Longitudinal patterns of spring-intermonsoon phytoplankton biomass, species compositions and size structure in the Bay of Bengal

Vertical distributions of phytoplankton biomass, compositions and size structure were investigated during the spring-intermonsoon (April 22 to 30) of 2010 along transact 10°N of the Bay of Bengal, northern Indian Ocean. Surface phytoplankton biomass (Chl a) was (0.065§0.009) μg/L, being greater than 80% of which was contributed by pico-phytoplankton (<3 μm). The Chl a concen- tration vertically increased to the maximal values at deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) layer that shoaled eastwards from 75 to 40 m. The Chl a biomass at DCM layer generally varied between 0.2 and 0.4 μg/L, reaching the maximum of 0.56 μg/L with micro-phytoplankton cells (>20 μm) accounting for 58% and nano- (3-20 μm) or pico-cells for 15% and 27%, respectively. In particular, the cells concentration coupling well with phosphate level was observed at middle layer (75-100 m) of 87° to 89°E, dominated by micro-cells diatoms (e.g., Chaetoceros atlanticus v. neapolitana, Chaetoceros femur and Pseudonitzschia sp.) and cyanobacteria (i.e., Trichodesmium hildebrandtii), with the cells concentration reached as high as 4.0×10⁴ and 4.3×10⁴ cells/L. At the rest of the trans- act however, dino°agellates (e.g., Amphisdinium carterae and Prorocentrum sp.) were the dominant species, with the cells concentration varying from 0.3×10³ to 6.8×10³ cells/L. Our results also in- dicate that the regulation of large cells (micro-, nano-) on phytoplankton biomass merely occurred at DCM layer of the Bay.     

Toxic chemistry of heavy metals on Isochrysis galbana (parke)in inshore water

Effects of heavy metals on Isochrysis galbana (Parke) were studied in our laboratory. The research focused on toxic effects of metals on algal cells, effects of water-soluble and lipid-soluble organic ligands on metal toxicity and processes of metal uptake by cells. Interactions between two metals and the mechanisms involved were also studied in detail. Finally, some relationships between toxicity and chemical property of metals were revealed.     

Integration of the nuclease protection assay with sandwich hybridization (NPA-SH) for sensitive detection of Heterocapsa triquetra

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that function as primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Some species of microalgae undergo rapid growth and cause harmful blooms in marine ecosystems. Heterocapsa triquetra is one of the most common bloom-forming species in estuarine and coastal waters worldwide. Although this species does not produce toxins, unlike some other Heterocapsa species, the high density of its blooms can cause significant ecological damage. We developed a H. triquetra species-specific nuclease protection assay sandwich hybridization (NPA-SH) probe that targets the large subunit of ribosomal RNA (LSU rRNA). We tested probe specificity and sensitivity with five other dinoflagellates that also cause red tides. Our assay detected H. triquetra at a concentration of 1.5×10⁴ cells/mL, more sensitive than required for a red-tide guidance warning by the Korea Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in 2015 (3.0×10⁴ cells/mL). We also used the NPA-SH assay to monitor H. triquetra in the Tongyeong region of the southern sea area of Korea during 2014. This method could detect H. triquetra cells within 3 h. Our assay is useful for monitoring H. triquetra under field conditions.     

Influence of pressure on the solid state phase transformation of Cu—Al—Bi alloy

The solid state phase transformation of Cu--Al--Bi alloy under high pressure was investigated by x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Experimental results show that the initial crystalline phase in the Cu--Al--Bi alloy annealed at 750 °C under the pressures in the range of 0--6 GPa is α-Cu solid solution (named as α-Cu phase below), and high pressure has a great influence on the crystallisation process of the Cu--Al--Bi alloy. The grain size of the α-Cu phase decreases with increasing pressure as the pressure is below about 3 GPa, and then increases (P>3 GPa). The mechanism for the effects of high pressure on the crystallisation process of the alloy has been discussed.     

Initiation of two ovarian cell lines from Fugu rubripes (Temminck et. Schlegel)

The ovary is an excellent system for studying stem cell renewal and differentiation, which is under the control of ovarian somatic cells. In order to understand oogenesis in Fugu rubripes (Temminck et. Schlegel) as a marine fish model of aquaculture importance, we established cell lines called TSOC1 and TSOC2 from a juvenile ovary of this organism. TSOC1 is composed of spindle epithelial-like cells, while the other is cobblestone-like cells. Therefore, TSOC1 and TSOC2 appear to consist of ovarian somatic cells. Growth requirement condition was investigated including temperature, concentration of FBS and pH. Significant fluorescent signals were observed after TSOC1 and TSOC2 cells were transfected with pEGFP-N3 vector, indicating its potential utility for genetic manipulation such as gene function studies. It is shown that these cell lines are effective for infection by the turbot reddish body iridovirus and flounder lymphosystis disease virus as evidenced by the appearance of cytopathic effect and virus propagation in the virus-infected cells, and most convincingly, the observation of viral particles by electron microscopy, demonstrating that TSOC1 and TSOC2 are suitable to study interactions between virus and host cells. It is believed that TSOC1 and TSOC2 will be useful tools to study sex-related events and interactions between primordial germ cells and oogonia cells during oogenesis. Therefore, establishment of ovary cell lines from Fugu rubripes seems to be significant for those research areas.     

Excretion and respiration rates of the scyphomedusa <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aurelia aurita</Emphasis> from the Inland Sea of Japan

We measured the ammonium excretion, phosphate excretion and respiration rates of the scyphomedusa Aurelia aurita from Ondo Strait, in the central part of the Inland Sea of Japan, at 28 and 20°C. The rates measured at 28°C were converted to those at 20°C using the Q₁₀ values, i.e. 1.56, 1.57 and 2.80, for ammonium excretion, phosphate excretion and respiration rates, respectively. The composite relationships between metabolic rates and wet weight of a medusa (WW, g, range 11–1330 g) at 20°C were expressed by the following allometric equations. For ammonium excretion rate (N, μmoles N medusa⁻¹d⁻¹): N = 0.497WW ^1.09, phosphate excretion rate (P, μmoles P medusa⁻¹d⁻¹): P = 0.453WW ^0.84, and respiration rate (R, μmoles O₂ medusa⁻¹d⁻¹): R = 96.9WW ^1.06. Mean O:N ratios (i.e. atomic ratios of 16.9 and 11.0 at 28 and 20°C, respectively) indicated that the metabolism of A. aurita medusae was protein-dominated. These metabolic parameters enabled us to estimate the nitrogen and phosphorus regeneration rates of an A. aurita medusa population typical of early summer in the Ondo Strait (means of water temperature, medusa individual weight and population biomass: 20°C, 200 g WW and 50.8 g WW m⁻³, respectively). Regenerated nitrogen and phosphorus were equivalent to 10.0 and 21.6% of phytoplankton uptake rates, respectively, nearly twice that estimated for mesozooplankton, demonstrating that A. aurita medusae are key components of the plankton community, influencing the trophic and nutrient dynamics in the Ondo Strait during early summer.     

Influence of the concentration ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus on the growth and interspecies competition of two red tide algae

The growth and interspecies competition of two red tide algal species Thalassiosira pseudonana Hasle et Heimdal and Gymnodinium sp.were studied under different concentration ratios of nitrogen to phosphorus,and the algal batch culture experiments were conducted.The physiological and biochemical indexes were measured periodically,including the maximum comparing growth rate,relative growth rate,average double time and chlorophyll a concentration.The results showed that when the concentration ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus was 16:1,the maximum comparing growth rate,relative growth rate and chlorophyll a concentration of Thalassiosira pseudonana all reached the highest,and average double time was the shortest.This implied that the optimal concentration ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus of Thalassiosira pseudonana is 16:1.When the concentration ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus was 6:1,the maximum comparing growth rate,relative growth rate and the chlorophyll a concentration of Gymnodinium sp.reached the highest,and average double time was the shortest,so the optimal concentration ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus of Gymnodinium sp.is 6:1.From the growth curves as indicated both in the cell density and the chlorophyll a concentration,it is suggested that the influence of concentration ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus on the chlorophyll a concentration and the cell density are almost the same.Different concentration ratios of nitrogen to phosphorus had weak influence on community succession and the competition between the two algae.Gymnodinium sp.may use the phosphorus in vivo for growth,so it is important to pay attention to the concealment of phosphorus,in order to avoid the outbreak of red tide.On the basis of the importance of nitrogen and phosphorus and the ratio of their concentration,the possible outbreak mechanism of red tide of the two algae was also discussed.     

Interference phase of mass neutrino in Reissner—Nordstr?m—de Sitter space—time

In Reissner--Nordstr?m--de Sitter space--time, we calculate the interference phase of mass neutrino along geodesic in the radial direction, and then investigate the effects of the cosmological constant La on the phase. Morever, the expression of the interference phase can be reduced to that in Reissner--Nordstr?m space--time when Λ approaches to zero.     

A morphological evaluation of Chrysaora chinensis of Peninsular Malaysia and distinguishing its populations using geometric morphometrics

The morphology of seven specimens of Chrysaora chinensis (Scyphomedusae, Semaestomae) obtained from four sites off the coast of Peninsular Malaysia was examined. Morphological characteristics of C. chinensis that encompasses structures such as the bell, tentacles, oral arms, stomach, manubrium, radial canals and gonads were described in detail. A total of 107 specimens that represented C. chinensis populations of four coastal areas of Peninsular Malaysia (East-Central, East-North, West-Central, and West-North) were also analysed for shape variation using geometric morphometric analysis. Procrustes superimposition, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) were applied to the images of gastrovascular pouches of C. chinensis to extract the shape information. Independent contrasts were used for comparisons between shapes. There were no significant differences in shape variation between all the specimens based on the PCA results. However, CVA results showed shape variations between specimens taken from the four areas of Peninsular Malaysia, especially with higher magnitudes of Mahalanobis distances between the east and west coast areas, including between East-Central and East-North, but lower magnitudes were detected between the West-Central and West-North.     

Distribution and germination of viable diatom resting stage cells in sediments of the East China Sea

The abundance and temporal patterns of viable diatom resting stage cells in sediments of the East China Sea in 2006 have been investigated. The abundance of viable resting stages was enumerated with the most probable number (MPN) technique. Overall, 25 diatom species (including varieties) belonging to 16 genera were detected. Viable resting stage cells were common, on the order of 10³ to 10⁶ cells/g dry mass. The abundant taxa included Skeletonema marina, S. dohrnii, Chaetoceros curvisetus and Thalassiosira spp., with Skeletonema accounting for 83.3% of the cell. The effects of temperature (10, 15, 20, 25℃), salinity (20, 25, 30, 35 psu) and light intensity (0, 300, 4 000, 8 000 lux) on the germination of resting stages in sediment samples were also determined. The results showed that light intensity had a significant positive effect on the germination of diatom resting stage cells (p <0.01) and that diatoms could not germinate in darkness. Temperature and salinity had no noticeable effects on the germination. The present study suggests that there are abundant diatom resting cells in sediments of the East China Sea, which could serve as a "seed bank" in the phytoplankton population succession and contribute to the initiation of algal blooms.     

Geochemical records of phosphorus in Jiaozhou Bay sediments-Implications for environmental changes in recent hundred years

Phosphorus is a key element and plays an important role in global biogeochemical cycles. The evolution of sedimentary environment is also influenced by phosphorus concentrations and fractions as well as phosphate sorption characteristics of the marine sediments. The geochemical characteristics of phosphorus and their environmental records were presented in Jiaozhou Bay sediments. Profiles of different forms of phosphorus were measured as well as the roles and vertical distributions of phosphorus forms in response to sedimentary environment changes were investigated. The results showed that inorganic phosphorus (IP) was the major fraction of total phosphorus (TP); phosphorus which is bound to calcium, iron and occluded phosphorus, as well as the exchangeable phosphorus were the main forms of IP, especially calcium-phosphorus, including detrital carbonate-bound phosphorus (Det-P) and authigenic apatite-bound phosphorus (ACa-P), are the uppermost constituent of IP in Jiaozhou Bay sediments. Moreover, the lead-210 chronology technology was employed to estimate how much phosphorus was buried ultimately in sediments. And the research showed that the impacts of human activities have increased remarkably in recent years especially between the 1980s and 2000. According to research, the development of Jiaozhou Bay environment in the past hundred years can be divided into three stages: (1) before the 1980s characterized by the relatively low sedimentation rate, weak land-derived phosphorus inputs and low anthropogenic impacts; (2) from the 1980s to around 2000, accelerating in the 1990s, during which high sedimentation rates, high phosphorus abundance and burial fluxes due to the severe human activities impacted on the whole environmental system; (3) after 2000, the period of the improvement of environment, the whole system has been improved including the decreasing sedimentation rates, concentration and the burial fluxes of phosphorus.     

Molecular identification of bloom-forming species Phaeocystis globosa (Pryninesiophyta) and its dispersal based on rDNA ITS sequence analysis

The colony-forming Phaeocystis species are causative agents of dense bloom occurrences in coastal waters worldwide. It is difficult to separate them because of the different morphologies associated with their colonial stages. In this study we applied molecular approaches to analyze the genetic variation of Phaeocystis globosa and Phaeocystis pouchetii from several geographic regions, and to assist in tracing the dispersal of bloom-forming Phaeocystis species in coastal waters of China. The sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) of rDNA and the 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene of Phaeocystis strains were determined. Sequence comparison shows that P.globosa was the most divergent to P. pouchetii, exhibiting sequence divergence higher than 0.08. However, lower genetic divergences existed between strains of P.globosa. The sequence comparison of the Phaeocystis rDNA ITS clearly shows that the species isolated from the southeast coast of China is identified as P.globosa rather than P. cf. pouchetii or other species. Furthermore, the significance of rDNA variation in distinct global populations of P.globosa suggested it might have had sufficient time to accumulate detectable mutations at the rDNA locus, supporting the hypothesis of ancient dispersal of P.globosa to many areas, meaning that P.globosa blooms in the coastal waters of China are endemic rather than a newly introduced species or a foreign source. Finally, based on the high divergent region of rDNA ITS, a pair of species-specific primers for P.globosa were designed, they could be useful to detect the presence of this species in mixed plankton assemblages or flagellate stages that are recognized with diffculties by means of conventional microscopy.     

On four closely related hypotrichous ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Spirotrichea): molecular characters, interspecific relationships and phylogeny defined with multigene sequence information

In order to clarify the phylogeny and relationships of the most confused hypotrichous ciliates, Holosticha-complex, four closely related holostichids (five populations), Holosticha bradburyae, H. diademata, Anteholosticha sp., and A. manca, were compared and analyzed using ITS2 secondary structures, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and SSrRNA gene sequences. The ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region sequences of these four species were first sequenced, and they shared sequence identities ranging from 68.0% to 90.1%, while two populations of Anteholosticha sp. differed in three nucleotides (sequence identity 99.8%). There were several minor differences among ITS2 secondary structures of these species, while two populations of Anteholosticha sp. had the identical secondary structure. Phylogenetic trees inferred from the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region sequences of stichotrichs using multiple algorithms (Neighbor-Joining, Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian) revealed similar topologies. The results show that:(1) Holosticha bradburyae and H. diademata firmly clustered together with strong bootstrap supports, forming a sister clade with Anteholosticha sp., (2) Anteholosticha appeared to be a paraphyletic assemblage, in which the morphotype A. manca was more closely related to Diaxonella trimarginata than to its congener Anteholosticha sp. Phylogenetic analyses based on the SSrRNA gene and the combined sequences of SSrRNA gene and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region revealed the similar relationships between Holosticha and Anteholosticha, nevertheless their positions within the subclass Stichotrichia differed from each other inferred from different genes.     

Stable 85Rb micro vapour cells: fabrication based on anodic bonding and application in chip-scale atomic clocks

We describe the microfabrication of ⁸⁵Rb vapour cells using a glass-silicon anodic bonding technique and in situ chemical reaction between rubidium chloride and barium azide to produce Rb. Under controlled conditions, the pure metallic Rb drops and buffer gases were obtained in the cells with a few mm³ internal volumes during the cell sealing process. At an ambient temperature of 90 ℃ the optical absorption resonance of ⁸⁵Rb D1 transition with proper broadening and the corresponding coherent population trapping (CPT) resonance, with a signal contrast of 1.5% and linewidth of about 1.7 kHz, have been detected. The sealing quality and the stability of the cells have also been demonstrated experimentally by using the helium leaking detection and the after-9-month optoelectronics measurement which shows a similar CPT signal as its original status. In addition, the physics package of chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) based on the cell was realized. The measured frequency stability of the physics package can reach to 2.1×10^-10 at one second when the cell was heated to 100 ℃ which proved that the cell has the quality to be used in portable and battery-operated devices.     

Nutrient concentrations and fluxes in the Changjiang Estuary during summer

In June 2003 and 2006 concentrations of nutrient were determined in the Changjiang Estuary. The data indicated that phosphate and nitrate did not behave conservatively in the estuary, but silicate behaved conservatively. An important mobilization of phosphate and nitrate was observed from the river up to halfway in the estuary. Both input flux (from river to estuary) and output flux (from estuary to coastal zone) of phosphate, silicate and nitrate were calculated from statistical interpretations of the salinity profiles. There was a large discrepancy between input and output fluxes of phosphate and nitrate. The river fluxes of silicate, phosphate and nitrate (f_r) are augmented 5.3%, 28.9% and 36.6% in June 2003 and 1.0%, 62.5%, 31.7% in June 2006 by internal inputs (f_i). The phosphate and nitrate fluxes are enhanced through the estuarine process, while silicate flux is unaltered. The authors present some long-term data for nutrient concentrations and the ratios of silicon to nitrogen to phosphorus in the Changjiang Estuary. Silicate level falled in the last two decades, while concentration of nitrate increased. Phosphate concentration had no significant change.     

Lower Cd/P ratio in settling particles than in surface seawater in the Okinawa Trough

The characteristics of the ratios between cadmium (Cd) and phosphorus (P) in settling particles collected from the Okinawa Trough in the East China Sea were examined using a sediment trap, moored at a depth of 811 m for one year. The Cd/P ratios varied within a narrow range throughout the year, in spite of the large seasonal change in the total dry mass, Cd, and P fluxes. The average Cd/P ratio of settling particles was 0.062 (nmol/μmol), which was obviously lower than that of surface seawater around the study site (0.16). This lower ratio in the Okinawa Trough particles collected using the 811 m-moored trap certainly reflected the mixture of biologically produced organic matter around the study site and other components that were mainly transported as lateral flux from the shelf edge and slope area of the East China Sea.     

Acclimatory responses to high-salt stress in Chlamydomonas (Chlorophyta, Chlorophyceae) from Antarctica

Antarctic ice microalga can survive and thrive in channels or pores containing high salinity in Antarctic ice layer. In this study, it was found that cell membrane permeability of green microalga Chlamydomonas sp. L4 from Antarctic sea ice was high in cells treated with hypersalinity due to the induction of active oxygen and radicals. However, increased super oxide dismutase (SOD) scavenged harmful free radicals effectively to keep cell membrane integrity. Also, the analysis of membrane fatty acids demonstrated the content of saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids increased and polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased under the high-salt treatment for 14 d, which effectively reduced the membrane fluidity and minimized the injury to cell membrane. The morphological changes showed that hypersalinity induced the increase of cell volume and the consumption of starch granules. However, because of the increase in detoxification of vacuoles, electron-dense deposits and SOD activity under high-salt stress, the complete noninterference thylakoids, mitochondria and cell nucleus maintained cellular fundamental metabolism. Global-expression profiling of proteins showed eight protein spots disappeared, 18 protein spots decreased and 18 protein spots were enhanced after the high-salt shock obviously (P<0.05). One new peptide (pI 6.90; MW 51 kDa) was primarily confirmed as the processor of light reaction center protein CP43 in photosystem Ⅱ, which increased photosynthesis ability of Chlamydomonas sp. L4 treated with high salinity.     

A study on the numerical prediction method for the vertical thermal structure in the Bohai Sea and the Huanghai Sea-Ⅰ. One-dimensional numerical prediction model

In this paper,on the basis of the heat conduction equation without consideration of the advection and turbulence effects,one-dimensional model for describing surface sea temperature (T_s),bottom sea temperature (T_h) and the thickness of the upper homogeneous layer (h) is developed in terms of the dimensionless temperature θ_T and depth η and self-simulation function θ_T-f(η) of vertical temperature profile by means of historical temperature data.The results of trial prediction with our one-dimensional model on T_s,T_h,h,the thickness and gradient of thermocline are satisfactory to some extent.     

Grain size,La/Yb and Th/Sc of settling particles in the western North Pacific: Evidence for lateral transport of small Asian loess

To understand the transport process of lithogenic particles in the ocean, we measured the grain size distributions of lithogenic particles and measured the opal, La, Yb, Th, and Sc concentrations of the settling particles collected from time-series sediment traps at Sta. KNOT (44°N, 155°E, water depth 5320 m) from June 2002 to May 2004. The annual mean lithogenic particle flux observed at the lower sediment trap (5100 m) was twice as high as that at the upper sediment trap (770 m). The contribution of Asian loess estimated by the La/Yb and the Th/Sc ratios in the lower layer was greater than that in the upper layer. The fluxes of small lithogenic particles with sizes of 3–4 μm at the lower layer (5 to 65 mg/m²/day) were approximately four times larger than that at the upper layer (0.6 to 27 mg/m²/day). These results indicate that the horizontal addition of small particle sizes of Asian loess is a main factor in the increase of lithogenic particles at the lower layer. The temporal variations in the small lithogenic particle flux at the lower layer had a positive correlation with those at the upper layer (r = 0.71). The small lithogenic particle fluxes showed a strong positive correlation with the opal fluxes (r = 0.9). We therefore conclude that the small lithogenic particles were laterally transported and scavenged by the formation of aggregates with opal.     

Study of colloidal phosphorus variation in estuary with salinity

The variation of colloidal phosphorus with salinity in estuary was studied in this paper, which was compared with those of particle and truly dissolved phosphorus with the purpose of ˉnding out the similarities and di?erences between their behaviors in the estuary. Distribution patterns of phospho- rus in particle, colloidal and truly dissolved phase at di?erent salinities and their relationships with suspended particulate matter were also studied to understand the transformation and transporta- tion of colloidal phosphorus in estuarine area. The result showed that the concentrations of total colloidal phosphorus, organic colloidal phosphorus and inorganic colloidall phosphate all descended from river-end to sea-end, illustrating their terrigenous source. Ratios of organic to total colloidal phosphorus decreased with salinity's increment, indicating that organic phosphorus was in°uenced by scavenging process of colloid more signiˉcantly as compared with inorganic phosphate. Both of the phosphorus variation tendencies and the proportion between organic and inorganic phosphorus in colloidal phase was similar with that in truly dissolved phase while di?erent from that in particle phase.