermal pollution and affecting the quality of environment. The baseline information on prevailing quality of aquatic environment comes handy for understanding alterations due to such activities. Principle component analysis (PCA) revealed that temperature, pH, salinity, suspended solids, DO, BOD and phaeophytins are major parameters influencing the creek system. Heated effluents may have direct and adverse impacts on these parameters, altering biotic constituents. Hence, periodic and detailed observations are necessary to estimate exact response of biotic communities to changing environment. The present paper is based on case study, projecting a power plant in the vicinity of major mangrove habitats of Dharamtar creek.     

大型火电厂热排放对环境气温增高的贡献检测

利用1960—2009年的年月平均气温观测资料,分析了被检站和参考站的年、季变化趋势特点,着重研究了大型火电厂的热排放对当地气温的影响程度和相对贡献比例。从增温趋势看,被检站和参考站年平均气温增温速率分别为0.33～0.48℃？10a和0.21～0.33℃？10a,年热排放增温率为0.11～0.20℃？10a。热排放引起的四季增温速率为春秋强,冬季次之,夏季最小。火电厂的热排放对当地气温增温的贡献显著,表现为夏季最大,春秋季次之,冬季最小,对年平均气温序列的增温贡献率为31%～49%。     

Parasite facilitates plant species coexistence in a coastal wetland

Outbreaks of infectious agents in natural ecosystems are on the rise. Understanding host-pathogen interactions and their impact on community composition may be central to the conservation of biological diversity. Infectious agents can convey both exploitive and facilitative effects that regulate host populations and community structure. Parasitic angiosperms are highly conspicuous in many plant communities, and they provide a tractable model for understanding parasite effects in multispecies communities. I examined host identity and variation in host infectivity of a holoparasitic vine (Cuscuta salina) within a California salt marsh. In a two-year parasite removal experiment, I measured the effect of C. salina on its most frequent host, a rare hemiparasite, and the plant community. C. salina clearly suppressed the dominant host, but rare plant fitness and plant species diversity were enhanced through indirect effects. Priority effects played a role in the strength of the outcome due to the timing of life history characteristics. The differential influence of parasites on the fecundity of multiple hosts can change population dynamics, benefit rare species, and alter community structure. The continuum of negative to positive consequences of parasitic interactions deserves more attention if we are to understand community dynamics and successfully restore tidal wetlands.     

Population structure and feeding deterrence in three shallow-water antarctic soft corals

Alcyonium paessleri and Clavularia frankliniana are numerically abundant soft corals in the nearshore (12 to 33 m depth) benthic communities of eastern McMurdo Sound. They are much less abundant in western McMurdo Sound where a third species, Gersemia antarctica, co-occurs in low numbers. The body tissues of these three species are comprised mainly of organic material (53 to 70% dry wt), which is primarily dervied from NaOH-soluble protein and refractory material. The energetic contents of the whole-body tissues of A. paessleri, C. frankliniana and G. antarctica are 15.9, 17.3, and 14.5 kJ g^-1 dry wt, respectively. The mean biomass per individual is 1.81, 0.008, and 45 g dry wt for each respective species. Based on population densities of 7.3, 1337.3, and 0.04 soft corals m^-2 for A. paessleri, C. frankliniana and G. antarctica, respectively, the population energetic densities are estimated to be 210.1, 185.1, and 26.1 kJ m^-2. Despite the relatively rich energetic content of the tissue and apparent vulnerability to predators, very little predation occurs on these soft corals. Two potential predators, the antarctic sea stars Perknaster fuscus and Odontaster validus, exhibited significant chemotactic defensive tube-foot retractions to hexane, chloroform, methanol, and aqueous methanol extracts of each soft coral. In addition, wholebody tissue of each soft coral was rejected by the demersal fish Pseudotrematomus bernacchii and the cryopelagic fish Pagothenia borchgrevinki. In contrast, whole soft-coral tissues sequentially extracted in four increasingly polar solvents were readily ingested by these antarctic fishes, indicating that sclerites do not play a significant role in deterring predators. Our results indicate that these antarctic soft corals contain bioactive compounds which deter common predatory seastars and fishes.     

Molecular characterisation of high-strength polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading and phenol-tolerant bacteria obtained from thermal power plant wastewater

This article reports the successful isolation and molecular characterisation of nine different phenol-tolerant and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading Gram-positive bacterial species of diverse genera from the effluents of various industries. Based on similarity matrix studies, isolates Corynebacterium sp. DST1, Lysinibacillus sp. and Planococcus sp. showed<97% similarity, suggesting the possibility of new species in their respective genera.     

Life cycle, seasonal vertical distribution and feeding of Calanus finmarchicus in Skagerrak coastal water

 Day/night zooplankton sampling in Kosterfjorden, Sweden, gave information on population succession, vertical distribution and feeding of Calanus finmarchicus over 17 months. Copepodid Stage 1 and 2 (C-I, C-II) were present from December to August, indicating reproduction during most of the year. Mating and breeding for the overwintering generation mainly took place in February/March, resulting in peak abundance of C-I in March/April. Secondary breeding periods were in April and July/August, but the resulting recruitment from these were low. The relative recruitment success in the first spring was around 13 times higher than during the second spring. Low temperature in the surface water early in the year and depression of the spring phytoplankton bloom may have caused the failure in the second year. Population biomass peaked at >15 g dry weight m⁻² during the numeric peak of the youngest stages in March/April. A more sustainable level of high biomass of 8 to 10 g dw m⁻² was gradually built up during summer, mainly due to a continuous accumulation of C-Vs. Adults and C-Vs comprised the overwintering population, with 7 to 14% and 85 to 93%, respectively, for the 2 years, but only C-Vs staying in the deep water were in a resting state. Adult males showed a strong diurnal vertical migration (DVM) of the usual type from spring to early autumn and a reversed DVM during the cold season. They were in a feeding state throughout the year. Adult females showed the usual type of DVM during summer to autumn, but commonly a reversed DVM during winter to spring. They were usually in a feeding state, with no pronounced differences between surface and deep water or between day and night. C-Vs aggregated in the deep water from October to March and performed DVM in April to June. They were commonly feeding in the deep water between March and June but showed no or very low feeding activity there from July to February. C-Vs in the surface water were commonly feeding and showed the highest proportion of feeding in autumn, when the population in the deep water was inactive. C-V constituted up to nearly 100% of the population biomass, and therefore must be of profound ecological importance. Defined by this dominant role, the population of C. finmarchicus can be characterised as having an active period of feeding, reproduction and development from February to July with a following 6 to 7 months of resting in the deep water, when development is arrested and no feeding occurs. Received: 1 October 1999 / Accepted: 27 April 2000     

The vertical structure of a pelagic community in the tropical ocean

The vertical structure of the ecosystem in the euphotic zone of the western Equatorial Pacific has been studied. The studies were based on a continuous sounding of the bioluminescence field, with simultaneous, vertically aimed sampling made with the aid of a 5l water bottle and plankton nets. The bioluminescence field has a two-maxima structure with a more pronounced and permanent lower maximum found in the oligotrophic regions as deep as 60 to 100 m. In the narrow (10 m) layer of maximum bioluminescence, the concentration of zooplankton, as well as the concentration, activity and production of bacteria and phytoplankton, are several times higher than those in immediately adjacent waters at greater or lesser depth. At the same time, the concentration of nutrient salts in that layer diminishes sharply and approaches zero in the overlying water. Analysis of the data obtained shows that the production processes above the lower maximum layer are dependent not only on the turbulent influx of nutrient salts from the underlying layers, but also on the horizontal supply from the zone of upwelling. A pelagic community, in its different time aspects from the moment of water ascending until its sinking in the convergence zone, is suggested as a common system for modelling.     

A numerical (LES) investigation of a shallow-water, mid-latitude, tidally-driven boundary layer

We investigate turbulent mixing in a tidally driven, mid-latitude, shallow-water basin. The study is carried out numerically at a laboratory-scale, using large-eddy simulation. We compared the results of the simulation with those of a correspondent purely oscillatory flow (Stokes boundary layer). The effect of rotation on the flow dynamics is twofold. First, rotation gives rise to a mean spanwise flow that concurs to redistribute the turbulent energy among the Reynolds stresses, in particular between the horizontal directions, thus increasing the mixing across the water column and thickening the layer where developed turbulence is observable. Second, the presence of the horizontal component of the background vorticity (latitude effect) breaks the symmetry between the two semi-cycles of the oscillation, since turbulence results suppressed/enhanced during the first/second semi-cycle. These two effects significantly modify the turbulent characteristics with respect to the purely oscillating flow, although the mechanisms that generates turbulence present similar features. The qualitative agreement between our results and some measurements carried out in two sites with characteristics similar to the case analyzed suggests that the outcomes here provided may be of general use for the analysis of mid-latitude, neutrally stratified, shallow-water basins mainly driven by semi-diurnal tidal currents.     

Distribution of shallow-water epibenthic macrofauna in Moreton Bay,Queensland, Australia

The distribution of epibenthic penaeid prawn postlarvae has previously been shown to relate to the degree of marine influences in the flora, sediment and water conditions in littoral and infralittoral habitats in Moreton Bay. The postlarvae are part of a complex faunal assemblage of approximately 400 mobile epibenthic species. Samples of the assemblage from stations situated throughout Moreton Bay were analysed by multivariable methods, to detect whether the environmental influences volated to the distribution of penaeid prawns, were related to the fauna as a whole. This was found to be so. The fauna occurred in two groups in areas of either less marine or more marine influences. Animals in the first group were less diverse, with distributions unrelated to depth or presence of seagrasses, but related to the level of marine influences between geographical areas sampled. Animals in the second group were closely related to depth and presence of seagrasses, but no overall differences were attributable to marine influeces apart from those attributable to depth. Temporal changes in species composition were smaller than spatial changes, and changes in relative abundance were, in both groups, related to differences between (i) summer and winter, and (ii) spring and the rest of the year.     

Population structure and energetics of the shallow-water antarctic sea star Odontaster validus in contrasting habitats

Individuals and populations of Odontaster validus Koehler differed markedly among different habitats, as revealed in a study from October 1984 through January 1986 in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. At McMurdo Station, individual sizes (wet weight) and population biomass (g wet wt m^-2 and kJ m^-2) decreased significantly with increasing depth. Individuals from shallow (10 to 20 m) habitats were in superior nutritional condition to those from deeper water (30 and 165 m), as shown by higher gonad and pyloric cecum indexes, and by higher lipid and energetic levels in the pyloric ceca. Moreover, gonadal output (reproductive output) was higher in shallow-water individuals. Higher levels of chlorophyll in the pyloric ceca and richer yellow to red coloration of the body wall in the shallow-water individuals indicate that they utilize the higher levels of primary production at shallow depths. At East Cape Armitage, where nearly permanent, thick, snow-covered ice most of the year resulted in very low levels of benthic primary production, the lowdensity sea stars were all very small and nutritionally similar to the deep-water individuals at McMurdo Station. At Cape Evans, where the generally snow-free sea-ice that broke up in mid-summer resulted in a luxurient benthic cover of diatoms and macroalgae, the sea stars were smaller than at McMurdo Station at comparable depths, but population densities were higher, resulting in 4 to 9 times greater biomass. Growth rates of sea stars fed in the laboratory were very low, especially compared to laboratory-reared temperate and tropical species; well-fed individuals need about 9 yr to reach 30 g wet weight, near the mean size of shallowwater individuals at McMurdo Station. No growth was detected in individuals caged at McMurdo Station for one year, suggesting even lower growth rates in the field. The stable size-frequency distributions at the different sites and depths throughout the year-long study suggest highly stable populations with low temporal variability in recruitment, migration and mortality. These data indicate that individuals and populations of O. validus quantitatively and qualitatively reflect the general level of productivity of a habitat. Differences noted in size, coloration, nutrition, and reproductive effort may be the result of long-term integration of local levels of primary production. These ubiquitous sea stars may serve as a biotic indicator of productivity in localized habitats around the continental shelf of Antarctica.     

Pollution indices and sources appointment of heavy metal pollution of agricultural soils near the thermal power plant

Alluvial soils of valleys of the Danube and Mlave rivers represent priority development areas with favorable conditions for life, agriculture and tourism in eastern Serbia. Operation of the thermal power plant Kostolac results in the emission of potentially toxic pollutants into the air, water and land. The goals were to determine the soil pollution with inorganic pollutants using different pollution indices, to identify of the sources of pollutants by means of principal component analysis and the loading of each factor for individual element assessed by multi-linear regression analyses. Chemical characteristics of the studied area resulted in division of the area into four impact zones upon the distance from main pollutants (power plant blocks and ash disposal dumps). There was no established soil pollution with potentially toxic elements in bulk of the agricultural territory. Two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explained about 73% of variance. Three studied elements (As, Cu and Pb) showed anthropogenic origin of their most concentrations in soil, while other elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and Zn) were of a natural (geological) origin. Single pollution index showed moderate pollution level by Ni. Integrated Nemerow pollution index showed low to no pollution levels, indicating slight ecological risk. There were no established limitations for agricultural production in the studied area, except for the only spot polluted by As due to the great flooding event in the studied year.

     

汞同位素组成示踪燃煤发电过程中汞排放特征研究进展

汞是一种持久性、全球性重金属污染物,污染范围广,排放源复杂,环境地球化学性质活跃.不同环境介质汞污染源解析一直是环境科学研究领域的难题.燃煤电站汞排放被认为是最大的人为汞释放源,亟需准确可靠的示踪手段来深入阐明燃煤电站汞排放过程、迁移转化等归趋行为.汞在自然界有7个稳定同位素,分别是196Hg(0.15%)、198Hg(10.02%)、199Hg(16.84%)、200Hg(23.13%)、201Hg(13.22%)、202Hg(29.80%)和204Hg(6.85%).由于同位素在演化过程中的分馏效应单向性并携有演化过程信息,在地域分布和生物地球化学循环过程中存在显著分异现象,因此,通过研究汞稳定同位素组成可评估、示踪燃煤汞排放特征和生物地球化学过程.本论文结合近年相关研究成果,针对汞同位素分馏过程、煤中汞同位素分馏现象以及汞同位素示踪燃煤电站汞排放的合理性和可行性进行了综述.     

Oceanic variability and coastal topography shape genetic structure in a long-dispersing sea urchin

Understanding the scale of marine population connectivity is critical for the conservation and sustainable management of marine resources. For many marine species adults are benthic and relatively immobile, so patterns of larval dispersal and recruitment provide the key to understanding marine population connectivity. Contrary to previous expectations, recent studies have often detected unexpectedly low dispersal and fine-scale population structure in the sea, leading to a paradigm shift in how marine systems are viewed. Nonetheless, the link between fine-scale marine population structure and the underlying physical and biological processes has not been made. Here we show that patterns of genetic structure and population connectivity in the broadcast-spawning and long-distance dispersing sea urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii are influenced by physical oceanographic and geographic variables. Despite weak genetic differentiation and no isolation-by-distance over thousands of kilometers among samples from eastern Australia and northern New Zealand, fine-scale genetic structure was associated with sea surface temperature (SST) variability and geography along the southeastern Australian coast. The zone of high SST variability is characterized by periodic shedding of eddies from the East Australian Current, and we suggest that ocean current circulation may, through its influence on larval transport and recruitment, interact with the genetic consequences of large variance in individual reproductive success to generate patterns of fine-scale patchy genetic structure. If proven consistent across species, our findings suggest that the optimal scale for fisheries management and reserve design should vary among localities in relation to regional oceanographic variability and coastal geography.     

Vertical and horizontal structure in the picoplankton communities of a coastal upwelling system

The distribution of prokaryotic and eukaryotic picoplankton in the west coast upwelling-region off the South Island of New Zealand was investigated during midwinter (1988) the time of year when several commercially important fish species migrate into the region to breed. Picoplanktonic cells were major contributors to the autotrophic biomass, with > 80% of the particulate nitrogen and 39 to 55% of the total chlorophylla contained in the <2µm size-fraction. The prokaryotic picoplankton concentrations ranged from 6.3 × 10⁵ to 2.1 × 10⁷ cell l^–1, and the eukaryotic picoplankton between 3.9 × 10⁵ to 1.2 × 10⁷ cells l^–1. Picoplankton numbers increased with distance offshore to a maximum of ~ 3.0 × 10⁷ cells l^–1 at ~ 35 km from the coast, and then diminished towards the outer shelf and open ocean. The ratio of prokaryotic to eukaryotic cells varied between 1.01 and 4.71 in the mixed layer. Both groups declined substantially beneath the pycnocline, with no evidence of deep maxima. Prokaryotic cells dominated the planktonic cell concentrations at all but two stations, but eukaryotic cells dominated picoplankton biovolume as a result of their larger average cell size. The prokaryotic to eukaryotic picoplankton cell-number ratios in this system were considerably lower than often recorded elsewhere, and were inversely correlated with nitrate concentration. These observations show that a eukaryoticdominated picoplankton community makes a substantial contribution to autotrophic biomass in this nutrient-rich upwelling system, and may thereby play a major role in the food-web dynamics of this coastal fishery.     

The ecology,discharge diversity and predatory behaviour of gymnotiforme electric fish in the coastal streams of French Guiana

Summary 1. A survey of the species distribution, discharge characteristics, ecology and behaviour of South American Gymnotiforme electric fish was carried out during two field trips to sites in the vicinity of Kourou, French Guiana, in 1983 and 1985. 2. Measurements of water conditions, collected over a twelve month period, highlight the strong ecological pressure on species exploiting the rapidly fluctuating and often temporary coastal streams. Adaptation of the reproductive cycle to the rainy seasons is particularly marked and the possible zeitgebers are considered. Given the almost invariant water conductivity, its suggested use as an environmental trigger is rejected in favour of acoustic or mechanical cues. 3. The two main study areas were inhabited principally by pulse gymnotoids of the genera Gymnotus and Hypopomus. A new Hypopomus species was discovered as well as specimens of G. pantherinus, previously undescribed in French Guiana. Larvae of H. beevei were found prior to the start of the 1985 rainy season. Developmental data for this species are presented which support the view that, as in other weakly electric gymnotoids, a primitive larval electric organ probably precedes the adult structure. The larval discharge also strongly resembles that of the adult electric eel, lending weight to published theories of an Electrophorus-like ancestor to the wekly electric fish. 4. The predatory behaviour of the strongly electric eel was recorded in detail. The field results indicated that this species preyed on weakly electric fish whose responses to the foraging eel are also reported. The probable use of electrical cues by hunting eels was further investigated in a laboratory experiment in which predatory responses were compared in the presence of non-electric and electric live prey, and models mimicking electric prey. It is concluded that electrical cues are probably of paramount importance in the eel's normal prey capture behaviour.     

Horizontal and vertical trends in the distributions of larval fishes in coastal waters off central New South Wales,Australia

Larval fishes were sampled across six transects perpendicular to a 50 km section of the coast off Sydney, Australia, in April/May and August/September 1990. Samples were collected at the surface and at depth (20 to 30 m) at three locations across each transect; over the 30, 70 and 100 m depth contours. There was a large level of heterogeneity in the horizontal and vertical distributions of most taxa examined, and no general pattern of distribution was evident for the whole assemblage. Classification analyses revealed that the major differences between assemblages were related to depth. Horizontal trends in the distributions of the abundant taxa were evident in the inshore-offshore direction, but not longshore. Seven taxa belonging to the families Gobiidae, Labridae, Sillaginidae, Sparidae, Ambassidae, Clupeidae and Clinidae/Tripterygiidae were most abundant inshore, whereas 4 taxa of the families Cepolidae, Percichthyidae, Cheilodactylidae and Gonorynchidae were generally more abundant offshore and 24 taxa showed no discrete horizontal trends across transects. More taxa and individuals were generally caught at depth than at the surface and this was evident across all transects. Twenty taxa were more numerous at depth, whereas 4 taxa, the Cheilodactylidae, Gonorynchidae, Mullidae and Scorpididae, were most abundant at the surface and 11 taxa showed no difference in densities between depths. Ontogenetic differences in the distributions of some larvae were evident. The mean size of larval Liza argentea (Mulgilidae) caught was greater offshore than inshore, and greater at the surface than at depth. In contrast, larger Pseudocaranx dentex (Carangidae) occurred in greater numbers at depth than at the surface. The data emphasise that the assemblages of larval fishes in coastal waters off central New South Wales cannot be modelled as a single unit, which concurs with the findings in other temperate and tropical vaters. Furthermore, the data denote the need to spatially stratify sampling in these waters in order to assess seasonal changes in these assemblages.     

Distribution of potentially harmful elements in soils around a large coal-fired power plant

An understanding of the spatial distribution and contribution of a power plant to local soil contamination is important for the planning of soil use and prioritizing remedial actions for public safety. Consequently, the aim of this study was to map the spatial distribution of potentially hazardous elements (PHEs; Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr, Fe, Mn, Cd, As, and Se) in soils around a large (796 MW) coal-fired power plant in Brazil. For the purpose, 33 soil samples were collected in the area within a radius of approximately 17.5 km from the plant and subsequently analyzed for PHEs. The frequency and direction of winds were also obtained from a meteorological station in the region. The sampling area was divided into four quadrants (northwest: N-NW; northeast: N-NE; southeast: S-SE; southwest: S-SW), and there were significant negative correlations between the distance and the concentrations of Se in the S-SE quadrant and As in the S-SW and S-SE quadrants. There were positive correlations between distance from the plant and the concentration of Mn in the N-NE quadrant and the concentration of Cd in the S-SW quadrant. The dominant direction of the winds was N-NE. The indexes used in this study showed low-to-moderate enrichment factor, but detailed analysis of the dominant quadrant of the winds showed a correlation with higher concentrations in the soils closer to the power plant for at least seven of the PHEs analyzed, especially with regard to As. Therefore, we conclude that the distribution of the metalloid As can be used as a marker of the spatial distribution of contamination from the thermoelectric plant, but the dynamics of the other elements suggests that the presence of other sources of contamination may also compromise the quality of local soils.

     

Benthic fauna of a shallow-water gaseohydrothermal vent area in the Aegean Sea (Milos, Greece)

The benthic community of shallow-water hydrothermal vents (10 m water depth) in a sandy bay on the south coast of Milos, Greece was studied. The macro- and meiofauna, as well as environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, sulfide concentration, grain size composition, ATP concentration, organic carbon, chlorophyll a and phaeopigments were evaluated. Samples were taken along transects from a seagrass meadow into a hydrothermally active area. Hydrothermally active spots were distinguished from the surrounding sediment by their black sediment coloration and an overlying white bacterial mat. For comparison, a control transect from a seagrass meadow into bare sand in a non-vent area in the same bay was studied. Overall, we found decreasing faunal diversity from the seagrass bed towards the hydrothermally active area. Along this gradient, four different zones could be distinguished. (a) The seagrass area had a relatively low diversity compared to the control stations, but much higher diversity than in the areas directly influenced by hydrothermal activity. (b) The border zone between the seagrass and the hydrothermal area, with moderate sulfide concentrations, pH values, seawater salinity and temperatures, was inhabited by an impoverished community dominated by the polychaete Capitella capitata, the nematodes Oncholaimus campylocercoides and Sabatieria sp., and an as yet undescribed chromadorid nematode (Chromadorina sp.). (c) The transition zone at the border of the hydrothermal area proper, with temperatures and sulfide concentrations higher than in the border zone, was characterized by high salinity (60‰) and low pH values. Along with the gastropod Cyclope neritea, single specimens of C. capitata and O. campylocercoides occurred. (d) The hydrothermal area proper, characterized by high sulfide concentrations, had high sediment temperatures and high salinities. The pH was as low as 6. Here, the gastropod Cyclope neritea was the only species occurring in considerable numbers. The gaseohydrothermal activity seems to largely exclude the surrounding fauna in a graded zonal pattern. The increasing hydrothermal stress entrains a change of the ambient biota towards a depauperate consortium of tolerant, opportunistic species, e.g. Capitella capitata (Polychaeta) and Oncholaimus campylocercoides (Nematoda). Although the hydrothermal area proper was characterized by a thick bacterial mat, the benthic community was characterized not by bacteria feeders but by scavenging species. Received: 13 September 1996 / Accepted: 24 October 1996