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The tidal flats in South Korea cover 2487.2㎢. Since the 1960s, approximately half of the South Korean wetlands have been lost due to the purposes of agricultural, industrial, and urban developments. However, the past three decades have seen a growing concern to stop the land-claim any more for the wildlife and fisheries of the coastal wetlands.

Hence, the comprehensive marine biodiversity survey of the coastal wetlands was initiated by ‘the Wetland Conservation Act’ enacted in 1999 in Korea. The present study is the summary of this national baseline survey conducted from 2008 to 2016 and here the data of Polychaeta was extracted and analyzed. A total of 1256 stations was sampled from 90 local tidal flats.

This study compiles polychaete species records from Korean tidal flats to elucidate broad-scale patterns of species richness and distributions in the surrounding Korean Peninsula. Records indicate the presence of 238 species belonging to 48 families out of the total 117039 individuals of polychaetes collected. The spionids are most diverse, and followed by nereidids.

The tidal flats located at the southern coast, characterized by the higher sediment heterogeneity have the highest richness with 201 recorded species but the lowest richness was found in those of the east coast with 17 species where the sandy beaches are well developed. The species richness in the west coast is intermediate with 187 recorded species although the areal surface of tidal flats is much more expanded.

Many of the taxa likely represent species complexes. Therefore, these results highlight the need for more detailed examination of many species in taxonomy with broad distributions and biological importance, and suggest that polychaete diversity in Korean waters is highly underestimated.

A field observation during SITE (The South China Sea – Indonesian Seas Transport/Exchange and Dynamics of Sunda and Karimata Straits) cruise along 1 – 60 S and 104 – 1100 E have been conducted in November 2012 (South East Moonson) and in June 2015 (North West Monsoon). During these cruises, we investigated the distribution of phytoplankton abundance and diversity in order to analyse the seasonal patterns of phytoplankton biomass and community structure related to marine biogeochemical parameters. We used multivariate analysis using correspondent analysis (CA) for describing the existing of phytoplankton communities. The result study found that the diversity of phytoplankton community in June 2015 was more higher than in November 2012 with the variability of their abundances and structure community. We measured some of marine biogeochemical parameters and we found the different values of those parameters between two seasons of the time of sampling phytoplankton. We found the highest concentration of DIN (Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen) in Sunda Strait station in 2015 at the depth between 75 – 250 meter with the lowest concentration of chlorophyll-a and dissolved oxygen. The highest concentrations of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) in the bottom water (Thermocline waters) because there was limited of phytoplankton biomass (in terms of Chlorophyll-a) and low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (<3 mg/L) in the bottom layer, nutrients (especially NH3) were retained and accumulated to the bottom layer. We suggested there was a nutrient supply at those layer (thermocline layer) and will significantly impact to the nutrient biogeochemical cycling parameters of marine biogeochemical and there was a significant sensitivities of functional group phytoplankton on the changes major biogeochemical cycles, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and silica.

Many phytoplankton (e.g., dinoflagellates, silicoflagellates, haptophytes) make toxic blooms, but they are also important primary producers in the ocean food web. However, the planktonic diatom Coscinodiscus wailesii is a well-known red tide organism and nuisance alga, responsible for “Nuta” (sticky substance, in Japanese) and a terrible stench. Recently, the mean sea surface water temperature of the littoral Japan Sea is increasing, and as a consequence changes are occurring in the local plankton assemblages. Therefore, this study focuses on the coastal plankton (including C. wailesii) distribution from northern Kyushu to Hakodate (Hokkaido, northern Japan) from 1st August to 9th September 2016, using filtered water samples taken by the T/S Nagasaki Maru, Faculty of Fisheries, Nagasaki University. About 3 liters of seawater were taken from approximately 3 meters below the ship’s hull, at 3 hourly intervals while the ship was cruising. As a result, the plankton assemblages can be separated into five zones; northern Kyushu (western Japan), San-in, Hokuriku (northern central Japan), Joetsu-Ou (northeastern Japan), Hakodate (southern Hokkaido, northern Japan). There is a slight change in the assemblage of coccolithophorids, silicoflagellates, dinoflagellates and diatoms from Hokuriku to Joetsu. The major silicoflagellate assemblage ratio changed in the northern Joetsu-Ou area (e.g., Dictyocha messanensis or Octactis pulchra is the major species, but Stephanocha speculum was a minor species). The major diatoms are Coscinodiscus spp., Chaetoceros spp., Nitzschia spp. However, the stench made by Coscinodiscus spp. was detected at Joetsu, Ou and Hakodate Bay. There is a possibility that the recent increased summer temperature influenced the change in coastal plankton assemblage, including in Hakodate Bay where the red tide species switched from an invasive to a native species.

It is well known that many organisms attach to the bottom of ships (e.g., crustaceans, bivalves, barnacles, seaweeds, diatoms), and that some of them may develop a nodule-like form. Recently, an opportunity arose to take samples from the T/S Nagasaki Maru (Faculty of Fisheries, Nagasaki University), while the ship was in dry dock for maintenance. The nodule-like samples (ca. 0.01 to 1 mm in size), including part of the ship’s surface crust, were chipped off using a small hammer. The sample exterior was black, with the main ingredient being CaCO₃. The nodules included coccoliths of Emiliania huxleyi and tests of the foraminifer Globorotalia sp. at the surface, as well as benthic and planktonic diatoms (e.g., Amphora sp., Cocconeis sp., Nitzschia sp., Bacteriastrum sp.), silicoflagellates (Octactis pulchra, Dictyocha messanensis), siliceous dinoflagellates (Actiniscus sp.), and tintinnids (Codonelopsis pucilla). This calcareous nodule assemblage is similar to those found in surface water plankton communities of the East China Sea or littoral zone of Kyushu, but is almost identical to those of more southerly areas (e.g., Okinawa, Ryukyu Island). The ship’s crust is coated by New PLADOL New Blue® paint, a tin-free self-polishing and anti-fouling paint, that is supposed to prevent the adhesion of fouling organisms. However, the calcareous nodules developed within one year, since the previous dry dock maintenance. In short, ships are aiding the dispersal of marine organisms, and allowing invasive species to inhabit new areas at the expense of native species. The speed at which these nodules develop suggests that this process is occurring more rapidly than previously thought.

The Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami struck the Pacific coast of Northeast Japan on 11 March 2011. In Gamo lagoon, which is the shallow eutrophic lagoon located at the Nanakita River mouth, Sendai Bay, a large-scale removal of sediment was observed and the macrozoobenthic community suffered serious damage. Gamo Lagoon was of great importance to large numbers of invertebrates and fish for their habitats and provides resting and feeding areas to birds. From the view point of conservation of coastal environment, it is required to investigate the temporal variations in macrozoobenthic community assemblage in Gamo Lagoon after the disturbance. Therefore, we collected macrozoobenthos once a month from May 2011. At first, the density of macrozoobenthos was very low in May. Just after that, annelids (Capitella aff. teleta, Hediste spp., Pseudopolydora cf. kempi and P. cf. reticulata) occurred dominantly during June and July but again decreased in August and September. From October 2011 to August 2012, amphipods (Grandidierella japonica and Monocorophium uenoi) appeared and increased. From September 2012, bivalves (Nuttallia japonica and Arthritica reikoae) was observed and dominated for the first time since the disturbance. The macrozoobenthic community structure of each high temperature season showed alternation which may be caused by the occurrence of hypoxia. The macrozoobenthic community is still fluctuating even now. Therefore, monitoring should be continued.

In Thailand, mass culture of corals using sexual propagation technique was successfully developed. This method was initiated by the Reef Biology Research Group, Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University with the collaborations of the Plant Genetic Conservation Project under the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Royal Thai Navy, and Akajima Marine Science Laboratory in Japan. At present at least 10 coral species can be cultured. The fertilization rates of gametes ranged between 92-97%. After fertilization in the hatchery, the juvenile corals were then reared in a land-based rearing system for at least 2 years before they were transplanted back to natural reefs. At present, 5 year-old post-settlement colonies were detected to be reproductively mature and subsequently spawned every year since 2013. However, the maintenance cost to keep those juvenile corals in the hatchery for at least 2 years before transplantation was very high. Thus, feeding and light control experiments were conducted to determine whether adding those factors could enhance higher growth rates of juvenile corals in the hatchery. The results showed that when juvenile corals were fed by Artemia salina nauplii, and additional lights were added in the hatchery, the growth rates of juvenile corals increased significantly. Therefore, giving supplementary food such as Artemia salina nauplii and additional lights can be options for enhancing the growth of juvenile corals in the captivity before transplanted to natural reefs. At present, with the collaboration of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources of Thailand, the coral culture using sexual propagation technique has been used as one of the techniques for coral restorations in Thailand.

A problem in the DNA extraction of bivalves is that most specimens must be killed and/or seriously injured to open their shells for collecting the tissue. The problem makes difficult to access the genetic analysis of the threatened species, valuable breeding lines and expensive species. To solve this problem, we attempted to establish a new method for the DNA extraction from bivalves without physical invasion. Most bivalves are completely covered with their shells and they always retain water in their mantle cavity. Bivalves release body wastes into the water filling the mantle cavity. We hypothesized the DNA is also contained in this body waste in the mantle cavity water (MCW). Thus we tried to extract DNA from MCW using four commercially important species (Anadara broughtonii, Pinctada fucata martensii, Ruditapes philippinarum and Crassostrea gigas) and amplified the DNA fragments of three genes (mtDNA: CO1; nuclear DNA: H3 and LSU). All specimens had survived more than three months after MCW collecting by syringe before muscle clipping to confirm sequence coincidence. As a result, all gene fragments were successfully amplified from MCW-DNA of all species and the sequences were consistent with those from muscle tissues. This non-invasive method would make possible to access not only species identification but also genotyping of bivalve populations.

The potentially severe threat by the invasive “black disease” sponge Terpios hoshinota and other coral-killing sponge species proliferating in Southeast Asian coral reefs in response to Climate Change effects is alarmingly underreported. This approach is based on the combination of innovative monitoring techniques with analyses of ecological interactions at various levels by means of state-of-the art research technologies, including metabolomics, metagenomics, genetic variation and molecular phylogeographic approaches. We propose a research project conducted in four modules, aiming to (1) monitor the extent of the threat to coral reef biodiversity by the invasive sponge, (2) identify genetic patterns in invasion-driving factors, (3) understand the complex symbiotic and allelopathic interactions of the coral-killing sponge with the coral reef biota, (4) make use of the ecological insights gained by our investigations through a subsequent knowledge-based approach to discover novel bioactive compounds with anti-cancer and anti-microbial properties. The research is expected to shed light on the invasion of sponge into coral reef ecosystem in Indonesia.

[Objectives] The Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis is an invasive species that represents a substantial threat to native species worldwide. It has been recently discovered in Japan, but little is known about its possible impacts on native species, especially on its congener, the Japanese mitten crab Eriocheir japonica. In this study, we explored competitive and predatory impacts of E. sinensis on E. japonica under laboratory conditions.
[Methods] Shelter competition trials were conducted in pairs of one male native and one male invasive crab in different size combinations. E. japonica was introduced first in tank and competition was initiated by adding E. sinensis. Their interactions were videotaped for 30 min. In predation trials, adults of both sexes from the two species were considered as predators and juvenile E. japonica were added as prey. Each trial included one predator and five preys and lasted 24 h.
[Results] Competition between two species was size-dependent: E. japonica always successfully defended the shelter when competing with size-matched or slightly larger E. sinensis; E. sinensis only evicted E. japonica from shelter when having a considerable size advantage. Two species exhibited different behavior patterns: compared with E. sinensis, E. japonica frequently displayed positive behavior (approach, walking leg contact, chela contact) and instances of negative behavior (retreat) were few. Fight duration changed in a reverse U-shape manner and reached maximum when two opponents had similar possibility to win. Intra- and interspecific predation on juvenile E. japonica were confirmed, all predators except female E. japonica predate intensively. Based on these results, we conclude E. sinensis is unlikely to exclude native E. japonica from its habitat by direct competition for shelter but its high predation on juvenile crabs might adversely affect recruitment and consequently the stability of E. japonica populations.

THE EFFECTS OF the R.A. 9003( Solid Waste Management Act of the Philippines) ON THE COASTAL COMMUNITIES OF CAMOTES ISLANDS, CEBU, PHILIPPINES: THEIR DIVERSITIES, DISTRIBUTIONS AND EFFECTS TO THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT
Jovenel L. Tancingco, Junnel B. Gasta ,Romnick V. Abella and Serapion N. Tanduyan*
Cebu Technological University – San Francisco Campus
San Francisco, Cebu
Mobile no: 09482798201and 09496851745 Emails: jovspo@gmail.com and sntanduyan@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The effects of R A 9003 on the different coastal areas of Camotes Island in Cebu were studied. The descriptive research type with systematic sampling were used to collect data from different respondents in different sites in Camotes Island particularly in the selected sites in the municipality of San Francisco (6 stations) , Poro (4 stations), Tudela (4 stations) and Pilar (4 stations,). The ecological wastes were divided in two types; chemical and solid wastes. There are 53 identified solid wastes varied from; plastic wrappers, hazardous wastes, other synthetic materials, textiles and organic wastes. The common household chemicals; detergent soap, bath soap, chlorine, dishwashing liquid, shampoo and toothpaste.
San Francisco, Cebu contributes 53% of inorganic wastes in Camotes Islands, Poro with 15%, Tudela with 18% and Pilar with 14%. There are huge amounts of drifted wastes through ocean waves to the western parts of Camotes Islands from unidentified places that contributes 80% of solid wastes.
Univalves are the most high in number to the different aquatic environments in Camotes Islands. The possible cause is the high presence of inorganic matter and that the univalves are scavengers. Sea grasses, seaweeds and macroalgae are abundant in the less populated places. The seagrass bed in Camotes Island’s percentage cover; San Francisco 66%, Poro 40%, Tudela 36% and Pilar 38%. The presence of seagrass and macroalgae may affect the no. of organisms in a particular area.

Keywords: ecological, wastes, coastal, chemical, solid

Rhodolith seabeds are subtidal habitats built by free calcareous red algae of irregular shape. These habitats, being worldwide distributed, host a high biodiversity and provides diverse ecosystem services and products for human beings. Rhodoliths have a large diversity of interstitial spaces, offering a range of ecological niches for numerous species, either epifauna, infauna, as well as epiphytes. Diverse abiotic and biotic factors may influence the rhodolith morphology and its three - dimensional structure.

The main objectives of this research were to evaluate the morphological characteristics and ecosystem services associated with rhodolith's habitats in two archipelagos located along the West African shores: The Canary Islands (Northwestern Africa, Spain) and São Tomé and Principe Islands (Gulf of Guinea).

Rhodolith habitats were sampled by SCUBA along a depth gradient (20/25/40m). Biometrical parameters, such as size and sphericity, were measured in the laboratory. At the same time, taxonomic identification of main calcareous red algal species and associated epifaunal and macroalgal species were done.

Rodoliths morphology showed a dominance of almost spherical shape, regardless of depth and the dominant red algal species, which seems to be related to the high hydrodynamism measured in the sampled locations. The analysis of the associated epifauna, from bryozoans and gammarids to mollusks and fishes, revealed up to 29 different taxa identified till suborder level at the Canary Islands, whereas in the case of São Tomé and Príncipe Islands, the epifauna composition was more complex.

Further research is in progress to quantify ecosystem services provided by rhodolith habitats and to support conservation policies.

Tropical seagrass meadows have an extremely played role as carbon sink and it is needed to expose intensively that this ecoystem can reduce the global climate change impact on our earth. The aim of the study is to measure the carbon storage capacity in tropical seagrass ecosystem in both the communities and sediments. The surveys were conducted at Sekotong Beach, Ekas Bay and Gili Air Island in Lombok Island-Indonesia in the period December 17–22, 2016. Biomass of seagrass was taken using line and random quadrat transect and carbon stock was calculated with spectrophotometric method. The results showed that the total and average carbon in the seagrass beds ranging from 4.06 to 20.75 mg C Ha^-1 and from 1.36 to 6.92 mg C Ha^-1 respectively. The compound of carbon in the seagrass communities was higher than seagrass sediment, which the value 42.54-44.89 mg C Ha^-1 and 1.93- 2.24 mg C Ha^- respectively. This research demonstrates that the tropical seagrass meadows have a large contribution for carbon storage in coastal area.

Seagrass beds are important habitats for coastal fisheries. However, seagrass beds are also affected by fisheries in the Moon Lake, Shandong, China. In order to test the effects of burrowing and feeding activities of Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum on the burial of Zostera marina seeds in sediments, a microcosm was conducted. The effects of lasting time (3-hour, 1-day, 3-day, 7-day, 14-day and 28-day), clam density (0, 2, 4 and 8 clams with shell length of 3 cm in each microcosm) and clam size (shell length of 2, 3 and 4 cm at 4-clam density) on seed burial were examined in plastic microcosm cores (30 cm high × 10 in inner diameter) in a 28-day period. Results showed that the seed burial depth significantly increased with time, the density and the size of clams. No seeds were buried in the sediment in the cores without clams during the whole experiment period. For the 3-cm clams, about 91.61% of the seeds were buried in the sediment at the end of the experiment in the high-density treatment (8 clams at each core); while in the medium and low-density treatments (4 and 2 clams in each core, respectively), about 76.93% and 60.61% of the seeds were buried in the sediment, respectively. For the size treatments, large (4cm) clams buried 89.56% of the seeds at the end of the experiment, much more than those of medium (3 cm, 76.93％) and small (2 cm, 61.50%) size clams. During the whole experiment period, nearly all of the buried seeds were at a depth of from 0 cm to 5 cm. These results suggested that Manila clam R. philippinarum may play an important positive role in seagrass seed bank dynamics in the field.

Seagrass provides a significant habitat for various types of marine organisms and contributes to maintain biodiversity in coastal ecosystems. While the management of seagrass is one of the major challenges in the conservation of coasts, the effects of seagrass species composition on habitat quality has been insufficiently documented. We show that habitat quality provided by a seagrass bed composed of two eel grass species, Zostera marina and Z. caespitosa, varies both temporally and spatially in a lagoon on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. Moreover, we discuss how those variations affect habitat quality for a commercial shrimp, Pandalus latirostris. We examined variations in composition and abundance of seagrass species in the seagrass bed over a long-term period of 17 years. While the long-term comparison showed that seagrass species composition in the bed did not vary, their relative abundances did. An annual survey revealed that the abundance of Z. caespitosa was affected by the abundance of Z. marina, water depth, and location in the lagoon. Although diversities of motile animals did not differ between seagrass species, the commercial shrimp, P. latirostris, was more abundant in Z. caespitosa than Z. marina. This study demonstrated that variation in species composition of seagrass caused spatio-temporal variations in habitat quality, and suggests that an understanding of habitat quality within seagrass beds would contribute to more effective management of fishing resources.

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) of China is the largest water diversion project in the world to divert water from the Yangtze River to alleviate the pressure of water scarcity in northern China. The eastern route of the SNWDP pumps water from the Lower Yangtze River near Yangzhou, Jiangsu, passes the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and a series of storage lakes, and finally provides water for provinces of Shangdong and Tianjin. We monitored water quality, plankton, macroinvertebrates, aquatic plants, and fishes in two storage lakes-Gaoyou and Dongping since April 2016 and wanted to detect the effects of the water diversion on lake ecosystems.

The current study showed: (1) water depth increased and varied in the studied lakes; (2) the monitored water quality parameters such as nutrient (nitrate, total ammonia nitrogen, phosphate), total suspended solids (TSS), and conductivity showed seasonal variations in both lakes; (3) heavy metals such as Pb, Zn and Mn showed significantly higher concentrations in summer in both lakes; (4) the abundance of resident fishes (e.g., Culter oxycephaloides Kreyenberg et Pappenheim, Chanodichtys oxycephalus Bleeker, Abbottina rivularis) was reduced while lake-river migration fishes (e.g., Mylopharyngodon piceus, Ctenopharyngodon idellus) were increased in both lakes; and (5) the estuary fish Taenioides cirratus was also observed in the Gaoyou Lake. The operation of the eastern route SNWDP could change the structure and function of the associated lakes significantly and needs more attention in the future.