On the Polyps of the Common Jellyfish Aurelia aurita in Kagoshima Bay

There is the natural habitat of polyps of the common jellyfish Aurelia aurita in the Taniyama area, Kagoshima Bay. We examined the attachment substrata, density, colony structure and strobilation of the polyps. The polyps were observed only on the horizontal undersurface of floating piers. They attached specifically to Mytilus shells, solitary ascidians, calcareous polychaete tubes, muddy amphipod tubes and the gap space that fouling animals peeled off the substrata. The polyp colonies were distributed in patches. Spatial distribution patterns of the polyps within their colonies were uniform. Strobilation occurred during late December to March, when water temperatures were 16–17°C, and a large number of ephyrae were released. An increase in man-made structures such as floating piers in coastal areas may lead to bloomings of Aurelia aurita medusae. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

海月水母(Aurelia aurita)精巢发育及精子的超微结构

采用组织切片、扫描电镜和透射电镜技术研究了海月水母(Aurelia aurita)精巢发育过程及精子显微结构。结果表明:(1)海月水母精巢发育分为四个阶段,即增殖期、生长期、成熟期和排放期;海月水母精巢位于马蹄形胃腔内部,由两层外膜包裹的大量长圆形滤泡组成,性成熟后,滤泡内部充满精子,之后成熟精子汇集于滤泡腔排出体外。(2)海月水母精子全长约33.62μm,为原生型精子;精子头部呈长尖辣椒状,具顶体,核膜与质膜空隙较大,充满细胞质;精子中部主要由中心粒复合体和线粒体组成,且具有袖套结构,袖套内膜与鞭毛质膜相互融合,近端中心粒与基体垂直排列,基体的长轴与精子长轴平行,向后延伸形成尾部轴丝,线粒体以4个居多,呈圆环状排列,线粒体脊较明显;精子尾部细长,由质膜和轴丝组成,轴丝横切面为典型的"9+2"结构。     

2011 年夏季胶州湾三种大型水母的种群动态研究

2011年8月1日-9月30日,对胶州湾三种大型水母沙海蛰(Nemopilema nomurai)、白色霞水母(Cyanea nozakii)、海月水母(Aurelia aurita)的种群数量变动及空间分布情况开展了目测调查,同步获得了气象、水温、盐度、叶绿素a、浮游动物丰度、种类组成等数据,调查频率为每周2次。调查期间,海月水母表现出逐渐降低的趋势,沙海蛰与白色霞水母种群均于8月11日达到数量高峰,8月底及9月中旬之后依次衰落,至9月底,三种水母基本消失。三种水母的种群平均丰度变化范围分别为:沙海蛰0-230.8ind/km2;霞水母0-150.2ind/km2;海月水母0-123.4ind/km2。从分布区域来看,海月水母主要位于近岸区,沙海蜇主要分布于湾口和中部深水区,而白色霞水母则在高峰期和次高峰期分别集中于深水区和近岸区。结合往年资料,作者认为,海月水母种群能够在胶州湾内进行自我补充并完成其生活史,而胶州湾沙海蛰与霞水母的种群补充则可能主要依赖于湾外种群。另外,目测方法的准确性可能受到气象条件的影响。     

闽南-台湾浅滩渔场金色小沙丁鱼精巢的发育

金色小沙丁鱼精巢发育分为6期,精巢属于典型的叶状精巢,每一精小叶内有许多结缔组织纤维束将生殖细胞与精小叶壁联系起来。每一纤维束上连接的生殖细胞的发育都是同步的。闽南－台湾浅滩渔场的金色小沙丁鱼雄鱼1a至少生殖2次。     

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.     

Abundance and biomass of scyphomedusae, Aurelia aurita and Chrysaora melanaster, and Ctenophora, Bolinopsis mikado, with estimates of their feeding impact on zooplankton in Tokyo Bay, Japan

The abundance of a scyphomedusae, Aurelia aurita and Chrysaora melanaster, and a ctenophore, Bolinopsis mikado, in Tokyo Bay was investigated from 1995 to 1997. Aurelia aurita appeared throughout the year with a peak in abundance occurring from spring to summer. The average abundance and biomass during this period for the three successive years was 4.8, 43.8 and 3.2 ind. m⁻², and 1.02, 10.0 and 0.42 gC m⁻², respectively. The values in 1995 and 1997 were comparable with those previously reported for A. aurita abundance from 1990 to 1992. Values were very high in 1996, but the size composition of the bell diameter did not differ from other years, which suggested the absence of food limitation for A. aurita in 1996. C. melanaster was scarce over the survey period (<1.0 ind. m⁻²) while Bolinopsis mikado was more abundant during September to December, with maximum values of 172 ind. m⁻² and 0.33 gC m⁻² observed in December 1997. The weight-specific clearance rate for A. aurita on zooplankton (mainly copepods and their nauplii) was 0.16 ± 0.05 lgWW⁻¹ h⁻¹ (n = 13). Population clearance rate peaked from spring to summer, with average levels of 14.2%, 162% and 5.0% day⁻¹ obtained from spring to summer for respective years. Population clearance rates for B. mikado, calculated based on minimum carbon requirements, was 7.1% day⁻¹ in December 1997. Consequently, the trophic role of gelatinous zooplankton as predators in Tokyo Bay is important all the year round, considering the high impact of A. aurita from spring to summer and B. mikado from autumn to winter.     

Using LA-ICP-MS to analysis elemental composition of statoliths of Scyphozoan jellyfish

Scyphozoan jellyfish outbreak events are drawing increasing attentions during the past decade. Elemental compositions of statoliths are helpful to understand jellyfish life history and blooming mechanisms, but very rare endeavor has been focused on the Scyphozoan class. In this work, we explored the feasibility of element analysis of Aurelia aurita (a representative Scyphozoan jellyfish outbreak species in China) which may be used as proxies of environment parameters during jellyfish living and moving. Statolith crystals of Aurelia aurita were found to be a gathering of hexahedron type trigonal needle with size of 10?50 μm long, and 5?10 μm in diameter. By using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) downhole profiling method, elements such as Ca, Sr, Mg, Na and P were found to be above the limit of detection and limit of quantification. The epidermis of statocyst could significantly impact the element analyses, so the real statolith element signal section needs to be selected based on elements and Ca profiles together with care. By laser ablated a signal spot repeatedly, the analytical uncertainty was about 3%?4% for Sr/Ca content ratio and Mg/Ca content ratio, but above 10% for other element/Ca content ratios (n=3). Based on the analysis of statolith from temperature-control cultured jellyfish, Sr/Ca content ratios among different statoliths of the same jellyfish were about 6% (n=14), demonstrating biological processes/vital effects causing small variations compared with analytical uncertainties. Therefore, Sr/Ca content ratios may be used as a potential proxy to reveal the living environment variations the Scyphozoan jellyfish has experienced, such as temperature history, which is helpful to understand jellyfish bloom mechanisms.     

闽南—台湾浅滩渔场金色小沙丁鱼卵巢发育的组织学研究

闽南－台湾滩渔场金色小沙丁鱼的卵母细胞发育可分为６个是相。第２时相中期卵母细胞胞质分为内外两层、卵母细胞中卵黄物质的发生和积累情况为：卵黄泡先出现于卵膜内缘区域,层数逐渐增多;卵黄颗粒出现于卵黄泡之间,逐渐向核区扩展;最后出现的是油滴,它位于核周区域,产卵后未排出的第３、４、５时相卵母细胞的退化主要是造颗粒细胞的吞噬作用进行的。根据成熟系数和组织学结果判断闽南－台湾浅滩渔场的金色小沙丁鱼属多闪产卵