Do physicochemical variables regulate the distribution of zooplankton communities in reservoirs dominated by filter-feeding carp?

The temporal and spatial distributions of zooplankton communities in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Xin＇anjiang Reservoir, Zhejiang, China, were investigated monthly, between 2009 and 2010. Silver carp （Hypophthalmichthys moBtrix） and bighead carp （Aristichthys nobilis） dominated the pelagic fish community of this large, deep reservoir. Cladocerans were distributed evenly throughout the reservoir. Rotifers were mainly found in the upper reaches, while copepods tended to assemble in the lower reaches. The Pearson correlation analysis and stepwise multiple regression were used to identify the major physicochemical gradients influencing community variations. Zooplankton community distributions were influenced by water temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen, and silicon. Excess nutrients, in particular silicon, stimulated rotifer growth. Based on these findings, it is possible to use rotifer density as a bioindicator of eutrophic status in deep reservoir ecosystems.

Biological control experiment of excess propagation of Cyclops for drinking water security

Cyclops of zooplankton propagated excessively in eutrophic water body and could not be effectively inactivated by the conventional disinfections process like chlorination due to its stronger resistance to oxidation. In this study, an ecological project was put forward for the excess propagation control of Cyclops by stocking the filter-feeding fishes such as silver carp and bighead carp under the condition of no extraneous nutrient feeding. The results of experiments with different stocking biomass showed that the propagation of Cyclops could be controlled effectively, and the water quality was improved simultaneously by impacting on nutriment level and plankton community structure at proper stocking density of 30 g/m^3 of water. The growth of Cyclops may not be effectually controlled with lower biomass of fish （10 g）, and the natural food chain relation may be destroyed for Cyclops dying out in water while the intense stocking of 120 g per cubic meter of water. In addition, the high predator pressure may accelerate supplemental rate of nutrients from bottom sediments to water body to add the content of total nitrogen and phosphorus in water.

Population Interaction Dynamics Analysis of an Algae-Fish System

In this paper, before the implementation of ecological laboratory experiments, the population interaction dynamics of an algae-fish system were studied mathematically and numerically. The purpose of this study was to explore how filter-feeding fish population affects the growth dynamics of the algae population. Mathematically theoretical works have been pursuing the investigation of some key conditions for stability of the equilibrium and existence of Hopf bifurcation. Numerical simulation works have been parsing the discovery of the growth dynamics of the algae population in view of population interaction dynamics, which in turn could prove the feasibility of the theoretical derivation and reveal the relationship between filter-feeding fish abundance and algal biomass in fish-drift algae communiyua. Furthermore, it was successful to show that the filter-feeding fish population may be a crucial factor in controlling the proliferation of the algae population, which could also directly grasp the evolution of community dynamics. All these results were expected to be useful in the study of community dynamics and laboratory elimination experiment of the algae population.

Treatment of Shrimp Effluent by Integrated Culture of Bivalves and Macroalgae

[Objectives]To provide a theoretical basis for constructing the best species suitable for local shrimp-bivalves-algae IMTA through the screening of different bivalves and the determination of seaweed density.[Methods]The preliminary studies of different kind of bivalves and macroalgae(Gracilaria lichevoides)used for the purification of shrimp effluent were described.Through the screening of benthic bivalves,the best ratio of integrated culture of bivalves and algae was determined.[Results]Both bivalves and macroalgae had certain purification effects on aquaculture wastewater,but the effects significantly differed from species and breeding density.The removal rate of nutrient declined from Potamocorbula laevis,Sinonovacula constricta,Tegillarca granosa.The mixotrophic culture of 8 ind/L P.laevis and 120 g G.lichevoides had the highest efficiency of purification and removal rates of nutrient:NH4-N:90.67%,TP:86.18%,TN:72.66%,NO3-N:51.85%,respectively.There was a significant difference between the blank control group and the other three groups(P<0.01).The 8 ind/L+120 g group was significantly higher than the 4 ind/L+120 g group(P<0.05)in TP removal rate.Additionally,the difference between four groups was significant in the removal rate of NH4-N and TN(P<0.05),but 2 ind/L+120 g group and 8 ind/L+120 g group in the removal rate of NO3-N had no significant difference(P>0.05).[Conclusions]This research provides a reference for the use of filterable shellfish and large seaweed to treat aquaculture wastewater,and also provides the theoretical basis for constructing the local multi-level breeding structure.

In Situ Filtration Rates of Blue Mussels(Mytilus edulis)Measured by an Open-Top Chamber Method

Blue mussels, Mytilus edulis , form dense beds of both commercial and ecological importance, and many attempts have been made to determine their filtration rate. The total time in which mussels actually utilise their filtration capacity in nature varies greatly, making in situ methods for filtration rate measurements relevant. Further, it is being debated to what extend filtration rates measured in the laboratory using cultivated algal cells may apply for mussels in nature. In the present study, we have used an open-top chamber setup in order to allow repeated in situ filtration rate measurements of M. edulis using ambient natural phytoplankton and free-living bacteria. We found that the in situ measured filtration rates are comparable to filtration rates obtained in laboratory studies using different methods and controlled diets of cultivated algal cells. Further, we found that the retention efficiency of free-living bacteria was between 22.2% and 29.9%, in good agreement with values from laboratory studies. Our findings support the assumption that mussels in nature tend to use their filtration capacity when the phytoplankton concentration is above a certain lower trigger level.

Feeding ecology of the mangrove oyster, <i>Crassostrea gasar</i>(Dautzenberg, 1891) in traditional farming at the coastal zone of Benin, West Africa

Wild collection management and farming of the mangrove oyster (Crassostrea gasar) occurring widely at the Benin (West Africa) coastal zone require knowledge on the feeding ecology to explore energy sources and nutritional needs. Six hundred thirty (630) individuals of C. gasar have been sampled in the rearing site at the Benin coastal lagoon to investigate on the trophic ecology of this cultivated bivalve. The diet analysis revealed that C. gasar is a filter-feeder foraging mainly on phytoplankton (72.70%) and substrate particles (22.95%). This trophic specialization results from anatomical structure, mainly the presence of gills which facilitate the filtering of number of plankton taxa. Dominant phytoplanktons ingested comprised of Diatomophycea (33.52%), Chlorophycae (17.19%), Scenedesmacae (13.80%), Dictyosphaeriacae (3.79%), and Pleurococcacae (2.75%). Eight genuses of phytoplankton, Polycystis, Coelosphaerium, Protococcus, Botryoccocus, Crucigenia, Melosira, Cyclotella, and Gyrosigma dominated the diet of C. gasar with aggreated volumetric proportions reaching 69.06% of the diet. Higher occurrences were recorded mainly for Melosira occurring in 263 (41.75%) stomachs, substrate particles in 211 (33.49%), and Polycystis in 151 (23.97%). C. gasar exhibited a high niche breadths varying from 4.54 to 5.78, suggesting that this bivalve consumed a high variety of food items, thus exhibiting a degree of trophic plasticity. Diet overlaps (?jk) among different size classes were high and varied from 0.71 to 0.98, indicating an ontogenetic diet shift pattern in C. gasar. Probably, to adapt to the benthic-muddy environment and to increase survival, C. gasar has evolved a specialized feeding mechanism and strategy to retrieve only needed nutrients for growth and to reject awful and nondigestible foods. Also, at the oyster rearing grounds, there is an evidence of shift in the food web structure leading to an increase of the biological productivity at the coastal zone. The output from this study is a valuable documentation for the sustainable development of oyster aquaculture, wild stock management and conservation. However, further scientific knowledge on nutritional needs, phytoplankton toxicity and habitat degradation, and improvement of farming techniques are required for an integrated oyster management.

Biological manipulation of eutrophication in West Yangchen Lake

This paper aims to share findings on nonclassical biomanipulation from a field study on eutrophic West Yangcheng(WY)Lake.In the forty years before 2009,cyanobacteria frequently bloomed in WY Lake,an event which has not occurred since 2009.The stocking density of filter-feeding carp was estimated to be more than 50 g/m^(3) in July after 2009,approximately double the amount observed before 2009,and the ratio of silver carp to bighead carp(SBR)increased from 0.8 to more than 1.6.Compared with the water quality between 2004 and 2007,the total nitrogen(TN)and the chlorophyll-a(Chl-a)concentration decreased while total phosphorus(TP)and transparency(SD)increased significantly after 2009(P<0.05).The decreasing Chl-a concentration was observed in Jul,Jun,May,Jul,and Mar in 2009,2010,2011,2016,and 2017,respectively.The Chl-a concentration was significantly negatively correlated with TP(P<0.05),and no significant correlation with TN was observed(P>0.05).A significant negative correlation was observed between fish yield and SD(P<0.05).The results also showed that filter-feeding carp more effectively restrained algae growth when SD was low.These results indicated that a high density of filter-feeding fish with increased SBR interfered with the driving effects of nutrients and temperature on the growth of algal biomass and then restrained bloom of algae.It may be necessary to take SD into consideration for determining the appropriate fish stocking density for the biomanipulation of algae.