栖息地分布与种内竞争对刺参集群特征的影响

Effects of habitat distribution and intraspecific competition on aggregation features of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

为探究刺参(Apostichopusjaponicus)种内竞争与栖息地对其群体分布的影响,作者通过缩时摄像机拍摄及视频分析,研究了刺参集群分布特征,结果发现:刺参在礁石栖息地的栖息时间显著高于在缸壁处的栖息时间(P <0.05),刺参对栖息地有明显偏好性;刺参在运动时并未聚集在同一栖息地,而离散分布在多处栖息地中(P <0.05);当密度增大到15头/缸(11.31头/m^2, d=1.3 m)时,刺参在栖息地内的平均聚集率和平均聚集时间比例会显著下降(P <0.05),种内竞争加剧,刺参多呈斑块状分布,在密度过高时种内竞争压力上升,刺参个体间选择分散以减少竞争。本研究查明了实验室条件下栖息地分布和种内竞争对刺参集群特征的影响,可为野外刺参增养殖与资源持续利用提供理论参考。

We investigated the effects of intraspecific competition and habitats on aggregation behavior of Apostichopus japonicus based on time-lapse video camera in the Lab.The results showed that:Sea cucumbers showed a strong preference for habitat rather than the wall of the tank as animals spent more time at habitat(P<0.05);The sea cucumbers distributed in 2 or 3 habitats separately versus animals aggregated in 1 habitat(P<0.05);with the density reaching to 15 individuals every tank(11.31 ind/m2,d=1.3m),the mean attractive rate and mean attractive time significantly decreased(P<0.05)which indicated that there was intraspecific competition among animals.In conclusion,aggregation of sea cucumbers is significantly affected by intraspecific competition and habitat,and sea cucumbers distributed in different patches.Sea cucumbers would escape from the central area to reduce the competition when the density was high.This study identified the effects of habitat distribution and intraspecific competition on the aggregation of sea cucumbers in the Lab and provided a theoretical reference for the cultivation and sustainable use of resources of sea cucumber in the wild.