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Ng WL, Chen CA, Mustafa S, Soo CL, Liao YC, Shih TW. Free-living marine nematodes community structure in the conservation area (Chaojing Park) and its adjacent area of Keelung, Taiwan. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268691. [PMID: 35622785 PMCID: PMC9140311 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies conducted in the same seas or even study sites nearby each other, showed very different community structure, implying the patchiness of free-living marine nematodes which may be related to the sedimentary environment such as sediment type and food availability of the study area. This study was motivated by the concerns about the impacts of high level of anthropogenic activities on Chaojing Park (gazetted as Wanghaixiang’s Chao-Jing Bay Resource Conservation Area (WCJBRA) in 2016). The present study provides baseline knowledge of free-living marine nematode community structure in WCJBRA and identify potential marine nematodes as bioindicators to indicate possible impacts of the anthropogenic activities to the Chaojing Park. A total of 15 stations were selected in the subtidal zones of WCJBRA and its adjacent area. Marine nematode sample collection was carried out on the 13th and 14th of September 2019 using SCUBA diving technique. Results showed positive correlation between nematode density and medium sand (500μm-1.0mm). Presence of certain species such as Daptonema sp., Pomponema sp. and Innocuonema sp. indicates presence of disturbances in S12 and S13. Several species also showed potential to be introduced as indicator for healthy environment subjected to further studies on nematode-pollutants relationship, particularly on autecology as per se. Higher species diversity, H’ index of S1-S8 and S11 was categorised as Good Condition; followed by station with moderate species diversity index (S9, S10, S14 –Moderate Condition) zone; and lastly S12, S13 and S15 (Poor Condition).
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Ling Ng
- Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Cheng-Ann Chen
- Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
- * E-mail:
| | - Saleem Mustafa
- Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Chen-Lin Soo
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Yun-Chih Liao
- Department of Earth and Life Science, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Tung-Wei Shih
- National Museum of Marine Science & Technology, Keelung, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
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Gambi C, Canals M, Corinaldesi C, Dell'Anno A, Manea E, Pusceddu A, Sanchez-Vidal A, Danovaro R. Impact of resuspended mine tailings on benthic biodiversity and ecosystem processes: The case study of Portmán Bay, Western Mediterranean Sea, Spain. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 301:119021. [PMID: 35192885 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Industrial seabed mining is expected to cause significant impacts on marine ecosystems, including physical disturbance and the generation of plumes of toxin-laden water. Portmán Bay (NW Mediterranean Sea), where an estimated amount of 60 Mt of mine tailings from sulphide ores were dumped from 1957 to 1990, is one of the most metal-polluted marine areas in Europe and worldwide. This bay can be used to assess the impact on marine ecosystems of particle settling from sediment plumes resulting from mine tailings resuspension. With this purpose in mind, we conducted a field experiment there to investigate subsequent effects of deposition of (artificially resuspended) contaminated sediments on (i) prokaryotic abundance and meiofaunal assemblages (in terms of abundance and diversity), (ii) the availability of trophic resources (in terms of organic matter biochemical composition), and (iii) a set of ecosystem functions including meiofaunal biomass, heterotrophic C production and C degradation rates. The results of this study show that mine tailings resuspension and plume deposition led to the decline of prokaryotic abundance and nematode's biodiversity. The later decreased because of species removal and transfer along with particle resuspension and plume deposition. Such changes were also associated to a decrease of the proteins content in the sediment organic matter, faster C degradation rates and higher prokaryotic C production. Overall, this study highlights that mine tailing resuspension and ensuing particle deposition can have deleterious effects on both prokaryotes and nematode diversity, alter biogeochemical cycles and accelerate C degradation rates. These results should be considered for the assessment of the potential effects of seabed mineral exploitation on marine ecosystems at large.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Gambi
- Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita e Dell'Ambiente, 60131, Ancona, Italy.
| | - Miquel Canals
- University of Barcelona, CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cinzia Corinaldesi
- Scienze e Ingegneria Della Materia, Dell'Ambiente Ed Urbanistica, Università Politecnica Delle Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Antonio Dell'Anno
- Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita e Dell'Ambiente, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Manea
- Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council, ISMAR-CNR, Arsenale, Tesa 104, Castello 2737/F, 30122, Venice, Italy
| | - Antonio Pusceddu
- Università Degli Studi di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita e Dell'Ambiente, 09126, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Anna Sanchez-Vidal
- University of Barcelona, CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Della Vita e Dell'Ambiente, 60131, Ancona, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Napoli, Italy
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Rosli N, Leduc D, Rowden AA, Clark MR, Probert PK, Berkenbusch K, Neira C. Differences in meiofauna communities with sediment depth are greater than habitat effects on the New Zealand continental margin: implications for vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbance. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2154. [PMID: 27441114 PMCID: PMC4941793 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of deep-sea benthic communities have largely focused on particular (macro) habitats in isolation, with few studies considering multiple habitats simultaneously in a comparable manner. Compared to mega-epifauna and macrofauna, much less is known about habitat-related variation in meiofaunal community attributes (abundance, diversity and community structure). Here, we investigated meiofaunal community attributes in slope, canyon, seamount, and seep habitats in two regions on the continental slope of New Zealand (Hikurangi Margin and Bay of Plenty) at four water depths (700, 1,000, 1,200 and 1,500 m). We found that patterns were not the same for each community attribute. Significant differences in abundance were consistent across regions, habitats, water and sediment depths, while diversity and community structure only differed between sediment depths. Abundance was higher in canyon and seep habitats compared with other habitats, while between sediment layer, abundance and diversity were higher at the sediment surface. Our findings suggest that meiofaunal community attributes are affected by environmental factors that operate on micro- (cm) to meso- (0.1–10 km), and regional scales (> 100 km). We also found a weak, but significant, correlation between trawling intensity and surface sediment diversity. Overall, our results indicate that variability in meiofaunal communities was greater at small scale than at habitat or regional scale. These findings provide new insights into the factors controlling meiofauna in these deep-sea habitats and their potential vulnerability to anthropogenic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norliana Rosli
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Wellington, New Zealand; Department of Biology, Faculty Science & Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tg. Malim, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Daniel Leduc
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , Wellington , New Zealand
| | - Ashley A Rowden
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , Wellington , New Zealand
| | - Malcolm R Clark
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) , Wellington , New Zealand
| | - P Keith Probert
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand
| | - Katrin Berkenbusch
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Dragonfly Data Science, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Carlos Neira
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography , La Jolla, California , United States
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Chan AKY, Xu WZ, Liu XS, Cheung SG, Shin PKS. Sediment characteristics and benthic ecological status in contrasting marine environments of subtropical Hong Kong. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2016; 103:360-370. [PMID: 26749224 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Revised: 12/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Sediment characteristics and benthic communities on a finer sampling scale in four contrasting environments in subtropical Hong Kong were analyzed in summer and winter 2012. In two harbour habitats which suffered from historic sewage pollution or hypoxic events, organic carbon, nutrient and trace metal content in the sediment were significantly higher than that in an offshore area and a marine reserve. The relatively low organic and nutrient content in the offshore habitat could be resulted from enhanced resuspension of such materials from the seabed owing to intense water mixing and disturbance caused by bottom trawling. The biotic indices AMBI and M-AMBI were shown to be useful in assessing the benthic ecological status of these habitats. Such indices can also be more sensitive than sediment physico-chemical parameters in differentiating the response of macrofauna to seasonal changes in the benthic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice K Y Chan
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Wen-Zhe Xu
- College of Marine Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, China
| | - Xiao-Shou Liu
- College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, China
| | - Siu Gin Cheung
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Paul K S Shin
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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Chronic and intensive bottom trawling impairs deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:8861-6. [PMID: 24843122 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1405454111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Bottom trawling has many impacts on marine ecosystems, including seafood stock impoverishment, benthos mortality, and sediment resuspension. Historical records of this fishing practice date back to the mid-1300s. Trawling became a widespread practice in the late 19th century, and it is now progressively expanding to greater depths, with the concerns about its sustainability that emerged during the first half of the 20th century now increasing. We show here that compared with untrawled areas, chronically trawled sediments along the continental slope of the north-western Mediterranean Sea are characterized by significant decreases in organic matter content (up to 52%), slower organic carbon turnover (ca. 37%), and reduced meiofauna abundance (80%), biodiversity (50%), and nematode species richness (25%). We estimate that the organic carbon removed daily by trawling in the region under scrutiny represents as much as 60-100% of the input flux. We anticipate that such an impact is causing the degradation of deep-sea sedimentary habitats and an infaunal depauperation. With deep-sea trawling currently conducted along most continental margins, we conclude that trawling represents a major threat to the deep seafloor ecosystem at the global scale.
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