Use of inhibitors for coastal bacteria and phytoplankton: Application to nitrogen uptake measurement

For several decades, prokaryotic and eukaryotic inhibitors have been used to exclude bacteria from microalgal cultures and for investigating prey-predator relationships. Recently there has been considerable interest in using specific inhibitors for studying the interactions between bacteria and phytoplankton, by selective repression of either organism’s activity. The effectiveness of chemical inhibitors must be tested before applying them to natural communities to partition metabolic activities between functional groups. Six different antibiotics selected from the most commonly reported in the literature were tested, at concentrations varying from 12.5 to 100 mg L⁻¹, for their effect on bacterial growth and functional diversity of natural communities from Mediterranean coastal waters. Penicillin and streptomycin each at a final concentration of 100 mg L⁻¹ significantly reduced bacterial growth within 2 h. There was a greater impact on bacterial functional diversity when both antibiotics were mixed together. This mixture did not have any significant effect on the growth of selected cultured phytoplankton strains, whereas the eukaryote inhibitor cycloheximide at 100 mg L⁻¹ reduced growth within 2 h of incubation. The penicillin–streptomycin mixture and cycloheximide alone successfully partitioned NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ uptake between bacteria and phytoplankton bi-weekly sampled in a coastal lagoon in Autumn, where bacterial contribution to total NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ uptake averaged 46 and 41%, respectively. The use of specific inhibitors may be a valuable method for studying interactions, such as competition and mutualism, or lack of interaction between the different components of microbial communities and could be used to study their relative importance in biogeochemical fluxes.     

Fish assemblages of small estuaries of the Portuguese coast: A functional approach

The importance of estuaries for coastal environments is widely acknowledged but their role, structure and ecological status have been the focus of recent scientific efforts mainly concerning large estuarine areas. In this work we used fish assemblages to establish, for the first time, the functional and ecological role of five small estuarine systems along the Portuguese south and southwest coasts. Our results showed that, at a functional approach, fish communities did not differ between estuaries, and that all systems presented a seasonal pattern in diversity values, ecological and feeding guilds. These small estuaries contribute to the support of coastal fish populations by providing temporary habitats to the critical life stages of marine species, shelter and feeding grounds, and should be considered in an ecological and conservation perspective.     

浙南海域腹泻性贝毒分析

在浙南海域共采集了10种贝类40份样品.运用高效液相色谱方法检测腹泻性贝毒,共检出 9份样品含有腹泻性贝毒.染毒样品检出的腹泻性贝毒(软海绵酸,OA)质量比为0.07～5.85 μg/g,共有7个样品含量超标,超标率为17.5%.无论是检出率还是超标率,都呈现夏季>春季>秋季的规律.浙南海域的南部腹泻性贝毒检出率和超标...     

2009年4月浙江近岸海域浮游植物的分布特征及与环境因子的关系

利用2009年4月在浙江近岸海域采集的47个浮游植物水样,对该海域浮游植物的类群组成及其空间分布特征进行了研究,并分析了其空间分布特征与环境因子的关系,结果表明:(1)共鉴定出浮游植物81种,隶属于4门32属,其中硅藻26属69种,甲藻4属10种,硅藻在种类数上占优势,中肋骨条藻Skeletonema costatum和具槽直链藻Melosira sulcata为优势种。(2)各水层浮游植物总细胞密度为(2~236.8)×102个/dm3,平均值为41.9×102个/dm3。平面分布上,表层和5 m层的浮游植物总细胞密度分布趋势较一致,即调查区域最南端出现高值区(>200×102个/dm3),沿岸向北则细胞密度值呈递减趋势。硅藻细胞密度为(1.2~236.4)×102个/dm3,平均值为40.88×102个/dm3,与浮游植物总细胞密度分布趋势基本一致。甲藻细胞密度为(0~13.6)×102个/dm3,平均值为0.94×102个/dm3。垂直分布上,浮游植物总细胞密度大小依次为30 m层(82.5×102个/dm3)>表层(35.3×102个/dm3)>10 m层(31.9×102个/dm3)>5 m层(31.8×102个/dm3)。断面分布上,浮游植物总细胞密度由大到小依次为D断面(83.1×102个/dm3)>C断面(36.5×102个/dm3)>B断面(30.9×102个/dm3)>A断面(16.3×102个/dm3)。(3)总体上,浮游植物生态分布与水温、营养盐均呈正相关关系。     

胶州湾水域有机农药HCH的分布及水质标准

根据1986年4、7和10月的胶州湾水域调查资料,通过对有机农药HCH在胶州湾水域的分布、来源和季节变化的分析,研究结果表明：HCH含量在整个胶州湾水域都非常低,在这1 a中都〈0.100μg/L,在胶州湾水域HCH含量都优于国家一类海水水质标准,水质在HCH含量方面更加清洁;水体中HCH的表层含量已经没有季节变化,这...     

温州近岸海域石油烃分布特征

根据2006—2009年温州近岸海域石油烃的调查结果,分析海域石油烃污染的分布特征,并采用单因子指数法对石油烃污染程度进行了评价。结果表明,调查海域海水中石油烃含量范围为ND~0.085 mg/L,平均含量为0.018 mg/L。除2008年和2009年各有1个测点超出一类海水标准限值(≤0.05 mg/L)外,其余测点石油烃含量均未超出一类标准限值。2009年沉积物石油烃平均含量为20.7×10-6,各测点均低于一类沉积物标准值,表明温州近岸海域还未明显受到石油烃污染。     

Mineral waters in Italy

The use of spring water as a drinking, therapeutic, and ornamental resource has historical origins that date back to the Romans. The most ancient regulations on mineral waters had been enacted in Italy long before the union (1870).     

Observations on the diagenetic behaviour of arsenic in a saline lake: Pyramid Lake,Nevada

We present, to our knowledge, the first dissolved arsenic (As) data from the pore waters of a closed-basin, saline lake, Pyramid Lake, USA. The As concentrations first decrease across the sediment-water interface to values below lake water concentrations and then rapidly increase to values as high as 5.85mol L^–1 at a depth of 15 cm. This maximum value is reached at the top of the sulfate reduction zone. The profile suggests that As is remobilized in the suboxic and anoxic zones of the sediments and is reprecipitated near the sediment-water interface under oxic conditions.     

Comparisons between the ichthyofaunas of a temperate lagoonal-like estuary and the embayment into which that estuary discharges

Leschenault Estuary consists of a large lagoonal-like water body, which opens into Koombana Bay through a short and deep entrance channel at its southern end. Since the only major tributary discharges into the estuary opposite the entrance channel, much of the freshwater discharge in the winter passes directly out to sea. Consequently, during the year of the present study, the mean monthly salinities in the main body of the estuary remained above 20 per mil. This presumably accounts for the fact that the ichthyofaunal composition in the shallows of the estuary did not undergo the type of marked changes that are exhibited in other south-western Australian estuaries, in which salinities often fall below 10 per mil in winter. Despite the maintenance of high salinities in Leschenault Estuary and a close proximity to Koombana Bay, the estuary contained a far greater density and markedly different species composition of fish than that found in that marine embayment. This difference reflected, in part, the high abundance in Leschenault Estuary of some species whose entire life cycle is confined to estuaries,e.g. the atherinidsAtherinosoma elongata andLeptatherina wallacei and the gobiesPseudogobius olorum andAfurcagobius suppositus, and the fact that the juveniles of several marine species,e.g. Hyperlophus vittatus, Sillaginodes punctata, Mugil cephalus andGymnapistes marmoratus were also largely or entirely restricted to the estuary. In contrast,Lesueurina platycephala, which was by far the most abundant species in Koombana Bay, was absent in the estuary. Furthermore, the relatively protected region of Koombana Bay contained a greater density and different composition of fish than the more exposed region of this embayment. This reflected the greater use that was made of the protected region as a nursery area by certain marine species,e.g. Aldrichetta forsten andSillago bassensis. Our data, when taken in conjunction with those collected on the fish fauna in other south-western Australian estuaries, demonstrate that, within this geographical region, some fish species are specifically adapted to the estuarine environment, and that certain marine species apparently have a strong preference for using the highly protected and productive waters of this type of environment as a nursery area.