The limits of phosphorus removal in wetlands

The phosphorus concentrations exported from wetlands are explored via data and a first order model. The graph of outlet concentration versus areal phosphorus loading is used to display these data and the model. For a given wetland, data and models show that P concentrations show an S curve response to increasing P loadings. The lower plateau is the background concentration and the upper plateau is the inlet concentration. The position of the ascending limb between the two plateaus is positioned differently for different wetlands. Phosphorus (P) removal in wetlands is often typified by a stable decreasing gradient of P concentrations from inlet to outlet, and an accompanying stable decreasing gradient in P assimilation. Limits to removal are inherent in the physical, chemical and biological processes. A lower outlet concentration limit exists because of the P cycle in the un-impacted wetland. The loading at which the outlet concentration departs from background, the lower knee in the loading curve, varies from wetland to wetland. An upper outlet concentration limit is imposed by the source concentration for extremely high inflows. The first order mass balance equation interpolates between these limits. The model gives further insights about performance within an overall envelope. The water carrying capacity of the wetland precludes flows in excess of the hydraulic conveyance capacity, thus limiting the possible P loadings to the system. Conversely, extremely low hydraulic loadings cause the wetland to be dominated by atmospheric additions and losses. The central tendency of inter-system data in the North American Database is shown to be inadequate to draw generalized conclusions about ecosystem processes in an individual wetland. The proposed one gram rule of Richardson, et al. (1997) is shown to be an over-simplification.     

Overexpression of regucalcin suppresses cell death and apoptosis in cloned rat hepatoma H4-II-E cells induced by lipopolysaccharide, PD 98059, dibucaine, or Bay K 8644

The effect of regucalcin, a regulatory protein in intracellular signaling pathway, on cell death was investigated by using the cloned rat hepatoma H4-II-E cells overexpressing regucalcin. The hepatoma cells (wild-type) and stable regucalcin (RC)/pCXN2 transfectants were cultured for 72 h in medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) to obtain subconfluent monolayers. After culture for 72 h, cells were further cultured for 12-72 h in medium without FBS containing either vehicle or lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0.1 or 1.0 microg/ml). The number of wild-type cells was significantly decreased by culture for 24 or 48 h in the presence of LPS (0.1 or 1.0 microg/ml). The effect of LPS (0.1 or 1.0 microg/ml) in decreasing the number of hepatoma cells was significantly prevented in transfectants overexpressing regucalcin. However, the culture with LPS (0.1 or 1.0 microg/ml) for 72 h caused a significant decrease in cell number of transfectants. Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent nitric oxide (NO) synthase activity was significantly decreased by culture with LPS (1.0 microg/ml) for 24-72 h of wild-type cells. This decrease was significantly prevented in transfectants. LPS (0.1 or 1.0 microg/ml)-induced decrease in the number of wild-type cells was significantly prevented by culture with caspase-3 inhibitor (10(-8) M). Moreover, the number of wild-type cells was significantly decreased by culture with PD 98059 (10(-6) M), dibucaine (10(-6) M), or staurosporine (10(-6) M), which is an inhibitor of various protein kinases. The effect of PD 98059 or dibucaine on the number of wild-type cells was not observed in transfectants, although the effect of staurosporine was seen in transfectants. Culture with Bay K 8644 (2.5 x 10(-6) M), an agonist of Ca(2+) entry in cells, caused a significant decrease in the number of wild-type cells. Such an effect was not seen in transfectants. The presence of LPS did not significantly decrease the number of wild-type cells in the presence of Bay K 8644. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed the presence of low-molecular-weight deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragments of adherent wild-type cells cultured with Bay K 8644, and this DNA fragmentation was significantly prevented in transfectants. This study demonstrates that overexpression of regucalcin has a suppressive effect on cell death induced by LPS or various intracellular signaling-related factors.     

胍丁胺对大鼠海马 CA1区神经元放电的影响

应用细胞外记录单位放电技术,在大鼠海马脑片上观察了胍丁胺(agmatine,Agm)对CAl区神经元放电的影响。实验结果如下：(1)在47个海马脑片放电单位上灌流Agm(0．1—1．0μmol／L)2min,有38个单位(80．9％)自发放电频率明显降低,且呈剂量依赖性,9个单位(19．1％)无明显的反应;(2)预先用0．2mmol／L的L-谷氨酸(L-glutamate,L-Glu)灌流12个海马脑片放电单位,有9个单位(75％)放电频率明显增加,表现为癫痫样放电,在此基础上灌流Agm(1．0μmol／L)2min,其癫痫样放电被抑制;(3)在7个海马脑片放电单位上给予L型钙通道激动剂Bay K8644(0．1μmoL／L)时,有6个单位(85．7％)放电频率明显增加,另外1个单位(14．3％)无明显变化,再给予Agm(1．0μmol／L)2min,其放电频率被明显抑制;(4)13个CAl放电单位,灌流50μmoL／L一氧化氮合酶(NOS)抑制剂N^G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester。(L-NAME)5min后其放电频率明显增加,在此基础上再给予Agm(1．0μmol／L)2min,有11个单位(84．6％)的放电频率被抑制,有2个单位(15．4％)的变化不明显。上述结果提示：胍丁胺能抑制海马CAl区神经元自发放电以及由谷氨酸、BayK8644和L-NAME诱发的放电,这一抑制效应可能与胍丁胺阻断CAl区锥体细胞上的NMDA受体,并减少钙离子内流有关。     

Species Composition, Abundance, and Distribution of Seabirds along the Northeastern Coast of Sakhalin

Seabirds were counted in September 1998 from the research vessel Professor Khromovand a motorboat in Pil'tun and Lunskii bays and in the contiguous areas of the eastern Sakhalin shelf. Data on the species composition, abundance, and distribution of seabirds are presented. A fairly high species diversity and significantly high density of seabirds were recorded in Pil'tun and Lunskii bays, which are the main areas where they concentrate during the summer months.     

Growth and nutrient dynamics of soft-stem bulrush in constructed wetlands treating nutrient-rich wastewaters

The growth characteristics and nutritional status ofSchoenoplectus tabernaemontani (C.C. Gmelin)Palla (soft-stem bulrush or lake clubrush) wereinvestigated during the second and third growthseasons in four equivalent subsurface-flow, gravel-bedconstructed treatment wetlands. Each wetland wassupplied with a different hydraulic loading rate ofagricultural wastewater, covering the range commonlyapplied to such systems. Harvest and demographictechniques were combined to determine seasonalpatterns and gradients of growth and nutrientallocation, and net annual primary productivity(NAPP). Marked seasonal patterns of early springemergence, summer growth and autumn senescence wereobserved, with little over-wintering of liveabove-ground biomass. Starch, the dominant long-termstorage substance, comprised 20% of rhizome dryweight (DW) in autumn. Mobilization during springreduced concentrations by around half, with a trend ofincreasing depletion in the higher loaded wetlands.NAPP, including above-ground mortality, during thesecond growth season ranged between 2.5 and 3.5 kg DWm^-2, with 10-23% allocated to below-groundgrowth. Mean above-ground live and dead biomass rangedbetween 1.75 and 2.65 kg DW m^-2 by mid-summer,with below to above-ground biomass ratios similar inall wetlands at between 0.6 and 0.7. Rhizomes, whichcomprised around 80% of the below-ground biomass,were generally restricted to the upper 10 cm of thesubstratum and over half the root biomass alsooccurred in this zone, with very few roots penetratingbelow 30 cm depth. High culm concentrations of N,P, Mg and Zn in spring declined markedly over thegrowth season, while S and Ca showed generalincreases, and K, Fe and Cu remained relativelystable. Gradients of decreasing tissue concentrationof most macronutrients were noted with increasingdistance from wastewater inflows. Plant accumulationof N rose by 20-35 g m^-2 and P by 4-9 g m^-2with seasonal re-growth of above-ground shoots. Netplant N and P uptake rates rose to maximum values of0.3 g N m^-2 d^-1 and 0.1 g P m^-2d^-1 in early summer, declining markedly duringlate summer and autumn. Mass balance assessments of Nand P accumulation in plants at near maximum seasonalbiomass, after three growth seasons, showed that only6 to 11% of the N removal and 6 to 13% of the Premoval recorded from wastewaters applied to thewetlands could be ascribed to plant uptake andaccumulation.     

Filling of a wetland (Seine estuary,France): natural eutrophication or anthropogenic process? A sedimentological and geochemical study of wetland organic sediments

Hydrobiologia - For over a century the Seine estuary has been highly affected by human activities, resulting in a reduction of the surface of wetland habitat. Several ponds of the Vernier Marsh,...     

Diversity of mercury resistance determinants among Bacillus strains isolated from sediment of Minamata Bay

Thirty mercury-resistant (Hg R) Bacillus strains were isolated from mercury-polluted sediment of Minamata Bay, Japan. Mercury resistance phenotypes were classified into broad-spectrum (resistant to inorganic Hg(2+) and organomercurials) and narrow-spectrum (resistant to inorganic Hg(2+) and sensitive to organomercurials) groups. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product sizes and the restriction nuclease site maps of mer operon regions from all broad-spectrum Hg R Bacillus were identical to that of Bacillus megaterium MB1. On the other hand, the PCR products of the targeted merP (extracellular mercury-binding protein gene) and merA (intracellular mercury reductase protein gene) regions from the narrow-spectrum Hg R Bacillus were generally smaller than those of the B. megaterium MB1 mer determinant. Diversity of gene structure configurations was also observed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiles of the merA PCR products from the narrow-spectrum Hg R Bacillus. The genetic diversity of narrow-spectrum mer operons was greater than that of broad-spectrum ones.     

Evaluation of biotracers to monitor effluent retention time in constructed wetlands

AIMS: With concern surrounding the environmental impact of chemical tracers on the aquatic environment, this paper presents the initial evaluation of biotracers used to determine the effluent retention time, an important performance indicator, in a Free Water Surface Constructed Wetland. METHODS AND RESULTS: Production of the biotracers, coliphage MS2, and the bacteriophage of Enterobacter cloacae and antibiotic resistant endospores of Bacillus globigii is described in detail. Their subsequent use in three separate tracer experiments - January, March and June (2000) - revealed the variability of retention time with respect to effluent flow. The biotracer MS2 showed the constructed wetland had a retention time of 8-9 h at a mean discharge of 0.9 l s-1, increasing to 10-12 h at a mean discharge 0.3 l s-1. A similar retention of 9-10 h at a mean discharge of 0.3 l s-1 was calculated for the Ent. cloacae phage. In contrast, use of endospores revealed considerably longer retention times at these mean discharge rates; 12-24 h and 36-48 h, respectively. CONCLUSION: Biotracers could provide a useful and environmentally friendly technique to monitor effluent retention in constructed wetlands. At this stage the phage tracers appear particularly promising due to ease of isolation and recovery. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Initial results are encouraging and have highlighted the potential of biotracers as alternatives to chemical tracers, even in microbially-rich waters.     

The effects of population size limitation on fecundity in mosaic populations of the clonal macrophyte Scirpus maritimus (Cyperaceae)

The clonal macrophyte Scirpus maritimus (Cyperaceae) propagates locally by rhizomes and reproduces sexually by achenes. The purpose of this paper was to examine whether in size-limited habitats in patchy and discrete marshes in two Mediterranean wetlands in southern France natural populations may suffer from a reduced maternal fecundity due to a deficit in outcross pollen. We first verified that S. maritimus suffers from a reduced fecundity when self-pollinated. At a site in the Camargue, mean fecundity (mean number of achenes per centimetre of spikelet) measured in 1995 and 1996 in seven and nine populations, respectively (surface area from 50 to 4500 m) increased significantly with population surface area in 1995 but not in 1996. In the second wetland at Roquehaute, which is composed of small ponds, fecundity was very low in all 12 local populations studied in 1996 (1.1 achenes per spikelet, SD = 1.2) and was not correlated with the population surface area (from 10 to 400 m). We performed a pollen supplementation experiment in five local populations at Roquehaute to determine whether this low fecundity may be due to a pollen limitation. A significant increase in fecundity after among-pond pollinations compared to within-pond pollinations indicated that local populations suffer from a deficit in outcross pollen, since each pond appears to contain one or a few number of clones (or incompatibility types). In S. maritimus, clonal spread may have a cost in terms of reduced fecundity in small habitats because each habitat is colonized by very few clones.     

Altered transarcolemmal Ca transport modifies the myofibrillar ultrastructure and protein metabolism in cultured adult ventricular cardiomyocytes

The present study was designed to investigate how prolonged (24-72 h) exposure to modifiers of Ca transarcolemmal transport affects the myofibrillar structure, protein turnover and content of myofibrillar proteins in adult guinea pig cardiomyocytes maintained beating synchronously in long-term cultures. First we established the functional responses (the contractile activity and [Ca]_i transients) of the cultured myocytes to acute exposures to several drugs used in this study. The ultrastructural characteristics of these cultures under the various treatments were determined using immunohistochemistry and confocal scanning laser microscopy, and their biochemical properties were evaluated using analysis of total cellular protein content, myofibrillar protein content and SDS-PAGE electrophoretic examination. We compared the effects of 24, 36 and 72 h-long exposures to the various specific Ca-flux modifiers. Increased Ca influx via Ca_L-channel agonist (Bay K 8644) or via the reversed- mode of the Na/Ca exchanger (veratrine) did not alter the myofibrillar structure or the specific protein profiles or proteosynthesis. However, when cytosolic Ca was increased by three different types of inhibitors of Ca extrusion from the cells via Na/Ca exchange, (Na-free solution, 5 mM NiCl₂ and 10^-6 M ouabain), very significant changes in all investigated parameters occurred almost immediately. Twenty-four h-long exposure to Na-free did not affect significantly the total cellular protein (TCP), but the protein synthesis was decreased by 87% and the total myofibrillar protein (TMP) content was decreased by 38%. The myofibrils were heavily fragmented. Similarly, 24 h-long exposure to 5 mM NiCl₂ did not affect the TCP, but it reduced protein synthesis by about 90% and decreased the total myofibrillar protein content by 30%. These effects were even more pronounced at 72 h of exposure and they were accompanied with a complete disassembly of myofilaments. Exposure to 10^-6 M ouabain over 72 h resulted in > 80% inhibition of protein synthesis, a 45% decrease in TCP content and a 53% in TMP content. In contrast, 10^-7 M ouabain did not produce any such changes. The changes produced by the Na/Ca-exchange inhibitors were accompanied by only minor changes in DNA content, indicating that the myocytes remained viable. Moreover, these effects were not due to the associated contractile arrest, since exposure to Ca_L-channel antagonists (5-20 M nifedipine or 10 M verapamil) produced only very minor changes in the myofibrillar structure and in protein profiles.Our data demonstrate that short-term (up to 72 h) increased Ca influx or contractile arrest of well-interconnected, spontaneously beating adult cardiomyocytes does not affect their ultrastructural characteristics or their myofibrillar protein turnover greatly, while any situations leading to Ca accumulation (via inhibition of Na/Ca exchange) affect cardiomyocyte function and ultrastructure almost immediately. These data are in sharp contrast to those previously reported from immature, neonatal myocytes.