Photosynthetic efficiency, cell volume, and elemental stoichiometric ratios in Thalassirosira weissflogii under phosphorus limitation

Nutrient limitation is known to inhibit growth and metabolism and to alter elemental stoichiometric ratios in phytoplankton. In this study, physiological changes in Thalassirosira weissflogii were measured under different dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) regimes in semi-continuous cultures to revisit the utility of the Redfield ratio for assessing nutrient limitation. The results showed that cell size increased with decreasing DIP availability. In the P-depleted treatment (f/2-P) the cell size was 1.48 times larger than that in the P-limited (f/100) treatment and 2.67 times larger than that in the P-saturated treatment (f/2 and f/10). The fucoxanthin to chlorophyll a ratio (Fuco/chl a) was relatively stable (about 0.3) in P-saturated cultures and was 10 times higher than that in P-limited and P-depleted cultures. During the experimental period, the photosynthetic efficiency index, ?F/Fm′, was relatively stable at ~0.50 in the P-saturated cultures, but quickly declined with decreasing DIP availability. Although cellular P content showed a significant difference between the P-saturated culture (1.6 pg/cell) and the P-limited culture (0.7 pg/cell), the N/P ratio in T. weissflogii did not show a trend with DIP availability and fluctuated slightly around 25. Our results suggest that cell division in T. weissflogii is not strictly size-gated but is probably regulated by a biochemical, and hence, an elemental stoichiometric ratio threshold, and that deviation of the cellular N/P ratio from the Redfield ratio is not a reliable indicator of algal nutrient stress.     

Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication: ��strategies�� for nutrient uptake and growth outside the Redfield comfort zone

While many harmful algal blooms have been associated with increasing eutrophication, not all species respond similarly and the increasing challenge, especially for resource managers, is to determine which blooms are related to eutrophication and to understand why particular species proliferate under specific nutrient conditions. The overall goal of this brief review is to describe why nutrient loads are not changing in stoichiometric proportion to the "Redfield ratio", and why this has important consequences for algal growth. Many types of harmful algae appear to be able to thrive, and/or increase their production of toxins, when nutrient loads are not in proportion classically identified as Redfield ratios. Here we also describe some of the physiological mechanisms of different species to take up nutrients and to thrive under conditions of nutrient imbalance.     

Effect of nitrogen to phosphorus ratios on cell proliferation in marine micro algae

The ratio of nitrogen/phosphorus (N/P) is known to affect cell proliferation of some marine micro algae. We evaluated the effect of N/P ratios on the proliferation and succession of phytoplankton using five marine micro algae species. We used two sources of nitrogen, NH4Cl (N1) and urea (N2), and a single source of phosphorous, NaH2PO4(P). The optimal N/P ratio that differed among the five species was affected by the source of nitrogen, being as follows (N1/P, N2/P in order): Thalassiosira sp. (30/1, 20/1),...     

Continuous determination of drying-path SWRC of fine-grained soils

Establishing the soil water retention curve, SWRC or the soil water characteristic curve, SWCC, is very useful for determination of unsaturated properties of soils. However, it has been observed that SWRC of a soil is not unique and depends on various factors such as the initial moisture content, density of soil, method of compaction, soil fabric and the path (drying or wetting) adopted for establishing it. In this context, many techniques and instruments have been employed by earlier researchers for determination of the SWRC of soils. However, these techniques entail weighing of the samples during prolonged testing, manually, and hence yield discrete data points. In this situation, AquaSorp® Isotherm Generator (manufactured by Decagon Devices Inc., USA) has been found to be quite useful for continuous determination of the drying-path SWRC of fine-grained soils. This device has been primarily employed for food products, powders and amorphous materials. Hence, demonstration of the utility and limitations of this device for SWRC determination of fine-grained soils becomes essential. With this in mind, extensive studies were conducted on commercially available soils (Kaolinite and Bentonite) by employing this device. In order to understand the influence of specimen specific parameters on the obtained SWRCs, the molding water content and thickness of the specimens were varied and the results have been evaluated critically. Details of the methodology adopted for these investigations, and the findings of the study are presented in this technical note. Based on a critical comparison of the results obtained from this device with those obtained from the dewpoint potentiameter, WP4®, the utility of this device for continuous determination of drying-path SWRC of the soils has also been demonstrated.     

再悬浮条件下沉积物内源磷迁移-转化机制研究进展

对沉积物再悬浮的驱动力及其耦合效应、再悬浮-内源磷迁移转化机制及主要影响因素进行了阐述,探讨了该领域未来可能的研究方向。相关研究发现,沉积物再悬浮的各种驱动力既可以单独作用也可相互耦合,其耦合效应具有显著的时空变异性;再悬浮使还原态沉积物暴露于有氧环境,沉积物中铁、锰的氧化以及沉积物颗粒的吸附促进了内源水溶态无机磷(SRP)的去除,而进入水体的内源有机磷则通过生物矿化和光化学分解转化为SRP;沉积物物化特征、水动力、水生生物以及水体理化性质等因素控制着再悬浮过程中内源磷的迁移和转化。指出再悬浮条件下沉积物内源磷迁移转化的多过程耦合效应、沉积物中磷形态的转化及其生物有效性、内源有机磷矿化与光化学分解机制及其调控因素将是本领域需要进一步研究的重点。     

Measurement of soluble reactive phosphorus concentration profiles and fluxes in river-bed sediments using DET gel probes

DET (diffusive equilibrium in thin films) gel probes were used for sampling river-bed sediment porewaters, to characterise in situ soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentration profiles and fluxes. DET probes were deployed in three contrasting rural streams: (1) a headwater ‘pristine’ stream, with minimal P inputs from low intensity grassland and no point sources, (2) an intensively cultivated arable catchment, and (3) a stream subject to high P loadings from sewage effluent and intensive arable farming. The DET results showed highly enriched porewater SRP concentrations of between ca. 400 and 5000 μg-P l⁻¹ in the sewage-impacted stream. In contrast, the arable and pristine streams had porewater SRP concentrations <70 μg-P l⁻¹ and <20 μg-P l⁻¹, respectively. Porewater SRP concentration profiles in both the sewage-impacted and arable-impacted streams showed well-defined vertical structure, indicating internal sources and sinks of SRP within the sediment. However, there was little variability in porewater SRP concentrations in the pristine stream. The DET porewater profiles indicated net diffusion of SRP (a) from the overlying river water into the surface sediment and (b) from subsurface sediment upwards towards the sediment–water interface. A mass balance for the sewage-impacted site showed that the influx of SRP into the surface sediments from the overlying river water was small (ca. 1% of the daily river SRP load). The DET results indicated that, in the arable and sewage-impacted streams, the surface ‘cap’ of fine sediment may play an important role in inhibiting upward movement of SRP from subsurface porewaters into the overlying river water, under steady-state, low-flow conditions.     

哑铃湾网箱养殖水体中氮磷结构特征

根据2002年4月-2003年1月对哑铃湾网箱养殖的调查数据,分析了养殖水体中不同形态N／P值的分布趋势、季节变化及哑铃湾网箱养殖水体中的限制性营养盐。结果表明：各形态N／P具有显著的季节变化,其分布趋势基本表现为网箱养殖区低于非养殖区,并且随着养殖年限的增加,这种现象更明显。总体上说,哑铃湾浮游植物生长主要受P的限制,但从无机态N／P来看,春、夏季以P为该海域浮游植物生长的控制因子：秋、冬季以N为该海湾浮游植物生长的控制因子。