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.     

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.     

Population dynamics of four dominant copepods in Prydz Bay, Antarctica, during austral summer from 1999 to 2006

Population dynamics of four dominant Antarctic copepods, Calanoides acutus, Calanus propinquus, Metridia gerlachei and Rhincalanus gigas were studied based on zooplankton samples collected in the Prydz Bay during austral summer from 1999 to 2006. We found that C. acutus was the most abundant species among these four copepods, followed by C. propinquus, M. gerlachei and R. gigas. R. gigas occurred mainly in the warmer oceanic regions and showed distribution patterns discrete from the other three species, whose distribution in the whole survey area overlapped. By December 15th (about one month before our sampling) of the years 1999, 2003 and 2006, sea ice retreated earlier and polynyas existed in the neritic region one month before sampling. These periods were characterized by numerical dominance of C. acutus, C. propinquus and M. gerlachei, elevated proportions of Copepodite I and Copepodite II stages especially in the neritic region. While for the years 2000, 2002, and 2005, the ice edge located more northerly and polynyas did not exist in the neritic region, the copepods abundance was lower, indicating poor recruitment. Population structure of R. gigas was mainly composed of advanced stages Copepodite V and female during all cruises. Log10 (x+1) transformed densities of C. acutus, C. propinquus and M. gerlachei showed positive correlation with temperature and chlorophyll a concentration, while mean population stages of these copopods were negatively correlated with these environmental variables. Younger copepodite stages of C. acutus, C. propinquus and M. gerlachei appeared more often in neritic regions. We confirmed that the polynyas had a great contribution to phytoplankton blooms, which promote copepods reproduction and recruitment success. The study suggested that population dynamics of the four copepods have good correspondence with sea ice and polynya variations during all cruises of the Prydz Bay.     

Spatial variability of soil carbon to nitrogen ratio and its driving factors in Ili River valley,Xinjiang, Northwest China

Soil carbon to nitrogen(C/N) ratio is one of the most important variables reflecting soil quality and ecological function,and an indicator for assessing carbon and nitrogen nutrition balance of soils.Its variation reflects the carbon and nitrogen cycling of soils.In order to explore the spatial variability of soil C/N ratio and its controlling factors of the Ili River valley in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,Northwest China,the traditional statistical methods,including correlation analysis,geostatistic alanalys and multiple regression analysis were used.The statistical results showed that the soil C/N ratio varied from 7.00 to 23.11,with a mean value of 10.92,and the coefficient of variation was 31.3%.Correlation analysis showed that longitude,altitude,precipitation,soil water,organic carbon,and total nitrogen were positively correlated with the soil C/N ratio(P 0.01),whereas negative correlations were found between the soil C/N ratio and latitude,temperature,soil bulk density and soil p H.Ordinary Cokriging interpolation showed that r and ME were 0.73 and 0.57,respectively,indicating that the prediction accuracy was high.The spatial autocorrelation of the soil C/N ratio was 6.4 km,and the nugget effect of the soil C/N ratio was 10% with a patchy distribution,in which the area with high value(12.00–20.41) accounted for 22.6% of the total area.Land uses changed the soil C/N ratio with the order of cultivated land grass land forest land garden.Multiple regression analysis showed that geographical and climatic factors,and soil physical and chemical properties could independently explain 26.8%and 55.4% of the spatial features of soil C/N ratio,while human activities could independently explain 5.4% of the spatial features only.The spatial distribution of soil C/N ratio in the study has important reference value for managing soil carbon and nitrogen,and for improving ecological function to similar regions.     

Temporal population dynamics of dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum in a semi-enclosed mariculture pond and its relationship to environmental factors and protozoan grazers

The ecological processes and interrelationships between protists,either autotrophic or heterotrophic,and environmental factors in mariculture ponds are largely unknown.This study investigated the temporal dynamics of potentially harmful dinoflagellate,Prorocentrum minimum (Pavillard) Schiller,and its relationship to physico-chemical factors and protozoan grazers over a complete cycle in a semi-enclosed shrimp-farming pond near Qingdao,Northern China.P.minimum occurred frequently in low numbers from June to ...     

Temporal population dynamics of dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum in a semi-enclosed mariculture pond and its relationship to environmental factors and protozoan grazers

The ecological processes and interrelationships between protists, either autotrophic or heterotrophic, and environmental factors in mariculture ponds are largely unknown. This study investigated the temporal dynamics of potentially harmful dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum minimum (Pavillard) Schiller, and its relationship to physico-chemical factors and protozoan grazers over a complete cycle in a semi-enclosed shrimp-farming pond near Qingdao, Northern China. P. minimum occurred frequently in low numbers from June to August, followed by a sharp increase from the middle of August, reaching a single maximum peak value of 2.2×10⁵ cells L⁻¹ in October. Temporal variation in abundance was positively correlated with dissolved nitrogen, but showed a significant inverse relationship to abundance of the dominant ciliates, Tintinnopsis lohmanni and Askenasia stellaris. The results provide statistical evidence that the number of P. minimum increased with increasing nitrogen, and the suppression or shortening of algal bloom may be associated with protozoan grazers, such as Tintinnopsis lohmanni, in mariculture ponds.     

Source and spatial distributions of particulate organic carbon and its isotope in surface waters of Prydz Bay,Antarctica, during summer

In this study, we investigated the distributions of sea-surface suspended particulate organic carbon （POC） and its stable isotope （δ13C POC） in Prydz Bay, Antarctica, and examined the factors influencing their distribution, sources, and transport. We used measurements collected from 61 stations in Prydz Bay during the 29th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition, in combination with remote sensing data on sea surface temperature （SST）, chlorophyll a concentration, and sea ice coverage. The POC concentration in the surface waters of Prydz Bay was 0.28-0.84 mg.L-1, with an average concentration of 0.48 mg.L-1. The δ13C POC value ranged from -29.68‰ to -26.30‰, with an average of-28.01‰. The concentration of suspended POC was highest in near-shore areas and in western Prydz Bay. The POC concentration was correlated with chlorophyll a concentration and sea ice coverage, suggesting that POC was associated with phytoplankton production in local water columns, while the growth of phytoplankton was obviously affected by sea ice coverage. The δ13C poc value in suspended particles decreased gradually towards the outer waters of Prydz Bay, while in eastern Prydz Bay the δ13Cpoc value become gradually more negative from nearshore to deep-water areas, suggesting that δ13C poc was mainly influenced by CO2 fixation by phytoplankton. The δ13C POC value in suspended particles near Zhongshan Station was significantly negative, possibly as a result of the input of terrigenous organic matter and changes in the phytoplankton species composition in the nearshore area.     

The distribution feature of size-fractionated chlorophyll a and primary productivity in Prydz Bay and its north sea area during the austral summer

The investigation of size-fractionated chlorophyll a and primary productivity were carried out in three longitudinal sections (63°-69°12'S, 70°30'E, 73°E and 75(30'E) at December 18-26, 1998 and January 12-18, 1999 in Prydz Bay and its north sea area, Antarctica. The results showed that surface chlorophyll a concentration were 0. 16 -3. 99 μg dm-3. The high values of chlorophyll a concentration (more than 3.5 μg dm -3) were in Prydz Bay and in the west Ladies Bank. The average chlorophyll a concentration at sub-surface layer was higher than that at surface layer; its concentration at the deeper layers of 50 m decreased with increasing depth and that at 200 m depth was only 0. 01 -0. 95μg dm -3. The results of size-fractionated chlorophyll a showed that the contribution of the netplanktion to total chlorophyll a was 56% , those of the nanoplankton and the picoplankton were 24% and 20% respectively in the surveyed area. The potential primary productivity at the euphotic zone in the surveyed area wa     

Production dynamics and life cycle of dominant chironomids （Diptera, Chironomidae） in a subtropical stream in China： adaptation to variable flow conditions in summer and autumn

The production dynamics and trophic basis of 7 dominant species of chironomids were investigated in the area of a second-order river of the Hanjiang River basin, in central China from June 2003 to June 2004. The results showed that Tvetenia discoloripes was by far the most abundant chironomid, dominating the overall standing stock of the taxa. In terms of life cycle, Chaetocladius sp., Eukiefferiella potthasti and T. discoloripes developed 1 generation a year, whereas Microtendipes sp. and Pagastia sp. developed two, while Pentaneura sp. and Polypedilum sp. developed three. T. discoloripes was the most productive chironomid with 120.305 8 g/m2.a, Pentaneura sp. and E. potthasti had relatively high production values of >17 g/m2.a, and the rest were <10 g/m2.a. All the production temporal variation tended to follow biomass patterns. T. discoloripes, Chaetocladius sp. and Pagastia sp. concentrated most of their production in winter, whereas E. potthasti, Pentaneura sp. and Polypedilum sp. had relatively higher production throughout the year. Only Microtendipes sp. had a production that peaked in summer. The overlap in temporal distribution of production among the chironomid species was generally high (>0.5), especially for filter-collectors Microtendipes sp., Chaetocladius sp., Chaetocladius sp., T. discoloripes and Pagastia sp. All species except Pentaneura sp. consumed a large portion of amorphous detritus, constituting more than 90% of their diets, and contributing nearly 90% to their secondary production. All the 7 chironomids represent obvious adaptation to local highly variable climate in summer and autumn in life cycle pattern, production dynamics, and food type.