By Louise Selméus - LTH · Louise Selméus ! International Summer Water Resources Research School...
Transcript of By Louise Selméus - LTH · Louise Selméus ! International Summer Water Resources Research School...
International Summer Water Resources Research School
Dept. of Water Resources Engineering, Lund University
Benthic macrofauna and meiofauna in ecological-floating
bed and mangrove wetland in Yundang Lagoon
By
Louise Selméus
Benthic macrofauna and meiofauna in ecological-floating bed 2015-07-17 and mangrove wetland in Yundang Lagoon
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Abstract In this report the species composition, mean density and mean biomass of meiofauna and
macrofauna have been analysed. Macrofauna and meiofauna are primary consumers, and
therefore an important link between organic matter and predators. Additionally, they are also
extra sensitive to pollution. Indication of how the marine systems have been affected by
pollution can therefore be given by studying macrofauna and meiofauna.
Samples were taken on three different locations in the Yundang Lagoon, Xiamen in southeast
China. The first location was a mangrove, the second one two ecological-floating beds and the
third one on piers and boats.
In the mangrove the dominant specie for meiofauna was Nematoda. For macrofauna
Polychaeta, Gastropoda, Brachyura and Crustacea were found. Furthermore, in the
ecological-floating beds the Polydora sp., Balanus amphitrite, Capitella capitata and
Mytilopsis sallei were the most common species. Differences in mean density and mean
biomass was found and it could be seen that the difference in the inner lake was largest. On
the other hand, the ecological-floating bed in the outer lake contained a wider range of
species. The water circulation and flow likely affected the species composition of the
ecological-floating beds. On piers and boats Mytolopsis sallei, Balanus amphitrite and
Littoraria scabra were found.
All of the results correlate with the predicted results and research. Nevertheless, these results
would have been more accurate if more data would have been studied.
Keywords: Xiamen, Meiofauna, Macrofauna, Ecological-floating bed, Mangrove
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Table of Contents
1. PREFACE ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 THE COURSE VVRF05 AND THE LINGFENG SUMMER RESEARCH GROUP ............................................. 4 1.2 RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 4 1.3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................................ 4
2. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 5 2.2 PURPOSE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 LIMITATIONS .............................................................................................................................................................. 5
3. THEORY ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 3.1 MEIOFAUNA ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 3.2 MACROFAUNA ............................................................................................................................................................ 8 3.3 SAMPLING LOCATIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 12 3.4 ECOLOGICAL-FLOATING BED ............................................................................................................................. 13 3.5 MANGROVE .............................................................................................................................................................. 14
4. METHOD ................................................................................................................................................... 14 4.1 MACROFAUNA IN ECOLOGICAL-FLOATING BED IN YUNDANG LAGOON ............................................. 14 4.2 MACROFAUNA AND MEIOFAUNA IN MANGROVE IN YUNDANG LAGOON .......................................... 15 4.3 FOULING ORGANISMS ON THE PIER AND BOATS IN YUNDANG LAGOON. ............................................ 16 4.4 MACROFAUNA ......................................................................................................................................................... 16 4.5 MEIOFAUNA ............................................................................................................................................................. 17
5. RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................... 18 5.1 MACROFAUNA IN ECOLOGICAL-FLOATING BED IN YUNDANG LAGOON ............................................. 18 5.2 MACROFAUNA AND MEIOFAUNA IN MANGROVE IN YUNDANG LAGOON .......................................... 21 5.3 FOULING ORGANISMS ON THE PIER AND BOATS IN YUNDANG LAGOON. ............................................ 23
6. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................................. 23 6.1 MACROFAUNA IN ECOLOGICAL-FLOATING BED IN YUNDANG LAGOON ............................................. 23 6.2 MACROFAUNA AND MEIOFAUNA IN MANGROVE IN YUNDANG LAGOON .......................................... 23 6.3 FOULING ORGANISMS ON THE PIER AND BOATS IN YUNDANG LAGOON. ............................................ 25
7. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 25 8. REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 26 9. APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................................. 27
Benthic macrofauna and meiofauna in ecological-floating bed 2015-07-17 and mangrove wetland in Yundang Lagoon
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1. Preface 1.1 The course VVRF05 and the Lingfeng Summer Research Group The course International Summer Water Resources Research School, VVRF05, at Lund
University (Sweden) lays as ground for this report. Eight students in the course participated in
the Lingfeng Summer Research School, where all students had different projects together with
one or two Chinese undergraduate students studying environmental science. The Lingfeng
Summer Research School took place at the College of Environment & Ecology at Xiamen
University (China) and is a unique cooperation between Xiamen University and Lund
University. The course took place between 24th of June to the 20th of July 2015 and was the
9th summer it took place.
1.2 Recommendations The opportunity to participate in the Lingfeng Summer Research School has been an
invaluable learning experience it has both been an exiting and an important experience for
me. I have met new people, make new friends and experienced the Chinese culture. To
participate in the team of the benthic lab has been learning, wonderful and I always felt very
welcomed in the group. I recommend all other student to participate in the course. It is
something you will remember your whole life.
1.3 Acknowledgements I wish to thank Professor Cai Li-Zhe, Research Assistant Wen Jun Li and my two project
partners Yajing Liu and Yiwen Lin as well as everyone in the Marine Benthic lab in the
College of Environment and Ecology at Xiamen University. I thank you all for making me feel
so warmly welcomed, your patience and care for me and for everything you have taught me. I
have learned so much in these four weeks and I wish that I could stay longer.
A special thanks goes to Associate professor Linus Zhang and the international office at Lund
University and Xiamen University for the possibility to participate in this summer school. I
hope that in the future the Chinese students will be able to visit Lund.
Additionally, I would like to thank Thyréns for valuable financial support. I hope for further
cooperation.
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2. Introduction 2.1 Problem Description
Around the world the environment of marine and freshwaters are constantly changing as a
result of pollution. One way to investigate these changes is by studying the benthic
composition, as these species are extra sensitive to pollution. The benthic species are often
called ecosystem engineers, since they have the capacity to modify the structure of soft-
bottom intertidal communities in terms of function and structure. Two examples of
modifications are that they have the ability to change water flow and nutrient fluxes of water.
These features are of critical importance and if these species would disappear the whole
ecosystem of freshwater and marine would be affected (Passarelli, 2012). The importance of
these species is due to that they are primary consumers, and therefore an important link
between organic matter and predators (Koetsu et.al. 2015).
2.2 Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the species composition of meiofauna and
macrofauna in Yundang Lagoon, in southeast China. In the study three different sampling
locations where selected: a mangrove area, two ecological-floating beds and the piers and
boats near the Yundang Lagoon. In the results we hope to be able to draw some conclusions
about the composition of species for the three different locations.
2.3 Limitations In this project three different parts of interest have been investigated.
• The composition of macrofauna in ecological-floating beds in Yundang Lagoon.
• The composition of macrofauna and meiofauna in Mangrove in Yundang Lagoon.
• The composition of fouling organisms on the pier and boats in Yundang Lagoon.
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3. Theory
3.1 Meiofauna Meiofauna are smaller benthic invertebrates that live in both marine and freshwater
environments. Meiofauna is a group of organisms that are defined by their size; they are
larger than microfauna, microscopic organisms, but smaller than macrofauna. They should be
able to pass through a 0.5-1mm mesh but be retained by a 45µm mesh (Lizhe Cai, 2015).
Below different types of meiofauna are described.
3.1.1 Annelida The body of Annelida is divided into metameres with true coelom and mostly with setae and
parapodia. Additionally, they have a closed vascular system. Oligochaeta and Polychaeta are
two subclasses of Annelida (Zongguo and Mao, 2012, [1]).
3.1.1.1 Oligochaeta
The head of the Oligochaeta is poorly developed and it has no parapodia. It has setae on the
body wall and reproductive tubules. Most of them are found in freshwater or in soil on land.
(Zongguo and Mao, 2012, [1]). The length of the Oligochaeta is around 2mm (Lizhe Cai,
2015).
3.1.1.2 Polychaeta
Polychaeta has a well-developed head with prostomium on the dorsal side. Additionally, they
have two pairs of eyes and a pair of tentacles. They have parapodia, satae and are unisexual.
Most are living in marine habitats with a benthic mode of life (Zongguo and Mao, 2012, [1]).
3.1.2 Nematoda
Nematoda usually dominate each sample of meiofauna both in abundance and biomass. They
are frequently occurring in polluted environments. Additionally, they are also valuable tools
for pollution studies since they often have specific reactions to single pollutants (Cai, 2015).
The body of Nematoda are slender, cylindrical or thread-like. The body surface is covered
with a layer of cuticle. Furthermore, they live both in marine, freshwater and soil habitats
(Zongguo and Mao, 2012, [1]).
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3.1.3 Copepoda
Copepoda is the second largest subclass of Crustacea and more than 10 000 different types of
Copepoda has been recorded. They can both be found in freshwater and marine, but is most
common in marine. They are planktonic, parasitic or benthic. They are usually round in shape
with appendage. (Zongguo and Mao, 2012, [2]). Aside from Nematoda, Copepoda are usually
the most abundant meiobenthic animals in marine samples (Cai, 2015).
3.1.4 Amphipoda Amphipoda is a subclass to Crustacea, it is flat on the sides and usually live in marine
systems but can also be found in freshwater and on land. (Zongguo and Mao, 2012 [2]).
3.1.5 Turbellaria
It is a type of flatworm that is typically a monolayer ciliated epithelium made up of distinct
cells. The class Turbellaria consist of at least 5 000 species and are usually small, flat and
oval. Additionally, they can live in both marine and freshwater (Jennings 1992).
3.1.6 Ophiuroidea The class Ophiuroidea is closely related to the class Asteroidea e.g. starfish. The arms of the
Ophiuroidea are cylindrical and always sharped ligatured.
Figure 1 the picture to the left is Nematoda and to the right is Copepoda
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Furthermore, they lack holdfast and instead have limestone plates. Additionally, they lack
anus and eyes (Zongguo and Mao, 2012 [2]).
3.2 Macrofauna Macrofauna are benthic or soil organisms that are usually collected using 0.5 or 1 mm mesh
screens. They are living in marine and freshwater environments, for example Mytilopsis Sallei
(Cai, 2015). Below are a few different types of macrofauna described.
3.2.1 Mytilopsis Sallei Mytilopsis Sallei, the black striped mussel, belongs to the class Bivalvia. It has a body that is
laterally compressed with right and left valves. Additionally, the head is reduced and the foot
is well developed.
They may burrow in sediments, attach to hard surface or they can bore in a substrate.
Furthermore, they can both live in marine and freshwater environments. (Zongguo and Mao,
2012, [3]).
3.2.2 Balanus amphitrite
Balunus amphitrite is a type of barnacle that is often referred to as a fouling organism. They
are living on different surfaces such as plants, piers etc. (Han Z et.al, 2013).
3.2.3 Gastropoda
Gastropoda are usually called snails. Characteristics of this class are that the body is clearly
differentiated into head, body and viscera. The head is well developed with head and tentacles
and the foot is on the ventral side of the body. Gastropoda can be found in freshwater, marine
and on land. They are important aquaculture species and widely used in pharmaceuticals in
China. Littoraria Melanostoma, Littoraria scabra and Bullacta exarata are three examples
of Gastropoda. The specie Bullacta exarata is a common specie in China (Zongguo and Mao,
2012, [3]).
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3.2.4 Polychaeta
3.2.4.1 Capitella Capitata
Capitella capitata belongs to the class Polychaeta and inhabits marine and estuarine
sediments. It is specie that often dominates the fauna in polluted environments. They are
commonly used as bio indicators of disturbed marine habitats. (Du Hongwei et al. 2007)
3.2.4.2 Polydora sp.
Polydora sp. belongs to the class Polychaeta. The head of the Polydora sp. is formed from the
prostomium and varies considerably in shape. The prostomium is usually narrow and
ellipsoidal resting on top of the peristomium. The tip of the prostomium may be rounded or
pointed and expanded to form “horns”. Additionally, the Polydora sp. has two long antennas
(Pleijel and Rouse, 2001). Additionally, Polydora sp. is pollution resistance specie and
therefore often dominates polluted area (Cai L.Z, 2012).
Figure 3 the left picture show Capitella capitata and the right picture shows Polydora sp.
Figure 2 The left picture is Balanus Amphitrite and to the right Littoraria scabra
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3.2.4.3 Sabellidae Latreille
Sabellidae is one of the most easily recognizeable of Polychaeta groups in their possession of
a spectacularly colourful radiolar crown and by the mucus/ parchment/ sediment tubes that
they inhabit. They are often called the “flowers of the sea” due to their spectacular crown
(Pleijel and Rouse, 2001). Potamilla sp. is a type of specie that belongs to this subclass. It is a
typical type of ringworm (Zongguo and Mao, 2012, [2]). 3.2.4.4 Melinna sp.
Melinna sp. is a type of specie that also belongs to the class Polychaeta. It is a member of the
family Ampharetidae and is a type of ringworm (Zongguo and Mao, 2012, [2]). 3.2.4.5 Nereididae
Nereididae is a subclass to Polychaeta and it is a flatworms with a lot of fur. It usually live in
marine systems and are found in sand or mud. Additionally, they have been found in
freshwaters close to marine systems. They are an important food source for shore birds. One
example of a Nereididae is the specie Nereis sp. (Pleijel and Rouse, 2001).
Figure 4 the left picture show Melinna sp. and the right picture shows Nereididae
3.2.5 Brachyura The subclass Brachyura consists of true crabs and belongs to the class Crustacea. The most
advanced group is the Decapods, which all of the three different types of crabs below belongs
to. Decapod typically lives in mangrove. They are recognized since the carapace is formed
from the fusion between head and the whole thorax. Furthermore, the abdomen is short and
flat, curls under the carapace and it walks sideways (Zongguo and Mao, 2012, [4]).
3.2.5.1 Uca Arcuate
A classic characteristic of this type of crab is that the male are asymmetric with one large and
one small claw. The large claw has a rough surface, two big teeth and many small teeth.
Additionally, it has long eyes, sharp polpobral area. (Cai, 2015)
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3.2.5.2 Sesarma Bidens
Classic characteristics of this type are that it has equally big claws with 2 teeth at each side of
the claw where one is sharper then the other. Furthermore, it has two side teeth on the body of
the crab.
3.2.5.3 Metaplax Sherin
Classic characteristics of this type are that; it has four teeth, round circles under its’ eyes and
the claws are divided into seven parts. (Cai, 2015)
3.2.6 Corophium sp. The specie Corophium sp. belongs to the class Crustacea. It lives in both marine and
freshwater systems at the soft bottom (Zongguo and Mao, 2012 [2]).
3.2.7 Leptoplana sp. Leptoplana sp. is a small phylum, Orthonectida, and lives as parasites in marine waters. It is
among the simplest of multi-cellular organisms. The adults of this specie look like
microscopic wormlike animals that consist of a single layer of ciliated outer cells (Zongguo
and Mao, 2012 [2]).
Figure 5 from the left Uca Arcuate, Sesarma Bidens and Metaplax Sherin can be seen
Figure 6 from the left Corophium sp and Leptoplana sp can be seen
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3.2.8 Actinia sp. This specie is a type of sea anemone that belongs to the family Actiniidae (Zongguo and Mao,
2012 [2]). One type of Actinia is commonly called the strawberry anemone due to that it is red
and has yellow and green spots. Additionally, it has the capacity to purify water but can be
toxic for humans (Bellomio 2009).
3.2.9 Ascidiidae Ascidiidae is a family of tunicates belonging to the class Ascidiacea and they are commonly
known as sea squirts. They are sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders. The family can be
found all over the world but not over a salinity of 2,5% (Zongguo and Mao, 2012 [2]).
3.3 Sampling Locations The samples were taken in Yundang Lagoon, which is located in the city of Xiamen, Fujian
Province, in southeast of China. It is a part of the Xiamen harbour, marine water, and for a
long time it was subject to severe pollution. Since the 1980´s the lagoon has been a part of a
restoration program. As a part of this program four different ecological-floating beds and
mangrove areas has been planted in the lagoon (Chen, Lu, Hong, Ye, Wang, & Lu, 2010).
Below a map can be seen of the different places were the sampling took place. In the map the
circle is the mangrove and the ecological-floating beds are located in the inner and outer lake
as can be seen in the map.
Figure 7 from the left Actinia sp. and Ascidiidae can be seen
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Figure 8 Description and map of the different sampling locations in Yundang Lagoon
Common species in the Yundang Lagoon are Mytilopsis sallei, Polychaeta, Bivalvia,
Crustacea, Platyhelminthes, Nemertean, Bryozoan and Urochordate (Cai L.Z et.al. 2012).
According to Cai L.Z et.al the density percentage of each group in the summer were: Bivalvia
49,50%, Polychaeta 3,83 %, and Crustacea 46,57% while Mytilopsis sallei was abundant in
the Lagoon. The authors continue to state that the biomass percentage of each group was
equal to the density percentage (Cai L.Z et.al. 2012).
3.4 Ecological-floating bed Ecological-floating bed, EFB, is a newly developed approach that is used in order to improve
the water quality of contaminated water. It is a soilless planting structure constructed with
floating aquatic plants, floating mats, sediment rooted emergent wetland plants and related
ecological communities such as algae and biofilm. The water passes beneath the mat and the
pollutants are removed through e.g. roots via several mechanisms, two examples are as
biofilm and nutrient uptake. This method is effective, not very expensive and has a high
biosecurity. (Cai, 2015)
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In Yundang Lagoon there are three artificial ecological-floating beds, with the specie
Sesuvium portulacastrum. Sesuvium portulacastrum is used for sand-dune fixation,
desalination and phytoremediation along coastal regions. The plant has a high tolerance for
salinity, drought and toxic metals, leading to that it is said that the plant can handle abiotic
stresses. It can grow at its best at 100-400mM NaCl concentrations but have no problem to
grow with a severe salinity of 1000mM NaCl without any toxic symptoms on the leaves.
Furthermore, has the plant the capacity to reduce the load of saline salts and heavy metals in
semiarid regions. Additionally it is use as fodder for domestic animals, as an ornamental plant
and as a vegetable. (Lokhande et al, 2012)
3.5 Mangrove The mangrove area in the middle of Yundang Lagoon consists of the specie Kandelia candel
and is a precious resource for ecological and economical reasons. In the recent years many
mangrove areas world widely are lost or destroyed due to the need of fast economic
development. Additionally mangroves are habitat to many species such as macrofauna,
meiofauna and many birds (A.Netto & Gallucci, 2003). In mangrove areas it is common for
both macrofauna and meiofauna to exist. Some common species or classes are: Oligochaeta,
Polychaeta, Haliplectidae, Anoplostomatidae, Linhomoidae and Capitella capitata (A.Netto
& Gallucci, 2003). Additionally, It is common for Nematoda to live in Mangrove areas and
according to Armenteros et.al they are often also the most common specie (Armenteros et.al,
2006). Furthermore, according to a third article the most abundant species in mangroves are
Oligochaeta, Turbellaria, Nematoda, Harpacticoida and Polychaeta (Ólafsson, 1995).
Ólafsson continues by stating that Nematoda dominates in the mangrove areas.
4. Method
4.1 Macrofauna in ecological-floating bed in Yundang Lagoon Samplings on two different occasions were done, the first on the 30th of June and the second
on the 7th of July. On the 30th of June one sample was taken. On the other hand, on the 7 of
July samples were taken in two different ecological-floating beds. For each of the ecological-
floating beds three samples were taken in all of the four directions: north, south, east and west
of the ecological-floating bed. In total 24 samples were taken on 8 different sites.
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One of the ecological-floating beds was located in the inner lake of the Yundang Lagoon and
the other in the outer lake of the Yundang Lagoon. We measured the length and diameter of
each plant and moved off all of benthos from each plant. The whole area of the ecological-
floating bed was estimated to 2.5m*2m. After that, we preserved and fixed them with 5%
methanol. This was done in order to be able to continue in the lab with the procedure
described under macrofauna.
4.2 Macrofauna and Meiofauna in Mangrove in Yundang Lagoon Three samples were taken in the mangrove area, which was located in the middle of the
Yundang Lagoon. The plant Kandelia candel basically made up the whole mangrove area and
the height of it was approximately 3 m. The samples were collected using a spoon in order to
take samples with a depth of approximately 30 cm. The samples were put in a plastic jar for
transportation to the laboratory and further investigations. In the laboratory the samples were
washed and analysed according to the methods for macrofauna and meiofauna.
Figure 9 Picture of the ecological-floating bed in inner lake of Yundang Lagoon and a sample of Sesuvium portulacastrum
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4.3 Fouling organisms on the pier and boats in Yundang Lagoon. Samples from the pier and boats were taken by randomly chose a 25*25 cm square. In this
place all the animals were scraped off and collected in a jar, to be transported to the laboratory
for further investigation. The sample was put into a formaldehyde solution and investigated
by the method explained below under Macrofauna.
4.4 Macrofauna In order to analyse the samples in the lab one small disk, one large disk, two tweezers and a
0.5 µm mesh were used. The samples taken from the Mangrove were pored at the mesh and
washed with water gently in order to collect the remaining sample in one corner of the mesh.
The remaining samples were then pored down to the large disk filled with water. All the
organisms that could be seen on the large disk were put in the small disk also filled with
water. The small disk was then emptied on water and the organisms were pored down to a
small bottle filled with 80 % ethanol in order to conserve the animals. When the animals had
been conserved they were investigated and identified by looking in a stereomicroscope and
then weight.
Figure 10 Pictures of sampling of meiofauna and macrofauna in the mangrove wetland in Yundang Lagoon
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4.5 Meiofauna To be able to analyse the three samples for meiofauna, sediment was taken from the
mangrove gently by pushing a hypodermic syringe directly into the sediment. The samples
were directly fixed with 5 % formalin. Two different meshes were used in order to collect and
wash the samples. The first mesh was with 0.5 µm and the second mesh was with 0.042 µm.
The soil sample that had been preserved with 5 % formalin was washed with tab water.
Furthermore, the washed samples was mixed with a 40% silicon. The sample was centrifuged
and the remaining liquid was taken through a 0.042 mesh. At last, the sample that was stock
to the mesh was taken and put together with water in a bottle. In order to count and
investigate the meiofauna, the sample was placed on a plate separated in six lines and
observed in a microscope for identification and counting.
Figure 11 Counting and washing of macrofauna from samples taken in the mangrove wetland
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5. Results Just by looking at Yundang Lagoon it is possible to see that it is salinity-sea water with a
brown colour. Furthermore, it consists of mangrove wetlands, ecological-floating beds and it
is possible to see a lot of different species as well as trash in the lagoon. The samplings of
both occasions were during low tide.
5.1 Macrofauna in ecological-floating bed in Yundang Lagoon The samples from the ecological-floating beds were all taken in the 7th of July in 2015. In the
table below the salinity, temperature, longitude and latitude can be seen. Both the salinity and
temperature of the water is as usual for being summer in China. Table 1 Data of the ecological-floating beds in Yundang Lagoon
Place T (℃) Salinity(‰) Longitude, Latitude
EFB in outer lake 30,4 12,2 E 118°4’38, 93 “
N 24°28’22, 99”
EFB in inner lake 29,6 12,1 E 118°5´42.51"
N 24°28´56.57"
In all of the four graphs below E stands for east, S for south, W for west and N for north.
These are the four different samplings directions of the ecological-floating beds.
Figure 12 Observing, identifying, counting and taking photos of meiofauna
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In the graph below the density (nr/m2) of the dominant species living on Sesuvium
portulacastrum in the outer lake can be seen. The species with the highest density are
Polydora sp., Balanus amphitrite and Mytilopsis sallei.
Figure 13 the mean density of the dominant species in the outer lake.
In the graph below the biomass (nr/m2) of the dominant species living on Sesuvium
portulacastrum in the outer lake can be seen. The specie with the highest biomass is Balanus
amphitrite.
Figure 14 the mean biomass of the dominant species in the outer lake.
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In the graph below the density (nr/m2) of the dominant species living on Sesuvium
portulacastrum in the inner lake can be seen. The species with highest density are Polydora
sp., Balanus amphitrite and Capitella capitata.
Figure 15 the mean density of the dominant species in the inner lake.
In the graph below the biomass (nr/m2) of the dominant species living on Sesuvium
portulacastrum in the inner lake can be seen. The species with highest biomass are Balanus
amphitrite and Mytilopsis sallei.
Figure 16 the mean biomass of the dominant species in the inner lake.
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5.2 Macrofauna and Meiofauna in Mangrove in Yundang Lagoon
The samples from the mangrove were all taken in the 30th of June in 2015. In the table below
the salinity, temperature, longitude and latitude can be seen. Both the salinity and temperature
of the mangrove was as usual during summer in China. Table 2 Data of the Mangrove in Yundang Lagoon
Place Date T (℃) Salinity (‰) Longitude, Latitude
Mangrove in
Yundang
Lagoon
30/6-2015 34.0 24.6 E 118°5´48.81"
N 24°28´52.54"
Meiofauna In the figure below the composition of the meiofauna in the mangrove is illustrated. The three
samples are all shown in the same graph plotted with the percentage of all species. In the
graph it can be seen that Nematoda is the dominant specie for all three samples. Furthermore,
it can be seen that Polychaeta, Oligochaeta and Copepoda are common species in all three
samples.
Figure 17 Composition of meiofauna in mangrove wetland for the three different samples
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The table below shows the values that the graph above is based on, calculations can be seen in
the appendix. If no values are written this specie was not found in that sample. Table 3 Percentage of meiofauna in the mangrove wetland.
Class Percentage % of
specie in sample 1
Percentage % of
specie in sample 2
Percentage % of
specie in sample 3
Nematoda 91,3 90,5 71,4
Oligochaeta - 0,94 3,99
Polychaeta 5,15 2,66 19,8
Copepoda 3,58 2,74 4,79
Turbellaria - 2,57 -
Ophiuroidea - 0,17 -
Amphipoda - 0,43 -
Macrofauna In the table below the macrofauna that was found or collected in the mangrove wetland is
showed. It can be seen that the classes are: Polychaeta, Gastropoda, Brachyura and
Crustacea. For the species Sesarma bidens and Metaplax sherin only one animal was
collected. For Uca arcuata two animals were collected. Table 4 Result of Macrofauna found in the mangrove wetland.
Class Specie Number found
Polychaeta Capitella capitata 25
Polychaeta Nereididae 9
Gastropoda Littoraria scabra 1
Polychaeta Potamilla sp. 1
Brachyura Uca arcuata 2
Brachyura Sesarma bidens 1
Brachyura Metaplax sherin 1
Gastropoda Bullacta exarata 1
Polychaeta Melinna sp. 4
Gastropoda Littoraia melanostoma 1
Crustacea Corophium sp. 1
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5.3 Fouling organisms on the pier and boats in Yundang Lagoon.
On the pier and boats it was possible to see a lot of Mytilopsis sallei and Balanus amphitrite
and also some Littoraria scabra.
6. Discussion
6.1 Macrofauna in ecological-floating bed in Yundang Lagoon The results for the two ecological-floating beds show that for the outer lake the mean density
was highest for Polydora sp. The second one is Balanus amphitrite followed by Mytilopsis
sallei and Actina sp. The other species have low abundance and are therefore difficult to
analyse. It can also be seen that Polydora sp. has highest standard error followed by Balanus
amphitrite. On the other hand, the mean biomass is much higher for Balanus amphitrite
compared to the other species. Corresponding to what was observed during the time the
samples were taken and also to the research by Cai L.Z. It can be said that Balanus amphitrite
had a higher biomass than the other species but Polydora sp. was more abundant.
Looking at the results for the mean density of the inner lake it can be seen that Balanus
amphitrite has the highest density followed by Polydora sp. and Capitella capitata. The
specie with highest density, Balanus amphitrite, has the highest standard error, the same as in
the outer lake. Furthermore, when looking at the mean biomass Balanus amphitrite is highest
followed by Mytilopsis sallei. The other species are hard to analyse since the values are very
low.
Comparing inner lake and outer lake, the mean density and biomass for the species that exist
in the inner lake are higher. On the other hand, there are more species in the outer lake. One
reason to this could be that the water circulation is higher in the outer lake leading to better
living conditions. While in the inner lake a few species have more favourable conditions
compared to the others. The differences of the results for the four different weather directions
could be due to differences in water circulation and the direction of water flow.
6.2 Macrofauna and Meiofauna in Mangrove in Yundang Lagoon
When looking at the results of meiofauna from the mangrove it can be seen that the most
common specie is Nematoda and that the second one is Polychaeta, followed by Copepod.
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This correlates to the research by Armenteros and Ólafsson. Additionally, the rest of the
meiofauna species that were found in the mangrove also correlates to the research by
Armenteros and Ólafsson. From this it is possible to say that the meiofauna species found in
the mangrove seems to be realistic, since the same species exist and that the order of
dominance coexists. On the other hand, when comparing the results of the three different
samples some differences are noticeable. There are a higher percentage of Nematoda in
sample 1 and 2 compared to the 3rd sample. Additionally, there are a higher percentage of
Polychaeta in the third sample compared to the other two. Furthermore, It can also be seen
that in the second sample there are more types of species then in the others. Even though there
are differences between the samples it is difficult to state the reason for this. A reason can be
that we were three different students with different experience of identifying and sorting the
species. Another reason could be that the difference in the composition of the species is a
coincidence. Due to that the percentage of the other species were very low compared to
Nematoda, Polychaeta and Copepod.
Furthermore, when looking at the results for macrofauna in the mangrove it can be seen that
the classes were Polychaeta, Gastropoda, Brachyura and Crustacea. It seems reasonable that
Polychaeta and Crustacea exist according to the research by Cai L.Z et.al. Additionally,
according to Zongguo and Mao it also seems realistic that Brachyura exists as these crabs
typically lives in mangrove. The same can be said about the Gastropoda as these can live in
marine water and on land, which is the case for the mangrove wetland. Furthermore, it can be
seen that the composition of macrofauna differed a lot from each other as their habitats differs
a lot. Leading to, that if samples were taken on different places the composition of
macrofauna would also differ.
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6.3 Fouling organisms on the pier and boats in Yundang Lagoon.
For the results of fouling organisms three different species could be seen. According to
Zongguo and Mao, it seems realistic that the first specie Mytilopsis sallei exists since they live
on hard surfaces and in marine environments. Furthermore, according to Cai L.Z it is one of
the most common species in Yundang Lagoon and therefore it would be surprising if it would
not be found. Additionally, it is reasonable to find both the Balanus amphitrite and the
Littoraria scabra. Firstly, the specie Balanus amphitrite lives on surfaces such as piers.
Secondly, Littoraria scabra are found in marine waters and it is common in China.
Sources of errors during the experiments are as mentioned earlier that it was difficult to count
and identify the different species. The author’s knowledge of macrofauna and meiofauna is
unfortunately limited and literature not always unequivocal. Furthermore, when taking of
Balanus amphitrite from Sesuvium portulacastrum it was hard to keep them unbroken.
7. Conclusion To sum up, for the ecological floating beds the most common species were Polydora sp.,
Balanus amphitrite, Capitella capitata and Mytilopsis sallei. Differences in mean density and
mean biomass could was seen, where the difference in the inner lake was largest.
Additionally, the ecological-floating bed in the outer lake contained more species than the
inner.
In the mangrove wetland, Nematoda was the dominant specie as predicted as was also the
composition of the other species of meiofauna. Furthermore, the macrofauna in the wetland
consisted of Polychaeta, Gastropoda, Brachyura and Crustacea as was also predicted to be
able to live in these habitat. At last, the fouling organisms of the piers and boats were
Mytilopsis sallei, Balanus amphitrite and Littoraria scabra. The same can be said for these
species as above that it was also expected for them to be found here.
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8. References A.Netto & Gallucci (2003) Meiofauna and macrofauna communities in a mangrove from the Island of Santa Catarina, South Brazil. Hydrobiologia 505, pp. 159-170. Armenteros et.al (2006) Spatial and Temporal Variations of Meiofauna Communities from the Western Sector of the Gulf of Batabanó, Cuba. 1 Mangrove Systems. Estuaries and Coasts Vol.29, No1, p. 124-132 Bellomio et.al. (2009) Purification, cloning and characterization of fragaceatoxin C, a novel actinoporin from the sea anemone Actinia fragacea, Elsevier Ltd Cai Li-Zhe et.al (2014) Effect of the invasive bivalve Mytilopsis sallei on the macrofaunal fouling community and the environment of Yundang Lagoon, Xiamen, China. Hydrobiologia 741 pp. 101-111. Cai Lizhe, College of Environment and Ecology Xiamen University, [email protected] , 2015-06-29 Chen, C., Lu, Y., Hong, J., Ye, M., Wang, Y., & Lu, H. (2010). Metal and metalloid contaminant availability in Yundang Lagoon sediments. Journal of Hazardous Materials(175), 1048– 1055.
Han Z et.al. (2013) iTRAQ-based proteomic profiling of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite in response to the antifouling compound meleagrin., American Chemistry Society,
Hongwei Du et al. (2007), Characterization of 11 microsatellite loci derived from genomic sequences of polychaete Capitella capitata complex, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Joseph B. Jennings (1992), The Nature and Origin of the Epidermal Scales of Notodactylus handschini: An Unusual Temnocephalid Turbellarian Ectosymbiotic on Crayfish from Northern Queensland, Biological Bulletin Kon Koetsu et al., 2015, Do allochthonous inputs represent an important food resource for benthic macrofaunal communities in tropical estuarine mudflats?, Food Webs Lokhande Vinayak H. et al. (2013), Sesuvium portulacastrum, a plant for drought, salt stress, sand fixation, food and phytoremediation. A review, Agron. Sustain. Dev. (2013) 33:329–348
Ólafsson (1995) Meiobenthos in mangrove areas in eastern Africa with emphasis on assemblage structure of free-living marine nematodes. Hydrobiolgia 312, pp. 47-57 Passarelli Claire et al., 2012, Impacts of biogenic structures on benthic assemblages: microbes, meiofauna, macrofauna and related ecosystem functions, MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES. Vol. 465.
Pleijel and Rouse (2001)Polychaetes, Oxford University Press, pp.193. Zongguo Huang and Mao Lin (2012) An illustration guide to species in China´s seas, vol.3. [1] Zongguo Huang and Mao Lin (2012) An illustration guide to species in China´s seas, vol.5.[2] Zongguo Huang and Mao Lin (2012) An illustration guide to species in China´s seas, vol.4.[3] Zongguo Huang and Mao Lin (2012) An illustration guide to species in China´s seas, vol.6.[4]
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9. Appendix Values from calculations for figure 19 and table 3. Inner lake position species Mean
density SD, error bars Mean
biomass SD, error bars
E Capitella capitata 1849,34 125,35 0,37 0,15 S Capitella capitata 2154,86 1112,09 0,50 0,68 W Capitella capitata 3170,54 787,98 1,17 0,68 N Capitella capitata 2983,35 1604,57 1,99 2,30 E Polydora sp. 2737,05 2019,09 0,61 0,50 S Polydora sp. 2331,17 2010,14 0,68 0,46 W Polydora sp. 4979,13 2460,03 1,32 0,75 N Polydora sp. 3711,14 1043,12 2,14 1,04 E Corophium sp. 324,39 151,62 0,27 0,19 S Corophium sp. 401,41 67,22 0,64 0,14 W Corophium sp. 1121,54 204,47 0,35 0,06 N Corophium sp. 444,91 131,66 0,40 0,26 E Balanus amphitrite 16559,58 12804,50 321,84 121,19 S Balanus amphitrite 5364,25 1932,16 172,30 100,76 W Balanus amphitrite 15690,57 4091,46 268,70 54,59 N Balanus amphitrite 8095,48 4546,52 328,94 75,26 E Mytilopsis sallei 227,77 113,96 115,96 4,06 S Mytilopsis sallei 1319,75 359,11 55,75 27,73 W Mytilopsis sallei 1350,13 306,31 17,46 8,74 N Mytilopsis sallei 884,27 358,12 56,02 40,42
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Outer lake position species Mean
density SD, error bars Mean
biomass SD, error bars
E Polydora sp. 66832,79 15458,96 53,64 13,94 S Polydora sp. 205239,54 111112,23 347,44 289,52 W Polydora sp. 18852,68 2699,16 10,42 1,14 N Polydora sp. 3654,77 559,73 1,41 0,27 E Mytilopsis sallei 298,46 187,93 3,02 2,95 S Mytilopsis sallei 2212,66 840,69 12,59 1,84 W Mytilopsis sallei 5528,97 3046,75 64,43 29,17 N Mytilopsis sallei 6881,47 2487,14 273,58 110,03 E Balanus amphitrite 10867,71 5648,09 1812,57 734,44 S Balanus amphitrite 36099,15 25829,03 3942,68 2451,25 W Balanus amphitrite 102710,33 8255,39 2572,76 888,66 N Balanus amphitrite 4404,07 2078,28 383,15 231,14 E Actinia sp. 4075,35 2208,47 29,31 14,42 S Actinia sp. 5325,62 1401,02 43,12 6,67 W Actinia sp. 2721,89 1594,54 13,31 7,57 N Actinia sp. 168,67 168,78 3,52 3,52 E Ascidiidae papillosa 168,32 168,32 29,09 29,09 S Ascidiidae papillosa 168,30 176,12 33,46 37,19 W Ascidiidae papillosa 2407,42 918,65 382,00 160,76 N Ascidiidae papillosa 415,39 257,28 88,89 56,21 E Potamilla sp. 839,27 507,85 8,13 7,81 S Potamilla sp. 622,39 137,29 2,10 1,18 W Potamilla sp. 892,27 805,49 23,80 6,58 N Potamilla sp. 258,80 118,13 11,51 12,22 E Corophium sp. 1403,06 1408,93 0,23 0,23 S Corophium sp. 330,13 160,89 0,15 0,05 W Corophium sp. 1327,66 152,14 0,42 0,02 N Corophium sp. 591,95 85,78 0,16 0,07