Diagnostic model construction and example analysis of habitat degradation in enclosed bay: II. spatiotemporal variations in habitat degradation in Sansha Bay

The process of habitat degradation varies in habitat type and driving force which shows certain spatial and temporal heterogeneity on regional scales. In the present study, a new diagnostic model for enclosed bay habitat degradation was established, with which the spatial and temporal variation patterns of habitat degradation during 1991–2012 in Sansha Bay, Fujian, China was investigated. The results show that anthropogenic disturbance is the major controlling factor for the habitat degradation in large temporal heterogeneity in the bay. On the other hand, the habitat degradation experienced signifi cant spatial variations among six sub-bays. Under the joint action of temporal and spatial heterogeneity, the degradation trend in growing scale shows a more signifi cant correlation with the distribution of local leading industries along shorelines. Therefore, we quantifi ed the main characters of habitat degradation in Sansha Bay, and have understood the relationship between the status of habitats spatio-temporal variation value and the main controlling factor leading to the changes. However, a defi ciency of this research is the lack of or inaccessible to the detailed data, which shall be better solved in the future study for accessing more data from more sources.

Diagnostic model construction and example analysis of habitat degradation in enclosed bay:Ⅲ. Sansha Bay habitat restoration strategy

Unbalanced inputs and outputs of material are the root cause of habitat degradation in Sansha Bay,Fujian Province,China. However,the cumulative pollution varies in different geographic locations and natural conditions in the enclosed bay. In this study,hydrodynamic conditions,sediment characteristics,and aquaculture methods were recognized as the underlying causes of spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of nitrogen and phosphorous pollutants,the two major controlling factors of habitat degradation in the bay area. In order to achieve the goal of balancing nutrient inputs and outputs in Sansha Bay,we developed a feasible and practical zone restoration strategy for reasonable adjustment and arrangement of aquaculture species and production scale in accordance with varying hydrodynamic conditions and sediment characteristics in six sub-bay areas(sub-systems). The proposed zone restoration strategy lays a solid foundation for habitat restoration and management in Sansha Bay.

Trophic gauntlet effects on fisheries recovery:a case study in Sansha Bay,China

Low biological productivity causes ecosystem energy deficiency.Sansha Bay is an important spawning and nursery ground for migratory fish in the East China Sea(ECS).There is significant mariculture in this area,but stock enhancement programs and seasonal fishery closures have failed to recover populations of the commercially important species,Larimichthys crocea.We want to figure out the potential reason of unsuccessful L.crocea resource in recent 30 years.In this study,the trophic status of L.crocea,the food source proportions of L.crocea and zooplankton,and the food web structure and functioning of Sansha Bay was analyzed.A high nutrient low chlorophyll phenomenon was observed:this prevented harmful algal blooms,and phytoplankton growth was restrained by intensive macroalgal culture,resulting in a low abundance of zooplankton in Sansha Bay.Phytoplankton was the most important food source of zooplankton,and zooplankton was the greatest food source of juvenile L.crocea.Analyzed L.crocea suffered from starvation.Crucially,most of the phytoplankton was not used efficiently in the Sansha Bay ecosystem.This study suggests that trophic bottleneck,caused by food limitation,is a potential reason for unsuccessful fishery recovery in enclosed bay with macroalgal culture.

Tide- and wind-driven variability of water level in Sansha Bay, Fujian, China

This study analyzes water-level variability in Sansha Bay and its adjacent waters near Fujian, China, using water-level data observed from seven stations along the coast and wind data observed from a moored buoy near Mazu Island. At super-to near-inertial frequencies, tides dominated the water-level variations, mainly characterized by semi-diurnal （prmafily M2, S2, and N2） and diurnal tides （primarily Kb O1）. The correlation coefficients between residual （non-tidal） water-level time series and the observed wind-stress time series exceeded 0.78 at all stations, hinting that the wind acting on the study region was another factor modulating the water-level variability. A cross-wavelet and wavelet-coherence analysis further indicated that （i） the residual water level at each station was more coherent and out-of-phase with the alongshore winds mostly at sub-inertial time scales associated with synoptic weather changes; and （ii） the residual water-level difference between the outer and inner bay was more coherent with the cross-shore winds at discrete narrow frequency bands, with the wind leading by a certain phase. The analysis also implied that the monsoon relaxation period was more favorable for the formation of the land-sea breeze, modulating the residual water-level difference.

Distribution and controlling factors of phytoplankton assemblages associated with mariculture in an eutrophic enclosed bay in the East China Sea

The distribution of phytoplankton and its correlation with environmental factors were studied monthly during August 2012 to July 2013 in the Yantian Bay. A total of 147 taxa of phytoplankton were identified, and the average abundance was in the range of 0.57×10~4 to 7.73×10~4 cell/L. A total of 19 species dominated the phytoplankton assemblages, and several species that are widely reported to be responsible for microalgae blooms were the absolutely dominant species, such as Skeletonema costatum, Navicula sp., Thalassionema nitzschioides,Pleurosigma sp., and Licmophora abbreviata. The monthly variabilities in phytoplankton abundance could be explained by water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, dissolved inorganic nitrogen（DIN）, and suspended solids. The results of a redundancy analysis showed that p H and nutrients, including DIN and silicate（SiO_4）, were the most important environmental factors controlling phytoplankton assemblages in specific months. It was found that nutrients and pH levels that were mainly influenced by mariculture played a vital role in influencing the variation of phytoplankton assemblages in the Yantian Bay. Thus, a reduction of mariculture activities would be an effective way to control microalgae blooms in an enclosed and intensively eutrophic bay.

Diagnostic model construction and example analysis of habitat degradation in enclosed bay: I. diagnostic model construction

Presently, research is lacking regarding the diagnosis and evaluation of habitat degradation in enclosed bay systems. We established a diagnostic model for enclosed bay habitat degradation(EBHD model) using a multi-approach integrated diagnostic method in consideration of driving force-pressurestate-infl uence-response. The model optimizes the indicator standardization with annual average change rate of habitat degradation as the basic element, to refl ect accurately the impact of the change and speed of degradation on the diagnostic results, to quantify reasonably the contribution of individual diagnostic indicator to habitat degradation, and to solve the issue regarding the infl uence of subjective factors on the evaluation results during indicator scoring. We then applied the EBHD model for the Sansha Bay in Fujian Province, China, evaluated comprehensively the situation of habitat degradation in the bay, and screened out the major controlling factors in the study area. Results show that the diagnostic results are consistent in overall with the real situation of the study area. Therefore, the EBHD model is advantageous in terms of objectivity and accuracy, making a breakthrough in diagnosis and evaluation for habitat degradation in enclosed bay systems.

Marine aquaculture regulates dissimilatory nitrate reduction processes in a typical semi-enclosed bay of southeastern China

Marine aquaculture in semi-enclosed bays can significantly influence nutrient cycling in coastal ecosystems.However,the impact of marine aquaculture on the dynamics of dissimilatory nitrate reduction processes(DNRPs)and the fate of reactive nitrogen remain poorly understood.In this study,the rates of DNRPs and the abundances of related functional genes were investigated in aquaculture and non-aquaculture areas.The results showed that marine aquaculture significantly increased the denitrification(DNF)and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium(DNRA)rates and decreased the rate of anaerobic ammonium oxidation(ANA),as compared with non-aquaculture sites.DNF was the dominant pathway contributing to the total nitrate reduction,and its contribution to the total nitrate reduction significantly increased from 66.72%at non-aquaculture sites to 78.50%at aquaculture sites.Marine aquaculture can significantly affect the physicochemical characteristics of sediment and the abundances of related functional genes,leading to variations in the nitrate reduction rates.Although nitrate removal rates increased in the marine aquaculture area,ammonification rates and the nitrogen retention index in the aquaculture areas were 2.19 and 1.24 times,respectively,higher than those at non-aquaculture sites.Net reactive nitrogen retention exceeded nitrogen removal in the aquaculture area,and the retained reactive nitrogen could diffuse with the tidal current to the entire bay,thereby aggravating N pollution in the entire study area.These results show that marine aquaculture is the dominant source of nitrogen pollution in semi-enclosed bays.This study can provide insights into nitrogen pollution control in semi-enclosed bays with well-developed marine aquaculture.