981 resultados para BENTHOS


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An experiment was carried out on the soft bottom in the sublitoral zone of the Furugelm Island (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan) to study formation of benthic communities. Boxes with defauned sediments were placed on depths of 4, 6 and 13 m and exposed during 60 days in the summer period. Half of them were covered with a net with mesh size 2 cm to prevent effect of large predators. It was found that spatial pattern of invertebrates' sinking in the bay conforms to distribution of benthic communities. Larvae of benthic invertebrates sinks in general in places inhabited by their adult species. The main factors responsible for recolonzation are: sediment type and local hydrodynamic conditions. Heart-shaped sea urchin Echinocardium cordatum is numerically dominated in the bay on depth 3-4.5 m, but its larvae sinks in the deeper area. Community structure is supported by mature specimen migration to places inhabited by species. Predators affect largely on the species.

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Middle Eocene to Late Oligocene sediments from near the crest (Site 689B, water depth 2080 m) and flank (water depth 2914 m) of the Maud Rise (62°S) have been investigated by coarse fraction analysis and have revealed the following: (1) The middle Eocene (50-40 Ma) was a period of pure carbonate sedimentation, with good preservation of carbonate microfossils. No opal > 40 µm is present. (2) In the late Eocene (40-36.5 Ma) opal fossils (mainly radiolaria, and some diatoms > 40 µm) appeared for the first time. Three maxima in opal sedimentation (Eocene/Oligocene boundary, middle early Oligocene and early/late Oligocene boundary) are separated by increases in carbonate sedimentation. The dissolution of carbonate fossils is strong in the opal-rich layers. Opal sedimentation is attributed to cooling and probably more vigorous atmospheric circulation and increased upwelling. (3) Carbonate dissolution increased with water depth in the Oligocene, whereas in the middle Eocene excellent carbonate preservation in the deeper Site 690B and stronger dissolution in the shallower Site 689B is attributed to different bottom-water characteristics. The middle Eocene bottom water probably was formed by strong evaporation at low latitudes, whereas by the earliest Oligocene formation of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) had set in. (4) Current influence, not on top but on the flank of the Maud Rise, could be recorded by means of larger grain sizes of benthonic and planktonic microfossils. (5) Ice-rafted debris was not found. Quartz and other minerals are very rare and not larger than 125 µm and may have been supplied by ice as well as by wind or by deep currents. Mica contents were up to 10 times higher in the middle Eocene on the flank compared to on the crest of the Maud Rise, indicating deep current supply.

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Two box cores taken off Cape Barbas (North-West Africa) have been studied using three methods. The analyses of the coarse fraction, of biogenic opal and of planktonic foraminifera revealed : 1. Core GIK12310-4 penetrates Z, Y, X and upper part of W zone, whereas core GIK12379-1 penetrates Z and upper part of Y zone. 2. Holocene sedimentation rates are 2.5 cm/1000 y for core GIK12310-4 and 6.0 cm/1000 y for core GIK12379-1. During the Y zone 5 cm/l000 y were sedimented incore GIK12310-4 and > 10-20 cm/1000 y in core GIK12379-1. 3. Paleoclimatohgical results are: arid climate and relatively warm water temperatures during the Holocene (Z zone) and during X zone; humid climate and relatively cool water temperatures within the Wuerm (Y zone) (with a non-dated more arid interval found in the middle part of the Y zone) and in the upper part of the W zone. 4. Increased contents of benthos and radiolaria in the Y zone indicate upwelling. Upwelling, characterized by high content of biogenic opal and low water temperatures, was found in core GIK12310-4 at 250 to 350 cm in the lower part of the Y zone. The plankton/benthos ratio of foraminifera, the benthos/radiolaria ratio and water temperatures derived from planktonic foraminifera, differ in both cores in the Holocene, and are nearly identical during the Wuerm.

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In the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman marl forms the primary sediment cover, particularly on the Iranian side. A detailed quantitative description of the sediment components > 63 µ has been attempted in order to establish the regional distribution of the most important constituents as well as the criteria governing marl sedimentation in general. During the course of the analysis, the sand fraction from about 160 bottom-surface samples was split into 5 phi° fractions and 500 to 800 grains were counted in each individual fraction. The grains were cataloged in up to 40 grain type catagories. The gravel fraction was counted separately and the values calculated as weight percent. Basic for understanding the mode of formation of the marl sediment is the "rule" of independent availability of component groups. It states that the sedimentation of different component groups takes place independently, and that variation in the quantity of one component is independent of the presence or absence of other components. This means, for example, that different grain size spectrums are not necessarily developed through transport sorting. In the Persian Gulf they are more likely the result of differences in the amount of clay-rich fine sediment brought in to the restricted mouth areas of the Iranian rivers. These local increases in clayey sediment dilute the autochthonous, for the most part carbonate, coarse fraction. This also explains the frequent facies changes from carbonate to clayey marl. The main constituent groups of the coarse fraction are faecal pellets and lumps, the non carbonate mineral components, the Pleistocene relict sediment, the benthonic biogene components and the plankton. Faecal pellets and lumps are formed through grain size transformation of fine sediment. Higher percentages of these components can be correlated to large amounts of fine sediment and organic C. No discernable change takes place in carbonate minerals as a result of digestion and faecal pellet formation. The non-carbonate sand components originate from several unrelated sources and can be distinguished by their different grain size spectrum; as well as by other characteristics. The Iranian rivers supply the greatest amounts (well sorted fine sand). Their quantitative variations can be used to trace fine sediment transport directions. Similar mineral maxima in the sediment of the Gulf of Oman mark the path of the Persian Gulf outflow water. Far out from the coast, the basin bottoms in places contain abundant relict minerals (poorly sorted medium sand) and localized areas of reworked salt dome material (medium sand to gravel). Wind transport produces only a minimal "background value" of mineral components (very fine sand). Biogenic and non-biogenic relict sediments can be placed in separate component groups with the help of several petrographic criteria. Part of the relict sediment (well sorted fine sand) is allochthonous and was derived from the terrigenous sediment of river mouths. The main part (coarse, poorly sorted sediment), however, was derived from the late Pleistocene and forms a quasi-autochthonous cover over wide areas which receive little recent sedimentation. Bioturbation results in a mixing of the relict sediment with the overlying younger sediment. Resulting vertical sediment displacement of more than 2.5 m has been observed. This vertical mixing of relict sediment is also partially responsible for the present day grain size anomalies (coarse sediment in deep water) found in the Persian Gulf. The mainly aragonitic components forming the relict sediment show a finely subdivided facies pattern reflecting the paleogeography of carbonate tidal flats dating from the post Pleistocene transgression. Standstill periods are reflected at 110 -125m (shelf break), 64-61 m and 53-41 m (e.g. coare grained quartz and oolite concentrations), and at 25-30m. Comparing these depths to similar occurrences on other shelf regions (e. g. Timor Sea) leads to the conclusion that at this time minimal tectonic activity was taking place in the Persian Gulf. The Pleistocene climate, as evidenced by the absence of Iranian river sediment, was probably drier than the present day Persian Gulf climate. Foremost among the benthonic biogene components are the foraminifera and mollusks. When a ratio is set up between the two, it can be seen that each group is very sensitive to bottom type, i.e., the production of benthonic mollusca increases when a stable (hard) bottom is present whereas the foraminifera favour a soft bottom. In this way, regardless of the grain size, areas with high and low rates of recent sedimentation can be sharply defined. The almost complete absence of mollusks in water deeper than 200 to 300 m gives a rough sedimentologic water depth indicator. The sum of the benthonic foraminifera and mollusca was used as a relative constant reference value for the investigation of many other sediment components. The ratio between arenaceous foraminifera and those with carbonate shells shows a direct relationship to the amount of coarse grained material in the sediment as the frequence of arenaceous foraminifera depends heavily on the availability of sand grains. The nearness of "open" coasts (Iranian river mouths) is directly reflected in the high percentage of plant remains, and indirectly by the increased numbers of ostracods and vertebrates. Plant fragments do not reach their ultimate point of deposition in a free swimming state, but are transported along with the remainder of the terrigenous fine sediment. The echinoderms (mainly echinoids in the West Basin and ophiuroids in the Central Basin) attain their maximum development at the greatest depth reached by the action of the largest waves. This depth varies, depending on the exposure of the slope to the waves, between 12 to 14 and 30 to 35 m. Corals and bryozoans have proved to be good indicators of stable unchanging bottom conditions. Although bryozoans and alcyonarian spiculae are independent of water depth, scleractinians thrive only above 25 to 30 m. The beginning of recent reef growth (restricted by low winter temperatures) was seen only in one single area - on a shoal under 16 m of water. The coarse plankton fraction was studied primarily through the use of a plankton-benthos ratio. The increase in planktonic foraminifera with increasing water depth is here heavily masked by the "Adjacent sea effect" of the Persian Gulf: for the most part the foraminifera have drifted in from the Gulf of Oman. In contrast, the planktonic mollusks are able to colonize the entire Persian Gulf water body. Their amount in the plankton-benthos ratio always increases with water depth and thereby gives a reliable picture of local water depth variations. This holds true to a depth of around 400 m (corresponding to 80-90 % plankton). This water depth effect can be removed by graphical analysis, allowing the percentage of planktonic mollusks per total sample to be used as a reference base for relative sedimentation rate (sedimentation index). These values vary between 1 and > 1000 and thereby agree well with all the other lines of evidence. The "pteropod ooze" facies is then markedly dependent on the sedimentation rate and can theoretically develop at any depth greater than 65 m (proven at 80 m). It should certainly no longer be thought of as "deep sea" sediment. Based on the component distribution diagrams, grain size and carbonate content, the sediments of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman can be grouped into 5 provisional facies divisions (Chapt.19). Particularly noteworthy among these are first, the fine grained clayey marl facies occupying the 9 narrow outflow areas of rivers, and second, the coarse grained, high-carbonate marl facies rich in relict sediment which covers wide sediment-poor areas of the basin bottoms. Sediment transport is for the most part restricted to grain sizes < 150 µ and in shallow water is largely coast-parallel due to wave action at times supplemented by tidal currents. Below the wave base gravity transport prevails. The only current capable of moving sediment is the Persian Gulf outflow water in the Gulf of Oman.

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An extensive radiograph study of 24 undisturbed, up to 206-cm long box and gravity cores from the western part of the Strait of Otranto revealed a great variety of primary bedding structures and secondary burrowing features. The regional distribution of the sediments according to their structural, textural, and compositional properties reflects the major morphologic subdivisions of the strait into shelf, slope, and trough bottom (e.g., the bottom of the northern end of the Corfu-Kephallinia Trough, which extends from the northeastern Ionian Sea into the Strait of Otranto): (1) The Apulian shelf (0 to -170m) is only partly covered by very poorly sorted, muddy sands without layering. These relict(?) sands are rich in organic carbonate debris and contain glauconite and reworked (?Pleistocene) ooids. (2) The slope sediments (-170 to -1,000 m) are poorly sorted, sandy muds with a high degree of burrowing. One core (OT 5) is laminated and shows slump structures. An origin of these slumped sediment masses from older deposits higher on the slope was inferred from their abnormal compaction, color, texture, organic content, and mineral composition. (3) Cores from the northern end of the Corfu-Kephallinia Trough (-980 to -1,060 m) display a few graded sand layers, 2-5 cm (maximum 30 cm) thick with parallel and ripple-cross-laminations, deposited by oceanic bottom or small-scale turbidity currents. They are intercalated with homogeneous lutite. (4) Hemipelagic sediments prevail in the more southerly part of the Corfu-Kephallinia Trough and on the "Apulian-Ionian Ridge", the southern submarine extension of the Apulian Peninsula. Below a core depth of 160 cm, these cores have a laminated ("varved") zone, representing an Early Holocene (Boreal-Atlanticum) "stagnation layer" (14C age approximately 9,000 years). The terrigenous components of the surface sediments as well as those of the deeper sand layers can be derived from the Apulian shelf and the Italian mainland (Cretaceous Apulian Plateau and Gargano Mountains, southern Apennines, volcanic province of the Monte Vulture). Indicated by the heavy mineral glaucophane, a minor proportion of the sedimentary material is probably of Alpine origin. If this portion is considered to be first-cycle clastic material it reaches the Strait of Otranto after a longitudinal transport of 700 km via the Adriatic Sea. The lack of phyllosilicates in the coarse- to medium-grained shelf samples might be explained by the activity of the "Apulian Current" (surface velocities up to 4 knots) which in the past possibly has affected the bottom almost down to depths of the shelf edge. The percentage of planktonic organisms, and also the plankton: benthos ratio in the sediments is a useful indicator for bathymetry (depth zonation).

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Macrobenthos biomass and bottom biocoenoses were studied in the sublittoral zone of the southern East Siberian Sea. The macrobenthos is characterized by relatively high abundance (from 30 to 2680 #/m**2), biomass (from 0.25 to 578.8 g/m**2), and diversity (83 species in total). Lateral distribution of macrobenthos biomass correlates with a substrate type and salinity and is substantially higher in areas washed by the Arctic water mass than in estuaries with mixed fresh and Arctic waters and shows a tendency to decreasing in the convergence zone of different water masses. The highest macrobenthos biomass is observed in cores of water masses in the Long Strait area and in the eastern part of the sea.

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In spite of similar abiotic conditions in the Long Strait and Chaun Bay, the polychaete taxocenes differ markedly. In some cases biomass, production, and assimilation of polychaetes in the Long Strait are lower, while rate of metabolism is higher than in the Chaun Bay. This may be related to appearance of an intermediate layer in the Long Strait during some years. The latter is characterized by positive temperatures in winter and by low content of oxygen; these conditions are unfavorable for Arctic polychaetes.

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The effects of changing ice and atmospheric conditions on the upwelling of deep nutrient-laden waters and biological productivity in the coastal Beaufort Sea were quantified using a unique combination of in situ and remote-sensing approaches. Repeated instances of ice ablation and upwelling during fall 2007 and summer 2008 multiplied the production of ice algae, phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthos by 2 to 6 fold. Strong wind forcing failed to induce upward shifts in the biological productivity of stratified waters off the shelf.

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Spatiotemporal patterns of carbonate dissolution provide a critical constraint on carbon input during an ancient (~55.5 Ma) global warming event known as the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), yet the magnitude of lysocline shoaling in the Southern Ocean is poorly constrained due to limited spatial coverage in the circum-Antarctic region. This shortcoming is partially addressed by comparing patterns of carbonate sedimentation at the Site 690 PETM reference section to those herein reconstructed for nearby Site 689. Biochemostratigraphic correlation of the two records reveals that the first ~36 ka of the carbon isotope excursion (CIE) signaling PETM conditions is captured by the Site 689 section, while the remainder of the CIE interval and nearly all of the CIE recovery are missing due to a coring gap. A relatively expanded stratigraphy and higher carbonate content at mid-bathyal Site 689 indicate that dissolution was less severe than at Site 690. Thus, the bathymetric transect delimited by these two PETM records indicates that the lysocline shoaled above Site 689 (~1,100 m) while the calcite compensation depth remained below Site 690 (~1,900 m) in the Weddell Sea region. The ensuing recovery of carbonate sedimentation conforms to a bathymetric trend best explained by gradual lysocline deepening as negative feedback mechanisms neutralized ocean acidification. Further, biochemostratigraphic evidence indicates the tail end of the CIE recovery interval at both sites has been truncated by a hiatus most likely related to vigorous production and advection of intermediate waters.

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46 hydropolyp species of 28 genera and 10 families were sampled during the "Meteor" passage 1964/65 (IIOE) through the Red Sea and its northern and southern exits and on the occasion of several ecological investigations of 29 selected coral reef sections of the central Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. These collections comprise 128 single records of hydropolyp species. Three species and two genera each with one species are doubtful. 25 species, seven genera, one family and one subfamily, together from 49 records have not previously been found in the Red Sea and its exits. Including these newly reported species, the total list increases from 64 species and 112 records to 89 species and 240 single records and 51 additional ones. Scanning microscopical photos, made for the first time for the illustration of the hydropolyps, have been shown to be suitable for a better characterization and diagnosis of the species. Qualified results on the reasons for the horizontal distribution of the species known from the Red Sea area cannot be given because of the low number of samples sporadically distributed through the whole area. In contrast with this fact, the vertical spread of the species sampled seems primarily to be regulated by water exchange and light intensity. For example, four species of hydropolyps are excellent indicators of certain abiotic factors or combinations of them: Gymnangium eximium reacts extremely stenophote-photophobe-rheophil, Eudendrium ramosum moderately stenophote-photophobe-rheophobe, Lytocarpus philippinus moderately stenophote-photophil-rheophil, and Halocordyle disticha var. australis extremely stenophote-photophil but moderately rheophil. Other species have been found throughout all the light zones. Combined with the small size of their colonies their euryphotic behaviour does not allow their use as indicator species.

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The distribution of seagrass and associated benthic communities on the reef and lagoon of Low Isles, Great Barrier Reef, was mapped between the 29 July and 29 August 1997. For this survey, observers walked or free-dived at survey points positioned approximately 50 m apart along a series of transects. Visual estimates of above-ground seagrass biomass and % cover of each benthos and substrate type were recorded at each survey point. A differential handheld global positioning system (GPS) was used to locate each survey point (accuracy ±3m). A total of 349 benthic survey points were examined. To assist with mapping meadow/habitat type boundaries, an additional 177 field points were assessed and a georeferenced 1:12,000 aerial photograph (26th August 1997) was used as a secondary source of information. Bathymetric data (elevation below Mean Sea Level) measured at each point assessed and from Ellison (1997) supplemented information used to determine boundaries, particularly in the subtidal lagoon. 127.8 ±29.6 hectares was mapped. Seagrass and associated benthic community data was derived by haphazardly placing 3 quadrats (0.25m**2) at each survey point. Seagrass above ground biomass (standing crop, grams dry weight (g DW m**-2)) was determined within each quadrat using a non-destructive visual estimates of biomass technique and the seagrass species present identified. In addition, the cover of all benthos was measured within each of the 3 quadrats using a systematic 5 point method. For each quadrat, frequency of occurrence for each benthic category was converted to a percentage of the total number of points (5 per quadrat). Data are presented as the average of the 3 quadrats at each point. Polygons of discrete seagrass meadow/habitat type boundaries were created using the on-screen digitising functions of ArcGIS (ESRI Inc.), differentiated on the basis of colour, texture, and the geomorphic and geographical context. The resulting seagrass and benthic cover data of each survey point and for each seagrass meadow/habitat type was linked to GPS coordinates, saved as an ArcMap point and polygon shapefile, respectively, and projected to Universal Transverse Mercator WGS84 Zone 55 South.

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Die Bodentiergemeinschaft des Wattenmeeres ist von Frühjahr bis Herbst eines jeden Jahres durch extrem hohe Dichten von Jungtieren charakterisiert. Die Kenntnisse über die Ansiedlung von fplanktischen Larven im Wattenmeer, sowie die Dynamik postlarvaler Stadien sind aufgrund der üblicherweise verwendeten, großen Siebmaschenweiten gering. Gerade aber diesen Altersstadien kommt möglicherweise eine besondere Stellung im Energiefluß des Wattenmeeres zu. An 5 Stationen (von NWL bis HWL, B1-B5) im Rückseitenwatt der ostfriesischen Insel Borkum wurden 1986 Ansiedlung, räumliche Verteilung, Wachstum, Mortalität und Produktion der Altersklasse 0 von Macoma balthica, Mya arenaria und Cerastoderma edule untersucht. Um die Ansiedlung der planktotrophen Larven dieser Arten zu beschreiben, wurden ihre Dichten in Plankton und Bodenproben miteinander verglichen. Die Untersuchungen zur Dynamik der benthischen Stadien wurden mit zwei in der Probenfläche und der Siebmaschenweite unterschiedlichen Probenserien durchgeführt. Die Drift postlarvaler Stadien wurde durch bodennahe Planktonfänge innerhalb des Eulitorals nachgewiesen. Parallel zu den Untersuchungen an der Endofauna wurden das Vorkommen und die Größe epibenthischer Räuber im Untersuchungsgebiet erfaßt. Die Hauptansiedlung von M. balthica- und M. arenaria-Larven erfolgte nahezu gleichzeitig Ende Mai/Anfang Juni. Die meisten Larven beider Arten gingen an der prielnächsten (tiefsten) Station (B1) zum Bodenleben über, gefolgt von der nächst höher gelegenen Station B2. Während frühe Bodenstadien von M. arenaria nicht im oberen Bereich des Watts (B3,B4) gefunden wurden, ist eine geringfügige Erstansiedlung von M. balthica in diesem Gebiet nicht auszuschließen. Ein die Ansiedlung limitierender Einfluß der relativ dichten Mya arenaria-Siedlung an den Stationen B1 und B2 sowie der Alttiere von M. balthica konnte nicht festgestellt werden. Die Ähnlichkeit des Ansiedlungsprozesses bei beiden Arten, die sich im Zahlenverhältnis Larvenangebot zu Anzahl der ersten Bodenstadien widerspiegelt, kann ein Hinweis auf eine überwiegend passive Ansiedlung der Larven am Boden sein. Der Ort der Hauptansiedlung von C. edule wurde durch den Transekt nicht erfaßt. Die Station B2 war zwar durch ein Herzmuschelfeld charakterisiert, dieses war aber nach zwei Eiswintern nahezu vollständig eliminiert. Der Abundanz der planktischen Larven zufolge war der Hauptansiedlungszeitraum ebenfalls Ende Mai/Anfang Juni. Zu dieser Zeit wurden nur vereinzelt frühe Bodenstadien an den Stationen B1 und B2 gefunden, keine an den Stationen B3 und B4. Während die frühen postlarvalen Stadien von M. arenaria überwiegend am Ort der Ansiedlung blieben, verbreiteten sich die von M. balthica bis in den oberen Bereich des Untersuchungsgebietes (B3-B5). Analog zu der Besiedlung dieser Gebiete durch postlarvale M. balthica wurde die im Verlauf des Untersuchungsjahres stattfindende Kolonisierung der Station B1 durch C. edule ebenfalls postlarvalem Transport zugeschrieben. Demzufolge spielt bei beiden Muschelarten postlarvaler Transport eine wichtige Rolle bei der Besiedlung von Habitaten. Planktonfänge innerhalb der bodennahen Wasserschicht bestätigten, daß im Untersuchungsgebiet M. balthica die am stärksten verdriftende Muschelart war, gefolgt von C. edule. Mortalität, Wachstum, mittlere Biomasse, Produktion und P/B-Verhältnis wurden für M. balthica an den Stationen B1, B3 und B4 sowie für M. arenaria an der Station B1 bestimmt. Wachstum und damit auch Produktion beider Arten erwiesen sich hier - wie an den höher gelegen Stationen (nur M. balthica) - als durch größenselektiven Feinddruck beeinflußt. Der Effekt postlarvalen Transports auf Wachstum wird diskutiert. Übergreifend über die auf Artebene diskutierten Ergebnisse wird die Bedeutung der Dispersion postlarvaler Stadien und die Wirkung epibenthischen Feinddrucks im Wattenmeer erörtert. Der Vergleich postlarvalen Transportes mit der Dispersion planktischer Larvenstadien, der Dispersion von Meiofauna und der Mobilität adulter Stadien der Makrofauna verdeutlicht, daß es sich hierbei um eine Strategie handeln kann, innerhalb eines unvorhersagbaren Biotops freiwerdende Ressourcen zu nutzen und dadurch Konkurrenz zu vermeiden. Es wird die Hypothese aufgestellt, daß Initialansiedlung und Immigration einerseits sowie Feinddruck und Emigration andererseits einen Regelkreis darstellen, der in verschiedenen Teilbereichen des Watts mit unterschiedlicher Geschwindigkeit abläuft.