Biological and granulometric controls on sedimentary organic matter of an intertidal mudflat

A variety of measures of organic matter concentration and quality were made on samples collected from the top few mm of intertidal mudflat sediment over the course of a year, in order to assess the relative importance of biological and sedimentological influences on sedimentary organic matter. Winter and summer were times of relatively fine-grained sediment accumulation, caused by biological deposition or stabilization processes and resulting in higher organic matter concentrations. Stable carbon isotope and Br:C ratios indicated a planktonic source of bulk organic matter. Ratios of organic carbon to specific surface area of the sediments were consistent with an organic monolayer coverage of sediment grains. Correction for changing grain size during the year showed no change in the organic concentration per unit surface area, in spite of organic matter inputs by in situ primary production, buildup of heterotroph biomass and mucus coatings, and biodeposition of organic-rich seston. There were also no indications of changes in bulk organic quality, measured as hydrolyzable carbohydrates and amino acids, in response to these biological processes. It is concluded that biological processes on a seasonal time scale affect the bulk organic matter of these sediments via a modulation of grain size rather than creation or decay of organic matter.     

Variation of reactivity of particulate and sedimentary organic matter along the Zhujiang River Estuary

To investigate organic matter source and reactivity in the Zhujiang River (Pearl River)Estuary and its adjacent areas, particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate hydrolysable amino acids (PHAA), and Chl a during two cruises in July 1999 and July 2000 were measured. The highest POC and PHAA concentration was observed in the waters with maximum Chl a. The spectra distribution,relative content (dry weight in milligram per gram), PHAA-C% POC and other indicators such as the ratios of amino acids vs. amino sugars (AA/AS) and glucosamine vs. galactosamine (Glum/Gal) suggested that particulate amino acids in the water column and sediments in the Zhujiang River Estuary were mainly derived from biogenic processes rather than transported from terrestrial erosion. In inner estuary where high turbidity was often observable, organic matter was mainly contributed by re-suspension of bottom sediments with revealed zooplankton, microbial reworked characteristics, which suggest that these organic matters were relatively “old“. In the estuarine brackish region, organic matter in water column is mainly contributed by relatively fresh, easily degradable phytoplankton derived organic matter.During physical - biological processes within the eastuary, organic matter derived from phytoplankton was subjected to alteration by zooplankton grazing and bacterial reworking.     

Diel fluctuations in dissolved free amino acids and monosaccharides in Chesapeake Bay dinoflagellate blooms

The accumulation of phytoplankton biomass in recurring summer dinoflagellate blooms of Chesapeake Bay is accompanied by large pools of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Two fractions of the DOM, free amino acids (DFAA) and monosaccharides (MONO), were measured at 3 h intervals in mixed species dinoflagellate blooms (Katodinium rotundatum, Gymnodinium spp.) and related to productivity, biomass and photoperiod. Peak chlorophyll levels for the three blooms were 28, 65 and 938 μg1⁻¹. In general, DFAA and MONO concentrations increased with increasing biomass of bloom-forming species, reaching 203 and 844 μg1⁻¹. MONO appeared to accumulate during the day while there was no consistent pattern for DFAA. The accumulations of DFAA and MONO in blooms indicate that bloom production might stimulate microheterotrophy, thereby enhancing carbon and nutrient cycling in bloom-impacted regions.     

东海海域海水中颗粒氨基酸(PAA)的组成与含量的分布调查研究

海水中的有机物的含量微少，约为0.5~2.0 C mg/L，但其种类复杂。其中以溶解有机物(DOM)为主，而颗粒有机物(POM)所占比例则更少。大洋海水中的POM主要来源于浮游生物等的死骸及其分解碎屑；另外还有海水中受风浪影响所进行的DOM-POM的动力平衡产物。近岸海水还受河流和大气带入的陆源尘影响。POM主要由颗粒氨基酸(PAA)组成。即由Asp、Glu、Thr、Ser、Ala、Gly、Leu、Ile、Val、Met、Cys、Tyr、Lys、His、Arg、Phe、Pro等17种氨基酸组成。它们是食碎动物的主要食物，构成海洋食物链的一环，与该水域生产力有直接联系。纪明侯等(1992)于1983年和1984年首次对青岛胶州湾海水中的颗粒氨基酸的组成和含量的变化及其季节变化进行了调查研究。并且在1982年和1984年前后对渤海湾、黄河口和长江口附近水域同样调查研究了表层海水中PAA的组成与含量分布。他们还于1981年7、8月和1982年7、8月乘“科学一号”考察船进一步研究了长江口外东中国海，包括福建省外海、济州岛附近海域和黑潮流域26°00′-33°00′N、123°00′-129°00′E范围内海域的20余个站位的表层海水和部分站位上不同水深中的PAA的组成和含量。兹将调查研究结果报道如下。     

Study of Adsorption Isotherm Curves of Amino Acids on the Kaolinite

This paper studies the adsorption isotherm curves of four amino acids (glyucine,aspartic acid,glutamic acid and lysine)and the effects of existences of different concentrations of Cu(Ⅱ) on them.Both the adsorption isotherm of the amino acids on the kaolinite and that when the copper ion Cu(Ⅱ） exists belong to the Langmuir type.The slopes of these adsorption isotherm increase with the increasing concentrations of Cu(Ⅱ） added.It can be explained in terms of formation of the type(Ⅰ） ternary surface complexes in these systems.The regular pattern of the effects of copper ion Cu(Ⅱ) on the adsorption isotherm of amino acids on the kaolinite is identical with that of its effects on the exchange and adsorption percentage E(%)-pH on the kaolinite in the same system.     

南海中部和冲绳海槽沉积物中的氨基酸物质

本文通过对南海中部和冲绳海槽三个深海沉积物柱状样腐植物质水解氨基酸的研究,试图阐述南海和冲绳海槽沉积物的演化与沉积环境。     

Seasonal Changes in Nitrogen, Free Amino Acids, and C/N Ratio in Mediterranean Seagrasses

Abstract. Seasonal changes in nitrogen, free amino acids, and carbon were investigated in the three Mediterranean seagrasses Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa , and Zostera noltii. Leaves, rhizomes, roots, as well as dead plant material were analysed separately. Highest N-concentrations were obtained in the winter months, regardless of species or plant part. In contrast to the other two species, the N-content in Posidonia was higher in the rhizomes than in the leaves.
In the investigated species, marked differences in the free amino acid (FAA) composition were detected between species: Proline, lacking in Posidonia , was the main component in Cymodocea. In Posidonia , FAA decreased from 320umol g^-1 (dry wt) in leaf sheaths to 1.5 umol g^-1 (dry wt) in the leaf tips. The function of proline as a possible storage and/or stress metabolite is discussed.
High C/N values in dead P. oceanica and C. nodosa rhizomes as well as in P. oceanica wrack seem to be related to considerable resistance to decomposition. Low C/N ratios did not increase in detached C. nodosa and Z. noltii leaves, which began to decompose shortly after detachment from the plants.     

复合酶法制备鯷鱼活性寡肽的研究

探讨了用复合酶法制备鱼是鱼活性寡肽及其氨基酸组成和相对分子质量分布情况。应用正交试验法研究了酶量、酶解温度、酶解时间对鱼是鱼蛋白质水解度和酶解液苦味的影响。结果表明,最佳酶解作用条件是:酶量为100u/mL;酶解温度为50℃;酶解时间为4h。此时的酶解液苦味较低,水解度可达62.81%。应用氨基酸分析仪和凝胶排阻高效液相色谱分析了该寡肽的氨基酸组成和相对分子质量的分布范围,其十肽以下的小肽占67.77%,氨基酸组成平衡,必需氨基酸含量丰富。鱼是鱼活性寡肽有望成为保健食品、医药等领域的新型高品质原料。     

渤海湾、黄河口和长江口海域海水中颗粒氨基酸含量的分布

海水中除含有大量无机物质外，还含有种类繁多，但含量很低的有机物质，其含量约为C 0.5-2.0mg/L。海水有机物质可分为溶解有机物质(DOM)和颗粒有机物质(POM)。前者为主要组分，后者所含比例很小。在大洋中POM的主要来源有:①浮游生物，尤其是浮游植物活体、死骸及其分解碎屑;②海水中进行的DOM-POM的动力平衡产物。近岸海水还受河流流入的陆地POM和大气带入的陆源尘埃的影响。POM主要由蛋白质、碳水化合物、脂类等组成。POM是食碎屑动物的良好食物，它构成海洋食物链的一环，与水域生物生产力有直接的联系。POM中蛋白质含量以颗粒氨基酸(PAA)表示。Daumas(1976)曾报道过沿岸海水中PAA含量的季节变异，纪明侯等(1992年)于1980-1981年首次对青岛胶州湾内PAA含量在不同站位和不同季节中的变化特征进行调査研究。作者等继而于1982年7月、1983年10月和1984年5、7、8月乘“金星二号”考察船前后首次研究了渤海湾、黄河口和长江口附近水域中颗粒氨基酸的组成与含量在不同站位中的分布。所得结果如下。     

Late Quaternary Spring-Fed Deposits of the Grand Canyon and Their Implication for Deep Lava-Dammed Lakes

One of the most intriguing episodes in the Quaternary evolution of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, Arizona, was the development of vast lakes that are thought to have backed up behind lava erupted into the gorge. Stratigraphic evidence for these deep lava-dammed lakes is expectedly sparse. Possible lacustrine deposits at six areas in the eastern canyon yielded no compelling evidence for sediment deposited in a deep lake. At two of the sites the sediment was associated with late Quaternary spring-fed pools and marshes. Water-lain silt and sand at lower Havasu Creek was deposited 3000 cal yr ago. The deposit contains an ostracode assemblage similar to that living in the modern travertine-dammed pools adjacent to the outcrop. The second deposit, at Lees Ferry, formed in a spring-fed marsh 43,000 cal yr ago, as determined by ¹⁴C and amino acid geochronology. It contains abundant ostracode and mollusk fossils, the richest assemblages reported from the Grand Canyon to date. Our interpretation of these sediments as spring-fed deposits, and their relative youth, provides an alternative to the conventional view that deposits like these were formed in deep lava-dammed lakes that filled the Grand Canyon.