Environmental variability controls recruitment but with different drivers among spawning components in Gulf of St. Lawrence herring stocks

The factors affecting herring recruitment are still poorly understood, complicating the prediction of stock dynamics and the choice of operational management strategies. We investigated effects of intrinsic (SSB) and extrinsic factors (physical and biological environments, including competition and predation) on recruitment of the spring and fall spawning components of each of the two herring stocks occurring in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence between 1971 and 2014. Effects of potential explanatory factors on recruit (age 2) abundance were tested using Generalized Additive Models. Model fit was significantly improved by incorporating both physical and biological environmental variability, but effects of herring SSB and predation were not significant. Indices of zooplankton abundance and phenology explained more variance in recruitment than physical indices. Our results emphasize the dominance of bottom‐up processes over SSB in the regulation of herring recruitment. Environmental variability did not seem to act uniformly on the recruitment of either stock or their respective spawning components. A long‐term trend of decreasing recruitment in spring spawners was associated with a long‐term decline in abundance of cold water copepods. In fall spawners, optimal recruitment was dependent on warmer environmental conditions combined with an adequate supply (species composition and phenology) of zooplankton. These results provide the first empirical evidence that spring and fall spawning herring are adapted to contrasting environmental conditions and shed light on the potential mechanisms linking herring recruitment to key zooplankton community characteristics and phenology. Management strategies can be improved by incorporating this new knowledge on environmental drivers of herring recruitment.     

A synthesis of the life history and ecology of juvenile Pacific herring in Prince William Sound,Alaska

Physical and biological variables affecting juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) in Prince William Sound (PWS) from 1995 to 1998 were investigated as part of a multifaceted study of recruitment, the Sound Ecosystem Assessment (SEA) program. Though more herring larvae were retained in eastern PWS bays, ages‐0 and ‐1 herring used bays throughout PWS as nursery areas. Water transported into PWS from the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) contributed oceanic prey species to neritic habitats. Consequently, variations in local food availability resulted in different diets and growth rates of herring among bays. Summer food availability and possible interspecific competition for food in nursery areas affected the autumn nutritional status and juvenile whole body energy content (WBEC), which differed among bays. The WBEC of age‐0 herring in autumn was related to over‐winter survival. The limited amount of food consumption in winter was not sufficient to meet metabolic needs. The smallest age‐0 fish were most at risk of starvation in winter. Autumn WBEC of herring and winter water temperature were used to model over‐winter mortality of age‐0 herring. Differences in feeding and energetics among nursery areas indicated that habitat quality and age‐0 survival were varied among areas and years. These conditions were measured by temperature, zooplankton abundance, size of juvenile herring, diet energy, energy source (GOA vs. neritic zooplankton), WBEC, and within‐bay competition.     

Trans-oceanic characterization of zooplankton community size structure using an optical plankton counter

The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT), sampling between 50°N and 50°S, is a trans-oceanic research programme to characterize plankton community structure, productivity and bio-optical properties of the upper ocean in relation to ocean provinces and meso-scale features. As part of a suite of continuous measurements, an optical plankton counter (OPC) has been used on the AMT to characterize the surface distribution of zooplankton based on their abundance and community size structure. Results from the OPC were available in real time, and were subsequently validated against microscope counts of zooplankton sampled concurrently along the AMT. Zooplankton community size structure from two sections of the Transect are presented: from the northern edge of upwelling off West Africa to the UK shelf and between the Falkland Islands and Uruguay, where the Transect traversed a warm core ring. Results showing the zooplankton community size structure together with statistical analysis, using principal component analysis (PCA), are compared with the dynamic oceanographic characteristics along the Transect. The application of the OPC for such basin-scale studies provides a methodology for obtaining data on zooplankton abundance and community structure at the appropriate spatial scales for global-scale modelling of the marine ecosystem.     

Biotic and abiotic controls on body size during critical life history stages of a pelagic fish,Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)

Variation in growth and body size during critical life history stages can have important implications for life history schedules and survivorship. For Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), there is still debate as to whether juvenile body size is governed by density‐dependent or ‐independent processes and few have evaluated whether the relative importance of either process shifts over the course of early ontogeny. We used a unique data set consisting of seasonal measurements of abundance, body size, and spatial distribution within a semi‐enclosed basin of Puget Sound (Washington State, U.S.A.) to measure the relative importance of temperature and cohort abundance on body size at distinct time periods, and evaluated whether density‐dependent habitat shifts might be responsible for density‐dependent growth. Over the 9 years of sampling (2001–2010) midsummer body size was positively related to temperatures experienced during the egg/yolk sac and larval stages and unrelated to cohort abundance. However, fall body size was negatively correlated with abundance and uncorrelated with both midsummer body size and temperature, indicating a shift from density‐independent to density‐dependent control over the course of the growing season. Thus, density‐dependent effects may supplant density‐independent effects exhibited early in herring life history. Our data on spatial distributions of herring and their zooplankton prey indicate that density‐dependent reductions in growth may be explained by density‐dependent habitat shifts that lead to reduce overlap of herring with zooplankton. Evidence of density‐dependent growth in marine fish populations is often attributed to exploitative competition, but our results suggest that these patterns may partly be mediated by density‐dependent distribution expansions in to prey‐poor habitat.     

Shrimp pond zooplankton dynamics and the efficiency of sampling effort

The abundance and species composition of zooplankton assemblages were examined in a commercial Penaeus monodon (Fabricius) aquaculture pond in subtropical Australia. Numbers and biomass of zooplankton in the surface tows (142 µm mesh) varied from 2080 L^?1 (2466 µg L^?1) to < 1 L^?1 (15 µg L^?1). Peak zooplankton abundance and biomass occurred at the beginning of the shrimp farm season. The small copepod Oithona australis Nishida was dominant during these peaks in abundance although other species were common, including small, low‐salinity copepods in the first year and larger marine copepods in the second year. Irrespective of taxa or size, zooplankton abundance declined rapidly after the stocking of P. monodon postlarvae, indicating high levels of non‐selective predation. For the remainder of the grow‐out season, mean zooplankton abundance was below 1 L^?1 in the first season and below 3 L^?1 in the second season. The factors that maintain the abundance of these zooplankton assemblages at these relatively low levels are poorly understood but may include a deterioration pond water quality. At these lower levels of abundance, the copepods Acartia pacifica Steuer and Acartia sinjiensis Mori were relatively common during the middle phase of the production season, with barnacle nauplii increasing in abundance during the later stages of the grow‐out season. Analysis of fixed effects showed that there were significant differences in total zooplankton abundance between farm production seasons and occasion within season, and time (day or night). Analysis of random effects demonstrated that the dominant source of variation, in total zooplankton abundance, was day‐to‐day changes within sampling occasions. The complexity of temporal and spatial patterns in the abundance, distribution and composition of zooplankton assemblages in shrimp ponds presents significant challenges in designing sampling programmes that accurately quantify temporal or spatial trends. Our results have shown that sampling for more than four consecutive days, at more than one site, is necessary to accurately assess such trends.     

大连旅顺口典型养殖海区中浮游动物群落结构及其与环境因子的关系

为研究大连旅顺口典型养殖海区中浮游动物群落结构及其与环境因子的关系,于2019年1,4,7和10月在3个典型海区设置采样点,同步监测调查浮游动物种类组成、生物量及其水质,并对水环境因子与浮游动物群落进行了差异显著性分析、Pearson相关分析和典范对应分析(CCA).此次调查共发现浮游动物24种,桡足类种类最多,优势种...     

Effects of climate on temporal variation in the abundance and distribution of the demersal fish assemblage in the Tsushima Warm Current region of the Japan Sea

In the present study, we examined the effects of climate on temporal variation in the abundance and geographical distribution of demersal fishes at both interannual and decadal scales in the Tsushima Warm Current region of the Japan Sea using single‐trawler fishery data (1972–2002). This single‐trawler fishery targeted multiple species with different geographical affinities and life history traits. Thus, these data were suitable for examining the biological mechanisms that underlie how species respond to climate variability. Our results indicate that the distributional changes of species in response to decadal climate variability are best explained by asymptotic length, which indicates that warming has greater negative effects on larger fishes in the Japan Sea. However, none of the variables examined (including geographical affinity, asymptotic length and age at maturation) could explain the shift in abundance at interannual or decadal scales. It should be noted that life history traits and geographical affinities only provide partial explanations of the responses of species to environmental variability, thereby suggesting that other factors, such as interactions among species, may be involved in mediating species responses.     

Bottom-up forcing and the decline of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska: assessing the ocean climate hypothesis

Declines of Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) populations in the Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska could be a consequence of physical oceanographic changes associated with the 1976–77 climate regime shift. Changes in ocean climate are hypothesized to have affected the quantity, quality, and accessibility of prey, which in turn may have affected the rates of birth and death of sea lions. Recent studies of the spatial and temporal variations in the ocean climate system of the North Pacific support this hypothesis. Ocean climate changes appear to have created adaptive opportunities for various species that are preyed upon by Steller sea lions at mid‐trophic levels. The east–west asymmetry of the oceanic response to climate forcing after 1976–77 is consistent with both the temporal aspect (populations decreased after the late 1970s) and the spatial aspect of the decline (western, but not eastern, sea lion populations decreased). These broad‐scale climate variations appear to be modulated by regionally sensitive biogeographic structures along the Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska, which include a transition point from coastal to open‐ocean conditions at Samalga Pass westward along the Aleutian Islands. These transition points delineate distinct clusterings of different combinations of prey species, which are in turn correlated with differential population sizes and trajectories of Steller sea lions. Archaeological records spanning 4000 yr further indicate that sea lion populations have experienced major shifts in abundance in the past. Shifts in ocean climate are the most parsimonious underlying explanation for the broad suite of ecosystem changes that have been observed in the North Pacific Ocean in recent decades.     

Ecosystem controls of juvenile pink salmon (Onchorynchus gorbuscha) and Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) populations in Prince William Sound,Alaska

Five years of field, laboratory, and numerical modelling studies demonstrated ecosystem‐level mechanisms influencing the mortality of juvenile pink salmon and Pacific herring. Both species are prey for other fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals in Prince William Sound. We identified critical time‐space linkages between the juvenile stages of pink salmon and herring rearing in shallow‐water nursery areas and seasonally varying ocean state, the availability of appropriate zooplankton forage, and the kinds and numbers of predators. These relationships defined unique habitat dependencies for juveniles whose survivals were strongly linked to growth rates, energy reserves, and seasonal trophic sheltering from predators. We found that juvenile herring were subject to substantial starvation losses during a winter period of plankton diminishment, and that predation on juvenile pink salmon was closely linked to the availability of alternative prey for fish and bird predators. Our collaborative study further revealed that juvenile pink salmon and age‐0 herring exploit very different portions of the annual production cycle. Juvenile pink salmon targeted the cool‐water, early spring plankton bloom dominated by diatoms and large calanoid copepods, whereas young‐of‐the‐year juvenile herring were dependent on warmer conditions occurring later in the postbloom summer and fall when zooplankton was composed of smaller calanoids and a diversity of other taxa. The synopsis of our studies presented in this volume speaks to contemporary issues facing investigators of fish ecosystems, including juvenile fishes, and offers new insight into problems of bottom‐up and top‐down control. In aggregate, our results point to the importance of seeking mechanistic rather than correlative understandings of complex natural systems.     

The influence of biotic and abiotic factors on the growth of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) in the Baltic Sea

We analysed spatial and temporal patterns of condition factor (CF) of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) between 1986 and 2000 in different areas of the Baltic proper. Results showed a moderate increase in CF between 1986 and 1989. Afterwards, an abrupt decrease in CF, between 22% and 29%, occurred in all the areas of the Baltic proper. However, from 1998 and onwards, CF increased compared to the previous years. Weight-at-age and CF of Baltic herring showed a similar pattern in the same period. Several factors affecting variability of sprat CF were evaluated. Data showed that sprat CF was density-dependent and possibly related to the pelagic fish abundance and individual food intake. Temperature did not influence sprat CF while salinity seemed to affect variability of sprat CF in the northern Baltic proper. Changes in salinity levels may shape pelagic fish growth rates both indirectly changing the zooplankton community structure and abundance and/or directly via fish physiology and metabolisms.     

黄河陕西段浮游动物群落结构时空动态及与环境因子的关系

为了解黄河陕西段浮游动物群落结构时空动态及其与环境因子的关系,更好地进行水资源和水生态保护,于2013年7月至2014年5月在该河段设定了7个研究断面,对其浮游动物群落结构进行了4次调查,同时对15项水环境指标和同期浮游植物群落结构进行了监测和调查。结果显示,共检出浮游动物20种,其中原生动物4种,轮虫10种,枝角类3种,桡足类3种,夏季浮游动物种类数最多,为16种,冬季最少,仅有5种;浮游动物丰度和生物量变化范围分别为25～3 800个/L和0.00001～1.24 mg/L,春夏较大、秋冬较小,空间上整体呈现上游低、下游高的分布趋势;浮游动物优势种为小旋口虫(Spirostomum minus)、萼花臂尾轮虫(Brachionus calyciflorus)、前节晶囊轮虫(Asplanchna priodonta)、曲腿龟甲轮虫(Keratella valga)、裂足臂尾轮虫(Brachionus diversicornis)和微型裸腹溞(Moina micrura);浮游动物Shannon-Wiener指数均值为0.65～0.83,Margalef指数为1.08～2.49,Pielou均匀度指数为0.39～0.60;7个断面的浮游动物群落结构和环境因子的典范对应分析(CCA)结果表明,影响浮游动物丰度的主要环境因子为化学需氧量(COD)、总氮(TN)、pH值和重金属铬(Cr)。     

小鹤立河水库春季浮游动物群落特征及其与环境因子的相关性

2012年5月在小鹤立河水库设置了7个采样点,研究了小鹤立河水库中浮游动物种类组成及其与环境因子的关系。在小鹤立河水库共鉴定出浮游动物15种,其中原生动物6种,占浮游动物总物种数的40.0%;轮虫8种,占53.3%;枝角类1种,占6.6%;浮游动物丰度变动幅度为77～683ind..L-1。香农-威纳多样性指数最高和最低分别出现在5#和7#,分别为1.94和1.28。Pearson相关性分析结果显示：小鹤立河水库浮游动物丰度与水深、溶解氧量、总氮含量显著相关（P〈0.05）。     

南海北部陆架斜坡海域夏季浮游动物群落的空间分布

根据2015年7-8月南海北部陆架斜坡海域的浮游动物垂直分层采集资料,对该海域浮游动物的种类组成、优势种、丰度和生物量及群落结构的空间分布等进行了研究。样品利用Multinet浮游生物连续采样网采自0~200 m,200~350 m,350~450 m,450~600 m,600~750 m等5层。该次调查共发现浮游动物468种(类),其中以0~200 m水层种类最丰富,600~750 m水层最贫乏,种类数总体随水深的增加而减少,但在350~600 m水层部分站位出现了回升。浮游动物种类组成垂直变化较明显,各水层均有出现89种共有种,占总种类数的19.02%;而单一水层出现的特有种(121种)占总种类数的25.85%。优势种有10种,角突隆剑水蚤(Oncaea conifera)为各水层的共有优势种,在不同水层还出现了特有优势种。浮游动物丰度和生物量平均为62.79个·m~(-3)和34.81 mg·m~(-3),总体呈现由表层向深层逐渐递减的分布趋势,但在350~600 m水层大部分站位也略有回升。聚类分析结果表明,该调查海域浮游动物大体分为3个群落,分别为0~200 m的上层水域群落、200~450 m的中上层水域群落和450~750 m的中下层水域群落。     

长江三口-西洞庭湖环境因子对浮游动物群落组成的影响

了解长江三口(藕池口、松滋口、太平口)和西洞庭湖浮游动物群落结构特征及主要环境影响因子,探究洞庭湖来水及浮游动物多样性和现存量的周年动态变化,运用典范对应分析(CCA)浮游动物分布与环境因子之间的关系,可为洞庭湖水生态环境保护及污染防治提供数据支撑,于2016年11月、2017年3月和8月对长江三口及西洞庭湖18个断面进行了浮游动物调查。结果显示,共检出浮游动物4门、40种,长江三口浮游动物密度为9~323个/L,生物量为0.006~0.319 mg/L,西洞庭湖浮游动物密度为9~45个/L,生物量为0.019~0.045 mg/L,枯水期与丰水期浮游动物密度差异显著,长江三口浮游动物密度均值(67个/L)高于西洞庭湖(23个/L);三口的优势类群为无节幼体(Nauplii)、桡足幼体(Copepodid)、曲腿龟甲轮虫(Keratella valga),西洞庭湖优势种为螺形龟甲轮虫(Keratella cochlearis)、普通表壳虫(Arcella vulgaris)、曲腿龟甲轮虫(Keratella valga);长江三口浮游动物Shannon-Wienner指数及Pielou均匀度指数分别为1.07和0.77,西洞庭湖分别为1.17和0.80。CCA分析表明,水温(WT)、总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)和正磷酸盐(PO 4-P)是影响长江三口浮游动物分布的主要因子,而WT、TN是影响西洞庭湖区浮游动物分布的主要因子。     

Spatial assessment of predator–prey relationships in the North Sea: the influence of abiotic habitat properties on the spatial overlap between 0‐group cod and grey gurnard

The understanding of spatio‐temporal dynamics of marine ecosystems is crucial for ecosystem‐based fisheries management and climate change impact assessments. We quantified temporal changes in the distribution of 0‐group cod (Gadus morhua) and grey gurnard (Eutriglia gurnardus), a primary predator of 0‐group cod, with the help of regression kriging and assessed the temporal dynamics of the related spatial predator–prey overlap of these two species at different spatial scales. We analysed the robustness of relationships among abiotic habitat properties (temperature, salinity and depth) and abundance. Small cod was mainly found in low salinity areas of the Skagerrak but larger year classes were able to expand their distribution area towards the central and northern North Sea. In contrast, grey gurnard was mainly found in waters with salinities above 33 and temperatures above 14°C. This species has expanded its high density areas in the central North Sea northward over the last two decades. Recruitment success of cod was negatively correlated to a Moran's I cross‐correlation index, a proxy for the degree of spatial overlap between both species. Strong cod year classes overlapped less with grey gurnard at the large and medium spatial scale. In general, the relationships between abiotic habitat properties and abundance showed an increased inter‐annual variability, which was likely caused by underlying factors not taken into account in the distribution models. Thus assemblage modeling approaches combining the strength of different model types should be considered in the future to predict potential distribution patterns under climate change scenarios.     

Transport of larvae and juvenile fish into central and northern Norwegian waters

The distribution of juvenile fish in Norwegian waters in spring and summer provides evidence that some of these are transported into Norwegian coastal waters from spawning grounds outside the ecosystems which comprise the central and northern Norwegian coast, the Barents Sea and the Spitsbergen area. The relevant species are capelin (Mallotus villosus Müller), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus L.), herring (Clupea hareri' gus L.) and saithe (Pollachius virens L.). A substantial part of the saithe and haddock stock along the central and northern Norwegian coast is considered to be recruited from spawning grounds in the northern North Sea. A contribution of these species from the spawning grounds around the Faeroe Islands and west of Scotland may also occur in some years. Herring from the northern North Sea are found scattered off the Norwegian coast north to 70^oN. It seems likely that pelagic species such as capelin and herring are transported by the prevailing currents from Iceland.     

长江下游莲花洲港大型底栖动物摄食功能群时空分布及其影响因子

2019年8月-2020年1月在长江下游莲花洲港15个采样点进行了6次采样调查,并对该区域大型底栖动物摄食功能群的时空格局及其与环境因子的关系进行了分析.结果显示:调查共采集到大型底栖动物3门40种,其中节肢动物门21种、软体动物门10种、环节动物门9种.莲花洲港的底栖动物由5个摄食功能群构成,其中,撕食者占有较大优势...     

杭州湾—舟山近海春季游泳动物群落结构及与环境因子的关系

杭州湾—舟山近海是许多经济鱼类的传统产卵地和栖息地,环境因子对鱼类群落结构的影响非常显著。本研究根据2016年春季在杭州湾—舟山近海的80个站位的底拖网调查数据,分析了鱼类及大型甲壳类群落数量和平均个体大小的空间分布,并根据典范对应分析法(CCA)研究了鱼类及大型甲壳类主要类群的特征(丰度和个体大小)与环境因子的关系。结果显示,游泳动物可分为5大类群(六丝钝尾虾虎鱼、底层鱼、中上层鱼、虾、蟹),每种类群的丰度平均分别为546、213、83、316和15个/h,平均个体大小分别为0.29、2.19、4.96、0.36和6.66 g/个。根据各类群的丰度、底温、底盐及表层浑浊度,将整个海域分为杭州湾内和舟山近海水域,绝大部分类群的丰度具有显著的区域差异性,而绝大部分类群的个体大小没有区域差异性。受到浑浊度、外海水团交汇的影响,绝大部分类群主要聚集在舟山近海的高生产力水域。CCA分析表明,2个轴的环境因子能解释丰度总变异的25%,而仅能解释个体大小总变异的11.7%,说明环境因子对于鱼类及甲壳类的类群的数量空间分布具有较大影响,而对于个体大小的分布影响较小。     

2017—2018年长江口海域夏季浮游动物群落的年际变化及影响因素

根据2017―2018年夏季长江口海域浮游动物连续站及断面站的数据,应用典范对应分析（CCA）研究了浮游动物的种类组成、主要类群数量年际变化、昼夜变化、空间变化及与环境因子的关系。结果显示,2017年和2018年夏季分别鉴定浮游动物49种和50种,两年共同优势种为中华哲水蚤（Calanus sinicus）、太平洋纺锤水蚤（Acartia pacifica）、精致真刺水蚤（Euchaeta concinna）、肥胖箭虫（Sagitta enflata）和肥胖三角溞（Evadne tergestina）。相似性百分比分析（SIMPER）分析表明,年间浮游动物群落差异的主要贡献种为肥胖三角溞、中华哲水蚤、海樽类（Thaliacea）,CCA分析表明,表层温度（T_S）、底层盐度（S_b）和表层叶绿素a （C_S）是影响年际间浮游动物类群差异的主要环境因子,解释了两年浮游动物类群变异的47.51%。根据2018年叶绿素a空间分布,将站位分为叶绿素a锋面区和非锋面区,L1~L2站为非叶绿素a锋面区,L3~L4站为叶绿素a锋面区。浮游动物群落在二者空间差异的主要贡献种为肥胖三角溞、背针胸刺水蚤（Centropages dorsispinatus）、精致真刺水蚤,CCA分析表明,底层盐度（S_b）、底层温度（T_b）和表层叶绿素a （C_S）是影响浮游动物类群空间变化的主要环境因子,解释了2018年浮游动物类群组成变异的56.31%。该结果表明,引起盐度和叶绿素a变化的长江冲淡水径流量对浮游动物群落结构年际变化造成了重要影响。     

Effects of life‐history traits on stream fish abundances across spatial scales

Identifying cross‐scale patterns of ecological processes is imperative, especially in hierarchically structured riverine ecosystems. The role of abiotic factors in determining cross‐scale spatial structure of stream fish populations and communities is well studied, but less is known about how species traits drive cross‐scale patterns. We investigated the role of species traits for explaining autocorrelation of stream fish abundance at spatial scales ranging from local stream reaches to major basins. We calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) representing abundance autocorrelation within species (N = 47) at each of five spatial scales. A hierarchical Bayesian regression then modelled ICCs against spatial scale with the resulting regression coefficients modelled as functions of species traits. Finally, we ordinated the scale‐by‐species ICC matrix to calculate an overall metric describing species whose abundances were autocorrelated along a gradient of large to small scales, and modelled this metric as a function of species traits. Abundances of most species were autocorrelated at smaller spatial scales. Maximum fecundity had a significant positive relationship with abundance patterns across spatial scales. Species habitat affinities and body forms were significantly associated with overall abundance patterns across spatial scales: populations of upland/lotic‐affiliated species adapted to streams with high flow correlated at small (≤10 km²) spatial scales. Lowland/lacustrine species with laterally compressed bodies showed little correlation across scales. The appropriate spatial scale for modelling abundance is determined not only by exogenous (e.g. environmental) factors, but also endogenous factors, like traits. Careful consideration of traits and life history will aid researchers in designing more effective and efficient surveys and analyses.