Potential Use of Biomarkers in Zooplankton as Early Warning Signals of Ecotoxicological Risk in the Marine Food Chain

Abstract. Zooplankton is an essential component of the marine and brackish food chains. The ecotoxicological risk of zooplanktonic communities, estimated by the modern methodological approach of biomarkers, can be used as an early warning signal of ecosystem health. The aim of this project is to estimate the potential use of several biomarkers (esterases, mixed function oxidases, porphyrins) in zooplanktonic organisms. Studies were carried out with different zooplanktonic crustaceans: the copepods Acartia margalefi and Acartia latisetosa collected in Ganzirri Lake (Messina); the mysid Siriella clausi collected in Faro Lake (Messina); the mysids Diamysis bahirensis, Siriella armata and Mysidopsis gibbosa collected in Stagnone di Marsala (Palermo); the Antarctic euphausiids Euphausia crystallorophias and Euphausia superba; the am-phipod Streetsia challengeri and the euphausiid Meganycthiphanes norvegica collected after a shore-stranding along Messina's Ionian coast. Moreover, experiments were carried out with the benthic decapods Eriphia verrucosa and Pachygrapsus marmoratus from a rocky shore of Messina's Ionian coast. Acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) was determined in homogenates of whole organisms. The key result of this project concerns the different AChE activity basal values of different crustacean species. Particular attention should be paid to the difference in basal activity found between the Antarctic and the Mediterranean species.     

Distribution of n-alkan-2-ones in Qionghai Lake sediments,southwest China,and its potential for late Quaternary paleoclimate reconstruction

Studies on long-chain n-alkan-2-ones from lake sediments remain sparse. In this study, we present an n-alkan-2-one record from Qionghai Lake, southwest China, to assess the paleoclimate significance of variations in their compositions. A homologous series of n-alkan-2-ones ranging from C₂₁ to C₃₅ were identified, with maximum concentrations of the C₂₉ or C₃₁ chain lengths and a strong odd-over-even predominance. This type of n-alkan-2-one is considered to derive mainly from microbial oxidation of the corresponding n-alkanes, and partial inputs from plants. The n-alkan-2-one-derived average chain length (ACL) and carbon preference index (CPI) values changed significantly over the past 28k cal a bp , consistent with the sediment grain size and n-alkane proxies from the same core. Generally, the high CPI_27-33-ket and low ACL_27-33-ket values indicated cold and dry climates such as for the Last Glacial Maximum (23.2–19.7k cal a bp ), Heinrich 1 event (17.6–15.6k cal a bp ) and Younger Dryas (12.8–11.6k cal a bp ), but low CPI_27-33-ket and high ACL_27-33-ket values denoted a warm and humid Holocene Climatic Optimum (7.0–4.3k cal a bp ). Therefore, n-alkan-2-ones have great paleoclimatic potential and can be applied together with other biomarkers to reconstruct a reliable paleoclimate record in lake sediments.     

极端生物降解沥青中8,14- 开环藿烷系列及其地球化学意义

借助色谱- 质谱（GC- MS）和色谱- 质谱- 质谱（GC- MS- MS）分析,对黔南坳陷凯里残余油藏凯棠和洛棉剖面上储层沥青中的烃类组成进行了系统分析,以判断其所遭受生物降解作用的程度,探寻在极端降解原油中是否还存在原生生物标志物,为这类原油的油源研究开拓新的途径和方法。结果表明：凯棠剖面上的储层沥青中尽管仍可检测到较为完整的C19- 30三环萜烷和C27- 35藿烷系列,但C19- 29脱甲基三环萜烷系列和C26- 34 25- 降藿烷系列丰富而完整,甾烷系列中C21- 22低分子量甾烷和重排甾烷优势明显,这一系列特征表明这些沥青遭受了剧烈生物降解作用的改造。但三芳甾类仍保存完好,依据原油生物降解程度的评判标准,判断其生物降解级别介于8~9级之间。洛棉剖面上的储层沥青中藿烷系列基本消失殆尽,三环萜烷系列及其脱甲基产物和25- 降藿烷系列的分布因极端生物降解作用而发生显著变异,某些化合物如C23T、C24T、C23NTE和C28- 29NH成为优势成员;甾烷系列中C21- 22低分子量甾烷占绝对优势,三芳甾类完全消失,据此判断该剖面上沥青的生物降解级别已达到10级或更严重。由于这两个剖面上的沥青遭受了极端生物降解作用的改造,常用的甾、萜类生物标志物完全失去了实用价值。但是,在所分析的这些沥青中都检测到三个系列的C27- 35 8,14- 开环藿烷系列,它们与塔里木盆地塔中地区海相端元油中存在的同类标志物的分布特征相似。正常海相端元油和极端生物降解沥青中同时检测到这三个系列的8,14- 开环藿烷,这一事实表明这类生物标志物在成因上具有原生性,而与生物降解作用无关。此外,在极端生物降解作用沥青中的完好保存,表明它们具有极强的抗生物降解能力,因而它们在此类原油的油源研究中可能具有潜在的实用价值。     

Lipid biomarkers in suspended particles from a subtropical estuary: assessment of seasonal changes in sources and transport of organic matter

Temporal and spatial variations in the composition of particulate organic matter (POM) from Florida Bay, USA were examined. The predominance of short-chain homologues for n-alkanes, n-alcohols and n-fatty acids as well as relatively high abundance of C(27) and C(28) sterols suggested that an autochthonous/marine source of OM was dominant bay-wide. Several biomarker proxies such as P(aq) [(C(23)+C(25))/(C(23)+C(25)+C(29)+C(31)) n-alkanes], short/long chain n-alkanes, (C(29)+C(31)) n-alkanes and taraxerol indicated a spatial shift in OM sources, where terrestrial OM rapidly decreased while seagrass and microbial OM markedly increased along a northeastern to southwestern transect. Regarding seasonal variations, POM collected during the dry season was enriched in terrestrial constituents relative to the wet season, likely as a result of reduced primary productivity of planktonic species and seagrasses during the dry season. Principal component analysis (PCA) classified the sample set into sub-groups based on PC1 which seemed to be spatially controlled by OM origin (terrestrial-mangrove vs. marine-planktonic/seagrass). The PC2 seemed to be more seasonally controlled suggesting that hydrological fluctuations and seasonal primary productivity are the drivers controlling the POM composition in Florida Bay.     

LD湾海域JZ25-1地区原油地球化学特征及油源分析

LD湾JZ25-1地区沙河街组二段、三段原油,具有低硫、中高含蜡、凝析油～轻质油的特点。原油未受到生物降解作用的影响,正构烷烃有微弱奇偶优势。原油的甾萜烷特征表现出中等伽马蜡烷丰度、4-甲基甾烷含量高,甲藻甾烷丰富,规则甾烷C27、C28、C295α(H)、14α(H)、17α(H)指纹呈不对称的"V"型分布特点,甾烷异构化参数表明原油为成熟原油。原油主要来源于淡水～微咸水的还原环境,富沟鞭藻以水生生物为主混合型输入的有机相。JZ25-1地区沙河街组二段及三段,正常原油与LX凹陷沙三段有很好亲缘关系,其主要来源LX凹陷沙河街组三段烃源岩,也有少量来自沙河街组一段。沙河街组二段凝析油主要为LX凹陷沙河街组一段烃源岩产生的低熟凝析油,也有少量来源于LX凹陷沙河街组三段烃源岩。     

Organic biomarkers for tracing carbon cycling in the Gulf of Papua (Papua New Guinea)

Sediment traps were deployed in the Gulf of Papua in June–July 1997, to determine fluxes of organic matter and inorganic elements from the photic zone to deeper waters at the base of the continental slope and in the northern Coral Sea. Three stations, ranging from 900 to 1500 m depth, had “shallow” traps at 300 m below the water surface and “deep” traps set 100 m above the bottom. Infiltrex II water samplers collected particulate and dissolved organic matter from the Fly, Purari and Kikori rivers, and near-surface water from the shelf of the Gulf of Papua. Samples were analysed for molecular organic biomarkers to estimate the sources of organic carbon and its cycling processes.Dry weight fluxes from the shallow traps ranged from 115 to 181 mg m⁻² day⁻¹ and particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes ranged from 1.2 to 1.9 mM OC m⁻² d⁻¹ with molar organic carbon to particulate nitrogen ratios (C/N) ranging from 6.0 to 6.5. Fluxes in deep traps were likely influenced by both early diagenesis and entrapment of resuspended shelf sediments. Dry weight fluxes in deep traps ranged from 106 to 574 mg m⁻² day⁻¹ and POC fluxes ranged from 0.6 to 1.5 mM OC m⁻² d⁻¹, with C/N ratios ranging from 8.5 to 10.8. ¹³C/¹²C ratios were −20.2‰ to −21.7‰ in all trap samples, indicating that most of the settling POC was “marine-derived”. Shallow traps had δ¹⁵N values of 6.3‰ to 7.2‰ while the values in deep traps were 4.9–5.0‰, indicating the N-rich near-surface OC was less degraded than that in the deep traps. The biogenic lipids consisted of hydrocarbon, sterol and fatty acid biomarkers indicative of marine zooplankton, phytoplankton and bacteria. Sterol markers for diatoms and dinoflagellates were abundant in the water samples. Highly branched isoprenoid alkenes, usually attributable to diatoms, were also detected in both water and shallow traps. Traces of C₂₆–C₃₄ n-alcohols indicative of land–plant biomarkers, were found in river water samples and in the shallow sediment traps. A large unresolved complex mixture (UCM) of hydrocarbons, and a uniform distribution of n-alkanes, indicative of petroleum hydrocarbons, were also detected in the traps. Hopane and sterane biomarkers detected in the trap oil were characteristic of a marine carbonate source, and the aromatic hydrocarbon composition distinguished at least two different oil signatures.We concluded that mass and POC fluxes were similar to those reported for other continental shelves and marginal oceans in tropical and subtropical regions. There was a dramatic decrease in POC as particles sank, due to zooplankton repackaging and photochemical and bacterial decomposition. Carbon isotopic and biomarker patterns showed most of the POC in the sediment traps was marine-sourced with only traces of terrestrial input. There was a significant flux of petroleum, which may signal the existence of natural petroleum seeps in this region.     

塔河油田原油甾藿烷系列化合物地球化学再认识

生物标志化合物是油气油源、成熟度、运移等领域研究中的一项得力工具。运用生物标志物色谱质谱技术，对比研究了塔河油田各油区原油生物标志化合物中甾、藿烷系列化合物特征。研究表明，塔河油田为一由晚期成熟高、轻微改造的原油与早期成熟度低、遭受较强降解原油混合而成的复合油藏，该油藏各区原油C27—C29甾烷同系物以及C27—C29重排甾烷特征反映出该区不同成熟度原油来自同一母源，原油Ts/(Tm+Ts)、重排甾烷/规则甾烷和ββ/(ββ+αα) C29比值关系立体图指示出原油的充注方向，印证了“塔河地区的油气主要来自于南部的满加尔坳陷”这一论点。     

塔里木盆地晶包有机质的地球化学性质及其应用

塔里木盆地晶包有机质的地球化学性质及其应用范善发，周中毅，解启来，潘长春（中国科学院广州地球化学研究所．广州５１０６４０）关键词晶包有机质，塔里木盆地，二次生烃，生物标志物碳酸盐岩的可溶有机质主要为沥青Ａ和晶包有机质，前者是用溶剂抽提碳酸盐岩样品获得...     

Lower carboniferous coal deposition environments on Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Two coal-bearing units from the Lower Carboniferous succession in Central Spitsbergen, Svalbard, have been investigated using coal petrographic and geochemical techniques. The upper member consists mainly of algal cannels, dominated by Botryococcus-type algae. The coals from the lower member are a mixture of durite-type coals with sporinite and inertinite and coals containing prdominantly vitrinite. The Rock-Eval and pyrolysis-GC also show a clear distinction in the composition of the organic matter in the two coal-bearing units investigated. These results, together with detailed sedimentological analyses, are used to reconstruct the depositional environments for the two coal-bearing sequences.     

地面沉降规律预测新模式

文章讨论了地面沉降当前一般研究及其防治措施;提出了若干尚待深入研究的有关问题。概括了地面沉降区的几种重要沉积模式和沉降机理。以世界上记录到的最大的美国加州中部谷地和规模较小的中国浙江宁波市地面沉降为例,重点对其动态规律作了概要讨论;以其监测数据为背景,采用Verhulst氏生物模型原理和灰色控制系统理论分别对两者进行了控制预测及预测控制。结果表明,在一定控制条件下,可以预测出二者沉降寿命分别为140年和90年;若严格予以控制,宁波市可望免于沉没海水面之下。