AreAcila divaricata and Acila mirabilis One Species or Two Distinct Species？ Evidence from COI Mitochondrial DNA

Acila divaricata （Hinds, 1843） and A. mirabilis （Adams and Reeve, 1850） are common benthic bivalves in China. A number of researchers have proposed that the latter species is a junior synonym of the former species. Because of morphological similarities, it is difficult to distinguish these two species based on visual examination only. For better understanding of their taxon-omy, the mitochondrial CO1 gene fragments of five individuals of A. divaricata from the East China Sea and six individuals of A. mirabilis from the Yellow Sea were sequenced in this study. The phylogenetic relationships of the obtained COI sequences, together with nineteen sequences of three species of the genus Nucula, were analyzed. The pairwise intra- and inter-specific distances for the CO1 sequences ranged from 0.002 to 0.017 and from 0.128 to 0.134, respectively, and no overlap was found. Phylogenetically, A. divaricata and A. mirabilis form distinct clades and cluster into a sister to all other Nucula species. The results indicated that A. di-varicata and A. mirabilis are two distinct species. The differences in the morphology and distribution between the two species were briefly discussed.     

Species and distribution of inorganic selenium in the Bohai Sea

1 INTRODUCTION Selenium is a ubiquitous trace element that ex- ists in multiple chemical forms in seawater in dif- ferent oxidation states and organic metalloid com- pounds. Selenium is essential for the growth of various photosynthetic species in natural…     

Comparative Analysis of Mitochondrial Control Region Sequence from Three Flatfish Species （Pleuronectidae）

The 5‘-end of the mitochondrial control region sequences of three flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes: Pleuronectidae) were amplified and sequenced. These sequences were compared with those of other three Pleuronectids species retrieved from GenBank. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the partial control region sequences. The results of phylogenetic analysis are consistent with those of conventional systematics. Compared to previous studies, the structure of the 5‘-end of mitochondrial control region was analyzed. The terminal associated sequence motif and its complementary motif were identified at the 5‘-end of the sequences. A conserved sequence block, named as CM5‘ d, was identified in the 5‘-end of control region sequences in all Pleuronectids. Another central conserved sequence block, named as CSB-F, was detected in the central conserved blocks.     

Did Species and Functional Diversities of Sandy Intertidal Marine Nematodes Reveal Similar Response to Environmental Changes?

Free living marine nematodes were sampled from two sandy beaches in Dalian City, in December of 2015, and April, July,and October of 2016. The spatial and seasonal variations of marine nematode species diversity(based on species abundance dataset)and functional diversity(based on functional traits dataset: feeding types and life history strategies) were investigated to understand the environmental drivers and how they respond to specific environmental variations. Sediment granularity was reveale...     

Cylindrotheca closterium Is a Species Complex as Was Evidenced by the Variations of rbcL Gene and SSU rDNA

The genus Cylindrotheca consists of a small group of marine diatoms with a few species described. Eleven isolates of diatoms identified as Cylindrotheca closterium morphologically were obtained from Jiaozhou Bay with their nuclear-encoded small-subunit ribosomal RNA （SSU rDNA） and chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene sequences determined in this study. Interestingly, very high sequence divergences of SSU rDNA and rbcL gene were found among these isolates, and numerous nucleotide variation of rbcL gene caused relatively few variation of deduced amino acid sequence. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA and rbcL gene, respectively, grouped the isolates into 6 clades. Phylogenetic tree of SSU rDNA placed all the Cylindrotheca isolates together, separating them into two lineages clearly. LineageⅠ was composed of the eleven C. closterium isolates obtained in this study together with another C. closterium isolate, but some clades were not well supported. LineageⅠwas contained two C. closterium isolates and one C. fusiformis isolate. Phylogenetic analysis of rbcL gene also separated the Cylindrotheca isolates into two well-defined lineages. The eleven C. closterium isolates formed a lineage and all clades were supported strongly. Statistical comparisons of SSU rDNA indicated that the average distance within lineageⅠwas significantly higher than that of other microalgae species （P 〈0.01）. These results suggested the existence of cryptic species within C. closterium.     

Two New Species of the Genus finocladia Kylin （Chordaria-les, Phaeophyta） from Yellow Sea Coasts of China

Two new species of the genus Tinocladia Kylin, T. gracilis sp. nov. and T. microsporangii sp. nov,, are described. T. gracilis is characterized by its slender frond, variable size, infrequently branched medullary filaments, and short assimilating filaments with 2 - 7 cells. T. microsporangii is characterized by its medullary cells which are slightly larger than sub-cortical ones; narrow sub-cortical layer, usually consisting of 4- 6 cells and very small unilocular sporangia. The holotypes are deposited at the Herbarium of the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.     

The Occurrence of an Exotic Bisexual Artemia Species, Artemia franciscana, in Two Coastal Salterns of Shandong Province, China

The alien halophilous Artemia species, Artemia franciscana, was found in Chengkou Saltern and Yangkou Saltern of Shandong Province, P.R. China. Although the indigenous parthenogenetic Artemia is detectable, the exotic species is dominant in both salterns. The cross-breeding tests between the exotic A. franciscana and 5 bisexual Artemia species were conducted. The results of hybridization and morphological observations on the exotic A. franciscana are briefly presented in this short communication.     

Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species in Different Fractions of the Coelomocytes of Holothurian Eupentacta fraudatrix in Response to the Thermostable Toxin of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in Vitro

Pure fraction (92% - 95%) of phagocytes (FP) and a mixture of amoebocytes (62%) and morula cells (38 % )-FPMC- of the holothurian Eupentacta fraudatrix ( Holothuroidea,Dendrochirota ) were obtained by using ficoll-verographine step gradient. Basal production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in FP quantified by using reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) was more than twice that in FPMC. Thermostable toxin of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (TST) at differentconcentrations ( 0.2; 0.5; 2.5 μg/ml, but not 0.1 μg/ml) stimulated NBT reduction in FPMC after 24 h incubation. In FP, TST at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2 μg/ml inhibited and at concentrations of 0.5 and 2.5 μg/ml stimulated NBT reduction after 24 h incubation. Maximal effect was observed in FP and FPMC at TST concentrations of 0.5 and 0.2 μg/ml, respectively. Addition of catalase (0.7 μg/ml) to the cells treated with TST (2.5 μg/ml) was followed by a decrease in NBT reduction compared to that under toxin treatment alone. TST stimulated superoxide dismutase activity in ccncentration-dependent manner (maximum at 0.5 μg/ml concentration in FP) after 24 htreatment, and this stimulation was prevented by a commercial catalase. Plant lectin concanavalin A stimulated NBT reduction more than 5-fold in FPMC compared to the control. With addition of TST, lectin stimulated ROS to lesser extent than that with lectin alone. When catalase, TST, and lectin were added into the FPMC simultaneously, ROS increase was similar to that under lectin treatment alone. On the whole, data obtained indicated that ROS generation in holothurian coelomocytes especially occurs in both stimulated and not stimulated phagocytes, and that changes in ROS production by these cells may be one of the mechanisms of antibacterial protection of holothurians.     

Seasonal Changes in Phytoplankton Biomass and Dominant Species in the Changjiang River Estuary and Adjacent Seas：General Trends Based on Field Survey Data 1959-2009

The characteristics of seasonal variation in phytoplankton biomass and dominant species in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent seas were discussed based on field investigation data from 1959 to 2009. The field data from 1981 to 2004 showed that the Chlorophyll-a concentration in surface seawater was between 0.4 and 8.5 ktg dm-3. The seasonal changes generally presented a bimodal trend, with the biomass peaks occurring in May and August, and Chlorophyll-a concentration was the lowest in winter. Seasonal biomass changes were mainly controlled by temperature and nutrient levels. From the end of autumn to the next early spring, phytoplankton biomass was mainly influenced by temperature, and in other seasons, nutrient level （including the nutrient supply from the terrestrial runoffs） was the major influence factor. Field investigation data from 1959 to 2009 demonstrated that dia- toms were the main phytoplankton in this area, and Skeletonerna costatum, Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, Coscinodiscus oculus-iridis, Thalassinoema nitzschioides, Paralia sulcata, Chaetoceros lorenzianus, Chaetoceros curvisetus, and Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu were common dominant species. The seasonal variations in major dominant phytoplankton species presented the following trends： 1） Skeletonema （mainly S. costatum） was dominant throughout the year; and 2） seasonal succession trends were Coscinodiscus （spring） →Chaetoceros （summer and autumn） → Coscinodiscus （winter）. The annual dominance of S. costatum was attributed to its environmental eurytopicity and long standing time in surface waters. The seasonal succession of Coscinodiscus and Chaetoceros was associated with the seasonal variation in water stability and nutrient level in this area. On the other hand, long-term field data also indicated obvious interannual variation of phytoplankton biomass and community structure in the Changjiang River Estuary and adjacent seas： average annual phytoplankton biomass and dinoflagellate proportion both presented inc