Sievoides kocyigiti n. gen., n. sp., Mesoendothyra altineriana n. sp. and Kurnubia feleensis n. sp. from Kimmeridgian shallow water limestones intercalated with alkaline igneous rocks, Western Taurus, Turkey

In the framework of the palaeogeographical reconstruction of the Western Taurus during Jurassic, the study of northern and eastern boundary of the Taurids started. Detailed facies analysis evidenced the position of the Barla Dag ramp between two elevated areas: the southern rimmed shelf extension of the platform system and the northern neritic-beach-land plain. In the basal biostratigraphical and ecological characteristics of the Balcikhisar volcano-sedimentary sequence, correlated with the Fele outcrop, one genus and three new species of foraminifers have been found: Sievoides kocyigiti n. gen., n. sp. and Mesoendothyra altineriana n. sp. from neritic environment, and Kurnubia feleensis n. sp. from rimmed shelf lagoon. Both carbonate sedimentary deposits are intercalated with spilitic-basalt pillow lava flows. The age of the new three species is Kimmeridgian, controlled by some foraminifer golden hooks.     

Modelling the influence of nutrient loads on Portuguese estuaries

The effects of implementing Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 (Waste Water Treatment Plan Directive) and Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December (Nitrates Directive) are analysed in 7 Portuguese estuaries (Minho, Lima, Douro, Mondego, Tagus, Sado and Guadiana) and two coastal lagoons (Ria de Aveiro and Ria Formosa), with a modelling approach. MOHID Water Modelling System was used to perform simulations with three nitrogen load scenarios for each system: a reference scenario, a 50% nitrate removal by agriculture scenario and another with a 100% nutrients removal by waste water treatment plants (WWTP). It is shown that the interaction between hydrodynamic and ecological processes is an important feature to study trophic problems in estuaries. Ecological processes such as primary production only occur inside the system if the residence time of water is high enough to enable organismal activity and if the adequate conditions are found (e.g. light, nutrients, temperature). From the model results it is possible to conclude: (i) in systems with short residence time a reduction in nutrient load will only produce a decrease in nutrient transit and will not affect the system’s global ecological status (e.g. Douro Estuary); (ii) in systems with long residence time the effects will range from significant, when primary production is mostly limited by nutrients (e.g. Ria de Aveiro), to non-significant, when primary production in the system is light-limited (e.g. Tagus Estuary).     

Effects of urbanization on streams of the Melbourne region, Victoria, Australia. I. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities

1. Macroinvertebrate community composition was assessed in small streams of the Melbourne region to test the effects of (a) urban density (catchment imperviousness 0–51%) and (b) stormwater drainage intensity (comparing the intensively drained metropolitan area with urban areas of the hinterland, which had open drains and some localized stormwater drainage).
2. Hinterland communities separated into two groups of sites correlating strongly with patterns of electrical conductivity (EC), basalt geology and annual rainfall. Community composition varied little in the high-EC, western group (imperviousness 0.2–1.2%), but in the eastern group it was strongly correlated with catchment imperviousness (0–12%), with lower taxon richness in more impervious catchments.
3. Metropolitan communities (imperviousness 1–51%) were all severely degraded, with high abundances of a few tolerant taxa. Community composition was poorly correlated with patterns of geology, rainfall or imperviousness. Differences between metropolitan and hinterland communities were well explained by patterns of biochemical oxygen demand and electrical conductivity, which were postulated to indicate the more efficient transport of pollutants to receiving streams by the metropolitan stormwater drainage system.
4. Degradation of macroinvertebrate community composition was well explained by urban density but intensive urban drainage increased degradation severely at even low urban densities. Quantification of relationships between imperviousness, drainage intensity and stream degradation can better inform the assessment, conservation and restoration of urban streams.     

Stable isotope-based statistical tools as ecological indicator of pollution sources in Mediterranean transitional water ecosystems

N-stable isotope analysis of macroalgae has become a popular method for the monitoring of nitrogen pollution in aquatic ecosystems. Basing on changes in their δ¹⁵N, macroalgae have been successfully used as biological traps to intercept nitrogen inputs. As different nitrogen sources differ in their isotopic signature, this technique provides useful information on the origin of pollutants and their extension in the water body. However, isotopic fractionation potentially resulting from microbial nitrogen processing, and indirect isotopic variations due to effects of physicochemical conditions on algal nutrient uptake and metabolism, may affect anthropogenic N isotopic values during transportation and assimilation. This in turn can affect the observed isotopic signature in the algal tissue, inducing isotopic variations not related to the origin of assimilated nitrogen, representing a “background noise” in isotope-based water pollution studies.In this study, we focused on three neighbouring coastal lakes (Caprolace, Fogliano and Sabaudia lakes) located south of Rome (Italy). Lakes were characterized by differences in terms of anthropogenic pressure (i.e. urbanization, cultivated crops, livestock grazing) and potential “background noise” levels (i.e. nutrient concentration, pH, microbial concentration). Our aim was to assess nitrogen isotopic variations in fragments of Ulva lactuca specimens after 48 h of submersion to identify and locate the origins of nitrogen pollutants affecting each lake. δ¹⁵N were obtained for replicated specimens of U. lactuca spatially distributed to cover the entire surface of each lake, previously collected from a benchmark, unpolluted site. In order to reduce the environmental background noise on isotopic observations, a Bayesian hierarchical model relating isotopic variation to environmental covariates and random spatial effects was used to describe and understand the distribution of isotopic signals in each lake.Our procedure (i) allowed to remove background noise and confounding effects from the observed isotopic signals; (ii) allowed to detect “hidden” pollution sources that would not be detected when not accounting for the confounding effect of environmental background noise; (iii) produced maps of the three lakes providing a clear representation of the isotopic signal variation even where background noise was high. Maps were useful to locate nitrogen pollution sources, identify the origin of the dissolved nitrogen and quantify the extent of pollutants, showing localized organic pollution impacting Sabaudia and Fogliano, but not Caprolace. This method provided a clear characterization of both intra- and inter-lake anthropogenic pressure gradients, representing a powerful approach to the ecological indication and nitrogen pollution management in complex systems, as transitional waterbodies are.     

Revealing Sulfate-Reducing Microorganisms in Oilfield Waters (Flysch Carpathians,South-eastern Poland)

Sulphidogenous microorganism communities were isolated from selected oilfield waters in the Flysch Carpathians of south-eastern Poland. Organisms were incubated using the microcosms method with application of two media: minimal medium and modified Postgate C medium with yeast extract or trisodium citrate or monocyclic hydrocarbons from the BTEX group (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) as the sole carbon source. Activity of sulphidogenic, autochthonous microorganism communities was noted only on the Postgate medium. Beside active sulphate reduction – max. 70%, ca. 74% biodegradation of organic compounds was also observed in the cultures. The highest content of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the COD (ca. 83%) was noted in cultures, in which trisodium citrate and yeast extract were applied as the sole carbon source. Molecular analysis indicated not only the presence of SRB such as Desulfobacterium autothrophicum, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, but also other microorganisms, e.g., Geobacter metallireducens. All these taxa are obligatory or facultative anaerobes, with metabolism linked mostly with elemental sulphur and/or its oxidized forms, as well as iron. Analysis of the mineral composition of the residues confirmed the presence of elemental sulphur, testifying for the active reduction of sulphates by incompletely oxidizing sulphate reducers assigned to the SRB group. Based on the obtained results, it is concluded that the physical and chemical properties of the oilfield waters are favorable for the growth and development of sulphidogenic microorganism assemblages and mineral-forming processes conducted by them.     

Evaluating the performance of benthic multi-metric indices across broad-scale environmental gradients

The usefulness of benthic multi-metric indices when assessing seafloor integrity across broad environmental gradients should be deliberated, as their lack of transparency might hide important sources of variation and fail to identify environmental change. This study compares the performance of two multi-metric indices; the Benthic Quality Index (BQI) and the Brackish water Benthic Index (BBI) between three sub-basins in the Baltic Sea. Both indices reflect the salinity-driven gradient in macroinvertebrate diversity and composition as well as changes in bottom water oxygen concentrations. The relative contribution of predictor variables for explaining index variation does, however, differ between sub-basins, resulting in the indices representing different aspects of the benthic community along the environmental gradient. This context-dependency is caused by inherent differences in benthic community characteristics between the sub-basins of the Baltic Sea, and how the communities are portrayed by the indices. An increased transparency of the importance of the different predictors for directing index values is needed for coherent classifications over broad environmental gradients, such as those occurring in large estuarine water bodies. Use of a weight of evidence table to combine multiple indicators would preserve transparency and be more likely to provide a robust assessment method that would detect seafloor degradation at an early stage.     

北京典型景观水体好氧反硝化菌组成特征

好氧反硝化菌对环境水体氮素的循环起到非常重要的作用。对北京市6个典型景观水体中好氧反硝化菌进行富集培养和分离,并开展菌株的16S rRNA基因测序和组成特征分析。结果表明,从6个水体中共富集分离得到80株好氧反硝化菌,均为变形菌门 (Proteobacteria),聚类于其3个纲(α-Proteobacteria、β-Proteobacteria、γ-Proteobacteria),分属于9个属,31个物种。其中90%左右的菌株具有良好的好氧反硝化能力,是水体进行生物脱氮修复的重要微生物基础。在不同景观水体中,好氧反硝化菌表现出较为明显的分布差异性和性能差异性,除了普遍存在的假单胞菌属（Pseudomonas）和不动杆菌属（Acinetobacter）外,每个水体基本都有属于自己的特异菌属,其中重要的特异菌属包括Alishewanella、Delftia、Hydrogenophaga和Rheinheimera,这对水体修复具有指导意义。     

Corophiine amphipods of the genera Chelicorophium and Paracorophium from the lower Gulf of Thailand (Crustacea,Amphipoda, Corophiidae,Corophiinae)

Two species of corophiine amphipods from Songkhla Lake, in the lower Gulf of Thailand, are described and illustrated. Chelicorophium madrasensis (Nayar, 1950), found in the mangrove forest, has not previously been observed in Thai waters. Paracorophium angsupanichae sp. n. is characterized by its chelate male gnathopod 2, obtuse palm with subrectangular distomedial elevation, and urosomites 1-3 free. This is the first record of the genus Chelicorophium and Paracorophium in Thai waters. All specimens are deposited in the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand and the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.     

黄河口邻近海域生态系统能量流动与三疣梭子蟹增殖容量估算

增殖放流是渔业资源养护的重要手段, 生态系统与放流种类能流格局的变化研究,是进行增殖容量评估的研究基础.根据2012和2013年黄河口邻近海域的资源调查数据,构建了黄河口邻近海域6、8、10月的Ecopath模型,比较分析了3个月份该海域生态系统能量流动的变化,初步评估了三疣梭子蟹的增殖容量.结果表明： 黄河口邻近海域生态系统的能量流动主要在营养级I～III之间进行,营养级IV以及以上的能量流动较小.6月第I营养级整合系统流动的比例最高,8月最低.第II营养级整合系统流动的比例8月最高,6月最低.三疣梭子蟹相对能量流动和绝对能量流动均是第III营养级最高,三疣梭子蟹的营养级3月平均为3.28.黄河口邻近海域生态系统有较高的剩余生产量,6月最高、8月最低,系统的总初级生产量/总呼吸(TPP/TR) 3个月份分别为5.49、2.47、3.01,总初级生产量/总生物量(TPP/B)分别为47.61、33.30、29.78,同时具有较低的循环指数(FCI：0.03～0.06),黄河口邻近海域生态系统处于脆弱的不稳定期.系统的能量转换效率为7.3%～11.5%;渔获物的平均营养级8月和10月有所下降,3个月份分别为3.23、2.97和2.82;总捕捞效率8月最高,6月最低.在黄河口邻近海域8月Ecopath模型基础上,初步评估三疣梭子蟹的增殖容量为1.5115 t·km^-2.