Succession of causative species during spring blooms in the EastChina Sea： coupled biophysical numerical modeling

In the East China Sea(ECS), the succession of causative species responsible for blooms is a recurrent phenomenon during the spring, which changes from diatoms to dinoflagellates. Observations from space and in situ cruises captured this pattern of succession during spring of 2005. In this study, we coupled two biological models, which were developed previously for Skeletonema costatum and Prorocentrum donghaiense,into a circulation model tailored for the ECS. The coupled biophysical model was used to hindcast the blooms and to test the hypothesis proposed in earlier studies that phosphate(PO4 3–) is the first-order decider of the succession. The coupled model successfully reproduced the hydrodynamics(as described in a companion paper by Sun et al.(1), the spatiotemporal distribution of the chlorophyll a(Chl a) concentration, and the species succession reasonably well. By analyzing the effects of different factors on the surface Chl a distribution, we confirmed that the offshore boundaries of the blooms were confined by PO4 3–. In addition, we suggest that surface wind fields may modulate the horizontal distribution of blooms. Thus, during the dispersal of blooms, surface winds coupled with PO4 3– may control the succession of blooms in the ECS. The proposed coupled model provides a benchmark to facilitate future improvements by including more size classes for organisms, multiple nutrient schemes, and additional processes.

Integrating species and successional classes for wood production in a mixed forest restoration system in a neotropical region

As forests in neotropical regions,particularly in developing countries,are devastated,interventions to restore biodiversity and its ecological functions are needed.Rural producers have thus been encouraged to grow trees for wood production as an economic activity.The objective of this study was to quantify the increment of wood density of four forest species from different successional classes of a mixed system of restoration in a neotropical forest in Brazil.Tree discs were sampled at breast height and analyzed radially by X-ray densitometry to obtain apparent density and basic density.Three trees each of a species from the pioneer,early and late secondary successional stages and of the dominant species in the climax community.The radial profiles indicated increasing density from the pith to bark of trunks,except for some variations due to wood defects and growth.Average density was 0.576 g cm^(-3),0.655 g cm^(-3),0.706 g cm^(-3)and 0.775 g cm^(-3),respectively,for Peltophorum dubium,Schinus terebinthifolius,Cariniana estrellensis and Hymenaea courbaril.Radial profiles indicated higher amplitudes in the apparent densities for slow-growing species.X-ray densitometry generated parameters such as minimum,average and maximum densities,and radial density variations.These parameters are important for understanding the ecological functional role of successional classes of the Atlantic Forest from the Neotropical region.

Preliminary study on seasonal succession and development pathway of phytoplankton community in the Bohai Sea

Phytoplankton species composition and species succession were determined in 1998-1999 based on 2 nestle investigation cruises in the Bohai Sea and two monthly monitoring stations at Penglai and Changdao for 15 months. The seasonal succession and pathway of phytoplankton community in the Bohai Sea were discussed complementarily with history data. The main process of Phytoplankton community development in the Bohai Sea was controlled by temperature and nutrient replenishes. There were two cell abundance peaks in an annual variation, the main peak in April and the secondary peak in September. In winter, the cell abundance was low due to the low temperature, the phytoplankton community was mainly made up of small-celled diataoms. In spring, the phytoplankton community was developed very quickly by small-celled diatom in suitable conditions of temperature and nutrients. In summer, the cell abundance decreased and big-celled diatoms became predominated. In autumn, because of the replenish of nutrient, big-celled diatoms and dinoflagellates formed another cell abundance peak. during the annual variation of phytoplankton community in the Bohai Sea, species succession was the main process of community development, the species sequence just occur at special areas and special periods. The evolution of phytoplankton community in the Bohai Sea accords with the hypothesis of Margalef's phytoplankton community of four stages. But the size feature is contrary to the hypothesis, which may be caused by nutrient replenish in autumn in Bohai Sea and the top to down control.