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.     

Free radical label: new approach to the study of super-slow molecular dynamics of lipid systems

A new method of EPR-spectroscopy, the recombination of free radicals appearing as a result of indirect radiolysis of biological molecules after a low temperature irradiation, was applied to the study of molecular dynamics of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine in mass and in the structure of liposomes above and below the transition temperature. It was shown that the mobility of lipid molecules in crystalline liposomes was lower than in the structure of liquid-crystalline liposomes. The addition of cholesterol in liposome membranes decreased the lateral molecular motion of lipids in crystalline and liquid-crystalline states; in the latter case, the effect of cholesterol addition was more pronounced. The activation energy for the displacement of the fragments of lipid molecules and the lipid molecule as a whole was estimated, and it was shown that the lipid matrix possesses a high degree of heterogeneity. The solubility of oxygen in the lipid bilayer and the mechanism of lipid diffusion are discussed.     

The Meroplankton of Amurskii Bay (Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan)

Russian Journal of Marine Biology - The composition and seasonal dynamics of meroplankton in Amurskii Bay (Sea of Japan) were studied for the first time. The total survey period exceeded two years....     

Composition,Seasonal Dynamics,and Long-Term Fluctuations in the Density of Pelagic Polychaetes in Amurskii Bay,Sea of Japan

This is the first survey of the composition and seasonal density dynamics of the pelagic polychaete larvae in Amurskii Bay. This is a summary of the results of two years of observations (1996–1998). The larvae of 14 polychaete families have been recorded. The greatest number of species have been found in the family Spionidae. The most common were the larvae of Harmothoe imbricata (family Polynoidae) and Paraprionospio sp. (family Spionidae). The larvae of polychaetes have been found in plankton throughout the year and have two density peaks. The first peak was due to the spawning of H. imbricata; the second one was provided by representatives of several species of the family Spionidae, mostly Paraprionospio sp., Polydora ciliata, and P. caeca.