The role of water mass dynamics in controlling bacterial abundance and production in the middle Adriatic Sea

Month-to-month fluctuations in the abundance of bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and bacterial production, as well as various chemical (nutrients, oxygen) and physical (salinity, temperature) parameters were analysed at a station located in the open middle Adriatic Sea during one decade (1997-2006). Being influenced by both coastal waters and open Adriatic circulation in the surface layer, and by the deep Adriatic water masses in the deep layers (100 m), this station is quite suitable for detecting the environmental changes occurring in the open Adriatic Sea with respect to the circulation of its water masses and their long-term changes and anomalies. Multivariate methods were used to identify seasonal and inter-annual changes of the investigated parameters, associating observed changes to the changes in Adriatic water masses and circulation regimes. The analyses showed that bacterial abundance and production were controlled by different water mass dynamics during 1997-2001 compared to 2002-2006 period, particularly noticeable in different seasonal patterns of biological parameters. The interplay between North Adriatic Dense Water (NAdDW) and Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) resulted in a change in the available nutrients (NAdDW is poor in orthophosphates), and as a consequence different bacterial abundance and production. A few periods were examined in detail, such as 2004, when LIW inflow was particularly strong and was accompanied by an increase of bacterial and HNF abundances, as well as of bacterial production.     

楚科奇海和加拿大海盆表层沉积物中好气异养细菌的地理分布

本文用MPN法测定楚科奇海和加拿大海盆表层沉积物中好气异养细菌(GAB)的含量,并对其地理学分布进行分析。结果表明,研究区GAB的检出率高达100%。4℃时GAB的含量范围、平均含量为4.00×102-2.40×106个.g-1、1.71×106个.g-1。25℃时GAB的含量范围、平均含量为2.40×105-2.40×107个.g-1、1.10×107个.g-1。无论是含量范围,还是平均含量,均是25℃时的培养结果大于4℃时的培养结果。GAB含量的地理分布趋势是随纬度增高,含量呈降低趋势。在经度变化上则为由东向西,含量呈降低趋势。对沉积物所处水深的分析,表明其在4℃培养得出来的GAB含量随水深增加有下降的趋势,25℃培养出来的GAB含量受环境影响较小,与水深变化关系不明显。     

Bacterial contribution to sedimentary organic matter; a comparative study of lipid moieties in bacteria and Recent sediments

A systematic study of the lipid composition of thirteen bacterial species and three Recent sediments (methanogenic sediment, cyanobacterial mat and evaporative gypsum crust) was undertaken in an attempt to recognize bacterial organic matter in sediments. A sequential method, which distinguishes between three different modes of occurrence of lipid moieties (free, OH⁻- and H⁺-labile), was applied. The acid-labile fractions are discussed.The three main groups of bacteria, archaebacteria, gram-positive eubacteria and gram-negative eubacteria, are easily distinguished. Methanogenic and extremely halophilic archaebacteria are characterized by the presence of diphytanyl glyceryl ether and the absence of fatty acids. The gram-positive eubacteria contain primarily iso- and anteiso-branched fatty acids whereas the gram-negative bacteria and sediments are dominated by β- and α-hydroxy fatty acids. A wide variety of H⁺-labile hydroxy fatty acids was observed which included several, as yet unknown, structures.β-Hydroxy fatty acids in this H⁺-labile mode of occurrence are exclusively present in bacteria. Their distribution patterns in sediments are considered “fingerprints” of past and present bacterial populations. The specific differences in β -hydroxy fatty acid compositions observed in the different bacteria and the three sediments investigated, suggest that amide-linked β-hydroxy fatty acid patterns are useful as markers of bacterial populations and therefore of environmental conditions.     

Dissolution of well and poorly ordered kaolinites by an aerobic bacterium

Previous research by our group (e.g., [Chem. Geol. 132 (1996) 25; Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 64 (2000) 1363]) has shown that an aerobic Pseudomonas mendocina bacterium enhances Fe(hydr)oxide dissolution in order to obtain Fe under Fe-limited conditions. The P. mendocina is incapable of utilizing Fe as a terminal electron acceptor and requires several orders of magnitude lower Fe concentrations than do dissimilatory Fe reducing bacteria. The research reported here compared the effects of the P. mendocina on dissolution of well and poorly ordered Clay Minerals Society Source Clay kaolinites KGa-1b and KGa-2, respectively, under Fe-limited conditions. KGa-1b and KGa-2 contain 0.04 and 0.94 bulk wt.% Fe, respectively, and their surface Fe/Si atomic RATIOS=0.008 and 0.012. Following strong cleaning of the kaolinites in 5.8 M HCl at 85 °C, the surface Fe/Si atomic ratios decreased to 0.004 and 0.008, respectively. Both kaolinites also developed a Si-enriched surface precipitate upon strong cleaning.

Because the P. mendocina take up Fe, we could not measure Fe release from the kaolinite directly, but rather had to monitor it indirectly by comparing microbial populations sizes under Fe-limited growth conditions. We found that microbial growth on uncleaned, weakly cleaned, and strongly cleaned kaolinites increased with the amount of Fe readily available to organic ligands as estimated by dissolution in 0.001 M oxalate (pH 3). This suggests that it is the amount of readily accessible Fe that controls Fe acquisition and hence microbial growth. The trend is based on only a relatively small range of kaolinite Fe contents, and the research thus needs to be expanded to include kaolinites with a broader range of bulk and surface Fe concentrations.

Significant enhancement of Al release was observed in the presence of the bacteria, along with generally some enhancement of Si release. This enhancement of kaolinite dissolution could be related to an observed pH increase from 7–8 to 9 in the presence of the bacteria and/or to production of Al chelating agents. The P. mendocina produce a variety of organic exudates, including siderophores [Chem. Geol. 132 (1996) 25; Geomicrobiology (2001b)], and further studies into the effects of the siderophores on Al complexation and on kaolinite dissolution are ongoing.     

Cold seep deposits of Beauvoisin (Oxfordian; southeastern France) and Marmorito (Miocene; northern Italy): microbially induced authigenic carbonates

The relation of two well-known ancient carbonate deposits to hydrocarbon seepage was confirmed by this study. Archaea are found to be associated with the formation of Oxfordian seep carbonates from Beauvoisin and with a Miocene limestone from Marmorito ("tube-worm limestone"). Carbonates formed due to a mediation by archaea exhibit extremely positive or extremely negative δ¹³C_carbonate values, respectively. Highly positive values (+15‰) reflect the use of ¹³C-enriched CO₂ produced by methanogenesis. Low δ¹³C values of the Marmorito carbonates (–30‰) indicate the oxidation of seepage-derived hydrocarbons. Likewise, the δ¹³C content of specific tail-to-tail linked isoprenoids, biomarkers for archaea, was found to be strikingly depleted in these samples (as low as –115‰). The isotopic signatures corroborate that archaea were involved in the cycling of seepage-derived organic carbon at the ancient localities. Another Miocene limestone ("Marmorito limestone") shows a strong imprint of methanotrophic bacteria as indicated by δ¹³C values of carbonate as low as –40‰ and biomarker evidence. Epifluorescence microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that bacterial biofilms were involved in carbonate aggregation. In addition to lucinid bivalves previously reported from both localities, we infer that sponges from Beauvoisin and tube worms from Marmorito depended on chemosynthesis as well. Low δ¹³C values of nodules related to sponge taphonomy (–27‰) indicate that sponges might have been linked to an enhanced hydrocarbon oxidation. Tube worm fossils from Marmorito closely resemble chemosynthetic pogonophoran tube worms from Recent cold seeps and are embedded in isotopically light carbonate (δ¹³C –30‰). Received: 13 October 1998 / Accepted: 5 February 1999     

石斑鱼烂尾病的病理组织学观察

对点带石斑鱼【Epinethelus malabaricus(Block et Schreider)】烂尾病进行了病理组织学观察。结果表明:烂尾病的病因是病原菌侵袭病鱼,而产生一系列的炎症反应,在病原菌的影响下,病鱼的尾柄部鳞片松脱,皮肤裸露、溃烂,最后鳍条脱落,鳃、肝脏、肾脏、心脏、肠等器官均有不同程度的病变。还对烂尾病产生的原因和病变过程进行了探讨,并提出控制烂尾病发生的一些途径。     

泥蚶(Tegillarca granosa)血红蛋白基因(Tg-HbIIA)克隆、分析及免疫表达研究

通过已构建的泥蚶血液cDNA文库,克隆得到泥蚶Tg-HbIIA基因全长cDNA序列,对其进行生物信息学、组织表达及免疫相关分析。结果表明,泥蚶Tg-HbIIA cDNA全长731bp,包含63bp5′非编码区(5′-UTR),246bp3′非编码区(3′-UTR),开放阅读框450bp,编码150个氨基酸;其氨基酸序列与毛蚶(Scapharca kagoshimensis)和不等壳毛蚶(Scapharca inaequivalvis)的序列有较高的同源性,分别达到89%和88%;对其结构预测显示该蛋白具有血红蛋白功能域,含有10个潜在血红素结合位点。qRT-PCR检测结果显示:泥蚶不同组织部位中,Tg-HbIIA mRNA在血液表达量最大,其次为外套膜和鳃,表达量最低的是肝胰脏;在副溶血弧菌(Vibrio parahaemolyticu)、脂多糖、肽聚糖刺激后,泥蚶血液Tg-HbIIA mRNA表达量显著上调,表明Tg-HbIIA在贝类抗菌免疫防御中可能起重要作用,而Tg-HbIIA对不同致病因子免疫反应的灵敏度和表达时序存在一定差异。     

Trophic interactions of the pelagic ciliate Stentor spp. in North Patagonian lakes

The zooplankton of oligotrophic lakes in North Patagonia is often dominated by mixotrophic ciliates, particularly Stentor amethystinus and Stentor araucanus. Therefore, we tested whether Stentor spp. (i) is an important food for juvenile endemic (Cheirodon australe, Galaxias maculatus, Odontesthes mauleanum, Percichthys trucha) and introduced (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fish species, and (ii) represents a remarkable grazer of bacteria. Ingestion rates of fish estimated by disappearance of Stentor in feeding experiments ranged between 8 (G. maculatus) and 53 (C. australe) ciliates per fish and day, and assimilation rates measured by using radioactively labelled Stentor ranged between 3 (P. trucha) and 52 (C. australe) ciliates per fish and day. However, although we detected the consumption of Stentor by fish, the daily consumption amounted to at most 0.2% of the fish biomass which can not cover the energy requirement of the fish. Furthermore, the daily consumption was equivalent to a maximum of 1.6% of the Stentor standing stock so that fish predation does not seem to be an important mortality factor for the ciliates. The clearance rate of Stentor sp. on natural bacteria was on average 3.8 μl cil⁻¹ h⁻¹. The daily ingestion (mean 3.9 ng C cil⁻¹ d⁻¹) was about 3.5% of the individual biomass of Stentor sp. Therefore, bacteria ingestion might explain a ciliate growth rate of appr. 1% d⁻¹, which was about 17% of the photosynthesis of endosymbiotic algae. The maximum density of Stentor sp. in the lake could ingest about 1 μg C L⁻¹ d⁻¹ bacteria which is only 3% of average bacterial production. Thus, grazing by Stentor sp. does not seem to be a main loss factor for the bacteria.     

Phytoplankton response to short-term temperature and nutrient changes

Meteorological extreme events (heavy rainfall, heat waves) may lead to fast changes in nutrient load and water temperature in temperate lakes. We conducted laboratory experiments with an artificial phytoplankton community to mimic a rapid temperature increase (from 21 °C to 29 °C) at low nutrient levels (‘heat wave scenario’), respectively temperature decrease (from 21 °C to 16 °C) and increased nutrient load (‘heavy rainfall scenario’). We hypothesised that there is a taxon specific nutrient x temperature interaction, leading to significant shifts in the phytoplankton community composition when both variables change. To separate the temperature effect from the nutrient effect, we performed another experimental series at a reduced temperature but without addition of nutrients. As expected, the nutrient effect was overall more important than temperature and significantly affected all five taxa tested that represented different algal classes. However, temperature also played an important role for community composition, because the cryptophyte Cryptomonas sp. and the dinoflagellate Peridinium sp. reached significantly higher biovolumes at lower temperatures. The nutrient x temperature interaction was significant in the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus. These findings suggest that our experimental results cannot be interpreted primarily by species competition for nutrients. Heterotrophic bacteria were present in all experiments. Bacterial biomass was significantly positively related to temperature and nutrients. However, relative to phytoplankton biovolume, bacterial biovolume decreased under nutrient replete conditions. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that short-term environmental change may significantly affect both the phytoplankton community (in terms of species dominance and total biomass) and the ratio between autotrophs and heterotrophs in temperate lakes.     

海带育苗水系微生物的监测与控制

现场及实验室试验表明,近岸水中细菌丰度因时因地有较大差别,近岸水在潮周期中以高潮前后细菌量较低;海水在沉淀贮存过程中细菌丰度有明显变化,且与海水中营养物含量、贮存温度等有关;海水经沙滤后能减少细菌90％左右;回水中脱落苗进入贮水池,是贮水池中细菌数量增长10余倍的主要原因。