A new species of the genus Haloschizopera Lang, 1944(Copepoda,Harpacticoida, Miraciidae,Diosaccinae) from the East China Sea

A new species belonging to the genus Haloschizopera Lang,1944(Copepoda,Harpacticoida,Miraciidae,Diosaccinae)was identified based on the samples collected from the East China Sea,near the offshore of Zhejiang Province,East China.The new species is closely related to H.pygmaea Norman Sccot T.,1905 and shares a combination of the following features:A1 eight-segmented;A2 exp-2 with one distal seta,exp-3 with three setae;P1 endopodal segments subequal,enp-1 not exceeding exp-2;exp-3 of P3 with one inner seta,of P4 with two inner setae.The new species is characterized by the presence of one inner seta on P2 exp-3 of both sexes.It can also be distinguished from its congeners by the characters of female:P5 exopod subcircular,endopodal lobe extending beyond half-length of exopod;genital doublesomite ornamented with three dorsolateral rows of spinules on anterior part.     

The first geodetic investigation at the summit of Dome A,Antarctica

Dome A is the highest ice feature in the Antarctica,up to now,little is known about surface topography at Dome A.The first Chinese ITASE expedition was carried out from Zhongshan station to Dome A during the 1996/1997 austral summer. During the 2004/2005 austral summer,the traverse was extended to the summit of Dome A which is 1228 km from Zhongshan Station by 21st Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE).The real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS survey was carried out in the summit of Dome A dur...     

Preparation and characterization of agar,agarose, and agaropectin from the red alga Ahnfeltia plicata

Agar, agarose, and agaropectin were extracted from the red alga Ahnfeltia plicata, and their properties and structures were characterized. Agar was extracted by a comparatively low alkaline consumption of 1.2%. It exhibited a gel strength of 1 152.50±74.25 g/cm~2 and a sulfate content of 0.55%±0.08%. The yield of agar from A. plicata was 24.53%, which is higher than those of other agarophytes commonly used in China. Three kinds of the method were compared for the purification of agarose, and the physicochemical properties of agarose that was prepared under the optimal condition were identical to those of commercially available agarose. Furthermore, agaropectin was purified from A. plicata and characterized by GC, HPLC,UV-spectrum, and FI-IR to understand its composition and structure. It was the first time to comprehensively study the agar and its fractions from the red alga of A. plicata. This research provided an eco-friendly agar extraction method from A. plicata and revealed its potential application for the production of agar, agarose,and agaropectin.     

Two new species of the genusDorylaimopsis Ditlevsen, 1918 (Nematoda: Adenophora,Comesomatidae) from the Bohai Sea,China

Two nematode species of the genusDorylaimopsis (Family Comesometidae) from the Bohai Sea are described.Dorylaimopsis rabalaisi n. sp. similar toD. punctata Ditlevsen, 1918 from which it can be separated by the small size, short and simple spicules without ventral apophyses or joint line.Dorylaimopsis turneri n. sp. differs from the closest speciesDorylaimopsis angelae (Inglis, 1967) by its higher values of de Man ratio ‘a’, much shorter spicules and higher ratio of gubernacular to spicules length. A key to species of the genus based on the key by Jensen (1979) is given. This project was supported by the National Science Foundation, No: 3860804     

Designation of a new genus Bathymenes for the deep-sea pontoniine shrimps of the 'Periclimenes alcocki species group'(Decapoda,Caridea,Palaemonidae),with a checklist of the species assigned to the genus

A new genus of the deep-sea pontoniine shrimps,Bathymenes gen. nov.,is established for the 'Periclimenes alcocki species group' of the genus Periclimenes Costa,1844. The new genus is distinguished from other genera of the Pontoniinae by a combination of characters: the posteriormost dorsal rostral tooth remote from other teeth,situated in the epigastric position,cornea usually reduced,the propodus of second pereiopods covered with fine granules,the dactylus of the major second chela being generally flanged,the ambulatory pereiopods with the dactyli being biunguiculate and telson with more than two pairs of dorsolateral spines. The genus is mainly distributed in the tropical to warm-temperate Indo-West Pacific waters at depths greater than 200 m. Fifteen species previously recognized as belonging to the 'P.a lcocki species group' are now placed in Bathymenes gen. nov. A key for their identification and a checklist of congeneric species are provided.     

A new species of Macandrewia(Demospongiae,Tetractinellida,Macandrewiidae) from a seamount in the Western Pacific Ocean

A new species of Macandrewia Gray from a seamount near Yap Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean was described.Macandrewia yapensis sp.nov.is distinct from its congeners by possessing a foliate shape with contorted lamellae,tuberculiform terminations of desmas,and unique size of spicules.This is the third species of Macandrewia described from the Pacific Ocean.In addition a partial sequence of COI gene was obtained from the new specimen and then it submitted to GenBank.Phylogenetic tree constructed with the partial COI sequences appears to exhibit a more congruent relationship with morphological data of macandrewiid species compared to 28 S gene tree.     

Reproductive biology of bream A bramis brama(L.) in the lower reaches of the Irtysh River,China

The reproductive biology of bream A bramis brama(L.) was studied from 546 fish collected from the lower reaches of the Irtysh River in Xinjiang, north-west China, from March to November 2013. The overall sex ratio(M/F) was 1.06:1, and was not significantly diff erent from the theoretical 1:1 ratio( P 0.5). However, there was a dominance of males during the pre-spawning season(1.33 in March and 1.56 in April, P 0.5), while females were dominant during the peak spawning season(0.88 in June, P 0.5). The monthly variation in gonadosomatic index(GSI) and proportion of gonads at each macroscopic maturity stage, indicated that A. brama spawned once a year with peak spawning occurring from late May to June. The unimodal distribution of oocyte diameter each month indicated that A. brama is a single spawner, with a high degree of spawning synchronicity. The standard lengths(SL 50) and ages( A 50) at first maturity for males and females, were 178 and 204 mm, and 5.6 and 6.8 years, respectively. The mean absolute fecundity(AF) was 77 311 eggs per fish, and mean relative fecundity(RF) was 162 eggs per gram of body weight(BW). The AF of A. brama increased linearly with increasing of gonad weight(GW), eviscerated weight(EW) and standard length(SL), but was not significantly correlated with age. As, A. brama in the lower reaches of the Irtysh River reaches reproductive maturity relatively late in their life span, is mature for a short period and spawns in aggregations, this fish is vulnerable to overexploitation.     

Eualus heterodactylus sp. nov., a new hippolytid shrimp from Chinese coast of the Yellow Sea （Crustacea,Decapoda, Caridea）

A new species from the caridean family Hippolytidae, Eualus heterodactylus sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on the specimens collected from Chinese coast of the Yellow Sea. The new species is a part of an informal species group characterized by the possession of epipods on the anterior three pairs of pereopods, and is distinguished from other species of this group by the dactyli of the third to fifth pereopods possessing distinctly stair-like flexor margins in males.     

Orbit of the bowhead whale,Balaena mysticetus

The orbit of the bowhead whale is quite modified, shows much more variation in comparison to that of the better studied mammals, and is composed of the maxillary bone, lacrimal bone, frontal bone, temporal bone, zygomatic bone, parietal bone and sphenoid bone. The whale’s eyeball usually protrudes beyond the bony orbital rim, based on the observation of this study. Our observation in this study that the whale has an enclosed orbit differs from that of Prince (1956), who mentioned that the whale has an open orbit. Contribution No. 3455 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy Sciences. Cooperative research between Chinese Academy of Sciences, China and North Slope Borough,Barrow, Alaska, U.S.A. The research funded by the Key Project (No. k2951-A1-245) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

辽宁建平朝阳沟破火山口地质特征

朝阳沟破火山口出露面积约８０ｋｍ２，呈椭圆状，受北东与北西两组基底断裂控制，火山活动期为晚侏罗－早白垩世。火山活动以爆发为主，具多期次脉动喷发特点。岩浆演化由早期至晚期呈由中性到酸性，火山喷发序次由外向内由老至新，岩石结构由细至粗，晚期潜火山岩相正长斑岩沿放射状断裂侵入。     

Isolation,Identification, and Quantitative Determination of Saponin in Apostichopus japonicus by HPLC-DAD

Apostichopus japonicus is an important invertebrate that is widely used as a tonic food in Asian countries.The purpose of this study is to purify and identify a class of compound,the saponins,from the body wall of A.japonicus,and to establish a new me-thod to determine the quantity of saponins in the sea cucumber.In this study,the saponins of A.japonicus,cladoloside A(CA),were ob-tained from 80%ethanol extract by column chromatography for the first time and were characterized using the spectral method.The resulting purified saponins were then profiled using ¹HNMR,¹³CNMR,and ESI-MS,which revealed the CA molecular formula of C₅₃H₈₂O₂ and contained a triterpenoid backbone,a methylglucopyranosyl moiety,a quinovopyranosyl,and two xylopyranosyls.A me-thod for the quantitative determination of CA,comprising microwave-assisted extraction,high-performance liquid chromatography,and diode array detector method,was established.Extraction efficiency was optimized by changing microwave power,extraction sol-vent,volume,time,and temperature.Results showed that under the optimum conditions(extraction time of 10 min,temperature of 45℃,and solvent of 25 mL 70%ethanol under 400 W),the detection limit of CA was 0.0015 mg mL^?1,and the recoveries of CA from samples at spiking levels of 10,20,and 50μg g^?1 ranged from 90.1%-104%.The proposed method was successfully applied to ana-lyze the saponins in different tissues of A.japonicus collected in different seasons.The method developed in this study can provide quantitative technical support for the quality control of A.japonicus.     

Paramonohystera weihaiensis sp.nov.(Xyalidae,Nematoda) from the intertidal beach of the Yellow Sea,China

A new species of free-living marine nematode of the genus Paramonohystera was described from the intertidal beach,Weihai.Paramonohystera weihaiensis sp.nov.is characterized by cervical region with a circle of long setae;tail sexual dimorphism,male tail angled dorsally with sharp narrowed of the body at the cloaca,female tail ordinary conico-cylindrical; spicules slender,2.5 abd long; gubemaculum plate,enlarged distal end with two teeth,without apophysis; precloacal supplements absent;Four caudal gland cells obviously extended to tail.The new species differs from the other fourteen known valid congeners by the combination of its characteristics:a circle of long cervical setae,tail sexual dimorphism,spicules slender,2.5 abd long,gubernaculum plate with a distal pair of teeth.     

Performance of ecological restoration in an impaired coral reef in the Wuzhizhou Island,Sanya, China

Coral restoration is becoming popular to help restoring degraded coral reefs.However,few studies have tried to monitor the long-term recovery of coral reefs,which makes it difficult to assess the performance of the restoration.We monitored the growth of three transplanted Acropora corals and naturally-attached Pocillopora damicornis on artificial reefs(ARs) from October 2014 to September 2018 during which there were several attacks of typhoons.Results show that two staghorn Acropora species had the highest growth rate s(11.0-12.1 cm/a),followed by table coral A.divaricate(5.6 cm/a) and P.damicornis(4.8 cm/a).A linear growth pattern was found for the three Acropora species;the pattern gradually slowed in P.damicornis.There was a strong interspecific competition for space among the corals on ARs,and it led to the sharply declined occurrence of slow-growing P.darmicornis colonies in 2017.Coral recovery was successful at the Wuzhizhou Island and quickly increased AR complexity.However,the ARs made of metal frames fail to resist the direct attack from a catastrophic typhoon.Therefore,concrete and environmentalfriendly materials should be used in future restoration.This study is the first report on long-term monitoring and assessment of coral reef restoration in China.The results offer future guide of reef restoration for impaired coral reefs in regions easily affected by typhoons.     

Atmospheric methane over the past 2000 years from a sub-tropical ice core,central Himalayas

A high-resolution 2000-year methane record has been constructed from an ice core recovered at 7200 m a.s.l. on the Dasuopu Glacier in the central Himalayas. This sub-tropical methane record reveals an increasing trend in the concentration of methane during the industrial era that is similar to observations from polar regions. However, we also observed the differences in the atmospheric methane mixing ratio between this monsoon record and those from polar regions during pre-industrial times. In the time interval 0-1850 A.D., the average methane concentration in the Dasuopu ice core was 782±40 ppbv and the maximum temporal variation exceeded 200 ppbv. The difference gradient of methane concentration in Dasuopu ice core with Greenland and Antarctica cores are 66±40 ppbv and 107±40 ppbv, respectively. This suggests that the tropical latitudes might have acted as a major global methane source in pre- industrial times. In addition, the temporal fluctuation of the pre-industrial methane records suggests that monsoon evolution incorporated with high methane emission from south Asia might be responsible for the relatively high methane concentration observed in the Dasuopu ice core around A.D. 800 and A.D. 1600. These results provide a rough understanding of the contribution of tropical methane source to the global methane budget and also the relationship between atmospheric methane and climate change.     

Mapping the resting cysts of dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella along the coast of Qinhuangdao,China

Dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella is a cosmopolitan bloom-forming species with complex life cycle, the formation and germination of resting cysts are critical for its bloom dynamics. In the coastal waters of Qinhuangdao, A. catenella has been identified as the major causative agent for paralytic shellfish poisoning, but there is little knowledge concerning its resting cysts in this region. In this study, three surveys were carried out along the coast of Qinhuangdao from 2020 to 2021 to map the distribution of A. catenella resting cysts, using a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay specific for A. catenella. The resting cysts were detected in surface sediments during all the three surveys, and their distribution patterns were similar. High abundance of resting cysts (maximum 1 300 cysts/g sediment (wet weight)) were found in a region (119.62°E–119.99°E, 39.67°N–39.98°N) northeast to the coastal waters of Qinhuangdao, where surface sediments were mainly composed of clay and silt (percentage above 50%). Prior to the formation of the A. catenella bloom in March 2021, the abundance of A. catenella vegetative cells in seawater had extremely significant positive correlation with the abundance of resting cysts in surface sediments, reflecting the important role of resting cysts in the initiation of A. catenella blooms. As far as we know, this is the first report on the distribution of A. catenella cysts along the coast of Qinhuangdao. The results will offer a sound basis for the future monitoring and mitigation of toxic A. catenella blooms and paralytic shellfish poisoning events in this region.

     

Recent climate trends on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China

In arid regions, mountains fulfill important ecological and economic functions for the surrounding lowlands. In the scenario of global warming, mountain ecosystems change rapidly, especially in the arid region of northwestern China. This paper provides an assessment of the changes in temperature and precipitation in the historical records of climate on the northern slopes of the eastern Tianshan Mountains. A Mann-Kendall nonparametric trend and Sen＇s tests are employed to analyze the interannual changes and innerannual variability in temperature and precipitatiofi in the regions of low to high altitude. The present study finds that the largest increases in annual temperature are observed at stations in the low altitude regions. The significant increasing trends in temperature tend to occur mainly in late winter and early spring at stations from middle to high altitude, but in summer and autumn at stations of low altitudes. The increasing trends in annual precipitation are found from the middle to high altitude areas, but decreasing trends are found in the low altitude areas. The significant increasing trends in precipitation occur mostly in winter and earlier spring at stations from the middle to high altitudes, while the increasing and decreasing trend coexists at stations of low altitude with most of the significant trend changes occurring in March, June and August.     

Paragnomoxyala papillifera sp. nov.(Nematoda: Monhysterida) from the Bohai Sea,China

A new free-living marine nematode species of the family Xyalidae from Laizhou Bay of the Bohai Sea, China is described and illustrated herein. Paragnomoxyala papillifera sp. nov. is characterized by large funnel-shaped buccal cavity, circular amphidial fovea located posterior to buccal cavity, straight spicules with slightly curved distal end, gubernaculum absent, four papilliform precloacal supplements, tail conico-cylindrical with two ventral embossments in males and having longitudinal rows of cervical setae and subventral caudal setae in males. The new species is easily identified from other two recorded species in the genus by having papilliform precloacal supplements and ventral embossments along conical portion of tail of males. A pictorial key for three species of Paragnomoxyala and comparative table of three species with important characteristics are provided.     

Daptonema parabreviseta sp. nov. (Xyalidae,Nematoda) from the Jiaozhou Bay of the Yellow Sea,China

A new species of free-living marine nematode of the genus Daptonema Cobb, 1920 is described from the sublittoral sediment of the Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao. Daptonema parabreviseta sp. nov. is characterized by having narrowed anterior end; small funnel-shaped buccal cavity; short cephalic setae; spicules with bulbiform proximal end and pointed distal end; gubercunalum tubular shape with a blunt dorsal apophysis. The female genital system presents a spacious postvulval sac. The new species closely resembles Daptonema brevisetosum Thanh & Gagarin, 2009. However, it differs from Daptonema brevisetosum by having relatively narrowed head (10 μm vs 20 μm); spicules with bulbiform proximal end and pointed distal end, not bifurcated at distal end. Female genital system with a spacious postvulval sac (vs absent).