Biodiversity and community structural characteristics of macrobenthos in the Chukchi Sea

Field sampling of the macrobenthos from 23 stations in the Chukchi Sea was conducted during the 4th CHI- NARE （Chinese National Arctic Research Expeditions, July-August, 2010）. We identified a total of 140 species of macrozoobenthos belonging to nine phyla, which were dominated by polychaetes （66）, crustaceans （30）, and mollusks （25）, followed by echinoderms （9） and others （ten others, including four cnidarians, one oligochaete, one sipuncula, one priapulida, two bryozoans, and one urochordata）. The dominant species were Aphelochaeta pacifica, Heteromastus filiformis, Nephtys ciliata, Nephtys caeca, Scoletoma fragilis, Golfingia margaritacea, Nuculana pernula, Macoma calcarea, Ennucula tenuis, Macoma inquinata, Musculus discors, Echinarachnius parma, and Ophiura sarsii, so there were more cold-eurythermal boreal immigrants than trulyArctic species （endemics）. The average density and biomass （mean ± SD across all stations） of the total macrozoobenthos were （916 ± 907） ind/m2 and （902.9 ± 1227.7） g/m2 （wet weight）, respectively. Relatively high density and biomass were observed in the samples from the northeastern and southern Chukchi Sea. The spatial variation of benthic communities in the study sea area was relatively large; this spatial heteroge- neity has led to high diversity and a patchy distribution pattern in the community structure. Compared to the 1st CHINARE （July-August, 1999）, this investigation revealed different degrees of decreases in the average taxa numbers and the average density, abundance, and biodiversity in the area over the recent decade, which might be associated with global warming, human activities, and sea ice variations.

Preliminary study on community structures of meiofauna in the middle and eastern Chukchi Sea

Sediment core samples were collected from 17 stations in the middle and eastern Chukchi Sea during the sixth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition(CHINARE-Arctic)in summer 2014.The samples were analyzed for composition,abundance,biomass,vertical distribution,size spectra,and ecological indexes of meiofauna.A total of 14 meiofauna taxa were detected,and the free-living marine nematodes comprised the most dominant taxon,accounting for 97.21%of the average abundance.The abundance and biomass of meiofauna were within ranges of(218.12±85.83)-(7239.38±1557.15)ind./(10 cm^(2))and(130.28±52.17)-(3309.56±1751.80)μg/(10 cm^(2)),with average values of(2391.90±1966.19)ind./(10 cm^(2))and(1549.73±2042.85)μg/(10 cm^(2))(according to dry weight)respectively.Furthermore,91.26%of the individuals were distributed in the top layer of 0-5 cm of surface sediment,and 90.84%had sizes of 32-250μm.Group diversity index of meiofauna in the survey area was low,and the variation of abundance was the main difference in meiofauna communities among all stations.Abundance and biomass of meiofauna were not significantly correlated with environmental factors except concentration of nutrient Si in bottom seawater.Abundance of meiofauna in shallow water of marginal seas in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean is likely at a same level and higher than that in most of China sea areas,suggesting that the shallow water of the summer Chukchi Sea is a continental shelf area with rich resources of meiofauna.The Chukchi Sea is important for studying the ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean and environmental responses.However,studies on meiofauna in the Chukchi Sea are still not enough,and in the future,natural and human disturbances may increase due to global warming,the Arctic channel opening,and other factors.Thus,more studies on meiofauna should be required,in order to know more about how the Arctic benthic community would alter.

Summertime community structure of intertidal macrobenthos in Changdao Archipelago,Shandong Province,China

The community structure of intertidal macrobenthos in Changdao Archipelago(north of Shandong Peninsula,between Bohai Bay and the northern Yellow Sea) was examined based on samples collected from 14 stations in five transects in June 2007.Three stations corresponding to high,medium and low tidal areas were set up for each transect.A total of 68 macrobenthic species were found in the research region,most of which belonged to Mollusca and Crustacea.The average abundance and biomass of the macrobenthos was 1 383 ind./m2 and 372.41 g/m2,respectively.The use of an arbitrary similarity level of 20% resulted in identification of five groups among the 14 stations in the research region.There were remarkable differences in the biomass,abundance and Shannon-Wiener diversity index of the different sediments.Specifically,the order of biomass was rocky shores > gravel > mud-sand > coarse sand > stiff mud,while the order of abundance was rocky shores > coarse sand > mud-sand > gravel > stiff mud,and that of the diversity index was mud-sand > gravel > stiff mud > rocky shores > coarse sand.The above results revealed that the sediment type was the most important factor affecting the structure of the macrobenthic community of the intertidal zone.

Community structure and spatial distribution of macrobenthos in the shelf area of the Bering Sea

Field investigations of marine macrobenthos were conducted at ten sites in the Bering Sea in July 2010. Altogether 90 species of macrobenthos belonging to 59 families and 78 genera were identified. Among them, 41 polychaetes, 16 mollusks, 23 crustaceans, three echinoderms, two cnidarians, one nemertean, one priapulid, two sipunculids, and one echiuran were identified. The average density and biomass of total macrobenthos were 984 ind./m2 and 1207.1 g/ma of wet weight, respectively. The predominant species in the study area were Scoloplos armiger, Eudorella pacifica, Ophiura sarsii, Heteromastus filiformis, Ennucula tenuis, and Harpiniopsis vadiculus by abundance, while the predominant species in this area was Echinarachnius parma by biomass. Hierarchical cluster analysis （Bray-Curtis similarity measure） revealed that two impor- tant benthic assemblages in the study area were CommunityA and Community B. CommunityA was stable and Community B was unstable, as shown by the Abundance/Biomass Comparisons （ABC） approach. The macrobenthic community structure in the shelf of the Bering Sea was characterized by its high abundance and biomass, high productivity but great heterogeneity.

Community structure and biodiversity of free-living marine nematodes in the northern South China Sea

A quantitative study on the community structure and biodiversity of free-living marine nematodes and their relationship with environmental factors in the northern South China Sea were carried out based on the samples collected at five stations in the deep sea （from 313 to 1 600 m） and one station in shallowwaters （87 m） during the cruise in September, 2010. Results showed that the abundance of marine nematodes ranged from 224 to 1 996 ind./（10 cm2）. A total of 69 free-living marine nematode genera, belonging to 26 families and three orders, were identified. The most dominant genera were Sabatieria, Linhystera, Aegialoalaimus and Daptonema according to SIMPER analysis. Results of CLUSTER analysis revealed four types of marine nematode community （or station groups） in the sampling area. In terms of trophic structure, non-selective deposit feeders （1B） and selective deposit feeders （1A） were the dominant trophic types with highest genera numbers and abundances, which implied that organic detritus was the main food source of marine nematodes in the northern South China Sea. The percentage of male nematode was low, ranging from 2.22% to 17.81%, while those of juvenile individuals ranged from 36.99% to 82.09%. For genera level diversity of marine nematodes, Shannon-Wiener diversity indices （H＇） ranged from 3.76 to 4.57 and had highly significant negative correlation with water depth. In general, diversity indices H＇ at the five stations in deep sea （over 200 m） were lower than that at the station in shallow waters （87 m）. BIOENV analysis showed that the most important environmental factor controlling marine nematode communities was water denth.

Community structure of macrobenthos in coastal water off Rushan, southern Shandong Peninsula, and the relationships with environmental factors

To understand the present actuality of the marine ecosystem in the southern coastal water region of the Shandong Peninsula and the impact of the global change and the human activities to the marine ecosystem of the region, the macrobenthic community structure was researched based on data from 26 sampling stations carried out on four seasonal cruises from December 2006 to November 2007. The data was analyzed using PRIMER 6.0 and SPSS 15.0 software packages. The results showed that 236 macrobenthic species in total were collected from the research region by the field works. Most of the species belong to Polychaeta （76 species）, Mollusca （75） and Crustacea （60）. Of which, 33 species were common species by the four cruises. The dominant species were different among the four seasons, however, the polychaete species Nephtys oligobranchia and Sternaspis scutata were always dominant in the four seasons. The abundances and biomasses of the macrobenthos from the research region were variable in the four seasons. The results of CLUSTER and MDS analysis showed that the similarities of macrobenthic structures among the stations were low, most of the similarities were at about 40% of similarity values, only that of two stations were up to 60%. In accordance with the similarity values of the macrobenthic structures, the 26 stations were clustered as six groups at arbitrary similarity level of 30%. The ABC curve indicated that the marcofauna communities in the research region had not been disturbed distinctly. The results of BIOENV and BVSTEP （Spearman） analysis implied that the concentrations of organic matter in bottom water and heavy metal copper in sediment, water depth and temperature of bottom were the most significant environmental factors to affect the macrobentic community.

Macrobenthic community structure and species composition in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea in jellyfi sh bloom

To understand the characteristics of macrobenthic structures and the relationship between environment and benthic assemblages in jellyfish bloom, we studied the macrobenthos and related environmental factors in the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Data were collected during two seasonal cruises in April and August of 2011, and analyzed with multivariate statistical methods. Up to 306 macrobenthic species were registered from the research areas, including 115 species of Polychaeta, 78 of Crustacea, 61 of Mollusca, 30 of Echinodermata, and 22 of other groups. Nine polychaete species occurred at frequencies higher than 25% from the sampling stations： Lumbrineris longifolia, Notomastus latericeus, Nin6e palmata, Ophelina acuminata, Nephtys oligobranchia, Onuphis geophiliformis, Glycera chirori, Terebellides stroemii, and Aricidea fragilis. Both the average biomass and abundance of macrobenthos are higher in August （23.8 g/m^2 and 237.7 ind./m^2） than those in April （11.3 g/m^2 and 128 ind./m^2）; the dissimilarity ofmacrobenthic structures among stations is as high as 70%. In terms of the dissimilarity values, we divided the stations into four clusters in spring and eight in summer. The ABC curve shows that the macrofauna communities in high jellyfish abundance were not changed. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that depth, temperature, median grain size, total organic carbon of sediment and total nitrogen in sediment were important factors affecting the macrozoobenthic community in the study area.

Mesozooplankton distribution and diversity from the Bering Sea shelf to the Chukchi Sea

In recent decades,environmental changes in the Arctic have aroused widespread concern around the world.To better understand ecology issues such as ecosystem dynamics,the Arctic and the subarctic regions were integrated as the“pan-Arctic”region.In this study,mesozooplankton were sampled from the Bering Sea shelf to the northern Chukchi Sea during the 10th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition in 2019.Based on the species composition and abundance,three geographical communities were identified:the Bering Sea shelf community(BSS),the Bering Strait transitional community(BST),and the Chukchi Sea shelf community(CSS).The BSS was characterized by Bering Sea oceanic species such as Eucalanus bungii;the BST was mainly composed of the pan-Arctic distributed Calanus glacialis,meroplankton of benthos,and neritic species such as Centropages abdominalis;copepods,especially the copepodite of C.glacialis,were predominant in the CSS community.The BSS community structure was strongly affected by the inflow of Bering Shelf Water,while those of BST and CSS were determined by the recruitment of local species.The zooplankton community structure is influenced by both advection and environmental changes such as warming and a prolonged productivity period.Here,it was difficult to distinguish the changes induced by climate change from the effects of the Bering Sea Water.The key to solving this problem is the accumulation of comparable data,which requires continuous monitoring of key species such as C.glacialis and Calanus hyperboreus.

Macrobenthic community structure in the Changjiang Estuary and its adjacent waters in summer

On the basis of data collected in the summer of 2006 from 27 sampling stations in the Changjiang Estuary and its adjacent waters, the ecological characteristics of macrobenthos and the relationship between the macrobenthos and the environmental factors were studied using hierarchical cluster and non-metric multidimensional scaling （MDS）. The biomass, abundance, Shannon -Wiener＇s and Margalef＇ s indices of the macrobenthos were presented. The results showed that a total of 253 macrobenthic species were found in the research region, and most of them belong to mollusks and polychaetes. The dominant species were Cossurella dimorpha, Eocylichna cylindrella, Episiphon kiaochowwanense, Nassarius semiplicatus, Ocstergrenia variabilis and Sternaspis scutata. The average abundance of the macrobenthos was （313. 15 ±233.4） ind./m^2, and the average biomass was （ 15. 2 ± 11.2 ）g/m^2. The distribution patterns of the abundance and biomass of the macrobenthos were similar. The abundance and biomass in the area close to the estuary were lower than those from the area more distant to the estuary; the central part of the research region had higher abundance and biomass than other parts of the research region. In accordance with the results, four macrobenthic communities with distinct spatial differences were identified. The low abundance and biomass in the area close to the estuary should be caused by the high sedimentation rate. The statistical analysis indicated that the depth is the most important factor affecting the distribution of macrobenthos.

Spatial pattern of macrobenthic communities along a shelf-slope-basin transect across the Bering Sea

Due to its unique geological location, the Bering Sea is an ideal place to investigate the water exchange and ecosystem connectivity of the Pacific Ocean–Arctic Ocean and subarctic–Arctic region. Based on a number of summer surveys（July to September, 2010, 2012 and 2014）, macrobenthic communities and their spatial-temporal patterns are exhibited for the majority of the Bering Sea（53°59′–64°36′N）. The results show that the macrobenthic communities were dominated by northern cold-water species and immigrant eurythermic species, and the communities assumed a dispersed and patchy distribution pattern. Polychaetes（Scoloplos armiger）, crustaceans（Ceradocus capensis） and sea urchins（Echinarachnius parma） were the main dominant groups in the shallow shelves; the sea star（Ctenodiscus crispatus） and the brittle star（Ophiura sarsii） were the main dominant groups in the continental slope; whereas small polychaetes（Prionospio malmgreni） dominated the basin area. Sediment type, water depth, and currents were the major factors affecting the structure and spatial distribution of the macrobenthic communities. Compared with other seas, the shallow areas of the Bering Sea showed an extremely high-standing biomass. In particular, the northern shelf area（north of St. Lawrence Islands and west of 170°W）,which is primarily controlled by Anadyr Water, is an undersea oasis. In contrast, a deficiency in the downward transport of particulate organic carbon has resulted in a desert-like seabed in the basin area. By comparing our results to previous studies, we found that macrobenthic communities of the Bering Sea have undergone significant structural changes in recent decades, resulting in a decrease in abundance and an increase in biomass.In addition, populations of amphipods and bivalves in the northern shelves have decreased significantly and have been gradually replaced by other species. These changes might be associated with advanced seasonal ice melting,changes in organic carbon input, and global warming, indicating that large-scale ecosystem changes have been occurring in the Bering Sea.

南黄海冷水中心内外夏季大型底栖动物群落分析

根据1959年、2004年和2012年夏季航次的调查数据,研究南黄海冷水中心内、外大型底栖动物群落结构及年际变化。使用Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Pielou均匀度指数、Margalef丰富度指数,平均分类差异指数以及丰度生物量比较曲线(abundance-biomass comparison curves,ABC Curves)分析群落的组成与变化,使用相对重要性指数(index of relative importance,IRI)分析群落中的优势种和重要种。研究结果显示,3个航次共鉴定大型底栖动物112种,隶属18纲69科80属;其中冷水中心(Yellow Sea cold water mass core,YSCWMC)内33种,隶属16纲65科75属;冷水中心外87种,隶属7纲30科36属。两因素方差分析(Two-way ANOVA)结果显示三航次间时空尺度上冷水中心内、外的H′、J′和d的差异均不显著,物种丰度和物种生物量也未发生明显的改变。冷水中心内部群落的H′、J′和d变化幅度较冷水中心外部群落小,表明相较冷水中心外的群落,冷水中心内的群落结构较为稳定。分类差异变异指数及ABC曲线分析也显示冷水中心内、外的群落状况良好。通过比较冷水中心内、外物种组成发现冷水中心内软体动物(Mollusk)种类最多,其丰度和生物量在冷水中心内优势明显,且三个航次间软体动物物种改变较小。冷水中心内群落中的多毛类动物(Polychaeta)和棘皮动物(Echinodermata)虽在各年份分别占据优势种地位,丰度极高,但种类极少。冷水中心外群落中的多毛类动物和棘皮动物占据绝对优势,无论是种类数还是生物量都较其他种类高。在调查航次总生物量中,冷水中心内的软体动物生物量占总生物量的38%,而冷水中心外的仅占总生物量的3%,说明软体动物较为适宜生活在低温、高盐的冷水环境中。三年间分析调查显示冷水中心内软体动物的重要种及常见种有薄索足蛤(Thyasira tokunagai)、秀丽波纹蛤(Raetellops pulchella)、短吻蛤(Periploma sp.)、胡桃蛤(Nucula sp.)和日本梯形蛤(Portlandia japonica)。冷水中心对于大型底栖动物中软体动物的生长繁殖具有重要的保护作用,能够维持其群落结构的稳定。

The relationship between soft-bottom macrobenthic communities and environmental variables off Ningjin,eastern Shandong Peninsula

Macrobenthic infauna and associated environmental factors influencing the benthic community in the eastern coastal region of Shandong Peninsula were analyzed in four seasonal surveys from January 2007 to October 2007 （30 stations in winter,20 stations in other three seasons）,in order to understand the community structure and the factors unfluencing the benthic distribution.PRIMER 6.0 and SPSS 15.0 software packages were adopted to analyze the environmental and macrobenthic data.The results show that there were 260 macrobenthic species in total collected from the research region.The composition of species is： Polychaeta （94 species）,Crustacea （75）,Mollusca （56） and Echinoderm （12）,among which,only 23 species were common species in the cruises of every season.The dominant species varied from season to season;however,the polychaete species Paralacydonia paradoxa Fauvel and Echinoderm species Amphioplus japonicus （Matsumoto） were always present year-round.The abundance and biomass of the macrobenthos in the research region were variable from season to season.The results of CLUSTER and MDS analysis show that the similarities of macrobenthic structures between the stations were low;most of the similarities were at about 30% of similarity value,only two stations were up to 70%.In accordance with the similarity values of the macrobenthic structures,we divided the 20 stations into five groups by arbitrary similarity level of 30%.The ABC curve indicates that the marcofauna communities in the research region had not been disturbed massively,except two stations,SB1 and SB3.Ecologically,benthos were controlled by a combination of factors such as salinity,phytoplankton,zooplankton,SiO 3Si and temperature,and no single factor could be considered as an ecological master factor.

辽宁獐子岛马牙滩潮间带及近岸海区大型底栖动物群落特征

为摸清辽宁獐子岛潮间带及近岸海区的大型底栖动物的分布现状和群落受扰动情况,作者于2011年11月中旬在马牙滩潮间带和近岸海区采集大型底栖动物,采用优势度指数、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Margalef丰富度指数、Pielou均匀度指数,Bray-Curtis相似性聚类分析、MDS标序和ABC曲线等方法,分析该区域内大型底栖动物群落的生态学特点。结果表明,在潮间带共鉴定大型底栖动物39种,优势类群为多毛类、甲壳类和软体类;优势种均为多毛类,即小头虫(Capitella capitata)、多美沙蚕(Lycastopsis augenari)、仙居虫(Naineris laevigata)和短叶索沙蚕(Lumbrineris latreilli);平均生物量为25.76±41.08g/m2,以软体动物占优势;平均栖息密度为315.11±160.73个/m2,以多毛类占优势;丰富度指数、均匀度指数与Shannon-Wiener多样性指数的平均值分别为1.17±0.89,0.74±0.17和1.80±1.09。近岸海区共鉴定大型底栖动物40种,优势类群为多毛类、甲壳动物、软体动物和棘皮动物。优势种包括4种棘皮动物和1种多毛类,即紫蛇尾(Ophiopholis mirabilis)、日本倍棘蛇尾(Amphioplus japonicus)、短叶索沙蚕、心形海胆(Echinocardium cordatum)和浅水萨氏真蛇尾(Ophiurasar siivadicola)。近岸海区的平均生物量和平均栖息密度分别为218.86±152.24g/m2和700.00±471.51个/m2,均以棘皮动物占优势。丰富度指数、均匀度指数与Shannon-Wiener多样性指数的平均值分别为1.40±0.60,0.64±0.19和2.04±0.78。聚类分析结果表明,潮间带不同潮区间和近岸海区不同断面间群落差异显著。ABC曲线分析显示,獐子岛潮间带底质环境受到中度扰动,大型底栖动物群落结构处于不稳定状态;近岸海区受到轻度干扰,群落结构未发生明显变化。

2004—2015年春季小清河口潮间带大型底栖动物群落特征变化

为了解小清河口潮间带大型底栖动物群落结构变化及潍坊市沿海防护堤和海冰灾害对其的影响,于2004—2015年春季在该区域进行了底栖生物的逐年采样,调查大型底栖动物的种类组成、丰度和生物量,并分析了生物多样性状况。结果表明:12年间共鉴定出大型底栖动物108种,依据种类组成进行聚类分析可将大型底栖动物样品分为5组,防护堤建设之前的2004年和受防护堤建设及海冰灾害影响较小的2013年分别单独为一组,防护堤建设期间的2005—2008年为一组,在此期间动物群落受工程影响较大;防护堤建成之后的2009—2012年为一组,在此期间动物群落主要受海冰灾害的影响;2014年和2015年为一组,动物群落趋于稳定;丰度变化范围为218~1522 ind·m-2,生物量变化范围为31.83~123.41 g·m-2;丰富度指数(d)、均匀度指数(J)和香农指数(H)的平均值分别为3.12、0.51和2.55;丰度/生物量比较曲线表明,防护堤的建设和海冰灾害对大型底栖动物群落造成中等到严重程度的扰动。