Biotesting of water quality in Peter the Great Bay with the use of the microalga Dunaliella salina and embryos and larvae of the sea urchin Scaphechinus mirabilis

Comparative biotesting was performed using embryos and larvae of the sea urchin Scaphechinus mirabilis and the microalga Dunaliella salina. These two species were taken as test organisms for estimating water quality in areas of various anthropogenic loads. Seawater from Nakhodka and Vostok bays, as well as from the southwestern part of Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan) near the Tumen River mouth, was tested. Water from Vostok and Nakhodka bays had a harmful effect on embryonic and larval development of the sea urchin. The algal culture kept in the water of Vostok Bay was depressed throughout the experiment, while development of the alga in the water from Nakhodka Bay hardly differed from the control but was unstable. Water from the southwestern part of Peter the Great Bay did not have any significant harmful effect on both test organisms. Embryos and larvae of the sea urchin S. mirabilis were several orders more sensitive to salinity changes and content of toxic agents; they responded more readily to changes in water quality than D. salina cells. Correspondingly, embryos and larvae of the sea urchin S. mirabilis were found to be a preferable test organism for assessment of pollution in various marine environments.     

Microelement composition of the green alga Ulva fenestrata from Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

Concentrations of heavy metals Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and Ni were determined in the thalluses of the green alga Ulva fenestrata sampled from different locations in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan). According to the metal concentrations in Ulva, the degree of pollution of the surveyed areas in Peter the Great Bay decreases in the following series: Amur Bay > Ussuri Bay > Nakhodka Bay > Vostok Bay > the water area of Far Eastern State Marine Nature Biosphere Reserve. The microelement composition of Ulva from open-shore stations reflects the heavy metal pollution level of water areas as a whole. The concentrations of trace elements in U. fenestrata from closed coastal areas are indicative of marine coastal water pollution from local sources. Generally, metal concentrations in U. fenestrata from Peter the Great Bay are similar to heavy metal levels in non-polluted or weakly polluted coastal areas of the world.     

Application of the microalga Plagioselmis prolonga for the assessment of water quality in the Amursky and Nakhodka Bays (Sea of Japan)

Based on biotesting, we carried out an estimation of the water quality in the Amursky and Nakhodka Bays (Sea of Japan) using Plagioselmis prolonga (Cryptophyta). The obtained data were compared with the data from water biotesting using Dunaliella salina (Chlorophyta). It was shown that water from the Amursky Bay produced more a negative effect on both microalgae than water from the Nakhodka Bay. It was established that sensitivity of the P. prolonga microalga exceeded that of D. salina. This was confirmed by a sharp decrease of the P. prolonga motile cell number in the studied water.     

Life History of the Barnacle Balanus Amphitrite Darwin and Its Role in Fouling Communities of Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

The life history of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite Darwin and its role in fouling communities of Golden Horn Bay (Peter the Great Bay), which is subjected to thermal pollution, were studied. The warm-water B. amphitrite occurs as a common minor species on operational vessels and waterworks in Peter the Great Bay, where it was brought by ocean-going ships operating on Russia–Japan lines. Even in the conditions of the higher temperature regime of Golden Horn Bay, the reproductive season of B. amphitrite is confined to the summer and autumn months. The adult individuals brought by ships in summer produce 2–3 generations of larvae. The development of larvae and their settling on the substrate occurs from August to October within a broad temperature range from 22.5 up to 12°C. Even in the low temperatures of Golden Horn Bay the larvae attain a greater size than those in tropical and subtropical waters. The juveniles have time to reach maturity and to produce their own progeny, but most often they perish with winter drop in the water temperature. It was shown that in Peter the Great Bay there is dependent population of B. amphitrite inhabiting the anthropogenic substrates only in the warm season: water works, idle vessels, and operational offshore vessels. The water temperature is the limiting factor of successful acclimation of that species.     

Pollution in Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan, and its biological consequences

This review summarizes information published in the 1980s–1990s about anthropogenic pollution in Peter the Great Bay, the largest of the bays in the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan. The coastal zone of the bay occupies about 12% of the area of Primorskii Province and is the most heavily populated. The bulk of the human settlements, the seaports of Vladivostok and Nakhodka, railways, industrial enterprises, and developed agriculture are located in the coastal zone. Sewage waters containing multicomponent mixtures of polluting agents of both mineral and organic origin are discharged into the coastal waters of the bay. This paper presents information about the concentration of major classes of polluting agents (oil hydrocarbons, polychlorinated hydrocarbons, surfactants, heavy metals, and radionuclids) in the water and bottom sediments of the bay. The results of physico-chemical and biogeochemical investigations performed in the 1970s–1990s justify considering Zolotoi Rog Bay, Bosfor Vostochnyi Strait, Nakhodka Bay (especially its innermost portion, around the harbor of Nakhodka), and Amurskii Bay to be the most polluted areas in Peter the Great Bay. The information about the biological consequences of pollution in these water areas is briefly reviewed.     

Fouling Communities of Hydrotechnical Constructions in Nakhodka Bay (Sea of Japan)

The fouling of mooring facilities in Nakhodka Bay, Sea of Japan, has been studied. The main fouling communities have been distinguished dominated by green algae Enteromorpha linza and Ulva fenestrata, brown algae Laminaria japonica and Costaria costata, a hydroid Obelia longissima, a polychaete Pseudopotamilla occelata, cirripede barnacles Balanus crenatus and Semibalanus cariosus, a bivalve mollusk Mytilus trossulus, and an ascidian Halocynthia aurantium. The naturalization of some species-invaders in the fouling of mooring facilities in Nakhodka Bay has been registered, namely hydroids Laomedea flexuosa and Clytia languida, a polychaete Pseudopotamilla occelata, and a bryozoan Bowerbankia gracilis.     

Reproduction and larval development of the gastropodAlaba vladivostokensis in Vostok Bay, the Sea of Japan

The reproduction and development of the prosobranch gastropodAlaba vladivostokensis Bartsch were studied. In Vostok Bay,A. vladivostokensis reproduces in the warmest season at water temperatures of 19–23°C. The females lay egg masses in the shape of flat, coiled bands on eelgrass leaves and on sargosso thalluses. The total period of development from egg laying to larval settling takes 25–27 days. The reproduction and development patterns and larval morphology ofA. vladivostokensis are similar to that ofAustralaba picta (A. Adams), which inhabits the coast of Japan. It is suggested that the population ofA. vladivostokensis in Peter the Great Bay should considered as part of the wide geographical range ofA. picta.     

Seasonal dynamics of the numbers of larvae of common fouling organisms in Balaklava Bay (Black Sea)

The seasonal dynamics of the numbers of larvae of common fouling organisms—the barnacle Balanus improvisus and the bivalves Mytilaster lineatus and Mytilus galloprovincialis in Balaklava Bay (Black Sea)—were investigated during 2000 and 2001 within the framework of an ecological research project. Under the conditions of an increased anthropogenic load, seasonal fluctuations of the numbers and the distribution of larvae depend on rhythms of the breeding cycles of fouling invertebrates and on the hydrodynamic features of the region (water setup). The differences in the optimum temperatures, hatching intensity, and time of occurrence of larvae in the plankton, as well as the irregular distribution of larvae, allow the three major fouling organisms to reduce interspecific competition for food and the substrate.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Biologiya Morya, Shalaeva, Lisitskaya.     

Reproduction and larval development of the gastropod molluskTegula rustica in Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan

The reproduction and larval development of the prosobranch gastropod molluskTegula rustica were studied under laboratory conditions. In Vostok Bay (Peter the Great Bay), the reproduction of theTegula takes place in August, when the water temperature is 19–20°C. Under laboratory conditions, the spawning of females was stimulated by adding a sperm emulsion to a vessel containing adult females. We observed asynchronous and intermittent release of gametes. The egg cell is 190 μm in diameter. Fertilization is external, and the course of development includes a lecithotrophic pelagic larva. Complete development, from fertilization to metamorphosis, takes 7 days in a laboratory culture. The larvae settle when the shell size across the first whorl is 220–230 μm and the total shell whorl is about 90°. The shape of the veliger shell is elongated mitriform and the velum is rounded, made up of a single lobe. The sculpture of the protoconch is irregularly ribbed.     

Neoplasia in the connective tissue of the musselMytilus trossulus from polluted areas of Nakhodka Bay, Sea of Japan

A tumor was found for the first time in a musselMytilus trossulus from aheavily polluted area of Nakhodka Bay, Sea of Japan. Tumor cells were found in the connective tissue of different organs and also in gill vessels and hemal sinuses of the visceral mass. They were both attached and diffuse. The tumor was at an advanced stage, replacing the normal connective tissue cells, and formed nodes. The tumor cells were polymorphic, with a high nucleocytoplasmic ratio, and had a prominent nucleolus. The size of their nuclei was three to five times that of the nuclei of agranular hemocytes. The mitotic activity of the tumor cells was more than an order of magnitude higher than in the normal cells: The mean mitotic index was 1.4±0.5%, ranging from 0.97 to 2.3% in different organs. The mitotic indices in the connective tissue cells of three normal mussels were 0, 0, and 0.12%. A significant proportion (up to 78%) of the mitotic cells were at metaphase. The frequency of abnormal mitoses was 17%. Metaphases with displaced (often multiple) chromosomes constituted 71% of abnormal mitoses; anaphases, 8%; and tri- and tetrapolar mitoses, 11%. The tumor described is similar to diffuse sarcomatoid diseases of mussels from other geographical regions.     

Some aspects of the embryonic and postembryonic development of the Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus Temminck et Schlegel, 1846 in Vostok Bay, Sea of Japan

This study revealed additional data concerning the spawning period of the Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus Temminck et Schlegel, 1846 in Vostok Bay (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan). The spawning of E. japonicus in this area ends in September at a water temperature of 17.5 ± 3°C. Some important peculiarities of the embryonic and postembryonic development of E. japonicus in the natural environment are described. The anchovy larvae have characteristic upper and lower rows of melanophores and subcaudal paired rows of melanophores on the trunk. Regular alternating rows of long and short cones were found in the retina of the early larval stages (TL 5.5 ± 0.1 mm). The planes of the photoreceptive lamellae in the outer segments of the short cones are oriented parallel to the long cell axis, which evidently provides sensitivity to polarized light.     

Density Dynamics and Size Composition of Bivalve Mollusk Larvae of the Genus Mya in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan)

The seasonal population size of planktonic larvae of mollusks of the soft-shell clam genus Mya were studied in Vostok Bay. The larvae occurred in plankton from the first third of June to early September. The highest density of larvae (279.7 ± 98.7 specimens/m³) was found in late June. In early July, larval numbers decreased sharply, and at the end of the first third of July, only single Mya larvae were found in the plankton. Another increase in larval population was observed in early and late August. The larvae varied in length from 175 to 325 m in June–July and from 150 to 250 m in August. It is likely that the larvae of two species of Mya, M. arenaria and M. uzenensis, are present in the plankton of Vostok Bay.     

First record of a brachiopod (Brachiopoda: Terebrataliidae) in the fouling of hydrotechnical installations in Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

Large mature individuals of the brachiopod Coptothyris adamsi Davidson, 1871 were found in the fouling of a pier in Koz’mina Bight (Nakhodka Bay, Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan) in September 2006. The population density of the brachiopod in the fouling reached 100 specimens/m² and greatly exceeded the density of this species in benthic communities (4 specimens/m²). This is the first record of a brachiopod on anthropogenic substrates in the Far-Eastern seas of Russia. It is of particular interest because (1) C. adamsi is listed in the Red Book of Russia and (2) construction of an international oil terminal is planned for Koz’mina Bight. The brachiopod population can be used to monitor environmental conditions during the construction and further functioning of the oil terminal in Koz’mina Bight.     

Seasonal and interannual dynamics of larval abundance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mytilus coruscus</Emphasis> Gould, 1861 (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) in Amursky Bay (Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan)

Based on an analysis of the gonads, as well as the size composition and abundance of larvae in plankton, we determined the seasonal and long-term dynamics of the reproduction of the mussel Mytilus coruscus in Amursky Bay (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan). Mussel gonads were in a mature condition in late July-early August; the spawning season continued from mid-August to mid-September. The larvae of this species occurred in plankton from June to September, under surface water temperatures of 14.5–23.5°C. The density of larvae in different years varied from 350 to 4500 ind/m³. Two peaks of larval abundance were observed annually, in June and September. The first peak was apparently provided by allochthonous larvae, the second, by larvae of the local population. The high density of larvae of M. coruscus in the plankton of Peter the Great Bay enabled us to consider this species as a potential object for mariculture.     

Toxicity of Santander Bay Sediments to the Euryhaline Freshwater Oligochaete Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri

The freshwater euryhaline oligochaete Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri was selected for use in bioassays with polluted sediment from Santander Bay. It is easy to culture; is tolerant of low to moderate, up to 15‰, salinity; and is common in oligohaline conditions in European and North American estuaries. Worms were collected from an estuarine population and kept in unpolluted sediment for between 2 and 4 weeks, under laboratory conditions, at 7–8.5‰ salinity and 22.5 °C. Sediment from different sites in Santander Bay were sieved through 250 μm mesh and adjusted to a salinity of approx. 7‰ prior to the bioassays, either by adding sea water or dechlorinated tap water to the overlying water. High levels of ammonia in some sediment, which may confound results in ecotoxicity bioassays, were reduced by oxidation of the sediments in shallow trays. Sediment bioassays were performed with sexually mature Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri worms in 250-ml beakers, with a 1:3 ratio of sediment:water and 4 worms per baker. Endpoints in the 14-day bioassay were % mortality, adult final biomass, % adults that have shown resorption of the clitellum, number of cocoons, and burrowing behaviour. It was possible to rank the sites according to their toxicity using both mortality rates and sublethal effects. The control site had the following values for the endpoints: 5% mortality, ( ) 2.40 ± 1.52 cocoons per beaker and 1.271 ± 0.470 mg dw adult final biomass. The most toxic sediment resulted in 65% mortality, resorption of the clitellum in 67% of the adults, no production of cocoons and a low final biomass ( =0.681 ± 0.489 mg dw per adult). A second site had high mortality (60%) and no reproduction, although resorption of the clitellum did not occur in surviving animals. The remaining sites showed similar mortality (35–42%), and at only one of them was low reproduction observed (0.8 ± 0.447 cocoons per beaker). Behavioural effects, measured as length of galleries in a fixed area of the test-vessel at the end of the bioassay, were significant compared with control at only one site. Multivariate analysis showed the mortality gradient to be the strongest, with a second unassociated gradient representing clitellum resorption. The mortality gradient was associated with Cu and Zn concentration, and PAH and Pb possibly with resorption.     

Mesozooplankton structure in Dolgaya Bay (Barents Sea)

The community structure of mesozooplankton was investigated in Dolgaya Bay (southern Barents Sea), a subarctic fjord, using a Juday net (0.168-mm mesh size) in July, 2008. A total of 39 species and higher taxa were found. Average abundance, biomass and diversity (±standard error) were 153,403 ± 15,855 ind m⁻², 570 ± 61 mg dry mass m⁻², and 2.25 ± 0.09, respectively. Copepods were the most numerous species. The mesozooplankton communities were dominated by omnivores (Oithona similis and Acartia spp.). Vertical distribution of the mesozooplankton was characterized by copepod dominance at each sampled layer. There were no significant correlations among physical variables and biological parameters, except negative correlation for the mean biomass and mean water temperature.     

Long-term and seasonal dynamics of the recruitment and growth of youngBalanus rostratus barnacles in Amurskii Bay, Sea of Japan

The changes in distribution and abundance of the barnacleBalanus rostranus that occurred at various sites of Amurskii Bay in 1982–1995 were studied. Increased water and sediment pollution by industrial and sewage discharge were found to most significantly affect the abundance of larvae, food composition, and the availability of substrata suitable for larva to settle. The mortality of young barnacles increased and the growth rate decreased in the most polluted areas of the bay at water temperatures higher than 18°C and at critically low oxygen saturation.     

The Structure of a Free-living Nematode Community in Wrangel Bay of the Sea of Japan

The qualitative composition and distribution of the meiobenthos in Wrangel Bay (Nakhodka Bay of the Sea of Japan) depend on the bottom sediment grain composition and on the concentration of heavy metals in the ground. It was established that the meiobenthos in the bay was represented by 13 groups of animals (class, order) and was relatively evenly distributed. The nematodes dominated (50–80%), and their settlement density was slightly higher in silty ground than in silty–sandy ground. Forty-eight species of nematodes were found; Dorylaimopsis peculiaris, Viscosia stenostoma, Axonolaimus seticaudatus, Metasphaerolaimus japonicus, and Pseudosteineria inaequispiclata dominated in the silty–sandy sediments; Sabatieria pulchra, S. palmaris, Metalaimus pumilus, Sphaerolaimus limosus, and Oncholaimium ramosum dominated in the silty ground. A slightly expressed correlation of the settlement density with the ground type and lead concentration in the bottom sediments emerged for two species (S. pulchra and S. palmaris).