Data on isotopic niche differentiation in benthic consumers from shallow-water hydrothermal vents and nearby non-vent rocky reefs in northeastern Taiwan.

This paper presents data on carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in benthos from shallow-water hydrothermal vents (SV) and nearby non-vent rocky reefs (NV) located in northeastern Taiwan, which is related to the article "Isotopic niche differentiation in benthic consumers from shallow-water hydrothermal vents and nearby non-vent rocky reefs in northeastern Taiwan" [1]. Field sampling work was conducted in July 2009 and July-August 2010 to collect sediment organic matters (SOM), zooplankton, and benthos for carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic analyses. Scuba divers collected macrobenthos, seawater, and surface sediments (0-2 cm).

Reproductive adaptations of the hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpus testudinatus: An isotopic approach.

The vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus was firstly discovered in 2000 at the hydrothermal vent field off the coast of Kueishan Island. The present study attempts to understand the adaptive reproduction of this crab living in an extreme environment by examining its spatial and temporal distribution and isotopic signatures. The seasonal variation of the female-male ratio suggests that ovigerous females may migrate from beneath the vent orifice to the vent-periphery region to release their larvae to avoid the larvae contacting high toxic plumes, and then returns to the vent orifice habitat.

External-forcing modulation on temporal variations of hydrothermalism-evidence from sediment cores in a submarine venting field off northeastern Taiwan.

The temporal variation of sulfur and metals in core sediments off Kueishantao Islet, a hydrothermal vent site at northeastern Taiwan, was explored to elucidate the changes in submarine hydrothermal emanation over a centennial time scale. The discharge of acidic fluids containing abundant sulfides and dissolved metals results in different concentrations of sulfur and metal accumulating in deposited sediments. In addition to particle size and organic carbon affecting metal contents, the content of total sulfur (TS), which is regarded as an indicator of hydrothermalism, correlates positively and strongly with Fe and other metals; however, it correlates negatively with another index of hydrothermalism, the Al/(Al+Fe+Mn) ratio.

Comparison of metal accumulation in the azooxanthellate scleractinian coral (Tubastraea coccinea) from different polluted environments.

The response of metal accumulation in coral Tubastraea coccinea to various degrees of metal enrichment was investigated from the Yin-Yang Sea (YYS) receiving abandoned mining effluents, the Kueishan Islet (KI) hydrothermal vent field, and the nearshore area of remoted Green Island (GI). The concentrations of most dissolved metals were highest in seawater at YYS, followed by KI, and then GI, showing the effects of anthropogenic and venting inputs on metal levels. Five metals (Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn) yielded significant differences (p<0.

Cultivation of a thermo-tolerant microalga in an outdoor photobioreactor: influences of CO2 and nitrogen sources on the accelerated growth.

A photobioreactor was designed to evaluate the performance of a newly isolated thermo-tolerant microalga Desmodesmus sp. F2 in municipal wastewater under tropical outdoor conditions. The environmental parameters, levels of nutrients, and growth rates were monitored during the cultivations to elucidate the factors that contributed to accelerated growth after lag phase.

Bioaccumulation of trace metals in the submarine hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus off Kueishan Island, Taiwan.

The concentrations of ten trace metals were determined in the gills, muscles, hepatopancreas, and exoskeleton tissues of Xenograpsus testudinatus that lives around shallow and acidic hydrothermal vents off Kueishan Island, northeastern Taiwan. The analytical results demonstrate that the metal concentrations vary significantly with the type of crab tissue. The concentrations of Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn are highest in the gills, whereas the concentration of Mn is highest in the exoskeleton.

Biogeochemical responses to the removal of maricultural structures from an eutrophic lagoon (Tapong Bay) in Taiwan.

The biogeochemistry of Tapong Bay, one of the major lagoons in southern Taiwan, was studied from 1999 to 2004, encompassing a period in 2003 in which aquaculture activities were terminated and the associated structures removed. Removal of the maricultural structures resulted in the reduction of the mean time for water exchange time in Tapong Bay from about 10+/-2d to 6+/-2d. The annual mean concentration of measured nutrients (DIN, DIP and DSi) also decreased significantly, likely due to improved water exchange, ceased feeding and increased biological utilization.

Trophic structure and functioning in a eutrophic and poorly flushed lagoon in southwestern Taiwan.

Tapong Bay, a eutrophic and poorly flushed tropical lagoon, supports intensive oyster culture. Using the Ecopath approach and network analysis, a mass-balanced trophic model was constructed to analyze the structure and matter flows within the food web. The lagoon model is comprised of 18 compartments with the highest trophic level of 3.

Trophic functioning and nutrient flux in a highly productive tropical lagoon.

Chiku Lagoon is a highly productive tropical lagoon with high fishery yields. Trophic networks and stoichiometrically linked water-salt-nutrient budgets were constructed to relate the functioning of the food web to nonconservative behavior of nutrients in the lagoon. Network analysis showed that the lagoon is more dependent on phytoplankton than detritus and periphyton to generate food sources for consumers.