Calcium alginate immobilized marine microalgae: experiments on growth and short-term heavy metal accumulation

Growth of 11 calcium alginate immobilized marine microalgal species belonging to eight taxonomical groups has been checked in the present work. Cellular densities inside the calcium alginate beads were monitored during 17 days. Good growth and maintenance of the structure of the beads were both found for some of the assayed species. One of those species (Tetraselmis chui, Prasinophyceae) was selected in order to perform a short term (up to 24 h) heavy metal accumulation experiment. Beads of calcium alginate containing (or not) cells of T. chui were exposed to 820 μg L⁻¹ Cu and 870 μg L⁻¹ Cd separately during a 24 h period, and accumulation of heavy metals in the beads was measured after this time and compared. Concentration of each metal in the supernatants was monitored at 5, 10, 60 min and 24 h from the beginning of the experiment. After 24 h, practically all Cu was removed by the beads. Beads with immobilized algae removed around 20% of total Cd, while beads without algae removed half of that percentage.     

Phytoplankton estimation using plant primary production rates in streams

A new approach is proposed to simulate the daily variation of chlorophyll a in one-dimensional streams. This approach uses the plant primary production rate to quantify the phytoplankton growth rate. The delta method, which is a piecewise analytical solution technique, is applied to determine the diurnal variation in plant primary production rate. The approach is tested by applying it to the Gumsuck stream in the Kyonggi-Do province in Korea. The optimization technique with constraints is used to obtain the best running results. Application of this approach shows that the values calculated using the method presented here are in good agreement with the measured values. Therefore, we conclude that this technique realistically simulates the daily variation of chlorophyll a.     

Metabolic changes in Phaeocystis poucheti (Hariot) Lagerheim during the spring bloom in Belgian coastal waters

Incorporation of ¹⁴C-bicarbonate into the major intracellular end-products of photosynthesis (protein, polysaccharide, lipid) and two classes of exoproducts (oligomers and polymers) was measured in Belgian coastal waters at different stages of the spring phytoplankton bloom, entirely dominated by the alga Phaeocystis poucheti. It was shown that intracellular protein synthesis contributed 20–42% of the total intracellular ¹⁴C fixed and was positively correlated with the inorganic nitrogen content of the surrounding medium. The decrease of protein synthesis following nitrogen depletion is balanced by an increase of intracellular polysaccharide synthesis, which varies from 22 to 42% of the intracellular ¹⁴C fixed, and by an increase in extracellular release of high molecular weight material (18–60% of total ¹⁴C fixed) which forms a mucous envelope where cells are embedded. Lipid synthesis is not correlated with the ambient inorganic nitrogen content and represents a rather constant proportion (about 20%) of the intracellular ¹⁴C fixed.     

Water column light attenuation estimation to simulate phytoplankton population in tidal estuary

The penetration of sunlight into the water column plays a critical role in the aquatic ecosystem. The irradiance available for primary production in a water body depends on the incident light at the water surface, light extinction in the water column, and depth. In this study, the light attenuation through the water column of the Danshuei River–Keelung River estuary was estimated. The measurement of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) indicates that the conventional exponential attenuation of light with depth is a very good model. A light attenuation coefficient may be derived from the PAR measurements at each location. The regression with salinity yields a good correlation, indicating that the fraction of seawater should be a good parameter for estimating the water column light attenuation coefficient (K _d ). A laterally averaged two-dimensional finite difference model for hydrodynamic and water quality model was performed and applied to simulate the phytoplankton population at the lower reach of the Danshuei River estuary. In the process of phytoplankton population simulation, the regression model of K _d and salinity was incorporated in the water quality model. The simulated results show that the modeled concentration of chlorophyll a matched the measured values at the lower reach of the Danshuei River estuary.     

Dinoflagellate cysts in recent marine sediments from Thermaikos Gulf, Greece: Effects of resuspension events on vertical cyst distribution

A qualitative and semi-quantitative study of recent dinoflagellate cysts has been undertaken in the NW part of Aegean Sea, Thermaikos Gulf (Eastern Mediteranean), before (September 2001), during (October 2001) and after 120 days (February 2002) of intensive trawling activities. This is the first survey of recent dinoflagellate cysts from Greek marine coastal environments. Sediment samples were collected with a corer and the vertical distribution of the cysts was studied at five different layers, from 0 to 10 cm. Dinoflagellate cysts were both abundant and diverse. Cysts were found over the whole sampling area and periods, with concentrations ranging between 247–3202 cysts cm⁻³. Thirty-six cyst types were encountered, of which 32 were identified to species level, representing 12 genera. It seems that significant local resuspension, related to the onset of the trawling period and stirring up of the sediment, contributed to mixing of the upper layers, resulting to more homogenous cyst profiles in the sediment. Viable cysts constituted 16–60% of the total cyst abundance. The abundance peaks of viable cysts within the subsurface sediment layers, observed during the undisturbed period, disappeared during October. In February, the reduction of cyst concentration was associated to a loss of viable cysts, whilst the ratio of viable/empty cysts ranged between 0.30 and 0.67. The abundance of the different dinoflagellate species, in their active form, was monitored in order to detect any relationship between the concentration of cysts in the top 10 cm of sediment and blooms of algae in the water column. Cysts of potentially toxic species, causing Paralitic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP), such as Alexandrium cf. tamarense, A. cf. affine, A. cf. minutum, as well as Gymnodinium catenatum, were detected in the cyst survey.     

Identification of coccolithophore blooms in the SE Atlantic Ocean off Namibia by satellites and in-situ methods

Sporadic occurrences of milky turquoise waters visible in true colour satellite imagery in the Benguela upwelling system off Namibia are characterized by high reflectances due to enhanced scattering properties. Previous opinion was that the features are due to increased reflectances by elemental sulphur (S⁰) resulting from upwelling or eruptions of hydrogen sulphide-enriched waters.     

A lower trophic ecosystem model including iron effects in the Okhotsk Sea

We applied a three-dimensional ecosystem-physical coupled model including iron the effect to the Okhotsk Sea. In order to clarify the sources of iron, four dissolved iron compartments, based on the sources of supply, were added to Kawamiya et al.'s [1995, An ecological-physical coupled model applied to Station Papa. Journal of Oceanography, 51, 635-664] model (KKYS) to create our ecosystem model (KKYS-Fe). We hypothesized that four processes supply iron to sea water: atmospheric loadings from Northeastern Asia, input from the Amur River, dissolution from sediments and regeneration by zooplankton and bacteria. We simulated one year, from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001, using both KKYS-Fe and KKYS. KKYS could not reproduce the surface nitrate distribution after the spring bloom, whereas KKYS-Fe agreed well with observations in the northwestern Pacific because it includes iron limitation of phytoplankton growth. During the spring bloom, the main source of iron at the sea surface is from the atmosphere. The contribution of riverine iron to the total iron utilized for primary production is small in the Okhotsk Sea. Atmospheric deposition, the iron flux from sediment and regeneration of iron in the water column play important roles in maintaining high primary production in the Okhotsk Sea.     

Recent carbon and nitrogen uptake rates of phytoplankton in Bering Strait and the Chukchi Sea

Cruises to Bering Strait and the Chukchi Sea in US waters from late June in 2002 to early September in 2004 and the Russian–American Long-term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) research cruise in 2004 covered all major water masses and contributed to a better understanding of the regional physics, nutrient dynamics, and biological systems. The integrated concentration of the high nitrate pool in the central Chukchi Sea was greater in this study than in previous studies, although the highest nitrate concentration (∼22 μM) in the Anadyr Water mass passing through the western side of Bering Strait was consistent with prior observations. The chlorophyll-a concentrations near the western side of the Diomede Islands ranged from 200 to 400 mg chl-a m⁻² and the range in the central Chukchi Sea was 200–500 mg chl-a m⁻² for the 2002–2004 Alpha Helix (HX) cruises. Chlorophyll-a concentrations for the 2004 RUSALCA cruise were lower than those from previous studies. The mean annual primary production of phytoplankton from this study, using a ¹³C–¹⁵N dual-isotope technique, was 55 g C m⁻² for the whole Chukchi Sea and 145 g C m⁻² for the plume of Anadyr–Bering Shelf Water in the central Chukchi Sea. In contrast, the averages of annual total nitrogen production were 13.9 g N m⁻² (S.D.=±16.2 g N m⁻²) and 33.8 g N m⁻² (S.D.=±14.1 g N m⁻²) for the Chukchi Sea and the plume, respectively. These carbon and nitrogen production rates of phytoplankton were consistently two-or three-fold lower than those from previous studies. We suggest that the lower rates in this study, and consequently more unused nitrate in the water column, were caused by lower phytoplankton biomass in the Bering Strait and the Chukchi Sea. However, we do not know if the lower rate of production from this study is a general decreasing trend or simply temporal variations in the Chukchi Sea, since temporal and geographical variations are substantially large and presently unpredictable.     

海洋浮游植物对磷的响应研究进展

磷是海洋浮游植物赖以生存的一种必需营养元素.海洋浮游植物对磷的响应,与初级生产力、碳循环以及固氮作用密切相关.总结了浮游植物可利用的磷源:优先吸收溶解无机磷;在寡磷海域,可通过相关酶类协助利用溶解有机磷来抵御无机磷的缺乏.对比了不同种类浮游植物对不同形态磷源利用方式的差异并从浮游植物生理学角度阐述了存在差异的根本原因.探讨了浮游植物对低磷环境的响应机制.近期的研究发现浮游植物细胞表面可以吸附磷,该发现有利于更加准确地衡量浮游植物承受的营养盐限制问题,进一步完善对海洋磷储库及其生物地球化学循环的认识.最后提出了今后需进一步研究的关键科学问题:浮游植物细胞表面吸附磷的机制;对不同结构有机磷化物的利用机理;浮游植物对磷的海洋生物地球化学循环的响应及反馈作用.     

Research Advance of Changing Biogenic Substance Cycling in River Systems by Damming*

River damming transforms allotropic natural rivers into autotrophic 'impound river' (referred to "reservoir"), which changes the processes of river biogenic substance cycle and the matter properties as well as export flux from land to ocean, thus becoming one of the key problems of element biogeochemical cycle. Due to the different behavior of biogenic substances (C, N, P, Si) in biological processes, biogenic substances cycle efficiency is different, in turns, Silicon (Si)>Organic Carbon (OC)>Phosphorus (P). The migration and transformation processes of C and Si are significantly affected by phytoplankton and water retention time. Nitrogen (N) and P are mainly affected by water pH, temperature, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and retention time. The retention efficiency of biogenic substances is shown as N>C>P>Si at the global scale. Besides, the sedimentation and burial processes of reservoirs constitute the net sink of OC in rivers. River damming alters the stoichiometric characteristics of water elements, nutrient constraints, aquatic communities composition and the coupling effect of C/N/P/Si. The stable isotopic compositions of C, N and Si can effectively trace the source, migration and transformation of biogenic matter. A combination of elements stoichiometric characteristics and stable isotopic composition could effectively indicate the change of source materials in reservoirs. With the increasing demand for clean energy, the intensity of river damming and reservoir construction will increase. Thus, a series of scientific problems including changing law of biogenic substance migration and transformation dynamic, as well as accumulation effect of ecological environment in watershed systems by river cascade damming, should need to be concerned in the biogeochemistry cycle study.