Early Development of Silvetia babingtonii （Fucales,Phaeophyceae）

Silvetia babingtonii is a potentially economic brown alga for sources of food and high-value added utilization.So far,sporeling nursery and field cultivation has not been successful.The lack of knowledge on development and life cycle of this alga hinder the development of techniques for the sporeings and cultivation.In this study,internal structure of oogonium and antherium of S.babingtonii was observed with hematoxylin and eosin staining and through microscope.Meanwhile,early development from zygotes to juvenile sporelings was studied at 20℃ under 60-100 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1.Zygotes germinated and divided into thallus and rhizoid cells.The larger thallus cells further divided and developed into juvenile sporelings; while the smaller rhizoid cells divided and elongated into rhizoid hairs.These findings documented the life cycle ofS.babingtonii and provided fundamental knowledge for sporeling nursery in the near future.     

Early development of grateloupia turuturu (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta)

Grateloupia turuturu is a commercial red alga with potential value in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. To supplement information on its life history and verify whether carpospores can be used for seedling culture, early development of G. turuturu was investigated under culture conditions (27°C, 10-13 mol/(m2.s) in irradiance, photoperiod 10:14 h L:D). Three physiological stages were recognized by continuous microscopic observation: division stage, discoid crust stage, and juvenile seedling stage. At the beginning of the division stage, the carpospores developed germ tubes into which the carpospore protoplasm was evacuated, and then the carpospore protoplasm in the germ tubes began to divide continuously until discoid crusts formed. Finally, upright thalli appeared on the discoid crusts and developed into juvenile seedlings. It took about 60 days for carpospores to develop into juvenile seedlings. The growth parameters, including germination rate for carpospores and discoid crust diameter, were recorded. These results contribute more information on the life cycle, and at the same time are of great significance in the scaling-up of artificial seedling cultures of G. turuturu.     

Early development of Chondrus ocellatus Holm （Gigartinaceae, Rhodophyta）

1 INTRODUCTION Red algae C. ocellatus lives in temperate zone of coastal area, and inhabits at substrates from high tide to low tide regions. Its life history is composed of three phases: tetrasporophyte, gametophyte and carposporophyte. Chondrus is one o…     

Formation and early development of tetraspores of Polysiphonia urceolata (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta)

Polysiphonia urceolata is one type of potential commercial red seaweeds used for breeding and cultivation, because of its significant biochemical and biomedical application. However, the information of breeding and seedling incubation for cultivation is limited, especially the early development. In this study, tetrasporohyte and gametophyte of P. urceolata were taken as the study materials in Huiquan Bay, Qingdao, China. The cleaned and sterilized tetrasporophytes and gametophytes were pre-cultured in sterilized seawater, then nurtured at 18℃, 25 μmol photons m-2 s-1 in 12:12 h (light:dark) photoperiod. Continuous observation under microscope showed that the early development consists of bipolar division stage and seedling stage. In the division stage, tetraspores germinate into bipolar sporelings that further differentiate into a colorless rhizoidal portion and a lightly pigmented upright shoot. The lightly pigmented rhizoidal cell develops to a rhizoid and the larger pigmented cell transforms to an erect axis. In the seedling stage, several quasi-protuberances appear on the erect axis and form juvenile seedlings. The results demonstrate the culture of P. urceolata from tetraspores under laboratory conditions.     

Sexual fusion and life history of Scytosiphon lomentaria (Scytosiphonaceae, Phaeophyceae) in Dalian, china

Morphology and life history of a brown alga Scytosiphon lomentaria (Lyngbye) Link (Scytosiphonaceae, Phaeophyceae) were investigated from 2005 to 2009 in the coastal waters of Dalian, China. The erect thalli collected in the field were tubular, hollow, and commonly constricted at intervals. Ascocysts were presented. Plurilocular gametangia, which were positioned in continuous sori on the erect thallus surface, produced biflagellar gametes. Gametophytes were dioecious and gametes were nearly isogamous. Gametes fusion occurred in three types. Type one, female and male gametes fused directly while swimming; type two, female gamete settled first, with which a male one contacted and fused rapidly; type three, while settling adjacently, a male gamete’s entire protoplast moved slowly into the previously settled female one, with only an empty cell membrane left. In culture zygotes developed into crustose sporophytes that formed unilocular sporangia. Biflagellar zoospores developed into erect thalli that formed plurilocular gametangia. The results indicated that a periodical heteromorphic alternation history with haploid gametophyte generation and diploid sporophyte generation exists in S. lomentaria of the Dalian populations.     

New phenomenon in early development of sporelings in Gracilaria asiatica Chang et Xia （Gracilariaceae, Rhodophyta）

1 INTRODUCTION The red alga Gracilaria belongs to Gracilari- aceae, Gigartinales, Florideophyceae, and includes over 100 recorded species, wildly distributing in tropical and temperate regions (Oliveira and Plastino, 1994), and is useful for producing val…     

NEW OBSERVATIONS ON THE MEIOTIC PROCESS IN THE MARINE DINOFLAGELLATE NOCTILUCA SCINTILLANS (NOCTILUCALES, DINOPHYCEAE)

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＮｏｃｔｉｌｕｃａｓｃｉｎｔｉｌｌａｎｓｈａｓｔｗｏｔｙｐｅｓｏｆｃｅｌｌｄｉｖｉｓｉｏｎｓ:ｖｅｇｅｔａｔｉｖｅｄｉｖｉｓｉｏｎａｎｄｍｅｉｏｔｉｃｐｒｏｃｅｓｓ.Ｉｎｔｈｅｍｅｉｏｔｉｃｐｒｏｃｅｓｓ,ｔｈｅｃｅｌｌｄｉｖｉｄｅｓｓｅｖｅｒａｌｔｉｍｅｓｗｉｔｈｏｕｔｃｙｔｏｐｌａｓｍｉｃｄｉｖｉｓｉｏｎ .Ａｆｔｅｒｔｈｅｎｕｃｌｅａｒｄｉ ｖｉｓｉｏｎｓ,ｕｐｔｏ 2 10 ｚｏｏｓｐｏｒｅｓａｒｅｆｏｒｍｅｄｆｒｏｍｏｎｅｍｏｔｈｅｒｃｅｌｌ.Ｔｈｅｓｉｇｎｉｆｉｃａｎｃｅｏ…     

Formation and early development of tetraspores of Polysiphonia urceolata （Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta）

Polysiphonia urceolata is one type of potential commercial red seaweeds used for breeding and cultivation, because of its significant biochemical and biomedical application. However, the information of breeding and seedling incubation for cultivation is limited, especially the early development. In this study, tetrasporohyte and gametophyte of P. urceolata were taken as the study materials in Huiquan Bay, Qingdao, China. The cleaned and sterilized tetrasporophytes and gametophytes were pre-cultured in sterilized seawater, then nurtured at 18°C, 25 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ in 12:12 h (light:dark) photoperiod. Continuous observation under microscope showed that the early development consists of bipolar division stage and seedling stage. In the division stage, tetraspores germinate into bipolar sporelings that further differentiate into a colorless rhizoidal portion and a lightly pigmented upright shoot. The lightly pigmented rhizoidal cell develops to a rhizoid and the larger pigmented cell transforms to an erect axis. In the seedling stage, several quasi-protuberances appear on the erect axis and form juvenile seedlings. The results demonstrate the culture of P. urceolata from tetraspores under laboratory conditions. Supported by National Key Technology Support Program, Development Program of China (No.2006AA09Z21), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40618001 and N_CUHK438/06) and Shandong Agricultural Seed Stock Breeding Project     

Phenological study of Sargassum thunbergii(Fucales,Phaeophyta) in Lidao Bay,Rongcheng,China

We conducted a phenological evaluation of Sargassum thunbergii,a common algal species,along the coast of Lidao Bay,Rongcheng,China.The local S.thunbergii population entered a maturation period from early June to mid-August,when seawater temperature was 14.4 to 25.1°C.Our results suggest an increase in temperature and day length during this period initiated thalli maturation.Inhabitants of the low tidal zone had higher thalli length and biomass compared with those from the mid- and high tidal zones.We observed a switch in the length frequency distribution and contribution of length classes to biomass between the small(20 cm) and long(20–79.9 cm) length classes at the time of thallus maturity.This suggests there is a trade-offbetween sexual reproduction and vegetative regeneration.     

Embryonic development of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco （Richardson, 1846）

1 INTRODUCTION Pelteobagrus fulvidraco (Richardson, 1846) or yellow catfish is slender and scaleless with a gently sloping dorsal profile from anterior to posterior. It is generally black-brown to black-yellow on the back, light yellow on the belly, with …     

A bacterial pathogen infecting gametophytes of Saccharina japonica (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae)

A newly identified bacterial disease of kelp(Saccharina japonica) gametophytes was found in clone cultures.It is characterized by swollen gametophyte cells in the early period of infection followed by filamentous fading.An alginolytic marine bacterium referred to as A-1 was isolated from the diseased gametophytes.On the basis of 16S rDNA sequencing and morphological,physiological and biochemical characteristics,the bacterium was identified as a strain of the genus Alteromonas.By testing Koch’s postulates,Alteromonas sp.A-1 was further confirmed as the pathogen.The infection process was also investigated using both scanning electron and light microscopy.     

Life cycle and production of chironomidae (diptera) in Biandantang, a typical macrophytic lake (Hubei, China)

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＡｌｔｈｏｕｇｈｄｅｓｃｒｉｐｔｉｏｎｏｆｌｉｆｅｈｉｓｔｏｒｙａｎｄｅｓｔｉｍａｔｅｓｏｆａｎｉｍａｌｐｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎｈａｖｅａｌｏｎｇｈｉｓｔｏｒｙ (Ｌｉｎ ｄｅｇａａｒｄ ,1 989) ,ｆｅｗｓｔｕｄｉｅｓｏｎｔｈｅｐｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎｒａｔｅｏｆｂｅｎｔｈｉｃｍａｃｒｏｉｎｖｅｒｔｅｂｒａｔｅｓｗｅｒｅｃａｒｒｉｅｄｏｕｔｉｎＣｈｉｎｅｓｅｗａｔｅｒｓ (Ｌｉａｎｇ ,1 984 ) .Ｗｉｔｈｔｈｅｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｏｆｆｉｓｈｅｒｉｅｓａｎｄｔｈｅｄｅｔｅｒｉｏｒａｔｉｏ…     

Effects of exposure to four endocrine disrupting-chemicals on fertilization and embryonic development of Barbel chub (Squaliobarbus curriculus)

The toxicities of 4 common endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), 17β-estradiol (E2), p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloro-ethylene (DDE), 4-nonylphenol (NP) and tributyltin (TBT), to sperm motility, fertilization rate, hatching rate and embryonic development of Barbel chub (Squaliobarbus curriculus) were investigated in this study. The duration of sperm motility was significantly shortened by exposure to the EDCs at the threshold concentrations of 10 ng L^?1 for E2 and TBT, 1 μg L^?1 for NP and 100 μg L^?1 for DDE, respectively. The fertilization rate was substantially reduced by the EDCs at the lowest observable effect concentrations (LOECs) of 10 ng L^?1 for E2 and TBT and 10 μg L^?1 for DDE and NP, respectively. Of the tested properties of S. curriculus, larval deformity rate was most sensitive to EDC exposure and was significantly increased by DDE at the lowest experimental level of 0.1 μg L^?1. Other EDCs increased the larval deformity rate at the LOECs of 1 ng L^?1 for E2, 10 ng L^?1 for TBT and 1 μg L^?1 for NP, respectively. Despite their decreases with the increasing EDC concentrations, the hatching rate and larval survival rate of S. curriculus were not significantly affected by the exposure to EDCs. The results indicated that all the 4 EDCs affected significantly and negatively the early life stages of the freshwater fish S. curriculus. Overall, E2 and TBT were more toxic than NP and DDE, while DDE might be more toxic to larval deformity rate than to other measured parameters. Thus, the 4 EDCs showed potential negative influences on natural population dynamics of S. curriculus. Our findings provided valuable basic data for the ecological risk assessment of E2, DDE, NP and TBT.     

Intraspecific genetic analysis, gamete release performance, and growth of Sargassum muticum （Fucales, Phaeophyta） from China

Sargassum muticum is one of the most abundant and conspicuous native macroalgae species on the northern coasts of China. It often forms large-scale seaweed beds in subtidal zones. This investigation was designed to understand the intraspecific genetic relationships of this alga based on samples collected from four northern coastal sites of China, and to evaluate gamete release and growth capacity in laboratory conditions. The nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 （ITS2） sequences of 16 samples from four locations were identical. Based on cox3 gene and partial rbcLS operon sequences, intraspecific genetic variability was detected with three and two ribotypes, respectively. Temperature, not irradiance, was shown to significantly affect gamete release and fertilization. Elevated temperature and irradiance enhanced the growth of germlings and vegetative branchlets. Maximum growth rate of germlings was detected at 18-24℃and an irradiance of 60-100 μmol photons/（m^2.s）. Under ambient conditions （12-25℃ and 60-125 gmol photons/ （m2.s））, relative growth rate of young branchlets could reach 7.5%/d.     

The effect of salinity on Fucus ceranoides (Ochrophyta,Phaeophyceae) in the Mondego River (Portugal)

Algae(and their extracts) are increasingly important for pharmaceutical applications due to the diversity of useful compounds they contain. The genus Fucus contains one of the most studied species,Fucus vesiculosus. The species F. ceranoides differs from the others of the genus by presenting longitudinal air-vesicles and a capacity to survive at low salinities. It is an alga that inhabits the Mondego River estuary(Portugal), at the southern limit of its distribution, and can serve as a role model to understand the effect of a salt gradient on the production of bioactive compounds. We assessed the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of different F. ceranoides extracts(e.g. methanolic, aqueous and polysaccharide) prepared from samples harvested from two different zones to evaluate if the adaptation of F. ceranoides to different salinity levels influenced its chemical composition. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined using 1,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) and 2.2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS)radicals. These assays demonstrated that the methanolic extract of lyophilized F. ceranoides that grew at low salinities was the most bioactive, i.e. DPPH(IC_(50)=50.39 μg/mL) and ABTS(TEAC=2.42). The total phenolic content(Folin-Ciocalteu method) and the methanolic extract of the lyophilized F. ceranoides collected from a low salinity habitat exhibited the highest phenolic content(PGE=49.48 μg/mg of lyophilized extract)amongst those sampled. Thin layer chromatography(TLC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) were used for the identification of compounds in the extracts. This characterization allowed confirmation that the various extracts contained almost the same compounds but with notable quantitative differences. Based on these results, we conclude that there were differences in the quantity of the compounds due to the effect of salinity. The drying methods used were also found to have influenced the quality of the extracted compounds.     

Population genetics of Sargassum horneri (Fucales, Phaeophyta) in China revealed by ISSR and SRAP markers

Sargassum horneri is a common brown macro-alga that is found in the inter-tidal ecosystems of China. To investigate the current status of seaweed resources and provide basic data for its sustainable development, ISSR (inter simple sequence repeat) and SRAP (sequence related amplified polymorphism) markers were used to analyze the population genetics among nine natural populations of S. horneri. The nine studied populations were distributed over 2 000 km from northeast to south China. The percentage of polymorphic loci P% (ISSR, 99.44%; SRAP, 100.00%), Nei’s genetic diversity H (ISSR, 0.107-0.199; SRAP, 0.100-0.153), and Shannon’s information index I (ISSR, 0.157-0.291; SRAP, 0.148-0.219) indicated a fair amount of genetic variability among the nine populations. Moreover, the high degree of gene differentiation G st (ISSR, 0.654; SRAP, 0.718) and low gene flow N m (ISSR, 0.265; SRAP, 0.196) implied that there was significant among-population differentiation, possibly as a result of habitat fragmentation. The matrices of genetic distances and fixation indices (F st ) among the populations correlated well with their geographical distribution (Mantel test R=0.541 5, 0.541 8; P=0.005 0, 0.002 0 and R=0.728 6, 0.641 2; P=0.001 0, 0.001 0, respectively); the Rongcheng population in the Shandong peninsula was the only exception. Overall, the genetic differentiation agreed with the geographic isolation. The fair amount of genetic diversity that was revealed in the S. horneri populations in China indicated that the seaweed resources had not been seriously affected by external factors.     

Assessing the Germplasm of Laminaria （Phaeophyceae） with Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA （RAPD） Method

Eighteen gametophytes including L.japonica ,L.ochotensis and L.longissima,were verified with random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique.Eighteen ten-base primers were chosen from 100 primers selected for final amplification test.Among the total of 205 bands amplified ,181(88.3%) were polymorphic ,The genetic distance among different strains ranged from 0.072 to 0.391,The dendrogram constructed by unweighted pair -group method with arithmetic(UPGMA) method showed that the female and male gamtophytes of the same cell lines could be grouped in pairs respectively,It indicated that RAPD analysis could be used not only to distin-gusih different strains of Laminariz ,but also to distinguish male and female gametophyte within the same cell lines,There is ambiguous systematic relationship if judged mereely by the present data It seems that the use of RAPD marker is limited to elucidstion of the phylogenetic relationship among the species of Laminaria.     

Effects of blue light on gametophyte development of Laminaria japonica （Laminariales, Phaeophyta）

1 INTRODUCTION Light acts as an important ambient factor to regulate plant growth. Several critical points in life history for many marine algae are controlled by light. Photobiology of algae has been a discipline of particular interest for a long time (Dring, 1988). Many light effects on algae are photoperi- odic-regulated, such as sporangia formation in red algae Porphyra tenera (Rentschler, 1967) and As- paragopsis armata (Oza, 1976), and erect thalli de- velopment in brown algae Scy…     

Laboratory observation on spawning,fecundity and larval development of amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri Tsingtaunese)

Although amphioxus is widespread in temperate and tropical seas, its population is diminishing because of environmental pollution. To keep the population of this evolutionarily important animal from diminishing, study on its reproduction and development is necessary. The main findings in this study on the spawning and fecundity of the amphioxus reared in laboratory and its larval development are as follows. 1. Water temperature markedly affected the spawning. It spawned only when water temperature reached 21°C. 2. Spawning of the amphioxus in laboratory was markedly extended. Initially, the amphioxus spawned at about 7:00 PM, but spawning time was postponed as spawning days went on. 3. The number of eggs produced by a female ranged from 1400 to 12800, average of 5800. This also represents the fecundity of the amphioxus because it shedded all eggs within the ovary at a time. 4. During the first few months of life of the amphioxus, its growth rate changed seasonally. The growth rate in summer and fall was greater than that in winter. 5. The pelagic larva became a benthic adult after 50 days. 6. The amphioxus reared in laboratory from fertilized eggs could produce fertile eggs and sperms. These findings can be a foundation for measures to address the problem of diminishing amphioxus population. Contribution No. 2274 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences This work was supported by CNNSF, and Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Growth and Resource Accumulation of Drifting Sargassum horneri(Fucales,Phaeophyta) in Response to Temperature and Nitrogen Supply

The abnormal increase of drifting brown alga Sargassum horneri was initially documented in 2007. It formed blooms along the coast of East China Sea and Yellow Sea in 2017. In this study, we investigated the changes of specific growth rate and resource accumulation of drifting S. horneri in response to temperature and nitrogen richness at different growth stages under laboratory condition. The investigation lasted from June 2015 to April 2016 with the observation made every two months. The results showed that the life cycle consists of a few growth stages dividable with morphological characteristics. The growth can be divided into shedding and withering(August), rapid growing(October to September), slow growing(February), rapid growing(April) and maturation(June) stages. Under the experimental condition, algal segments were found to grow at temperatures ranging from 5 to 25℃ in 12 days even when nitrogen is deficient. A significant difference in the special growth rate(SGR) between nitrogen-enriched and nitrogen-removed treatments was found in most months(P 0.05). SGR was lower in August and February than that in other months. Nitrogen and chlorophyll contents in algal segments were different among different temperatures, nitrogen supply and seasons. Nitrogen content was higher in February and April than that in other months in both nitrogen-enriched and nitrogen-removed treatments. The results showed that the demand of S. horneri for nitrogen increased in spring when it grows fast. It is likely that the high temperature and nitrogen concentration in winter and spring lead to the high biomass accumulation of drifting S. horneri.