Increased decomposer diversity accelerates and potentially stabilises litter decomposition

Little is known about the effect of decomposer diversity on litter decomposition in alpine areas. Especially under the premise that alpine ecosystems are very sensitive to global change and are currently undergoing extensive land-use changes, a better understanding is needed to predict how environmental change will affect litter decomposition. A mesocosm experiment was conducted to compare the effects of the most common and functionally diverse invertebrates (earthworms, millipedes and sciarid larvae) found in alpine soils on decomposition rates and to assess how decomposer diversity affects litter decomposition. Experimental and estimated (i.e. projected to field decomposer-biomass) litter mass loss was 13–33% higher in the three-species treatment. Notably, the variability in decomposition was greatly reduced when decomposer diversity was high, indicating a portfolio effect. Our results suggest that invertebrate decomposer diversity is essential for sustaining litter decomposition in alpine areas and for the stability of this service.     

Ontogeny of the digestive tract in shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa L.) reared using the mesocosm larval rearing system

Histological changes of the digestive tract were studied in shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa) from hatching until 41 days post hatching (dph), when the fry had a mean (±S.D.) total length (TL) of 32 ± 2 mm and wet weight (WW) of 0.42 ± 0.07 g. Larvae were reared using the mesocosm technique, the most natural among commercially employed rearing methods for marine larvae. Shi drum opened their mouth at 2 dph (2.78 ± 0.09 mm TL), at which time 90% of the larvae already had an inflated swim bladder. The differentiation of the digestive tract into buccopharynx, esophagus, and anterior and posterior intestine was completed by 3 dph (2.82 ± 0.07 mm TL), 1 day after the onset of exogenous feeding. The alimentary canal started coiling and formed its first loop at 2 dph, while the pancreas and liver were differentiated at 3 dph. Yolk sac reserves lasted until 7 dph (4.3 ± 0.1 mm TL), suggesting a brief period of endogenous and exogenous feeding. The first esophageal goblet cells appeared at 7 dph containing acid mucins and at 8 dph taste buds appeared on the buccopharyngeal epithelium. The stomach was morphologically differentiated at 9 dph (5.5 ± 0.1 mm TL) when gastric glands became abundant in the cardiac region, and the first pyloric caeca appeared at 14 dph (10.1 ± 0.9 mm TL). Supranuclear eosinophilic vacuoles were observed in the posterior intestine between 3 and 11 dph (6.3 ± 0.9 mm TL). Their number decreased as the stomach differentiated, suggesting a change in the protein digestion mechanism. The results of the study suggest a rapid development of shi drum and its digestive system and underline the possibility of weaning larvae to artificial feed even earlier than the 12 dph employed in the present study.     

The impacts of aquacultured oysters, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791) on water column nitrogen and sedimentation: results of a mesocosm study

To determine effects of aquacultured oysters Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791) on the overlying water column, a mesocosm study was performed at the Marine Ecosystem Research Laboratory (MERL) from June to October, 2000. The MERL facility is located adjacent to Narragansett Bay and consists of fourteen 13,000-l mesocosm tanks designed to simulate the Bay environmental conditions. Two hundred oysters (≈35 mm valve height; nominally filtering about 55 l/day/individual) were placed into three mesocosms, and three mesocosms were maintained without oysters as controls. Experiments were run with varying rates of water exchange in the tanks ranging from 0% to 100% per day (13,000 l/day). Parameters that were measured and compared between the two treatments included chlorophyll-a, particulate organic and inorganic matter, sedimentation, nitrate, ammonia, selected phytoplankton species and oyster growth rates. Oysters affected phytoplankton species composition and increased rates of sedimentation. Large diatoms were net sampled, and Nitzchia striata was predominant in mesocosms with oysters, while Skeletonema costatum dominated the control tanks. Ammonia excretion rates were determined for C. virginica using the salicylate–hypochlorite method. Ammonia excretion can be described by the allometric equation E=50.65w^0.699 when E is the ammonia excretion rate in μg/h, and w is the soft tissue dry weight in grams. Based on rates of ammonia excretion by oysters and observed steady states of ammonia and other forms of inorganic nitrogen in mesocosm tanks, it can be hypothesized that ammonia generated by oysters is taken up by rapidly regenerating phytoplankton in the water column.     

营养盐对东海赤潮优势藻种生长影响的船基围隔实验

2003年5月在东海赤潮高发区长江口外花鸟山海域(122°40.77′E,29°21.16′N)利用现场赤潮海水进行了一次添加营养盐的围隔实验。结果表明,水体中氮、磷比值越接近Redfield值越有利于浮游植物的生长,氮、磷比值在10～16且不存在氮、磷限制时,浮游植物生长状态最好,此时体内氮、磷比和水体中的氮、磷比基本一致。实验期间最大细胞密度可达107cells/L,东海原甲藻是优势藻种,占生物量的80%以上,本次实验浮游植物以硝酸盐为主要的氮源,由于浮游植物对磷的“储存”功能使得其生长要滞后于对磷酸盐的吸收。     

中国明对虾放流对鱼类生态位的影响

为探究中国明对虾(Fenneropenaeus chinensis)增殖放流对水域内鱼类的影响及其表现形式,采用原位实验生态学方法,在对虾放流河道构建围隔,设置3种虾苗放流量(模拟莱州湾近岸放流5亿尾、7.5亿尾和10亿尾)和无放流处理,经过一个对虾生长季后,比较不同处理围隔中鱼类组成和生态位特征差异。结果显示,4种处理围隔中,回捕对虾数量随放流量增加而增加,但其生物量、平均个体大小和回捕率未随放流量增加而增加;回捕率在放流围隔间差异显著,以5亿尾模拟围隔的值最高;鱼的种类组成相似,可归于杂食性、浮游动物食性和鱼/虾食性。总鱼类和鱼/虾食性的鱼类产出量在围隔间差异不显著,杂食性鱼的产出量以放流围隔较高,浮游动物食性鱼的产出量随对虾放流量增加而减少。鱼种间高生态位重叠(>0.75)配对数随对虾生物量增多而减少。相似性分析显示,放流最多的和无放流围隔的鱼类生态位相异程度最高。综上认为,在实验水体中,放流对虾并不降低鱼类总量产出,但可能会影响不同食性鱼类的相对组成和生态位重叠度,且影响效应随放流量增加更为明显。     

Ontogeny of the digestive tract of thick lipped grey mullet (Chelon labrosus) larvae reared in “mesocosms”

This work describes the ontogeny of the digestive tract in thick lipped grey mullet (Chelon labrosus) larvae reared until day 36 post-hatching with the semi-extensive technology in mesocosms. Diet was constituted by live preys, rotifers, Artemia and wild zooplankton, then compound diet was added from day 20 (p. h.). Linear growth, weight growth and digestive enzymes specific activities were studied during larval ontogeny. Pancreatic enzymes (trypsin and amylase) and intestinal enzymes (leucine-alanine peptidase “Leu-ala”, aminopeptidase N “AN” and alkaline phosphatase “AP”) were assayed in larvae sampled throughout the rearing trial to evaluate gastrointestinal maturation along the development.The trypsin specific activities were very high during the first two weeks and then declined as observed in marine fish species. A following increase in trypsin specific activity from day 20 was attributed notably to ingestion of particle compound diet. In contrast to the pattern generally described in fish larvae, amylase specific activity showed a continuous increase. This could be attributed to the fact that C. labrosus is an omnivorous species and suggests that the fish might be able to use efficiently diets containing higher levels of starch or other carbohydrates since the end of larval development.Relative expression of intestinal brush border membrane enzymes (AP and AN) and cytosolic enzyme (Leu-ala), showed an abrupt increase of both AP/leu-ala and AN/leu-ala ratios at day 8 (p. h.), indicating that maturation of intestinal tract in C. labrosus larvae is particularly precocious. It is assumed that larvae of C. labrosus might support early co-feeding and weaning strategies, which could reasonably be initiated since mouth opening.     

A mesocosm fish farming experiment and its implications for reducing nutrient load on a regional scale

This work presents results from a mesocosm fish farming experiment. The main aim of the work was to put the results from the experiment into a wider context dealing with an approach to get zero – or even – negative nutrient fluxes from fish cage farms on a regional scale. To quantify the nutrient loading of phosphorus and nitrogen from net cage aquaculture, a standard dynamic mass-balance model approach was used. A comparison was made between responses from two feeding scenarios with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). One set was given a commercial pelleted fish food the other food with fresh herring inclusion. We have shown that on a regional scale, a zero nutrient load situation may be achievable if the wild fish from the given region account for about 11% of the fish food. In the mesocosm experiment, we also tested different approaches to calculate the growth of the cultivated fish and one can conclude that there are no major differences in using the different sub-models for the interpretations to get zero emissions but different growth functions do give different dynamic responses for the fish growth. We have also tested if it is important to account for denitrification. Under the given conditions this is not the case. Critical testing of the modelling has been performed with uncertainty and sensitivity analyses and the major uncertainties were identified in the growth pattern of the fish and the mesocosm biomass nutrient uptake rate. We argue that these results imply that, from an eutrophication point of view, fish farming in open net cages can be viewed as an environmental sustainable industry, if the fish feed includes nutrients that originate from the surrounding waters.     

Effects of sewage sludge and copper enrichment on both soil mesofauna community and decomposition of oak leaves (Quercus suber) in a mesocosm

A laboratory mesocosm experiment was performed to study the effects of copper-enriched sewage sludge application on a mesofauna community. For 12 weeks, characteristics and changes in this defined and artificial mesofauna community structure were monitored as well as the dynamics of leaf litter decomposition. The mesofauna community comprised six species of Collembola (Folsomia fimetaria, Isotomurus prasinus, Lepidocyrtus cyaneus, Mesaphorura macrochaeta, Parisotoma notabilis, Protaphorura armata), two species of acari Oribatida (Achipteria coleoptrata, Adoristes sp.), one species of acari Gamasida (Hypoaspis aculeifer) and one species of enchytraeid (Enchytraeus crypticus). Three treatments included the addition of 22 g dry weight (DW) sludge spiked with 0, 200 and 1,000 mg Cu kg^?1 DW sludge in each mesocosm, and one treatment had 66 g DW sludge spiked with 1,000 mg Cu kg^?1 DW sludge added in each mesocosm. Copper, complexed with sludge due to a favourable pH, had no effect on community and litter parameters when added to low amount of sludge. In contrast, tripling the sludge dose in addition to a high dose of Cu changed in time the sludge and leaf chemical composition as well as mesofauna community structure. Responses of the mesofauna to this treatment differed between species. The abundance of species such as I. prasinus, L. cyaneus, M. macrochaeta and P. notabilis decreased, whereas the abundance of H. aculeifer increased and became dominant.     

磷的不同动态变化对模拟湖泊生态系统中附草螺类的影响

采用试验围隔模拟湖泊富营养化过程,选取磷的不同动态变化,研究其动态输入模式对附草螺类的影响。结果表明,总量相同时,中短期内低频次的磷输入比高频次的磷输入对螺类生物量的影响更显著,而长期条件下高低频次的磷输入对螺类生物量的影响无显著差异(P>0.05)。营养的添加显著促进螺类生物量(密度和丰度)的增长。试验系统中附植藻类的生物量与螺类的生物量成显著负相关(P<0.05),沉水植物刺苦草(Vallisneria spinulosa)与螺类(Radix)生物量的相关性不显著(P>0.05),表明螺类是螺类-附着藻-沉水植物系统的关键调控因子,而沉水植物可能会因生态系统状态的差异而存在不同的响应机制。