Rapid shoreline retreat along the Esmeraldas coast, Ecuador: natural and man-induced processes

Along the coast facing the Pacific Ocean in the province of Esmeraldas (Ecuador) one can observe some stretches where a process of rapid erosion is currently in progress. If it is not prevented, it seriously risks compromising the development of any form of utilization. In this paper, which summarizes the observations carried out in three different periods (1989, 1992 and 1999), we express the opinion that this process is the product of two distinct main causes. Along the Atacames bay, which may be considered as the main seaside resort of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, progressive cliff retreat is not only very dangerous for the existing tourist settlements, but also hinders their further development. The shoreline dynamics that seems to be due only to ‘natural’ causes (sea level rising, or the lastEl Niño event) are so active that defence works are not recommended. At Camarones the erosion of the coast is clearly due to the systematic destruction of mangroves by man. Also as a result of the lastEl Niño event, the situation has become alarming and it could rapidly get worse. By means of the present contribution, the Authors intend to attract the attention of the international scientific community upon the processes, not surveyed so far, affecting the ‘weakest’ stretches of the Ecuadorian coast.     

中国滨海湿地现状及其保护意义

通过论述中国滨海湿地资源及其保护现状,分析了滨海湿地的生态效益、经济效益和社会效益以及红树林湿地和珊瑚礁湿地的作用,并提出了目前滨海湿地存在的问题及其保护的重要意义.     

The impact of detritivorous fishes on a mangrove estuarine system

Sundarban mangrove ecosystem in India is one of the largest detritus based ecosystem of the world and it supplies the detritus and nutrients to the adjacent Hooghly-Matla estuarine complex. In this estuary a group of fish completely detritivorous in nature, belonging to the genus Mugil spp. is present. This group of fish is expected to have important effects on the trophic dynamics of ecosystems, but exact nature of these effects is not known. In order to study the impact that detritivory by fish may have on the estuarine food chain, we developed mathematical formulations. We run two models, one with phytoplankton, zooplankton, carnivorous fish, detritus and nutrient and without this group of fish and a second one after including this fish in the system. In our model this group of fish has no major impact on primary productions of the estuarine system but has extensive role in total fish production. Coexistence of detritivorous fish and carnivorous fish occurs within reasonable parameter range. We have tested different growth rates of phytoplankton, grazing rates and predation rates of zooplankton, detritivorous fish and carnivorous fish for total system equilibrium. Carnivorous fish predation rate on detritivorous fish and detritivorous fish grazing rate on detritus are very important. Different foraging ratios are also tested in this study. Foraging preference of carnivorous fish on detritivorous fish appears significant for the system equilibrium.     

Effects of exotic Spartina alterniflora on rhizosphere and endophytic bacterial community structures and diversity in roots of native mangroves北大核心CSCD

Root-associated microbial communities are very important for biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur in wetland ecosystems, and help to enhance the mechanisms of plant invasions. In the estuary of Jiulong River (China), Spartina alternifiora has widely invaded Kandelia obovata-dominated habitats, making it necessary to investigate the influence of rootassociated bacteria. The endophytic and rhizosphere bacterial community structures associated with selected plant species were investigated using the barcoded Illumina paired-end sequencing technique. The diversity indices of bacteria associated with the roots of S. alterniflora were higher than those of the transition stands and K. obovata monoculture. Using principal coordinate analysis with UniFrac metrics, the comparison of diversity showed that all samples could be significantly clustered into three major groups, according to the bacterial communities of origin. Four phyla, namely, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Firmicutes, were abundant in the rhizoplane of the two salt marsh plants, whereas Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria were the more abundant endophytic bacteria. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Firmicutes in the rhizosphere bacteria of S. alterniflora accounted for 78.0%, 5.6%, 3.3%, and 1.6%, respectively. Members of the phyla Spirochaetes and Chloroflexi were found among the endophytic bacteria of S. alterniflora and K. obovata, respectively. Using linear discriminate analysis, we found some dominant rhizoplane and endophytic bacteria, including Pseudoalteromonadaceae, Vibrionaceae, Methylophilaceae, and Desulfovibrio, which could potentially affect the carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles. Of interest was that endophytic bacteria were more sensitive to plant invasion than rhizosphere bacteria. Thus, the results provide evidence for the isolation of functional bacteria and the effects of root-associated microbial groups on S. alterniflora invasions. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Evaluating the Impacts of Mangrove Rehabilitation in Cogtong Bay,Philippines

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been hailed worldwide as vehicles toward sustainable development (SD) in coastal zones. The prominent model by which MPAs operate is through a comanagement approach, a shift from traditional top-down management. This paradigm shift must be reviewed continuously to evaluate its social and ecological impacts, thereby allowing adaptive management. We evaluated the perceived impacts of the Cogtong Bay Mangrove Rehabilitation Project (CBMRP; Philippines) by using 12 perception indicators categorized into 3 comanagement impact criteria (equity, efficiency, and sustainability). We also collected 16 contextual attributes of each respondent to determine the correlates of perceived impacts. Our results showed that there were significant improvements in all indicators under the efficiency criterion but mixed impacts in the equity and sustainability criteria. Access to resource and household income (equity) and fisheries abundance (sustainability) were perceived to have decreased during the last 15 years and were not expected to improve in the future. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the asymmetries of the perceived impacts of the CBMRP were principally caused by disparities in perceptions by gender and by location (Candijay and Mabini). This highlighted the importance of cross-scale institutional linkages between Cogtong Bay municipalities to systematically address baywide management issues. Our results further demonstrated the necessity of integrating gender issues into the evaluation of MPA impacts to ensure a robust evaluation. Finally, we recommend that a rigorous evaluation of MPAs using a common set of impact indicators should be encouraged to allow comparison of studies both spatially and temporally.     

人工污水对温室中秋茄苗光合速率的影响

用正常?5倍?10倍浓度的人工污水对温室中模拟的秋茄(Kandeliacandel)湿地系统持续灌污1a?在排污1周?3个月?11个月和结束后2个月对污水处理组及对照组植株秋茄幼苗的光合速率和温室中光通量密度?CO₂浓度?叶片温度进行同步测定?植株光合速率的实测值和计算值均显示,排污初期正常浓度组变化小,5倍?10倍浓度组稍下降;排污后期正常浓度组显著上升,较高浓度组回复正常;停止排污2个月,各组间无显著差异?结果提示秋茄苗对人工污水的耐受力和抗性较强,对高浓度污水有逐渐适应的过程?      

Monitoring anthropogenic sewage pollution on mangrove creeks in southern Mozambique: a test of Palaemon concinnus Dana, 1852 (Palaemonidae) as a biological indicator

Tropical coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, have a great ecological and socioeconomic importance for adjacent systems and local populations, but intensive environmental impact monitoring is still lacking, mainly in East Africa. This study evaluated the potential anthropogenic disturbance on Palaemon concinnus population structure and fitness. Palaemon concinnus populations from one peri-urban (domestic sewage impacted) and two pristine mangrove creeks were studied by sampling nearly 100 shrimps per location every 15 days for 12 months. The shrimps at the peri-urban location were larger, experienced longer reproductive periods, presented higher proportion of ovigerous females and better embryo quality when compared with shrimps inhabiting pristine locations. Physiological indices (RNA/DNA ratio) were similar between shrimps at pristine and peri-urban mangroves. However, a higher level of parasitation by a Bopyridae isopod, Pseudione elongata indicated some degree of stress on the host at the peri-urban mangrove, with potential effects on the host population dynamics.     

珠海淇澳岛红树林蟹类区系

2008年7月—2010年9月,对珠海淇澳岛红树林不同生境和不同植被群落的蟹类进行了调查,共采集到蟹类8科24种,其中相手蟹科Sesarmidae种类最多,为9种;弓蟹科Varunidae次之,为5种,沙蟹科Ocypodidae 4种。Jaccard区系相似性指数表明,林内泥滩与林外硬质泥滩蟹类区系为中等相似（J=0.523）,林外硬质泥滩与高潮区光滩蟹类区系（J=0.071）及林内泥滩与高潮区光滩蟹类区系（J=0）都极不相似。林内泥滩蟹类中,谭氏泥蟹（Ilyoplax deschampsi）在数量上占绝对优势。无齿螳臂相手蟹（Chiromantes dehaani）、中华中相手蟹（Sesarmops sinensis）和弧边招潮蟹（Uca arcuata）等在红树林外道路两侧和堤坝较硬质泥滩数量较多,而林外高潮区光滩的蟹类都是耐干旱和奔跑能力较强的种类。天然秋茄（Kandelia candel）群落蟹类种类数和平均密度较人工引种的无瓣海桑（Sonneratia apetala）群落的少,但平均生物量较无瓣海桑群落高。秋茄群落蟹类密度和生物量与土壤全氮、全磷、有机质等理化因子都呈不显著相关;无瓣海桑群落土壤速效磷与蟹类生物量呈极显著正相关,与蟹类密度呈显著正相关;全磷与蟹类密度呈显著负相关。红树林土壤类型和新生蟹类补充进种群是影响珠海淇澳岛红树林蟹类密度和生物量变化的主要原因。     

福田红树林自然保护区生态环境现状及保护对策研究

福田红树林自然保护区是中国唯一处于城市腹地的国家级自然保护区,具有重要的生态、文化和社会价值.通过对福田红树林自然保护区2015年的遥感影像进行解译分析,得到福田红树林自然保护区土地利用分类结果,主要由红树林、基围塘、陆域林地和海域等部分组成,其中红树林面积为82.46公顷,占保护区总面积的22.38%,并总结了福田红树林保护区自然资源现状,最后对红树林存在的生态环境问题进行分析,提出了红树林自然保护区生态保护和治理的对策建议.     

Are exploited mangrove molluscs exposed to Persistent Organic Pollutant contamination in Senegal, West Africa?

The surface sediments, two bivalves (Arca senilis and Crassostera gasar) and three gastropods (Conus spp., Hexaplex duplex and Pugilina morio) from two Senegalese stations, Falia (Sine-Saloum Estuary) and Fadiouth (Petite Côte), were analyzed for their pollutant organic persistent contamination (polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs; organochlorinated pesticides OCPs; polybrominated diphenyl ethers PBDEs). Results revealed significant levels of PCBs, DDTs and lindane in mangrove sediments ranging from 0.3 to 19.1, 0.3 to 15.9, and 0.1 to 1.9 ng g⁻¹ d.w., respectively. Among the other POPs analysed, only hexachlorobenzene, heptachlor and trans-nonachlor for OCPs, as well as BDE47 and BDE99 congeners for PBDEs were detected at very low concentrations, generally not of concern. POP levels and patterns were in good accordance with literature data available for other tropical developing countries. A seasonal quantitative difference was highlighted with higher levels of PCBs and DDTs in sediments after the wet season, likely due to the strong wash-out of residues from inland to the marine ecosystems during the rainy season. The observed pattern of DDT and its metabolites pointed out probable recent applications of DDT for public health emergencies in Senegal. Exploited molluscs were exposed to the same POP compounds as those measured in sediments. They presented OCP levels within the same range as in sediments, while significant higher concentrations of PCBs were observed in shellfish soft tissues revealing a higher bioaccumulation potential mainly due to the lipophilicity of these compounds. Finally, the influence of the reproduction cycle on POP levels through lipid content variations was highlighted, minimizing potential differences in POP bioaccumulation between shellfish species. From an ecotoxicological and public health point of view, results from this study revealed that POPs in sediments from the Petite Côte and the Sine-Saloum Estuary would not cause toxic effects and impairments in molluscs from these regions, and that no potential risk exists for human, especially local populations, through mangrove shellfish consumption.