隐花植物对UV-B辐射响应和适应机制的研究进展

 隐花植物是指不产生种子的植物,是我国干旱、半干旱地区主要表面特征——生物土壤结皮的组成成分,并在其中扮演着独特而重要的生态作用。隐花植物对环境因子变化的响应和适应能力大小对整个生态系统稳定性具有重要影响。因此,有关增强UV-B辐射对隐花植物影响的研究已成为目前UV-B辐射研究领域的发展趋势和热点之一。通过系统地综述国内外有关隐花植物对UV-B辐射响应和适应机制研究方面的进展,分析了研究趋势,讨论了目前该领域研究的一些不足并对未来发展提出了展望,以期促进隐花植物的研究,加深对我国干旱、半干旱区隐花植物在应对UV-B辐射增强的响应和适应机制的认识。     

碱度增加对蛋白核小球藻光合活性与胞外多糖的影响

本文研究了不同重碳酸盐(HCO3)碱度2.3mmol/L(ALK2.3)和12.4mmoFL(ALK12.4)条件对蛋白核小球藻光合活性、色素组成、丙二醛(MDA)含量与胞外多糖的影响.实验结果表明,碱度增加对蛋白核小球藻光合活性呈促进一抑制一促进效应,ALK2.3对光合活性影响的强度.高于ALK12.4.碱度增加提高叶绿素b/叶绿素a(Chl.b/Chl.a)的值,降低类胡萝卜素/叶绿素(Caro/TChl)的值,并且ALKl24条件下对藻细胞的作用程度强于ALK2.3.此外碱度增加刺激蛋白核小球藻胞外多糖分泌,ALK2.3在培养初期提高MDA含量,ALK12.4下细胞MDA含量显著降低.说明碱度增加会促进蛋白核小球藻光合活性,促进光合产物的积累与分泌.暗示胞外多糖的分泌可能是细胞适应高碱度的一种自我保护机制.     

The Black Band Disease of Atlantic Reef Corals.

Abstract. The cyanophyte (Cyanobaclerium) that causes black band disease of Atlantic reef corals is described under the name Phormidium corallyticum , new species (family Oscillatoriaceae) , and its generic placement is discussed from the standpoint of the GEITLERian (classical) and D rouet systems. Distinguishing characters include densely interwoven filaments that form a blackish mat and trichomes without significant cell wall constrictions, almost isodiametric cells (4.2 μm mean width, 4.0μm mean length) tapering end cells, and thin (0.1 μm or less) mucilaginous wall coating. Transmission electron microscopy shows typical cyanophyte cell walls, sheath, nucleoplasm, and cytoplasmic inclusions, but an unusual thylakoid of straight, and, as seen in cell cross section, radiating lamellae. The dark coloration is due to a high concentration of phycocyanin and some phycoerythrin. The species is similar to Oscillatoria (= Phormidium) submembranacea , which differs in several morphological features and does not infect coral tissue. It is concluded that Phormidium should be used for this and related species that have external mucilage but not the distinct sheath found in Lyngbya.     

Spatial variation of nutrients and primary productivity in the Rufiji Delta mangroves,Tanzania

Determinations of spatial and temporal variations in organic matter and nutrient dynamics in water and sediments are crucial for understanding changes in aquatic bodies. In this study, we (i) determine the spatial dynamics of dissolved inorganic nutrients, during the transition from the dry to the rainy season, and (ii) provide future productivity predictions for the Rufiji Delta mangroves, Tanzania, based on the input of various nutrients. Water samples were collected from six locations, three times per year between April 2012 and January 2014, and analysed for dissolved nutrients, total organic and inorganic carbon, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total carotenoids. The prediction of future net primary productivity in the Rufiji mangroves was undertaken using the software STELLA. The mean nutrient concentrations were of the order: nitrate > phosphate > ammonium > silica > dissolved organic carbon. The study revealed that high nutrient concentrations occurred in the northern part of the Rufiji Delta as a result of anthropogenic influence in the watershed. Modelling of nutrient inputs into the delta indicated enhanced primary productivity, which is expected to increase the vulnerability of water quality in the near future due to eutrophication.     

Assemblages of phytoplankton pigments along a shipping line through the North Atlantic and tropical Pacific

A set of phytoplankton pigment measurements collected on eight quarterly transects from France to New Caledonia is analyzed in order to identify the main assemblages of phytoplankton and to relate their occurrence to oceanic conditions. Pigment concentrations are first divided by the sum [monovinyl chlorophyll a plus divinyl chlorophyll a] to remove the effect of biomass, and second are normalized to give an equal weight to all pigments. The resulting 17 pigments × 799 observations matrix is then classified into 10 clusters using neural methodology. Eight out of these 10 clusters have a well marked regional or seasonal character, thus evidencing adapted responses of the phytoplankton communities. The main gradient opposes two clusters with high fucoxanthin and chlorophyll c₁₊₂ in the North Atlantic in January, April and July, to three clusters in the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre with high divinyl chlorophyll a, zeaxanthin and phycoerythrin. One of the clusters in the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre has relatively high zeaxanthin and phycoerythrin contents and dominates in November and February (austral summer), while another with relatively high divinyl chlorophylls a and b dominates in May and August (austral winter). The third one in the South Pacific is characterized by high carotene concentration and its occurrence peaks in February and May. In the equatorial current system, one cluster, rich in chlorophylls b and c₁₊₂, is strictly located in a narrow zone centred at the equator, while another with relatively high violaxanthin concentration is restricted to the high nutrient - low chlorophyll waters in only the southern part of the South Equatorial Current. One cluster with relatively high prasinoxanthin content has a spatial distribution spanning the entire South Equatorial Current. Two clusters have a ubiquitous distribution: one in the equatorial Pacific, the Carribbean Sea and the North Atlantic during summer has pigment concentrations close to the average of the entire dataset, and the other in the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre, the Carribbean Sea and the North Atlantic during autumn clearly has an oligotrophic character. Many of the differences between clusters are caused by diagnostic pigments of nano- or picoflagellates. While the space and time characteristics of the clusters are well marked and might correspond to differences in physical and chemical forcing, knowledge of the ecological requirements of these flagellates is generally lacking to explain how the variability of the environment triggers these clusters.     

Spatial variability of phytoplankton absorption coefficients and pigments off Baja California during November 2002

We have estimated the spatial variability of phytoplankton specific absorption coefficients (a* _ph ) in the water column of the California Current System during November 2002, taking into account the variability in pigment composition and phytoplankton community structure and size. Oligotrophic conditions (surface Chl < 0.2 mg m⁻³) dominated offshore, while mesotrophic conditions (surface Chl 0.2 to 2.0 mg m⁻³) where found inshore. The specific absorption coefficient at 440 [a* _ph (440)] ranged from 0.025–0.281 m²mg⁻¹ while at 675 nm [a* _ph (675)] it varied between 0.014 and 0.087 m²mg⁻¹. The implementation of a size index based on HPLC data showed the community structure was dominated by picoplankton. This would reduce the package effect in the variability of a* _ph (675). Normalized a _ph curves were classified in two groups according to their shape, separating all spectra with peaks between 440 and 550 nm as the second group. Most samples in the first group were from surface layers, while the second group were from the deep chlorophyll maximum or deeper. Accessory photoprotective pigments (APP) tended to decrease with depth and accessory photosynthetic pigments (APS) to increase, indicating the importance of photoprotective mechanisms in surface layers and adaptation to low light at depth. Samples with higher ratios of APP:APS (>0.4) were considered as phytoplankton adapted to high irradiances, and lower ratios (<0.26) as adapted to low irradiances. We found a good relationship between APP:APS and a* _ph (440) for the deeper layer (DCM and below), but no clear evidence of the factors causing the variability of a* _ph (440) in the upper layer.     

Effects of sediment mixing and benthic algal production on fossil pigment stratigraphies

Effects of sediment mixing and benthic algal production on fossil pigment profiles were quantified by fine-interval analysis of cores in a transect across the basin of Paul Lake, MI. Annually resolved profiles (1957–1986) of carotenoids and chlorophyll a from varved sediments at deepwater (15 m) sites were compared to fine-interval (2.5–3.5 mm) stratigraphies from sites with increasing sediment mixing and benthic algal production (4 m>7 m>9 m). The degree of sediment mixing was also modelled using running means of pigment concentrations in varved sediments and compared to disturbed profiles. Effects of sediment mixing included reduction of peak pigment concentrations, broadening of peaks and migration of maxima deeper into deposits. Sedimentary signal strength was defined as the ratio of peak concentrations to baseline levels. Short-lived or weak signals ( 1.5 x baseline) were resolved only in the least disturbed deposits, while strong signals (5 x baseline) withstood sediment homogenization to depths greater than 1 cm (>5 year accumulation). Comparison of core-wide mean pigment concentrations suggested that cores recovered from within the photic zone are influenced by benthic algal production and will not represent either historical or current ecological dynamics in the water column. We conclude that: moderate levels of mixing do not destroy fossil pigment profiles; disturbed stratigraphies can remain ecologically interpretable; and fine-interval analyses are warranted in lakes with undisturbed ¹³⁷Cs profiles and where sediment porosity <90%.     

Phototrophic activity and redox condition in Lake Hamana, Japan, indicated by sedimentary photosynthetic pigments and molybdenum over the last ∼250 years

We analyzed photosynthetic pigments, total organic carbon (TOC), biogenic silica, and Mo, a redox-sensitive element, in ²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment cores to reconstruct the historical changes in primary productivity and anoxia in the central basin of Lake Hamana, a brackish lake in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, over the last 250 years. The algal photosynthetic pigments we analyzed included chlorophyll a (and its derivatives), chlorophyll b (and its derivatives), and carotenoids such as -carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, diatoxanthin, fucoxanthin, alloxanthin, and -carotene. Marker pigments for phototrophic sulfur bacteria were also recorded, including okenone and bacteriopheophytin a, originating from Chromatium (a genus of purple sulfur bacteria), and isorenieratene and bacteriochlorophylls e ₁, e ₂ and e ₃ (and corresponding bacteriopheophytins) from brown Chlorobium (a brown-colored group of green sulfur bacteria). The occurrence of these pigments throughout the length of all cores indicates that the anoxia in Lake Hamana has existed over at least the last 250 years. The indicators related to primary productivity – TOC and pigments of aerobic and anaerobic phototrophs – and an indicator of anoxia, Mo, increased after 1860, indicating that productivity had increased in both the oxic and anoxic (sulfidic) zones. The depth profiles of the indicators in the sediment cores showed that among phototrophic sulfur bacteria, Chromatium preferentially increased relative to brown Chlorobium when the lake productivity was high, and hence high anoxia existed in the lake. This can be explained by a shallowing of the oxic/anoxic boundary zone due to changes in temporal and/or spatial extents of seasonal anoxia, which made the light intensity in the upper anoxic zone high enough for Chromatium to grow. The upper Chromatium layer may absorb the wavelengths of light that favor the growth of brown Chlorobium in the water column, resulting in a relative decrease in brown Chlorobium. During the 1950s, the trends among the indicators changed significantly. This change is attributed to the construction of training walls, built to direct tidal currents into the lake, on the Imagire-guchi Channel, the sole inlet of seawater to the lake, during 1954–1956, and the resultant increases of seawater intrusion and lake salinity. A decrease in okenone and bacteriopheophytin a, or in okenone/isorenieratene ratio, after 1960 accompanying a decrease in Mo, is attributed to a deepening of the anoxic zone, where the light intensity became too low for growth of Chromatium, more light-demanding than the brown Chlorobium. A decrease of zeaxanthin (cyanobacteria) after 1960 relative to lutein (green algae) and diatoxanthin (diatoms and dinoflagellates) indicated a change in algal assemblage, presumably due to the increased salinity. Principal component analysis with a data set of total algal carotenoids, okenone, isorenieratene, and Mo also suggested that a major change occurred around the 1950s.