Influences of diel and tidal cycles on fish assemblage in eelgrass(Zostera marina) bed of southern Korea during autumn

Short-term tidal and diel variations of autumn fish assemblage in a Zostera marina bed were investigated using 3 h interval samplings for 24 h in both spring and neap tide using a small beam trawl.A total of 1 346 fishes belonging to 19 species were collected at spring tide,whereas 1 115 fishes belonging to 17 species were at neap tide.The common fish species were Nuchequula nuchalis,Acanthogobius flavimanus,Takifugu niphobles,Acentrogobius pflaumii,and Pholis nebulosa with the former three species dominating at spring tide,while the latter two species being abundant at neap tide.Diel variation in abundance was significant with higher abundance at night than day,but there were no significant differences between spring and neap tides,and between ebb and flood tides（three-way ANOVAs）.Diel variation in the abundance of fishes may be influenced by tidal range and cycle,and day-night differences of food availability and behaviors of fishes indirectly.Non-metric multidimensional scaling（n MDS） ordination and analysis of similarity（ANOSIM） results revealed significant differences in species compositions both between day and night,and between spring and neap tide.Eelgrass beds are highly productive marine ecosystem,and thus,our results will contribute to conservation of seagrass ecosystem in the study area.

Comparison Between Full-Scale and Model Experiments of Oil Fences

This study examines the performance of an air expansion oil fence system as deployed in two different configurations. Geometric and tension characteristics of the oil fence are investigated for （1） the system attached to two vessels and （2） the system attached to one vessel with spreading devices. Since full-scale testing can be time consuming and expensive, another component of the study was to examine how well models would perform. A scaling technique was developed and a set of experiments were conducted with a 1/20-th scale model of the oil fence in a towing tank facility. Performance resalts from the model tests were compared with those conducted at sea. The tension （N） in the full-scale results were represented by R = avb, where v is the current velocity in m/s and the values for a and b used for comparison purposes. Both sets of full-scale and model tests were conducted with an oil fence opening of 120 m and 160m. In the full-scale experiment with spreading devices attaahed to the forward ends of the oil fence, the horizontal distance of the spreading devices has a tendency to linearly increase as the current velocity increases when the warp length is as short as 50 m, but to linearly decrease as the current velocity increases when the warp length is extended to 100 m and 150 m. The spreading distance at uniform current velocitys in the model test increases as the warp length is extended. While there is no significant difference of spreading distance between the cases of 100 m and 150 m, the spreading distance becomes shorter when the warp length is 50 m.

Integration of the nuclease protection assay with sandwich hybridization (NPA-SH) for sensitive detection of Heterocapsa triquetra

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that function as primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Some species of microalgae undergo rapid growth and cause harmful blooms in marine ecosystems. Heterocapsa triquetra is one of the most common bloom-forming species in estuarine and coastal waters worldwide. Although this species does not produce toxins, unlike some other Heterocapsa species, the high density of its blooms can cause significant ecological damage. We developed a H. triquetra species-specific nuclease protection assay sandwich hybridization（NPA-SH） probe that targets the large subunit of ribosomal RNA（LSU r RNA）. We tested probe specificity and sensitivity with five other dinoflagellates that also cause red tides. Our assay detected H.triquetra at a concentration of 1.5×10^4 cells/m L, more sensitive than required for a red-tide guidance warning by the Korea Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in 2015（3.0×10^4 cells/m L）. We also used the NPA-SH assay to monitor H. triquetra in the Tongyeong region of the southern sea area of Korea during 2014. This method could detect H.triquetra cells within 3 h. Our assay is useful for monitoring H. triquetra under field conditions.