Response of microbial community to petroleum stress and phosphate dosage in sediments of Jiaozhou Bay,China

The dynamic microcosms were used to evaluate the effect of oil spills on microbial ecological system in marine sediment and the enhancement of nutrient on the oil removal. The function and structure of microbial community caused by the oil pollution and phosphate dosage were simultaneously monitored by dehydrogenase activity assay and PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) techniques. The results indicated that the amount of total bacteria in all dynamic microcosms declined rapidly with incubation time. The number of petroleum-degrading bacteria and the activity of sediment dehydrogenase were gradually enhanced by petroleum in the oil-treated microcosms, while they both showed no obvious response to phosphate dosage. In comparison, phosphate spiked heterotrophic bacteria and they showed a significant increase in amount. DGGE profiles indicated that petroleum dosage greatly changed community structure, and the bacteria belonged to class Deltaproteobacteria, and phyla Bacteroidetes and Chlorobi were enriched. This study demonstrated that petroleum input greatly impacted the microbial community structure and consequently the marine sediment petroleum-degrading activity was enhanced. Phosphate dosage would multiply heterotrophic bacteria but not significantly enhance the petroleum degradation.     

Abundance and Biomass of Benthic Heterotrophic Bacteria in Jiaozhou Bay, China

The abundance and biomass of benthic heterotrophic bacteria were investigated for the 4 typical sampling stations in the northern muddy part of Jiaozhou Bay, estuary of the Dagu River, raft culturing and nearby areas of Huangdao in March, June, August and December, 2002. The abundance and biomass range from 0.98×107 to 16.87×107cells g-1 sediment and 0.45 to 7.08μgCg-1 sediment, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that heterotrophic bacterial abundance and biomass are significantly correlated to water temperature (R =0.79 and 0.83, respectively, P<0.01).     

Abundance and Biomass of Benthic Bacteria in Jiaozhou Bay, China

The abundance and biomass of benthic heterotrophic bacteria were investigated for the 4 typical sampling stations in the northern muddy part of Jiaozhou Bay, estuary of the Dagu River, raft culturing and nearby areas of Huangdao in March, June, August and December, 2002. The abundance and biomass range from 0.98×10⁷ to 16.87×10⁷ cells g⁻¹ sediment and 0.45 to 7.08 μg C g⁻¹ sediment, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that heterotrophic bacterial abundance and biomass are significantly correlated to water temperature (R=0.79 and 0.83, respectively,P<0.01).     

Silicon limitation on primary production and its destiny in Jiaozhou Bay, China——Ⅶ： The complementary mechanism of the earth ecosystem

1 INTRODUCTION In marine waters, water temperature and nutrient Si control the temporal and spatial variation of the phytoplankton growth (Yang et al., 2006). The effect of nutrient Si and water temperature on the mecha- nism of phytoplankton growth has p…     

Response of marine microalgae,heterotrophic bacteria and their relationship to enhanced UV-B radiation

Ozone depletion in the stratosphere has enhanced solar UV-B radiation reaching the Earth surface and has brought about significant effects to marine ecosystems. The effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on marine microalgae, heterotrophic bacteria and the interaction between them are discussed. The effects on marine microalgae have been proved to occur at molecular, cellular and population levels. Enhanced UV-B radiation increases microalgal flavonoid content but decreases their chlorophyll content and pho-tosynthesis rate; this rachation induces genetic change and results in DNA damage and change of protein content. There have been fewer studies on the effects of UV-B radiation on marine heterotrophic bacteria. Establishment of a nucroalgal ecological dynamic model at population and community levels under UV-B radiation has gradually become a hotspot. The effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on microalgae communities, heterotrophic bacterial populations and interaction between them will become a focus in the near future. This paper will make an overview on the studies concerning the effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on marine microal-gae and heterotrophic bacteria and the interaction between them.     

Abundance of general aerobic heterotrophic bacteria in the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea and their adaptation to temperature

1　IntroductionInthedeepseawithawatertemperaturelowerthan5℃andtheseabottom ,theor ganicmattersareoxidizedmainlybytheaerobicbacteria (BenderandHeggie 1 984;Her bert 1 986) ,whichmeansthattheaerobicbacteriainthisenvironmentareratherabun dant.Thearcticseaareaisanareawhereenvironmentispermanentlycold ,butsomere searchresults (Sahmetal.1 998)indicatethattherearedominantbacteria eubacteriainthearcticseawaterandsediment,andtheiradaptationtotemperaturehasnosubstantialdifferenceincomparisonwiththatof…     

Lagged response of phytoplanktonic photosynthetic competence to variation of nitrogen concentration in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Fluorescence-based maximal photochemical efficiency, Fv/Fm, is widely used as an indicator to photosynthetic competence in marine systems. It has been considered a useful parameter diagnosing the nutrient stress on phytoplankton photosynthesis, but many studies argue its usefulness. In the present study, we try to find a temporal relationship between Fv/Fm and nitrogen concentration, and provide a possible explanation on the controversy. We continuously measured Fv/Fm and nitrogen concentration once every 10 days from September 2003 to March 2004 at two stations in Jiaozhou Bay, northern China. It was found that Fv/ffm did not significantly correlate to synchronous nitrogen concentration, but the variation （i.e. the change between two adjacent cruises） of nitrogen concentration of the previous cruise and the variation ofFv/Fm of the current cruise were strongly correlated. This result indicates that a time lag exists between the variation of nutrient status and the subsequent Fv/Fm response. Length of the time lag seems just matched the interval of our measurements （10 days）. In the field, direct dependence of Fv/Fm on nitrogen concentration may not be found because of the lagged response of Fv/Fm to nitrogen concentration variations or physiological acclimation. Our results provide a possible way to explain the previously reported conflicting results on the relationship between Fv/Fm and nutrient status. To give a more-accurate estimate about the length of the time lag, an investigation that includes more frequent measurements is needed.     

Environmental capacity of petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants in Jiaozhou Bay, China: Modeling and calculation

An environmental capacity model for the petroleum hydrocarbon pollutions (PHs) in Jiaozhou Bay is constructed based on field surveys, mesocosm, and parallel laboratory experiments. Simulated results of PHs seasonal successions in 2003 match the field surveys of Jiaozhou Bay resaonably well with a highest value in July. The Monte Carlo analysis confirms that the variation of PHs concentration significantly correlates with the river input. The water body in the bay is reasonably subjected to self-purification processes, such as volatilization to the atmosphere, biodegradation by microorganism, and transport to the Yellow Sea by water exchange. The environmental capacity of PHs in Jiaozhou Bay is 1500 tons per year IF the seawater quality criterion (Grade Ⅰ/Ⅱ, 0.05 mgL-1) in the region is to be satisfied. The contribution to self-purification by volatilization, biodegradation, and transport to the Yellow Sea accounts for 48%, 28%, and 23%, respectively, which make these three processes the main ways of PHs purification in Jiaozhou Bay.     

STUDY ON PREDICTION FOR TRANSPORT AND DIFFUSION OF DREDGED MATYER IN JIAOZHOU BAY, CHINA

The finite-element method was used to simulate the currents of Jiaozhou Bay and the nearcoast areas, and then established the model of the transport and diffusion of suspended particulate matter there. The transport and diffusion of dredged matter near the discharging field were estimated ; and the results were used to analyze the effects of the suspended particulate matter on the marine environment.     

Application of ICP-AES with microwave digestion to detect trace elements in oysters from Jiaozhou Bay, China

Using ICP-AES with microwave digestion, we determined the concentrations of 16 trace elements in oysters from six sampling points in Jiaozhou Bay.The distributions of the wholesome elements Zn, Fe and Mn, and heavy metals such as As,Cd,Hg and Pb were studied.The oysters collected are all rich in the wholesome trace elements,and the oysters from Licun River have the highest concentrations of the three wholesome trace elements.The concentrations of heavy metals in oysters from Licun River are the highest and those from Hongdao are the lowest. Compared with the domestic and foreign sea-areas,the heavy metal contents in the oysters from Jiaozhou Bay are less in amount than those from some developed countries, and more than those in Southeast China.This implies that the Jiaozhou Bay’s oysters have been polluted by the environment to some extent.     

Acid volatile sulfide and simultaneously extracted metals in tidal flat sediments of Jiaozhou Bay,China

It is well known that acid-volatile sulfide （AVS） plays an important role in influencing the toxicity of divalent cationic metals within anoxic sediments. In studying sediment core samples collected from tidal flats within the Jiaozhou Bay, China, we found that the AVS concentration gradually increases with depth and decreases from high tidal flat to low tidal flat areas. We evaluated the chemical activity and bioavailability of heavy metals in the tidal flat based on the molar ratio of simultaneously extracted metals （SEM） and AVS. The value of SEM/AVS is generally less than 1 in this area except for the surface layer, which suggests that the heavy metals only have chemical activity in the surface layer. SEM is most highly concentrated at the boundary of the redox layer SEM have similar depth distributions throughout the tidal flat. The aeration of low tidal flat sediment indicates that SEM gradually move to deeper sites via interstitial water.     

Spatial and temporal variation of picoplankton distribution in the Yellow Sea, China

Seven surveys were carried out in April, September, October, December 2006 and March, May, August 2007 in the Yellow Sea, China. Variations in the spatial and temporal distribution of Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes and heterotrophic bacteria are quantified using flow cytometry. Synechococcus and heterotrophic bacteria are most abundant from late spring to autumn, while picoeukaryotes concentration is high in spring. Synechococcus and heterotrophic bacteria concentrated high in the northwest part of the Yellow Sea in spring and autumn, while picoeukaryotes distributed evenly over the whole study area except for a small frontal zone in the coastal area on the west (in spring) and central Yellow Sea (in autumn). Under mixing conditions, the vertical distribution of the three picoplankton groups showed a well-mixed pattern. Upon a well-established stratification, the maximum abundance of picoplankton occurred above the mixed layer depth (~30 m). Cell sizes of Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes were estimated by converting forward scatter signals (FSC) from cytometry analysis to cell diameter, showing the results of 0.65–0.82 μm for Synechococcus and 0.85–1.08 μm for picoeukaryotes. The average integrated carbon biomasses ranged 15.26–312.62 mgC/m2 for Synechococcus, 18.54–61.57 mgC/m2 for picoeukaryotes, and 402.63–818.46 mgC/m2 for heterotrophic bacteria. The distribution of Synechococcus and heterotrophic bacteria was temperature dependent, and picoplankton presence was poor in the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass.     

Accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals in clams （Ruditapes philippinarum） in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Accumulation and distributions of aliphatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals were measured in tissues of the clam Ruditapes philippinarum collected from 5 sites in Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China. The concentrations of total aliphatic hydrocarbon and PAHs ranged from 570 to 2 574 ng/gdw (gram dry weight) and from 276 to 939 ng/gdw, in the most and least polluted sites, respectively. The bio-accumulation of hydrocarbons and PAHs in the clams appeared to be selective. Aliphatic hydrocarbons were predominantly represented by short chain (<nC₂₃) n-alkanes, suggesting that petroleum hydrocarbons were likely the major contamination source. The selective uptake of 3 and 4 ring PAHs, such as naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene, by the clams was probably related to the physiological and bio-kinetic processes that were energetically favorable for uptake of compounds with fewer rings. Accumulation of the metals Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Hg, and As in the clam tissues also showed high variability, ranging from 0.043 to 87 μg/gdw. Among the 7 detected metals, Zn, Cd, Cu, and As had a particularly high potential of accumulation in R. philippinarum. In general, a positive correlation was found between the tissue concentrations and sediment concentrations of hydrocarbons and of some metals. Our study suggests that moderate contamination with polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and low to moderate contamination with metals, currently exists for clam R. philippinarum in Jiaozhou Bay, in comparison with other regional studies. A long-term monitoring program is certainly needed for assessment of the potential ecological influence and toxicity of these contaminants of R. philippinarum in Jiaozhou Bay.     

A comparison of the bacterial microflora between coastal sites in Qingdao, P. R. China and Loch Fyne, Scotland

Aerobic, heterotrophic bacteria, recovered from two sites located on the west coast of Scotland, were compared to cultures obtained in a similar way from industrial, aquacultural and clean sites in the vicinity of Qingdao, Shandong, P. R. China. Gram-negative bacterial cultures were examined by BIOLOG-GN, and the data analysed by the simple matching (S_SM) and Jaccard coefficients (S_J) and unweighted average linkage clustering using NTSys. The output revealed that 20% of the bacteria, namely, Acinetobacter johnsonii, Aquaspirillum dispar, Pseudomonas spp. (two groups), Sphingobacterium sp., Vibrio, sp., V. campbellii, V. mimicus and V. hollisae, were common between the two geographical locations. However, the study revealed shortcomings with the BIOLOG-GN system for the study of coastal Gram-negative bacteria.     

Seasonal change in body length of important small copepods and relationship with environmental factors in Jiaozhou Bay,China

Differences among species in prosome length and in species’ response to environmental factors do exist. Therefore, it is useful to examine prosome length for different copepod species in variable environments. Seasonal variations in prosome length of four small copepods and their copepodite stages in the Jiaozhou Bay were compared and the relative influence of temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll concentration were examined. Two peaks were found in the mean prosome length of Paracalanus parvus (in early winter and May). For Acartia bifilosa, the maximum values of all copepodites occurred mainly from February to April, and decreased to the bottom in July. Prosome length of Acartia pacifica peaked when it first appeared in June, then reached to the minimum in July. Parvocalanus crassirostris only appeared from late summer to autumn and the mean prosome length showed no clear changes. Correlations of adult prosome length with environmental factors were evaluated. For the four species, temperature was negatively correlated to prosome length except for P. crassirostris. But the different species varied markedly in their responds to temperature. A. bifilosa showed a more definite trend of size variation with temperature than P. parvus and A. pacifica. Correlations of prosome length with salinity were significantly positive for almost all the small copepods. The relationship between chlorophyll concentration and prosome length was complicated for these copepods, but for P. parvus, chlorophyll concentration was also an important affecting factor. Furthermore, investigation needs to be done on food quality for some copepod. These results are essential to estimate the biomass and the production, and to understand these small copepods’ population dynamics in this human-affected bay.     

Quaternary glacio-erosional landforms in Laoshan Mountain and their constraints on the origin of Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, east of China

A field investigation on Quaternary glacial landforms in Laoshan Mountain has discovered many glacial potholes, scouring grooves on top of granite ridges, and large boulders. These erosional landforms were formed by the meltwater from the overlying ice cap, suggesting that there was at least an ice cap covering Laoshan Mountain and the surrounding areas or even a continental ice sheet over the vast area of Shandong Province in the Late Pleistocene. The ice sheet was obstructed by the Laoshan Mountain, Dazhu Mountain and Xiaozhu Mountain in the coastal areas as it moved toward the Yellow Sea. The ice flows eroded the bedrock and carved the weak intersection of the fault systems in the NE and NW directions into a deep channel, which gradually formed a fjord in the area of the Jiaozhou Bay basin by 20.00 ka BP. The seawater gradually invaded the fjord from the beginning of the Holocene (11.00 ka BP) and Jiaozhou Bay was eventually formed. Similar fjords are easily found along the east of China and they share a similar origin because of the Quaternary glaciation in the region.     

THE EVOLUTION OF STENOLS AND STANOLS IN MARINE SEDIMENT CORE FROM BEIBU BAY, THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Ten stenols and stanols were identified by TLC , GC and GC-MS-DS in a marine sediment core from Beibu Bay , the South China Sea .C27, C28 and C29 A5 stenols and 5a- stanols mainly come from zoopiankton, algae and phytoplankton in marine environment. C29 24-ethylcholest- 5 - en- 3B- ol is thought to indicate input of terrigenous organic matter . The increase of C27 . C28 and C29 5a-stanol /5 stenol ratios with sediment depth shows the evolution of stenols and stanols in the marine sediment core .