Dynamics of Phaeocystis globosa bloom and implications for its seed sources in the Beibu Gulf,China

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - Algal blooms of haptophyte Phaeocystis globosa have been recorded in the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea (SCS) since 2011. Recent evidence suggests that Type I and...     

Stress regulation of photosynthetic system of Phaeocystis globosa and their hemolytic activity

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - Blooms of Phaeocystis globosa have been reported accountable for massive fish mortality worldwide. The toxigenic mechanisms of P. globosa, however, remain...     

The mechanism of a new type of modified clay controlling Phaeocystis globosa growth

Phaeocystis globosa is a harmful algal bloom(HAB) species worldwide.Using modified clay(MC) to control HAB s and to mitigate their adverse effects is currently a commonly used method in China.In this paper,the effects of oxidized composite modified clay(OXI-MC) on P.globosa were studied from different perspectives.The results show that the OXI-MC could effectively remove P.globosa and inhibit both the growth of residual algal cells and the formation of new colonies.The P.globosa algal biomass removal efficiencies after 3 h reached 90% at a dose of 0.1 g/L,and the number of colonies with different particle sizes was greatly reduced.Compared with those of the control,the superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity,catalase(CAT) activity,and malondialdehyde(MDA) content of the residual algae significantly increased,indicating that OXI-MC caused oxidative stress in the algal cells.In addition,we evaluated the effects of OXI-MC on the photo synthe sis of residual microalgae and found that the maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II(PSII) under dark adaptation(F_v/F_m) and actual photochemical efficiency of PSII(cDPSII) decreased,severely damaging the photosynthesis efficiency,implying that OXI-MC effected the photosynthesis system of P.globosa.The results of this study clarify that OXI-MC could remove the most of algal cells and break up the colonies of P.globosa by collision,flocculation,and releasing active substances,as well as inhibit effectively the growth and colony formation of residual P.globosa by causing oxidative stress,reducing photosynthesis activity,accelerating the degradation of polysaccharides,and inhibiting the formation of colonies.     

Allelopathic effects of mixotrophic dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea on co-occurring phytoplankton: the significance of nutritional ecology

Blooms of Akashiwo sanguinea frequently break out around the world, causing huge economic losses to the aquaculture industry and seriously damaging coastal ecosystems. However, the formation mechanisms of A. sanguinea blooms remain unclear. We investigated the allelopathic effects of A. sanguinea on multiple phytoplankton species, explored the mode of allelochemicals action and the way of nutrient factors regulation of the allelopathic activity. Results show that strains of A. sanguinea could inhibit the growth of co-occurring phytoplankton including Scrippsiella trochoidea, Phaeocystis globosa, and Rhodomonas salina, but inhibition of Prorocentrum micans was not obvious. The inhibition rates on phytoplankton were positively correlated with the cell densities of A. sanguinea. The highest inhibition rate of 94% on R. salina was for A. sanguinea CCMA256 culture of 2 000 cells/mL at 72 h. We observed that cells of S. trochoidea, Ph. g lobosa, and R. sali na were lysed when co-cultured with A. sanguinea, with the shortest time for S. trochoidea. Additionally, the growth rates of A. sanguinea were promoted by coculturing with S. trochoidea, Ph. globosa, and R. salina. Four components of A. sanguinea culture were all able to inhibit growth of R. salina:the strongest inhibitory effect was found in the sonicated culture, followed by whole-cell culture, filtrates of sonicated culture, and filtrate culture. The crude extract of A. sanguinea culture also lysed cells of R. salina, and the inhibition rates on R. salina increased with the increasing dose of crude extract. It was shown that both nutrient enrichment and nitrogen:phosphorus ratio imbalance enhanced remarkably the allelopathic activity of A. sanguinea. The highest inhibition rate on R. salina of 70% occurred in A. sanguinea JX13 treatment at 2 000 cells/mL under high nutrient condition in 48 h. In JX14 treatment at 2 000 cells/mL for N:P of 10:1, the inhibition rate increased by 1.7 times of that for N:P of 20:1. In addition, the allelopathy of A. sanguinea could not only be a competitive strategy but also a nutrition strategy, playing an important role in formation and/or maintenance of blooms of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate A. sanguinea.     

Phaeocystis globosa Scherffel, a harmful microalga, and its production of dimethylsulfoniopropionate

The production of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and its cleavage products (DMS) are well studied in phytoplankton worldwide. However, less is known about their sources, distributions, and impacts in the coast of China. We examined the production of DMSP and DMS in Phaeocystis globosa Scherffel and other benthic macroalgae from the South China coast in relation to environmental conditions. P. globosa was a harmful marine microalgal species and its bloom took place in the eutrophic waters along the South China Sea frequently. It also produced high content of DMSP at different growth stages, with the highest concentration usually observed in the stationary period. Moreover, the production of DMSP in P. globosa was significantly affected by salinity and temperature with the highest contents associated with high salinity (e.g. 40) and low temperature (e.g. 20°C). In field benthic macroalgae, there was also a marked difference in the DMSP of various species or different samples of the same species. Chlorophyll a contents were also determined for each macroalgal species. The highest chlorophyll a (238.7 ng/g fresh weight) was recorded in Chlorophyta Ulva lactuca at Guishan Island (Zhuhai), while the lowest value (1.5 ng/g fresh weight) was found in Rhodophyta Gracilaria tenuistipitata in Zhanjiang. Further correlation analysis indicated that there was no significant relationship between the content of DMSP and chl-a in macroalgae samples (P > 0.05). All the results suggested that the production of DMSP in marine algae was not only species- and stage-related, but also greatly affected by various environmental factors.     

Abiotic factors in colony formation: effects of nutrition and light on extracellular polysaccharide production and cell aggregates of Microcystis aeruginosa

Colony morphology is important for Microcystis to sustain a competitive advantage in eutrophic lakes. The mechanism of colony formation in Microcystis is currently unclear. Extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) has been reported to play an important role in cell aggregate formation of some phytoplankton. Microcystis aeruginosa was cultivated under varied abiotic conditions, including different nutrient, light, and temperature conditions, to investigate their effects on EPS production and morphological change. The results show that nutrient concentration and light intensity have great effects on EPS production in M. aeruginosa. There was a considerable increase in EPS production after M. aeruginosa was cultivated in adjusted culture conditions similar to those present in the field (28.9mg C/L, 1.98mg N/L, 0.65mg P/L, light intensity:100 μmol/(m2s)). These results indicate that abiotic factors might be one of the triggers for colony formation in Microcystis.     

Influence of light availability on the specific density,size and sinking loss of Anabaena flos-aquae and Scenedesmus obliquus

Harmful algal blooms in eutrophic waters pose a serious threat to freshwater ecosystems and human health. In-situ light availability control is one of the most commonly used technologies to suppress algae in lakes and reservoirs. To develop a better understanding of the effects of light on algal growth, specific density, colony size and sinking loss, Anabaena flos-aquae(cyanobacteria) and Scenedesmus obliquus(green algae) were evaluated in varying light scenarios. The results showed that the specific density and colony size of these two species varied during growth, and there were obvious differences among the light scenarios. At the end of exponential phase, S. obliquus incubated under light-limited condition maintained a higher specific density and formed larger aggregates, whereas A. flos-aquae formed a longer filament length. Both species exhibited higher sinking loss rates with lower light availability. These results implied that the sinking loss rate was not always constant but should be considered as a variable response to the change of light availability, and in-situ light availability control might result in a significant increase of the sinking loss of algae due to the change of size and specific density, thereby further affecting the algal biomass in the water column.     

The decline process and major pathways of Microcystis bloom in Taihu Lake, China

Eutrophication has become a serious concern in many lakes, resulting in cyanobacterial blooms. However, the mechanism and pathways of cyanobacteria decline are less understood. To identify and define the growth and decline of Microcystis blooms in Taihu Lake of China, and to illuminate the destination of surface floating blooms, we investigated the biomass distribution and variations in colony size, morphology, and floating velocity from October 2008 to September 2009. The results showed that the Microcystis bloom declined in response to biomass decrease, colony disaggregation, buoyancy reduction, and increased phytoplankton biodiversity, and these indicative parameters could be applied for recognition of the development phases of the bloom. Three major decline pathways were proposed to describe the bloom decline process, colony disaggregation (Pathway Ⅰ), colony settlement (Pathway Ⅱ), and cell lysis in colonies (Pathway Ⅲ). We proposed a strategy to define the occurrence and decline of Microcystis blooms, to evaluate the survival state under different stress conditions, and to indicate the efficiency of controlling countermeasures against algal blooms.     

Development of high-resolution chloroplast markers for intraspecific phylogeographic studies of Phaeocystis globosa

Phaeocystis globosa is an important harmful algal bloom causative species distributing widely in temperate and tropical coastal waters in the world.The morphological,physiological,and biochemical characte ristics are different amo ng geographic strains,which can not be distinguished with nuclear ribo somal DNA markers at present.Therefore,the genetic distance and phylogeographic relationships of nuclear 28 S rDNA D1-D2 and ITS regions,and three chloroplast intergenic spacers(petN-trnS1,trnM1-psbA,and rbcS-rpl27) were analyzed and compared among 13 strains of P.globosa isolated from the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean in this study.In addition,the nucleotide polymorphisms of 28 S rDNA D1-D2,ITS,and rbcS-rpl27 regions were evaluated in two P.globosa strains.The various levels of nucleotide polymorphism were in the nuclear 28 S rDNA D1-D2 region and ITS region,but no polymorphism was in the chloroplast rbcS-rpl27 intergenic spacer.A reasonable intraspecific phylogeographic relationship was presented by rbcS-rpl27 intergenic spacer,which had the strongest distinction to geographic strains compared to those of 28 S rDNA D1-D2 and ITS regions.In the phylogenetic tree of rbcS-rpl27 intergenic spacer,the two strains from the North Sea of the Atlantic Ocean were divided firstly from the species of P.globosa,and then formed an independent clade,while the other Atlantic strains and all of Pacific strains j oined up to build the other clade.It was implied that at least two genetically distant populations of P.globosa existed in the Atlantic coastal regions.This study provided a high-resolution chloroplast marker to analyze intraspecific phylogeographic populations of P.globosa,and preliminarily clarified the genetic relationships of the Pacific and Atlantic strains of P.globosa.     

Application of rotifer Brachionus plicatilis in detecting the toxicity of harmful algae

The toxicity of seven major HAB (harmful algal bloom) species/strains, Prorocentrum donghaiense, Phaeocystis globosa, Prorocentrum micans, Alexandrium tamarense (AT-6, non-PSP producer), Alexandrium lusitanicum, Alexandrum tamarense (ATHK) and Heterosigma akashiwo were studied against rotifer Brachionus plicatilis under laboratory conditions. The results show that P. donghaiense, P. globosa, P. micans, A. tamarense (AT-6), or A. lusitanicum could maintain the individual survival and reproduction, as well as the population increase of the rotifer, but the individual reproduction would decrease when exposed to these five algae at higher densities for nine days; H. akashiwo could decrease the individual survival and reproduction, as well as population increase of the rotifer, which is similar to that of the starvation group, indicating that starvation might be its one lethal factor except for the algal toxins; A. tamarense (ATHK) has strong lethal effect on the rotifer with 48h LC50 at 800 cells/mL. The experiment on ingestion ability indicated by gut pigment change shows that P.donghaiense, P. globosa, P. micans, A. tamarense (AT-6) and A. lusitanicum can be taken by the rotifers as food, but A. tamarense (ATHK) or H. akashiwo can be ingested by the rotifers. The results indicate that all the indexes of individual survival and reproduction, population increase, gut pigment change of the rotifers are good and convenient to be used to reflect the toxicities of HAB species. Therefore, rotifer is suggested as one of the toxicity testing organisms in detecting the toxicity of harmful algae.     

Effects of temperature, salinity, light intensity, and pH on the eicosapentaenoic acid production of Pinguiococcus pyrenoidosus

The effects of temperature, light intensity, salinity, and initial pH on the growth and fatty acid composition of Pinguiococcus pyrenoidosus 2078 were studied for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) production potential. The fatty acid composition was assayed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which indicated that the main fatty acids were C14:0, C16:0 and EPA. The highest EPA percentage 20.83% of total fatty acids was obtained at 20℃ with the temperature being set at 20, 24, and 28℃. Under different salinities and light intensities, the highest percentages of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and EPA were 17.82% and 31.37% of total fatty acids, respectively, which were achieved at salinity 30 and 100μmol photon m-2s-1 illumination. The highest percentages of total PUFAs and EPA were 38.75% and 23.13% of total fatty acids, respectively, which were reached at an initial pH of 6 with the test range being from 5.0 to 9.0.     

Chlorophyll fluorescence extraction from water-leaving radiance of algae-containing water through polarization

When measuring reflectance spectra, it is very important to accurately extract chlorophyll fluorescence from elastic- scattering light in water-leaving radiance. The elastic scattering of light by water particles produces partially polarized light. In contrast, chlorophyll fluorescence in planktonic algae yields completely unpolarized light. These properties can be used to separate fluorescent signals from the water-leaving radiance and thus to determine chlorophyll concentration. The algal species Aureococcus anophagefferens was used to conduct a laboratory polarization experiment. For the tests, we used a field spectroradiometer and a polarizer; measurements were collected using two different observation modes. The chlorophyll fluorescence curve extracted through polarization shows an excellent match with the results obtained using the fluorospectro photometer for both measurement modes, suggesting that polarization-based chlorophyll fluorescence extraction may be feasible. The extracted fluorescence is more reliable at incident zenith angles ranging from 30° to 60°. For algae-containing water, the results improve with increasing chlorophyll concentration. This method could help improve chlorophyll concentration measurement and the remote-sensing detection of resulting harmful algae blooms.     

Application of rotifer Brachionus plicatilis in detecting the toxicity of harmful algae

The toxicity of seven major HAB (harmful algal bloom) species/strains, Prorocentrum donghaiense, Phaeocystis globosa, Prorocentrum micans, Alexandrium tamarense (AT-6, non-PSP producer), Alexandrium lusitanicum, Alexandrum tamarense (ATHK) and Heterosigma akashiwo were studied against rotifer Brachionus plicatilis under laboratory conditions. The results show that P. donghaiense, P. globosa, P. micans, A. tamarense (AT-6), or A. lusitanicum could maintain the individual survival and reproduction, as well as the population increase of the rotifer, but the individual reproduction would decrease when exposed to these five algae at higher densities for nine days; H. akashiwo could decrease the individual survival and reproduction, as well as population increase of the rotifer, which is similar to that of the starvation group, indicating that starvation might be its one lethal factor except for the algal toxins; A. tamarense (ATHK) has strong lethal effect on the rotifer with 48h LC₅₀ at 800 cells/mL. The experiment on ingestion ability indicated by gut pigment change shows that P. donghaiense, P. globosa, P. micans, A. tamarense (AT-6) and A. lusitanicum can be taken by the rotifers as food, but A. tamarense (ATHK) or H. akashiwo can be ingested by the rotifers. The results indicate that all the indexes of individual survival and reproduction, population increase, gut pigment change of the rotifers are good and convenient to be used to reflect the toxicities of HAB species. Therefore, rotifer is suggested as one of the toxicity testing organisms in detecting the toxicity of harmful algae. Supported by the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX2-YW-208), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40821004, U0733006) and National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, No. 2001CB409700)     

Physical and chemical processes promoting dominance of the toxic cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii

The freshwater cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Wo?oszyńska) Seenayya and Subba Raju is a common species in lakes and reservoirs globally. In some areas of the world it can produce cyto- and hepatotoxins (cylindrospermopsins, saxitoxins), making blooms of this species a serious health concern for humans. In the last 10-15 years, there has been a considerable body of research conducted on the ecology, physiology and toxin production of this species and this paper reviews these studies with a focus on the cylindrospermopsin (CYN)-producing strains. C. raciborskii has low light requirements, close to neutral buoyancy, and a wide temperature tolerance, giving it the capacity to grow in many lentic waterbodies. It also has a flexible strategy with respect to nitrogen (N) utilisation; being able to switch between utilising fixed and atmospheric N as sources of N fluctuate. Additionally this species has a high phosphate (DIP) affinity and storage capacity. Like many cyanobacteria, it also has the capacity to use dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP). Changes in nutrient concentrations, light levels and temperature have also been found to affect production of the toxin CYN by this species. However, optimal toxin production does not necessarily occur when growth rates are optimal. Additionally, different strains of C. raciborskii vary in their cell quota of CYN, making it difficult to predict toxin concentrations, based on C. raciborskii cell densities. In summary, the ecological flexibility of this organism means that controlling blooms of C. raciborskii is a difficult undertaking. However, improved understanding of factors promoting the species and toxin production by genetically capable strains will lead to improved predictive models of blooms.     

Activation of macrophages by an exopolysaccharide isolated from Antarctic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Psychrobacter</Emphasis> sp. B-3

An exopolysaccharide (EPS) was isolated and purified from an Antarctic psychrophilic bacterium B-3, identified as Psychrobacter sp., and the activation of RAW264.7 cells by B-3 EPS was investigated. The results show that B-3 EPS, over a certain concentration range, promoted cell viability, nitric oxide production, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α secretion, and phagocytic ability. Furthermore, TAK-242, an inhibitor of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) significantly reduced nitric oxide production by these cells after stimulation with B-3 EPS. Moreover, B-3 EPS induced p65 phosphorylation and IκBα degradation in these cells. In conclusion, B-3 EPS might have activated RAW264.7 cells by combining with TLR4 on cell surface and triggering activation of NF-κB signaling pathways, implying that this EPS could activate macrophages and regulate initial immune response.     

Decomposition of algal lipids in clay-enriched marine sediment under oxic and anoxic conditions

A series of laboratory incubation experiments were conducted to examine the decomposition of algal organic matter in clay-enriched marine sediment under oxic and anoxic conditions. During the 245-day incubation period, changes in the concentrations of TOC, major algal fatty acid components (14:0, 16:0, 16:1, 18:1 and 20:5), and n-alkanes (C₁₆–C₂₃) were quantified in the samples. Our results indicate that the organic matters were degraded more rapidly in oxic than anoxic conditions. Adsorption of fatty acids onto clay minerals was a rapid and reversible process. Using a simple G model, we calculated the decomposition rate constants for TOC, n-alkanes and fatty acids which ranged from 0.017–0.024 d⁻¹, 0.049–0.103 d⁻¹ and 0.011 to 0.069 d⁻¹, respectively. Algal organic matter degraded in two stages characterized by a fast and a slow degradation processes. The addition of clay minerals montmorillonite and kaolinite to the sediments showed significant influence affecting the decomposition processes of algal TOC and fatty acids by adsorption and incorporation of the compounds with clay particles. Adsorption/association of fatty acids by clay minerals was rapid but appeared to be a slow reversible process. In addition to the sediment redox and clay influence, the structure of the compounds also played important roles in affecting their degradation dynamic in sediments.     

Effect of Long-Term Low-Salinity Culture on the Survival,Growth, and Nutrient Composition of Mud Crab Scylla paramamosain

This study investigated the effects of long-term low-salinity on the growth performance,proximate composition,amino acid and fatty acid profiles of Scylla paramamosain.The salinity of the low-salinity-culture group(LC)and maintained-salinity-cul-ture group(MC)were set at 5 and 25 respectively.After rearing for 30 d,the survival rate(SR)of the LC group was significantly lower,whereas the average daily molting frequency(ADMF)was significantly higher than those in MC group(P<0.05).There were no significant difference for weight gain rate(WGR)and specific growth rate(SGR)between the two groups.The moisture content of the LC group was slightly higher than the MC group without significant difference.The contents of ash,crude lipid and crude pro-tein in the LC group were lower than those in the MC group,but no significant differences were found except for ash content.A total of 17 free amino acids and 23 fatty acids were identified from the muscle of S.paramamosain.The total amino acids(TAA),essen-tial amino acids(EAA)and essential amino acid index(EAAI)had no significant difference between the two groups.The crabs from LC group had a significantly higher HUFA,including EPA,DHA,ARA.The percentage of n-3 PUFA and the ratio of n-3/n-6 PUFA were significantly higher in the LC group.These results indicated that S.paramamosain rearing at low salinity had significantly de-creased SR;however,the low-salinity environment significantly promoted the accumulation of unsaturated fatty acids(UFAs),espe-cially the n-3 PUFA,which might be related to the osmoregulation mechanism.