Concentrations and distribution of organochlorine pesticides in shellfish from Changjiang estuary

To analyze and evaluate the status of organochlorine pollutants in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary and adjacent waters, the concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) in shellfish collected in study area from 2006 to 2007 were determined with gas chromatography (GC). The concentration range of HCHs was (ND-12.13)×10-3 mg/kg wet weight and averaged at 0.54×10-3 mg/kg while the concentration of DDTs was in the range of (4.06-281.73) × 10-3 mg/kg with a mean of 57.52×10-3 mg/kg in the survey areas. The concentrations of DDTs in the shellfish were higher than HCHs', so that DDTs could be considered as typical organochlorine pollutants in the areas. The concentrations of DDTs in the shellfish were higher than HCHs', so that DDTs could be considered as typical organochlorines pollutants. The HCHs in all the shellfish conformed to the first level of criterion (0.02 mg/kg) of the Marion Biology Quality (GB 18421-2001), and that of DDTs in most samples were beyond the first level (0.01 mg/kg) but conformed to the second level (0.10 mg/kg). On average, α-HCH and δ-HCH occupied the most part of HCHs, while O,P'-DDT and P,P'-DDT occupied the most part of DDTs. The concentrations of organocholorine pesticides in shellfish samples varied in site and in species. The highest level occurred at the Shengsi (SS), followed by Yangkougang (YKG), Lvsi (LS), Dongyuan (DY) and Beibayao (BBY), low concentrations were observed at Changsha (CS), Beidaodi (BDD), and Gouqi (GQ). The concentration of HCHs and DDTs in most sites decreased clearly from 2006 to 2007 except for YKG, DY, BDD, LYS, and SS. All of above results suggested that the study area was slightly affected by organochlorine pesticide, special by DDTs.     

Residues of organochlorine pesticides in intertidal flat surface sediments from coastal zone of Jiangsu Province,China

Sixteen surface sediment samples were collected and analysed to evaluate the residues of organochlorine pesticides(OCPs) from intertidal flat in Jiangsu Province. Overall, 22 OCPs were detected with total concentrations of OCPs ranging widely from 0.96 to 12.14 ng/g(dry wt). Total hexachlorocyclohexane(HCH) and total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane(DDT) levels varied from 0.01 to 0.67 ng/g and from 0.23 to 4.85 ng/g, respectively. DDTs were the predominant compounds. The dominance of β-HCH indicated a history of HCH pollution. According to the ratios of( p, p'-DDD+ p, p'-DDE)/ p, p '-DDT and o, p ′-DDT/ p, p ′-DDT, new input of DDTs did not occur in most sites, and the main sources were historical usage of technical DDTs. OCPs such as dieldrin, endrin, p, p ′-DDD, and p, p ′-DDT exceeded the effects range low, showing adverse biological effects that would occasionally occur at some sites of the study area.     

A Kinetic Spectrophotometric Method for the Determination of Iron （Ⅲ） in Water Samples

A new kinetic spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of iron (Ⅲ). The method is based on the catalytic effect of iron (Ⅲ) on the oxidation of weak acid brilliant blue dye (RAWL) by KIO4 in acid medium. The advantages of the proposed method are that it is sensitive, accurate, rapid, inexpensive, can be operated under room temperature and has a large determination concentration range compared to other techniques. The obtained optimum conditions are pH 3.15, RAWL (200 mgL-1) 5.00mL, Potassium periodate solution (0.01 molL-1) 0.30mL, phenanthroline (0.02molL-1) 1.00mL, reaction temperature 25℃ and reaction time 7 miu. With this method iron could quantitively be determined in the range 0.00-0.02 mgL-1, the detection limit being 4.10×10-10mL-1. The relative standard deviations (RSD) in five replicate determinations for 3 μgL-1 and 5μgL-1 iron (Ⅲ) are 3.1% and 1.9%, respectively. The method has been applied to the determination of iron (Ⅲ) in tap water samples and seawater samples (from the South China Sea), the recovery rates being 98.0% and 100.5%, respectively.     

Evaluating the performances of accelerated-solvent extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and ultrasonic-assisted extraction for determining PCBs, HCHs and DDTs in sediments

Three extraction techniques have been recently used for the quantitative extraction of semi-volatile organic pollutants in sediments, i.e. accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), microwave assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE). However, their extraction efficiencies have rarely been quantitatively compared using rigorous mathematical methods. In this paper, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to evaluate the performance of ASE, MAE and UAE in the overall extraction of PCBs, DDTs and HCHs by analysis of their recoveries from the Standard Reference Material IAEA-417, a sediment sample certified by many international laboratories. Conclusions were drawn at a significance level of P ≤ 0.05. No significant differences were found among the mean values for method recoveries using ASE, MAE and UAE. The mean values for real recoveries using ASE and MAE were nearly identical, but the real recovery using UAE was much lower. The concentrations of all PCBs, DDTs and HCHs except for CB52 and o,p′-DDT using UAE were the lowest. Comparing the results obtained using ASE with MAE, the concentrations of CB28, CB52, CB138, α-HCH, β-HCH, p,p′-DDE and p,p′-DDD were nearly identical, while the concentrations of other compounds were significantly different. Based on the low recoveries, it was concluded that UAE is a relatively inefficient extraction method, while ASE and MAE are equivalent methods. Taking into consideration the relative standard deviation (RSD) values, solvent volume, extraction time, and purchasing costs of the apparatus, MAE was considered superior to ASE for extraction of PCBs, DDTs and HCHs.     

DETERMINATION OF TRACE BENZENE HYDROCARBONS IN JIAOZHOU BAY BY ENRICHMENT AND CAPILLARY COLUMN GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY

Trare amounts of benzene hydrocarbons obtained in Jiaozhou Bay (Qindao) were enriched bysorption on a GDX-102 column and eluted by carbon disulfide. The eluted was concenttaled and then de-temened by capillary column gas cbornatognphy.The contents of virious kinds of benzene hydrocarbons in Jiaozhou Bay coastal water were benzene(22.3-141.6)× 10～(-9)g/L, toluate (15.2-94.0) × 10~(-9) g/L, ethyl benzene(11.8-85.1)×10~(-9) g/L, p -xylene(15.2-78.5) ×10(-9) g/L, m-xylene (10.9-79.4) ×10(-9) g/L, o -xylene (12.4-80.1) x ×10(-9)g/L; iso-propyl(8.4- 73.1) x ×10(-9)g/L, n -propyl (6.9-76.4) ×10(-9) g/L, 1, 3, 5-trimethylbenzene (10.9- 35.9)×10(-9) g/L, 1,2, 4-trimethybenzene (10.0- 38.0)×10(-9) g/L, n - butydriare (8. 1 - 34.6) ×10(-9)g/L. The recovery of benzenehydrocarbons was (85.1 -95.6)%.     

Dynamic model for oil slick dispersion into a water column—A wind-driven wave tank experiment

A dynamic experiment for oil dispersion into a water column was performed with a 21 m long, 0.5 m wide, and 1 m high wind-driven wave tank. At wind velocity between 6–12 m/s and with the oil slick kept constant (about 1 μm), the rate of the oil content increase in the water column could be approximated from the difference between the dispersion rate (R) of the oil slick and the coagulation rate (R′) of the dispersed oil slick. Assuming the coagulation rate is directly proportional to the concentration of the water dispersed oil slick (i. e.R′-K ^*C), the integral form of the dynamic model can be expressed asC=R ^* [1−exp(−K ^*t)]/K and parametersR andK can be regressed with a computer. The relative deviation of model results from the experimental data was mainly less than 10%. The oil slick dispersion rate (R) had exponential relationship with the wind velocity (U), and can be fitted with a formulaR=A ^* (U+1) ^B . The fitted constant of the coagulation rate,K(0.8–3.0^* 10⁻³ min⁻¹) did not have significant relationship with the wind velocity.     

Dissolved copper, lead and cadmium in Pingtan waters, East China Sea

mODUCTIONTheislandsOfHaitan,Yuo,Dalian,DowiangandCaoguinPingtanCoUntyofFu-jianProvincearetogetherthewhtoasPingtan(25'l5'-25o45'E,l19"32'-12o"lo'N,EaStChinaSea).AmngthemHaitangIslanisthedrinoneinPingtanCotmty,andthelargestinFuianProvince.RngtanhaSanatuIalfishinggroUn(SeduMOUntaln)beingrenownedboghoutthecOUnnyandawelldeVfoPedaqUacultUreindusny.Pingtanwa-tersresotirceswerestirveyedforthefirsttimebytheauthorssothattheknowedgegainedcanbeaPPliedforbettereaploitahon,PIDechon,andde…     

Effects of temperature and irradiance on early development of Chondrus ocellatus Holm (Gigartinaceae, Rhodophyta)

Chondrus is a type of commercially produced red seaweed that widely used for food and carrageen extraction. Although the natural life history of the alga had been well understood, the factors influencing development of the tetraspore and carpospore remain poorly understood. In the perspective of seedling resources, the regulation of early development is crucial for the seedling nursing; therefore, it is necessary to understand the physiological influences during its early development. In this study, we studied the effects of temperature and irradiance on the early development of Chondrus ocellatus Holm under laboratory conditions. The released tetraspores and carpospores were cultivated at different temperatures (10–28°C) and irradiances (10, 60 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹) with a photoperiod of 12L:12D. The results indicate that both tetraspores and carpospores are tolerant to temperatures of 10–25°C, and have the highest relative growth rate at 20°C. Irradiance variances influenced the growth of the discoid crusts, and the influence was more significant with increasing temperature; 60 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹ was more suitable than 10 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹. The optimum temperature and irradiance for the development of seedlings was 20°C and 60 μmol photons m⁻²s⁻¹, respectively.     

Distributions of sulfur pollutants in East Asia

1　ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＩｔｉｓｖｅｒｙｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔｔｏｒｅａｌｉｚｅｔｈｅｄｉｓｔｒｉｂｕｔｉｏｎｓｏｆｐｏｌｌｕｔａｎｔｓｂｅｆｏｒｅｔｈｅｐｏｌｌｕｔｉｏｎｃａｎｂｅｃｏｎｔｒｏｌｌｅｄｓｕｃ ｃｅｓｓｆｕｌｌｙ .Ｏｗｉｎｇｔｏｔｈｅｌａｃｋｏｆｓｙｓｔｅｍａｔｉｃａｌｏｂｓｅｒｖａ ｔｉｏｎｓｉｎａｂｒｏａｄａｒｅａ ,ｎｕｍｅｒｉｃａｌｓｉｍｕｌａｔｉｏｎｈａｓｂｅ ｃｏｍｅａｐｏｗｅｒｆｕｌｔｏｏｌｔｏｕｎｄｅｒｓｔａｎｄｔｈｅｄｉｓｔｒｉｂｕｔｉｏｎｓｏｆｐｏｌｌｕｔａｎｔｓａ…     

Response of internal waves to 2005 Typhoon Damrey over the northwestern shelf of the South China Sea

Continuous observation of sea water temperature and current was made at Wenchang Station (19°35′N, 112°E) in 2005. The data collected indicate vigorous internal waves of both short periods and tidal and near-inertial periods. The temperature and current time series during 18-30 September were examined to describe the upper ocean internal wave field response to Typhoon Damrey (0518). The strong wind associated with the typhoon, which passed over the sea area about 45 km south of Wenchang Sta- tion on 25 September, deepened the mixed layer depth remarkably. It decreased the mixed layer temperature while increasing the deep layer temperature, and intensified the near-inertial and high-frequency fluctuations of temperature and current. Power spectra of temperature and current time series indicate significant deviations from those obtained by using the deep ocean internal wave models characterized by a power law. The frequency spectra were dominated by three energetic bands: around the inertial frequency (7.75× 10-6 Hz), tidal frequencies (1.010-25 to 2.4×10-5 Hz), and between 1.4×10-4 and 8.3 × 10-4 Hz. Dividing the field data into three phases (before, during and after the typhoon), we found that the typhoon enhanced the kinetic energy in nearly all the frequency bands, es- pecially in the surface water. The passage of Damrey made a major contribution to the horizontal kinetic energy of the total surface current variances. The vertical energy density distribution, with its peak value at the surface, was an indication that the energy in- jected by the strong wind into the surface current could penetrate downward to the thermocline.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of a full-length cDNA of <Emphasis Type="Italic">SmPP1cb</Emphasis> encoding turbot protein phosphatase 1 beta catalytic subunit

Reversible protein phosphorylation, catalyzed by protein kinases and phosphatases, is an important and versatile mechanism by which eukaryotic cells regulate almost all the signaling processes. Protein phosphatase 1 （PP1） is the first and well-characterized member of the protein serine/threonine phosphatase family. In the present study, a full-length cDNA encoding the beta isoform of the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase l（PPlcb）, was for the first time isolated and sequenced from the skin tissue of flatfish turbot Scophthalmus maximus, designated SmPPlcb, by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends （RACE） technique. The cDNA sequence of SmPPlcb we obtained contains a 984 bp open reading frame （ORF）, flanked by a complete 39 bp 5＇ untranslated region and 462 bp 3＇ untranslated region. The ORF encodes a putative 327 amino acid protein, and the N-terminal section of this protein is highly acidic, Met-Ala-Glu-Gly-Glu-Leu-Asp-Val-Asp, a common feature for PP1 catalytic subunit but absent in protein phosphatase 2B （PP2B）. And its calculated molecular mass is 37 193 Da and pI 5.8. Sequence analysis indicated that, SmPPlcb is extremely conserved in both amino acid and nucleotide acid levels compared with the PPlcb of other vertebrates and invertebrates, and its Kozak motif contained in the 5＇UTR around ATG start codon is GXXAXXGXXATGG, which is different from mammalian in two positions A6 and G3, indicating the possibility of different initiation of translation in turbot, and also the 3＇UTR of SmPPlcb is highly diverse in the sequence similarity and length compared with other animals, especially zebraf＇lsh. The cloning and sequencing of SmPPlcb gene lays a good foundation for the future work on the biological functions of PP1 in the flatfish turbot.     

Effect of Fouling Organisms on Food Uptake and Nutrient Release of Scallop （Chlamys nobilis, Reeve） Cultured in Daya Bay

Biofouling is an important factor that affects the bivalve farming industry. Fouling organisms may reduce growth and survival rate of the cultured species. Fouler are often filter feeders, so they are potential competitors for food resource with the cultured species. The present study was conducted to measure the impact of fouling on food uptake and nutrient release in April and June, 2006 in Daya Bay near Guangzhou, China. Results showed that fouling organisms had significant effect on food uptake and nutrient release. The chlorophyll a uptake rate of fouled scallops was 7.53Lh-1±1.416Lh-1 and 11.94Lh-1±2.497Lh-1 in April and June, respectively, significantly higher than those of cleaned scallops, i.e., 4.23 Lh-1 ±2.744Lh-1 and 2.57Lh-1± 1.832 Lh-1 respectively.The consumption of total particulate matter by fouled scallops in April and June was 5.52Lh-1±0.818Lh-1 and 3.07Lh-1±0.971 Lh-1,respectively; the corresponding results for cleaned scallops are 2.49Lh-1 ±0.614Lh-1 and 2.37± 1.214Lh-1, respectively. Fouling increased ammonia release significantly. The ammonia release rate of fouled scallops was 33.81Lh-1±7.699Lh-1 and 76.39Lh-1 ±9.251Lh-1 in April and June, while cleaned scallops released 2.46Lh-1± 0.5 1 1Lh-1 and 7.23Lh-1± 1.026Lh-1 ammonia, respectively. Phosphate release of fouled scallops was 22.72Lh-1 ± 9.978 Lh-1 in June and cleaned scallops released phosphate 6.01Lh-1 ±0.876 Lh-1 in April. Therefore, fouling contributed much to food reduction and concentration increase of ammonia and phosphate in water.     

Vegetation dynamics and its relationship with climatic factors in the Changbai Mountain Natural Reserve

This study examined the temporal variation of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and its relationship with climatic factors in the Changbai Mountain Natural Reserve (CMNR) during 2000-2009.The results showed as follows.The average NDVI values increased at a rate of 0.0024 year-1.The increase rate differed with vegetation types,such as 0.0034 year-1 for forest and 0.0017 year-1 for tundra.Trend analyses revealed a consistent NDVI increase at the start and end of the growing season but little variation or decrease observed in July during the study period.The NDVI in CMNR showed a stronger correlation with temperature than with precipitation,especially in spring and autumn.A stronger correlation was observed between NDVI and temperature in the tundra zone (2,000-2,600m) than in the coniferous forest (1,100-1,700m) and Korean pine-broadleaved mixed forest (700-1,100m) zones.The results indicate that vegetation at higher elevations is more sensitive to temperature change.NDVI variation had a strong correlation with temperature change (r=0.7311,p<0.01) but less significant correlation with precipitation change.The result indicates that temperature can serve as a main indicator of vegetation sensitivity in the CMNR.     

DYNAMIC CHANGES OF INORGANIC NITROGEN AND ASTAXANTI—IIN ACCUMULATION IN HAEMATOCOCCUS PLUVIALIS

This study on dynamic changes of culture color,astaxanthin and chlorophylls,inorganic N including N-NO3^-,N-NO2^- and N-NH4^ in batch culture of Haematococcus pluvialis exposed to different additive nitrate concentration showed(1)ast/chl ratio was over 0.8 for brown and red algae,but was usually less than 0.5 for green and yellow algae;(2)N-NO3^-,in general,was unstable and decreased,except for a small unexpected increase in nitrate enriched treatment groups;(3)measurable amounts of N-NO2^- and N-NH4^ were observed respectively with three change modes although no extemal nitrite and ammonia were added into the culture;(4)a non-linear correlation between ast/chl ratio(or color)changes and the levels of N-NO3^-,N-NO2^-,N-NH4^ in H.pluvialis culture;(5)up and down variation of the ast/chl ratio occurred simultaneously with a perceptible color change from yellow to brown(or red)when N-NO3^-,N-NO2^- and N-NH4^ fluctuated around 30,5,5μmol/L respectively;(6)existence of three dynamic modes of N-NO3^-,N-NO2^- and N-NH4^ changes,obviously associated with initial extemal nitrate;(7)the key level of total inorganic N concentration regulating the above physiological changes during indoor cultivation was about 50 μmol/L;and(8)0.5-10mmol/L of nitrate was theoretically conducive to cell growth in batch culture.     

Synthesis and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibition activities of two new synthetic bromophenols and their methoxy derivatives

3-bromo-4,5-bis(2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl)-1,2-benzenediol (1) is a natural bromophenol isolated from the red algae Rhodomela confervoides that exhibits significant inhibition against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). Based on its activity, we synthesized two new synthetic bromophenols and their methoxy derivatives from vanillin using the structure of natural bromophenol 1 as a scaffold. The structures of these bromophenols were elucidated from 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and high resolution electron ionization mass spectrometry as 2,3-dibromo-1-(2p-bromo-6p-(3q,4q-dimethoxybenzyl)- 3p,4p-dimethoxybenzyl)-4,5-dimethoxybenzene(2),2,3-dibromo-1-(2p-bromo-6p-(2q-bromo-4q,5q-dimethoxy-benzyl)-3p,4p-dimethoxybenzyl)-4,5-dimethoxybenzene(3),3,4-dibromo-5-(2p-bromo-6p-(2q-bromo-4q,5q-dihydroxybenzyl)-3p,4p-dihydroxybenzyl)pyrocatechol(4)and 3,4-dibromo-5-(2p-bromo-6p-(3q,4q-dihydroxybenzyl)-3p,4p-dihydroxybenzyl)pyrocatechol (5).PTP1B inhibition activities of these compounds were evaluated using a colorimetric assay,and compounds 3 and 4 demonstrated interesting activity against PTP1B.     

Sea flux of trace metals in Saanich Inlet

The sea fluxes of trace metals, POC, and settled material were studied in anoxic seawater, Saanich Inlet, B. C., Canada with sediment traps. This paper discusses the change of mass fluxes of sediment, trace metals and POC for various seasons and depths. The annual mean of settled material is 1.56 g.m⁻².a⁻¹, 84.6 mg. m⁻².a⁻¹ for POC, 60.0 mg. m⁻².a⁻¹ for Cu, 16.5 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Pb, 189 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Zn, 2.20 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Cd, 699 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Fe, 38.8 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Co, and 84.6 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Ni. The relations between the average fluxes of trace metals and POC, the fluxes of trace metals and settled matter, and the sea fluxes of trace metals and Fe are in linear progression. The resident times of elements as calculated from sea flux, are 1.1 a. for Cu, 0.014 a. for Pb, 0.50 a. for Zn, 3.8 a. for Cd, 0.16 a. for Fe, 0.39 a. for Co, and 1.14 a. for Ni. The order of resident times is as follows: Pb−Fe−Co−Zn−Cu−Ni−Cd. The metal resident times in Saanich Inlet are shorter than the values estimated for the open ocean. It illustrates that the biochemical processes in shallow Saanich Inlet are faster than those in the open ocean, and that debries of plankton and fecal pellets of zooplankton play an important role in vertical transport of organic carbons. Contribution No. 1650 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica.     

Construction of cDNA Library of Pyrocystis lunula（Pyrophyta）

1　Introduction　Photosyntheticdinoflagellatesareimportantprima ryproducersandcausesoftoxic‘redtide’ .Theyarefoundinmostaquaticenvironmentsandformamajorpartofthemodernplankton .Dinoflagellatesmaybeimportantindicatorsofenvironmentalstatus (Dale ,1996 ) .…     

Simulating carbon sequestration and GHGs emissions in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abies fabric</Emphasis> forest on the Gongga Mountains using a biogeochemical process model Forest-DNDC

The process-oriented model Forest-DNDC describing biogeochemical cycling of C and N and GHGs （greenhouse gases） fluxes （CO2, NO and N2O） in forest ecosystems was applied to simulate carbon sequestration and GHGs emissions in Abies fabric forest of the Gongga Mountains at southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The results indicated that the simulated gross primary production （GPP） of Abies fabric forest was strongly affected by temperature. The annual total GPP was 24,245.3 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 26,318.8 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2006, respectively. The annual total net primary production （NPP） was 5,935.5 and 4,882.2 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, and the annual total net ecosystem production （NEP） was 4,815.4 and 3,512.8 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, respectively. The simulated seasonal variation in CO2 emissions generally followed the seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation. The annual total CO2 emissions were 3,109.0 and 4,821.0 kg C ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, the simulated annual total N2O emissions from forest soil were 1.47 and 1.36 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, and the annual total NO emissions were 0.09 and o.12 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1 for 2005 and 2006, respectively.     

Fresh snow chemistry from high mountain regions in central himalayas

Investigations of atmospheric composition in the Himalayas has been limited in both temporal and spatial scales, mainly due to difficult logistics. Ideal sites for monitoring atmospheric composition and its evolution should be free from local pollution and representative of the remote troposphere (HUEBERT et al., 1980). As the Himalayas are far removed from highly industrialized regions they provide suitable locations to monitor the chemistry of the remote troposphere and to study the evolu…     

Effects of heavy metal ions (Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+) on DNA damage of the gills, hemocytes and hepatopancreas of marine crab, Charybdis japonica

There are rising concerns about the hazardous effects of heavy metals on the environment. In this study, comet assay and DNA alkaline unwinding assay were conducted on the tissues (gills, hepatopancreas, and hemocytes) of Charybdis japonica in order to illustrate genotoxicity of three heavy metal ions (Cu2+, Pb2+, and Cd2+) on the marine crabs C. japonica. The crabs were exposed to Cu2+ (10, 50, and 100 ?g.L?1), Pb2+ (50, 250, and 500 ?g L?1) and Cd2+ (5, 25, and 50 ?g L?1), and the tissues were sampled at days 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 9, and 15. DNA alkaline unwinding assay was used for testing the DNA single strand break in gills and hepatopancreas and comet assay was employed for testing the DNA damage in hemocytes. The results showed that the DNA damage (F-value) of gills in the crabs exposed to the three heavy metals was decreased gradually during the exposure periods and there was a dose-time response relationship in certain time, suggesting that the levels of DNA single strand break in all the experimental groups increased significantly compared to the controls. Changes of F-value in hepatopancreas of the crabs exposed to the three heavy metals were similar to those in gills except that the peak values were found in the 500 ?g L?1 Pb2+ treatment group at day 3 and the 50 ?g L?1 Cd2+ treatment group at day 9. The ranks of DNA damage in gills and hepatopancreas induced by the three heavy metal ions (50 ?g L?1, day 15) were Cd2+ >Pb2+ >Cu2+ and Pb2+ >Cu2+ >Cd2+. The levels of DNA damage in gills were higher than those in hepatopancreas in the same experimental group. It can be concluded that indices of DNA damage can be used as the potential biomarkers of heavy metal pollution in marine environment.