Effects of suspended sediments on egg production of the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa

The estuarine copepod Acartia tonsa was collected on several occasions between 4 April and 14 August 1985 from Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana (29°08N; 90°36W) and the effects in its diet of suspended sediments, collected from the same area, were measured at five different concentrations of sediment (100 to 1 000 ppm) and six phytoplankton concentrations (500 to 13 000 cells ml^-1 Thalassiosira weissflogii). Egg production rate was used as an index of diet quality. At low phytoplankton concentrations (500 cells ml^-1), and at intermediate phytoplankton concentrations (2 000 cells ml^-1) for previously starved copepods, egg production was reduced by up to 40% at a sediment concentration of 250 ppm and further reduced at higher sediment concentrations. At higher food concentrations (4 000 to 13 000 cells ml^-1), suspended sediment had no effect on egg production rates at sediment concentrations up to 500 ppm. Rates were reduced only at the highest sediment concentration of 1 000 ppm. Under most natural conditions, suspended sediment would not significantly affect egg production rates in A. tonsa.     

Dispersion of displaying male sage grouse

Summary The degree to which male sage grouse select lek sites and females select nesting sites to maximize proximity to the other sex was examined by contrasting male dispersions with the dispersions and movements of females in the months preceeding incubation. Wintering females exhibit highly overlapping ranges due to shared use of central refuging areas. In late winter and early spring, females move an average 9 km from wintering areas to select nest sites and males begin occupying leks. Pooled evidence suggests that females select nest sites independently of male dispersion whereas males adjust lek occupation so as to maximize proximity to females. Relevant observations include females visiting nest sites before leks, moving further to select a nest site than to select a lek, and increasing their distance to leks as a result of selecting nest sites. In addition, males avoid leks until females have moved to within 5 km of the arenas, abandon early season leks as local female densities drop, and exhibit dispersions in which mean ratios of females/male are similar across leks. Contrasts between predicted and observed dispersions of males showed that hotspot settlement models are adequate to explain male dispersions on very coarse scales (2 km or greater); on finer scales, habitat preferences of males and tendencies for males to cluster tightly must be invoked in addition to hotspots to explain specific lek sitings.     

Effects of Fishing on the Ecosystem Structure of Coral Reefs

Overfishing is considered one of the three most significant threats to coral reef ecosystems. Exponentially increasing human populations in the tropics have placed enormous demands upon reefs as a food source. At high intensities, termed ecosystem or Malthusian overfishing, fishing causes major direct and indirect effects on the community structure of fishes and other organisms. It reduces species diversity and leads to local extinctions not only of target species but also of other species not fished directly. Conceivably it could also lead to global extinctions. Loss of keystone species, such as predators of echinoderms, through fishing, can lead to major effects on reef processes, such as accretion of calcium carbonate. Ultimately, sustained heavy fishing may lead to loss of entire functional groups of species, resulting in impairment of the potentially important ecosystem functions provided by those groups. Overfishing has been shown to interact with other agents of disturbance to reduce the ability of reefs to recover from natural occurrences such as hurricanes. Effective management of fishing will require a deeper understanding of the effects of exploitation than we now possess. Research initiatives are underway to examine the responses of fish populations to fishing, generally responses to protection from fishing. There is, however, an urgent need to look beyond fish communities and to consider the entire reef ecosystem. Studies that integrate population and community biology with ecosystem processes will provide a much better understanding of the effects of biodiversity loss on reef function and will improve our ability to manage these complex systems.     

Biomass, photosynthesis and growth of Laminaria saccharina in a high-arctic fjord, NE Greenland

Biomass, photosynthesis and growth of the large, perennial brown alga Laminaria saccharina (L.) Lamour. were examined along a depth gradient in a high-arctic fjord, Young Sound, NE Greenland (74°18'N; 20°14'W), in order to evaluate how well the species is adapted to the extreme climatic conditions. The area is covered by up to 1.6-m-thick ice during 10 months of the year, and bottom water temperature is <0°C all year round. L. saccharina occurred from 2.5 m depth to a lower depth limit of about 20 m receiving 0.7% of surface irradiance. Specimen density and biomass were low, likely, because of heavy ice scouring in shallow water and intensive feeding activity from walruses in deeper areas. The largest specimens were >4 m long and older than 4 years. In contrast to temperate stands of L. saccharina, old leaf blades (2-3 years old) remained attached to the new blades. The old tissues maintained their photosynthetic capacity thereby contributing importantly to algal carbon balance. The photosynthetic characteristics of new tissues reflected a high capacity for adaptation to different light regimes. At low light under ice, or in deep water, the chlorophyll a content and photosynthetic efficiency (!) were high, while light compensation (E_c) and saturation (E_k) points were low. An E_c of 2.0 µmol photons m^-2 s^-1 under ice allowed photosynthesis to almost balance, and sometimes exceed, respiratory costs during the period with thick ice cover but high surface irradiance, from April through July. Rates of respiration were lower than usually found for macroalgae. Annual elongation rates of leaf blades (70-90 cm) were only slightly lower than for temperate L. saccharina, but specific growth rates (0.48-0.58 year^-1) were substantially lower, because the old blades remained attached. L. saccharina comprised between 5% and 10% of total macroalgal biomass in the area, and the annual contribution to primary production was only between 0.1 and 1.6 g C m^-2 year^-1.     

Morpho-functional patterns of photosynthesis and UV sensitivity in the kelp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lessonia nigrescens</Emphasis> (Laminariales,Phaeophyta)

The photosynthetic responses of the south Pacific kelp Lessonia nigrescens of the coast of Valdivia, Chile (40°S), were investigated by exposing its different thallus parts, fronds, stipes and holdfasts, to UV radiation in the laboratory. Biologically effective doses (BED_{photoinhibition300}) between 400 and 800 kJ m⁻² were required for a 40% inhibition in photosynthesis under UVA+UVB radiation. At BED_{photoinhibition300} close to 250 kJ m⁻² (in treatments without UVB), the inhibition of photosynthesis did not exceed 20%. These UV doses were in the range of current daily doses measured in Valdivia on cloudless summer days. In general, exposure to UVB for periods longer than 12 h reduced photosynthesis, measured as maximal quantum yield (F _v/F _m) and electron transport. The fronds were the most UV-sensitive section of this alga, coinciding with the highest pigments contents and carbon fixation. Evidence of a photodamage was also seen. After a 48 h exposure to PAR+UVA+UVB, a decrease of F _v/F _m in the fronds was close to 41%, while in the stipes and holdfasts it was 12 and 18%, respectively. Although the thalli from the different size classes showed marked differences in their morphology and morphometry, no obvious differences in the UV tolerance of the fronds were detected. The results indicated that the UV-related responses are integrated in the suite of morpho-functional adaptations of the alga. Although the fronds are spatially more exposed to solar radiation than basal structures (stipes and holdfast), due their high turnover rate they may compensate better detrimental effects of UV. In contrast, stipes and the holdfast are key support structures characterized by low replacement rates and designed to confer hydrodynamic resistance to drag forces.     

Preliminary rearing experiments on the larvae of Sergestes lucens (Penaedia,Natantia, Decapoda)

Sergestes lucens Hansen, a mesopelagic shrimp fished commercially in Suruga Bay, Japan, was successfully reared from egg to post-larval stage V under laboratory conditions. Chaetoceros ceratosporum and Artemia nauplii were found to be satisfactory food in the laboratory during rearing. Growth, mortality, food preference, and feeding and swimming activities during the various developmental stages were investigated. Temperature changes greatly affected the speed of development and the mortality of the larvae. The optimum temperature range for larval development was 18° to 25°C. The growth rate (length) of larval stages was as rapid as 0.16mm/ day at 20 °C and 0.21 mm/day at 23 °C. The larvae first started feeding on phytoplankton at elaphocaris stage I, and then gradually became predators in the post-larval stages. It is suggested that the critical period for the species occurs in the elaphocaris stages. Environmental data, vertical distribution of the species, and data obtained from laboratory experiments suggest that the fluctuation in the abundance of S. lucens is greatly influenced by the water temperature at around 50 m from June to August. Feeding mechanisms observed in the post-larval stages are described.     

Apparent predation on ichthyoplankton by zooplankton and fishes in nearshore waters of southern California

Plankton collected at discrete depths in Santa Monica Bay, California, USA, during January 1982 were examined for fish eggs and larvae that had been attacked or consumed by zooplankton. The bongo net remained open for only 3 min and samples were preserved within 5 min of capture. Juvenile and adult fishes that had been captured by otter trawl and preserved within 20 min of capture were examined for ingested fish eggs and larvae. Three copepods (Corycaeus anglicus, Labidocera trispinosa, and Tortanus discaudatus), one euphausid larva (Nyctiphanes simplex), one amphipod (Monoculoides sp.), and an unidentified decapod larva were found attached to fish larvae in the preserved plankton samples (attachment to 23% of the fish larvae was observed in one sample). Overall, about 5% of the white croaker (Genyonemus lineatus) larvae and 2% of the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) larvae had attached zooplankton predators. Most fish larvae with attached zooplankton predators were small. We found no indication of zooplankton predation on fish eggs. Few fish eggs and larvae were found in the digestive tracts of juvenile or adult fishes, and the ingested fish larvae were relatively large. The discussion considers apparent preyspecificity of the zooplankton predators as well as potential biases that may be associated with preserved samples collected by nets.     

A laboratory study of predation by Aurelia aurita on larval herring (Clupea harengus): Experimental observations compared with model predictions

Predation by the medusa Aurelia aurita L. on early first-feeding stage larvae of the herring clupea harengus L. was studied in the laboratory. The medusae were captured in Loch Etive, Scotland. Herring larvae were reared from the extificially fertilized eggs of spawning Clyde herring caught in March, 1982. Swimming speeds, volume searched”, capture efficiency and predation rates increased as medusa size increased. Predation rates on fish larvae increased with prey density, but appeared to approach a maximum at high prey densities; in 1 h experiments, a maximum rate of predation of 6.64 larvae h^-1 was estimated by fitting an Ivlev function. A model to predict predation rates was constructed from swimming speeds, sizes and densities of medusae and larvae, and capture efficiency. The rates of predation predicted from the model fell within the range of experimental data, but tended to underestimate rates and did not account for saturation of medusae. Swimming patterns of medusae changed after prey capture: (a) before capture, encounter rates were low and medusae were relatively less active; (b) after capture of 1 larva, encounter rates doubled, with the stimulated medusae exhibiting increased activity and an aftered “searching” path; and (c) after capture of many larvae, swimming speeds and encounter rates of medusae decreased.     

Evolution of egg size and fertilisation efficiency in sea stars: large eggs are not fertilised more readily than small eggs in the genus<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Patiriella</Emphasis> (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)

Fertilisation kinetics theory suggests that, when sperm are limiting, the larger eggs of broadcast-spawning marine organisms ought to be fertilised more frequently than smaller eggs, because they provide a bigger target for searching sperm. Whilst this effect has been demonstrated within species, it is not known if this pattern holds among species. We tested whether a large difference in egg size between congeneric seastars with contrasting planktotrophic and lecithotrophic modes of development results in differences in the likelihood of eggs being fertilised in sperm-limiting situations. Measurement of egg sizes and sperm swimming speeds led to the prediction that the sperm–egg collision rate constant for Patiriella calcar (420-µm-diameter egg) should be nine times greater than for P. regularis (140-µm-diameter egg). Although the eggs of P. calcar should be fertilised at greater rates in low sperm concentrations, they were not. When gametes were allowed to mix for 10 s, the hypothesis that P. calcar eggs required less sperm than P. regularis to ensure 50% of eggs were fertilised was rejected. When gametes were mixed for 5 min, P. regularis eggs were more frequently fertilised, but the difference was not statistically significant. We conclude there must be a difference between these species in the likelihood that when a sperm finds a conspecific egg it can successfully fertilise. This apparent uncoupling of egg size and likelihood of fertilisation suggests that fertilisation is not a major constraint on the evolution of egg size in these seastars.Communicated by G.F. Humphrey, Sydney     

Asexuals looking for sex: conflict between species and mate-quality recognition in sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna)

When two closely related species are sympatric the process of species recognition (identifying conspecifics) and mate-quality recognition (increased fitness benefits) can yield a conflict when heterospecifics resemble high-quality conspecifics. Conflict in species versus mate-quality recognition may serve as a possible mechanism for the persistence of unisexual, gynogenetic Amazon mollies (Poecilia formosa). Amazon mollies require sperm from closely related species (e.g., sailfin mollies, P. latipinna) to start embryogenesis but inheritance is strictly maternal. When choosing mates, male sailfin mollies from populations sympatric with Amazon mollies may rely on traits indicating species identity rather than those indicating mate quality. Conversely, males from allopatric populations may rely more on traits indicating mate quality. Previous work has found that male sailfin mollies in sympatry exhibit a significantly greater mating preference for female sailfin mollies over Amazon mollies compared to males in allopatry. In addition, male sailfin mollies prefer to associate with and produce more sperm in the presence of larger conspecific females, which are more fecund. We hypothesized that male sailfin mollies experience a conflict in species recognition and mate-quality recognition in the presence of Amazon mollies that are relatively larger than female sailfin mollies. To test this hypothesis, we paired males from sympatric and allopatric populations with a larger Amazon molly and a smaller female sailfin molly. We scored the number of mating attempts that males directed to conspecific and heterospecific females. Males in most sympatric and allopatric populations demonstrate no clear preference for conspecifics. In addition, we found some evidence for a difference in mating preference between allopatric and sympatric populations with males from allopatry showing a greater heterospecific mate preference. These results indicate a conflict between species and mate-quality recognition. In sympatry this conflict may contribute to the persistence of gynogenetic Amazon mollies.