Macroparasites of angelfish Brama brama (Bonnaterre, 1788) in the southern Benguela Current ecosystem

The angelfish Brama brama is a mesopelagic species distributed circumglobally in temperate to warm-temperate waters, including continental-shelf-edge and upper-slope waters of the Benguela Current ecosystem. Little is known about the parasite assemblage of Benguela B. brama, with only three parasite taxa having previously been documented from this species in the southern Benguela. This study describes the macroparasites recorded from 35 B. brama collected during research surveys off the west coast of South Africa in 2015 and 2016. A total of six macroparasite taxa were documented, including the nematode Anisakis pegreffii, the copepod Hatschekia conifera, the cestode Hepatoxylon trichiuri, an acanthocephalan from the genus Rhadinorhynchus, a monogenean from the family Diclidophoridae, and an unidentified species. Three of these (He. trichiuri, Rhadinorhynchus sp. and the unidentified species) had not previously been found to infect B. brama. The most prevalent macroparasite taxa were A. pegreffii (94%), the unidentified species (71%) and Ha. conifera (60%). Two of the parasites, Ha. conifera and He. trichiuri, showed seasonal variation in infection, and infection with the latter was positively correlated with host length. These findings increase our knowledge of B. brama biology and contribute to our understanding of the biodiversity of the southern Benguela ecosystem.     

Diet and gill morphology of the East Coast redeye round herring Etrumeus wongratanai off KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa

Stomach content analyses and measurements of gillraker morphology were used to assess the diet and feeding ecology of the East Coast redeye round herring Etrumeus wongratanai and provide data for comparisons with other small pelagic fishes off South Africa. Samples were collected by jigging from a kayak off Scottburgh, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), over the period July 2013–May 2014. In total, 66 stomachs (containing 4 407 prey items) and 66 gill arches were examined. Stomach content analyses indicated that East Coast redeye round herring, at the time of sampling, fed on large (1 500–2 500?µm) particles, with ～2 500?µm particles making the greatest contribution to dietary carbon. The species feeds on larger particles than do anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus and sardine Sardinops sagax, but on particles of a similar size to those consumed by West Coast redeye round herring Etrumeus whiteheadi. There were significant differences in mean gillraker gaps between East Coast redeye round herring and both sardine and anchovy, but not between East Coast and West Coast redeye round herring. The differences in gillraker gaps between East Coast redeye round herring, sardine and anchovy are indicative of resource partitioning through differential feeding, based on zooplankton size. The data suggest that there is no resource partitioning between East and West coast redeye round herring, indicating that competition is likely to occur between them. However, such competition is minimised by limited spatial overlap between these two species.     

Mass-independent isotope effects in Archean (2.5 to 3.8 Ga) sedimentary sulfides determined by ion microprobe analysis

We report sulfur isotope anomalies with Δ³³S, the deviation from a mass-dependent fractionation line for the three-isotope system (³⁴S/³²S vs. ³³S/³²S), ranging up to ±2‰ within individual Archean sedimentary sulfides from a variety of localities. Our measurements, which are made in situ by multicollector secondary ion mass spectrometry, unequivocally corroborate prior bulk measurements of mass-independent fractionations (MIF) in sulfur and provide additional evidence for an anoxic atmosphere on the Earth before ∼2 Ga. This technique also offers new opportunities for exploring ancient sulfur metabolisms preserved in the rock record. The presence of MIF sulfur in sulfides from a >3.8-Ga Fe-rich quartzite from Akilia (island), West Greenland, is consistent with a marine sedimentary origin for this rock.     

Multiple sulfur isotopes of sulfides from sediments in the aftermath of Paleoproterozoic glaciations

Geochemical evidence reported from Paleoproterozoic sediments has long been used to evaluate the transition from the anoxic Archean atmosphere to an oxygenated atmosphere. Sulfur isotopes (³²S, ³³S, ³⁴S and ³⁶S) in sedimentary sulfides and sulfates are an especially sensitive means to monitor this transition, such that the timing of the Paleoproterozoic “Great Oxidation Event” can be investigated using mass-independently fractionated (MIF) sulfur isotope systematics expressed as Δ³³S. Here we report data from 83 individual analyses of pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite on a new suite of 30 different samples from Finland, South Africa, Wyoming and Ontario that span ∼600 My and follow one or several “Snowball Earth” events in the Paleoproterozoic. The samples were measured using a high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry technique in multicollection mode that investigates multiple sulfur isotopes in microdomains (<30 μm) within individual sulfide grains while preserving petrographic context. We focused on sediments deposited in the aftermath of the Paleoproterozoic glaciations (between 1.9 and 2.2 Ga) to trace fluctuations in atmospheric O₂ concentrations that were likely affected by an interplay of O₂ sinks in the atmosphere and the upper ocean and continental crust, and by the emergence and diversification of aerobic organisms. Our results demonstrate that MIF sulfur isotopes are absent in sediments deposited after the period of protracted global cooling in the Paleoproterozoic and independently confirm observations that MIF ceased during this time. We interpret our results by integrating Δ³³S and δ³⁴S data in sulfides, δ¹³C data in carbonates and the estimated timing of glaciation events in the Paleoproterozoic. Data strongly hint at the presence of microbial sulfate reduction and fluctuations in the concentration of dissolved seawater sulfate and/or in δ³⁴S_sulfate in the aftermath of glaciations and likely were affected by changing erosion rates and nutrient delivery to the oceans. These changes modulated the population of primary producers, especially oxygenic photosynthesizers, and led to fluctuations in the abundance of atmospheric O₂, CO₂ and CH₄. Our results support the interpretation that the world-wide δ¹³C_carb excursion observed between ∼2.25 and 2.05 Ga (Karhu and Holland, 1996) was a period of significant accumulation of O₂ in the atmosphere.     

再论花岗岩按照Sr-Yb的分类:标志

2006年作者曾经按照Sr=400×10~(-6)和Yb=2×10~(-6)作为标志将花岗岩分为埃达克岩、喜马拉雅型花岗岩、浙闽型花岗岩和广西型花岗岩,在浙闽型中又分出南岭型(Sr100×10~(-6)和Yb2×10~(-6)),于是花岗岩被分为5类。Sr=400×10~(-6)和Yb=2×10~(-6)是根据阿留申群岛中的Adak岛的资料得出来的。本文统计了全球花岗岩6000多个数据(其中,埃达克型花岗岩为2810个,喜马拉雅型花岗岩636个,浙闽型花岗岩1183个,南岭型花岗岩1518个,广西型花岗岩142个,总共6289个),统计的结果,各类花岗岩的地球化学特征大致如下:(1)埃达克型花岗岩富Al_2O_3和Sr,贫Y和Yb,具较高和变化的铕异常,绝大多数样品的Sr300×10~(-6),Yb2.5×10~(-6)(当Sr=400×10~(-6)～600×10~(-6)时Yb值最大,Sr超过600×10~(-6),Yb降低至2×10~(-6)),Al_2O_3在14%～18%之间,Eu/Eu~*大多在0.6～1.2范围;(2)喜马拉雅型花岗岩贫Sr和Yb,具中等的Al_2O_3和变化的Eu/Eu~*,Sr300×10~(-6)和Yb2×10~(-6)(少数Sr300×10~(-6)),Al_2O_3为13%～17%,Eu/Eu~*为0.2～1.0;(3)浙闽型花岗岩贫Sr富Yb,Sr在40×10~(-6)～400×10~(-6)之间,Yb1.5×10~(-6),Al_2O_3和Eu/Eu~*的变化类似喜马拉雅型花岗岩,Al_2O_3为12%～17%,Eu/Eu~*为0.4～1.0;(4)南岭型花岗岩以很低的Sr、Al_2O_3和Eu/Eu~*以及很高的Yb而不同于上述各类花岗岩,通常Yb1.5×10~(-6),Sr100×10~(-6)(Yb变化大,绝大多数2×10~(-6);当Yb在2×10~(-6)～8×10~(-6)时,部分样品Sr可100×10~(-6),但很少200×10~(-6));Al_2O_314%,集中在11%～13%之间,Eu/Eu~*0.7,大多0.4;Yb越大,Sr越低,负铕异常越明显。文中讨论了花岗岩Sr-Yb分类的意义,指出本分类适用于产于大陆和海洋的绝大多数中酸性岩浆岩(可能不适用于一部分特别富铁和钾的花岗岩,如具有高Sr和Yb特征的广西型花岗岩)。不同类型的花岗岩主要反映了源区压力的不同,而源区成分、温度、部分熔融程度、水和挥发分的加入以及岩浆混合等的影响可能是次要的。文中指出,该分类的依据、其实质,是熔体与残留相平衡的理论。与浙闽型花岗岩平衡的残留相是斜长石,与喜马拉雅型花岗岩平衡的是斜长石+石榴石,与埃达克型花岗岩平衡的是石榴石,与南岭型花岗岩平衡的是富钙的斜长石。文中指出,加强实验岩石学研究,将年代学和地球化学研究密切结合起来是深化花岗岩研究的关键。     

Assessment of USGS BCR-2 as a Reference Material for Silicate Rock U-Pa Disequilibrium Measurements

The accuracy of ²³¹Pa-²³⁵U measurements can be readily assessed using a secular equilibrium reference material (RM), but a secular equilibrium RM is also required to calibrate the ²³³Pa spike used in ²³¹Pa determinations. The only silicate RM commonly accepted to be in secular equilibrium is Table Mountain Latite (TML) and so an additional reference is required. Our measurements on the widely available USGS BCR-2 (Basalt Columbia River) rock powder yielded (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) = 0.997 ± 0.013 2s (n = 10), indicating its value as a secondary reference to test the fidelity of U-Pa determinations. Such a reference material additionally provides a useful check on data reduction, which our literature survey highlights can lead to discrepancies of up to 53% between reported (²³¹Pa/²³⁵U) activity ratios and corresponding U and Pa concentration data.     

High‐Precision Mass‐Dependent Molybdenum Isotope Variations in Magmatic Rocks Determined by Double‐Spike MC‐ICP‐MS

Small mass‐dependent variations of molybdenum isotope ratios in oceanic and island arc rocks are expected as a result of recycling altered oceanic crust and sediments into the mantle at convergent plate margins over geological timescales. However, the determination of molybdenum isotope data precise and accurate enough to identify these subtle isotopic differences remains challenging. Large sample sizes – in excess of 200 mg – need to be chemically processed to isolate enough molybdenum in order to allow sufficiently high‐precision isotope analyses using double‐spike MC‐ICP‐MS techniques. Established methods are either unable to process such large amounts of silicate material or require several distinct chemical processing steps, making the analyses very time‐consuming. Here, we present a new and efficient single‐pass chromatographic exchange technique for the chemical isolation of molybdenum from silicate and metal matrices. To test our new method, we analysed USGS reference materials BHVO‐2 and BIR‐1. Our new data are consistent with those derived from more involved and time‐consuming methods for these two reference materials previously published. We also provide the first molybdenum isotope data for USGS reference materials AGV‐2, the GSJ reference material JB‐2 as well as metal NIST SRM 361.     

Testing for the occurrence of pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) in South African sardine Sardinops sagax

Catches of South African sardine Sardinops sagax have declined in recent years from about 200 000 t harvested annually during the period 2002–2006 to less than 100 000 t. Consequently, some companies are now importing sardine from sources elsewhere in the world to meet local demand for canned sardine and bait. This importation has the potential for the introduction of sardine pathogens, in particular the pilchard herpesvirus (PHV), which could have a negative impact on the currently small South African sardine population. The aims of the current study were to determine whether PHV is present in the local sardine population and to assess the extent to which sardine is being imported into the country and whether imported fish are from countries where the virus is known to be endemic. Fish sampled from South Africa’s western (n = 150), southern (n = 182) and eastern (n = 96) putative stocks of S. sagax were analysed for the presence of PHV using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The origin and amount of potentially infected material imported into South Africa during the period 2010–2014 was also assessed. None of the South African sardine collected during this study tested positive for PHV, suggesting that active PHV was not prevalent in the local population of S. sagax at the time of this study. Between 56 000 and 71 000 t of frozen sardine was imported annually into South Africa from countries where S. sagax occurs, including some from areas (Australia and New Zealand) where sardine infection by PHV is known to be endemic. Hence, it is plausible that the PHV pathogen, capable of perpetuating infections in local sardine populations, could be imported into South Africa along with the importation of frozen sardine. Should local sardine be naïve to the virus, as suggested by this study, then the population is at risk of infection and precautions against such must be taken.     

A comparison of genetic structure in two low-dispersal crabs from the Wild Coast,South Africa

The Wild Coast in south-eastern South Africa is strongly influenced by the warm, southward-flowing Agulhas Current. This current has a significant impact on dispersal in the coastal biota of the region, and facilitates high levels of connectivity among populations. However, it is not known how the region's high-velocity hydrology affects genetic population structure in endemic estuarine species, populations of which are frequently isolated from the sea. Here, we compared genetic structure in two estuarine crabs of the family Hymenosomatidae. Both are presumed to have low dispersal potential, but they differ in terms of their life histories. Hymenosoma longicrure has abbreviated larval development and can complete its entire life cycle within estuaries, whereas Neorhynchoplax bovis is a direct developer that lacks planktonic larvae. Using DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial COI gene and the intron of the nuclear ANT gene, we found that levels of genetic structure differ considerably between the species. Depending on the genetic marker used, H. longicrure is genetically homogeneous (COI) or displays low levels of genetic structure and minor evidence of recruitment near natal sites (ANT). In contrast, connectivity in N. bovis is much lower, as this species has a unique combination of alleles at each site, indicating that recruitment is mostly local. These results support previous findings suggesting that even a short larval dispersal phase is sufficient to maintain high levels of connectivity and prevent genetic divergence among populations.