What ecological role do soft-substrate tide pools play for fishes? Difference in community structures between estuarine and coastal tidal flats in subtropical Japan

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 737
Author(s):  
Taiga Kunishima ◽  
Katsunori Tachihara
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Flat ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Tidal Flats ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Nursery Ground ◽  
Ecological Role ◽  
Soft Substrate ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Habitat Value ◽  
Ecological Roles

Soft-substrate tide pools are considered important habitats for fishes from an ecological perspective. However, the ecological roles of such pools and use patterns by fish remain unclear, especially regarding differences between estuarine and coastal tidal flats. In this study, quantitative sampling using the quadrat method was performed in the estuarine and coastal tidal flats on Okinawa-jima Island of subtropical Japan during four seasons. Ecological roles of soft-substrate tide pools were classified as follows: (1) permanent habitat for residents; (2) nursery ground for transients; and (3) waiting area until high tide for accidental species. Within these classifications, the ecological role and value of tide pools for transient fishes varied between the tidal flat types. The habitat value of tide pools is higher for residents than for transient species because the habitat is not replaceable for residents because of their specific ability to survive there. By contrast, transient and accidental species use the tide pools as temporary habitats; however, their high diversity affects the variation in community structure on Okinawa-jima Island. Our results suggest that we should consider not only species diversity, but also habitat use patterns of individual species, together with their life history, when evaluating habitat value with regard to conservation and management of each tidal flat.

scholarly journals CURRENTS IN TIDAL FLATS DURING STORM SURGES

1976 ◽  
Vol 1 (15) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Harald Gohren
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Flat ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Storm Surges ◽  
Water Layer ◽  
Tidal Flats ◽  
Coastal Engineering ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
Aerial View ◽  
Strong Winds

Wind action in the viewpoint of coastal engineering is mainly a topic for discussions or investigations of waves, breakers, storm surges, sand transport on beaches and so on. Offshore currents, generated by wind shear stress concern more the scientific field of oceanographers. But in shallow coastal water wind induced drift currents indeed may be important for coastal engineering problems, as sediment transport, sewage spreading, salinity and so on. For example, along the German North Sea Coast (Fig. 1) we have a rim of extended tidal flats, built up by sand and mud and covered only by a water layer of 1 to 2 m at high tide. At low tide sands and mud flats fall dry. Fig. 2, an aerial view, gives an impression of a typical tidal flat, the "Neuwerker Watt" at the south side of the Elbe Estuary. The distance between main land and the sea side border of the flat is here about 20 km. A lot of investigations have been carried out here - initiated by a harbour planning task - giving some interesting results about currents in the tidal flat area during strong winds and storm surges. For the current measurements a recording current meter (Fig. 3) has been used, fixed at a tripod aluminum frame in 40 cm above bottom. The propeller meter starts at velocities of 5 cm/s. Tests in a flume proved that orbital currents give no disturbance if unidirectional currents of a certain magnitude are superimposed.

scholarly journals Temporal variation in fish assemblage composition on a tidal flat

2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry L. Spach ◽  
Rodrigo S. Godefroid ◽  
César Santos ◽  
Roberto Schwarz Jr. ◽  
Guilherme M. L. de Queiroz
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Flat ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Temporal Change ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Assemblage Composition ◽  
Combined Action ◽  
Wind Intensity

Annual variation in the fish assemblage characteristics on a tidal flat was studied in coastal Paraná, in southern Brazil. Fish were collected between August 1998 and July 1999, during the diurnal high tide and diurnal and nocturnal low tide of the syzygial (full moon) and quadrature (waning moon) tides, to characterize temporal change in assemblage composition. A total of 64,265 fish in 133 species were collected. The average number of species and individuals, biomass, species richness, diversity (mass) and equitability varied significantly over time . The dissimilarity of the assemblage was greatest in August, September and October in contrast with the period from November to January, with the lowest dissimilarity. The combined action of water temperature, salinity and wind intensity had a great influence over the structure of the fish assemblage.

scholarly journals Low latitude habitat use patterns of a recovering population of humpback whales

2018 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 1087-1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Isabel Carvalho Gonçalves ◽  
Renata Santoro De Sousa-Lima ◽  
Niel Nascimento Teixeira ◽  
Maria Emilia Morete ◽  
Gustavo Henrique De Carvalho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Nursery Ground ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Key Factor

The coast of Brazil is an important low latitude nursery ground for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). The number of humpback whales in this region has increased and its population is reoccupying areas where it has been depleted during the whaling period. The goal of this study was to conduct land-based observations during 2014 and 2015 to characterize patterns of habitat use and relative abundance of humpback whales that migrate to one of these reoccupation areas: Serra Grande, Bahia state. The observed mean group size was 2.12 ± 0.96 individuals and did not vary through the reproductive season nor between years. Dyads (32.9%) and singletons (26.7%) were more frequently observed, and groups with calves represented 21.2% of the sightings. The mean number of whales counted per hour increased from 2014 (3.44 ± 3.35) to 2015 (5.12 ± 4.18). Habitat use varied during the season; whales used shallower waters closer to shore as the season progressed. The spatial distribution of groups with calves was dependent on the presence and number of escorts. Spatial segregation of groups with calves closer to shore is a key factor in understanding the overall distribution of whales in the area, suggesting that social strategies are affected by environmental factors, as seen in other wintering grounds. Small-scale studies from land-based stations, in areas such as this where there is no previous knowledge about the species, are cost effective. They provide information about the overall behavioural and spatial patterns while anthropogenic activity is still low, allowing habitat protection and management decisions before implementation and increase of human activities.

Drivers of nano- and microplanktonic community structure in a Patagonian tidal flat ecosystem

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-639
Author(s):  
Juan F Saad ◽  
Maite A Narvarte ◽  
Mariza A Abrameto ◽  
Viviana A Alder
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Flat ◽  
Tidal Flats ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Spatial Gradient ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Total Density ◽  
Phytoplankton Structure ◽  
Tidal Transport ◽  
Sw Atlantic ◽  
Inshore Waters

ABSTRACT Tidal flats are exceptionally dynamic coastal ecosystems. Tides are their main source of energy, whose influence decreases landwards (as land elevation increases), thus shaping physical, chemical and biological gradients. In this study, we assess whether the structure of nano- and microplankton varies along a spatial gradient in San Antonio Bay (SAB, SW Atlantic), a semi-desert coastal ecosystem with a wide tidal flat and a macrotidal regime. We hypothesize that the tidal effect shapes SAB’s both taxonomical groups and size spectrum. The seasonal sampling of 9 sites revealed that diatoms and small flagellates were the most abundant groups, together accounting for over 75% of total density in practically all sites and seasons. High densities of meroplanktonic stages of Ulva lactuca were recorded in spring at the innermost sites, accounting for over 95% of all planktonic cells. Slopes of the size spectrum analysis were in line with highly productive inshore waters (mean, −0.64) and showed that larger phytoplankton was the main contributor to total biomass, despite its decreasing importance toward inner sites. The spatial and seasonal variations found for lower trophic web compartments provide evidence of the importance of tidal transport in ruling phytoplankton structure in tidal flats under strong macrotidal regimes.

scholarly journals Ecoacoustics: A Quantitative Approach to Investigate the Ecological Role of Environmental Sounds

Mathematics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almo Farina
Keyword(s):  
Full Range ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Ecological Role ◽  
Dissimilarity Index ◽  
Detection And Identification ◽  
Quantitative Metrics ◽  
Ecological Complexity

Ecoacoustics is a recent ecological discipline focusing on the ecological role of sounds. Sounds from the geophysical, biological, and anthropic environment represent important cues used by animals to navigate, communicate, and transform unknown environments in well-known habitats. Sounds are utilized to evaluate relevant ecological parameters adopted as proxies for biodiversity, environmental health, and human wellbeing assessment due to the availability of autonomous audio recorders and of quantitative metrics. Ecoacoustics is an important ecological tool to establish an innovative biosemiotic narrative to ensure a strategic connection between nature and humanity, to help in-situ field and remote-sensing surveys, and to develop long-term monitoring programs. Acoustic entropy, acoustic richness, acoustic dissimilarity index, acoustic complexity indices (ACItf and ACIft and their evenness), normalized difference soundscape index, ecoacoustic event detection and identification routine, and their fractal structure are some of the most popular indices successfully applied in ecoacoustics. Ecoacoustics offers great opportunities to investigate ecological complexity across a full range of operational scales (from individual species to landscapes), but requires an implementation of its foundations and of quantitative metrics to ameliorate its competency on physical, biological, and anthropic sonic contexts.

Community structure and zoogeographic affinities of the coastal fishes of the Dampier region of north-western Australia.

1985 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 247 ◽  
Author(s):  
SJM Blaber ◽  
JW Young ◽  
MC Dunning
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Organic Content ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
Nursery Ground ◽  
North West ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
The North ◽  
North Western

The species composition and broad trophic structure of the mangrove creek and open shore fish communities of the Dampier region in tropical north-western Australia are described. The habitats are characterized by a lack of freshwater influence, low turbidity and a tidal range in excess of 4 m. Both mangroves and open shores have a diversity of species typical of Indo-west Pacific coastal waters but the physical conditions have modified the community structure both to exclude many families that prefer areas of higher turbidity and reduced salinity, and to include others that usually occur only in clear waters. The fish faunas of the mangroves (113 species) and open shores (106 species) are compared: 54 species were common to both. The deeper waters were dominated by piscivores, which penetrated throughout the mangroves at high tide. Iliophagous species were abundant, particularly in the mangroves where the organic content of the substratum (7.8-8.2%) was not reduced markedly compared with other areas of the Indo-Pacific, despite the lack of freshwater inflow. The clear and deep water in the mangroves at high tide favour predation on juveniles by piscivorous fishes and reduce the effectiveness of such areas as nurseries. There is virtually no overlap of the fauna with that of the deeper waters (>20 m) of the North West Shelf, and the inshore region is not a significant nursery ground for any of the commercially important deeper water species.

Soil genesis on hypersaline tidal flats (apicum ecosystem) in a tropical semi-arid estuary (Ceará, Brazil)

Soil Research ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 140 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. B. M. Albuquerque ◽  
T. O. Ferreira ◽  
G. N. Nóbrega ◽  
R. E. Romero ◽  
V. S. Souza Júnior ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Flat ◽  
Coastal Wetland ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Analytical Data ◽  
Clay Fraction ◽  
Tidal Flats ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
The North ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Semi Arid

Wetland soils, especially those under a semi-arid climate, are among the least studied soils in the tropics. The hypersaline tidal flats on the north-eastern Brazilian coast, locally named apicum, are coastal wetland ecosystems in the peripheral portions of semi-arid estuaries. Despite their great ecological importance, they have been highly impacted by anthropogenic activities. Morphological and analytical data of six soil profiles, representative of the different coastal compartments (mangroves, apicum and coastal tablelands) of the north-eastern Brazilian coast, were examined to better understand the pedogenesis of apicum soils. The hypersaline tidal flat soils were classified as Typic Fluvaquents and Typic Sulfaquents with the following main characteristics: predominance of sand fraction (62–77%); presence of high-activity clays (>24 cmolc kg–1 clay); clay fraction comprising kaolinite, illite, smectite and an interstratified smectite/illite; exchangeable complex dominated by Na+ (ESP ≥15%); elevated levels of salinity (electrical conductivity, EC 25–44 dS m–1); alkaline pH values (7.5–9.5). The sandy texture and quartz-dominated composition of the hypersaline, tidal flat soils indicate a pedogenesis associated with the superficial addition of mineral material. This upbuilding process would have lowered the watertable (relatively to the ground level) and decreased the flooding frequency by the tides, favouring salinisation and solonisation processes at the hypersaline tidal flats. Furthermore, the still-existing hydromorphism would have promoted the maintenance of gleisation and sulfidisation. The presence of pyrite on the hyper-saline tidal flat soils further corroborates the formation of apicum soils from/over buried mangroves.

scholarly journals The Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Dynamic Changes of Tidal Flats in Florida from 1984 to 2020

Geographies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-314
Author(s):  
Chao Xu ◽  
Weibo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Flat ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Kendall Test ◽  
Tidal Flats ◽  
Dynamic Changes ◽  
Spatiotemporal Characteristics ◽  
Spatiotemporal Scales ◽  
Slope Estimator

Tidal flats are playing a critical role in the coastal environment, which mainly rely on satellite images to map the distribution on large spatiotemporal scales. Much effort has been made to monitor and analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of tidal flats in order to provide worthwhile references for scientists and lawmakers. Instead of considering the dynamics of tidal flats only, this study implemented a series of comprehensive analyses on the tidal flats along the coast of Florida during the period 1984–2020. First, the analyses on the pixel level examined the spatiotemporal characteristics of tidal flat dynamics and the interactions with lands and permanent water. Second, the contiguous pixels of tidal flats were assembled as objects, and two geometric attributes were calculated and used to track the temporal patterns of tidal flat dynamics on this level. Finally, the Mann–Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator were applied to identify and quantify the significant trends of tidal flat dynamics on the two levels. The results highlighted the differences in tidal flat distributions and dynamics between the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast, which further verified effective GIS representations and analyses that could be applied to other coastal studies.

scholarly journals The Impact of Reclamation on Tidal Flat Morphological Equilibrium

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zehua Zhong ◽  
Zhan Hu
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Flat ◽  
Dynamic Equilibrium ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Wave Climate ◽  
Tidal Flats ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Comprehensive Framework ◽  
The Impact

Reclamation is one of the most prominent anthropogenic activities affecting tidal flat morphology and the related ecosystem service. Two representative types of reclamation are upper-flat enclosure and lower-flat enrockment. From a historical perspective, different type of reclamation was adapted in different areas in ancient China. As previous studies on reclamation are often site-specific, the reason that leads to such a difference is unclear. The intertidal dynamic equilibrium theory (DET) provides a comprehensive framework for this quest. Here, we extend the DET with additional effects of reclamation. A model based on DET (DET-ESTMORF) was applied to investigate the impact of reclamation on tidal flats. The model was validated by comparing our results against previous records and observations. Results show that both types of reclamation induce morphological adjustment by enhancing local accretion, which upset the previous equilibrium. Specifically, upper-flat enclosure drives tidal flats into evolution toward wave dominance, whereas lower-flat enrockment causes adjustment toward tidal dominance. Next, the impact of reclamation on tidal flats in different states (prograding or retreating) was investigated. We show that both enclosure and enrockment can induce accretion despite the varying wave climate and sediment supply, with the mean accretion rate raised by 1.8 cm/year and 1.2 cm/year, respectively. However, the resulting profiles are different in shape, especially on retreating flats. Finally, we point out that tidal range and sediment supply are the potential reasons affecting the choice of reclamation types in practices.

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