The first comprehensive biodiversity background survey was launched in Shanghai 2023 years.

Recently, there has been good news in many places in Chongming District, and the investigation found that the bizarre cloth-like algae is a new record species in China, and the straight-veined dwarf and small rod-veined sax are the new recorded species in Shanghai, which have not been recorded in Shanghai or even in China before.

Aquatic organisms refer to the general term of organisms living in various water bodies, including microorganisms, algae, aquatic vascular plants, zooplankton, benthic animals and fish, etc., which are interdependent and coordinated in a specific environment and play an important role in aquatic ecosystems.

Last year, under the guidance of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences and the Chongming District Ecological Environment Bureau organized a survey team from Shanghai Ocean University to conduct a comprehensive survey of the aquatic life of the rivers and lakes in Chongming Island, and set up 46 survey points in Dongfeng Xisha Reservoir, Mingzhu Lake, Beihu Lake, Nanheng Diversion River, Beiheng Diversion River, Tuanwang River and other places.

"Among them, there are not only 'big rivers', but also town-level and village-level rivers, as well as some rivers under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu, to ensure that the characteristics of the ecological waters of Chongming Island are fully reflected." Zhang Ruilei, an associate professor at the School of Fisheries and Life Sciences of Shanghai Ocean University, said that the survey was mainly carried out in spring and autumn, spring is the breeding and growing season of most aquatic organisms, and the biodiversity in autumn is relatively stable.

In the vicinity of the Xinchenhai Highway Bridge and the Limin Bridge of the Beiheng River in Qihui Port, investigators collected river sediment and were pleasantly surprised when they returned to the laboratory to "open the blind box" - there were two benthic animals that had not been recorded in Shanghai before: the straight-veined dwarf and the small rod-veined rod-veined rock.

Image source: Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Chongming District Bureau of Ecology and Environment

Image source: Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Chongming District Bureau of Ecology and Environment

Zhang Ruilei told the Jiefang Daily Shangguan News reporter that although there is "mosquito" in the name, the mosquito does not do much harm to humans and animals, their adult mouth needles have degenerated, do not "bite" people, most of the mosquito larvae live in the sediment, feeding on organic debris, algae, bacteria, aquatic animal and plant residues in the sediment.

As an intermediate link in the food chain, the midges connect primary production and high-trophic organisms, and they can also promote the decomposition and transformation of organic matter through feeding, thereby improving the sediment interface microhabitat.

In many places in our country, the midges are not unfamiliar, some species of midges larvae are called "bloodworms" because their body fluids contain heme, and their bodies are blood-red, and they are excellent natural bait for a variety of economic aquatic animals.

The life cycle of the midgele mosquito (left) consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupae and adult. The larval stage occupies most of the entire life cycle and completes the entire life cycle for about 7~0 weeks. The lifespan of adults is generally 0~0 days, and adults have strong phototaxis and fly in groups in early morning or dusk. The midge, commonly known as the "grass mosquito", is completely different from the group of "vampires" on the right. Image source: Zhuhai CDC

Harvested in a non-artificially farmed environment"Red Worm"mainbeBy pumping sediment from natural water bodiesPassHow you filterobtain, which can pollute water bodies, may break the original healthy self-purification system of water bodies, and even affect local biodiversity by destroying the stability of many biological habitats.

In MinamiyokoNear the Shengang Road and Bridge, there are more surprises. Using a plankton net, the team was able to collect a species of algae that had not been recorded in China before.

This is an attached or benthic diatom, its structure is very unique, the algae body is slightly "S" shaped, the middle of the shell surface is wide, the ends are narrowed, the end is slightly knife-shaped, the surface transverse and longitudinal lines are staggered into a grid, the length can reach 218 microns, mainly inhabiting estuarine brackish water habitats, highly sensitive to environmental changes.

Exotic cloth algae. Image source: Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Chongming District Bureau of Ecology and Environment

"It's very difficult to find, a small drop of water, no matter how small the size, is also a 'jungle' inhabited by many creatures, and it is difficult for us to predict in advance which 'inhabitants' will be." Zhang Ruilei said that the miniature size of the bizarre cloth pattern algae is also "dressed in camouflage clothing" - a lot of substances are covered on it, it is difficult to show clear characteristics, researchers must use strong acid treatment in the identification process, eliminate interference, and then magnify thousands or even tens of thousands of times under the electron microscope to see its appearance, so as to accurately identify, which is a boring but very meaningful thing.

"The discovery of a number of new records is of great significance for understanding the complexity of the water ecosystem of Chongming Island." Wu Jianqiang, deputy director of the Institute of Ecology of the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, said frankly that in the past, research on aquatic life-related topics in Shanghai was mainly concentrated in large water bodies such as Dianshan Lake and Huangpu River, and the investigation carried out in small water bodies in various districts was very limited.

"Further research is needed on the reasons for the emergence of these newly recorded species in Chongming, and it is likely that there are other uninvestigated species that have settled in Chongming and are waiting for us to explore." Wu Jianqiang said.