Focus:The research thrust of the marine ecology group is focussed on the major processes which govern the structure and function of benthic systems, in particular the way in which natural and man made perturbations influence patterns of community biodiversity and biological production. A range of systems are studied from the land-sea margins to deep sea hydrothermal vents.
Progress: The ecology group has been significantly strengthened by the appointment of additional staff with recognised international expertise in studying the impact of fishing gear and fishery discards on the marine benthos. The acquisition of new equipment such as a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) digital video camera sled, time-lapse video cameras and a camera-directed box corer, have greatly improved our capacity for observations and directed sampling of the benthos. Additionally, refurbished aquaria, a new quarantine facility and aquaria for hydrothermal vent organisms have enabled controlled laboratory studies on living organisms, one of the major strengths of ecological research within the School.
Research highlights: Precision sampling techniques have been vital to the study of the biodiversity and productivity of hydrothermal vent and seep ecosystems, showing for the first time unexpectedly enhanced biodiversity near shallow water vents, and the major discovery of hot brine seeps covering extensive areas and overlain by bacterial mats (Paul Dando). A recent highlight has been the first successful maintenance of vent mussels at atmospheric pressure, thus pioneering the way for laboratory studies of the behaviour and nutrition of these organisms which use endosymbiotic bacteria to utilise both sulphide and methane as energy sources (Paul Dando, Chris Richardson). In shallow coastal waters, mussel beds have been shown to be globally important hotspots of biodiversity (Ray Seed), and patterns within these communities are now proving to be valuable sentinels of environmental water quality (Ray Seed, Chris Richardson). Experimental and comparative studies show that in certain localities, bottom fishing activities have resulted in long-term changes in subtidal benthic community structure and that scavenging species, at least in the short term, can benefit from fishery discards (Michel Kaiser, Melanie Bergmann). These studies have international consequences for new "ecosystem" approaches that are advocated for future fisheries management. Exciting advances in satellite remote sensing techniques have now permitted widescale mapping and classification of tropical biotopes enabling more effective coastal zone management. Airborne remote sensing techniques are being used to assess the impact of both shallow water hydrothermalism and the carrying capacity of intertidal mussel beds. A long-term landmark field study of the dynamics of coral reef symbionts highlighted the latest El Niño event that resulted in the widespread and unprecedented bleaching of coral reefs, with severe ecological and economic consequences (John Turner). In response to the need for the framing of international regulations, Ian Lucas and his group are currently undertaking fundamental research to fulfil the need to evaluate the threat from the introduction of non-native species in ships' ballast water. Such introductions are recognised as having global implications for biodiversity and serious economic effects in coastal areas. Chris Richardson and collaborators at UBC Canada and at the British Geological Survey are pioneering the use of mass spectrometry in elucidating the past chronology of ecological disturbances such as heavy metal contamination and seasonal temperature change using bivalve shells. An important recent discovery (Ray Seed with Carter, University of N.Carolina) has shown that the total volume of calcite in mussel shells is inversely related to seawater temperature, strongly indicating that the mineralogical characteristics of these shells could prove to be a valuable tool for reconstructing global sea surface palaeotemperatures from fossil populations.
Achievements: The strength of the group is in extensive international collaboration, enabling a comparison of benthic ecosystems worldwide with studies published from areas including the Falklands, Chile, Indian Ocean, Saudi Arabia, Aegean Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea and Baltic, as well as UK waters. International projects organised by the group include the Aegean Hydrothermalism Project involving 40 scientists in 12 laboratories (Paul Dando), and a workshop on the effects of trawling on nonñtarget species and habitats (Michel Kaiser). Participation in international programmes include the UN Socotra Biodiversity Study (David Jones and John Turner), and the Indian Mascarine Ridge Project (John Turner). Major invited reviews have been published on the effects of fishing on marine ecosystems (Michel Kaiser), and hydrothermalism in the Mediterranean Sea (Paul Dando). The group has attracted working visits by leading marine ecologists from around the world (e.g. Juniper, Quebec; Levinton, New York; Tunnicliffe, Victoria). Ray Seed is currently Associate Editor of the Journal of the Marine Biological Society of the UK, and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology; he has also served on the Council of the Marine Biological Association. Michel Kaiser is editor of reviews for the Journal of Fish Biology. Chris Richardson serves on the editorial board of Scientia Marina.
Paul R. Dando
Professor of Marine Biology
School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5EY, UK
Tel: 00 44
(0)1248 382904, Fax: 00 44 (0)1248 716367, email: p.dando@bangor.ac.uk
Life in Extreme Marine Ecosystems
Major research
area: Hydrothermal
vent and cold seep research
- the environmental effects of fluid seepage through the seabed
(hydrothermal vents, methane seeps and submarine aquifers) and
the study of symbiotic associations between invertebrates and
methane- and/or sulphur-oxidising prokaryotes.
These studies were started, in collaboration with Alan and Eve Southward, during the early 1980's when I was working at the Marine Biological Association of the UK in Plymouth. Since moving to the School of Ocean Sciences in 1994/1995 I have been co-ordinator of the EC MAST-3 project 'Hydrothermal Fluxes and Biological Production in the Aegean ' and have participated in the AMORES project studying mussels and limpets at hydrothermal sites on the mid-Altlantic Ridge. I have been involved in projects on gas and freshwater seepage (SUBGATE), in the ASIMOV project to survey venting on the volcanic Don João de Castro seamount in the Azores and the VENTOX project settting up specialised aquaria for hydrothermal vent animals both in Horta in the Azores and in SOS to study the physiology and behaviour of living hydrothermal vent invertebrates. Currently I am involved in methods to asess shallow water venting influence using airborne remote sensing.
Selection of recent publications
Kádár, E., Bettencourt, R., Costa, V., Santos, R. S., Lobo-da-Cunha, A. & Dando, P. (2005). Experimentally induced endosymbiont loss and re-acquirement in the hydrothermal vent bivalve Bathymodiolus azoricus.. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 318, 99-110.
Dando, P. R., Southward, A. J., Southward, E. C. (2004) Rates of sediment sulphide oxidation by the bivalve mollusc Thyasira sarsi (Philippi). Marine Ecology Progress Series.280: 181-187.
Aliani, S., Meloni, R., Dando, P. R. (2004) Periodicities in sediment temperature time-series at a marine shallow water hydrothermal vent in Milos Island (Aegean Volcanic arc, Eastern Mediterranean). Journal of Marine Systems 46: 109-119.
Schluter,M., Sauter, E.J.,
Andersen, C.E., Dahlgaard, H., Dando, P.R. (2004) Spatial distribution
and budget for submarine groundwater discharge in Eckernforde
Bay (Western Baltic Sea). Limnology and Oceanography 49: 157-167.
Fiala-Médioni, A., Z. P. McKiness, Z. P., Dando, P., Boulegue, J., Mariotti, A., M., A.-D. A., Robinson, J. J. & Cavanaugh, C. M., 2002. Ultrastructural, biochemical, and immunological characterization of two populations of the mytilid mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: evidence for a dual symbiosis. Marine Biology, 141, 1035-1043.
Dando, P. R., Aliani, S., Arab, H., Bianchi, C. N., Brehmer, M., Cocito, S., Fowler, S. W., Gundersen, J., Hooper, L. E., Kölbl, R., Kuever, J., Linke, P., Makropoulos, K. C., Meloni, R., Miquel, J.-C., Morri, C., Müller, S., Robinson, C., Schlesner, H., Sievert, S., Stöhr, R., Stüben, D., Thomm, M., Varnavas, S. P. & Ziebis, W., 2000. Hydrothermal studies in the Aegean Sea. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth (B), 25: 1-8.
Dando, P. R., Stüben, D. & Varnavas, S. P., 1999. Hydrothermalism in the Mediterranean Sea. Progress in Oceanography, 44: 333-367.
Morri, C., Bianchi C. N., Cocito S., Peirano A., De Biasi A. M., Aliani S., Pansini M., Boyer M., Ferdeghini F., Pestarino M. & Dando P.1999. Biodiversity of marine sessile epifauna at an Aegean island subject to hydrothermal activity: Milos, Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Marine Biology, 135: 729-739.
Bussmann, I.; Dando, P.R.; Niven, S.J.; Suess, E. (1999) Groundwater seepage in the marine environment: role for mass flux and bacterial activity. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 178: 169-177.
Mattison, R. G., Abbiati, M., Dando, P. R., Fitzsimons, M. F., Pratt, S. M., Southward, A. J. & Southward, E. C. (1998). Chemoautotrophic microbial mats in submarine caves with hydrothermal sulphidic springs at Cape Palinuro, Italy. Microbial Ecology 35, 58-71.
Dando, P. R., Thomm, M., Arab, H., Brehmer, M., Hooper, L., Jochimsen, B., Schlesner, H., Stöhr, R., Miquel, J.-C. & Fowler, S. (1998) Microbiology of shallow hydrothermal sites off Palaeochori Bay, Milos (Hellenic Volcanic Arc). Cahiers de Biologie Marine , 39: 369-372.
Southward, A. J., Southward, E. C., Dando, P. R., Hughes, J. A., Kennicutt, M. C. & Leahy, Y. (1997). Behaviour and feeding of the nassarid gastropod Cyclope neritea (L), living on hydrothermal brine seeps at Milos (Aegean Sea). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 77: 753-771.
Dando, P. R., Hughes, J. A., Leahy, Y., Niven, S. J., Taylor, L. J. & Smith, C., (1995). Gas venting rates from submarine hydrothermal areas around the island of Milos, Hellenic Volcanic Arc. Continental Shelf Research, 15: 913-929.
Dando, P. R., Hughes, J. A., Leahy, Y., Taylor, L. J. & Ziranovic, S., (1995). Earthquakes increase hydrothermal venting and nutrient inputs into the Aegean. Continental Shelf Research, 15: 655-662.
Dando, P. R.,
Hughes, J. A. & Thiermann, F., 1995. in Preliminary observations
on biological communities at shallow hydrothermal vents in the
Aegean Sea, in Hydrothermal Vents and Processes (eds.) Parson,
L. M., Walker, C. L. & Dixon, D. R., London: Geological Society
Special Publication. Vol. no. 87, pp. 303-317.
Jan Geert Hiddink
Post-doctoral Research Officer
School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5EY, UK
Tel: +44(0)1248 388124, Fax: +44(0)1248 716367; e-mail: J.Hiddink@bangor.ac.uk
Benthic biodiversity and ecology, effects of fishing on marine ecosystems
I am a postdoctoral research officer and specialise in the field of marine benthic ecology. I am currently working on the development and testing of ecological indicators and models to monitor the ecosystem effects of fishing. My study focuses on the effect of otter-trawling for gadoids (cod, haddock, saithe and whiting) on the productivity of benthic communities in the North Sea. The aim of this study is to quantify the effects of trawling on production in a range of habitats in order to develop indicators of the impact of fishing on production.
Production is difficult to measure directly on relevant scales, so we will adopt an approach based on links between body size and life history. Increased body size is linked with lower mortality, slower growth, increased longevity and a lower production to biomass ratio. We will link changes in size spectra to different levels of fishing effort in a range of habitats. As the study examines trawling effects in different habitats, it is necessary to start with classifying gadoid-habitats on the fishing grounds in the North Sea, using GIS.
From 1998 to 2002 I worked as a Ph.D. student at the Department of Marine Biology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands, on the adaptive value of migrations and nursery use for the intertidal bivalve Macoma balthica under supervision of Prof Dr W.J. Wolff. The aim of the study was to evaluate the adaptive value of nursery use and the associated migrations of Macoma balthica. It involved descriptive and experimental field and laboratory studies. The study was primarily aimed at quantification of migrations of M. balthica and at size selective predation on M. balthica at different tidal levels. Nursery use in the high intertidal seems to serve as an adaptation to reduce predation pressure of the shrimp C. crangon, which is abundant in the low intertidal, on juvenile M. balthica. The migration from the nursery to the low intertidal and coastal North Sea at an age of 9 months reduces the infection rate by the trematode parasite Parvatrema affinis.
I finished my study Marine Biology at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands in 1997. As a part of this study I did three projects. I did a 6 months study on temperature effects on flatfish egg production at the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). I studied the ecology of the Nilssonís pipefish in an estuary at National Institute for Coastal and Marine Management/RIKZ, The Netherlands for 3 months. I did a 5 month study on the effort allocation of small-scale fishermen in Indonesia. Fieldwork for this study was carried out in the Spermonde Archipelago, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
In 1997 I
worked at the National Institute for Coastal and Marine Management/RIKZ,
The Netherlands. I analysed data on the ecology, abundance and
distribution of fishes in the Ems-Dollard estuary.
Selection of recent publications
Hiddink JG, Kock
RP, & Wolff WJ (2002) Active pelagic migrations of the bivalve
Macoma balthica are dangerous. Marine Biology, 140, 1149-1156.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-002-0794-9
Hiddink JG &
Wolff WJ (2002) Changes in distribution and decrease in numbers
during migration of the bivalve Macoma balthica . Marine Ecology
Progress Series, 233, 117-130.
http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v233/p117-130.html
Hiddink JG, Ter Hofstede R, & Wolff WJ (2002) Predation of intertidal infauna on juveniles of the bivalve Macoma balthica. Journal of Sea Research, 47, 139-157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1385-1101(02)00107-7
Hiddink JG, Marijnissen
SAE, Troost K, & Wolff WJ (2002) Predation on the 0-group
and older year classes of the bivalve Macoma balthica: interaction
of size selection and intertidal distribution of epibenthic predators.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 269, 223-248.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-0981(02)00002-3
Pet-Soede C, Van Densen WLT, Hiddink JG, Kuyl S, Machiels MAM (2001) Can fishermen allocate their fishing effort in space and time on the basis of their catch rates? An example from Spermonde Archipelago, SW Sulawesi, Indonesia. Fisheries Management and Ecology 8: 15-36
Hiddink JG &
Jager Z. (in press) Abundance and reproduction of Nilssonís
pipefish on tidal flats. Journal of Fish Biology.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jfbi.2002.2072
Reports
Hiddink JG and Jager
Z (1998) The Dollard as nursery for postlarvae of Herring (Clupea
harengus), Sprat (Sprattus sprattus) and Sardine (Sardina pilchardus).
Report RIKZ/OS-98.601x, RIKZ, Haren
Hiddink JG (1997) Experimental investigation on the effect of temperature on egg production, larval quality and recruitment in flatfish. NIOZ-rapport 1997-4:1-40
Michel J. Kaiser
Reader in Marine Ecology
School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5EY, UK
Tel: 00 44 (0)1248 383751, Fax: 00 44 (0)1248 716367, email: m.j.kaiser@bangor.ac.uk
Effects of human activities on marine ecosystems, behavioural and disturbance ecology, fisheries management
The main focus of my research over the last ten years has been the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on marine benthic communities. More specifically, I have examined both the ecological effects of fishing disturbance and intertidal aquaculture practices for benthic organisms and habitats.
The ecological effects of fishing (image of a beam trawler) have been studied from two aspects: direct effects of disturbance on the seabed and the behaviour and population biology of scavenging biota in relation to these disturbances. Experimental research has identified those organisms and habitats sensitive to physical disturbance for trawl damage and has enable me in collaboration with colleagues to undertake a meta-analysis of such experiments that provides a predictive basis for environmental management. More recently, my research has taken a more comparative approach, comparing the fauna and habitats in areas subjected to known gradients of fishing disturbance. This is yielding excellent data that fits predictions of biomass/abundance changes in response to physical disturbance. In conjunction with Dr CA Richardson, we have been able to verify these levels of physical disturbance by examining bivalve shell scars caused by fishing activity. One of the comparative studies also encompassed a survey of stations sampled in the English Channel in the 1950s prior to intense bottom fishing. Present day data will be compared historical data and samples held at the British Natural History Museum. My latest research interests are centred on the importance of habitat structure for marine fishes. This recently funded project will examine whiting, cod, haddock, sole, plaice and lemon sole, their diets and the habitats in which they are found (see Dr Melanie Bergmann - above).
The ecological effects of intertidal cultivation practices are of concern because they can pollute the marine environment or alter it such that is no longer suitable for the original inhabitants. The UK mussel industry is currently worth approximately £4 million per annum and is expanding as demand from overseas continues to grow. Currently, seed mussels are harvested subtidally and relaid on intertidal beds for ongrowing with little or no attempt to maximise yield. The relaid mussels are vulnerable to bird, crab and starfish predation and will cause ecological changes to the local habitat and benthic community. NERC has just funded this project which will be a collaborative venture between the mussel industry, the School of Ocean Sciences University of Wales-Bangor, the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology and the Environment Agency. Each partner will address different elements of the project providing data that will be incorporated into models that will assist in designing a management plan to improve mussel yield while minimising any adverse environmental impacts.
Reviews Editor - Journal of Fish Biology
Selection of recent publications
Jennings S., Kaiser M.J. & Reynolds J.D. 2001. Marine Fisheries Ecology. Blackwell Science, Oxford. 432 pp.
Kaiser M.J. & de Groot S.J. (eds) 2000. The effects of trawling on non-target species and habitats: biological, conservation and socio-economic issues. Blackwell Science, Oxford. 399 pp.
Collie J.S., Hall S.J., Kaiser M.J. & Poiner I.R. (2000) Shelf sea fishing disturbance of benthos: trends and predictions. Journal of Animal Ecology 69: 785-798.
Kaiser M.J., Ramsay K., Richardson C.A., Spence F.E. & Brand A.R. (2000) Chronic historical fishing disturbance has changed shelf sea benthic community structure. Journal of Animal Ecology, 69: 494-503.
Kaiser M.J., Spence F.E. & Hart P.J.B. (2000) Fishing gear restrictions conserve benthic habitat complexity. Conservation Biology.14: 1512-1525.
Kaiser M.J., Rogers S.I. & Ellis J.R. 1999. Importance of benthic habitat complexity for demersal fish assemblages in Fish habitat: essential fish habitat and rehabilitation. (Ed. L. R. Benaka). American Fisheries Society, Symposium 22, Bethesda, Maryland. pp 212-223.
Kaiser M.J. 1998. Significance of bottom-fishing disturbance. Conservation Biology, 12: 1230-1235.
Kaiser M.J., Laing, I., Utting S.D. & Burnell G.M. 1998. Environmental impacts of bivalve mariculture. Journal of Shellfish Research 17: 59-66.
Kaiser M.J. & Ramsay K. 1997. Opportunistic feeding by dabs within areas of trawl disturbance: possible implications for increased survival. Marine Ecology Progress Series 152: 307-310.
Kaiser M.J., Bullimore B., Newman P., Lock K. & Gilbert S. 1996. Catches in 'ghost-fishing' set nets. Marine Ecology Progress Series 145: 11-16.
Kaiser M.J. & Spencer B.E. 1996. The effects of beam-trawl disturbance on infaunal communities in different habitats. Journal of Animal Ecology 65: 348-358.
Ian A.N. Lucas
Senior Lecturer in Marine Biology
School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Menai Bridge, Gwynedd, LL59 5EY, UK
Tel: 00 44 (0)1248 382871, Fax: 00 44 (0)1248 716367, email: i.lucas@bangor.ac.uk
Taxonomy and physiology of marine microalgae
I completed my B. Sc. in zoology at the University of Wales, Swansea in 1964, followed by a Ph.D. in the same department. This thesis, entitled ëStudies on the Cryptophyceae and some other marine flagellatesí was completed in 1967. Subsequently two years were spent as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Research Council of Canada at the Atlantic Regional Laboratories in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was then appointed as a lecturer in Bangor University at the Marine Sciences Laboratories and as a senior lecturer in 1992.
My research interests have continued into the ultrastructure, taxonomy and physiology of marine microalgae. Currently investigations centre on the fine structure of the Dinoflagellates, with particular emphasis on some of the more exotic tropical species. An initial interest in dinoflagellate resting cysts has lead to government funded studies on the problem of commercial shipping transporting viable marine organisms of all types in shipís ballast tanks. This has resulted, in the past, in a number of introduced species which subsequently have had considerable effects on local ecosystems. As well a baseline research on the extent of the problem, work is also underway on methods of controlling the introduction process and the monitoring of compliance.
Selection of recent publications
Hamer J.P., McCollin T.A. & Lucas I.A.N. 2000. Dinoflagellate cysts in ballast water sediments: between tank variability. Marine Pollution Bulletin 40, 731-733.
Leonardos N.& Lucas I.A.N. 2000. The nutritional value of algae grown under different culture conditions for Mytilus edulis larvae. Aquaculture 182, 305-315.
Leonardos N.& Lucas I.A.N. 2000. The use of larval acids as an index of growth in Mytilus edulis. Aquaculture 184, 155-166.
Hamer J.P., McCollin T.A. & Lucas I.A.N. 1998. Transport of dinoflagellate cysts in shipís ballast tanks. NTNV Vienskams Rapport. Bot. Series 168.
Hamer J.P., McCollin T.A. & Lucas I.A.N. 1998. Viability of decapod larvae in shipsí ballast water. Marine Pollution Bulletin 36, 466-647.
Gray A.P., Lucas I.A.N., Seed R.& Richardson C.A. 1998. Mytilus edulis chilensis infested with Coccomyxa parasitica (Chlorococcales, Coccomyxaceae). Journal of Molluscan Studies 65, 289-294.
Chris A. Richardson
Reader in Marine Biology
School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Menai Bridge, Gwynedd, LL59 5EY, UK
Tel: 00 44 (0)1248 382855, Fax: 00 44 (0)1248 716367, email: c.a.richardson@bangor.ac.uk
Growth, physiology behaviour and reproduction of marine molluscs
My research interests
lie in the general areas of the growth, physiology, behaviour
and reproduction of marine bivalve and gastropod molluscs. My
research (NERC-funded) has investigated the periodicity of microscopic
patterns of bands in shell sections of several species of marine
bivalves and has led to the discovery of an exogenous semidiurnal
rhythm of growth band production in intertidal bivalves, whilst
in subtidal species a weak pattern of growth bands resulting
from an endogenous rhythm is produced. This has allowed
accurate measurements of tidal and daily growth rates to be related
to environmental factors and is relevant to the study of shellfish
growth and for environmental impact studies. Through support
from the MAFF, (CSG grants) and project work from both PhD, MSc
and undergraduate students, I have continued to apply the growth
banding techniques to studies of recruitment, growth and population
structure of bivalve communities. These studies have
been complemented by research into the partitioning of energy
reserves into the growth and reproduction of queen scallops,
Chlamys opercularis, in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland,
work carried out previously at UMBS Millport.
It is envisaged that eventually the use of microgrowth patterns will allow the sublethal effects of pollutants on shell growth to be studied over periods as short as a few days compared with conventional studies which require much longer time intervals. The sensitivity of the technique is such that on a visit to Penang, Malaysia I was able to pick out the effects of monsoon-related changes in salinity on tidal growth rates of the Malaysian cockle Andara granosa. Recent on-going research in collaboration with the British Geological Survey, Nottingham is attempting to analyse the chemical record of shell growth from growth patterns within the shell. Collaborative work with Canadian Scientists has revealed that mussel shells growing in close proximity to effluent discharges from Kraft wood pulp mills contain a different chemical signature to those mussels growing distant from sites of discharge. Studies with Dr K. Ramsay and Dr M. Kaiser (MAFF CSG-funded) have focused on the frequency of damage in the dog cockle Glycymeris glycimeris as a result of the impact of fishing gears, work which has followed on from studies on razor clams in Portugal and Scotland.
Currently my research is aimed at studying the mechanisms of microgrowth pattern formation in bivalves. Rhythms of shell valve closure and an analysis of the pH of the extrapallial fluid in contact with the newly mineralising shell have been studied using an integrated approach in which continuous records of the pH of the extrapallial fluid and shell valve closure can be directly compared. A recent development is the construction of a telemetry system which is allowing patterns of shell valve gape and closure to be recorded during spring and neap tides in the Menai Strait. This data will allow a direct comparison to be made between the rhythmic patterns of shell valve movements and deposition of shell microgrowth bands.
A recently
completed PhD research project has involved a study of the effects
of the predatory, burrowing intra-oral feeding starfish Astropecten
irregularis on benthic communities. The work carried out
with Dr S. Freeman and Prof. R. Seed using model prey and bivalve
species with different tolerances to anoxia, has shown that these
starfish can select a particular prey species and prey size that
is most vulnerable to asphyxiation inside the starfish stomach.
A current PhD student is investigating the ecology, larval development
and prey selection by the necklace shell Polinices catenus,
a frequent prey item consumed by Astropecten irregularis.
Selection of recent publications
Richardson, C. A. 2001. Bivalves as archives of environmental information. Oceanography and Marine Biology - an annual review, 39 (In Press).
Richardson, C. A., Chenery, S. R. N. & Cook, J.M. 2000. Assessing the history of chemical contamination in the North Sea through laser ablation ICP-MS of horse mussel, Modiolus modiolus shells. Marine Ecology Progress Series (In Press).
Freeman, S.M., Richardson, C.A. & Seed, R. 2000. Seasonal abundance, spatial distribution, spawning and growth of Astropecten irregularis (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in the Irish Sea. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science (In Press)
Ramsay, K. & Richardson, C. A. 2000. Techniques for assessing repaired shell damage in dog cockles, Glycymeris glycymeris L. Journal of Shellfisheries Research. (In Press).
Boyd, S.E., Rees, H.L. & Richardson, C. A. 2000. Nematodes as sensitive indicators of change at dredged material disposal sites. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science (In Press).
Abades S., Richardson, C.A. & Otaiza, R. 2000. Dynamical assessment of the accretionary record in the shell of the mussel Semimytilus algosus (Gould, 1950) from a rocky shore in Chile. Biosystems (In Press)
Thompson, I.S., Richardson, C.A., Seed, R. & Walker, G. 2000. Quantification of mussel (Mytilus edulis) growth from power station cooling waters in response to chlorination procedures. Biofouling 16, 1-15.
Seed, R., Richardson, C.A. & Smith, K. 2000. Marine mussels, their evolution, ecological significance, and use as chronometers of environmental change. In: The Evolutionary Biology of the Bivalvia (Eds. E. Harper, Taylor, J.D. & Crame, J.A). Geological Society, London, Special Publications 177, 465-478.
Seed, R. & Richardson, C.A 1999. The role of evolutionary traits in controlling the distribution of Perna viridis and Septifer virgatus (Bivalvia: Mytilidae). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 239, 273-287.
Richardson, C.A., Kennedy, H.A., Duarte, C. M., Kennedy, H.A. & Proud, S.V. 1999. Age and growth of the fan mussel Pinna nobilis from S.E. Spanish Mediterranean seagrass, Posidonia oceanica meadows. Marine Biology 133, 205-212.
Ray Seed
Professor of Marine Ecology
School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Menai Bridge, Gwynedd, LL59 5EY, UK
Tel: 00 44 (0)1248 382886, Fax: 00 44 (0)1248 716367, email: r.seed@bangor.ac.uk
Coastal marine ecology and invertebrate zoology
After gaining a doctorate from the University of Leeds in 1967 I worked for two years as a Post Doctoral Research Fellow (NERC) at the Wellcome Marine Laboratory in Robin Hood's Bay, N. Yorkshire. I moved to the Queen's University Belfast as a Lecturer in Zoology in 1969 and to an equivalent position in Bangor University in 1976. I was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1981, to Reader in 1989 and was awarded a Personal Chair by the University of Wales in 1994. I have taught courses in Marine Invertebrate Zoology at the Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington and at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort North Carolina.
My research interests fall broadly within the fields of coastal marine ecology and marine invertebrate zoology. I have a particular interest in the ecology of organisms and communities associated with the rocky intertidal zone.
Selection of recent publications
Seed, R., Richardson, C.A.& Smith, K. (2000). Marine mussels, their evolutionary success, ecological significance and use as chronometers of environmental change. Geological Society of London, Special Publications. 177,465-478.
Burch, A. & Seed, R. (2000). Foraging behaviour of Carcinus maenas on Mytilus edulis: the importance of prey presentation. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK. 80,799-810.
Seed, R. & Richardson, C.A. (1999). Evolutionary traits in Perna viridis (Linnaeus) and Septifer virgatus. (Wiegmann) (Bivalvia: Mytilidae). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 239, 273-287.
Carter, J.G. & Seed, R. (1998). Thermal potentiation and mineralogical evolution in Mytilus (Mollusca: Bivalvia). In: Bivalves: An Eon of Evolution. eds., P.A. Johnston and J.W. Haggart pp. 87-117, University of Calgary Press.
Seed, R. & Hughes, R.N. (1997). Chelal characteristics and foraging behaviour of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science. 44,221-229.
Seed, R. (1996). Patterns of biodiversity in the macro-invertebrate fauna associated with mussel patches on rocky shores. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK. 76,203-210.
I have approximately 140 publications which include two textbooks, 'An Introduction to Coastal Ecology', Blackie (1985) which I co-authored with P.J.S. Boaden and 'The Ecology of Rocky Coasts', Hodder & Stoughton (1985) which I co-edited with P.G. Moore. I also co-edited 'Behavioural Ecology of Decapod Crustaceans: An Experimental Approach' with R.N. Hughes which appeared as a Special Issue of the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (Vol.193,1995). I am currently on the editorial board of the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology and an Associate Editor of the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK.
John Turner
Senior Lecturer in Marine Biology
School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Menai Bridge, Gwynedd, LL59 5EY, UK
Tel: 00 44 (0)1248 382881, Fax: 00 44 (0)1248 716367, email: oss005@bangor.ac.uk
Tropical and temperate reef ecology and coastal zone management
I graduated in Joint Honours Botany and Zoology at the University of Bristol in 1981, and then progressed to doctorate research at the University of Oxford and St Johnís College, investigating the ëEcology of Temperate Symbiotic Anthozoaí. In 1985 I moved to a NERC funded postdoctoral position at the University of Wales Bangor, School of Animal Biology, where I investigated the ëBehavioural Ecology of Shoaling Fishí and specifically the ëTwilight Hypothesisí. In 1987, I transferred to the School of Ocean Sciences to take up a Research Demonstratorship in Marine Biology. I became Course Director of the MSc in Marine Environmental Protection in 1989, and developed research interests in mapping coral reef biotopes, impact assessment and coastal zone management. I became a permanent member of staff in 1990, Lecturer in 1993 and appointed to Senior Lecturer in 2000.
I am interested in the following research areas:
Temperate reef ecology. The habitat and community ecology of rocky sea beds, largely conducted using SCUBA diving and developing underwater survey techniques to measure the abundance and distribution of marine animals and plants, and to quantify their behaviour by night and day.
Tropical coral reef ecology. At the cellular level, my research examines the symbiotic relationship between the algae and their coral hosts, and how this effects productivity. Studies at the level of the organism are conducted on key components of the system, such as the corals that make the reefs, urchins that erode them, and sea cucumbers which unlock nutrients within the surrounding sediments. At the ecosystem level, my research involves the mapping of coral reefs using remote satellites, and the validation of remote data by underwater survey and the classification of the communities detected. My research seeks to understand the mechanisms involved in algal loss or ëcoral bleachingí, and to assess its effect on a wide scale, and to measure reef recovery.
Coastal zone science and management. Research activity in this area is conducted to protect and conserve species, habitats and ecosystems by assessing biodiversity, predicting the effects of development activities, and monitoring activities as they occur. Impacts are mitigated through Environmental Impact Assessment, and data is acquired on which to base sustainable development. Geographical Information Systems are used to present data in the most high impact format for decision makers and managers. The research involves collaboration with intergovernmental and international conservation bodies.
Selection of recent publications
Turner, J.R., Jago, C., Daby, D. & Klaus, R. 2000. The Mascarene Region. Chapter 70. p. 243-258 in Sheppard, C.R.C. (ed). Seas at The Millennium, An Environmental Assessment. Elsevier Science.
Turner, J., Klaus, R. & Engelhardt, U. 2000. The reefs of the granitic islands of the Seychelles. p. 77-86 in Souter, D., Obura, D., and Linden, O. (eds) Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean. CORDIO/SAREC.
Turner, J., Hardman, E., Klaus, R. , Fagoonee, I., Daby, D., Baghooli, R. & Persands, S. 2000. The reefs of Mauritius. p. 94-107 in Souter, D., Obura, D., and Linden, O. (eds) Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean. CORDIO/SAREC.
Bell, J.J. & Turner, J.R. 2000. Factors influencing the density and morphometrics of the cup coral Caryophyllia smithii in Lough Hyne. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 80, 437-441.
Fagoonee, I., Wilson, H.B., Hassell, M.P. & Turner, J.R. 1999. The dynamics of zooxanthellae populations: a long term study in the field. Science 283, 843-845.
Turner, J.R. & Dykes, R. 1998. Remote Sensing of Coral Reefs. p. 44-45 In Richmond, M. (ed). The guide to the seashores of East Africa and Western Indian Ocean Islands. SAREC Marine Science Programme. Stockholm. Sweden.
Davy, S.K, Lucas, I.A.N. & Turner, J.R. 1997. Symbiosis specificity and the selection of symbionts by the temperate sea anemone Cereus pedunculatus (Pennant). Biological Bulletin 192, 208-216.
De Grave, S. & Turner, J.R. 1997. Activity rhythms of the squat lobsters, Galathea squamifera and G. strigosa (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) in south west Ireland. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 77, 273-276.