Lipids and fatty acids in Calanus sinicus during over-summering in the southern Yellow Sea

Over-summering is a crucial period for Calanus sinicus in the southern Yellow Sea,where it is a key member of the zooplankton community.Lipids play an important role in copepod diapause,which is part of their over-summering strategy.We investigated how different fatty acids and lipid classes,including wax esters,changed during over-summering of C.sinicus during three cruises in June and August 2011 and November 2010,corresponding to the pre-,during and post-diapause periods,respectively.Large amounts of lipids were accumulated,mainly wax esters as previously found in C.finmarchicus during its diapause,and most of the storage lipids were used during over-summering.Wax ester polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs) showed the most variation of the fatty acids(FAs),while the percentage composition of FAs in polar lipids was relatively stable.Selective use of wax ester PUFAs has already been shown to play important roles in the winter diapause of Calanus species in other regions,and our FA results show that this is the case for the Yellow Sea Cold Bottom Water(YSCBW) population that diapauses in summer.     

Seasonal variation in fatty acid composition of seston and the copepod Calanus sinicus (Brodsky, 1962) in Jiaozhou Bay and its trophic implications

The fatty acid compositions of seston and Calanus sinicus were investigated to study trophic relationships in Jiaozhou Bay. Principal component analysis was carried out to ordinate the fatty acid patterns of seston in stations and months. The results showed that diatoms were most abundant in the phytoplankton at station A5 (located in the northwest of the bay:36°9′N, 120°20′E) and least abundant at station D7 (located outside of the bay: 35°59′N, 120°26′E). By contrast, dinoflagellates were most abundant at station D7 and least abundant at station A5. According to the annual variations of 16:1ω7 and 18:4ω3/ 16:1ω7, diatoms flourished mainly in spring and summer, while dinoflagellates bloomed exclusively in summer. A distinctive feature of the fatty acid composition of C. sinicus was the prevalence of 20:5ω3 and 22:6ω3. The higher content of 16:1ω7 over 18:4ω3 in females indicated that diatoms contributed more than dinoflagellates to the diet of C. sinicus. The feeding intensity of C. sinicus on diatoms was higher in spring and autumn than in other seasons. The herbivorous indicators 20:1 and 22:1 were comparatively low, suggesting that besides phytoplankton, C. sinicus might feed on a wider range of particles including organic detritus, bacteria and small copepods.     

Spatial contrast in phytoplankton,bacteria and microzooplankton grazing between the eutrophic Yellow Sea and the oligotrophic South China Sea

Three cruises were conducted to investigate the distributions of nutrients,chlorophyll a(Chla),new and regenerated primary production,bacterial abundance and production,and microzooplankton grazing rates in the Yellow Sea(YS)and the South China Sea(SCS)during March and May.As the water column moved from low to high temperature,weak to strong stratification and high to low nutrients from the YS to the SCS,Chl-a,primary production and bacterial biomass decreased.In contrast,bacterial production,microzooplankton grazing and size preference increased from the YS to the SCS.The increasing grazing activity and decreasing f-ratio from the YS to the SCS suggest roles of regenerated nutrients in the supporting the community increased and more bacteria played important roles in the carbon flow in the oligotrophic SCS than in the eutrophic YS.These variabilities force the classical food chain dominated community in the eutrophic waters into the microbial loop,which is dominant in oligotrophic waters.As nutrients decrease,temperature and grazing activity increase from the YS to the SCS.The increasing ratio of integrated bacterial production to integrated primary production indicates that communities change from autotrophy to heterotrophy and waters change from a carbon sink to a carbon source.     

Annual variation in Calanus sinicus abundance and population structure in the northern boundary area of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass

The Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass （YSCWM） was suggested as an over-summering site of the dominant copepod species Calanus sinicus in coastal Chinese seas. Population abundance and structure were investigated by monthly sampling along three transects across the northern boundary of the YSCWM during 2009-2010. Results show that thermal stratification existed from June to October and that the vertical thermal difference increased with depth. Generally, total abundance was lowest in October and highest in June, and the female/male sex ratio was highest in February and lowest in August. Evident spatial differences in abundance were observed during the existence of the YSCWM. In June, total abundance averaged 158.8 ind/m~ at well-stratified stations, and 532.1 ind/m3 at other stations. Similarly, high abundances of 322.0 and 324.4 ind/m3 were recorded from July to August inside the YSCWM, while the abundance decreased from 50.4 to 1.9 ind/m3 outside the water mass. C. sinicus distribution tended to even out over the study area in September when the YSCWM disappeared. We believe that the YSCWM may retard population recruitment in spring and preserve abundant cohorts in summer. The summer population was transported to neritic waters in autumn. In addition to low temperatures, stable vertical structure was also an essential condition for preservation of the summer population. C. sinicus can survive the summer in marginal areas in high abundance, but the population structure is completely different in terms of C5 proportion and sex ratio.     

Spatial distribution of dimethylsulfide and dimethylsulfoniopropionate in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea during summer

Abstrac t The distributions of dimethylsulfide(DMS) and its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate(DMSP) in surface water of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea were studied during June 2011. The mean concentrations and ranges of DMS, dissolved DMSP(DMSPd), and particulate DMSP(DMSPp) in surface waters were 6.85(1.60–12.36), 7.25(2.28–19.05) and 61.87(6.28–224.01) nmol/L, respectively. There were strong correlations between DMSPp and chlorophyll a in the Bohai Sea and the North Yellow Sea, respectively, and concentrations of DMS and DMSP were high, with a relatively high proportion of dinoflagellates, in the region of the South Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass. Results show that phytoplankton biomass and species composition were important factors that controlled the distribution of DMS and DMSP. Complex environmental factors, including nutrients, transparency, and terrestrial runoff, might also influence the variability in DMS and DMSP. Biological production and consumption rates of DMS in the Bohai Sea were higher than those in the Yellow Sea. DMS production rates were closely correlated with DMSPd concentrations. DMS and DMSP exhibited obvious diel variations, with high concentrations occurring in the late afternoon(16:00–19:00) and low concentrations occurring during the night, implying that the intensity of solar radiation had a significant influence on these variations. Size distributions of chlorophyll a and DMSPp were also investigated and large nanoplankton(5–20 μm), mainly diatoms, contributed significantly to chlorophyll a and DMSPp at most stations. The average sea-to-air flux of DMS in the study area was estimated to be 11.07 μmol/(m2 ·d) during the summer.     

Photobehaviors ofthe calanoid copepod Calanus sinicus from the Yellow Sea to visible and UV-B radiation as a function of wavelength and intensity

The effects of wavelength-specific visible light,white light,and ultraviolet-B(UV-B,280-31 5 nm)on selected behaviors,grazing rate,spawning rate,and hatching rate of the marine copepod Calanus sinicus collected from the Yellow Sea were studied.Calanus s inicus placed in a partitioned experimental sy stem responded positively phototaxis to blue-cyan and yellow light but negatively to orange light and UVB.No obvious dodge activity was found among C.s inicus irradiated with0.005 mW/cm~2 UV-B.Under0.20,0.30 and 0.50 mW/cm~2 UV-B radiation,the lethal half times of individuals were 30.47,2.86,and1.96 h,respectively.Grazing of C.sinicus was restrained at0.10 mW/cm~2 UV-B,whereas yellow-red light stimulated grazing.Egg production rate was highest at a white-light intensity of 1.58 mW/cm~2,with an average rate of 10.04 eggs/(female d).These results are consistent with the observed phenomenon that C.sinicus in the Yellow Sea mostly spa.wn near dawn.Our results indicate that light intensity and spectrum are important factors affecting the diel vertical migration of C.sinicus under natural conditions in the Yellow Sea.     

Meso-scale spatial distribution of large tintinnids in early summer in southern Yellow Sea

The spatial distribution of some large tintinnid species （nominally〉76 μm） was investigated according to samples collected by vertical towing in cruises to the southern Yellow Sea in summer 2000-2002 and 2004. Eight species were identified： Codonellopsis mobilis, Leprotintinnus netritus, Tintinnopsis karajacensis, T. japonica, T. kiaochowensis, T. butschlii, T. radix, and Parafavella sp. With maximum abundance of 158.2 ind/L in June 2004, C. mobilis was the dominant species, lasting from May to July 2004. Tintinnid communities were patchy and distributed mainly in shallow waters along the shore.     

Effect of diurnal temperature difference on lipid accumulation and development in Calanus sinicus(Copepoda:Calanoida)

Calanus sinicus,the dominant copepod in the Yellow Sea,develops a large oil sac in late spring to prepare for over-summering in the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM).The lipid accumulation mechanism for the initiation of over-summering is unknown.Here,we cultured C3 copepodites at four constant temperatures(10,13,16,and 19℃) and at three temperature regimes that mimicked the temperature variations experienced during diurnal vertical migration(10-13℃,10-16℃,and 10-19℃) for 18 days to explore the effects of temperature differences on copepod development and lipid accumulation.C.sinicus stored more lipid at low than at high temperatures.A diurnal temperature difference(10-16℃ and 10-19℃)promoted greater lipid accumulation(1.9-2.1 times) than a constant temperature of either 16℃ or 19℃,by reducing the energy cost at colder temperatures and lengthening copepodite development.Thereafter,the lipid reserve supported gonad development after final molting.Only one male developed in these experiments.This highly female-skewed sex ratio may have been the result of the monotonous microalgae diet fed to the copepodites.This study provides the first evidence that diurnal temperature differences may promote lipid accumulation in C.sinicus,and provides a foundation for future investigations into the mechanisms involved in over-summering in the YSCWM.     

Properties of coarse particles in suspended particulate matter of the North Yellow Sea during summer

Fine particles in seawater commonly form large porous aggregates. Aggregate density and settling velocity determine the behavior of this suspended particulate matter(SPM) within the water column.However, few studies of aggregate particles over a continental shelf have been undertaken. In our case study, properties of aggregate particles, including size and composition, over the continental shelf of the North Yellow Sea were investigated. During a scienti?c cruise in July 2016, in situ ef fective particle size distributions of SPM at 10 stations were measured, while temperature and turbidity measurements and samples of water were obtained from surface, middle, and bottom layers. Dispersed and inorganic particle size distributions were determined in the laboratory. The in situ SPM was divided into(1) small particles(32 μm),(2) medium particles(32–256 μm) and(3) large particles(256 μm). Large particles and medium particles dominated the total volume concentrations(VCs) of in situ SPM. After dispersion, the VCs of medium particles decreased to low values(0.1 μL/L). The VCs of large particles in the surface and middle layers also decreased markedly, although they had higher peak values(0.1–1 μL/L). This suggests that almost all in situ medium particles and some large particles were aggregated, while other large particles were single particles. Correlation analysis showed that primary particles 32 μm in?uenced the formation of these aggregates. Microscopic examination revealed that these aggregates consisted of both organic and inorganic ?ne particles, while large particles were mucus-bound organic aggregates or individual plankton.The vertical distribution of coarser particles was clearly related to water strati?cation. Generally, medium aggregate particles were dominant in SPM of the bottom layer. A thermocline blocked resuspension of?ne material into upper layers, yielding low VCs of medium-sized aggregate particles in the surface layer.Abundant large biogenic particles were present in both surface and middle layers.     

Annual Occurrence of Calanus sinicus Carcasses in the Jiaozhou Bay and the Adjacent Waters

The dead proportion of a calanoid copepod Calanus sinicus population was investigated monthly with neutral red staining method at 12 stations in the Jiaozhou Bay and the adjacent waters from December 2008 to November 2009. C. sinicus could be observed through the whole year, with an evident numerical peak from February to April and an extremely low abundance in summer. Annual variation of the dead proportion differed greatly between adult females and copepodites. Dead females were observed only in the southern part and outside the bay sporadically in five months, when the egg production was the most active. Dead proportion of females was usually less than 5%. Dead copepodites could be observed in all but three months in summer in the whole study area, and the proportion varied between 3.8% – 18.2%. Death percentage of copepodites increased significantly in the northern part in January and June, when water temperature exceeded it's favorable limits; however, the fluctuated salinity had no significant effect on the survival of both females and copepodites. Thus the dead proportion of C. sinicus was relatively low in the Jiaozhou Bay, while difference could be observed between females and copepodites. Dead copepodites were common in all samples, but dead females were presented mainly as ‘reproduction cost' during generation alternation.     

Observed characteristics of the North Yellow Sea water masses in summer

In this paper, we characterize the North Yellow Sea (NYS) water masses in summer by analyzing temperature and salinity data surveyed in 2006. The Liaonan Coastal Water is characterized by low salinity westward and southward flow paths. The westward path flows parallel to land, turns to the south, then to the southeast adjacent to the mouth of the Lüshun River, where it mixes with other coastal water directly to the southwest. It becomes the main source of low salinity water in the deep water area west of 123°E. The high-salinity Lubei Coastal Water is the remnant of the winter Lubei Coastal Water, which is located mostly in a small area between Yantai and Weihai, and does not originate in the Bohai Sea Coastal Water. The two NYS zones demarcated at 123°E have distinctly different temperature and salinity characteristics. There are two high-salinity centers east of 123°E, whereas there is low-salinity water to the west whose temperature and salinity structures are complex, composed of the coastal water south of Chengshantou, the Liaonan Coastal Water and the Bohai Sea Water.     

Observed characteristics of the North Yellow Sea water masses in summer

In this paper,we characterize the North Yellow Sea (NYS) water masses in summer by analyzing temperature and salinity data surveyed in 2006.The Liaonan Coastal Water is characterized by low salinity westward and southward flow paths.The westward path flows parallel to land,turns to the south,then to the southeast adjacent to the mouth of the Lüshun River,where it mixes with other coastal water directly to the southwest.It becomes the main source of low salinity water in the deep water area west of 123°E.The...     

Statistic characteristics of thermal structure in the southern Yellow Sea in summer

Based on the temperature data along 34°N, 35°N and 36°N sections in August from 1977 to 2003, the structure and formation of the Southern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (SYSCWM) and its responses to El Nino events are analyzed. Results show that: (1) There exist double cold cores under the main thermocline along the 35°N and 36°N sections. Also, double warm cores exist above the main thermocline along the 36°N section. (2) Thermocline dome by upwelling separates the upper warm water into two parts, the eastern and western warm waters. Additionally, the circulation structure caused by upwelling along the cold front and northeastward current along the coast in summer is the main reasons of double warm cores along the 36°N section. The intermediate cold water is formed in early spring and moves eastward slowly, which results in the formation of the western one of double cold cores. (3) Position of the thermocline dome and its intensity vary interannually, which is related to El Nino events. However, the     

Impact of two typhoons on the marine environment in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

This study investigated the ef fects of two typhoons(Nari and Wipha) on sea surface temperature(SST) and chlorophyll- a(Chl- a) concentration. Typhoons Nari and Wipha passed through the Yellow Sea on September 13, 2007 and the East China Sea(ECS) on September 16, 2007, respectively. The SST and Chl- a data were obtained from the Aqua/Terra MODIS and NOAA18, respectively, and the temperature and salinity in the southeast of the study area were observed in situ from Argo. The average SST within the study area dropped from 26.33°C on September 10 to a minimum of 22.79°C on September 16. Without the usual phenomenon of ‘right bias', the most striking response of SST was in the middle of the typhoons' tracks, near to coastal waters. Strong cooling of the upper layers of the water column was probably due to increased vertical mixing, discharge from the Changjiang River estuary, and heavy rainfall. During the typhoons, average Chl-a increased by 11.54% within the study area and by 21.69% in the off shore area near to the southeast ECS. From September 1 to 13, average Chl-a was only 0.10 mg/m~3 in the of fshore waters but it reached a peak of 0.17 mg/m~3 on September 18. This large increase in Chl-a concentration in of fshore waters might have been triggered by strong vertical mixing, upwelling induced by strong typhoons, and sedimentation and nutrient infl ux following heavy rainfall.     

Biomarker records of phytoplankton productivity and community structure changes in the Central Yellow Sea mud area during the Mid-late Holocene

The Yellow Sea (YS) environmental and ecological changes during the Holocene are driven by the interactions between the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC), the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) and the Kuroshio Current (KC). We report marine biomarker records of brassicasterol, dinosterol and C37 alkenones in core ZY1 and core ZY2 from the South Yellow Sea (SYS) to reconstruct the spatial/temporal variations and possible mechanisms of phytoplankton primary productivity and community structure changes during the Mid-late Holocene. The contents of the corresponding biomarkers in the two cores are similar, and they also reveal broadly similar temporal trends. From 6 kyr to 3 kyr, the biomarker contents in the two cores were relatively low with small oscillations, followed by a distinct increase at about 3 kyr indicating productivity increases caused by a stronger EAWM. The alkenone/brassicasterol ratio (A/B) is used as a community structure proxy, which also showed higher values in both cores since 3 kyr, indicating increased haptophyte contribution to total productivity. It is proposed that the YS community structure has been mainly influenced by the YSWC, with stronger YSWC influences causing an increase in haptophyte contribution since 3 kyr. Some differences of the biomarker records between ZY2 and ZY1 suggest spatial variations in response to YSWC and KC forcing. When the KC was intensified during the periods of 6–4.2 kyr and 1.7–0 kyr, the YSWC extended eastward, exerting more influence on core ZY1. On the other hand, when the KC weakened during 4.2–1.7 kyr, the YSWC extended westward, exerting more influence on the ZY2.     

In-situ studies of microzooplankton grazing pressure on phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Preliminary studies on microzooplankton grazing were conducted with dilution method in Jiaozhou Bay from summer 1998 to spring 1999. Four experiments were carried out at St. 5 located at the center of Jiaozhou Bay. Chlorophyll a concentrations were consistently dominated by netphytoplankton (net-, >20μm), except during the autumn 1998 cruise, when they were dominated by nanophytoplankton(nano-, 2–20μm). The contribution of picophytoplankton (pico-, <2μm) to total chlorophyll a concentrations (<200μm) varied considerably between cruises. Instantaneous growth coefficients(u) of phytoplankton varied from 0.098 to 1.947d⁻¹, with mean value of 0.902d⁻¹. Instantaneous coefficients(g) of microzooplankton grazing on phytoplankton ranged from 0.066 to 0.567d⁻¹, mean value of 0.265d⁻¹, which was equivalent to daily lose of 21.9% of the initial standing stock and 58.1% of the daily potential production. Project No KZCX3-SW-214 supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Surface circulation patterns observed by drifters in the Yellow Sea in summer of 2001, 2002 and 2003

In summer of 2001, 2002 and 2003, ten, six and seventeen satellite-tracked surface drifters with drogues centered at 15 and 4 m were deployed, respectively, in the southern Yellow Sea (YS). 23 drifters of them transmitted useful data of at least 30 days. The wind-driven component of the drift was removed from the original drift velocity of drifters. The wind data used are from NCEP (National Center for Environmental Prediction), USA.Trajectories and drift velocities of the 23 drifters depicted the upper circulation structure in the southern YS. There exists an anti-cyclonic eddy with a mean speed and radius of 0.063 m/s and 50km in the central southern YS, whose center lingered within 35.3-36.0°N / 123.5-124.0°E. Showed by 6 drifters, a basin-scale elliptic cyclonic gyre with a mean speed of 0.114 m/s, long and short radius of 250 and 200 km surrounds the anti-cyclonic eddy. In the southwestern part of the southern YS has obvious frontal eddy activities within about 100 km with a mean speed about 0.076     

Abundance, biomass and composition of spring ice algal and phytoplankton communities of the Laptev Sea （Arctic）

Abundance,biomass and composition of the ice algal and phytoplank-ton communities were investigated in the southeastern Laptev Sea in spring 1999.Diatoms dominated the algal communities and pennate diatoms dominated the dia-tom population.12 dominant algal species occurred within sea ice and underlyingwater column,including Fragilariopsis oceanica,F.cylindrus,Nitzschiafrigida,N.promare,Achnanthes taeniata,Nitzschia neofrigida,Naviculapelagica,N.vanhoef fenii,N.septentrionalis,Melosira arctica,Clindrothecaclosterium and Pyrarnimonas sp.The algal abundance of bottom 10 cm sea icevaried between 14.6 and 1562.2×10~4 ceils l~(-1)with an average of 639.0×10~4cells l~(-1),and the algal biomass ranged from 7.89 to 2093.5μg C l~(-1)with an av-erage of 886.9μg C l~(-1),which were generally one order of magnitude higherthan those of sub-bottom ice and two orders of magnitude higher than those ofunderlying surface water.The integrated algal abundance and biomass of lower-most 20 cm ice column were averagely 7.7 and 12.2 times as those of upper 20 mwater column,respectively,suggesting that the ice algae might play an importantrole in maintaining the coastal marine ecosystem before the thawing of sea ice.Icealgae influenced the phytoplankton community of the underlying water column.However,the“seeding”of ice algae for phytoplankton bloom was negligible be-cause of the iow phytoplankton biomass within the underlying water column.     

Grazing of Salpa thompsoni on phytoplankton in summer in the Prydz Bay region, Antarctica

During the CHINARE-Ⅺ cruise in austral summer of 1998/1999, the abundance and feeding activity of Salps thompsoni were investigated in the Prydz Bav region. Salps samples were collected by vertical tows from the depth of 200 m to the surface with a conical net of 330 μm mesh-size. At Ⅵ-3 station, the grazing rates were studied by the gut fluorescence method and culture experiments. S. Thompsoni was mainly distributed in the northern part of the survey area, and its maximum densities reached to 2795 ind. · 1000 m-3. A dramatic decrease in salp stock was observed at the Marginal Ice Zone. The results of the feeding experiments at the Ⅵ-3 show that the gut pigment contents of S. thompsoni ranged from (0. 14 - 1.27) μig ind. -1(average 0. 98 μg ind.-1). The individual ingestion rate is 7. 9 μg ind. -1 · day-1, and the filtration rate is 28 L ind. -1 · day-1 Through the daily grazing rate of S. thompsoni, which takes account of less than 1% of the phytoplankton standing stock, it shows arelatively higher grazing impress on the primary production (72. 2 % ).