Spatial and temporal variability of planktonic archaeal abundance in the Humboldt Current System off Chile

The latest advances in the field of microbial ecology have shown that planktonic Archaea are one of the most abundant unicellular microorganisms of the oceans. However, no information is available on the contribution this group makes to the prokaryote assemblages that inhabit the eastern South Pacific Ocean. Here, we describe the relative abundance and vertical distribution of planktonic Archaea off northern and central-southern Chile. Data come from several cruises and a 45-month time series at a station located on the shelf off central-southern Chile. Both the taxonomic composition of the prokaryote community and its relative abundance were determined using quantitative dot blot 16S-rRNA hybridizations. Total Archaea in central-southern Chile made up 6–87% of the prokaryote rRNA in the water column and did not present evidence of any seasonal pattern. Crenarchaea were the most abundant archaeal group at this site and were significantly associated with the ammonium concentration (r²=0.16, p=0.0003, n=80). Archaeal abundance in the time series was usually greater in the deeper layer (>50 m), with contributions reaching up to ∼90% of the prokaryote rRNA on certain occasions, and decreasing towards the surface. Important increments in the relative abundance of total Archaea were observed on given dates at the surface of the time-series station off central-southern Chile. Off northern Chile, total Archaea normally contributed from ∼10% to 50% of the prokaryote rRNA found between 10 and 1000 m, and were generally important in the mesopelagic realm. Our results indicate that Archaea constitute an important fraction of the prokaryote assemblage in the water column of the Humboldt Current System, especially in the oxygen minimum zone.     

Water masses in the Humboldt Current System: Properties,distribution, and the nitrate deficit as a chemical water mass tracer for Equatorial Subsurface Water off Chile

Three sections are used to analyze the physical and chemical characteristics of the water masses in the eastern South Pacific and their distributions. Oceanographic data were taken from the SCORPIO (May–June 1967), PIQUERO (May–June 1969), and KRILL (June 1974) cruises. Vertical sections of temperature, salinity, σ_θ, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and silicate were used to analyze the water column structure. Five water masses were identified in the zone through T–S diagrams: Subantarctic Water, Subtropical Water, Equatorial Subsurface Water, Antarctic Intermediate Water, and Pacific Deep Water. Their proportions in the sea water mixture are calculated using the mixing triangle method. Vertical sections were used to describe the geographical distributions of the water mass cores in the upper 1500 m. Several characteristic oceanographic features in the study area were analyzed: the shallow salinity minimum displacement towards the equator, the equatorial subsurface salinity maximum associated with a dissolved oxygen minimum zone and a high nutrient content displacement towards the south, and the equatorward intermediate Antarctic salinity minimum associated with a dissolved oxygen maximum. The nitrate deficit generated in the denitrification area off Peru and northern Chile is proposed as a conservative chemical tracer for the Equatorial Subsurface Waters off the coast of Chile, south of 25°S.     

An individual-based model study of anchovy early life history in the northern Humboldt Current system

We used an individual-based model of anchovy (Engraulis ringens) early life history coupled with hydrodynamic outputs from the regional oceanic modeling system (ROMS) to investigate the factors driving variability in egg and larval survival rates in the northern Humboldt upwelling region off Peru. Individuals were released within a coastal area and followed for a period of 30 days. Those that were still in the coastal area at that time were considered as retained. We investigated the spatial and temporal variability in the release locations of the individuals retained, and compared these to observed egg concentration patterns reconstructed from a 40-year period of monitoring. A first set of simulations using passive particles to represent anchovy eggs and larvae revealed a large sensitivity of the results to the initial vertical distribution of particles. We then conducted two additional sets of simulations that included the effect of egg buoyancy, larval vertical swimming behavior and lethal temperature. We obtained (1) maximal coastal retention close to the surface in winter and in deeper layers in summer, (2) a large influence of egg buoyancy and of larval vertical behavior on coastal retention in all seasons, (3) a partial match between dates and locations of enhanced retention and observed egg concentration patterns and (4) a low effect of lethal temperature on survival except when associated with high egg density. The model suggests that an optimal temporal spawning pattern for maximizing coastal retention would have two maximums, the most significant in austral winter and the second in summer. This pattern agrees roughly with observed spawning seasonality, but with temporal discrepancy of about two months in the peaks of both series. Spatially, we obtained higher retention from 10 S to 20 S, whereas the observed maximum egg concentration was located between 6°S and 14°S. Among the three sets of simulations, the one taking into account larval vertical swimming behavior lead to the best match with the data.     

A time series of prokaryote secondary production in the oxygen minimum zone of the Humboldt current system, off central Chile

Because the marine picoplanktonic communities are made up of phylogenetically different microbial groups, the re-evaluation of key processes such as bacterial secondary production (BSP) has become an important contemporary issue. The difficulty of differentiating the metabolic processes of Bacteria from the rest of the microorganisms in the water column (i.e., Archaea and Eukarya) has made it difficult to estimate in situ BSP. This work presents the seasonal variability of the prokaryote secondary production (PSP) measured by the incorporation of ¹⁴C-leucine in the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) off central-southern Chile. The BSP and potential archaeal secondary production (PASP) were determined through the combined use of ¹⁴C-leucine and N¹-guanyl-1, 7-diaminoheptane (GC₇), an efficient inhibitor of archaeal and eukaryote cell growth. BSP accounted for the majority of the PSP (total average, 59 ± 7.5%); maximum values were ∼600 μg C m⁻³ h⁻¹ and, on several dates, BSP represented 100% of the PSP. Similarly, PASP was also an important fraction of the PSP (total average, 42.4 ± 8.5%), although with levels that ranged from not detectable (on given dates) to levels that represented up to ∼97% of PSP (winter 2003). Our results showed that both Bacteria and Archaea accounted for almost equal portions of the prokaryote heterotrophic metabolism in the OMZ, and that PASP is notoriously enhanced through temporal pulses of heterotrophy. This indicates that, at least in marine systems with high abundance of Archaea (e.g., mesopelagic realm), the secondary production obtained through methods measuring the uptake of radiolabeled substrates should be considered as PSP and not as BSP. If the latter is the target measurement, then the use of an inhibitor of both archaeal and eukaryote cell growth such as GC₇ is recommended.     

Common catabolic enzyme patterns in a microplankton community of the Humboldt Current System off northern and central-south Chile: Malate dehydrogenase activity as an index of water-column metabolism in an oxygen minimum zone

An extensive subsurface oxygen minimum zone off northern and central-south Chile, associated with the Peru–Chile undercurrent, has important effects on the metabolism of the organisms inhabiting therein. Planktonic species deal with the hypoxic and anoxic environments by relying on biochemical as well as physiological processes related to their anaerobic metabolisms. Here we characterize, for the first time, the potential enzymatic activities involved in the aerobic and anaerobic energy production pathways of microplanktonic organisms (<100 μm), their relationship, and this relationship's association with the oxygen concentration and microplanktonic biomass in the oxygen minimum zone and adjacent areas of the Humboldt Current System water column. Our results demonstrate significant potential enzymatic activity of catabolic pathways in the oxygen minimum zone. Malate dehydrogenase had the highest oxidizing activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (reduced form) in the batch of catabolic enzymatic activities assayed, including potential pyruvate oxidoreductases activity, the electron transport system, and dissimilatory nitrate reductase. Malate dehydrogenase correlated significantly with almost all the enzymes analyzed within and above the oxygen minimum zone, and also with the oxygen concentration and microplankton biomass in the water column of the Humboldt Current System, especially in the oxygen minimum zone off Iquique. These results suggest a possible specific pattern for the catabolic activity of the microplanktonic realm associated with the oxygen minimum zone spread along the Humboldt Current System off Chile. We hypothesize that malate dehydrogenase activity could be an appropriate indicator of microplankton catabolism in the oxygen minimum zone and adjacent areas.     

Nitrous oxide and N-nutrient cycling in the oxygen minimum zone off northern Chile

Measurements of dissolved gases (O₂, N₂O), nutrients (NO₃⁻, NO₂⁻, PO₄³⁻), and oceanographic variables were performed off northern Chile (∼21°S) between March 2000 and July 2004, in order to characterize the existing oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) and identify processes involved in N₂O cycling. Both N₂O and NO₃⁻ displayed sharp, shallow peaks with concentrations of up to 124 nM (1370% saturation) and 26 μM, respectively, in association with a strong oxycline that impinges on the euphotic zone. NO₂⁻ accumulation below the oxycline's base reached up to 9 μM. The vertical distribution of physical and chemical parameters and the existing relationships between apparent oxygen utilization (AOU), apparent N₂O production (ΔN₂O), and NO₃⁻ revealed three main layers within the upper OMZ. The first layer, or the upper part of the oxycline, is located between the base of the mixed layer and the mid-point of the oxycline (around σ_t=25.5 kg m⁻³). There the O₂ declines from ∼250 to ∼50 μM, and strong (but opposing) O₂ and NO₃⁻ gradients and their associated AOU–ΔN₂O and AOU–NO₃⁻ relationships indicate that nitrification produces N₂O and NO₃⁻ in the presence of light. The second layer, or lower part of the oxycline, represents the upper OMZ boundary and is located between the middle and the base of the oxycline (25.9<σ_t<26.1 kg m⁻³). In this layer NO₃⁻ reduction begins at O₂ levels ranging from ∼50 to ∼11 μM and accumulation of 41–68% of the ΔN₂O pool occurs. The accumulation of N₂O (but not of NO₂⁻ or NH₄⁺) and the observed AOU–ΔN₂O and AOU–NO₃⁻ relationships (which are opposite to those of the overlying first layer) suggest that a coupling between nitrification and NO₃⁻ reduction is involved in N₂O cycling in this second layer. The third layer is the OMZ core, where the O₂ concentration remains constant (O₂<11 μM). It coincides with σ_t>26.2 kg m⁻³, which is typical of Equatorial Subsurface Water (ESSW). In this layer, N₂O and NO₃⁻ continue to decrease, but a large NO₂⁻ accumulation is observed. Considering all the data, a biogeochemical model for the upper OMZ off northern of Chile is proposed, in which nitrification and denitrification differentially mediate N₂O cycling in each layer.     

Anammox bacteria and the anaerobic oxidation of ammonium in the oxygen minimum zone off northern Chile

Anammox is the anaerobic oxidation of ammonium by nitrite or nitrate to yield N₂. This process, along with conventional denitrification, contributes to nitrogen loss in oxygen-deficient systems. Anammox is performed by a special group of bacteria belonging to the Planctomycetes phylum. However, information about the distribution, activity, and controlling factors of these anammox bacteria is still limited. Herein, we examine the phylogenetic diversity, vertical distribution, and activity of anammox bacteria in the coastal upwelling region and oxygen minimum zone off northern Chile. The phylogeny of anammox bacteria was studied using primers designed to specifically target 16S rRNA genes from Planctomycetes in samples taken during a cruise in 2004. Anammox bacteria-like sequences affiliated with Candidatus “Scalindua spp.” dominated the 16S rRNA gene clone library. However, 62% of the sequences subgrouped separately within this cluster and together with a single sequence retrieved from the suboxic zone of the freshwater Lake Tanganyika. The vertical distribution and activity of anammox bacteria were explored through CARD-FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization with catalyzed reporter deposition) and ¹⁵N labeling incubations, respectively, at two different open-ocean stations during a second cruise in 2005. Anammox bacterial CARD-FISH counts (up to 3000 cells ml⁻¹) and activity (up to 5.75 nmol N₂ L⁻¹ d⁻¹) were only detected at the station subjected directly to the upwelling influence. Anammox cell abundance and activity were highest at 50 m depth, which is the upper part of the OMZ. In this layer, a high abundance of cyanobacteria and a marked nitrogen deficit were also observed. Thus, our results show the presence of a new subcluster within the marine anammox phylogeny and indicate high vertical variability in the abundance and activity of anammox bacteria that could be related to an intensification of carbon and nitrogen cycling in the upper part of the OMZ.     

必需脂肪酸在海洋食物链中的作用

"硅藻-桡足类-鱼类"是海洋生态系统中物质循环和能量流动的主要环节[1].在海洋食物链中,饵料的数量和营养价值是各营养级海洋动物生长和繁殖的主要制约因素[2].影响饵料营养价值的化学组分包括蛋白质、脂类、糖类、矿物质、维生素等,其中脂类物质作为浮游植物营养成分的重要组成部分,在动物的细胞膜、视网膜、脑、神经组织和某些激素的合成中具有不可替代的作用[3].     

Succession and seasonal onset of colonization in subtidal hard‐bottom communities off northern Chile

Although there is extensive information concerning the colonization sequences of benthic communities, little is known about the successional development of subtidal hard‐bottom habitats in highly productive coastal upwelling areas. In these systems, succession is predicted to be fast due to high growth rate of the later dominant colonizers. Using artificial hard substrata a field experiment was conducted in a rocky subtidal area off Northern Chile (Humboldt Current System) and monitored at 3‐month intervals to test the following hypotheses: (i) epibenthic succession may proceed through consecutive replacement of species, (ii) there is a fast convergence rate towards natural communities, and (iii) different seasonal starting points for the colonization will produce different community structure over a 1‐year period of exposure. Panels were installed on a vertical wall at 17 m water depth. Three replicate panels were sampled every 3 months over a period of 27 months. As a reference, six haphazardly selected plots from the surrounding natural community were surveyed at each sampling date. To evaluate how seasonally varying substratum availability affects community development, further panels were exposed for a 12‐month period, starting in four different seasons (n = 3 replicates per season). Community succession was slow and occurred through progressive changes, between early encrusting red corallines, middle Balanus flosculus and late Lagenicella variabilis. After 27 months, the community composition, but not its structure, was similar between experimental and reference communities on surrounding rocky bottoms. Seasonality had no effects and after 1 year of exposure the experimental communities converged towards a common structure. This study indicates that succession of subtidal epibenthic communities follows a slow and predictable pattern with a dominant late colonial species. In addition, aseasonal variability might be more relevant during colonization and succession in this upwelling ecosystem.     

Composition and heterogeneity of the microbial community in a coastal microbial mat as revealed by the analysis of pigments and phospholipid-derived fatty acids

The beaches of the North Sea barrier island Schiermonnikoog (The Netherlands) are covered by microbial mats. Five types of microbial mats were distinguished based on a variety of characteristics, located along a transect perpendicular to the coast. Biomass abundance and composition of the microbial community were analyzed in these mats using pigments and phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA) as biomarkers. Biomass per gram sediment increased more than six-fold from the mats at the low water mark to mats found at the edge of the dunes. Microscopic analysis revealed that the increase in biomass was accompanied by a change in species composition. Pigment- and PLFA composition reflected the changes in species composition. The PLFA data could be used to estimate the relative group abundance using the matrix factorization program CHEMTAX., whereas the pigment data were found not to be suitable for this purpose.     

巴夫藻脂肪酸和奋醇的同步测定研究

建立了一种脂肪酸甾醇分步衍生气相色谱／质谱(GC／MS)同步分析新方法，使用一份干质量约20mg的巴夫藻(Pavlova virdis)样品，采用SPB-5色谱柱，在岛津QP2010气相色谱／质谱联用分析仪上，实现可靠的定量定性分析。方法回收率为93％～107％；方法的重现性较好，各组分3次测定结果的标准相对偏差都小于10％；方法的检测限为3．5ng。选取巴夫藻(Pavlova sp．)进行分析，可初步确定出26种脂肪酸和10种甾类化合物以及它们的含量。     

Mesoscale distribution and advection of overwintering Calanus finmarchicus off the shelf of northern Norway

Data collected on a cruise in January 2008, using a laser optical plankton counter, conductivity–temperature–depth sensors, and a lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler, was used to study the mesoscale distribution and advection of overwintering Calanus finmarchicus in its deep water winter habitat off the shelf of northern Norway. The overwintering animals were generally located immediately below the Atlantic Water (AW) in Arctic Intermediate Water (AIW), in the 600–1200 m depth range. The depth of the interface between AW and AIW varied considerably in the area and this was clearly reflected in the C. finmarchicus distribution. Maximum abundance varied from about 80 ind m^?3 to more than 200 ind m^?3 at the different stations. Current measurements showed the richness of mesoscazle eddies, with speeds exceeding 70 cm s^?1 at the surface and rapidly decreasing with depth. In the main overwintering layer the eddy features were also clearly seen, but with speeds generally below 20 cm s^?1. C. finmarchicus were found in the whole survey area, but they were not homogeneously distributed. Advection of the copepods resulted in relatively high local rates of change in overwintering C. finmarchicus abundance with mean value of 8% per day in the area. It is clear that mesoscale physical processes greatly contribute to the variability in the abundance of overwintering C. finmarchicus off the shelf of northern Norway. The collected data are also a valuable addition to the generally sparse datasets on the C. finmarchicus winter distribution and the role of the Lofoten basin in the large scale system is also discussed.     

Role of eicosenoic and docosenoic fatty acids in fresh water and marine lipids

The isomeric compositions of the eicosenoic and docosenoic fatty acids of four freshwater fish oils (from sheepshead Aplodinotus grunniens, tullibee Coregonus artedii, maria Lota lota and alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, respectively) were examined by open-tubular gas—liquid chromatography. The 22:1ω11 isomer, usually the dominant isomer in marine-fish oils, was unimportant relative to 22:1ω9. The unsaponifiables lacked fatty alcohols and pristane and were mostly cholesterol. The probability that the 22:1ω1 in marine fish oils is strictly of an exogenous origin (primarily originating as the fatty alcohol in copepod wax esters) is reviewed and it is proposed that docosenoic acids have no obligatory role in the lipid biochemistry of either marine or freshwater fish.     

Measurement of volatile fatty acids in pore water from marine sediments by HPLC

Lower molecular weight volatile fatty acids are important intermediates in the anaerobic degradation of organic matter in marine sediments. The analysis of these compounds at the low in situ concentrations, however, still presents difficulties. A new derivatization procedure for the analysis of these compounds, coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography, has been modified for the analysis of volatile fatty acids in marine pore water to cover a linear calibration range from 0·5 μm to 10 mm. The modifications resulted in the detection of concentrations 40 times lower than in the original method and in good recoveries of fatty acid standards added to pore water (mean 101%). This modified procedure was then used to analyse fatty acids in pore water from sediments along a gradient of organic enrichment. The relative ratios of the individual acids were 1:0·1:0·02:0·01:0·02:0·01 for acetate, propionate, n-butyrate 2-methylbutyrate, iso-valerate and n-valerate. There was a tendency for the concentration of the more reduced acids to increase (propionate and n-butyrate) as organic enrichment increased. Several fatty acids were found that have not commonly been reported in marine pore water. These include 2-methylbutyrate, which is a specific anaerobic degradation product of iso-leucine, which, to the authors' knowledge, has not been previously found in marine pore water.