Influence of capture stress, salinity and reproductive status on zinc associated with metallothionein-like proteins in the livers of three marine teleost species

The influence of capture stress, salinity and reproductive status on zinc associated with the metallothionein-like (MT-like) proteins in the livers of three marine teleost species was investigated. In striped mullet, Mugil cephalus L., the zinc associated with the MT-like protein, as determined by gel-permeation HPLC, increased significantly from approximately 102 to 1162 nmol zinc bound/g wet wt 7 days following capture in the field, handling, transportation to the laboratory and transfer to holding tanks. Significant increases were also observed following exposure to reduced salinity for 7 days. Smaller increases were observed in cultured red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, livers following exposure to reduced salinity and physical trauma for 7 days. Finally, there was approximately a 2·5-fold increase in the zinc associated with the MT-like protein in livers of female spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, collected during the reproductive season compared to regressed animals. These findings emphasize the need for establishing the natural fluctuations in MT levels as well as the response to common physical environmental variables before measurement of MT can be used reliably as a biochemical indicator of environmental contamination.     

Measurement of DNA single-strand breaks in gill and hemolymph cells of mussels, Mytilus sp., collected on the French Atlantic Coast

DNA single-strand breaks were measured by the comet assay in both gill and hemolymph cells of mussels collected in 3 sampling areas of the French coast (Pointe du Castelli, Pen Bron and Saint-Nazaire Harbour). Whole mussel tissue samples were also collected for the chemical determination of PAH, PCB and heavy metal concentrations. In mussel, a higher level of DNA strand breaks was measured in gill than in hemolymph cells (p < 0.01). Despite a factor of contamination from 2 to 3 between sites, no difference in the extent of mussel DNA strand breaks was shown between sampling locations (p > 0.05), questioning the sensitivity of the assays used in biomonitoring studies.     

The wadic project: A comprehensive field evaluation of directional wave instrumentation

The results of a comprehensive field trial of nearly all commercially available directional wave measurement systems at the Edda field in the North Sea during winter 1985-86 are presented. The results summarize the accuracy of the principal engineering wave parameters from each system and the dependence on sea state. Limiting factors on system performance and operational problems are also included in the assessment. Overall experience has been good with systems utilizing widely different measurement principles returning consistent results.     

Hydrocarbons in bivalve mollusks of Port Valdez, Alaska: Consequences of five years' permitted discharge

Petroleum hydrocarbons were investigated in Mytilus edulis and Macoma balthica at six intertidal sites in Port Valdez, Alaska after three to five years of oil terminal operation. Information about the concentrations of total hydrocarbons, unresolved complex mixture, normal alkanes, isoprenoids, olefins, hopanes and polycyclic aromatic hyrocarbons shows that petroleum accumulation in these bivalve mollusks is greatest at the Valdez municipal boat harbor and a crude oil terminal which has been permitted to discharge 170 kg oil day⁻¹. Accumulation two- to ten-fold less were observed at 3 km from the terminal and boat harbor. The temporal trends in petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in M. edulis and M. balthica reflect the effects of selective retention and depuration of different hydrocarbon classes as well as variation in hydrocarbon sources. It is not clear whether the petroleum concentrations in Port Valdez bivalves had reached steady state by 1982, the final sampling time reported here.     

Winter-spring phytoplankton blooms in Dabob Bay, Washington

Scientific investigations in Dabob Bay, Washington State, USA, have been extensive since the early 1960s, but phytoplankton blooms have been studied mostly with regard to chlorophyll concentrations and little is known about the phytoplankton species themselves. Here we provide information on the species present, their abundances during blooms, their contribution to organic carbon concentrations and the ability of some phytoplankton species to produce toxic aldehydes that may impact metazoan grazers.Multiple blooms of phytoplankton, dominated by diatoms, occurred in the late winter-early spring period, with depth-integrated chlorophyll levels ranging from <20 to 230 mg m⁻² and peaks in February and April. The major bloom species included Skeletonema costatum, Thalassiosira spp. and Chaetoceros spp; Phaeocystis cf. pouchetii occurred in 2002 and 2004. Other taxa or groups of organisms that were sometimes abundant included unidentified small flagellates <10 μm in size and unidentified heterotrophic dinoflagellates. Large diatoms usually comprised most of the cell carbon, but a large, heterotrophic dinoflagellate, identified only as Gyrodinium “tear” because of its shape, was a major contributor to the microplankton carbon when present even in small numbers. Five Thalassiosira species and S. costatum were found to produce polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA) that are known to affect copepod reproduction and hatching success. Our findings are similar to the few previous studies in the last four decades that included phytoplankton species and suggest long-term similarities and relative stability in the phytoplankton species present and their timing in Dabob Bay.     

Forced Waves in a Bounded Basin with One Thermocline

Within the framework of the linear theory taking into account the action of the Coriolis force, we study waves induced in a continuously stratified fluid with one thermocline by periodic variations of pressure on the free surface. The fluid fills a bounded basin of constant depth. We establish the dependences of the wave amplitudes and wave velocities on the period of disturbing pressure. The sequence of transformations of generated waves from the barotropic character of motion to baroclinic depending on changes in the period of disturbing pressure is studied in detail.     

A map series of the Southern East Pacific Rise and its flanks, 15° S to 19° S

Four large-scale bathymetric maps of the Southern East Pacific Rise and its flanks between 15° S and 19° S display many of the unique features of this superfast spreading environment including abundant seamounts (the Rano Rahi Field), axial discontinuities, discontinuity migration, and abyssal hill variation. Along with a summary of the regional geology, these maps will provide a valuable reference for other sea-going programs on-and off-axis in this area, including the Mantle ELectromagnetic and Tomography (MELT) experiment.     

Cloning of the major 3-MC inducible phase I and phase II detoxification enzymes of plaice liver

cDNA's coding for cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1), phenol UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UDPGT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST-A) were cloned and sequenced from an expression library prepared from the liver of a 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) induced plaice. Plaice CYP1A1 and Phenol UDPGT display a high degree of structural conservation with homologous mammalian isoforms and their mRNAs were shown to be highly induced in liver after 3-MC treatment of fish. Expression of plaice GST-A, which displays closer homology to GSTs from plants and invertebrates than those of mammals, is repressed after 3-MC treatment.