Grazing effects by Nereis diversicolor on development and growth of green algal mats

Nereis diversicolor is generally considered to be a predator and deposit feeder, but have also been found to graze on benthic algae in shallow coastal areas. In this study we investigated the grazing effects on the development and growth of green algae, Ulva spp. Algal growth was studied in an experiment including two levels of sediment thickness; 100 mm sediment including macrofauna and 5 mm sediment without macrofauna, and three treatments of varying algal biomass; sediment with propagules, sediment with low algal biomass (120 g dry weight (dwt) m^− 2) and sediment with high algal biomass (240 g dwt m^− 2). In the 100 mm sediment, with a natural population of macrofauna, N. diversicolor was the dominating (60% of total biomass) species. After three weeks of experimentation the result showed that N. diversicolor was able to prevent initial algal growth, affect growth capacity and also partly reduce full-grown algal mats. The weight of N. diversicolor was significantly higher for polychaetes in treatments with algae added compared to non-algal treatments. There were also indications that a rich nutrient supply per algae biomass counteracted the grazing capacity of N. diversicolor.     

Evidence of microphytobenthic roles on coastal shallow water of the Seto Inland Sea,Japan

This study describes the temporal variation of microphytobenthic biomass and its controlling factors, as well as the impact of microphytobenthic activities on coastal shallow sediment in the eastern Seto Inland Sea, Japan. The chlorophyll a (Chl a), phaeopigments and sedimentary biophilic element (C, N, P and Si) contents in surface sediments, as well as nutrient concentrations at the sediment-water interface (overlying water and pore water) were observed monthly during November 2003 to May 2005 at one site in Shido Bay (water depth ca. 7 m) and at one site in Harima-Nada (35 m). No correlation was observed between the sedimentary biophilic elements and other parameters. The maximum chlorophyll a content of 48.2 μg g^–1 was found in surface sediments under the photon flux reaching the seafloor of 537 μmol photon m^–2 s^–1 during the winter period when water transparency was the highest at station S (Shido Bay). Our results suggest that higher chlorophyll a content in surface sediment was due to the fresh microphytobenthic biomass (mainly benthic diatom). We also found a significant negative correlation between Chl a and inorganic nutrients in pore water during the low temperature period, especially silicic acid. This result suggests that the silicic acid was assimilated largely during the increase of microphytobenthic biomass in surface sediment. This study suggests that the microphytobenthic roles may have a great effect on nutrient budgets during the large supply of irradiance (winter periods) for their photosynthetic growth in shallow coastal waters.     

南海西北部沉积物捕获器中颗石藻通量和属种组成变化记录

本文利用沉积物捕获器回收的连续时间序列沉降颗粒物样品,研究了南海西北部海南岸外陆坡外缘海域颗石藻的通量和属种组成变化及其环境意义。研究发现,东亚夏季风引起的海南岸外上升流以及冬季风导致的混合层深度增加都会刺激该区域颗石藻的生长,其中夏季上升流的影响尤为显著。从颗石粒属种组成来看,Florisphaera profunda是南海西北部中深层(1 000m)水体中主要的颗石粒优势种,此外Emiliania huxleyi,Gephyrocapsa oceanica和Gephyrocaps ericsonii等属种含量也颇高。然而在将颗石粒折算成颗石球数量后,Emiliania huxleyi则成为主要优势种。沉积物捕获器中F.profunda的相对百分含量与颗石粒总通量呈显著的负相关,表明F.profunda的相对含量与总的颗石藻生产力有着密切联系。本结果对于利用沉积物中的颗石藻记录,尤其是F.profunda相对含量变化,恢复和重建古海洋环境尤其是古海洋生产力的研究提供了直接的理论证据。     

Temporal changes and spatial variation of soil oxygen consumption, nitrification and denitrification rates in a tidal salt marsh of the Lagoon of Venice, Italy

The aim of the present study was to investigate seasonal and spatial patterns of soil oxygen consumption, nitrification, denitrification and fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in a tidal salt marsh of the Lagoon of Venice, Italy. In the salt marsh, intact soil cores including overlying water were collected monthly at high tide from April to October in salt marsh creeks and in areas covered by the dominant vegetation, Limonium serotinum. In May, cores were also collected in areas with vegetation dominated by Juncus maritimus and Halimione portulacoides. In laboratory incubations at in situ temperature in the dark, flux rates of oxygen and DIN were monitored in the overlying water of the intact cores. ¹⁵N-nitrate was added to the overlying water and nitrification and denitrification were measured using isotope-dilution and -pairing techniques. The results show that highest soil oxygen consumption coincided with the highest water temperature in June and July. The highest denitrification rates were recorded in spring and autumn coinciding with the highest nitrate concentrations. Soil oxygen consumption and nitrification rates differed between sampling sites, but denitrification rates were similar among the different vegetation types. The highest rates were recorded in areas covered with L. serotinum. Burrowing soil macrofauna enhanced oxygen consumption, nitrification and denitrification in April and May. The data presented in this study indicate high temporal as well as spatial variations in the flux of oxygen and DIN, and nitrogen transformations in the tidal salt marshes of the Venice lagoon during the growth season. The results identify the salt marshes of the Venice lagoon as being metabolically very active ecosystems with a high capacity to process nitrogen.     

Effect on marine sediment nitrogen fluxes caused by organic matter enrichment with varying organic carbon structure and nitrogen content

Enrichments with five types of organic carbon, differing in nitrogen content and type of organic carbon, were made to a marine sediment in order to study effects on nitrogen fluxes. The enrichments used were Ulva lactuca, Ascophyllum nodosum, Zostera marina, Ceratium spp., lignin, and mixtures of U. lactuca and A. nodosum. Fluxes of ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate were measured in short-term (48 h) microcosm experiments, using a carbon enrichment loading similar to that at the sampling site. Changes in microbial community growth and structure due to three types enrichments were also detected using molecular methods in a microcosm experiment run for 4 days to allow for detection at DNA-level.Ammonium fluxes changed from an efflux in the control to an influx for all enrichments apart from U. lactuca. The change was significantly related to the added material's C:N ratio when Ceratium spp. was excluded. All enrichments induced an influx of nitrate suggesting the formation of anoxic micro zones, but there was no relationship with C:N ratio. Instead, the magnitude of the nitrate influx is suggested to be related to the structure of the organic carbon, where enrichments containing a large pool of cellulose and lignin (Z. marina and lignin) gave rise to a lower influx, compared to algal material with more easily degraded organic matter like lipids and starch, which induced the highest influx of nitrate (Ceratium spp., U. lactuca, and A. nodosum). The occurrence of an ammonium influx together with increased nitrate influx and a lower efflux of phosphate in the enrichments suggests a growth of heterotrophic bacteria. This was also confirmed using molecular methods (PCR-DGGE) where the relative abundance of bacterial species in the enrichments increased.The sum of ammonium and nitrate fluxes showed that total nitrogen removal was enhanced in all enrichments compared to the nonenriched control sediment, but in different ways. Ceratium spp. induced the highest removal followed by A. nodosum, U. lactuca, Z. marina, and lastly, by lignin. The same pattern was observed also in a second experiment. These results indicate that easily degradable organic carbon, together with a lower C:N ratio of the added material, will remove nitrogen from the water phase, making the recycling of nitrogen to the overlying water mass smaller.     

Biogeochemistry in highly reduced mussel farm sediments during macrofaunal recolonization by Amphiura filiformis and Nephtys sp.

Mussel farming is considered a viable means for reducing coastal eutrophication. This study assessed the importance of bioturbation by recolonizing fauna for benthic solute fluxes and porewater distributions in manipulated mussel farm sediments. Three consecutive time-series flux incubations were performed during an experimental period of three weeks in sieved farm sediment treated with the brittle star Amphiura filiformis and the polychaete Nephtys sp. The functional behavior of Nephtys sp. and interactions between Nephtys sp. and the spontaneously colonizing spionid Malacoceros fuliginosus determined the biogeochemical response in the Nephtys sp. treatment. For example, the oxic zone was restricted and benthic nitrate and silicate fluxes were reduced compared to the brittle star treatment. A. filiformis seemed to enhance the bioadvective solute transport, although an increased supply of oxygen was due to the highly reducing conditions of the sediment mainly seen as secondary effects related to porewater distributions and benthic nutrient fluxes.     

Effect of macrofaunal bioturbation on bacterial distribution in marine sandy sediments, with special reference to sulphur-oxidising bacteria

We have studied the impact of the bioturbating macrofauna, in particular the lugworm Arenicola marina and the bivalve Cerastoderma edule, on abundances and distribution patterns of total bacteria and of bacteria of selected functional groups in sandy intertidal sediments. The selected groups comprised the colourless sulphur-oxidising bacteria and the anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria, which are expected to occupy small zones at the oxygen–sulphide interface in stable (non-bioturbated) sediments. The presence of a wooden wreck buried in the sediment at 10 cm depth within a large area of intertidal sand flat colonised by lugworms provided a unique opportunity to confront field observations with laboratory simulations. The site with the wooden wreck, which was used as control site, was devoid of both A. marina and C. edule, while the composition of the rest of the zoobenthic community was rather similar to that of the surrounding area. In the field, the density of total bacteria was approximately one order of magnitude higher in the control site than in the natural (bioturbated) site. This can be explained by the higher contents of silt and clay particles (higher surface-area/volume ratio) and higher total organic-carbon contents found at the control site. It appears that the presence of macrofauna affects sedimentation processes, which indirectly influence bacterial dynamics. Samples from the control site have been incubated in the laboratory with A. marina and C. edule added (bioturbated core), while an unamended core served as a control. The laboratory experiments contrasted with the field observations, because it was found that total bacteria were actually higher in the deeper layers of the bioturbated core. Moreover, the populations were more homogeneous (less stratified) and colourless sulphur bacteria were on average less numerous in the bioturbated core. In general, laboratory incubations resulted in a decrease of total bacteria with a concomitant increase of colourless and phototrophic sulphur-oxidising bacteria and thus in modifications of the bacterial community structure. Hence, our results demonstrate that care must be taken in extrapolating results from laboratory experiments (e.g. mesocosm research) to field situations.     

Depth Correlated Benthic Faunal Quantity and Infaunal Burrow Structures on the Slopes of a Marine Depression

In the northern part of the Kattegat, western Sweden, a series of marine depressions remain since the last glaciation. One of these, the well-oxygenated Alkor Deep, is about 3 km long and 800 m wide and with a depth of 138 m. Random depth-stratified sampling was made along four transects on the slopes including benthic macrofauna (0·1 m²grab samples) and sediment profile imaging. A significant positive correlation was found between depth and the faunal variables abundance and biomass. Deposit feeders such as Maldane sarsi, Heteromastus filiformis andAbra alba were among the dominants and may have been supported by down-slope advected organic material. In many images, pockets and extensive burrows were seen in the sediment that appeared to be constructed by the crustaceans Calocaris macandreae and Maera loveni. The ecological significance of their irrigation of the sediment is discussed. Due to the faunal activity deep down in the sediments of the slopes, the mean apparent redox potential discontinuity (RPD) was found as deep as between 8·0 and 11·3 cm depth, and RPD was significantly positively correlated with water depth. On the slopes there appears to be a balance between the input of organic material and the capacity of the benthic organisms to assimilate that carbon.     

缢蛏(Sinonovacula constricta)生物扰动对养殖废水处理系统中沉积物磷赋存形态垂直分布的影响

为研究缢蛏(Sinonovacula constricta)生物扰动在养殖废水生态处理系统中对沉积物不同垂直分层的各种磷形态迁移转化的影响,于2016年5—7月在养殖废水处理池的贝藻处理区采集不同缢蛏养殖密度下的实验围隔箱内的底泥,测定不同垂直方向上的磷形态、微生物活性(FDA)以及碱性磷酸酶活性(APA)。结果表明,在底栖动物缢蛏生物扰动作用下,改变了沉积物内部的微环境,促进了微生物的生长,增大了沉积物中总微生物活性以及碱性磷酸酶活性。而沉积物中有机磷(OP)含量显著减少(P0.05);非磷灰石态无机磷(NAIP)、磷灰石态无机磷(AP)和无机磷(IP)含量显著增加(P0.05),这表明在缢蛏的生物扰动下OP可能转变成为AP、NAIP等无机磷成分;总磷含量呈降低趋势。本试验结果表明,缢蛏生物扰动下对于养殖废水生态处理系统沉积物垂直方向上的磷赋存形态具有显著的影响,且高密度组的生物扰动作用对沉积物中磷形态迁移转化的影响强于低密度组。     

滇池螺蛳(Margarya melanioides)分布和底泥营养元素调查

研究了滇池螺蛳(Margarya melanioides)分布和底泥营养成分之间的关系。2013年在滇池87个采样点采集螺蛳和底泥样本,图示分析所有采样点的活的螺蛳数量,确定活螺在滇池中的分布位点及分布密度;选择8个采样点的底泥样本,进行16项营养元素(有机质、磷、氮、锌、铁、锰、镁、钙、铜、钠、钾、砷、汞、铅、镉、铬)含量测定,分析这些样本营养元素的差异。根据这8个采样点中有无螺蛳生长,将8个底泥样本分为两组,采用完全随机设计两样本比较的t检验,结果两组样本间仅铜的含量有统计学差异(P0.05),这可能是由于滇池螺蛳的生长有效富集了重金属铜元素,使有螺区域比无螺区域底泥中铜的含量明显减少。这在一定程度上说明了螺蛳生长与底泥的关系,可为滇池污染防治及螺蛳种群保护提供相关的科学依据。     

光强和营养盐对伪矮海链藻昼夜节律变化的影响

于1989年1月 - 1989年8月采用连续培养和半连续培养方法进行了伪矮海链藻细胞分裂、叶绿素a含量和活体荧光特性与光、营养盐关系的研究。结果表明,细胞分裂、活体荧光、叶绿素a均呈现光照期的增长速率明显高于黑暗期的增长速率的日变化规律,荧光增强比则在光照期开始后或黑暗期结束时出现最高值;光强和营养盐不仅影响各指标日变化的幅度,而且还可改变荧光增强比峰值出现时间。因此,在研究细胞分裂、叶绿素a和荧光特性的昼夜节律时,必须考虑光和营养盐这两个重要因素。     

Ecological influence of exotic plants of Sonneratia apetala on understory macrofauna

The study aims to compare the differences of macrofauna communities of wetlands at 3-year-forest- age, 5-year-forest-age Sonneratia apetala artificial mangroves, 5-year-forest-age Kandelia candel ar- tificial mangroves with the same restoration background, and the naked tidal flat in the Qi’ao Island Mangrove Nature Reserve of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. The results show that there were signif- icant structural differences in macrofauna communities among four kinds of habitats. The increase of biomass and species diversity of macrofauna at 3-year-forest-age S. apetala artificial mangroves was obviously faster than that at 5-year-forest-age K. candel artificial mangroves whose average tree height was close to that of 3-year-forest-age S. apetala artificial mangroves. The BIOENV analysis shows that it was related to the rapid growth of S. apetala, which rapidly changed the light level and shading conditions in the forests. The 5-year-forest-age S. apetala artificial mangroves had lower macrofauna species diversity but higher density and biomass than K. candel artificial mangroves with the same forest age. This was due to the rapid changes of physical and chemical properties of habitat soil by the ecological restoration of S. apetala artificial mangroves as well as the changed food sources possibly caused by the leaf-litter of such non-indigenous mangrove species S. apetala. However, further survey should be conducted on whether there are any negative ecological impacts of large-scale cultivation of S. apetala on macrofauna communities, so as to evaluate correctly S. apetala’s role in the restoration of coastal mangrove ecosystems.     

Nutrient fluxes from deep sediment support nutrient budget in the oligotrophic waters of the Gulf of Aqaba

The role of deep sediment in supporting nutrient budget in the Gulf of Aqaba has been investigated by estimating the flux of inorganic nitrogen, phosphate and silicate. Fluxes were calculated directly by pore water profiles and indirectly by chamber incubations carried out onboard the RV Meteor cruise. The results showed that maximum potential fluxes calculated by chamber incubations were higher than those calculated by porewater profiles for all nutrients (6.4–28.5 fold). This has been attributed to the additional flux due to bioturbation and flux from advective porewater exchange in the case of chamber incubation, while porewater fluxes represent diffusive ones. Using a rough estimation considering flux results in addition to the sediment area and water mass of the Gulf of Aqaba, we estimate that 3.3 × 10⁵, 6.4 × 10⁴ and 6.5 × 10⁶ kg year⁻¹ of inorganic nitrogen, phosphate and silicate respectively are effused from deep sediments to the water column. This quanitity would certainly support the primary productivity in the oligotrophic water in the Gulf of Aqaba.     

Nutrient exchange across the sediment-water interface in the Potomac River estuary

The flux of ammonia, phosphate, silica and radon-222 from Potomac tidal river and estuary sediments is controlled by processes occurring at the sediment-water interface and within surficial sediment. Calculated diffusive fluxes range between 0·6 and 6·5 mmol m^?2 day^?1 for ammonia, 0·020 and 0·30 mmol m^?2 day^?1 for phosphate, and 1·3 and 3·8 mmol m^?2 day^?1 for silica. Measured in situ fluxes range between 1 and 21 mmol m^?2 day^?1 for ammonia, 0·1 and 2·0 mmol m^?2 day^?1 for phosphate, and 2 and 19 mmol m^?2 day^?1 for silica. The ratio of in situ fluxes to diffusive fluxes (flux enhancement) varied between 1·6 and 5·2 in the tidal river, between 2·0 and 20 in the transition zone, and from 1·3 to 5·1 in the lower estuary. The large flux enhancements from transition zone sediments are attributed to macrofaunal irrigation. Nutrient flux enhancements are correlated with radon flux enhancements, suggesting that fluxes may originate from a common region and that nutrients are regenerated within the upper 10–20 cm of the sediment column.The low fluxes of phosphate from tidal viver sediments reflect the control benthic sediment exerts on phosphorus through sorption by sedimentary iron oxyhydroxides. In the tidal river, benthic fluxes of ammonia and phosphate equal one-half and one-third of the nutrient input of the Blue Plains sewage treatment plant. In the tidal Potomac River, benthic sediment regeneration supplies a significant fraction of the nutrients utilized by primary producers in the water column during the summer months.     

Diffusive and total oxygen uptake of deep-sea sediments in the eastern South Atlantic Ocean:in situ and laboratory measurements

Total O₂ uptake rates were measured by the benthic flux chamber lander ELINOR, and O₂ microprofiles were measured by the profiling lander PROFILUR in the eastern South Atlantic. Diffusive O₂ fluxes through the diffusive boundary layer and the depth distribution of O₂ consumption rates within the sediment were calculated from the obtained microprofiles. The depth integrated O₂ consumption rate agreed closely with the diffusive O₂ uptake at all stations. Total O₂ uptake was 1.2–4.2 times the diffusive O₂ uptake, and the difference correlated with the abundance of macrofauna in the sediment. Diffusive O₂ uptake and O₂-penetration depths correlated with the organic content of the sediments and exhibited an inverse correlation with water depth. Total and diffusive rates of in situ O₂ uptake were higher than previously published data for shelf and abyssal sediments in the Atlantic, but were comparable to rates from upwelling areas in the eastern Pacific. Laboratory measurements on recovered sediment cores showed lower O₂ penetration depths and higher diffusive uptake rates than in situ measurements. The differences increased with increasing water depth. We primarily ascribe this compression of O₂ profiles to a transiently increased temperature during recovery and enhanced microbial activity in decompressed sediment cores. Total O₂ uptake rates measured in the laboratory on macrofauna-rich stations were, in contrast, lower than those measured in situ because of underrepresentation and disturbance of the macrofauna.     

Pore Water Nutrient Regeneration in Shallow Coastal Bohai Sea, China

The regeneration of pore water nutrients was studied and the contribution of benthic nutrient fluxes to the overlying water was evaluated on the basis of field specific observations conducted in September–October 1998 and April–May 1999 in the Bohai Sea. Nutrient concentrations in sediment pore waters were examined by incubating sediment core samples with overlying seawater in air and/or nitrogen conditions. Nutrient diffusion fluxes calculated by diagenetic equations were within a factor of 2 during incubations. The factors affecting nutrient diffusion across sediment/water interface include bioturbation, nitrification, denitrification, adsorption, and dissolution. The regeneration of nutrients from sediments will increase nutrient loads of the Bohai Sea and affect nutrient atomic ratios in this region. Among nutrient sources from riverine input, atmospheric deposition and sediment regeneration, ammonium and phosphate mainly came from atmospheric deposition (>50%); nitrate was mainly transported by riverine input into the Sea, silicate from sediment regeneration accounts up to 60%. This demonstrates that nutrient regeneration in sediments contributes more silicate than riverine input and atmospheric deposition together, but benthic flux contributes very much less phosphate and nitrate relative to riverine input and atmospheric deposition. The benthic fluxes of nutrients may lead to a decrease of the amount of nitrate, an increase of phosphate, ammonia and silicate in the water column. The release of silicate from sediments may compensate the decrease of silicate due to the reduction of riverine discharge. Nutrient regeneration in sediment may have an important influence on the eutrophic character of coastal waters in this region. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Food and feeding habits of juvenile flounder Platichthys flesus (L.), abd turbot Scophthalmus maximus L. in the åland archipelago, northern Baltic Sea

The food choice of juvenile flounder (Platichthys flesus) and turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) was studied in the northern Baltic Sea during the years 1988, 1989, 1994 and 1995. The diet included organisms from 30 species/taxa in flounder (n = 306) and 10 species/taxa in turbot (n = 41). Flounder 45 mm mainly consumed meiofauna (dominating taxon: Harpacticoida, Copepoda) and larger fish (46–101 mm) consumed macrofauna (dominating taxa: Oligochaeta, Amphipoda and Chironomidae). In terms of biomass, macrofauna dominated for all sizes of flounders, and meiofauna was important only for the smallest fish. A strong seasonal variation could be detected in the diet. In spring, macrofauna dominated for all size classes of fish (only fish > 30 mm were caught in spring), while in summer and autumn meiofauna dominated the diets for fish 45 mm in size. Juvenile turbot (22–88 mm) consumed macrofauna and small fish. Turbot 30 mm consumed mainly amphipods, while > 30 mm turbot consumed mysid shrimps, amphipods and fish.The ontogenetic shift from meio- to macrofauna-sized prey in flounders occurs at a larger fish size in the northern Baltic Sea than reported in other areas, possibly depending on the increased relative importance of meiofauna in the northern Baltic. The seasonal variation in the diet could be due to seasonally changing abundances in the zoobenthos, or for the small fish (1-group, spring), to switching from meio- to macrofauna in order to optimize their energy gain. The 0-group flounders consumed meiofauna for a long period, possibly due to a learning-process or simply due to easy availability of meiofauna. Turbot has a much larger mouth gap than flounders, thus allowing them to consume macrofauna from the beginning of their benthic life.     

Seasonal export and sediment preservation of diatomaceous, foraminiferal and organic matter mass fluxes in a trophic gradient across the SE Atlantic

Seasonal deposition fluxes of sinking phytoplankton, zooplankton and major mass compounds (i.e. calcium carbonate, biogenic opal and organic matter), intercepted by deep-moored sediment traps, are contrasted with their sediment accumulation rates over the 2700 m deep central Walvis Ridge in the oligotrophic SE Atlantic. These data provide the first seasonally resolved record of biogenic particle fluxes in the South Atlantic Central Gyre and serve as the oligotrophic end member of a gradient across the Benguela system to the highly productive coastal upwelling off Namibia. Maximum fluxes at the central Walvis Ridge were deposited in early austral spring, following winter deepening of the surface mixed layer and associated nutrient entrainment. Nearly 25% of the annual mass flux arrived in October, when sea surface temperature rose, deep vertical mixing halted and surface production collapsed. The annual flux of diatoms was dominated by small specimens of Nitzschia bicapitata (60%) whereas Globorotalia inflata dominated the foraminiferal fluxes (25%). Diatom diversity dropped significantly during the bloom periods, when up to 80% was composed of small N. bicapitata, but foraminiferal diversity remained about constant. The diatom flux maximum, together with those of biogenic silica and organic matter, preceded those of the foraminifera, pteropods, carbonate and total mass by 1 week. Fluxes of the left- and right-coiled shells of the deep-dwelling foraminifer Globorotalia truncatulinoides peaked in different seasons, a distinctive ecological behaviour which merits their taxonomic recognition as separate species. These findings testify to recent evidence for the existence of several genetic species within G. truncatulinoides and now suggest that such species may also have different seasonal responses.The Benguela trophic gradient showed a shoreward increase in particle fluxes, but differences were surprisingly small, testifying to only moderately enhanced export productivity and deposition at the Namibian margin relative to the oligotrophic central gyre. From the open ocean toward coastal upwelling, small and weakly silicified diatoms were substituted by other, larger and more heavily silicified species, possibly in response to decreased silica limitation. Foraminiferal deposition fluxes were increasingly dominated by G. inflata, accompanied by a change-over from many warm- to few cold-water minor species. The late winter maximum at the Namibian margin and the early spring maximum at the central Walvis Ridge were generated by the same process of collapsing surface productivity in response to the shut down of nutrient entrainment at the winter to summer transition, although delayed by up to 2 months in the Central Gyre. At the sediment-water interface, intense degradation of organic matter and biogenic silica resulted in poor preservation accompanied by pronounced changes in the species composition of siliceous phytoplankton. Of all particle groups at the central Walvis Ridge, only the export of foraminiferal shells appeared to be fully transferred into the sediment, and through their species assemblage to provide a sedimentary record of past seasonal productivity conditions of the upper ocean.     

Distribution of green algal mats throughout shallow soft bottoms of the Swedish Skagerrak archipelago in relation to nutrient sources and wave exposure

Distribution and biomass of green algal mats were studied in marine shallow (0–1 m) soft-bottom areas on the Swedish west coast from 1994 to 1996, by combining aerial photography surveys with ground truth sampling. Filamentous green algae, dominated by species of the genera Cladophora and Enteromorpha, were generally present throughout the study area during July and August, and largely absent in late April and early May. These algae occurred at 60 to 90% of the locations investigated during the summer, and were estimated to cover between 30 and 50% of the total area of shallow soft bottoms of the Swedish Skagerrak archipelago. The distributional patterns were similar during the three years of the investigation and appeared unrelated to annual local nutrient inputs from point sources and river discharge. We postulate that the apparent lack of such a relationship is due to an altered state of nutrient dynamics throughout the archipelago. Mechanisms are likely to involve long-term, diffuse elevations in nutrient levels in coastal waters of the Skagerrak and the Kattegat over several decades leading to current eutrophic conditions, exceeding nutrient requirements for abundant filamentous algal growth. Patterns of algal abundance in our study were largely related to physical factors such as exposure to wind, waves and water exchange under conditions where nutrient loads among embayments seemed to be unlimited. Further, our results show that sediments covered by algal mats had higher carbon and nitrogen contents than unvegetated sediments. We hypothesise that sustained high nutrient loads, manifested in extensive biomass of filamentous algae during summer months, are re-mineralised via decay and sedimentation in the benthic realm. Hence, accumulated carbon and nutrients in the sediment could, in turn, constitute the basic pool for future algal mat production overlying soft bottoms in areas where tidal exchange is limited.     

氨氮胁迫对方斑东风螺六种免疫酶活性的影响

本文研究了氨氮对方斑东风螺(Babylonia areolata)的急性毒性及不同浓度的氨氮溶液(22、47.5、102和220 mg/L)对其体内六种免疫酶过氧化氢酶(CAT)、酸性磷酸酶(ACP)、碱性磷酸酶(AKP)、总超氧化物歧化酶(T-SOD)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-PX)和过氧化物酶(POD)活性的影响。实验结果表明:氨氮浓度越大,其毒性作用越强,方斑东风螺死亡率越高;500mg/L氨氮处理组于24h便出现(20.3±2.1)%死亡率,并且96h后存活率降为0。而相同条件下,随试验时间的延长,方斑东风螺死亡率也越高。氨氮浓度和处理时间均对方斑东风螺免疫酶活力有显著的影响(P 0.05)。与对照组相比,处理组CAT和AKP活性均表现出"诱导-抑制"的趋势, ACP和T-SOD活性表现出"抑制-诱导"的趋势, CSH-PX活性呈现"诱导-抑制-诱导"的趋势,而氨氮对处理个体POD活性的影响整体表现为抑制作用。可见,养殖水体中的氨氮会对方斑东风螺免疫酶活性产生较大的影响。本研究从生态现象和生理指标相结合的方式阐述了氨氮对方斑东风螺个体的致毒特性,将对方斑东风螺的养殖具有实用意义,同时丰富了氨氮对贝类毒理实验免疫性能层面的基础数据,并为其他贝类氨氮胁迫实验提供参考。