Hydrodynamic method for estimating production carrying capacity of coastal finfish cage aquaculture in Southeast Asia

This paper presents the development of a simple and generally applicable hydrodynamic method for the estimation of production carrying capacity (PCC) of coastal finfish cage aquaculture. Dimensional analysis was used to find significant and general interdependencies between the hydrodynamics at fish farm locations and particulate wastes deposited on the seafloor by fish farms. Modeled ratios of deposition to emission of particulate wastes underneath fish farms were found to be primarily a function of the flow Reynolds numbers at the farming locations and the non-dimensional settling velocity of emitted wastes. In the non-dimensional model, farming conditions include daily feed rate, proportion of unconsumed feed, and carbon content in feed and fish feces. The relationship can be used to estimate the PCC of floating net cages imposing a threshold value for deposition. Results of in-situ assessments of the benthic impacts of several fish farms in an aquaculture site in the northwest of Bali, Indonesia were used to validate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. Predicted results were able to clearly identify fish farms operating beyond ecologically sustainable carrying capacity. The proposed method has broad applicability and could help make decisions regarding the estimation of production potential of individual farms in pristine areas, for providing first estimates in sites that have scarce data, and for assessment, expansion, and optimization of the currently operating aquaculture sites in Southeast Asia, China and potentially other data-poor island nations. As the method relies on dynamic models, it enables straightforward assessments over the entire aquaculture region.     

Distribution and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna in three repeated operating ages of the blood cockle Anadara granosa cultivation in Bandon Bay,Suratthani Province,Southern Thailand

The diversity, distribution and species richness of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna as well as benthic environments were examined in the blood cockle Anadara granosa cultivations at Ban Don Bay, Suratthani Province, Southern Thailand during the summer season of April and rainy season of October in 2017. The cockle cultivations of three repeated operating ages (<5 years: S1; 5–10 years: S2; more than 10 years: S3) were selected for the study, and the sampling sites were allocated at the centre of the farm. Results indicated that there were significant differences in species number, individual number and evenness index of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna found in the two sampling seasons (p < .05) and significant differences in individual number and evenness index were found among the sampling sites (p < .05). Significant differences in pH, total phosphorus levels, sulphide levels and organic matter of sediment were found between the sampling seasons (p < .05) and differences in total nitrogen level, organic matter and clay content were found among the sampling sites (p < .05). Among the independent variables analysed, correlation analysis showed no relationship between diversity index, species richness index and evenness index and the abiotic variables (p < .05). The results of the present study suggest that the distribution and diversity variations of the benthic macroinvertebrates community fauna are not affected by all sediment parameters in various repeated cultivation of the blood cockle Anadara granosa in Bandon Bay, Suratthani Province.     

Settlement behavior of American lobster (Homarus americanus): effect of female origin and developmental temperature

The benthic settlement success of American lobster (Homarus americanus) postlarvae is a key factor in population dynamics, with the temperature being a key factor. Given the spatial distribution of the species, its pelagic larvae probably encounter various thermal zones during development. Little information is available on the ability of lobster larvae to acclimate to temperature or if this ability varies among geographic areas. The main objectives of this study were to characterize (i) the settlement behavior of the postlarvae in relation to (a) temperature during larval development and (b) the geographic origin of the maternal parent and (ii) the behavioral response of postlarvae with different thermal histories in the presence/absence of a thermocline. Results did not support the hypothesis of thermal adaptation among local populations, as settlement behavior of postlarvae did not differ among females from different geographic regions. In contrast, larval survival and settlement behavior and postlarval energetic conditions varied with development temperature. Behavioral plasticity in the benthic settlement was observed in relation to temperature structure of the experimental water column. This study suggests that there may be links between development temperature and the natural variability in survival and settlement of American lobsters. Findings emphasize the need for an integrated approach in lobster recruitment studies with the inclusion of behavior in dispersion models.     

中街山列岛保护区底栖海藻分布与资源特征

2008年7月至2010年9月对舟山中街山列岛的底栖海藻资源进行了调查研究,共鉴定底栖海藻4门54属78种。其中蓝藻门1属1种,绿藻门9属15种,红藻门32属47种,褐藻门12属15种。本地区新记录5种。中街山列岛底栖海藻以暖温带性的海藻为主,垂直分布规律表现为底栖海藻种数从高潮带向低潮带剧增。与史料相比,中街山列岛底栖海藻资源有较大幅度的减少。     

枸杞岛近岸3种生境鱼类群落组成及岩礁区底栖海藻对鱼类群落结构的影响

2005年—2006年及2010年5—6月对枸杞岛近岸岩礁生境分布的底栖海藻进行观测和潜水采样,发现岩礁生境潮下带底栖海藻组成模式分以大型底栖海藻铜藻为优势种和以孔石莼等小型藻类为优势种两类。2009年2月—2010年1月利用组合刺网对枸杞岛海域岩礁、沙地和贻贝筏式养殖区3种生境的鱼类进行了逐月采样,通过采用方差分析、聚类和非度量多维标度等统计分析手段发现:(1) 岩礁生境鱼类以底栖趋礁杂食性为主,沙地生境鱼类以中下层洄游肉食性为主,贻贝筏式养殖区生境鱼类大型个体占优;(2) 岩礁生境鱼类多样性较高,大型底栖海藻生长的岩礁生境中鱼类群落组成较小型底栖海藻生长的岩礁生境稳定。前者为枸杞岛近岸优势种群繁衍提供有利条件,对鱼类幼体和小型个体有诱集作用,为鱼类捕食者提供更多样化的食物选择,鱼类群落较稳定;后者易受外界鱼类迁移的影响,个体数量和生物量月间差异大。     

Grazing of a common species of soil protozoa (Acanthamoeba castellanii) affects rhizosphere bacterial community composition and root architecture of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

We performed a controlled experiment with rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) growing in Petri dishes on homogeneous nutrient agar containing a simple rhizosphere food web consisting of a diverse bacterial community and a common soil protozoa, Acanthamoeba castellanii, as bacterial grazer. Presence of amoebae increased bacterial activity and significantly changed the community composition and spatial distribution of bacteria in the rhizosphere. In particular, Betaproteobacteria did benefit from protozoan grazing. We hypothesize that the changes in bacterial community composition affected the root architecture of rice plants. These effects on root architecture affect a fundamental aspect of plant productivity. Root systems in presence of protozoa were characterized by high numbers of elongated (L-type) laterals, those laterals that are a prerequisite for the construction of branched root systems. This was in sharp contrast to root system development in absence of protozoa, where high numbers of lateral root primordia and short (S-type) laterals occurred which did not grow out of the rhizosphere region of the axile root. As a consequence of nutrient release from grazed bacteria and changes in root architecture, the nitrogen content of rice shoots increased by 45% in presence of protozoa. Our study illustrates that interactions over three trophic levels, i.e. between plants, bacteria and protozoa significantly modify root architecture and nutrient uptake by plants.     

Comparison between direct counts of active soil ciliates (Protozoa) and most probable number estimates obtained by Singh's dilution culture method

The abundance of active soil ciliates was determined by Singh's dilution culture method any by the direct counting method of Lüftenegger et al. (1988) in 13 samples of 3 types of soil (meadow topsoil, spruce and beech litter). This comparative investigation revealed that the dilution culture methods are likely to overestimate active ciliates by orders of magnitude (with an average factor of 2000). One of the disadvantages of dilution methods is their difficulty meeting the assumptions of the MPN (most probable number) estimation model, on which they are based. A further serious problem is the proper separation of encysted and active cells. Due to a wide range of systematic errors, MPN estimates become seriously biased. But even if the basic assumptions could be met, the maximal precision of the estimate is far too low for a useful application within the context of soil ecology. This was revealed by the calculation of approximate confidence limits. Subjecting the data to analysis of variance showed that the direct counts can clearly differentiate ciliate abundances in forest litter versus meadow soil, whereas the dilution culture method is not precise enough to achieve this distinction. The MPN estimates did not even correlate significantly with the direct counts. Our investigation thus proved that dilution culture methods are beset with methodological deficiencies, resulting in unreliable estimates of protozoan abundances in soil.     

2种底栖硅藻饲养杂色鲍幼体和稚贝的饵料效果

用羽纹藻（Pinnularia sp．）、简单双眉藻（Amprhoraexigua）、羽纹藻和简单双眉藻混合（混合组）作为饵料，以自然海区采集的硅藻作对照，研究其对杂色鲍（Haliotisdiversicolor）幼体和稚贝成活和生长的影响，确定人工分离的2种硅藻的饵料效果。结果表明，2种底栖硅藻在杂色鲍育苗中具有一定的饵料价值。饵料种类对不同规格杂色鲍的成活率和生长影响显著，并且2个观测指标的结果相同。幼体羽纹藻组、简单双眉藻、混合组3组间的成活率、生长无显著差异，但都明显比对照组低；稚贝简单双眉藻、混合组和对照组无显著差异，羽纹藻组显著比对照组低。     

Fatty acid composition of ruminal bacteria and protozoa,and effect of defaunation on fatty acid profile in the rumen with special reference to conjugated linoleic acid in cattle

Objectives of this study were to compare fatty acid (FA) composition of ruminal bacterial (B) and protozoal (P) cells, and to investigate effect of protozoa on FA profile in the rumen of cattle. Three cows were used to prepare ruminal B and P cells. Four faunated and three defaunated cattle (half‐siblings) were used to study effect of protozoa on ruminal FA profile. Proportions of C16:0 and C18:0 in total fatty acids in B cells were 20.7% and 37.4%, whereas those in P cells were 33.4% and 11.6%, respectively. Proportions of trans‐vaccenic acid (VA) and cis‐9, trans‐11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in B cells were 3.9% and 1.0%, and those in P cells were 5.5% and 1.6%, respectively, being higher in P cells. Proportions of C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 in P cells were two to three times higher than in B cells. Proportions of unsaturated fatty acids, VA and CLA in B cells of faunated cattle were higher than those of defaunated. VA and CLA in the ruminal fluid of faunated were also 1.6 to 2.5 times higher than those of defaunated. This tendency was similar for cell‐free fraction of ruminal fluid. These results indicate that protozoa contribute greatly in VA and CLA production in the rumen.