珠江口超微型浮游植物时空分布及其与环境因子的关系

对珠江口及近海区域进行了夏季和冬季超微型浮游植物(0.2-3μm)调查,分析了其时空分布及其与环境因子的关系.夏季,珠江口浮游植物密度与磷酸盐成显著正相关,且N/P远远高于30,表明浮游植物受到P限制.夏季超微型藻数量比冬季高一个数量级,其丰度与盐度成显著正相关而和营养盐(溶解性无机氮(DIN),PO4-P,SiO4-Si)显著负相关,表明珠江口超微型藻受到径流的负面影响,表现出其数量在虎门附近海域低,随着咸淡水混合程度的加剧逐渐增大的分布特征;超微型浮游植物叶绿素a在总叶绿素a中的比例也表现为河口上游低,到万山群岛附近海域达到最大,推测近海高光照、低营养盐更适宜超微型藻的生长,同时也说明超微型浮游植物适应贫营养环境的生态特点.     

珠江口及毗邻海域营养盐对浮游植物生长的影响

基于2006年7月(夏季),10月(秋季)和2007年3月(春季)的现场调查数据,对珠江口及毗邻海域中的营养盐和叶绿素a等环境生态因子的时空分布特性进行了对比分析,研究了氮磷比与叶绿素a含量和种群多样性之间的联系,探讨了该海域营养盐对于浮游植物生长的影响。结果表明:(1)研究海域营养盐表现出较强的季节和空间差异性,总氮(TN)和总磷(TP)浓度均值春季(1.545 mg/L、0.056 mg/L)和夏季(1.570 mg/L、0.058 mg/L)均大于秋季(1.442 mg/L、0.034 mg/L),且春夏季浓度空间差异更明显。(2)调查期间海域营养盐含量超标现象突出,夏季尤为明显。无机氮(DIN)总体均值0.99 mg/L,超四类海水标准限值1倍,活性磷酸盐(PO4-P)总体均值0.021 mg/L,DIN∶PO4-P平均值为130;叶绿素a浓度与营养盐、p H、温度有较显著的相关性。(3)叶绿素a浓度较高的站位,具有较高的DIN∶PO4-P值,但浮游植物多样性指数偏低,优势种明显,主要为中肋骨条藻。氮磷比的改变会影响不同生长特性的浮游植物间的竞争和种群结构的改变;今后海洋污染治理中,在控制氮、磷污染时要注意氮磷比的改变可能造成的浮游生态影响。     

广东大亚湾西南部海域营养盐结构的长期变化

分析了大亚湾西南部海域1982～2002年营养盐结构的长期变化。水域中溶解无机氮(DIN)的含量呈上升趋势,磷酸盐(PO₄^3-)含量从80年代初到90年代末逐年下降,2000年后有所恢复,硅酸盐(SiO₃^2-)的含量波动较大,但平均维持在20μmol·L^-1的较高水平上。各营养盐浓度比值的长期变化表现为氮磷比上升,硅氮比下降,硅磷比稳中有升。结合营养盐浓度及其比值的变化,可以认为大亚湾西南部海域中浮游植物生长的营养盐限制因子已经由过去的氮限制转变为磷限制;各营养盐的浓度及其比值在各季度的分布表明,浮游植物的生长春季和冬季受到氮限制的可能性较大,而夏季和秋季受磷限制的可能性较大;在营养盐的平面分布上,大鹏澳内DIN高于澳外水域,而PO₄^3-自1997年后低于澳外水域。     

微型生态系统中正磷酸盐的周转时间的估算

在考查罗非鱼或鲢、鳙下行影响的微型生态系统实验后期,以水柱正磷酸盐(PO4-P)完全被浮游植物摄取所需要的时间为指标,估算了系统中PO4-P的周转时间,其中浮游植物的PO4-P摄取率是采用挂瓶法来测定和估算的。结果表明,两组实验中大多数有鱼系统的浮游植物PO4-P摄取率都显着地比无鱼系统高,而PO4-P周转时间的估算值均最着地小于无鱼系统。经相关分析测定,两组实验中浮游植物的PO4-P摄取率皆显着地正相关于浮游植物密度和初级生产力,同水柱PO4-P浓度之间的负相关关系则不显着。根据估算结果看来,罗非鱼对系统中磷循环速率的影响比鲢、鳙大得多,而鳙的影响又明显地大于鲢。这些鱼类使微型生态系统中PO4-P的周转时间缩短,可能主要是它们加速了系统中PO4-P再生的结果。       

广州海域潜在性富营养化特征研究

主要根据广州海洋资源环境监测中心的监测资料,运用一种反映营养盐限制特征的近海海水富营养化评价模式,对2003年广州海域富营养化水平特征进行了研究。结果表明,广州海域营养盐含量较高,无机氮浓度全年劣于国家海水水质四类标准(GB3097-1997),无机磷浓度在春夏季大部分处于三、四类水质标准之间,秋冬季则劣于国家海水水质四类标准;广州海域主要为磷限制潜在性富营养水平或磷中等限制潜在性富营养水平。同时,近二十年来,广州海域的无机磷、无机氮浓度的年平均值呈逐年增长趋势。     

獐子岛及邻近海域秋季浮游植物的粒级结构及其影响因素

于2015年10月对獐子岛及邻近海域进行了航次调查,研究了獐子岛及邻近海域浮游植物粒级结构的空间分布特征及其环境影响因素。结果表明,秋季表层总叶绿素a、小型(20μm)、微型(2—20μm)和微微型(0.45—2μm)浮游植物叶绿素a浓度的范围分别为0.52—1.25、0.03—0.81、0.33—0.91、0—0.09μg/L,平均叶绿素a的浓度分别为0.76、0.19、0.53、0.03μg/L,对叶绿素a总量的贡献率分别为23.77%、72.26%和3.98%;底层总叶绿素a、小型(20μm)和微型(2—20μm)浮游植物叶绿素a浓度的范围分别为0.14—1.5、0.04—1.04、0.08—0.47μg/L,平均叶绿素a的浓度分别为0.46、0.22、0.24μg/L,对叶绿素a总量的贡献率分别为41.46%、58.50%。从垂直分布上来看,总叶绿素a浓度垂直变化为,表层底层;小型浮游植物垂直分布较为均匀;微型浮游植物垂直变化为,表层底层;微微型浮游植物垂直变化为,表层底层,且在表、底层均保持较低水平。秋季表层微型浮游植物(2—20μm)浓度与盐度呈正相关。底层总叶绿素a浓度与磷酸盐浓度呈正相关,小型浮游植物(20μm)浓度与磷酸盐和硅酸盐浓度均表现为正相关,微型浮游植物(2—20μm)浓度与温度呈正相关。统计分析结果表明,温度、盐度、磷酸盐及硅酸盐浓度是影响獐子岛及邻近海域秋季浮游植物粒级结构变动的重要因素。     

微型生态系统中浮游动物正磷酸盐排泄率的估算

在考查罗非鱼或鲢、鳙下行影响的微型生态系统实验后期,对其唯一的浮游动物──大型的特定正磷酸盐(PO4-P)排泄率按不同大小级别和培育时间进行了测定,同时估算了该浮游动物种群的PO4-P排泄率。结果表明,大型的特定PO4-P排泄率依其体重的增长呈指数式下降,并且随着培育时间的增加而大大降低。有鱼系统中大型种群的PO4-P排泄率及其与浮游植物PO4-P摄取率的比值都显著地小于无鱼系统,而放养罗非鱼或鳙的系统之二项估算值又明显地比鲢单养系统低。看来,大型种群的磷排泄在鲢单养系统的PO4-P再生中起有一定的作用,而在放养罗非鱼或鳙的系统中所起的作用很小。       

黄海和东海营养盐分布及其对浮游植物的限制

根据1997～1999年黄海和东海4个季节的现场调查资料,分析探讨了黄海、东海的营养盐分布特征及其对浮游植物生长的限制状况．结果表明,在长江口以东及其东北部海域终年存在一个范围很大的营养盐高值区．分析表明,这些营养盐主要来自长江冲淡水的扩展及苏北沿岸流的输送．此外,还获得了1998年长江流域特大洪水期间,迄今被观测到的长江冲淡水中营养盐的最大扩展范围,计算并研究了黄海、东海上层水中Si／N／P比值,结果表明,黄东海上层水中Si／N比值较高,Si不会成为黄东海浮游植物生长的限制因子;但在南黄海南部尤其是西南部、东海近岸及长江口以东海域,N／P比值很高(>30),说明与一般海洋环境的情况不同,黄海、东海有很大一部分海域浮游植物的生长受磷限制,而不是受氮限制．     

虾夷扇贝家系闭壳肌脂肪酸与C/N相关性研究

以虾夷扇贝(Mizuhopecten yessoensis)的生长性状、闭壳肌脂肪酸组成与含量、闭壳肌C、N元素含量及其比值为主要考察指标, 在对比选育家系的生长性状差异的基础上, 分析了不同生长速度的虾夷扇贝家系闭壳肌脂肪酸组成与含量差异, 研究了闭壳肌C、N元素含量及其C/N比值与脂肪酸含量的相关性。结果表明, 不同扇贝家系闭壳肌的主要脂肪酸含量差异较小而相对丰度差异明显, EPA (3.59—4.09 mg/g)和DHA (3.03—3.46 mg/g)之和占比扇贝闭壳肌脂肪酸总量的47.19%—49.32%; 不同家系的虾夷扇贝闭壳肌C、N元素稳态性较好, C元素和N元素的含量分别为(39.21±0.04)%和(10.62±0.16)%, C/N比值为3.70±0.06; 相关分析表明家系闭壳肌C/N比值与TFA、SFA、PUFA、EPA以及DHA等脂肪酸含量呈显著负相关。因此, 在进行虾夷扇贝生长相关选择育种时, 可以结合闭壳肌脂肪酸组成与含量、闭壳肌元素C/N比值开展复合性状选育, 从而为扇贝闭壳肌高品质脂肪酸家系选育提供科学依据。     

东海近海海域营养盐分布特征及其与赤潮发生关系的初步研究

根据2002年4月25日～5月2日的调查数据,分析了东海近海海域营养盐(NO3--N,PO4^3-P,SiO3^2-Si,NH4-N等)的分布特征,并初步探讨了营养盐分布与赤潮发生的关系．结果表明,调查海区营养盐浓度较高,与国家一类海水水质相比,无机氮和无机磷的超标率分别为46％和60％,长江口及杭州湾附近海域富营养化程度比较严重．调查海域由于受沿岸长江等河流输入的影响。营养盐浓度自近岸向外海快速递减,等值线几乎与海岸线平行．根据调查结束后赤潮发生的特点和区域,表明营养盐浓度的增加,尤其是DIN和PO4^3-P的增加,与赤潮的发生有一定关系。但本次赤潮并不是发生在营养盐浓度最高的海区,因此,富营养化并不是诱发本次赤潮发生的唯一环境因素．     

Taxonomic status of the species of the green algal genusNeochloris

Komárek has recently reviewed the various species assigned to the green algal genusNeochloris Starr (Chlorococcales, Chlorococcaceae) and removed those with uninucleate vegetative cells to a new genus,Ettlia. Watanabe & Floyd, unaware ofKomárek's work, also reviewed the species ofNeochloris and distributed them among three genera—Neochloris, Chlorococcopsis gen. nov., andParietochloris gen. nov.—on the basis of details of the covering of the zoospore and the arrangement of the basal bodies of the flagellar apparatus. This paper reconciles these two treatments and makes additional recommendations at the ranks of genus, family, order, and class.     

Hectorella: A member of the betalain-suborderChenopodiineae of the orderCentrospermae

Roots ofHectorella caespitosa Hook. f. were induced to produce a red pigment which was shown to be a betalain and not an anthocyanin. These data indicate thatHectorella belongs to theChenopodiineae, the betalain suborder of theCentrospermae, and excludes alignment with the anthocyanin family theCaryophyllaceae.     

Succession in the southern part of the Canadian boreal forest

Forest succession following fire in a forest mosaic of northwestern Quebec has been studied in order to: (1) describe the successional pathways using communities of different ages and (2) evaluate convergence of successional pathways and possible effect of fire suppression on the establishment of steady-state communities. As a first step, ordination and classification techniques were used in order to remove changes in forest composition which are related to abiotic conditions. Then, ordinations based on tree diameter distributions were used to study shifts in species composition in relation to time since the last fire.Even under similar abiotic conditions, successional pathways are numerous. However, regardless of forest composition after fire, most stands show convergence toward dominance of Thuja occidentalis and Picea mariana on xeric sites and dominance of Abies balsamea and Thuja occidentalis on more mesic sites. Stable communities of >300 yr occur on xeric sites while on mesic sites directional succession still occurs after 224 yr. Nearly all species involved in succession are present in the first 50 yr following fire. Only Abies balsamea and Thuja occidentalis increase significantly in frequency during succession. Following initial establishment, successional processes can generally be explained by species longevity and shade tolerance. Early successional species may be abundant in the canopy for more than 200 yr while the rapid decrease of Picea glauca, a late successional species could be related to spruce budworm outbreaks. Considering the short fire rotation observed (about 150 yr), a steady-state forest is unlikely to occur under natural conditions, though it may be possible if fire is controlled.     

The purification of the three trimannosyl-N-acetylchitobiose pentasaccharides from the urine of swainsonine-intoxicated sheep

A simple method for the preparative resolution of three Man₃GlcNAc₂ isomers called Ia, Ib and II has been designed. It consists mainly of the use of concanavalin A-Sepharose which allowed the total purification of Man₃GlcNAc₂-Ia, and then of anion-exchange resin in borate buffer-gradient to separate the Ib and II isomers. The purity of each oligosaccharide was checked by two HPLC methods. The use of these oligosaccharides for different analytical and biosynthetic purposes is discussed, and the unexpected resistance of one of the Man₃GlcNAc₂ alditols to the action of endo--N-acetylglucosaminidase H is noted.     

Evaluation of the Pro-Lab ID ring system for the identification of medically important yeasts

We evaluated 151 coded isolates of medically important yeast species belonging to the genera Candida, Cryptococcus, Geotrichum, Rhodoturula, Saccharomyces and Torulopsis using the newly developed rapid Pro-Lab Identification Ring, PL 960 system (PLID-Ring). All isolates were concurrently identified by the API 20C and conventional procedures comprising macro- and micromorphology, assimilation and fermentation of various carbon and nitrogen compounds. The PLID-Ring system identified isolates of Candida albicans, C. kefyr, C. krusei, C. lusitaniae, C. parapsilosis, Rhodotorula rubra, and Torulopsis glabrata with 100% accuracy in 24 h. This system identified C guilliermondii and S. cerevisiae isolates with an accuracy of 90% and 86%, respectively, while those belonging to Cr. neoformans, T. candida (= C. famata), C. rugosa and C. tropicalis were identified with 38.4%, 50%, 12.5% and 50% accuracy, respectively. Three isolates of Cr. laurentii were not identified by the PLID-Ring system. The overall accuracy of the PLID-Ring system was 81.45% (123 of 151 isolates). However, the system does not include species such as Cr. laurentii in its data base. When these three Cr. laurentii isolates were excluded from the evaluation, the accuracy of the PLID-Ring system increased from 81.45% to 83.1%.     

Comparative analysis of the Kekkon molecules,related members of the LIG superfamily

Leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) and immunoglobulin (Ig) domains represent two of the most abundant sequence elements in metazoan proteomes. Despite this prevalence, comparatively few molecules containing both LRR and Ig (LIG) modules exist, and fewer still have been functionally defined. One LIG whose function has been investigated is the Drosophila protein Kekkon1 (Kek1). In vivo studies have demonstrated a role for Kek1 in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling and have suggested a role in neuronal pathfinding. Kek1 is the founding member of the Kek family, a group of six Drosophila transmembrane proteins that contain seven LRRs and a single Ig in their extracellular domains. While this arrangement of domains predicts a possible role as cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), to date little is known about the function or evolutionary relationship of these additional Kek molecules. Here we report that orthologs of Kek1, Kek2, Kek5, and Kek6 exist in the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, and the honeybee, Apis mellifera, indicating that this family has been conserved for ~300 million years of evolutionary time. Comparative sequence analyses reveal remarkable identity among these orthologs, primarily in their extracellular regions. In contrast, the intracellular regions are more divergent, exhibiting only small pockets of conservation. In addition, we provide support for the general notion that these molecules may share common functions as CAMs, by demonstrating that Kek family members can form homotypic and heterotypic complexes.Edited by D. TautzChristina M. MacLaren, Timothy A. Evans and Diego Alvarado contributed equally to this work     

Analysis of the genes of the OEE1 and OEE3 proteins of the photosystem II complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The sequences of the nuclear genes of the 33 kDa (OEE1) and the 16 kDa (OEE3) polypeptides of the oxygen evolving complex of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have been established. Comparison between the OEE1 protein sequences of C. reinhardtii and higher plants and cyanobacteria reveals 67 and 47% homology. In contrast, C. reinhardtii and higher plants have only 28% overall homology for OEE3 which is mostly limited to the central portion of the protein. The transit peptides of the C. reinhardtii proteins consist of 52 (OEE1) and, most likely, 51 (OEE1) amino acids. They have a basic amino terminal region and, at least in the case of OEE1, a hydrophobic segment at their carboxy terminal end typical of thylakoid lumen proteins. Comparison of the genomic and cDNA clones indicates that the OEE1 and OEE3 genes contain five and four introns, respectively, some of which are located within the coding sequences of the transit peptides.     

Evaluation of antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial activities of the resin glycosides and the other metabolites of Scrophularia cryptophila

Resin glycosides are secondary metabolites exclusive to the convolvulaceous plants. In this study, crypthophilic acids A–C (1–3), the first resin glycosides occurring in another family (Scrophulariaceae), and the other constituents of Scrophularia cryptophila were examined for in vitro antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial potentials. Except for crypthophilic acid B (2), all tested compounds exhibited growth-inhibitory effect against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, with l-tryptophan (6) and buddlejasaponin III (7) being the most potent ones (IC₅₀'s 4.1 and 9.7 μg/ml). In contrast, the activity towards Trypanosoma cruzi was poor, and only crypthophilic acid C (3), 6 and 7 were trypanocidal at concentrations above 40 μg/ml. With the exception of 2 and 6, all compounds were active against Leishmania donovani. Harpagide (4) and 3 emerged as the best leishmanicidal agents (IC₅₀'s 2.0 and 5.8 μg/ml). Only compounds 3, 6 and 7 showed antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum with IC₅₀ values of 4.2, 16.6 and 22.4 μg/ml. Overall the best and broadest spectrum activity was presented by compounds 3 and 7, as they inhibited all four parasitic protozoa. None of the isolates had significant activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MICs >100 μg/ml) or were toxic towards mammalian (L6) cells. This is the first report of antiprotozoal activity for natural resin glycosides, as well as for harpagide (4), acetylharpagide (5), tryptophan (6) and buddlejasaponin III (7).     

The history of the genusHomo

The genusHomo was established by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758. During the course of the past 150 years, the addition of fossil species to the genusHomo has resulted in a genus that, according to the taxonomic interpretation, could span as much time as 2.5 Myr, and include as many as ten species. This paper reviews the fossil evidence for each of the species involved, and sets out the case for their inclusion inHomo. It suggests that while the case for the inclusion of some species in the genus (e.g.Homo erectus) is well-supported, in the case of two of the species,Homo habilis andHomo rudolfensis, the case for their inclusion is much weaker. Neither the cladistic evidence, nor evidence about adaptation suggest a particularly close relationship with laterHomo.     

Progress on the genetics of the N2-fixing actinorhizal symbiont Frankia

The actinomycete Frankia is of fundamental and ecological interests for several reasons including its wide distribution, its ability to fix nitrogen, differentiate into sporangium and vesicle (specialized cell for nitrogen-fixation), and to nodulate plants from about 24 genera. Here, we present a review on the genetics performed so far on Frankia. At the end of July 2001, 293 kbp of Frankia DNA sequences were found in the databases. Thirty five percent of these sequences corresponded to full gene or gene cluster sequences. These genes could be divided according to their role into 6 key activities: gene translation (rrnA and tRNA ^pro gene), proteolysis (pcr genes), assimilation of ammonium (glnA and glnII), protection against superoxide ions (sodF), nitrogen fixation (nif cluster), and plasmid replication. We present a review of these genetic islands; their function, expression, localization and particular properties are discussed. A comparative analysis of Frankia nif genes from various strains and species is presented. An improved nomenclature for some of these genes is suggested to avoid conflicts. Frankia plasmids DNA sequences are also presented. The novel trends in Frankia genetics are described.