Marine ciliate community in relation to eutrophication of coastal waters in the Yellow Sea

We assessed the potential of marine ciliate community as an indicator to coastal water quality using water samples collected from four stations in the Yellow Sea in the summer 2000. The four stations were characterized by different levels of pollution. The ciliate communities consisted primarily of tintinnids and aloricate ciliates that were <30 μm. A total of 78 species were classified: 55 species at Station 2, 51 species each at Stations 1 and 4, and 47 species at Station 3. The mean number of species at each site was 29.2±2.0 (Station 1), 28.5±2.9 (Station 2), 27.8±1.7 (Station 3), and 24.5±2.3 (Station 4). The abundance was highly variable: 19 331±11 187 ind./L at Station 1, 7 960±5 639 ind./L at Station 2, 29 015±12 999 ind./L at Station 3, and 8 190±4 658 ind./L at Station 4. Our results suggest that neither the simple chemical analysis (e.g. chemical oxygen demand, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, and phosphate) nor the eutrophication/pollution index adequately described the water quality at the four stations. The same was true of the number of species and their abundance, both of which had no correlation with the chemical indices. In contrast, Margalef’s diversity index values (3.12 at Station 2, 2.89 at Station 1, and 2.64 at Stations 3 and 4) generally discriminated the water quality status of the four stations. The difference in water quality among the stations was strongly supported by the pattern of species richness (i.e. the total number of species) of ciliates at each station. Our evaluation was consistent with the results of long-term water quality monitoring at the four stations. With increasing eutrophication, we observed also a compositional and functional shift in the ciliate assemblages from algivorous oligotrich/choreotrich to nonselective-omnivorous gymnostomatids to bacterivorous-detrivorous scuticociliatids. Thus, ciliates may be used to indicate the coastal water quality status of a given site.     

Metabolic and phylogenetic profile of bacterial community in Guishan coastal water (Pearl River Estuary), South China Sea

Characteristics of a microbial community are important as they indicate the status of aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, the metabolic and phylogenetic profile of the bacterioplankton community in Guishan coastal water(Pearl River Estuary), South China Sea, at 12 sites(S1–S12) were explored by community-level physiological profiling(CLPP) with BIOLOG Eco-plate and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE). Our results showed that the core mariculture area(S6, S7 and S8) and the sites associating with human activity and sewage discharge(S11 and S12) had higher microbial metabolic capability and bacterial community diversity than others(S1–5, S9–10). Especially, the diversity index of S11 and S12 calculated from both CLPP and DGGE data(H 3.2) was higher than that of others as sewage discharge may increase water nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient. The bacterial community structure of S6, S8, S11 and S12 was greatly influenced by total phosphorous, salinity and total nitrogen. Based on DGGE fingerprinting, proteobacteria, especially γ- and α-proteobacteria, were found dominant at all sites. In conclusion, the aquaculture area and wharf had high microbial metabolic capability. The structure and composition of bacterial community were closely related to the level of phosphorus, salinity and nitrogen.     

ON THE MARINE CILIATE, Pseudocohnilembus hargisi （PROTOZOA, CILIOPHORA, SCUTICOCILIATIDA） WITH COMPARISON OF ITS RELATED SPECIES

The living morphology, nuclear apparatus, infraciliature and silverline system of the poorly-known ciliatePseudocohnilembus hargisi Evans & Thompson, 1964, collected from a shrimp culture pond in Qingdao, China, were examined by observation of the live specimen; and by the pyridinated carbonate method and Chatton-Lwoff technique. The main characteristics: 13–14 (usually 13) longitudinal or slightly spirally arranged somatic kineties; single contractile vacuole with usually 2 (1–2) pores at posterior ends of the fourth and fifth somatic kineties to the right of the buccal cavity. Several related congeners were compared and morphometrically tabulated. Project No. 39970098 supported by NSFC.     

Seasonal dynamics of crustacean zooplankton community structure in Erhai Lake,a plateau lake,with reference to phytoplankton and environmental factors

The seasonal dynamics of a crustacean zooplankton community in Erhai Lake was investigated from May 2010 to April 2011. In total, 11 species were recorded, including six （6 genera） cladoceran and five （5 genera） copepod species. The crustacean zooplankton densities ranged from 24.3 to 155.4 ind./L. In winter and spring, the large-bodied cladoceran Daphnia galeata dominated the crustacean plankton community. In summer and autumn, when the colonial or filamentous algae dominated the phytoplankton communities, the small-bodied species （e.g. Bosminafatalis, Ceriodaphnia quadrangular, and Mesocyclops leuckarti） replaced the large-bodied ones. One-way ANOVA and redundancy analysis revealed that community structure was dependent upon total nitrogen, total phosphorus, water temperature, transparency, and the biomass of small algae. The variation in both phytoplankton structure and environmental variables were important factors in the seasonal succession of crustacean zooplankton structure in Erhai Lake.     

雷州半岛东部近岸海域大型底栖甲壳动物群落结构及其影响因子

【目的】研究雷州半岛东部近岸海域大型底栖经济甲壳动物的群落结构及其影响因素,为甲壳类资源评估与合理利用提供参考依据。【方法】于2016年4月至2017年2月按季度在该海域开展4个航次的渔业资源底拖网调查,采集经济甲壳动物样品,并进行分类鉴定,同时采集环境数据。采用聚类分析和冗余分析(RDA),评价该海域不同季节甲壳动物群落结构特征及其与环境因子的关系。【结果】共有甲壳动物98种,隶属2目24科43属;全年优势种有变态蟳(Charybdis variegata)、哈氏仿对虾(Parapenaeopsis hardwickii)和须赤虾(Metapenaeopsis barbata)等10种;各季节丰富度指数(D)、多样性指数(H′)、均匀度指数(J′)均以夏季最高,冬、春季次之,秋季最低;各季节均可划分为两个群落(Anosim test:0.579相似文献   

Relationship between economic growth and water environmental quality of Anshan city in Northeast China

Based on the decomposition model of environmental quality and univariate regression model, the relationships of industrial wastewater drainage with economic scale, economic structure, and technological level in Anshan, a mining city in Northeast China, were studied. The results showed that, due to scale effect, the drainage of three important industrial wastewater pollutants (COD, NH3-N and petroleum) increased 8505t, 671t and 384t, respectively, and due to structure effect, those pollutants drainage increased 3996t, 174t and 120t from 2001 to 2006. While due to technological effect, the drainage of COD, NH3-N and petroleum reduced 4452t, 458t and 331t, and due to cross effect, those pollutants drainage reduced 7270t, 575t and 476t simultaneously. Meantime, the relationships between household consumption structure and domestic sewage discharge were analyzed, and domestic sewage discharges in different income levels were also compared. The results showed that, the domestic sewage discharges would increase 376t with 1000 yuan (RMB) increased in the traffic and communication consumption, and they would be 344t, 219t, 428t, 1873t, respectively, in housing consumption, food consumption, medical consumption, miscellaneous commodity consumption. The proportion of domestic sewage discharge increased for high income residents significantly, but reduced for lower income residents. The industrial wastewater pollutants drainage tends to be reduced by technical progress, while domestic sewage discharge will be a more important factor for urban water environment quality.     

Seasonal community structure of mesozooplankton in the Daya Bay, South China Sea

Mesozooplankton are key components of coastal ecosystems, linking the microbial food web to the classic food chain. In this study, species composition and abundance of mesozooplankton is studied for the Daya Bay in April (spring) and October (fall), 2006. A total of 27 species of mesozooplankton were identified in spring and 58 species in fall. Dominant species were Oithona tenuis, Flaccisagitta enflata, Penilia avirostris and Centropages tenuiremis in spring, shifting to Microsetella norvegica, Oithona tenuis and Parvocalanus crassirostris in fall. Higher mesozooplankton abundance was found at Aotou Cove and Dapeng’ao Cove compared to other stations, indicating the influence of eutrophication on mesozooplankton community in the Daya Bay. The outbreak of Noctiluca scintillans bloom in spring reduced the species diversity and abundance of mesozooplankton.     

Rotifer community structure and assessment of water quality in Yangcheng Lake

Rotifer community structure was investigated in Yangcheng Lake in 2008. Dominant species and species diversity indices were determined and QB/T was used to assess water quality. The annual average density and biomass of the rotifers in Yangcheng Lake was 2 894 ± 1 006 ind./L and 12.47 ± 10.28 mg/L, respectively. The highest densities were observed in the western portion of the lake in March, but the highest biomass occurred in inflowing creeks in September. Within a year of monitoring in Yangcheng Lake, 93 species were identified and the dominant species were found to be Polyarthra trigla, Brachionus angularis, Keratella cochlearis, Keratella valga, Brachionus calyciflorus, and Filinia major. Of the species recorded, 75 were pollution indicator species. Density and biomass exhibited significant positive correlations with water temperature (R = 0.209, P = 0.003; R = 0.446, P = 0.000), but the peak density showed two lags in response to chl a. According to the Jaccard similarity index (SJ), the greatest similarity among dominant species occurred between creeks and the eastern part of the lake. The annual average Shannon-Wiener diversity index H’, Margalef richness index D and Pielou evenness index J were 1.96 ± 0.34, 1.61 ± 0.50 and 0.77 ± 0.10, respectively. In all four areas of Yangcheng Lake, β- mesosaprobic species comprised the largest share of pollution indicator species. These data suggest that Yangcheng Lake is mesosaprobic.     

Picophytoplankton abundance and community structure in the Philippine Sea,western Pacific

Flow cytometric determinations of the abundance distribution and community structure of picophytoplankton (i.e.,Prochlorococcus spp.,orange fluorescence Synechococcus spp.and picoeukaryotes) were used for samples taken from the Philippine Sea in the western tropical Pacific Ocean from September to October of 2004.A fluorescence probe was employed to detect Chlorophyll a (Chl a).Abundances of Prochlorococcus spp.,orange fluorescence Synechococcus spp.and picoeukaryotes ranged from 0.1 to 58×103 cells ml-1,0.38 to 17×102 cells ml-1 and 0.42 to 26×102 cells ml-1,respectively.Synechococcus spp.and picoeukaryotes co-occurred in relatively shallow water with the maximum abundance observed at 50 to 70 m depth,while Prochlorococcus spp.only occurred in the 70 to 200 m layer.Prochlorococcus spp.was the dominant picophytoplankton population in terms of abundance and biomass.The cell size and carbon biomass content were estimated for the three picophytoplankton groups.In addition,among the three groups of picophytoplankton,the relative contribution of red fluorescence to the total red fluorescence varied with depth.The fluorescence and light scatter properties of individual cells indicated that in the upper 100 m layer,picoeukaryotes were a major contributor to total red fluorescence,while at the depth below 100 m,Prochlorococcus spp.and Synechococcus spp.made an important contribution to the total red fluorescence.     

Effects of DNA extraction and universal primers on 16S rRNA gene-based DGGE analysis of a bacterial community from fish farming water

Among many reports investigating microbial diversity from environmental samples with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), limited attention has been given to the effects of universal primers and DNA extraction on the outcome of DGGE analysis. In this study, these effects were tested with 16S rRNA gene-based DGGE on a bacterial community from farming water samples. The results indicate that the number of discernable bands in the DGGE fingerprint differed with the primer pairs used; the bands produced by 63f/518r, 341f/926r and 933f/1387r primer pairs were obviously fewer than those by 968f/1401r. Also, we found that each DNA extraction method resulted in different community profiles, reflected by the number and intensity of bands in the DGGE fingerprint. Furthermore, the main bands (theoretically representing dominant bacteria) differed with the extraction methods applied. It is therefore believed that the effects of universal primers and DNA extraction should be given more attention and carefully chosen before performing an investigation into a new environment with DGGE.     

Macrobenthic community structure and species composition in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea in jellyfish bloom

To understand the characteristics of macrobenthic structures and the relationship between environment and benthic assemblages in jellyfish bloom, we studied the macrobenthos and related environmental factors in the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Data were collected during two seasonal cruises in April and August of 2011, and analyzed with multivariate statistical methods. Up to 306 macrobenthic species were registered from the research areas, including 115 species of Polychaeta, 78 of Crustacea, 61 of Mollusca, 30 of Echinodermata, and 22 of other groups. Nine polychaete species occurred at frequencies higher than 25% from the sampling stations： Lumbrineris longifolia, Notomastus latericeus, Nin6e palmata, Ophelina acuminata, Nephtys oligobranchia, Onuphis geophiliformis, Glycera chirori, Terebellides stroemii, and Aricidea fragilis. Both the average biomass and abundance of macrobenthos are higher in August （23.8 g/m^2 and 237.7 ind./m^2） than those in April （11.3 g/m^2 and 128 ind./m^2）; the dissimilarity ofmacrobenthic structures among stations is as high as 70%. In terms of the dissimilarity values, we divided the stations into four clusters in spring and eight in summer. The ABC curve shows that the macrofauna communities in high jellyfish abundance were not changed. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that depth, temperature, median grain size, total organic carbon of sediment and total nitrogen in sediment were important factors affecting the macrozoobenthic community in the study area.     

Studies of community structure and seasonal dynamics of planktonic copepods in saline-alkaline ponds

Abstracts Species abundance and seasonal succession of copepods in saline-alkaline ponds were studied in Zhaodian Fish Farm, Gaoqing County, Shandong Province, from 5 April 1997 to 1 September 1998. The results indicated that in the conditions of salinity ranging from 1.36 to 20 g/L, total alkalinity changing from 2.4 to 7.2 mmol/L and pH 8-9, zooplankton in saline-alkaline ponds was composed of freshwater salt-tolerated species or halophile species, some of which are halobiont species and usually occurs in freshwater. In our study, copepods were predominant in many fish-culture ponds and all control ponds without fishes in spring, late autumn and early winter. Dominant species of copepods were Sinocalanus tenellus, Cyclops vicinus, Thermocyclops taihokuensis. The biomass of copepods in the control ponds without fishes was higher than that of the fish-culture ponds.     

Studies on the community structures of meiofauna and marine nematode at six stations in the Southern Yellow Sea,China

1Introduction As part of a comprehensive investigation of ecosys-tem dynamics in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea,astudy has been made of meiofauna,defined here asmetazoans passing a0.5mm sieve but retained by a0.031mm sieve.Meiofauna is an important energeticgroup in benthic small food web due to their smallsize,high abundance and fast turnover rates.Theproduction of meiofauna is equal to or higher than thatof macrofauna in estuaries,shallow waters and deepseas(Gerlach,1971;Platt and Warw…     

Bacterial diversity and community structure in the East China Sea by 454 sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene

The 454 sequencing method was used to detect bacterial diversity and community structure in the East China Sea. Overall, 149 067 optimized reads with an average length of 454 nucleotides were obtained from 17 seawater samples and five sediment samples sourced in May 2011. A total of 22 phyla, 34 classes, 74 orders, 146 families, and 333 genera were identified in this study. Some of them were detected for the first time from the East China Sea. The estimated richness and diversity indices were both higher in the sediment samples compared with in the seawater samples. All the samples were divided by their diversity indices into four regions. Similarity analysis showed that the seawater samples could be classified into six groups. The groups differed from each other and had unique community structure characteristics. It was found that different water masses in the sampling areas may have had some influence on the bacterial community structure. A canonical correspondence analysis revealed that seawater samples in different areas and at different depths were affected by different environmental parameters. This study will lay the foundation for future research on microbiology in the East China Sea.     

Seasonal variation in community structure and body length of dominant copepods around artificial reefs in Xiaoshi Island, China

This study aims to investigate the seasonal variations in copepod community structure and prosome length of dominant species from March 2009 to January 2010 around artificial reefs in Xiaoshi Island,Yellow Sea,Weihai,China.Samples were collected using two types of plankton net(Model I and Model II) for different-sized copepods.The number of taxon was calculated from the data of both the net types,while the copepod abundance was done using the samples from Model II only.Sixteen species of planktonic copepods,including 5 dominant species,were recorded.Results reveal that Oithona similis was the first dominant species from March to June,and was replaced by Paracalanus parvus in September;both dominated the copepod community in January.Acartia hongi was the second dominant species from March to September.Centropages abdominalis was the third dominant species from March to June,and was replaced by O.similis in September and Corycaeus affinis in January.C.affinis was the fourth dominant species in September.Population density of the dominant copepods was compared with that of other similar regions.We found that the dominant species were mostly small copepods(<1 mm) except for adult Centrapages abdominalis.Seasonal variation in prosome length of O.similis,C.abdominalis,and C.affinis,and their copepodites were studied for the first time in China.For P.parvus and A.hongi,seasonal trends in prosome length variation were similar with those in Jiaozhou Bay,Yellow Sea,Qingdao,China,in a similar temperate domain.The results are helpful for future calculation of copepod biomass and production,and for investigation of the relationship between copepods and fish resources.     

Dynamics of phytoplankton communities in the Jiangdong Reservoir of Jiulong River,Fujian, South China

Phytoplankton blooms occurring in the Jiangdong Reservoir of Jiulong River, Fujian Province, South China, are a potential source of contamination of the drinking water of Xiamen （Amoy） City. To understand the main factors governing phytoplankton composition and succession, we sampled phytoplankton and measured environmental parameters in the reservoir, weekly or biweekly from Jan. 2010 to Feb. 2012. We identified 123 species of phytoplankton from 7 phyla and 74 genera. The major phyla were Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Cryptophyta, Cyanophyta, and Dinophyta. The main trend in the succession of phytoplankton was from prevalence of Cryptophyta-Bacillariophyta communities to those of Chlorophyta-Cyanophyta. High cell concentrations of Cryptophyta, predominantly Komma caudate, Cryptomonas marssonii, and Cryptomonas erosa, were present in winter, associated with low river discharge and cold water. Bacillariophyta, primarily Cyclotella meneghiniana, Aulacoseira granulata, and Aulacoseira granulata var. angustissima, dominated in early spring, coinciding with high turbulence and low irradiance. During early summer and autumn, Chlorophyta, comprising Scenedesmus quadricauda, Dictyosphaerium ehrenbergianum, and Pandorina sp. were prevalent during conditions of warmer water temperatures and low turbulence. Cyanophyta, with dominance ofPseudanabaena mucicola, Merismopedia tenuissima and Raphidiopsis sp. increased throughout the summer, coinciding with higher water temperatures and lower nutrient concentrations. Dinophyta content was occasionally high during winter and summer. Peridiniopsis penardii （Dinophyta） bloomed during winter 2009, with a persistently high biomass recorded into early spring. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that phytoplankton communities were influenced by river discharge, irradiance, water temperature, and nutrient concentrations.     

Zooplankton community structure in relation to environmental factors and ecological assessment of water quality in the Harbin Section of the Songhua River

To study the relationship between zooplankton community structure and environmental factors and water quality in the Harbin Section of the Songhua River, investigations were carried out in June, August, and October 2011. Canonical correspondence analysis （CCA） and saprobic indices were used to process and analyze the data. Seasonal variability was identified as a significant source of variation, which explains the fluctuation in zooplankton density. In autumn, the dry season, water residence time increased and zooplankton biomass and abundance accumulated in the slow flowing waters. Zooplankton abundance increased when food conditions improved. Therefore, the total zooplankton abundance in autumn is much higher than that in spring and summer. According to the saprobic indices, all the sample sites had mesosaprobic water and water quality was worse in autumn. CCA revealed that temperature accounted for most of the spatial variation in the zooplankton community. Moreover, pH, dissolved oxygen saturation, and turbidity were important factors affecting zooplankton community distribution.     

Design ofVibrio 16S rRNA gene specific primers and their application in the analysis of seawaterVibrio community

The pathogenic species of genus Vibrio cause vibriosis, one of the most prevalent diseases of maricultured animals and seafood consumers. Monitoring their kinetics in the chain of seafood production, processing and consumption is of great importance for food and mariculture safety. In order to enrich Vibrio-representing 16S ribosomal RNA gene （rDNA） fragments and identify these bacteria further real-timely and synchronously among bacterial flora in the chain, a pair of primers that selectively amplify Vibrio 16S rDNA fragments were designed with their specificities and coverage testified in the analysis of seawater Vibrio community. The specificities and coverage of two primers, VF169 and VR744, were determined theoretically among bacterial 16S rDNAs available in GenBank by using BLAST program and practically by amplifying Vibrio 16S rDNA fragments from seawater DNA. More than 88.3% of sequences in GenBank, which showed identical matches with VR744, belong to Vibrio genus. A total of 33 clones were randomly selected and sequenced. All of the sequences showed their highest similarities to and clustered around those of diverse known Vibrio species. The primers designed are capable of retrieving a wide range of Vibrio 16S rDNA fragments specifically among bacterial flora in seawater, the most important natural environment of seafood cultivation.     

Spatial heterogeneity of a microbial community in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard during late summer 2006 and its relationship to biotic and abiotic factors

The 16S and 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid genes of microbial organisms collected from the contrasting environments (temperature, salinity, silicate, phosphate and nitrate, p <0.05) of the inner and outer basins of Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen, Arctic) were studied using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE) fingerprinting. Comparison of the microbial fingerprints and the physicochemical parameters revealed that molecular methodology exhibited a greater sensitivity. Sequences obtained from bacterial DGGE were affiliated with four main phylogenetic groups of bacteria:Proteobacteria(Alpha, Beta and Gamma), Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia and Cyanobacteria. The relationships between the genotype distribution of these microbes and associated biotic/abiotic factors, revealed by canonical correspondence analysis, showed that Station 1 at 30 m (outer fjord) was grouped separately from the other sites. This difference could be a consequence of the thermocline and base of the euphotic layer at this depth where the Atlantic and Arctic-type waters overlapped.