Trends in landings of fish species potentially affected by climate change in Portuguese fisheries

Fisheries are an important source of food, with a high economic value and social significance. The present worrying situation of the world fisheries is the result of the interaction between different factors (e.g. climatic variations, natural oscillations, technological innovation), but the greatest challenges are overfishing and climate change. The species richness of the Portuguese coast is generally higher than that found in northern Europe and similar to that of the Mediterranean, since many species have their southern or northern distribution limits along the Portuguese coast. The zoogeographic importance of this latitudinal area has long been recognized, representing the transition between north-eastern Atlantic warm-temperate and cold-temperate regions, which makes the Portuguese coast an area of great sensitivity to the detection of climate change. Official landing data for commercial species that have the Portuguese coast as their distribution limit were analysed together with sea surface temperature for the period of 1927–2011. In general, landings of species with affinity for temperate waters presented a decreasing trend, whereas species with affinity for subtropical/tropical waters showed an increasing trend. These variations were associated with variation in temperature: lower landings of temperate species occurred mainly in warm years, whereas landings of subtropical/tropical species presented an opposite trend, with higher landings in warm years. Preparing for the impacts of climate change is crucial for the sustainability of fisheries. Management should take into consideration information about environmental factors that affect species distribution and abundance.     

Climate-induced changes in fish landings of different fleet components of Portuguese fisheries

For each Portuguese fleet component, landings of biogeographic groups of fish species were compared for the period of 1993–2009. Wide-distribution species were the most abundant in landings, but have shown a decreasing trend. Temperate species had higher landings in trawl fisheries, whereas subtropical species were most abundant and exhibiting an increasing trend in landings of multi-gear fisheries. A latitudinal gradient was observed, with landings of temperate species being more important in the North-western coast than in the South-western and South coasts. Although trawl fisheries were relatively more important in the North-western coast, there has been a recent increase in the relative importance of multi-gear fisheries and of subtropical species in this area. The increasing relative importance of subtropical species in Portuguese fisheries along with the fact that landings of subtropical species were higher in multi-gear fisheries could indicate an easier adaptation of Portuguese multi-gear fisheries to the effects of climate change. However, as multi-gear fisheries include a wide range of gears, techniques and target-species, they may not all respond in the same manner to changes in fish species’ distribution. Among multi-gear fisheries, trammel nets catch a wider variety of species and a wider size range than gill nets or longlines; thus, trammel net fishers can adapt to changes in abundance of the main target species more readily than those using more species- and size-specific gears. Therefore, trammel net fisheries could more easily adapt to the effects of climate change on fish distribution than gill net or longline fisheries.     

Latitudinal pattern in species diversity and its response to global warming in permafrost wetlands in the Great Hing’an Mountains, China

Permafrost wetlands are one of the most sensitive plant communities in response to global warming. Global warming could induce natural plant communities to shift into cooler climate zones, or extirpate. To understand how plant communities in permafrost wetlands are affected by global warming, we examined the patterns of plant species diversity in the 24 permafrost wetlands in the Great Hing’an Mountains along a latitudinal gradient. This gradient was characterized by a northward decline in mean annual temperature (Δ = 3.5°C) and mean annual precipitation (Δ = 38.7 mm). Our results indicated that latitudinal patterns in species diversity existed in the permafrost wetlands. The numbers of family, genus and species, the Gleason index and Shannon-Wiener index for shrubs decreased linearly with decreasing latitude, but increased for herbaceous plants. The latitudinal patterns in species diversity had influenced strongly by temperature. Simple linear regression yielded about 2 decreases in shrub number and 9 increases in herbaceous species number with an increase of mean annual temperature by 1°C, with 0.33 decreases in shrub diversity and 0.29 increases in herbaceous species diversity. If temperature warms 3.7°C by 2100, herbaceous plants might increase in the permafrost wetlands, with species number increasing 48% or 6 times and species diversity increasing 40% or 2 times; and some shrub species might decrease and even disappear in part of the areas with lower latitude, with species number decreasing 50–100% and species diversity decreasing 69–100%. The permafrost wetlands in the Great Hing’an Mountains might continue degenerating and shift northward with global warming over the next century.     

Climate change and climate-induced hot spots in forest shifts in central Siberia from observed data

Regional Siberian studies have already registered climate warming over the last several decades. We evaluated ongoing climate change in central Siberia between 1991 and 2010 and a baseline period, 1961–1990, and between 1991 and 2010 and Hadley 2020 climate change projections, represented by the moderate B1 and severe A2 scenarios. Our analysis showed that winters are already 2–3°C warmer in the north and 1–2°C warmer in the south by 2010. Summer temperatures increased by 1°C in the north and by 1–2°C in the south. Change in precipitation is more complicated, increasing on average 10% in middle latitudes and decreasing 10–20% in the south, promoting local drying in already dry landscapes. Hot spots of possible forest shifts are modeled using our Siberian bioclimatic vegetation model and mountain vegetation model with respect to climate anomalies observed pre-2010 and predicted 2020 Hadley scenarios. Forests are predicted to shift northwards along the central Siberian Plateau and upslope in both the northern and southern mountains. South of the central Siberian Plateau, steppe advancement is predicted that was previously non-existent north of 56°N latitude. South of 56°N, steppe expansion is predicted in the dry environments of Khakasiya and Tyva. In the southern mountains, it is predicted that the lower tree line will migrate upslope due to increased dryness in the intermontane Tyvan basins. The hot spots of vegetation change that are predicted by our models are confirmed by regional literature data.     

Potential influences of global warming on future climate and extreme events in Nigeria

This study investigates future impacts of global warming on climate and extreme climate events in Nigeria, the most populous African country that depends on rain-fed agriculture. Past and future climate simulations from 9 GCMs were downscaled (using a statistical model) and analyzed for the study. The study considers the impacts of two emission scenarios (B1 and A2) on the future climates (2046–2065 and 2081–2100) over ecological zones in Nigeria. The model evaluation shows that the downscaling adds values to the GCMs simulation, and the results capture all the important climatic features over the country. The model projections show that both B1 and A2 scenarios change the future climate over Nigeria. They significantly increase the temperature over all the ecological zones, with greatest warming (between 1 and 4 °C) over the Sudan (short grass) Savanna in March. The warming, which increases the occurrence of extreme temperature and heat wave events over the entire country, enhances the frequency of the extreme rainfall events in the south and southeast and reduces the annual rainfall over the northeast. Since heavy rains and floods are major problems in the south and southeast, and drought is major problem in the northeast, the global warming may further aggravate these environmental problems in future. These could have negative impacts on agriculture and further threaten livelihood and food security in the rapidly growing country. Hence, there is need for further studies on adaptation and mitigation strategies to address the impacts of global warming in Nigeria.     

Effect of three georges reservoir (Yangzi River) on the plant species richness in drawdown zone downstream the tributary river (Pengxihe River)

In order to understand the spatial pattern of plant community and the maintenance mechanism of biodiversity in littoral zone of Three Gorges Reservoir, 110 km stretches of Pengxihe River (from estuary to the backwater of Three Gorges) were chose to study. We investigated species composition and environmental variables along 50 m long stretches of riverbank between the high-water level and the lowest summer water level, at a 5 km interval. The results showed that: (1) along longitudinal gradients, longitudinal species richness, longitudinal shrub species richness and longitudinal herb species richness were significantly related to distance to estuary; (2) along lateral gradient, there were visible different changes in all kinds of types (lateral species richness, lateral tree species richness, lateral shrub species richness, lateral herb species richness). Along lateral gradient, species richness and herb species richness first increased with the elevation then reduced with it, trees and shrubs species richness increased with the elevation. (3) Correlation analyses showed that substrate types were correlated with the longitudinal species richness, without considering the distance to estuary. Soil moisture and substrate heterogeneity were correlated with lateral, species richness. These results indicated that, along longitudinal gradient of the river, distance to estuary plays an important role in species richness, and along lateral gradient spatial heterogeneity due to inundation and flooding plays an important role in forming a new pattern of plant community in the littoral zone of Three Gorges Reservoir Region. Because of special hydrological dynamics, plant in the littoral zone of Three Gorges, are gradually form a unique spatial pattern to some extent, though it had the same change law with riparian plant of a natural river.     

Current and future suitability areas of kermes oak (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus coccifera</Emphasis> L.) in the Levant under climate change

Quercus coccifera L. (Kermes oak) is an evergreen oak, typical of the maquis in the eastern and south-eastern part of the Mediterranean. It occurs almost continuously along the Syrian–Lebanese coast up to 1500 m and is more scattered inland, up to the arid southernmost area of Petra in Jordan. Human impact and global warming both strongly affect the natural distribution of the species, thus leading to a widespread forest fragmentation in the whole region. In this study, we investigate the current bioclimatic range of Kermes oak and forecast which areas are potentially most suitable over the course of the twenty-first century. Ecological niche modelling was used to retrieve the environmental envelope of the species according to 23 topographic and climate variables. Five algorithms and three general circulation models were applied to provide the potential distribution of Kermes oak at the present time and project it to the future. Results showed a current suitability area in the Middle East extending from NW of Syria, rather continuously along the Lebanese coasts and inland up to the Mediterranean western slopes of Palestine and the Golan area (Israel), encompassing the Jordan Valley towards Dana and Wadi Rum (Jordan), with an isolated patch in Jabal Al-Arab (South Syria). Future scenarios depict a significant fragmentation and restriction of Kermes oak range, especially in the north of Syria and Golan, with a general shifting in altitude. This information may be useful in helping the foresters to cope with the challenge of climate changes by identifying the most suitable areas climatically effective for successful ecosystem restoration and management, including reforestation programmes.     

近期长江口崇明岛周边岸滩沉积特征及影响机制

大河入海河口由于巨量泥沙堆积以及潮汐作用,往往发育着河口沙岛。崇明岛是世界上典型的河口沙岛,近年来,随着长江流域泥沙来源锐减以及河口大型水利工程建设等,给崇明岛周边岸滩沉积环境带来深刻影响。研究依据2015年9月～2018年4月对崇明岛周边14个岸滩断面的表层沉积物采样数据和定点水文观测资料,分析崇明岛周边岸滩沉积环境特征和区域性差异,探讨不同岸滩断面沉积过程和作用机制。结果表明:崇明岛岸滩沉积物以砂质粉砂和粉砂质砂为主,沉积物中值粒径总体表现为南岸北岸东滩,平均为48μm。南、北岸岸滩总体表现为坡陡、滩窄,沉积物自西向东逐渐变细的特征,北岸岸滩坡度略缓,南岸崇头至庙镇之间存在局部细颗粒物质沉积区;东部岸滩滩宽、坡缓,整体表现为"北细南粗"的沉积特征。岸滩沉积断面上,上细下粗,高潮滩处粘土组分含量相对较高,水下斜坡和河槽底部粉砂含量较高。南、北支河势演变形成了崇明岛"南坍北涨"沉积环境的分布格局;径、潮流作用对岸滩断面沉积物分布特征影响明显;风浪对崇明东滩浅滩沉积物具有强烈的分选作用;潮滩植被主要影响细颗粒沉积物在潮间带的分布;流域来沙减少对崇明东滩前沿沉积环境趋势影响显著。     

Correlated northward distribution of macrolepidopterans and their food plants along the Ural Mountains

Lists of macrolepidopterans inhabiting the Southern, Middle, and Polar Urals have been used for analyzing the relationship between the species richness of these insects with that of the families of plants on which their larvae feed. The results have shown that this factor in the Southern Urals accounts for approximately 75% and 65% of variation in the species richness of lepidopterans on woody and herbaceous plants, respectively. In the Polar Urals, this correlation is markedly weaker. Latitudinal trends in trophic preferences of individual lepidopteran taxa have been revealed. Probable causes of changes in the relative abundance of lepidopterans north of the forest zone are discussed.     

Long-Term Changes in the Fauna of Diurnal Lepidopterans (Lepidoptera,Diurna) in the Northern Taiga Subzone of the Western Russian Plain

In the diurnal lepidopteran fauna of the northern taiga subzone in the western Russian Plain, the species inhabiting primary biotopic complexes typical of this subzone currently account for slightly more than 60% of the total species richness and abundance. A large part of the fauna is represented by the species of more southern origin, whose expansion to the northern taiga was caused by anthropogenic transformation of landscapes between the 12th and 20th centuries and recent climate warming.     

江苏湖泊富营养化特征、成因及解决途径

应用湖泊营养类型评价标准对江苏省主要湖泊富营养化进行了评价,以区域环境特征对苏南和苏北湖群及城郊湖泊富营养化现状、发生原因及对策进行了探讨,分析表明：城郊湖泊全部为富营养和重富营养水平,苏北湖群营养程度已接近苏南湖群,呈中富营养中期,太湖东部营养程度较之太湖西部高出一个营养级别以上。苏北湖群多为过水性湖泊,易受高浓度工农业污水脉冲式入湖影响;苏南湖群污染成因则相对较复杂,主要受城镇生活和工农业生产高污染负荷的氮磷排放影响。严格控制流域内各类污染源的源头污染物排放量、充分利用河网湿地净化功能、适度进行湖内污染底泥疏浚和生态重建工程,对控制江苏湖泊富营养化将是较有效的途径。     

Impact of global warming on European tidal estuaries: some evidence of northward migration of estuarine fish species

The aim of this study was to determine whether the latitudinal distribution of fish species that use estuaries to complete their entire life cycle has shifted northward as an expected consequence of global warming. The mean latitude of past fish species distributions found in 1970s’ literature was compared with the mean latitude of distributions today based on fish density indices collected in 55 tidal estuaries along the Atlantic European seaboard, from Portugal to Scotland. Among the 15 most common species, 11 displayed a positive difference between current and past mean latitudes suggesting a northward shift of the populations. Using the occurrence of subtropical species in temperate areas as an indicator of water warming, the northernmost range limit of 10 subtropical species was subsequently focused on. Six of them were recorded up to their past northern latitudinal limit. These results reinforced the idea that a number of fish species associated to estuaries have migrated northwards over the last 30 years, possibly due to water warming. These ecological changes can get important managerial implications, i.e. in the assessment of the ecological status in European directives.     

Effect of environmental conditions on morphological,ecological and geographic characteristics of lichens in coastal habitats

The distribution of morphological, substrate, and latitudinal geographic groups of lichen species has been analyzed in various habitat types on the northwestern coast of the Sea of Japan. The results show that the influence of the sea manifests itself in the presence of halophytes, xerophytic life forms, and species of the suboceanic latitudinal geographic group; soil-plant conditions account for the development of the substrate group of epiphytic lichens, mesophytic life forms, and species of the nemoral latitudinal geographic group.     

Range contraction and loss of genetic variation of the Pyrenean endemic newt <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calotriton asper</Emphasis> due to climate change

Many studies have identified climate warming to be among the most important threats to biodiversity. Climate change is expected to have stronger effects on species with low genetic diversity, ectothermic physiology, small ranges, low effective populations sizes, specific habitat requirements and limited dispersal capabilities. Despite an ever-increasing number of studies reporting climate change-induced range shifts, few of these have incorporated species’ specific dispersal constraints into their models. Moreover, the impacts of climate change on genetic variation within populations and species have rarely been assessed, while this is a promising direction for future research. Here we explore the effects of climate change on the potential distribution and genetic variation of the endemic Pyrenean newt Calotriton asper over the period 2020–2080. We use species distribution modelling in combination with high-resolution gridded climate data while subsequently applying four different dispersal scenarios. We furthermore use published data on genetic variation of both mtDNA and AFLP loci to test whether populations with high genetic diversity (nucleotide diversity and expected heterozygosity) or evolutionary history (unique haplotypes and K clusters) have an increased extinction risk from climate change. The present study indicates that climate change drastically reduces the potential distribution range of C. asper and reveals dispersal possibilities to be minimal under the most realistic dispersal scenarios. Despite the major loss in suitable climate, the models highlight relatively large stable areas throughout the species core distribution area indicating persistence of populations over time. The results, however, show a major loss of genetic diversity and evolutionary history. This highlights the importance of accounting for intraspecific genetic variation in climate change impact studies. Likewise, the integration of species’ specific dispersal constraints into projections of species distribution models is an important step to fully explore the effects of climate change on species potential distributions.     

秦岭-淮河南北高温高湿天气时空演变分析

基于1960~2017年秦岭-淮河196个气象站点逐日最高温、最低温、相对湿度数据,以表观温度指数为基础,采用极点对称模态分解（ESMD）及专用气象要素空间插值软件ANUSPLIN,对秦岭-淮河南北高温高湿天气时空变化特征进行分析,进而利用小波相干方法探讨该区高温高湿天气与赤道东太平洋海温异常的多时间尺度响应关系。结果表明：(1) 以20世纪80年代中期及2010年为时间节点,秦岭-淮河以北及秦巴山区高温高湿天气日数呈“下降-缓慢上升-快速上升”阶段性变化特征,秦岭-淮河以南及淮河平原呈“下降-缓慢上升-下降”趋势;(2) 秦岭-淮河南北高温高湿天气呈“东多西少、南多北少”的空间分布特征,且影响范围向北扩大;(3)赤道东太平洋东部地区海温异常对秦岭-淮河南北各区高温高湿天气的影响比西部地区更显著且长时间周期尺度比短时间周期尺度更稳定。     

秦岭南北地区农业气候资源时空变化特征

利用秦岭南北地区1960~2016年47个气象站点的观测资料,运用气候倾向率、Mann-Kendall趋势检验、相关分析与反距离加权插值等方法分析了秦岭南北地区光、热、水等农业气候资源的时空变化特征。结果表明：1960年以来,秦岭南北地区气温、≥10℃活动积温呈显著增加趋势,1995年后气温快速上升,并在2002年增温达到显著水平。春、冬、秋季增温明显,空间上秦岭以北增温倾向率大于秦岭以南。 1960~2016年,秦岭南北地区降水量总体呈微弱下降趋势,从时间上看,1995年前降水量以下降为主,1995年后降水量转为上升趋势;从空间上看,1960~2016年,下降较明显地区为秦岭以北、嘉陵江沿线,其次为汉水流域丹江口水库区域;部分地区呈现微弱上升趋势,主要分布在巴巫谷地、汉水流域大巴山等山地段和秦岭南坡东部。相对湿度呈微弱下降趋势;日照时数呈显著下降趋势,四季下降程度为夏>冬>秋>春,下降显著地区为研究区东部平原、汉中盆地、关中盆地及巴巫谷地。 关键词： 农业气候资源,时空变化,秦岭南北地区     

The role of environmental and fisheries multi-controls in white seabream (Diplodus sargus) artisanal fisheries in Portuguese coast

Evaluating the effects of fishing and environmental factors on fish populations are fundamental tenets of fisheries science. In this study, we assess associations between environmental variables (sea surface temperature; North Atlantic Oscillation index; upwelling; wind magnitude; westerly winds; northerly winds; river discharge) and fishing variables (fishing effort) in Diplodus sagus catch rates accounting for regional analyses (northwest coast; southwest coast and Algarve—Algarve south coast). Different time series models for data fitting (multi-model approach) were used. The models were lagged, according to species fishing recruitment age based on the hypothesis that fisheries catches depend on larvae recruitment and survivorship. D. sargus catch rates across areas were unrelated to fishing effort but correlated to environmental variables, with seasonal events explaining much of the variability in trends. On the northwestern coast, the catch rates were mainly set by sea surface temperature (SST) and wind magnitude; however, southwestern coast catch rates were set by NAO winter. On the south coast, only one statistical model (SST, upwelling and westerly winds) associated spring conditions with D. sargus catch rates. The multi-model approach revealed autumn, winter and spring seasonal effects to be related with northwest, southwest and Algarve coastal catch rates, respectively, indicating a possible coastal longitudinal gradient related with given periods of spawning and larval availability. The metadata analysis yielded different results from the regional analyses. In summary, marine resource management should take regional environment characteristics and variability into account when determining sustainable catch rates in given areas for species with high habitat site fidelity.     

Implications of future bioclimatic shifts on Portuguese forests

As climate is an important driver of vegetation distribution, climate change represents an important challenge to forestry. We (1) identify prevailing bioclimatic conditions for 49 relevant forest species in Portugal and (2) assess future shifts under climate change scenarios. We compute two bioclimatic indices (aridity and thermicity) and a new composite index, at ~1 km spatial resolution, and overlap with the species’ current ranges. Locations are based on a digital inventory, while climate parameters for both recent-past (1950–2000) and future climates (2041–2060), under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, are provided by a multi-model ensemble of climate simulations. Results for future scenarios highlight an overall warming and drying trend. Supramediterranean and mesomediterranean climates will be significantly reduced, while thermomediterranean climates will dramatically increase, from their almost absence in current conditions to an area coverage of ~54 % in 2041–2060 for RCP8.5. There is also a clear shift from hyper-humid and humid to sub-humid and from the latter to semi-arid climates (area coverage of ~13 % in 2041–2060 for RCP8.5). Lower thermomediterranean sub-humid to semi-arid zones will cover the southern half of Portugal. These projections identify the most vulnerable (e.g. Betula pubescens, Quercus pyrenaica and Castanea sativa) and the most adapted (e.g. Quercus suber, Q. rotundifolia, Ceratonia siliqua, Pinus pinea, Quercus coccifera) species in future climates. Current bioclimatic zones associated with Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster, economically relevant species, will be moderately reduced and relocated. Possible adaptation measures are discussed to improve forest resilience to climate change, while maintaining its economic and environmental benefits.     

1961～2018年河南省暴雨初终日和暴雨日数的时空变化规律分析

利用1961～2018年河南省111个气象站逐日降水资料,采用气候倾向率、相关分析和多元逐步回归等数理统计方法,分析了河南省暴雨初终日和暴雨日数的时空变化规律。结果表明:(1)河南省各站平均暴雨初日为5月19～7月16日,最早暴雨初日为1月28日～5月25日,均由南向北明显推迟,由西向东明显提前,由平原向山区明显推迟。(2)河南省各站平均暴雨终日为8月5日～8月30日,最晚暴雨终日为9月9日～11月29日,均由南向北明显日期提前,由西向东明显推迟,由平原向山区最晚暴雨终日明显提前。(3)河南省各站年平均暴雨日数为0.7～4.3天,由南向北明显减少,由西向东明显增多,由平原向山区明显减少。(4)河南省平均暴雨初日和平均暴雨终日均有提前趋势,气候倾向率分别为1.2和0.2 d·(10 a)~(-1);平均暴雨日数呈阶段性变化,特别是2000年以后呈明显减少趋势;各站暴雨初日、暴雨终日和暴雨日数的气候倾向率分别在-9.3～9.3、-2.4～5.4和-3.0～3.2 d·(10 a)~(-1)之间,但仅有少数站点通过显著性水平检验。     

Change of Flood Patterns in China under the Influences of Climate Change and Human Activities

Abstract

Based on the flood affected area (FA) data of the provinces in China from 1950 to 2005, the article discusses the change of the flood patterns in China, and investigates its relationship with climate change and human activities. The flood center shifted from North China and the Yangtze–Huaihe basin in the 1950s towards the south, north and west of China, and located in the south of the Yangtze River and South China after the 1990s. The FA in the western provinces was continuously on the rise since the 1950s. There are two characteristics for the future flood pattern in China. The pattern of “flood in the south and drought in the north” depends on the north–south shift of the maximum rainfall region in eastern China. The flood intensification to the west of Hu Huanyong’s line mainly results from the increase of rainfall, extreme precipitation and the melting of glaciers under the background of human activity magnification.