Estuarine Ecology

Estuaries are unique coastal ecosystems that sustain and provide essential ecological services for mankind. Estuarine ecosystems include a variety of habitats with their own sediment-fauna dynamics, all of them globally undergoing alteration or threatened by human activities. Mangrove forests, saltmarshes, tidal flats and other confined estuarine systems are under increasing stress due to human activities leading to habitat and species loss. Combined changes in estuarine hydromorphology and in climate pose severe threats to estuarine ecosystems on a global scale. The ReBentos network is the first integrated attempt in Brazil to monitor estuarine changes in the long term to detect and assess the effects of global warming. This paper is an initial effort of ReBentos to review current knowledge on benthic estuarine ecology in Brazil. We herein present and synthesize all published work on Brazilian estuaries that has focused on the description of benthic communities and related ecologic...

Perairan estuari Gembog merupakan perairan yang menggambarkan adanya pemusatan berbagai macam kegiatan pemanfaatan sumber daya alam yang berdampak pada peningkatan atau penurunan kualitas perairan dan terganggunya plankton dan sumberdaya ikan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui parameter fisika dan kimia, mengidentifikasi jenis dan menghitung indek struktur komunitas plankton, serta menganalisis hubungan struktur komunitas plankton dengan parameter lingkungan perairan. Pengambilan dan pengukuran data parameter fisika (suhu, kecerahan, kecepatan arus, TSS) kimia (DO, salinitas, pH, BOD, nitrat, fosfat, silikat) biologi (plankton) dilakukan pada 5 titik stasiun dengan tiga kali pengulangan dan dikompositkan. Identifikasi plankton mengacu pada buku The Plankton Of South Vietnam dan Australian Marine Zooplankton. Hasil parameter lingkungan perairan didapatkan rata-rata suhu sebesar 33,78ºC, kecepatan arus sebesar 0,136 m/s, kecerahan sebesar 0,29 m, TSS sebesar 8,26 mg/l, pH ...

Indonesia merupakan negara kepulauan dikarenakan memiliki jumlah pulau yang sangat banyak, baik itu pulau besar maupun pulau-pulau kecil. Salah satu sumber pendapatan bagi Indonesia berasal dari sektor pariwisata karena keindahan dan keunikan alam di Indonesia dapat memukau siapapun yang melihatnya. Masih banyak pulau kecil yang belum tereksplorasi pesona alamnya dikarenakan pembangunan yang belum merata. Tugas akhir ini memaparkan hasil analisa dan perhitungan tentang rencana pembangunan salah satu pulau kecil di timur jawa yaitu, Pulau Giliyang. Pemilihan objek wisata untuk Pulau Giliyang ini menggunakan metode pengambilan keputusan Analisa Hierarki Proses (AHP) dengan sistem penyebaran kuesioner kepada masyarakat di Pulau Giliyang tersebut. Dengan jumlah penduduk 8.321 jiwa, Tugas akhir ini mengambil sampel sebanyak 25 orang dengan tingkat keakurasian 80%. Pihak pengembang yang diajukan terdapat Pemerintah Kabupaten, Pemerintah Pusat, Swasta, dan masyarakat. Kriteria pengembangan...

The New Jersey coastline has been experiencing significant habitat loss due to erosion and urban development. Northern diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) populations at North Sedge Island (NSI) and also in southern Long Beach Island at Holgate, located within the New Jersey Barnegat Bay estuarine system, were studied to determine if the resident terrapins and their nesting ecology are impacted by the habitat changes. These neighboring terrapin populations were found to differ in their morphometrics, nesting habitats and reproductive outputs. When the populations were compared with historical data from the 1970s at nearby Little Beach, New Jersey, the results indicate that there are significant changes to these populations and the nesting process over the last 40 years. The present day Barnegat Bay terrapins were found to be larger in size with bigger mean clutches.

Background: Aquatic invertebrate species that have broad salinity tolerances may be pre-adapted for invasion success and biogeographic distributional range expansions, facilitated by human-mediated dispersal (HMD), leading to a trend to become neocosmopolitan across many regions of the world. This pattern appears to characterize many Ponto-Caspian (P-C) aquatic invertebrates, which have a > 100-year history as aquatic invasive species (AIS), spreading throughout much of Eurasia and for some, in North America and beyond. Our study compiles comparative salinity conditions and distributional data for AIS invertebrate species globally versus those originating from the P-C region, to test whether they statistically differ. Results: Our investigation discerns that a total of 1861 invertebrate AIS taxa have been recorded worldwide, with (A) 70.5% exclusively living in the saline adaptive zone of brackish (0.5-30 ppt; A1) and/or marine waters (> 30 ppt; A2), (B) 20% in the freshwater adaptive zone alone (0-0.5 ppt), (C) 7.5% being euryhaline (across both A and B), and (D) 2% being semi-aquatic in either (D1) freshwater/terrestrial or (D2) saline/terrestrial environments. In contrast, our results indicate the following proportions for AIS invertebrates of P-C origins: (A) 27% exclusively inhabit the saline adaptive zone, (B) 25% are entirely freshwater, (C) 45% are euryhaline, and (D) 3% are semi-aquatic, significantly differing from the global pattern. Euryhaline AIS native to the P-C region thus markedly outnumber (45%) those originating from other regions (7.5%), likely pre-adapting them for widespread establishment in harbors, estuaries, and coastal areas. Moreover, most P-C invertebrate AIS (70%) contain freshwater-tolerant populations (B + C), rendering them very successful invaders of inland water bodies. These broad salinity tolerances of P-C AIS underlie their tremendous invasion successes and growing neocosmopolitan distributions with HMD. Conclusions: An evolutionary and recent history of broad salinity tolerances of a large proportion of P-C invertebrates appears to enhance their ability to invade, establish, and spread in new regions, especially harbors, estuaries, and freshwaters, leading to their increasing neocosmopolitan distributions. This trend likely will continue-accelerating with climate change and increased global transportation-meriting worldwide conservation agency focus and

Y. Peter Sheng, the Principal Investigator of the proposed study, has developed and applied three-dimensional hydrodynamic models since 1972. These models were developed for a variety of water bodies (including estuaries, lakes, and coastal waters) for a variety of government agencies (e.g., USEPA, USGS, SBNEP, USAE, SFWMD, and SJRWMD) and petroleum companies (Standard Oil and Mobil) to solve a variety

The relative abundances of nitrifying, denitrifying and anammox prokaryotes in sediments of three hyper‐nutrified estuarine tidal flats of Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, China were investigated. Quantitative PCR estimates indicated that in most cases archaeal (AOA) amoA genes were more abundant than bacterial (AOB) amoA genes, and ratio of AOA/AOB was correlated with pH, Cd, and Cu. Of the denitrifiers, nirK‐type outnumbered nirS‐type, with nosZ‐type being the lowest. Variation of the ratio between nirK and nirS abundance depends on pH, nitrite, nitrate, and Cd. The combination of (nirS + nirK‐nosZ), an indicator of genetic potentials for N2O emission, was only related to the temperature. Anammox bacterial 16S rRNA gene abundances were correlated with salinity, pH, nitrite, and Cu. In contrast, the contribution of anammox to N2 production, by using anammox bacterial 16S rRNA/nosZ ratio as a proxy, was correlated to temperature, ammonium and dissolved oxygen in the overlying water, ratio of...

A contaminação de ambientes aquáticos em regiões costeiras, especialmente nos sistemas estuarinos, tem sido frequentemente associada às atividades antropogênicas e aumento da densidade populacional. Contaminação provoca graves efeitos sobre a biota e pode causar riscos ecológicos e ameaças à saúde humana. O presente estudo investigou a qualidade dos sedimentos do Rio dos Bugres, um corpo d’ água pequeno localizado no Sistema Estuarino de Santos e São Vicente (SESS). Os sedimentos de quatro locais distribuídos ao longo deste estuário foram coletados por meio de um amostrador van Veen e avaliados quanto à toxicidade aguda, por meio da utilização de testes de toxicidade com o anfípodo Tiburonella viscana. As texturas dos sedimentos foram estimadas pelo método de peneiramento a seco, e análises químicas foram feitas por ICP OES para a determinação da concentração de metais. Para interpretar os resultados e estimar o grau de poluição, fator de enriquecimento (EF) foi aplicado aos dados q...

The NWQC had a three-year mission to advise State Water Board staff regarding impacts of Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s (SIO) discharges into an adjoining ASBS. While the committee focused on SIO and other relevant data in the SIO vicinity, they also recognized the importance of their work in the context of the greater ASBS, Ocean Plan, and stormwater issues. In response, the NWQC agreed that their recommendations may provide guidance for assessing impacts to water quality in any ASBS in the State. To that end, the NWQC addressed three primary questions:

The finding of larval and juvenile specimens from the Omani coast of the Arabian Sea and the Arabian Gulf waters of Saudi Arabia and Iraq is reported for the first time. Based on available information, one larva was a leptocephalus, Conger sp. (family Congridae) and one larva of an acronurus stage belonging to the genus Acanthurus (family Acanthuridae). Also juveniles of the following families are included in the present study: Clupeidae – Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton, 1822) and Nematalosa sp.; Dactylopteridae – Dactyloptena orientalis (Cuvier, 1829); Gobiidae – Acentrogobius sp.; Bothidae – Arnoglossus aspilos (Bleeker, 1851); Scatophagidae – Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766); Sparidae – Acanthopagrus arabicus Iwatsuki, 2013 and Sparidentex hasta (Valenciennes, 1830); Tetraodontidae – Lagocephalus sp. The discovery of the barred rather than spotted juveniles of S. argus collected from pure freshwater environment of the Shatt al-Arab River, Basrah, Iraq was remarkable; it raises ques...

The New Jersey coastline has been experiencing significant habitat loss due to erosion and urban development. Northern diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) populations at North Sedge Island (NSI) and also in southern Long Beach Island at Holgate, located within the New Jersey Barnegat Bay estuarine system, were studied to determine if the resident terrapins and their nesting ecology are impacted by the habitat changes. These neighboring terrapin populations were found to differ in their morphometrics, nesting habitats and reproductive outputs. When the populations were compared with historical data from the 1970s at nearby Little Beach, New Jersey, the results indicate that there are significant changes to these populations and the nesting process over the last 40 years. The present day Barnegat Bay terrapins were found to be larger in size with bigger mean clutches (

O principal objetivo deste trabalho é caracterizar as vazões médias mensais dos diversos rios que compõem a Bacia hidrográfica da Lagoa dos Patos. Para tal desenvolveu-se uma metodologia específica que permitiu a recuperação de dados médios mensais, cobrindo um período de 57 anos, de vazão dos rios Jacuí, Taquari e Camaquã. Também é feita a análise das variações de longo período do fluxo fluvial associadas à "El Niño"/"La Niña". Através destes, observa-se a marcante sazonalidade que há no padrão de escoamento, baixo no verão e alto nos meses de fim de inverno/início de primavera. A soma das descargas médias anuais dos rios afluentes ao sistema Guaíba e Camaquã resulta em 1770 m³/s. Incluindo-se o canal de São Gonçalo que tem um fluxo médio de 700 m³/s, verifica-se que a descarga média de água doce da Lagoa dos Patos atinge 2.400 m³/s. Grandes variações interanuais são observadas ressaltando-se que durante eventos de "El Niño" ocorrem descargas fluviais muito maiores que as normais. As vazões mais baixas estão associadas com "La Niña".

A subtidal population of the anomuran crab, Pisidia longicornis was sampled quantitatively throughout 1997. Divers, using SCUBA equipment, conducted suction sampling each month, with concentrated effort directed towards the settlement season. Pisidia occurred in very high densities, constituting the major component of decapod community abundance. Gravid females were detected between March and September. Newly settled megalopae were present in benthic samples from June until late September. Six distinct settlement events were detected during this period, with pulses coinciding with low spring tides. Body size at settlement decreased as temperature during larval development increased. The rapid growth of each distinct settlement group was followed over time through each subsequent crab stage up to maximum adult size. Growth was suspended between December and April. Survival within each distinct settlement group was density-independent during the first summer's growth. Mortality in...

Copepods are essential components of marine ecosystems, facilitating energy transfer within these complex systems. The study investigates copepod diversity and distribution in Ban-ao and Lambajon coastal areas in Baganga, Davao Oriental, highlighting the environmental factors influencing copepod populations. Four copepod families representing different orders were identified, with Harpacticoida, Calanoida, and Cyclopoida prevalent in both sites, while Misophrioida was exclusive to Lambajon. Physico-chemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, salinity, sediment composition, water depth, and temperature were analyzed to understand their correlation with copepod density. The study reveals variations in copepod density and abundance between the sites, with Lambajon showing a higher total density (49 ind/cm³) compared to Ban-ao (35 ind/cm³). The Pearson correlation matrix illustrates complex relationships between copepod density and environmental parameters in each site. In Ban-ao, strong positive correlations were found between copepod density and DO (r = 0.65) and temperature (r = 0.36). In Lambajon, positive correlations existed between water depth and copepod density (r = 0.20). Both sites exhibit low copepod diversity overall, potentially due to anthropogenic pressures. These findings emphasize the need for further research to understand the interactions between environmental factors and copepod diversity, essential for effective conservation and management strategies in these coastal ecosystems.

SUMMARYCnidocytes, the stinging cells of cnidarians, optimally discharge nematocysts in response to combined physical contact and stimulation of specific chemoreceptors. In the tentacles of certain sea anemones, the primary chemoreceptors bind N-acetylated sugars, such as N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA). Sensitization with NANA predisposes contact-sensitive mechanoreceptors (CSMs) to trigger discharge in response to physical contact. In the ectoderm of sea anemone tentacles, cnidocyte/supporting cell complexes (CSCCs) control and trigger nematocyst discharge. Previous findings have implicated cyclic AMP (cAMP) as a second messenger in NANA-sensitized nematocyst discharge. However, no reports have directly demonstrated that the cAMP content of tentacles changes in response to NANA stimulation. We now show that NANA elevates in situ cAMP levels in a dose-dependent manner in the ectoderm of tentacles from the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida. However, the endoderm of tentacles shows no dete...

Three cases of skeletal anomalies in fishes Elops lacerta Valenciennes, 1847 (family Elopidae), Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Cichlidae) and Arius latiscutatus Günther, 1864 (Ariidae) collected in the Elechi Creek, a tributary of the Bonny River (Niger delta) were reported for the first time in the present study. The anomalies are pugheadness, complete absence of pelvic fins and deformed dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins. Three specimens of E. lacerta have shown the case of pugheadness but at different levels of severity. The specimen of O. niloticus showed a complete absence of the pelvic fins. Externally, the area where the bases of the pelvic fins should be found (underneath the pectoral fins) showed a normal scale covering (in scale form and size). Internally and by using radiography, no trace of the pelvic fins and the basipterygia were observed. The specimen of A. latiscutatus showed severe deformation of the finrays of the dorsal, pectoral and ventral fins. The spine...

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mempelajari distribusi kelimpahan dan struKur komunitas plankton (komposisi jenis, keragaman, keseragaman, dan dominansi) pada musim gugur di perairan Teluk Tomini berdasarkan pada pengambilan contoh di 36 stasiun pada bulan Juli atau Agustus 2003.

A geoestatística é um tópico especial da estatística aplicada que trata de problemas referentes às variáveis regionalizadas, aquelas que tem comportamento espacial mostrando características intermediárias entre as variáveis verdadeiramente aleatórias e as totalmente determinísticas. O presente trabalho teve com objetivo modelar através da geoestatística, dados de profundidade secchi e concentração de clorofila a, utilizando a krigagem de bayes (modelo esférico) e o pacote SPRING 4.0.