Amurskii Bay Research Articles

Long-term and seasonal dynamics of the recruitment and growth of youngBalanus rostratus barnacles in Amurskii Bay, Sea of Japan

The changes in distribution and abundance of the barnacleBalanus rostranus that occurred at various sites of Amurskii Bay in 1982–1995 were studied. Increased water and sediment pollution by industrial and sewage discharge were found to most significantly affect the abundance of larvae, food composition, and the availability of substrata suitable for larva to settle. The mortality of young barnacles increased and the growth rate decreased in the most polluted areas of the bay at water temperatures higher than 18°C and at critically low oxygen saturation.

Effect of the mariculture of the Japanese scallop on foraminifera assemblages in Alekseev Bight, Sea of Japan

The species composition and population densities of foraminifera were studied in scallop farming grounds in Alekseev Bight (Amurskii Bay, Sea of Japan). Ninety-one species of foraminifera were identified; members of the Elphidiidae, Discorbidae, and Ataxophragmiidae were numerically dominant. When the scallop mariculture farm was in operation, the species composition of foraminifera in farming grounds was impoverished and their population densities were an order of magnitude lower than at more distant locations. Between 1988 and 1995, after the liquidation of the farm, the species diversity and population density of foraminifera in farming grounds increased, while there was a general decline of the foraminifera population in the bay. The highest density and species diversity of foraminifera occurred on coarse silty sand and small silty pebbles, and the lowest species diversity was found on silty sediment.

Feeding habits of the Alaska greenlingHexagrammos octogrammus in the coastal waters of amurskii bay (sea of Japan)

Feeding habits of the Alaska greenlingHexagrammos octogrammus were studied in the coastal waters of Amurskii Bay in April–October 1997–1998. The greenling is characterized by a wide feeding spectrum of no less then 56 fish and invertebrate species. Decapods predominate in the diets of all fish age groups. The feeding spectrum ofH. octogrammus broadens as the fish grows. From spring to autumn, the stomach filling index of first-year fish rises, while that of the other age groups decreases, reaching minimum values in the spawning period.

Pollution in Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan, and its biological consequences

This review summarizes information published in the 1980s–1990s about anthropogenic pollution in Peter the Great Bay, the largest of the bays in the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan. The coastal zone of the bay occupies about 12% of the area of Primorskii Province and is the most heavily populated. The bulk of the human settlements, the seaports of Vladivostok and Nakhodka, railways, industrial enterprises, and developed agriculture are located in the coastal zone. Sewage waters containing multicomponent mixtures of polluting agents of both mineral and organic origin are discharged into the coastal waters of the bay. This paper presents information about the concentration of major classes of polluting agents (oil hydrocarbons, polychlorinated hydrocarbons, surfactants, heavy metals, and radionuclids) in the water and bottom sediments of the bay. The results of physico-chemical and biogeochemical investigations performed in the 1970s–1990s justify considering Zolotoi Rog Bay, Bosfor Vostochnyi Strait, Nakhodka Bay (especially its innermost portion, around the harbor of Nakhodka), and Amurskii Bay to be the most polluted areas in Peter the Great Bay. The information about the biological consequences of pollution in these water areas is briefly reviewed.

Fouling of hydrotechnical structures in western Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

We studied the fouling of piers and quays in Amurskii and Pos’et bays, the Sea of Japan. The main fouling communities and groupings were identified. They were usually dominated by bivalves, the musselMytilus trossulus and the oysterCrassostrea gigas. The exotic speciesBalanus improvisus was found to naturalize in the fouling on the hydrotechnical structures of the Amurskii Bay. The qualitative composition of the fouling of the structures examined was compared using cluster analysis.

Seasonal Dynamics of the Population Density of Mass Species and Trophic Groups of Free-living Marine Nematodes

Seasonal changes in the distribution density and trophic-group composition of marine nematodes were studied in a strait between Reineke and Popova islands (Amurskii Bay, Sea of Japan). Four nematode species dominated throughout the observation period, constituting altogether over 60% of the total nematode population density. Temperature indirectly affected the population composition of mass nematode species. The nine dominant species from Amurskii Bay (Sea of Japan) were classified into three trophic groups. In the spring, the nematode taxocene was dominated by predators; in the autumn, by nonselective detrivorous species; and in the winter and summer, by bottom feeders. Within each season, the trophic structure of the nematode taxocene was almost constant, with the number of species constituting the trophic group being the only variable.

Development in culture of the diatomChaetoceros salsugineus from the Sea of Japan

The development of the diatomChaetoceros salsugineus from Amurskii Bay in the Sea of Japan was investigated in laboratory culture. It is shown that the intraspecific taxaC. salsugineus f.salsugineus, C. salsugineus f.curtus, andC. salsugineus f.solitarius correspond to particular stages in the development of this species in culture. Problems of the taxonomy and biology of this species are discussed. It is assumed that the life cycle ofC. salsugineus includes a benthic stage represented by resting cells.