Effects of Desertification Caused by Lithophaga lithophaga (Mollusca) Fishery on Littoral Fish Assemblages along Rocky Coasts of Southeastern Italy

Abstract:  We surveyed shallow, rocky reefs in southwestern Apulia (Mediterranean Sea) to assess the effects on coastal fish assemblages of the date mussel (  Lithophaga lithophaga ) fishery, an illegal practice that strips the rocky reef bare. We visually sampled fish four times over 15 months at three locations, one affected by date-mussel fishery and two controls. The fish assemblage at the affected location differed significantly from those at the control locations over all sampling times. Herbivorous fishes, sparids, and labrids (genus Symphodus ) contributed most to the differences between the affected location and controls. Lower densities of Symphodus spp. were observed at the affected location, whereas detritivorous fishes were recorded exclusively at control sites. Small serranids and sparids showed temporal trends that differed between the affected location and the control locations. Our results suggest that the date-mussel fishery affects fish assemblages chiefly through reduction of arborescent macroalgae (contributing to habitat complexity and primary production) and emphasize the need for more effective policing against this destructive practice.     

我国硒淡水水生生物水质基准值推导

水体中硒含量过高会导致水生生态系统退化,而中国现有的地表水环境质量标准对硒的标准值设定并不是基于我国水生生物相关毒理学研究得出的,难以因地制宜地保护我国水生生物.为保护我国水生生物,本研究利用物种敏感度分布法,推导出基于最大无效应浓度（NOEC）、最低有效应浓度（LOEC）的慢性硒（无机）淡水水质一级基准值和基于半数致死效应浓度（LC₅₀）、半数最大效应浓度（EC₅₀）、半数抑制浓度（IC₅₀）的急性硒（无机）淡水水质二级基准值分别为0.58 μg·L^-1、0.52 mg·L^-1,发现我国现有的水质标准可能会对我国水生生物造成欠保护.进一步推导出为保护我国鱼类的硒（无机）淡水水质一级、二级基准值分别为0.21 μg·L^-1、1.60 mg·L^-1,以及硒淡水鱼类饲料有机硒和无机硒含量一级基准值分别为97 μg·kg^-1和98 μg·kg^-1.本研究基于硒对水生生物的急性和慢性毒性效应,推导出硒的系列基准值,为保护我国淡水水生生物安全的标准制定提供数据支撑和科学依据.     

模拟盐水入侵及Fe(III)浓度增强对河口感潮淡水沼泽湿地土壤反硝化速率及理化特征的影响

以闽江河口塔礁洲感潮淡水野慈姑(Sagittaria trifolia Linn.)湿地为研究对象,于2016年2、4、7和9月每月均在连续2个小潮日内向研究样地施加人造海水和Fe(OH)_3溶液,研究短期的盐水入侵及Fe(III)浓度增强对河口感潮淡水湿地土壤反硝化速率及理化特征的影响.结果表明,短期的盐水入侵、Fe(III)浓度增强对河口感潮淡水沼泽湿地土壤反硝化速率的影响不显著,然而,盐水和Fe(III)共同施加会显著提高湿地土壤反硝化速率,与对照(CK)相比,盐水和Fe(III)共同施加可使土壤反硝化速率提高270.9%.盐水入侵、盐水和Fe(III)共同施加均可显著提高湿地土壤、间隙水的电导率及Cl~-、SO_4~(2-)的含量;Fe(III)浓度增强可显著降低土壤和间隙水pH值,同时显著提高土壤三价铁含量.     

内河船舶油污染整治工程的治污效果评估方法初探

对内河船舶油污染整治工程的治污效果定量评估方法进行初步探索,给出了整治工程实施后的石油类排放削减量的计算公式,建立相应的水量和石油类水质模型进行水环境改善效果预测。最后应用该评估方法进行京杭运河徐扬段船舶油污染综合整治工程的治污效果评估,预测工程实施后的石油类排放削减量和水质改善程度,为该工程的实施提供科学依据。     

我国淡水水域光合产物的气候生产力探讨

根据太阳辐射在水体中的有效分布、生长季水温和浮游植物光合生态特性等因子,模拟计算了我国大陆东部淡水水域的光合生产力、气候生产力及其季节变化的地理规律。从中得知,这些水域初级产物的年气候生产力主要呈纬向分布,由南向北递减,各地范围在 1.6-24.4gC/m²·a之间,长江以南是>15.0gC/m²·a的高值区,长城以北和四川盆地为<10.0gC/m²·a的低值区,因此,在气候生产力高值区有可能充分利用气候资源优势,开发低成本的自然淡水水域渔业;而在低生产力区,受自然资源的局限其自然捕鱼量需适量控制,因地制宜。     

湄洲湾海水环境质量和水产业发展的关系

通过１９９５ 年１２ 月～１９９６ 年１ 月湄洲湾渔业资源调查和生物体内残毒分析，结合１９８８ ～１９９６ 年的生态环境综合调查资料，探讨以石化工业为主体的开发对湄洲湾水产业的影响。结果表明，工业发展中污染物的排放对湄洲湾生态环境和生物的不良影响正在显现，并对水产业的发展构成威胁，但在严格控制污染物排放，保护并发展水产业的情况下，湄洲湾仍能较长期保持现有的各种使用功能，维护湾内海域的生态平衡。     

Closing the open sea: Development of fishery management in four Icelandic fisheries

The article outlines the development of Iceland's fishery rights and the extension of its territorial waters between the 1950s and the mid‐1970s, whereby Iceland gained exclusive control and use of the marine resources of the waters within 12, later 50, and ultimately 200 nautical miles around the island. The article concentrates on four of Iceland's main fisheries: shrimp, herring, capelin and cod. These four fisheries are discussed separately and in depth, presenting the beginnings and growth of the industry and detailing the development of management practices and the corresponding legislation and regulatory measures. Iceland's initial concern was to gain control over the marine resources surrounding the island, but once this was achieved, the focus of attention shifted to managing first the economic and soon also the ecological aspects of its tremendous resource. Informed mainly by indigenous expertise, Iceland's concern was to limit overfishing, manage its fisheries sustainably both from the economic and ecological points of view, and find the best ways to distribute the revenues from the marine harvest. The article looks at each of the four fisheries to clarify how the individual transferable quota (ITQ) system came into being, how initial quota holdings were allotted, and analyses the circumstances under which the ITQ system became the management tool of choice. For each fishery, the process of regulatory evolution was quite unique. At the same time, there is a common pattern to all the fisheries, which may be summarized as follows. Firstly, serious attempts to reform management practices only got underway when the fishery had collapsed or was close to collapse. Secondly, stakeholders invariably started the process of regulation by limiting access to the fishery. Thirdly, a variety of rules were implemented to allocate rights to participate in the fishery to additional entrants once membership had been closed. Finally, prior to the invention of the ITQ system, prices were used to manage fisheries in Iceland. It may be concluded that the management of fisheries by ITQs may be a historical accident, rather than the end point of a logical evolution.     

Toward reassessing data‐deficient species

One in 6 species (13,465 species) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is classified as data deficient due to lack of information on their taxonomy, population status, or impact of threats. Despite the chance that many are at high risk of extinction, data‐deficient species are typically excluded from global and local conservation priorities, as well as funding schemes. The number of data‐deficient species will greatly increase as the IUCN Red List becomes more inclusive of poorly known and speciose groups. A strategic approach is urgently needed to enhance the conservation value of data‐deficient assessments. To develop this, we reviewed 2879 data‐deficient assessments in 6 animal groups and identified 8 main justifications for assigning data‐deficient status (type series, few records, old records, uncertain provenance, uncertain population status or distribution, uncertain threats, taxonomic uncertainty, and new species). Assigning a consistent set of justification tags (i.e., consistent assignment to assessment justifications) to species classified as data deficient is a simple way to achieve more strategic assessments. Such tags would clarify the causes of data deficiency; facilitate the prediction of extinction risk; facilitate comparisons of data deficiency among taxonomic groups; and help prioritize species for reassessment. With renewed efforts, it could be straightforward to prevent thousands of data‐deficient species slipping unnoticed toward extinction.     

Freshwater fish diversity hotspots for conservation priorities in the Amazon Basin

Conserving freshwater habitats and their biodiversity in the Amazon Basin is a growing challenge in the face of rapid anthropogenic changes. We used the most comprehensive fish-occurrence database available (2355 valid species; 21,248 sampling points) and 3 ecological criteria (irreplaceability, representativeness, and vulnerability) to identify biodiversity hotspots based on 6 conservation templates (3 proactive, 1 reactive, 1 representative, and 1 balanced) to provide a set of alternative planning solutions for freshwater fish protection in the Amazon Basin. We identified empirically for each template the 17% of sub-basins that should be conserved and performed a prioritization analysis by identifying current and future (2050) threats (i.e., degree of deforestation and habitat fragmentation by dams). Two of our 3 proactive templates had around 65% of their surface covered by protected areas; high levels of irreplaceability (60% of endemics) and representativeness (71% of the Amazonian fish fauna); and low current and future vulnerability. These 2 templates, then, seemed more robust for conservation prioritization. The future of the selected sub-basins in these 2 proactive templates is not immediately threatened by human activities, and these sub-basins host the largest part of Amazonian biodiversity. They could easily be conserved if no additional threats occur between now and 2050.     

Prioritizing sites for conservation based on similarity to historical baselines and feasibility of protection

The concept of shifting baselines in conservation science implies advocacy for the use of historical knowledge to inform these baselines but does not address the feasibility of restoring sites to those baselines. In many regions, conservation feasibility varies among sites due to differences in resource availability, statutory power, and land‐owner participation. We used zooarchaeological records to identify a historical baseline of the freshwater mussel community's composition before Euro‐American influence at a river‐reach scale (i.e., a kilometer stretch of river that is abiotically similar) in the Leon River of central Texas (U.S.A.). We evaluated how the community reference position and the feasibility of conservation might enable identification of sites where conservation actions would preserve historically representative communities and be likely to succeed. We devised a conceptual model that incorporated community information and landscape factors to link the best conservation areas to potential cost and conservation benefits. Using fuzzy ordination, we identified modern mussel beds that were most like the historical baseline. We then quantified housing density and land use near each river reach identified to estimate feasibility of habitat restoration. Using our conceptual framework, we identified reaches of high conservation value (i.e., contain the best mussel beds) and where restoration actions would be most likely to succeed. Reaches above Lake Belton were most similar in species composition and relative abundance to zooarchaeological sites. A subset of these mussel beds occurred in locations where conservation actions appeared most feasible. Our results show how to use zooarchaeological data (biodiversity data often readily available) and estimates of conservation feasibility to inform conservation priorities at a local spatial scale.