Classification and 3-D distribution of upper layer water masses in the northern South China Sea

Using the fuzzy cluster analysis and the temperature-salinity(T-S) similarity number analysis of cruise conductivity-temperature-depth(CTD) data in the upper layer(0–300 m) of the northern South China Sea(NSCS), we classify the upper layer water of the NSCS into six water masses: diluted water(D), surface water(SS),the SCS subsurface water mass(U_S), the Pacific Ocean subsurface water mass(U_P), surface-subsurface mixed water(SU) and subsurface-intermediate mixed water(UI). A new stacked stereogram is used to illustrate the water mass distribution, and to examine the source and the distribution of U_P, combining with the sea surface height data and geostrophic current field. The results show that water mass U_P exists in all four seasons with the maximum range in spring and the minimum range in summer. In spring and winter, the U_P intrudes into the Luzon Strait and the southwest of Taiwan Island via the northern Luzon Strait in the form of nonlinear Rossby eddies, and forms a high temperature and high salinity zone east of the Dongsha Islands. In summer, the U_P is sporadically distributed in the study area. In autumn, the U_P is located in the upper 200 m layer east of Hainan Island.

Niches of dominant fish in the waters surrounding the Taishan Islands, China

An index of relative importance(IRI) was employed to screen for dominant fish in the waters surrounding the Taishan Islands, China, using data from four seasonal trawl surveys undertaken between 2012 and 2013. Niche breadth and niche overlap were measured using the Feinsinger and Morisita-Horn indices, respectively, and the characteristics and seasonal variations in the niches of dominant fish were assessed via non-metric multidimensional scaling(NMDS) and cluster analysis. A total of 80 fish species, including 16 dominant species, were recorded. Only A mblychaeturichthys hexanema was dominant in all seasons. According to niche breadth values and NMDS, the 16 dominant species were grouped into the following three types:(1) wide niche breadth species, including Cynoglossus macrolepidotus, A. hexanema, and Trypauchen vagina, among others;(2) medium niche breadth species, including Setipinna taty and Johnius belangerii; and(3) narrow niche breadth species, including A trobucca nibe and Coilia mystus. Most species with a wider niche breadth were demersal fish with a lower swimming capability and even distribution. The niche breadth of migrating fish was narrower than that of settled fish. At a given spatial scale, fish with stronger swimming capabilities had a narrower niche breadth. Niche overlap, which is associated with niche specialization, ranged from 0.000 to 0.886 and had an annual mean value of 0.314. In summer and autumn, niche overlap was relatively high within species of the Sciaenidae family and within species of the Gobiidae in autumn. Dif ferences in thermophily, feeding habits, food organism abundance/distribution and predator-prey relationships af fected the niche overlap of fish in this area. Cluster analysis revealed that species with the narrowest niche breadth and lowest niche overlap values usually displayed lower aggregation and greater distribution dif ferences compared with other species.

Levels and patterns of genetic variation in Pampus minor:Assessment of a mitochondrial DNA control region sequence

Pampus minor is an important commercial fish.Due to the similarity of external morphological characteristics among the genus Pampus species,P.minor has often been identified as the juvenile group of both P.cinereus and P.argenteus.While little genetic background on this species is known,this study was based on control region sequences and provided the first evaluation of the genetic signature of 264 individuals of P.minor from 11 populations along the coasts of China and Malaysia.The results indicate high genetic haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity in this species.Additionally,two differentiated haplotype lineages were identified in the P.minor populations.However,phylogenetic structures corresponding to the geographical locations were unable to be established.Analysis of molecular variance identified a vast majority of the genetic variation occurring within populations.F-statistic test value(FST)of pairwise indicated that great differences existed between the Chinese and Malaysian P.minor populations.For the Chinese populations,the genetic differences were insignificant with the exception of the Xiamen population,which is a marginal population.During the late Pleistocene,a population expansion of P.minor occurred.These expanded populations originated from the glacial refugium in the South China Sea and then rapidly occupied and adapted to their new habitat.The results of this study provide genetic information for ensuring the protection and management of P.minor resources.

Fish diversity and molecular taxonomy in the Prydz Bay during the 29th CHINARE

In 2013, the 29th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition（CHINARE） prospected the Prydz Bay on the Antarctic continental shelf, and the Chinese R/V Xuelong icebreaker sampled all of the examined locations. The nature of Antarctic fish diversity in the high-latitude Prydz Bay is virtually unknown, and the accuracy of relevant estimates has not been established. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate this diversity and propose protective measures. In total, ninety-nine specimens were collected from various locations. To overcome uncertainties associated with identifying species based on morphology, DNA barcoding（COI gene） was employed to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships with delimited references from NCBI. Twenty-two species representing six families were unambiguously identified from a neighbor-joining（NJ） tree and barcoding gaps. With the morphological identification, thirteen species were identified correctly, five species were identified correctly at the genus level, and four species were identified at the close sister species level. Notothenioid dominance was not evident in the Prydz Bay, in contrast to other published studies. The low species diversity and catch biomass during this CHINARE were severely constrained by limited fishing methods and localized sites, which led to biased underestimation. Our analyses indicate that DNA barcoding is an effective tool for the identification of fish species in the Prydz Bay. The identification and distribution of Antarctic fish should be an integral component of understanding Antarctic fish biodiversity and biogeography, and large-scale studies are necessary for the further taxonomic identification of Antarctic fish.

Uncertainties in stormwater runoff data collection from a small urban catchment, Southeast China

Monitoring data are often used to identify stormwater runoff characteristics and in stormwater runoff modelling without consideration of their inherent uncertainties. Integrated with discrete sample analysis and error propagation analysis, this study attempted to quantify the uncertainties of discrete chemical oxygen demand （COD）, total suspended solids （TSS） concentration, stormwater flowrate, stormwater event volumes, COD event mean concentration （EMC）, and COD event loads in terms of flow measurement, sample collection, storage and laboratory analysis. The results showed that the uncertainties due to sample collection, storage and laboratory analysis of COD from stormwater runoff are 13.99%, 19.48% and 12.28%. Meanwhile, flow measurement uncertainty was 12.82%, and the sample collection uncertainty of TSS from stormwater runoff was 31.63%. Based on the law of propagation of uncertainties, the uncertainties regarding event flow volume, COD EMC and COD event loads were quantified as 7.03%, 10.26% and 18.47%.

Analysis of rainfall runoff characteristics from a subtropical urban lawn catchment in South-east China

Characteristics of rainfall runoff from a 3.26 hm^2 urban catchment with predominant land-use as lawn in Xiamen City, South-east China were investigated and analyzed. Water quality and quantity measurements of rainfall runoff were conducted for ten rainfall events over the period March, 2008 to April, 2009. The results indicated that chemical oxygen demand （COD） and total phosphorus （TP） were the major pollutants with event mean concentrations of 56.09 and 0.44mg.L^-1. From hydrograph and pollutograph analysis of two typical rainfall events, it was clear that the peak rainfall preceded the peak flowrate by about 15-20 min. Meanwhile, concentrations of major pollutants showed multiple peaks and these peaks usually preceded peak flowrate. There were no distinctive first-flush effects except for the rainfall events with the longest rainfall duration and largest runoff volume, which was verified by the fact that the first 30% runoff volume （FF30） carried 39.36% of the total suspended solids （TSS） load, 35.17% of the COD load, 28.13% of the TP load and 39.03% of the nitrate nitrogen load. Multivariate regression analysis further demonstrated that the total runoffvolume had a positive correlation with the FF30 of TSS and COD.