Photo-inhibition of phytoplankton photosynthesis as a function of exposure time

The photo-inhibition of phytoplankton photosynthesis at higher intensities was examined with a cultured marine diatom,Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and natural samples. The question was to determine whether photo-inhibition results from excretion of photosynthetic products from cell or from an actual decrease in photosynthetic rate. P. tricornutum cultured at 15 klux showed very little photo-inhibition up to 70 klux, and, in the sample cultured at 1 klux, most marked photo-inhibition was observed in 3 hours experiment. Extracellular release was less than 30% of particulate fixation, and did not show any extreme increase to supplement photosynthesis depression at higher light intensities. When the photosynthesis was measured during 10 minutes, both samples showed no photo-inhibition. The photosynthesis by low light sample lost the linearity of time-course with prolonged exposure at high light intensity. Observed photo-inhibition, therefore, we explained with the actual decrease in photosynthetic rate. Similar photo-inhibition could be seen in marine phytoplankton samples concentrated by filtration.     

Photographic observations of the stalked crinoidMetacrinus rotundus carpenter in Suruga Bay,central Japan

Photographic observations were carried out at depths of the shelf edge at the mouth of Uchiura Inlet, Suruga Bay, central Japan in order to clarify the life style of the isocrinid stalked crinoid,Metacrinus rotundus (Echinodermata). The distribution of the species was found to be restricted to a narrow area where boulders and rock outcrops were locally present. Mean density of the crinoid was 0.05 m^–2, and this value was an order of magnitude smaller than that of the deeper isocrinid,Diplocrinus wyvillethomsoni, reported from the Bay of Biscay.Metacrinus rotundus formed a parabolic filtration fan with its arms recurved into the bottom current, and was thought to be a passive suspension feeder elevating the fan into the water column by its stalk. The distal half of the stalk lay along the hard substratum and about ten groups of cirri grasped the substratum. This mode of attachment was similar to that ofCenocrinus rather than that ofDiplocrinus. Metacrinus rotundus collect food at the layer between 10 and 50 cm above the sea floor, and do not utilize a higher layer even when this layer could be utilized by climbing over a larger boulder. Resuspended benthic materials are thought to be important as a food source forM. rotundus, and the crinoids seek not only locations of stronger currents but also the position where much resuspended matter is available.     

On the Polyps of the Common Jellyfish Aurelia aurita in Kagoshima Bay

There is the natural habitat of polyps of the common jellyfish Aurelia aurita in the Taniyama area, Kagoshima Bay. We examined the attachment substrata, density, colony structure and strobilation of the polyps. The polyps were observed only on the horizontal undersurface of floating piers. They attached specifically to Mytilus shells, solitary ascidians, calcareous polychaete tubes, muddy amphipod tubes and the gap space that fouling animals peeled off the substrata. The polyp colonies were distributed in patches. Spatial distribution patterns of the polyps within their colonies were uniform. Strobilation occurred during late December to March, when water temperatures were 16–17°C, and a large number of ephyrae were released. An increase in man-made structures such as floating piers in coastal areas may lead to bloomings of Aurelia aurita medusae. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Density,biomass and community structure of demersal fishes off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan

Demersal fish communities were studied on the lower continental shelf and the upper continental slope along the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. Species composition, number and weight of each species were examined based on otter trawl samples at 45 stations. Mean density and biomass of demersal fishes were 131 ha^–1 and 21 kg ha^–1, respectively. The ten most abundant species comprised of about 95% of total number and weight of overall catch indicating simple species composition. Gadiform fishesTheragra chalcogramma, Gadus macrocephalus andPhysiculus maximowiczi were the most important species by number, weight and frequency of occurrences, and three main community types represented by the three key species were recognized.Theragra-dominant community showed higher density and biomass, and lower diversity thanPhysiculus-dominant community did. Species diversity of demersal fish community was negatively correlated to density and biomass. Density and biomass of demersal fish community were high on the uppermost slope, and the high abundance resulted from low-diversity communities dominated byT. chalcogramma andG. macrocephalus.     

The phytoplankton of some saline lakes in Central Asia

The Aral Sea, Lake Balkhash, and Lake Kamyslybas are closed lakes in Central Asia. They range from oligosaline to metasaline. The salinity of the Aral Sea has increased by more than 30 g L⁻¹ since widespread irrigation began in its catchment area. Few studies of the phytoplankton have been conducted on these lakes since extensive irrigation started. The investigation reported here compares the flora of phytoplankton in these saline lakes. In the Small Aral Sea, phytoplankton density gradually decreased with increasing electrical conductivity (EC) (∼ salinity), but there was no such relation in Lake Balkhash and Lake Kamyslybas. In the Aral Sea, Dinophyceae and Bacillariophyceae were frequently observed in most areas of high EC value, and Cyanophyceae were most conspicuous in the area of medium and lower EC values. In Lake Balkhash, Cyanophyceae were most conspicuous, but Chlorophyceae were also noticeable. Most Cyanophyceae in Aral Sea formed filaments with heterocysts. The distinct characteristic of the phytoplankton of the Lake Balkhash was that all dominant species form colonies covered with a gelatinous film. Siliceousplankton diversity gradually decreased with increasing EC values in the Aral Sea and Lake Balkhash.     

不饱和古罗糖醛酸三糖和甘露糖醛酸三糖的结构表征

以双功能褐藻胶裂解酶 (Pseudoalteromonas sp.strain No. 2 72 )分别降解均聚古罗糖醛酸(PG)和均聚甘露糖醛酸 (PM) ,经 Bio- Gel- P6和 POROS- HQ2 0分离得到 2种三糖纯品 ,经 ESI- MS,1 H- NMR,1 3 C- NMR,1 H- 1 H COSY,1 H- 1 3 C HMQC确定其结构为 Δ4,5-古罗糖醛酸 - α(1→ 4 ) - L-古罗糖醛酸 -α(1→ 4 ) - L -古罗糖醛酸 (简写为Δ GG)和Δ4,5-甘露糖醛酸 -β (1→ 4 ) - D-甘露糖醛酸 -β (1→ 4 ) - D-甘露糖醛酸 (ΔMM) ,为进一步从事构效关系研究提供结构信息。     

Eigen oscillation of a fluid sphere and source mechanism of harmonic volcanic tremor

The eigen oscillation of a fluid sphere embedded in an infinite elastic medium is analyzed to understand the source mechanism of volcanic tremor that vibrates nearly monotonically and attenuates slowly. The dimensionless eigen frequencies of the sinusoidal oscillation are calculated in a complex form with the attenuation factor in its imaginary part for various combinations of the three parameters: the contrasts of P-wave velocity, density and rigidity between the fluid and the country rock. Eigen oscillations consist of a high attenuation mode with a rapidly decaying pulsive wave at a low frequency and infinite number of regular modes with slowly decaying vibrations. For regular modes, the frequency of oscillation obtained from the real part of an eigen value is distributed in approximately regular intervals while the attenuation factor from the imaginary part is almost constant independent of the mode. Each eigen frequency of regular and high attenuation modes is degenerated with two independent eigen functions describing different distributions of displacement, velocity and stress. The theory is applied to harmonic volcanic tremor observed at Kusatsu-Shirane Volcano, central Japan. Observed spectral peaks of the tremor are explained by the eigen frequencies and attenuation factors of several lowest regular modes if the spherical fluid oscillator has a radius of dozens of meters and a P-wave velocity of about several hundred meters per second.     

A laboratory experiment on the role of grass for infiltration and runoff processes

Two lysimeters with the same dimensions were provided, and filled with the same loam clay. On the soil surface of one lysimeter, grass was planted to compare the hydrologic response of the grassed lysimeter with that of the other bare soil lysimeter.

About half of the runoff from the bare soil lysimeter occurred as overland flow, the rest being groundwater flow. Overland flow scarcely occurred from the grassed lysimeter. Grass roots that developed deep into the soil layer play an important role in increasing the infiltration rate as well as in drying the soil uniformly throughout the soil layer by evapotranspiration, preparing for high infiltration and large rainwater storage for the subsequent rainfall event. Accordingly, the total loss by evapotranspiration from the grassed soil amounts to almost twice that from the bare soil.

For an evaporation- and evapotranspiration-prohibited experiment, the recession characteristics from a saturation state showed similar features for the bare and grassed soils, indicating the same microstructure of high moisture reservability for both soils.

The well-developed grass root system reformed the soil structure considerably to produce the seemingly contradicting characteristics of high moisture conductivity and high moisture reservability; i.e. a high infiltration rate and prolonged groundwater discharge.

Finally, the importance of the initial soil moisture in the rainfall-runoff process, rainfall loss and runoff ratio is stressed.     

Variation of precipitation in Langtang Valley,Himalayas

The variation of the δ 18O in precipitation and the relationship with precipitation amountat Kyangjin Base House and Yala Glacier Camp in Langtang Valley, Nepal Himalayas were ana-lyzed. The variations of the δ 18O with precipitation had great scatter, and the correlations betweenthe δ18O and precipitation changed with time on the synoptic scale. On the seasonal scale, therewas marked amount effect at Kyangjin Base House. However, the δ18O-precipitation gradient wassmaller than that on the synoptic scale. Because of the maintenance of the basic equilibrium be-tween stable isotopic compositions in atmospheric vapor and precipitation, the evaporation en-richment was light during the rainy season. Therefore, the variation of stable isotopic compositionsin precipitation was independent on the sampling intervals. Simulations show that the rainfall inLangtang Valley was not the outcome of the initial condensation of ocean vapor that originatedfrom low latitudes. The stable isotopic compositions in precipitation were greatly depleted due tothe strong rainout of the vapor from oceans as the vapor was raised over the Himalayas     

The roles and limitations of newspapers in environmental reporting. Case study: Isahaya Bay land reclamation project issue

This paper looks at Japanese newspaper coverage of environmental issues, focusing on the case of the controversy over the Isahaya Bay land reclamation project. This project was first planned in the early 1950s and construction began in 1989. Local activists groups began raising questions about the project in the 1970s, focusing on the environmental degradation that would result, but they did not succeed in having their opinions discussed widely in the media until it was too late to prevent completion. Only after the dramatic images of the last slab of the seawall falling into place, was there intense media coverage of the project.The attention paid to the project by the media did much to inform the public about the effects of large-scale public works projects on the environment. Yet an analysis of the newspaper coverage shows that the media played mostly a "spectator" role in the controversy, merely reacting to events. A more active, "watch-dog" role would be necessary for the media to uncover threats to the environment in time for the public to be educated about such issues and have a chance to influence crucial official decisions.