Protein carbonyls and antioxidant defenses in corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops) from a heavy metal polluted and a PAH polluted site

The use of fish in environmental monitoring has become increasingly important in recent years as anthropogenic substances, many of which function as prooxidants, are accumulating in aquatic environments. We have measured a battery of antioxidant defenses as a measure of oxidative status, as well as protein carbonylation as a measure of oxidative damage, in corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops) captured near a disused copper mine, where water and sediment are contaminated with heavy metals, and an aluminum smelter, a site contaminated with PAHs. Results were compared to two different reference sites. Fish at the heavy metal site had lower glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and elevated protein carbonyls (1.8 times) compared to fish from the reference site. At the PAH site, EROD was increased 2-fold, while total glutathione and methemoglobin reductase concentration, were decreased. No differences were seen in protein carbonyl levels at the PAH site. Measures of both antioxidant defenses and oxidative damage should be used when assessing effects of xenobiotics on oxidative stress in fish species.     

用火焰原子吸收法作地球化学微量元素分析的逐步溶剂萃取改进方案

原子吸收光谱法(AAS)目前已广泛应用于地球化学分布和地球化学勘查研究中的元素测定。在地质样品分析中,AAS法之所以被普遍采用,在很大程度上是由于易于购得合适的商品仪器,这些仪器具有操作简单、可靠和高效的特点。方法对许多有地质意义的元素可达到10^-6克(ppm)的检出灵敏度。     

The use of meiofauna as an indicator of benthic organic enrichment associated with salmonid aquaculture

Sediment chemistry and meiofaunal samples were collected in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, to examine the relationship between sediment variables and meiofauna diversity across near- and far-field gradients surrounding several finfish aquaculture operations. The sediment variables examined consisted of free sulfide concentrations, redox potential (E(NHE)), organic content, and sediment grain size. A strong trend between sediment texture and organic content was observed across all sampling locations, which reflected a wide range of sediment types (sand-silt) that exist within the Broughton Archipelago. The abundance of certain meiofaunal groups (kinorhynchs, crustaceans, polychaetes) declined in an asymptotic fashion with increasing free sulfide concentrations, an indicator of benthic organic enrichment. Within these relationships, low meiofaunal abundances occurred in fine sediments associated with higher organic contents. Although other groups (nematodes, foraminifera) showed a slight decline in abundance with increasing organic enrichment, a high amount of variability in abundance was observed at high free sulfide concentrations, rendering these groups not suitable as indicators of organic enrichment. This study reports both horizontal and vertical trends in meiofaunal distributions relative to free sulfide concentrations. The abundance of nematode and crustacean taxa decreased with sediment depth as well as increasing sulfide concentration, while polycheate abundance increased with increasing free sulfide concentration. The ratio of nematodes to copepods was also shown to represent the degree of organic loading associated with aquaculture operations and its application as an indicator of benthic impact is discussed.     

用离子选择电极测定岩石和土壤中的碘

用碘离子选择电极可以快速而十分准确地测定岩石和土壤中的碘(作为碘化物)。当取一克样品时,测出的浓度可小至0.5ppm,其精密度约为25%相对标准偏差。当溴的浓度大于5ppm时,可用同样方法测定溴。本方法值得进一步研究,作为化探的一个工具。     

Distinguishing between natural and aquaculture-derived sediment concentrations of heavy metals in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia

Marine sediment samples were collected in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, to assess the use of a geochemical normalization technique in the identification of a chemical tracer of aquaculture waste material. Zinc and copper were suggested as tracers of feed pellets, while copper was considered an indicator of anti-foulant agents used on netpen systems. The sediment samples were analyzed for carbon, nitrogen, organic matter, water, trace-element, and free sulfide concentrations, and sediment grain-size distribution. Sediment texture analysis revealed a wide range of substrate types from sand to silty loam categories. Strong relationships between sediment texture, sediment porosity, and organic content were observed across both near-field and far-field stations. Excess zinc and copper sediment concentrations, identified using a lithium-normalization technique, were restricted to near-field sampling stations (0 and 30m from netpen systems). The relationships between these metal tracers and organic content and sulfur concentrations were explored to account for variations in sediment concentrations of zinc and copper.