Distribuição e abundância do coral invasor Tubastraea spp.

As espécies de corais invasores, Tubastraea tagusensis e T. coccinea foram acidentalmente introduzidos no Brasil através de plataformas de petróleo. O rápido crescimento e estágio reprodutivo, competição contra espécies nativas, defesas químicas contra predadores e competidores naturais e uso amplo em diferentes substratos utilizados contribuem para o sucesso e expansão de Tubastraea spp. na costa brasileira. O presente estudo teve dois objetivos principais: 1) investigar uma metodologia que resulte em uma maior eficiência e custo-benefício nos processsos de monitoramento dos corais invasores Tubastraea spp. no litoral brasileiro; 2) mapear a distribuição geográfica, caracterizar as populações e estudar o efeito da inserção dos corais na comunidade bêntica de costões rochosos do litoral norte do estado de São Paulo (LNSP). O primeiro avaliou quatro metodologias, comparando o método do censo visual, e outras três metodologias que utilizam fotografia e filmagem. O método do censo visual mostrou ser mais eficiente na obtenção dos resultados quando comparado com os outros métodos, principalmente para identificar pequenos organismos. Contudo, seu tempo em campo e seus custos foram maiores. O segundo utilizou o método visual para estudar o efeito da inserção dos corais invasores na comunidade local do LNSP. Ainda, foi realizado um monitoramento espacial semi-quantitativo em larga escala para caracterizar a distribuição espacial dos corais invasores; transectos com quadrados amostrais foram usados para estimar a densidade de Tubastraea ao longo da profundidade, e transectos e arcos graduados empregados para estimar a ocorrência de colônias em diferentes inclinações do substrato, no LNSP. Os corais invasores estão aumentado sua distribuição, causando diversos impactos nas comunidades e nos organismos nativos. T. tagusensis é comumente encontrado dominando diversos costões rochosos, com uma densidade maior em ambientes mais profundos e com maior ocorência em substratos de inclinções verticais e negativas no LNSP. A erradicação e/ou controle do coral invasor é recomendado no litoral brasileiro, principalmente onde as populações estão isoladas ou ainda são pequenas.

Effects of commercial fishing on local abundance of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in the Bering Sea

Groundfish fisheries in the southeast Bering Sea in Alaska have been constrained in recent years by management measures to protect the endangered Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). There is concern that the present commercial harvest may produce a localized depletion of groundfish that would affect the foraging success of Steller sea lions or other predators. A three-year field experiment was conducted to determine whether an intensive trawl fishery in the southeast Bering Sea created a localized depletion in the abundance of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). This experiment produced strongly negative results; no difference was found in the rate of seasonal change in Pacific cod abundance between stations within a regulatory no-trawl zone and stations in an immediately adjacent trawled area. Corollary studies showed that Pacific cod in the study area were highly mobile and indicated that the geographic scale of Pacific cod movement was larger than the spatial scale used as the basis for current no-trawl zones. The idea of localized depletion is strongly dependent on assumed spatial and temporal scales and contains an implicit assumption that there is a closed local population. The scale of movement of target organisms is critical in determining regional effects of fishery removals.

Genetic diversity in wild stocks of the giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii): implications for aquaculture and conservation

The giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) is cultured widely around the world but little is known about the levels and patterns of genetic diversity in either wild or cultured stocks. Studies have suggested that genetic diversity may be relatively low in some cultured stocks due to the history of how they were founded and subsequent exposure to repeated population bottlenecks in hatcheries. In contrast, wild stocks have an extensive distribution that extends from Southern Asia across Southeast (SE) Asia to the Pacific region. Therefore, wild stocks could be an important resource for genetic improvement of culture stocks in the future. Understanding the extent and patterns of genetic diversity in wild giant freshwater prawn stocks will assist decisions about the direction future breeding programs may take. Wild stock genetic diversity was examined using a 472 base-pair segment of the 16S rRNA gene in 18 wild populations collected from across the natural range of the species. Two major clades ("eastern" and "western") were identifi ed either side of Huxley’s line, with a minimum divergence of 6.2 per cent, which implies separation since the Miocene period (5-10 MYA). While divergence estimates within major clades was small (maximum 0.9 per cent), evidence was also found for population structuring at a lower spatial scale. This will be examined more intensively with a faster evolving mtDNA gene in the future.

Arcabouço estratigráfico e ciclicidade deposicional dos sistemas sedimentares quaternários da plataforma sul da Bacia de Campos (RJ)

A análise sísmica de ~ 3000 km de dados sísmicos sparker de reflexão monocanal permitiu a proposição de um arcabouço estratigráfico englobando a seção rasa (~300 milisegundos) da plataforma continental sul da Bacia de Campos. Cinco sequências sísmicas foram reconhecidas (Sq1-Sq5), limitadas por superfícies erosivas de escala plataformal (superfícies S1-S5), interpretadas como sequências deposicionais formadas por oscilações glacioeustáticas e limites de sequências (discordâncias regionais) esculpidos durante longos períodos de exposição subaérea e total da plataforma, indicando condições de diminuição de nível de base e destruição parcial de espaço de acomodação sedimentar. As sequências Sq1-Sq4 são dominantemente regressivas, compostas principalmente por prismas de regressão forçada de borda de plataforma/talude superior. A sequência superficial Sq5 é constituída essencialmente de unidades retrogradantes restritas à plataforma continental, interpretadas como compondo uma sequência eminentemente transgressiva. A correlação entre dados sísmicos e cronoestratigráficos de um poço exploratório disponível na área permitiu posicionar a deposição desta sucessão estratigráfica entre o Pleistoceno Médio- Holoceno (últimos ~500 ka). Além disso, a correlação entre a base de dados com curvas globais de variações eustáticas, baseadas nas razões isotópicas de 18O (estágios isotópicos marinhos), permitiu ainda sugerir que a sucessão estratigráfica Sq1-Sq4 registra sequências regressivas de quarta ordem, refletindo deposição durante ciclos glacioeustáticos de ~ 100 -120 ka de duração e de alta amplitude de oscilação eustática (100-145m), que caracterizam o sinal eustático nos últimos ~500 ka. A sequência Sq5 seria uma sequência ainda em formação, constituída por depósitos transgressivos e de mar alto formados durante o Pleistoceno Tardio-Holoceno.

Evaluation of the In Situ Ichthyoplankton Imaging System (ISIIS): comparison with the traditional (bongo net) sampler

Plankton and larval fish sampling programs often are limited by a balance between sampling frequency (for precision) and costs. Advancements in sampling techniques hold the potential to add considerable efficiency and, therefore, add sampling frequency to improve precision. We compare a newly developed plankton imaging system, In Situ Ichthyoplankton Imaging System (ISIIS), with a bongo sampler, which is a traditional plankton sampling gear developed in the 1960s. Comparative sampling was conducted along 2 transects ~30–40 km long. Over 2 days, we completed 36 ISIIS tow-yo undulations and 11 bongo oblique tows, each from the surface to within 10 m of the seafloor. Overall, the 2 gears detected comparable numbers of larval fishes, representing similar taxonomic compositions, although larvae captured with the bongo were capable of being identified to lower taxonomic levels, especially larvae in the small (<5 mm), preflexion stages. Size distributions of the sampled larval fishes differed considerably between these 2 sampling methods, with the size range and mean size of larval fishes larger with ISIIS than with the bongo sampler. The high frequency and fine spatial scale of ISIIS allow it to add considerable sampling precision (i.e., more vertical sections) to plankton surveys. Improvements in the ISIIS technology (including greater depth of field and image resolution) should also increase taxonomic resolution and decrease processing time. When coupled with appropriate net sampling (for the purpose of collecting and verifying the identification of biological samples), the use of ISIIS could improve overall survey design and simultaneously provide detailed, process-oriented information for fisheries scientists and oceanographers.

Co-occurrence of bycatch and target species in the groundfish demersal trawl fishery of the U.S. west coast; with special consideration of rebuilding stocks

Bycatch and resultant discard mortality are issues of global concern. The groundfish demersal trawl fishery on the west coast of the United States is a multispecies fishery with significant catch of target and nontarget species. These catches are of particular concern in regard to species that have previously been declared overfished and are currently rebuilding biomass back to target levels. To understand these interactions better, we used data from the West Coast Groundfish Observer Program in a series of cluster analyses to evaluate 3 questions: 1) Are there identifiable associations between species caught in the bottom trawl fishery; 2) Do species that are undergoing population rebuilding toward target biomass levels (“rebuilding species”) cluster with targeted species in a consistent way; 3) Are the relationships between rebuilding bycatch species and target species more resolved at particular spatial scales or are relationships spatially consistent across the whole data set? Two strong species clusters emerged—a deepwater slope cluster and a shelf cluster—neither of which included rebuilding species. The likelihood of encountering rebuilding rockfish species is relatively low. To evaluate whether weak clustering of rebuilding rockfish was attributable to their low rate of occurrence, we specified null models of species occurrence. Results indicated that the ability to predict occurrence of rebuilding rockfish when target species were caught was low. Cluster analyses performed at a variety of spatial scales indicated that the most reliable clustering of rebuilding species was at the spatial scale of individual fishing ports. This finding underscores the value of spatially resolved data for fishery management.

生态系统服务功能价值评估—以锡林河流域天然草地生态系统为例

时空尺度和生态系统的健康状况是影响生态系统服务功能的重要因素。锡林河流域天然草地关键的地理位置和独特的生境条件使其具有十分重要的生态意义和经济价值。评估锡林河流域天然草地在不同时空尺度及生态系统健康状况的生态系统服务功能的价值，不仅能够全面客观的评价该流域天然草地的生态服务功能，而且还能够为当地经济政策的制定，经济的建设发展提供科学依据。 本研究以锡林河流域天然草地为例，通过对草地生态系统服务功能价值评估和计算机情景模拟，研究了不同空间尺度及放牧影响锡林河流域天然草地生态系统服务功能价值。对于不同空间尺度下草地生态系统服务价值的研究，根据草地的产草量和退化程度将锡林河流域天然草地划分成5个级别，利用Costanza等的基本思路和方法，进行了价值评估。结果表明锡林河流域草地生态系统每年的服务价值为76.154×108元。受各级草场的生产量和放牧强度的综合影响，健康程度不同的各等级天然草地的单位面积生态系统服务功能的价值存在着很大差异，从1级草地到5级草地，单位面积服务价值比重从38.1%下降到4.8%。参考国际、国内和锡林浩特当地三种不同的生态系统服务单价，计算得出这三种不同空间尺度下锡林河流域天然草场生态系统服务价值分别为：88.199×108元/年、76.154×108元/年、14.236×108元/年，并且各项服务功能在总价值中所占的比例也随空间尺度变化。以气体调节为例，服务价值的比重分别占3.7%、11.0%和7.9%，这说明生态系统服务功能的价值与空间尺度有关。 通过草地生态系统服务功能当量因子得到不同类型草地生态系统单位面积服务价值，研究放牧影响下各类型草地生态系统单位面积服务价值以及年平均累积服务价值。草地生态系统服务功能当量因子说明生态系统各项服务功能不仅与生态系统的生物量有关，同时受到生态系统内环境因子、生物因子、生态系统过程多方面因素的共同作用。最大直接经济价值放牧率大于生态系统服务功能最大时的放牧率，但是获得经济利润小于生态系统服务功能最大时的价值。同时，在各类草地生态系统中单位面积服务价值以贝加尔针茅草原最高为2242.347元/公顷，克氏针茅草原最低为1655.413元/公顷。草地生态系统的累积服务价值在时间范围一定时随放牧率变化明显，并且时间范围越大变化越大。重牧状态下的草地生态系统累积服务价值最低，且随时间的增加而减少;无牧、轻牧和中牧状态下草地生态系统的累积服务价值则随时间的延续而增长。以上结果说明放牧对草地生态系统服务功能有显著影响，以经济利益为目的获得最大利润的放牧方式带来的经济价值是短期的，从长远看，只有科学管理，合理放牧，才能使草地生态系统长期稳定的提供最佳的生态系统服务功能。

Compressor wake/leading-edge interactions at off design incidences

In this paper, the effects of wake/leading-edge interactions were studied at off-design conditions. Measurements were performed on the stator-blade suction surface at midspan. The leading-edge flow-field was investigated using hotwire micro-traverses, hotfilm surface shear-stress sensors and pressure micro-tappings. The trailing-edge flow-field was investigated using hotwire boundary-layer traverses. Unsteady CFD calculations were also performed to aid the interpretation of the results. At low flow coefficients, the time-averaged momentum thickness of the leading-edge boundary layer was found to rise as the flow coefficient was reduced. The time-resolved momentum-thickness rose due to the interaction of the incoming rotor wake. As the flow coefficient was reduced, the incoming wakes increased in pitch-wise extent, velocity deficit and turbulence intensity. This increased both the time-resolved rise in the momentum thickness and the turbulent spot production within the wake affected boundary-layer. Close to stall, a drop in the leading-edge momentum thickness was observed in-between wake events. This was associated with the formation of a leading-edge separation bubble in-between wake events. The wake interaction with the bubble gave rise to a shedding phenomenon, which produced large length scale disturbances in the surface shear stress. Copyright © 2008 by ASME.

The potential for clupeid fishery in Lake Kainji, Nigeria

The potential for a clupcid fishery in Lake Kainji has been examined using both experimental fishing samples and the results obtained from those of the commercial fishermen. A total annual production of 1,400 tons has been estimated. In money terms, this amounls to N198.800 (£99,400) per annum. This production has been sustained by the abundant zooplankton food available the year round on the lake. Recommendations for the effective methods of cropping clupeids were made, bearing in mind the need to maintain the fishery on a sustained yield basis. The place of c1upeids in the ecology of the lake was examined and on the basis of the evidence available it was recommended that Pellonula afzeluisi could be exploited on a large commercial scale without any adverse effects on the fishery in the lake.

景观边界研究概况

Landscape boundaries are the heterogeneous regions between different homogeneous landscapes at certain temporal and spatial scale. In this paper, the progress of research on landscape boundary was briefly reviewed. Research contents are mainly focused on the following aspects: ①Biodiversity, ②Response of landscape boundary to climatic change, ③Effects of disturbance on landscape boundary, ④ Functions of landscape boundary, ⑤ The relationships between landscape boundaries and abiotic factors, ⑥Indicators of landscape boundary, ⑦ Causes and determination of landscape boundary. In addition, more and more attentions have been paid to the research on riparian. By analyzing the current research status, the development trend of landscape boundary research was proposed, namely, the formation and maintenance mechanism of landscape boundary, its prediction and research on the boundary between surface water and ground water.

基于GIS实现的中国土壤侵蚀背景数据库若干技术问题

建立准确可靠、精确可用的中国土壤侵蚀背景数据库是进行全国或区域范围内土壤侵蚀定量评价及土壤侵蚀时空特征研究的基础工作,也是其重要的手段和途径。就小比例尺全国土壤侵蚀背景数据库的建立过程,探讨了该类数据库在ARC/INFO软件系统上实现的技术方法,以及数据精确程度的控制问题。

基于ER Mapper的水土流失地形因子提取技术初探

介绍了新一代图像处理系统ERMapper及其应用 ,分析了不同空间尺度下影响水土流失的地形因子。针对ERMapper的图像处理功能 ,对地形因子的提取技术进行了初步探讨 ,并取得了一定成果

我国区域土壤侵蚀与环境研究述评

区域土壤侵蚀与环境研究,是在比较大的中间尺度和较长的时间尺度上,对土壤侵蚀发生发展过程、土壤侵蚀因子、土壤侵蚀定量评价方法,以及土壤侵蚀治理对环境的影响进行研究的科学与技术体系。该领域的研究,即能直接为国家水土保持宏观决策提供支持,又能揭示土壤侵蚀的宏观规律,并于全球变化研究相联系。我国在该领域的研究主要概括四个方面,包括:①区域土壤侵蚀因子研究,是为认识土壤侵蚀环境特征和进行土壤侵蚀定量评价的基础,②区域土壤侵蚀评价研究,包括调查制图、定性评价和定量评价等,是该研究服务于水土保持实践的基本途径;③水土保持的环境效应研究,是从另外一个视角对土壤侵蚀环境与水土流失及其治理关系的认识。是确切评估水土保持效益,保证水土保持工作健康持续稳定发展的基础。今后应尽快开发区域水土流失定量评价模型,并在区域尺度上对环境效应的方式、范围、程度和发展趋势做出综合计价和分析预测。

Black carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments of China's marginal seas

This study investigates the distribution of black carbon (BC) and its correlation with total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (I PAH) pound in the surface sediments of China's marginal seas. BC content ranges from < 0.10 to 2.45 mg/g dw (grams dry weight) in the sediments studied, and varied among the different coastal regions. The Bohai Bay sediments had the highest BC contents (average 2.18 mg/g dw), which comprises a significant fraction (27%-41%) of the total organic carbon (TOC) preserved in the sediments. In comparison, BC in the surface sediments of the North Yellow Sea, Jiaozhou Bay, East China Sea and the South China Sea is less abundant and accounted for an average of 6%, 8%, 14% and 5%, respectively, of the sedimentary organic carbon pool. The concentration of I PAH pound in the surface sediments ranges from 41 to 3 667 ng/g dw and showed large spatial variations among the sampling sites of different costal regions. The Bohai Bay has the highest I PAH pound values, ranging from 79 to 3 667 ng/g dw. This reflects the high anthropogenically contaminated nature of the sediments in the bay. BC is positively correlated to TOC but a strong correlation is not found between BC and I PAH pound in the surface sediments studied, suggesting that BC and PAHs preserved in the sediments are derived from different sources and controlled by different biogeochemical processes. Our study suggests that the abundance of BC preserved in the sediments could represent a significant sink pool of carbon cycling in China's marginal seas.

Reconstruction of vertical thermal structure from several subsurface temperatures in the China Seas and adjacent waters

Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis is used in this study to generate main eigenvector fields of historical temperature for the China Seas (here referring to Chinese marine territories) and adjacent waters from 1930 to 2002 (510 143 profiles). A good temperature profile is reconstructed based on several subsurface in situ temperature observations and the thermocline was estimated using the model. The results show that: 1) For the study area, the former four principal components can explain 95% of the overall variance, and the vertical distribution of temperature is most stable using the in situ temperature observations near the surface. 2) The model verifications based on the observed CTD data from the East China Sea (ECS), South China Sea (SCS) and the areas around Taiwan Island show that the reconstructed profiles have high correlation with the observed ones with the confidence level > 95%, especially to describe the characteristics of the thermocline well. The average errors between the reconstructed and observed profiles in these three areas are 0.69A degrees C, 0.52A degrees C and 1.18A degrees C respectively. It also shows the model RMS error is less than or close to the climatological error. The statistical model can be used to well estimate the temperature profile vertical structure. 3) Comparing the thermocline characteristics between the reconstructed and observed profiles, the results in the ECS show that the average absolute errors are 1.5m, 1.4 m and 0.17A degrees C/m, and the average relative errors are 24.7%, 8.9% and 22.6% for the upper, lower thermocline boundaries and the gradient, respectively. Although the relative errors are obvious, the absolute error is small. In the SCS, the average absolute errors are 4.1 m, 27.7 m and 0.007A degrees C/m, and the average relative errors are 16.1%, 16.8% and 9.5% for the upper, lower thermocline boundaries and the gradient, respectively. The average relative errors are all < 20%. Although the average absolute error of the lower thermocline boundary is considerable, but contrast to the spatial scale of average depth of the lower thermocline boundary (165 m), the average relative error is small (16.8%). Therefore the model can be used to well estimate the thermocline.