Seasonal investigation of virus dynamics by flow cytometry was conducted in the Yangtze river estuarine area in April, August, November 2002 and February 2003, and a supplemental investigation in the inner estuary and downstream of the river was conducted in October 2005. The majority of the total viral abundance was bacteriophage and only 5.4% of the total was algal virus. Total viral abundance varied with season and location, ranging from 6.75×105–1.68×107 particles/ml, and the virus:bacterium ratio (VBR) ranged from 1.52 to 72.02 with a mean of 8.7. In the present study, viral abundance peaked in both the summer and the winter, unlike the typical seasonal pattern reported in the literature, in which viral abundance peaks in the summer when bacterial hosts are also at their most abundant. However, the driving forces for the two peaks reported here were totally different, the summer viral abundance peak coupled with the development of bacterial hosts which were controlled largely by temperature year-round and by trophic state occasionally, while the winter one seemed to be multi-factor controlled. The host-phage interaction was no longer predominant in control of the winter viral abundance as bacterial abundance was lowest in this season. The winter low temperature would help maintain a high viral abundance as high temperatures might increase viral inactivation and viral decay; the VBR peak values actually occurred in the winter. More importantly, the high virus-containing freshwater discharge in winter due to a higher proportion of anthropogenic sewage relative to low natural flooding in winter run-off, turned out to be the first factor contributing to the high winter viral abundance and VBR values. In addition, the variation of intrusion of warm and relatively oligotrophic water from oceanic currents played a role alternating the distribution patterns of temperature, salinity and trophic conditions and consequently the distribution patterns of virus and bacteria seasonally and spatially. Dynamics of virus in the Yangtze river estuarine area is thus characterized by distinct seasonal and spatial variations due to natural forcing and by pronounced alternation of the regular patterns due to anthropogenic impacts.

More than 65% of the demersal fish and shellfish caught by British vessels are landed at Scottish ports, most of the catch being taken from waters north of 56°, i.e. in the northern North Sea. The major resource supporting these fisheries is the benthos, but the distributions of both infaunal and epifaunal benthic invertebrates in the North Sea are poorly documented. Moreover, the environmental factors determining the composition and structure of North Sea benthic assemblages are not well understood. There have been several limited surveys of the benthos (Stephen, 1934; Ursin, 1960), and recently Dyer et al. (1982, 1983), Cranmer (1985) and Cranmer et al. (1984) attempted a more quantitative and systematic survey. Various schemes have been proposed to explain observed regional differences in types of benthic assemblage, usually based on the biological characteristics of water masses, and / or a limited and fragmentary knowledge of the sediments of the North Sea {e.g. Glemarec, 1973; Dyer et al, 1983).

With 2:2′-dipyridyl as reagent for reducible and total iron, determinations were made on samples from the western English Channel at midwinter 1946–47, at the time of the maximum of phosphate, and also in July 1936.

The midwinter results have been treated statistically and the errors of analysis assessed.

Unlike phosphate and nitrate, much of the inorganic iron occurs as particles of fair size, distributed at random in the water. In winter there is no statistically significant difference between the total iron content of samples drawn from 0·5,5,25 and 50 m. depth, the grand mean and standard deviation for the whole area being 0·25 ± o·11 mg.-atom/m.3. The reducible iron for the same depth range and area was 0·19 ± 0·14 mg.-atom/m.3. There appears to be about 0·06mg.-atom/m.3 of iron which is reasonably highly dispersed and not determinable until the water has been oxidized with bromine.

In the bottom layers of water, although the reducible fraction differs little from the overlying layers, the total iron shows a very much greater mean value and variance.

The very low content of total and reducible iron and of particulate ferric phosphate in bottom water at a position 49° 30′ N., 5° 00′ W. has been provisionally attributed to removal by a dense bed of suspension feeders, possibly the mollusc Pinna.

By a statistical examination of the analytical results it has been deduced that the particulate fraction in the upper 50 m. was distributed on an average amongst about 45 particles per litre, each containing about 0·24μg. Fe and with a diameter of about 160μ. This result has been compared with data on the distribution of iron in plankton organisms.

As a statistical average waters richer in phosphate were also richer in total iron, the atomic ratio Fe/P being about 0·57.

In July 1936 the ‘elegans’ water to the westward was much richer in both phosphate and total iron than the more eastern mixed water containing Sagitta setosa. The results agree well with the conclusions drawn from the cruises at midwinter 1946–47.

In 1933–34 concentration of iron was frequently observed in the surface layers; in 1946–47 it was not. In the earlier work the surface film was always cut and included in the sample, in the later it was not. The probable amount of a surface unimicellar film of electropositive unprotected ferric hydroxide has been calculated and agrees well with observation.

Particulate ferric phosphate was found to the extent of about 0·06 mg.- mols/m.3 This appears to increase towards the bottom.

The success of the work at Newlyn in January 1947 owes much to the willing co-operation of Capt. Creese and the crew of R.V. Sabella under very adverse weather conditions. To Mr P. G. Corbin grateful thanks are due for undertaking single-handed the supervision of all the scientific work at sea on stations never more than two hours apart for two or three days on end. The statistical development would not have been possible without the unstinted assistance of Mr G. M. Spooner.

This paper is intended to furnish a complete list of all the species of Opisthobranchiate Mollusca found up to this time by the Marine Biological Association at Plymouth, together with various notes upon their morphology and natural history. The Nudibranchiate section of the group has, however, already formed the subject of a preceding report published in this Journal, so that species which have not since been taken are recorded here by their names only, a fuller account of them being given in the previous report. All the species there recorded are distinguished in this paper by asterisks (*) affixed to their names. I have had the advantage of several works upon the classification of the group which have recently appeared, notably Carus's excellent Prodromus Faunæ Mediterraneæ, vol. ii, part 1, 1889; Bergh's Die cladohepatischen Nudibranchien (Zoolog. Jahrbüch., v, 1890; for a copy of this admirable work I am indebted to the author); and Norman's Revision of British Mollusca (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., VI, vol. vi, No. 31, 1890, pp. 60—91). I must also mention Vayssière's Recherches Zoologiques sur les Mollusques Opistobranches du Golfe de Marseille—I. Tectibranches (Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Marseille, Zool., II, 1885, Mém. No. 3) as having been of great service; and I regret that up to the time of going to press the second part of M. Vayssière's work has not arrived at the Laboratory, and I have been unable to refer to it.

An energy budget has been assembled for a population of the limpet Patella vulgata inhabiting the mid-tide level of a moderately sheltered shore in the Isle of Man. The average biomass during the two year study was 346 kJ m−2, and the energy budget in kJ m−2 year−1:

Chlorophyll analysis and methods of direct observation of rock surfaces under the SEM were used to estimate composition and abundance of epilithic microbial taxa. Effectiveness of different chlorophyll extraction techniques was assessed. Extraction from ground and intact rock was compared using both hot methanol and acetone extraction methods. Hot methanol extraction from intact rock provided the most accurate and precise estimates of chlorophyll content. SEM preparation methods were compared. Microbial taxa were counted under the SEM from cryostage, critically point dried and air-dried material. It was concluded that air drying was the most appropriate preparation method for SEM observation. Air drying provides reasonable estimates of microbial composition and abundance and was less time consuming so allowing an adequate number of samples to be analysed. Cumulative species number with sampling effort curves were used to establish minimal sample sizes with respect to estimates of species number. Sequential estimates of mean abundance with increasing sample size were used to determine the effects of increasing sample size on estimates of abundance of the dominant taxa. These estimates were compared at different times of the year and for two different locations. Microbial communities were found to be extremely patchy in distribution. However, sample sizes required to give good estimates of taxa number and abundance were established. These estimates were found to be similar for the main taxa at different times of the year and at different locations.

Towards the end of August 1978 SCUBA divers studying a rocky area in Mounts Bay noticed numbers of dead and dying fish and invertebrates in their study area. Their observations were passed on to Dr G. W. Potts (Griffiths, Dennis & Potts, see below, p. 520). Samples of the sea water, which appeared to be very rich in phytoplankton, were taken but unfortunately were too poorly fixed for the identification of naked dinoflagellates. At the same time a number of reports of‘red tides’ and ‘fish kills’ in Mounts Bay were being passed to Mrs Stella Turk of Camborne.

During the first 2 weeks of September 1978, high mortalities of intertidal populations of several ‘bait’ species, notably lugworms, were reported to the Plymouth Laboratory by anglers along the south coast of Cornwall. In the same period, abnormally high numbers of the red-band fish, Cepola rubescens, were caught in the trawls of the Laboratory's research vessels (Dr A. J. Southward, personal communication). In addition, some 20–30 specimens of another burrowing species, Amalosoma eddystonense, were taken in several trawls on the Looe Grounds; this was rather surprising since this large echiuran was thought to be rare in the Plymouth area (Dr P. E. Gibbs, personal communication).

The author also received reports indicating that the non-photosynthetic but luminescent dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans (Macartney) Ehrenb. was abundant in coastal areas of the western English Channel. This organism is well known for forming slicks varying in colour from orange to blood-red (Le Févre & Grail, 1970; Grail, Le FévreLehoerff & Le Févre, 1971).

Noctiluca miliaris Suriray is a well-known luminescent organism, and its light emission has been studied repeatedly. Hitherto, however, no attempt has been made to record the luminescent flashes of this species, either under normal conditions, or after experimental treatment. With the sensitive photo-electric recording methods now available it has become possible to subject the luminescent flashes of Noctiluca to experimental analysis, and with this end in view the present study of Noctiluca was undertaken.

An assemblage of killer whales that has been sighted in waters off the west coast of the British Isles and Ireland has previously been shown to be isolated from other North Atlantic killer whale communities based on association patterns. By applying a Bayesian formulation of the Jolly–Seber mark-recapture model to the photo-identification data compiled from opportunistic photographic encounters with this population of killer whales, we show that such sparse and opportunistically-collected data can still be valuable in estimating population dynamics of small, wide-ranging groups. Good quality photo-identification data was collected from 32 encounters over 19 years. Despite a cumulative total of 77 identifications from these encounters, just ten individuals were identified and the remaining 67 identifications were re-sights of these ten animals. There was no detected recruitment through births during the study and, as a result, the population appears to be in a slight decline. The demography of the population was highly skewed towards older individuals and had an unusually high ratio of adult males, and we suggest that demographic stochasticity due to a small population size may be further impacting the population growth rate. We recommend that this population be managed as a separate conservation unit from neighbouring killer whale populations.

Phytoplankton data collected between 1964 and 1974 at three stations in the western English Channel were analysed by the multivariate method of correspondence analysis. The data comprised counts, logarithmically transformed, of 126 taxonomic groups in 700 samples from different depths. The first three axes from the correspondence analysis explained only 17% of the total variation, but the sample positions on these axes showed a clear mean seasonal cycle, slightly different at each station. The species fell into ten groups according to their position on the axes and to their seasonal occurrence. Differences in the position on the axes of samples from different depths on the same occasion correlated well with the temperature structure of the water column. No clear long-term trends were apparent although there were obviously large differences from year to year. The results provide a mean seasonal pattern of species succession on a quantitative basis which can be used to compare counts from different areas or to identify changes in the same area.

amid concern about the status of skates and rays in welsh waters the present work set out to provide up-to-date information on the population biology of raja clavata in caernarfon bay. the von bertalanffy growth parameters were l∞=100.9 cm, k=0.18 y−1 and t0=−0.95 y for males; and l∞=117.6 cm, k=0.16 y−1 and t0=−0.7 y for females. male r. clavata reached 50% maturity at 58.8 cm and 3.9 y, which was smaller and younger than females (l50 and a50 were 70.5 cm and 5.3 y, respectively). although previously over-exploited, the present estimate of total mortality (z) was 0.48–0.49 y−1 which, in terms of replacement mortality (calculated as 0.7 y−1), suggests no immediate prospect of recruitment failure for r. clavata in caernarfon bay. the potential for the recovery of a depleted population is discussed in relation to the allee effect.

Crepipatella fecunda is a benthic, primarily suspension-feeding gastropod that occurs in great abundance along the Chilean coast. It is a protandrous species whose reproduction involves brooding of an encapsulated embryonic stage followed by the release of free-living planktotrophic larvae. Because its close sister species, C. dilatata, co-occurs with C. fecunda, understanding the details of reproduction in this species might shed light on differences in reproductive features that correlate with divergences in mode of development. In southern Chile, brooding occurs throughout the year except for May and June, and each female produces 3–7 broods. The smallest brooding female was 28·2 mm in shell length and the largest was 56·3 mm. All full-grown eggs from the ovary are deposited at one time in a single brood, and only smaller oocytes remain in the gonad after the female finishes ovopositing. Those females that host pinnotherid crabs do not deposit eggs. All the eggs develop into embryos whose intracapsular development is similar to Crepidula fornicata and Crepipatella lingulata. Planktotrophic larvae hatch at a mean shell length of 329·5 μm (SD=27·09) after 4–5 weeks. During the pelagic stage the shell and velum of the larvae grow, but little other morphological development is visible externally. The pelagic stage lasts for 15–16 days at 17°C, during which the larvae grow ∼20·7 μm d−1. Observations of cultured larvae and protoconchs of field-collected juveniles show that settlement occurs when the larvae reach a shell-length of 650 μm (SD=28·3 μm).

In a previous paper (Moore, 1936) an account was given of certain variations in the shape and colour of the shell in Purpura, and it was pointed out that these variations are apparently controlled by diet. It was shown that growth ceases at the onset of sexual maturity, and at the same time other changes such as the thickening of the edge of the shell take place. It was shown also that both the proportion of the population exhibiting these changes, and the average size at which they occur, vary considerably from one locality to another, this variation also being apparently correlated with the nature of the animal's diet. The present paper consists of a study of the growth of the shell and soft parts and an attempt to show whether the observed differences in size at sexual maturity in different populations are to be accounted for by differences in the growth rate during the growing phase.

Bathymodiolus thermophilus is a mixotrophic mussel capable of deriving nourishment from sulphur-oxidizing, bacterial endosymbionts in its gills and from suspended particulates through mucociliary feeding. These mussels become nutritionally stressed when removed from sulphide-rich fluid, but the dynamics of the host/symbiont relationship during this process are still not fully understood. Bathymodiolus thermophilus mussels were collected from an active and a waning hydrothermal site on the southern East Pacific Rise (EPR) and were removed from active venting for 12 d at a site on the northern EPR. Light and transmission electron microscopy showed that gill symbionts were lost from gill bacteriocytes in transplant mussels and that mussels exposed to longer periods of sulphide deprivation suffered deterioration of gill structure and body condition. There was no evidence to support the hypothesis of a shift toward reliance on photosynthetically derived organic material in mussels at the waning vent site.

The dynamics of clearance, segregation and elimination of a marine bacterium, Moraxella sp., by the shore crab, Carcinus maenas (L.) has been studied utilizing fluorescent and radiolabelling techniques. In addition to the gills, the hepatopancreas was a major site of bacterial accumulation with sequestration occurring within haemocyte clumps and groups of stationary cells in this organ. The heart, excretory organ and subcuticular tissues also incorporated bacteria, but to a lesser extent. By the first day post-injection, many of the segregated micro-organisms had been removed from the organs. This latter process was not due to the exodus of laden haemocytes or of intact cell clumps from the host but seemed to result from lytic action by the host blood cells. Little material arising from such bacterial/haemocytic interaction was, however, immediately excreted, and much was relocated in the general body tissues as well as the gill nephrocytes.

The sampling of a discrete unfished population of escallops at Holyhead by diving showed that there was no influx into the area of escallops at any age or size, other than by spat settlement. The success or otherwise of the spat settlement, which was very variable, determined the age- and size-distribution of the population. Evidence is adduced that normal dredge sampling gear is very selective or, if it is made unselective, becomes too laborious to use because of the low densities of escallops. In a commercially fished population the failure to catch the smaller escallops by the sampling dredges, combined with the fishing off of the larger ones, makes the age-distribution of the population appear always to be dominated by the 2- or 3-year-old escallops. The great variability of the success of year-classes is masked by this sampling selection combined with the effects of commercial fishing.

Thirty-nine strains of (mainly) supra-littoral algae were tested for their ability to utilize glycollic acid for chemotrophic and phototrophic growth at the' natural' pH of 8.c. In no instance was there convincing evidence that glycollate either supported growth in the dark or enhanced the growth rate in the light in the presence of carbon dioxide, although acetate performed one or both these functions in a number of the strains. It was concluded that glycollic acid was unlikely to serve as a significant carbon substrate in neutral or slightly alkaline habitats.

INTRODUCTION

A long-term ecological study is being carried out in the Ythan Estuary in north-eastern Scotland. An understanding of the hydrology of the estuary is a prerequisite for future studies into energy relationships in lower trophic levels of the food web. Much of current research into the estuarine environment is concerned with large coastal-plain systems where physical and chemical characteristics are so different from those of shallow estuaries, such as the Ythan, that comparisons of environmental data are untenable. The present investigation reports information collected between October 1966 and September 1968 on major environmental factors and their effect on the distribution of nutrients and detritus in the ecosystem. Results of a concomitant study of algal productivity in a mudflat of the estuary are reported in Leach (1970).

Changes in the relative size of the ovary, oviducal glands and eggs are described for Eledone cirrhosa captured from the North Sea off Aberdeen over a 3 year period (N = 488). The analysis is based only on freshly caught animals, excluding those held in aquarium conditions (> 5 days). Ovary enlargement and egg size estimates are used as indices of sexual maturity. Between 0–15% and 18–95% of total body weight is contributed by the ovary. Maximum egg length in the ovary ranges up to 7 mm. On these criteria, sexual maturation typically occurs at body sizes between 400–1000 g although some animals of 1000–1200 g are found showing no evidence of ovary enlargement. The majority of the monthly sample is always immature but maturation can apparently occur at almost any time of the year. Increase in mean ovary index and mean values for egg size are strongly seasonal and indicate a peak incidence of sexual maturity over 2–3 months in the July-September period. Spawning is presumed to follow within 1 month. Estimates of the fecundity of the females, based on the egg sample from the ovary, range from 2·2 × 103 to 55 × 10 3 eggs with a mean of 11 × 10 3 and a mode of 7·5 × 10 3 eggs.

The effects of oil-spill removers (‘detergents’) on a population of the dogwhelk Nucella lapillus have been studied at Porthleven in South Cornwall, where heavy oil pollution occurred following the ‘Torrey Canyon’ incident in March 1967. Nucella is one of the shore animals which are most resistant to ‘detergent’ treatment, but at Porthleven the species was wiped out in the harbour and the majority of animals were killed on the reef nearby.