Composition and distribution of planktonic ciliates in the southern South China Sea during late summer: Comparison between surface and 75 m deep layer

Ciliates are very important components in most marine ecosystem.They are trophic link between the microbial food web and grazing food chain.In this study,ciliates were collected from 11 sites in the southern South China Sea(SCS) during August 25 to September 28,2011.Their composition and distribution at the surface and 75 m deep depth of the ocean were studied.A total of 30 species belonging to 22 genera were identified,and 22 species of 15 genera were Tintinnids.Eutintinnus fraknoii and E.stramentus were the most common species.The other dominants were strombidiids ciliates including Strombidium conicum and S.globosaneum,which were followed by the tide form,Mesodinium pulex.Ciliates abundance ranged from 46 ind L~(-1) to 368 ind L~(-1) in the open sites,46–368 ind L~(-1) at surface and 73–198 ind L~(-1) at 75 m deep layer.In the Yongshu reef,ciliates abundance ranged from 167 ind L~(-1) to 365 ind L~(-1) in the water column,similar to that in Sanya coral reef waters.Ciliates composition showed obvious difference between surface and 75 m deep layer at station S2(P 0.05),while no similar result was observed at other sites.At 75 m deep layer,salinity was negatively related to mixed layer depth(P 0.05),but positively to chlorophyll a concentration(P 0.05),indicating that the change of vertical mixing in water column influenced vertical distribution of ciliates in the southern SCS.     

乐清湾口海域春秋季甲壳动物的群落结构特征研究

根据2012年春季和10月在乐清湾口海域开展渔业资源调查所获甲壳动物资料,对乐清湾口海域的甲壳动物的种类组成、优势种、物种数量分布、生物多样性和群落结构相似性等群落结构特征及其影响因素进行了研究。结果表明,调查海域共鉴定出34种甲壳动物,隶属于2目17科23属,春季优势种仅有三疣梭子蟹1种,秋季为日本、口虾蛄、中华管鞭虾、三疣梭子蟹4种,两季优势种更替较显著;秋季物种数较春季丰富,调查水域中心区域物种数较多;秋季甲壳动物生物多样性指数高于春季;甲壳动物群落结构与海洋环境密切相关。乐清湾口海域的甲壳动物以季节性的广温低盐种类为主,该海域位于河口,受瓯江径流影响较大;春季受瓯江径流淡水水团影响,物种较少,而秋季受交汇水团影响,物种丰富;春秋季组内并无明显规律,地形、水深和水系等外部因素对甲壳动物群落结构影响较大。     

Recent Progress and Perspectives in Paleoenvironmental and Paleoclimatic Research Based on Chironomidae (Diptera)

Chironomidae (Diptera) becomes a rapid developing proxy in the international paleolimnology in the recent 20 years due to its short life cycle, strong ability to move and sensitive response to environmental change. The main progress of paleolimnological research based on chironomid can be summarized as the following four aspects: ①The establishment of a large number of sample training sets and transfer functions, as well as the comparison and integration of regional databases; ②More attention on the role of internal lacustrine factors in controlling of the chironomid population; ③Attention on finer time scales since the modern interglacial period; ④Improvement of the experimental technology and numerical methods, and constant development of new indicators. The domestic related research started late, but databases in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze river, the Tibetan Plateau, the Yunnan Plateau and the region of inner Mongolia and Xinjiang has been established so far, and also some researches on the internal lacustrine factors on chironomid population has been carried out; paleoenvironmental reconstruction is mainly concentrated in the northwest arid areas and the Yunnan Plateau, and the research in eastern region is primarily focused on reflecting the effects of recent state of human activities on the lakes. Paleoenvironment and paleoclimate researches based on chironomid urgently need to ①Carry out more individual ecology work to accurately understand the relationship between the species and environmental factors, combined with the investigation of a broader area; ②Further improve the efficiency of experiments by new technology to enhance the resolution of identification; ③Pay attention to the application of the advanced quantitative ecology methods and the novel tools such as isotopic analysis; ④Attach great importance to the role of chironomid in the definition of lake natural state and the ecological restoration.     

A review on the research of modern aeolian dust in Central Asia

The Central Asian Arid Zone (CAAZ) located in the temperate desert belt of the Northern Hemisphere is one of the most important sources for global aeolian dust and aerosol. It is widely acknowledged that aeolian dust plays a vital role in the Earth system through participating in the energy and material budget of the planet. Except for the existed natural desert areas, the newly human-induced deserts that originally used to be the bed of terminal lakes (like the Aral Sea, Caspian Sea, Balkhash Lake, etc.) are becoming the much more significant sources for aeolian dust/salt in this region. Dust and associated aerosols have complex impacts on local ecological system and human health for its special chemical composition. In recent years, a slight declining trend of dust storm frequency in the region was reported, which may be explained by the weakened human disturbances in desert areas or climate variations. The dust dynamics in the CAAZ represent considerable variations in both spatial and temporal distribution, which makes it harder to forecast the dust events and mitigate its damages to ecosystems and social economics. Nevertheless, there is not much evidence of its climatic and environmental impacts both on the regional and global scales. Therefore, further related studies and regulation measures in the region are essential and emergent, as well as the strengthening cooperation between the associated countries and organizations.     

Effects of temperature on growth,photophysiology, Rubisco gene expression in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prorocentrum donghaiense</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Karenia mikimotoi</Emphasis>

To explore the effects of temperature changes on dinoflagellate bloom succession in the coastal waters of the East China Sea, changes in the growth, photophysiology, and Rubisco gene expression of Prorocentrum donghaiense and Karenia mikimotoi, two harmful algal species, were investigated at different temperatures (16 to 28°C). The maximal specific growth rate and the maximal mRNA expression of Rubisco gene in P. donghaiense and K. mikimotoi occurred at 20 and 24°C, respectively. The photosynthetic activity of P. donghaiense was generally stable, but K. mikimotoi photosynthesis increased when temperatures rose from 16 to 28°C. The effective photochemical efficiency (F _q ^′ /F _m ^′ ) and the maximal relative electron transfer rate (rETR_max) of K. mikimotoi increased significantly with increasing temperature, and the lowest and highest values occurred at 16 and 28°C, respectively. It seems that P. donghaiense has higher photosynthetic capacity than K. mikimotoi due to its higher F _q ^′ /F _m ^′ , rETR_max, and photosynthetic efficiency (α). However, K. mikimotoi has a higher growth rate than P. donghaiense. These results suggest that the photosynthetic activity and genetic responses of dinoflagellates are species-dependent. It is likely that temperature changes affect species composition during blooms, leading to the observed patterns of bloom succession.     

Long-term effects of di-octyl phthalate on the expression of immune-related genes in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tegillarca granosa</Emphasis>

Di-octyl phthalate (DOP) is widely used as a plasticizer in the plastics industry. As a result, DOP is often found in marine water ecosystems where many species are exposed to it. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of long-term (14 d) DOP exposure (2.6, 7.8, or 31.2 mg/L) on the expression of immunerelated genes in Tegillarca granosa. The expression of small heat shock protein (sHSPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) were highest in clams exposed to 31.2 mg/L DOP on days 7 and 14. The relative expression of Tg-ferritin, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and metallothionein (MT) increased initially then decreased as the concentration of DOP increased. The hemoglobin of T. granosa (Tg-HbI) exhibited two distinct expression patterns at two time points. Our results suggest that the immune response of T. granosa against DOP pollution varies depending on the dose. Additionally, we identified some immune-related genes that are promising candidates for biomarkers of DOP.