Redescription and taxonomic reappraisal of Amphiporus elongatus Stephenson (Nemertea, Enopla) from the Firth of Clyde

Amphiporus elongatus Stephenson, 1911, is redescribed from histological studies of five specimens obtained from near the type locality. The systematic position of the species is reassessed and a new genus, Psammamphiporus , is established for it. Psammamphiporus elongatus (Stephenson) is so far known only from two intertidal sandy localities in the Firth of Clyde.     

Cytochrome b sequence data suggest rapid speciation within the Paramecium aurelia species complex

We investigated mitochondrial Cytochrome b sequences from all 15 members of the enigmatic Paramecium aurelia species complex (Ciliophora). The analysis revealed high genetic distances between the different P. aurelia species (6.1-19.8%) and a largely unresolved, star-like phylogenetic tree. This result strongly supports a rapid radiation in the evolutionary history of this species complex and it correlates well with the hypothesis that the extant species diversity may have originated from the neutral consequences of a whole genome duplication in the common ancestor of P. aurelia.     

Comparison of the evolutionary distances among syngens and sibling species of Paramecium

The morphospecies of the genus Paramecium have several mating type groups, so-called syngens, composed of cells of complementary mating types. The Paramecium aurelia complex is composed of 15 sibling species assigned to the species from the syngen. To increase our understanding of the evolutionary relationships among syngen and sibling species of the genus Paramecium, we investigated the gene sequences of cytosol-type hsp70 from 7 syngens of Paramecium caudatum and 15 sibling species of P. aurelia. Molecular phylogenetic trees indicated that the P. aurelia complex could be divided into four lineages and separated into each sibling species. However, we did not find any obvious genetic distance among syngens of P. caudatum, and they could only be separated into two closely related groups. These results indicated that the concept of syngens in P. caudatum differs quite markedly from that of the P. aurelia complex. In addition, we also discuss the relationships among these species and other species, Paramecium jenningsi and Paramecium multimicronucleatum, which were once classified as varieties of P. aurelia.     

Relationships of new sibling species of Paramecium jenningsi based on sequences of the histone H4 gene fragment

Paramecium jenningsi Diller & Earl, 1958 belongs to the "aurelia" subgroup of the genus, together with Paramecium caudatum, Paramecium multimicronucleatum, Paramecium schewiakoffi and species of the Paramecium aurelia complex. The original assumption that the morphospecies P. jenningsi was a single genetic species was questioned because a comparison of genome analyses suggested the possibility that this morphospecies contained two sibling species. To refine understanding of relationships between the strains of P. jenningsi, a molecular phylogenetic analysis was conducted using H4 gene sequences. Some polymorphic sites were found among the compared sequences, and specific patterns of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers characterize two groups of strains of P. jenningsi. Phylogenetic trees constructed by different methods identified two clearly different groups (from Japan and mainland Asia) whatever the method used. The sequences of the H4 gene analyzed in the present study are closely related, and provide a good subject for phylogenetic analysis. The presence of two isolated groups of strains in the P. jenningsi group can reveal the evolutionary relationship between them; it confirms the presence of two sibling species among the known strains of P. jenningsi, and the close relationships between them and species of the P. aurelia complex.     

The Importance of Ship Hull Fouling as a Vector of Species Introductions into the North Sea

Ships have long been recognized as a major vector for the introduction of non-native and harmful organisms. From 1992 to 1996 a shipping study was undertaken in Germany, focusing on the fauna transported by ships, to assess the importance of species introductions by international shipping traffic. Ballast water, tank sediment or hull fouling of 186 vessels was sampled. A total of 257 species were identified, ranging from Foraminifera to Teleostei, and 57% of the species sampled were considered to be non-native to the North Sea region, originating from elsewhere in the world including the north eastern Atlantic (west of the English Channel). Non-native species were recorded in 38% of all ballast water samples, 57% of all sediment samples and 96% of all hull samples, indicating that hull fouling is an important vector of introduction. Four species (1.6%) of unknown origin (cryptogenic species) were identified. The potential for establishment in the North Sea region of all non-native species found was classified into three categories based on the degree of similarity of climatic conditions in the North Sea and the donor region. Based on this criterion 19 of the species found in the fouling communities on ships' hulls were deemed to have a high potential for establishment in the North Sea.     

Application of neural computing methods for interpreting phospholipid fatty acid profiles of natural microbial communities

The microbial community compositions of surface and subsurface marine sediments and sediments lining burrows of marine polychaetes and hemichordates from the North Inlet estuary (near Georgetown, S.C. ) were analyzed by comparing ester-linked phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles with a back-propagating neural network (NN). The NNs were trained to relate PLFA inputs to sediment type outputs (e.g., surface, subsurface, and burrow lining) and worm species (e.g., Notomastus lobatus, Balanoglossus aurantiacus, and Branchyoasychus americana). Sensitivity analysis was used to determine which of the 60 PLFAs significantly contributed to training the NN. The NN architecture was optimized by changing the number of hidden neurons and calculating the cross-validation error between predicted and actual outputs of training and test data. The optimal NN architecture was found to be four hidden neurons with 60-input neurons representing the 60 PLFAs, and four output neurons coding for both sediment types and worm species. Comparison of cross-validation results using NNs and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) revealed that NNs had significantly fewer incorrect classifications (2.7%) than LDA (8.4%). For the NN cross-validation, both sediment type and worm species had 3 incorrect classifications out of 112. For the LDA cross-validation, sediment type and worm species had 7 and 12 incorrect classifications out of 112, respectively. Sensitivity analysis of the trained NNs revealed that 17 fatty acids explained 50% of variability in the data set. These PLFAs were highly different among sediments and burrow types, indicating significant differences in the microbiota.     

浙江北雁荡山蕨类植物区系特征分析

通过标本和文献查阅以及野外调查,对浙江北雁荡山蕨类植物的区系组成和分布区类型进行了分析.结果显示:北雁荡山共有蕨类植物37科71属156种(含种下分类群);以单种和寡种分布的科和属所占比例最大,分别占总科数和总属数的75.7％和91.5％.该区域蕨类植物科的分布区类型以世界分布型和泛热带分布型为主,分别有14和20科,占总科数的37.8％和54.1％;热带成分总计22科,占总科数的59.5％,而温带成分仅1科.属的分布区类型可划分为9类型2亚型,包含世界分布型17属、热带分布型47属、温带分布型7属;其中,泛热带分布型属数量最多区28属),占总属数的39.4％.种的分布区类型以东亚分布型最多(93种),其中,中国-日本分布亚型有65种,占总种数的41.7％.中国特有种有21种(占总种数的13.5％),其中2种为仅分布于本区域的特有种,分布类型以华东-华南分布最多.由分析结果可见:北雁荡山蕨类植物具有组成丰富、区系起源古老、地理成分多样、热带区系特征明显及特有种数量匮乏等特点,但与周边区域蕨类植物分布有紧密联系.     

Genetic Control of Mitochondria in Paramecium

Mitochondrial mutations for resistance to various antibiotics (erythromycin, chloramphenicol, spiramycin, mikamycin) have been obtained in Paramecium aurelia and their properties are reviewed. Using these mitochondrial markers, the interactions between nucleus and mitochondria have been studied in two ways: by microinjection of mitochondria from one stock or species into other stocks and species of P. aurelia and by a genetic study of a nuclear mutation affecting mitochondrial multiplication. Both types of experiments show: (1) that there may exist incompatibility between a given type of mitochondria and the cell into which they are introduced and (2) that through multiplication in the host cell, mitochondrial properties can be modified. The possible basis for incompatibility and host-induced modifications is discussed.     

A two-locus molecular characterization of Paramecium calkinsi

Paramecium calkinsi (Ciliophora, Protozoa) is a euryhaline species which was first identified in freshwater habitats, but subsequently several strains were also collected from brackish water. It is characterized by clockwise spiral swimming movement and the general morphology of the "bursaria type." The present paper is the first molecular characterization of P. calkinsi strains recently collected in distant regions in Russia using ITS1-5.8S- ITS2-5'LSU rDNA (1100bp) and COI (620bp) mtDNA sequenced gene fragments. For comparison, our molecular analysis includes P. bursaria, exhibiting a similar "bursaria morphotype" as well as species representing the "aurelia type," i.e., P. caudatum, P. multimicronucleatum, P. jenningsi, and P. schewiakoffi, and some species of the P. aurelia species complex (P. primaurelia, P. tetraurelia, P. sexaurelia, and P. tredecaurelia). We also use data from GenBank concerning other species in the genus Paramecium and Tetrahymena (which used as an outgroup). The division of the genus Paramecium into four subgenera (proposed by Fokin et al. 2004) is clearly presented by the trees. There is a clear separation between P. calkinsi strains collected from different regions (races). Consequently, given the molecular distances between them, it seems that these races may represent different syngens within the species.     

新疆南北疆灌木植物组成及区系比较

在文献和标本查阅以及野外调查的基础上,比较了北疆和南疆灌木植物的种类、组成及分布区类型的差异,并分析了北疆和南疆灌木植物的相似性。结果表明:新疆共分布有野生灌木植物39科127属462种,其中北疆分布有37科104属350种,南疆分布有28科63属160种。北疆和南疆灌木植物中含2~10种的科最多,分别占北疆和南疆灌木植物总科数的59.5%和60.7%,共有的优势科为菊科(Compositae)、豆科(Leguminosae)和藜科(Chenopodiaceae);在属级水平上均以含1种的属和含2~10种的属占优势。北疆和南疆灌木植物科的分布区类型均以世界广布型和北温带分布型为主,其中,在北疆灌木植物中这2个分布型科的数量分别占总科数的43.2%和32.4%、在南疆灌木植物中分别占总科数的50.0%和28.6%。北疆和南疆灌木植物属的分布区类型均以地中海区、西亚至中亚分布型和北温带分布型为主,其中,在北疆灌木植物中这2个分布型属的数量分别占总属数的26.9%和22.1%、在南疆灌木植物中则分别占总属数的31.7%和27.0%。北疆和南疆灌木植物中分别包含特有种15和8种,此外还包含一些珍稀濒危种类及古老的孑遗种。北疆与南疆灌木植物区系在科、属、种水平上的相似性系数分别为86.1%、69.4%和40.8%,表明在科、属水平上2个区域的灌木植物区系有较为密切的关系。研究结果显示:北疆和南疆灌木植物在种类组成、分布区类型和特有种数量等方面有一定差异,但均具有明显的温带性质,并形成了一系列适应于当地生态环境的生存策略。     

The evolutionary significance of ultrastructural variations in the micronuclear spindle apparatus in the genus Paramecium.

Ultrastructural variations of micronuclear mitosis in three species of Paramecium have been reviewed for the purpose of hypothesizing possible evolutionary relationships. P. bursaria is considered to be the most primitive species because it has complex kinetochore-equivalents termed microlamellae which attach to microfilaments. P. multimicronucleatum is considered more advanced since it has typical kinetochores which intercalate between the kinetochores and polar microfilaments. P. aurelia is considered the most advanced member of the genus, and has typical diffuse or well defined kinetochores and chromosomal microtubules while it lacks obvious meshworks of microfilaments. A hypothetical model of chromosome movement in the genus involves the interaction of microtubules and microfilaments.     

Zooplankton of some water bodies of the Zoological Garden in Kraków

The aim of this study was to register the zooplanktonic organisms in water bodies in the Zoological Garden in Kraków, especially from a point of view of the occurrence of species of the Paramecium aurelia complex. Only P. caudatum was found in one habitat, in several sampling places. The species seems very resistant and can survive in poor or polluted habitats in which the P. aurelia ssp. are eliminated.     

Polychaetes as surrogates for marine biodiversity: lower taxonomic resolution and indicator groups

Due to conservation needs, reliable rapid-assessment methods for mapping of biodiversity are needed. One approach is to use surrogates, i.e. quantities that correlate strongly with the number of species, but are easier to obtain. The purpose of this paper is to test two polychaete surrogates, one for higher taxa and one for indicator groups, that will facilitate prediction of species richness in marine soft-bottom communities. Soft sediment is an important habitat which covers most of the ocean bottom. Data on polychaetes from the North Atlantic were used since polychaetes are often numerically dominant in the benthic assemblages, both with regard to the number of species and their abundance. In the polychaete assemblages along the Norwegian coast, richness at the genus, family and order level were significantly, linearly correlated to total species richness (r 0.92). Polychaetes in the order Terebellida were found to be a good indicator of polychaete species richness and to a lesser extent also of whole benthic assemblages. The group Terebellida is potentially well suited as an indicator group, since it contains long-lived, large species that are easy to sort from the sediment and it is well defined taxonomically. Although promising as proxies for species richness in marine biodiversity studies, the use of lower taxonomic resolution and indicator groups requires further investigations in more local areas where there are conservation issues.     

Four New Recent Genera of Foraminiferida

SYNOPSIS. Four new genera of Foraminiferida are described. Phlegeria , type species P. hyalina sp. nov. and Tomaculoides , type species T. lucidum sp. nov. belong to the family Glandulinidae, and both were obtained from the Gulf of Mexico. Francesita , type species Virgulina ? advena Cusbman is found in the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, and belongs to the Caucasinidae. Montfortella , type species M. bramlettei sp. nov. occurs in Pleistocene strata and is living on the coast of California, and belongs to the Cibicididae.     

A Vertical Wall Dominated by Acesta excavata and Neopycnodonte zibrowii,Part of an Undersampled Group of Deep-Sea Habitats

We describe a novel biotope at 633 to 762 m depth on a vertical wall in the Whittard Canyon, an extensive canyon system reaching from the shelf to the deep sea on Ireland’s continental margin. We explored this wall with an ROV and compiled a photomosaic of the habitat. The assemblage contributing to the biotope was dominated by large limid bivalves, Acesta excavata (mean shell height 10.4 cm), and deep-sea oysters, Neopycnodonte zibrowii, at high densities, particularly at overhangs. Mean density of N. zibrowii increased with depth, with densities of the most closely packed areas of A. excavata also increasing with depth. Other taxa associated with the assemblage included the solitary coral Desmophyllum dianthus, cerianthid anemones, comatulid crinoids, the trochid gastropod Margarites sp., the portunid crab Bathynectes longispina and small fish of the family Bythitidae. The scleractinian coral Madrepora oculata, the pencil urchin Cidaris cidaris and a species of Epizoanthus were also common. Prominent but less abundant species included the flytrap anemone Actinoscyphia saginata, the carrier crab Paramola cuvieri, and the fishes Lepidion eques and Conger conger. Observations of the hydrography of the canyon system identified that the upper 500 m was dominated by Eastern North Atlantic Water, with Mediterranean Outflow Water beneath it. The permanent thermocline is found between 600 and 1000 m depth, i.e., in the depth range of the vertical wall and the dense assemblage of filter feeders. Beam attenuation indicated nepheloid layers present in the canyon system with the greatest amounts of suspended material at the ROV dive site between 500 and 750 m. A cross-canyon CTD transect indicated the presence of internal waves between these depths. We hypothesise that internal waves concentrate suspended sediment at high concentrations at the foot of the vertical wall, possibly explaining the large size and high density of filter-feeding molluscs.     

Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Variation as an Approach to Systematic Relationships in the Genus Acanthamoeba1

Classification at the species level has been difficult in the genus Acanthamoeba. The taxonomic designations of a number of strains are in doubt and new approaches to classification are needed. We describe the use of electrophoretic patterns obtained with restriction enzyme digests of mitochondrial DNA as a basis for one new approach. Results from analysis of ten strains of A. castellanii, two of A. polyphaga and one of A. astronyxis are discussed. Examples both of nucleotide sequence diversity and of sequence conservation have been found among strains with the same species designation. Five strains from Europe, North America and New Zealand had identical digestion phenotypes with five enzymes; consequently, very similar nucleotide sequences are predicted. All are pathogenic to humans or mice. The mtDNA sequences of eight remaining strains are predicted to differ from this cluster and, in most cases, from each other at least as much as in sibling species of Paramecium aurelia.     

Diversity and community structure of harpacticoid copepods associated with cold-water coral substrates in the Porcupine Seabight (North-East Atlantic)

The influence of microhabitat type on the diversity and community structure of the harpacticoid copepod fauna associated with a cold-water coral degradation zone was investigated in the Porcupine Seabight (North-East Atlantic). Three substrate types were distinguished: dead fragments of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa, skeletons of the glass sponge Aphrocallistes bocagei and the underlying sediment. At the family level, it appears that coral fragments and underlying sediment do not harbour distinctly different assemblages, with Ectinosomatidae, Ameiridae, Pseudotachidiidae, Argestidae and Miraciidae as most abundant. Conclusions on assemblage structure and diversity of the sponge skeletons are limited as only two samples were available. Similarity analysis at species level showed a strong variation in the sediment samples, which did not harbour a distinctly different assemblage in opposition to the coral and sponge samples. Several factors (sediment infill on the hard substrates, mobility of the copepods, limited sample sizes) are proposed to explain this apparent lack of a distinct difference between the microhabitats. Coral fragments and sediment were both characterised by high species diversity and low species dominance, which might indicate that copepod diversity is not substantially influenced by hydrodynamical stress. The additive partitioning of species diversity showed that by adding locations species richness was greatly enhanced. The harpacticoid community in the cold-water coral degradation zone is highly diverse and includes 157 species, 62 genera and 19 families. Information from neighbouring soft-bottom regions is necessary to assess whether total species diversity is increased by the presence of these complex habitat-providing substrates.     

A revision of the Australian earthworm genus Woodwardiella with descriptions of two new genera (Megascolecidae: Oligochaeta)

The genus Woodwardiella Stephenson, 1925, from which oriental species were excluded by Gates (1938, 1939, 1960), is further restricted to include only five south-western Australian species, a Tasmanian species and provisionally, as species inquirenda , the Victorian W. healesi (Michaelsen, 1923) and a further Tasmanian species, W. mortoni Spencer, 1895.
Twelve species originally assignable to Woodwardiella , of which one is reduced to a junior synonym, constitute a new genus, Heteroporodrilus , known only from the southeastern portion of the Australian mainland.
Woodwardiella punctatus (Spencer, 1900) is shown to be a junior synonym of the sympatric Victorian W. smithi (Fletcher, 1889a) which is placed in the new monotypic genus Pseudoperichaeta.
Plutellus manifestus (Fletcher, 1889), which has tubular prostates and belongs to the family Acanthodrilidae s. Gates, shows close affinities with Heteroporodrilus which is referable to the family Megascolecidae s. Gates, characterized by racemose prostates. Variation in the form of the prostates can no longer be accorded even subfamilial significance and Plutellus is transferred to the subfamily Megascolecinae. Close morphological similarity demonstrated between P. manifestus and P. heteroporus Perrier, 1873, the type species of the genus, suggests a basis for restriction of the heterogeneous assemblage known as Plutellus.
Diporochaeta davallia Spencer, 1900, has close affinities with Pseudoperichaeta and, like this genus, has tufted meronephridia anteriorly.     

Exploratory multiscale analysis of the fish assemblages and habitats of the lower St. Lawrence River,Québec,Canada

This work presents a multiscale analysis of the fish diversity of the lower St. Lawrence River which flows from the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America. A database of about 14,000 fish sampling stations from the lower St. Lawrence is linked to five different habitat maps of the study area: hydrographical units, water masses, depth, sediment type and wetland type. We hypothesize that species turnover (beta diversity) will be significant among these habitat maps. For each map, we calculate a UPGMA dendrogram based on the Jaccard coefficient of similarity in species occurrences as a first assemblage–habitat model. A randomization test is then used to identify the significant dendrograms from which we infer fish assemblages. We then show that many species are actually selecting or avoiding habitats. Finally, species selecting particular habitats are described by some selected ecological traits that are expected to occur frequently in those habitats. We found assemblages for the hydrographical units but not for the water masses. The fluvial section is selected by many stenohaline and some euryhaline species, while the freshwater estuary and the brackish estuary are only selected by euryhaline species. In the fluvial section at the hydrographical unit scale, many species associated with lentic habitats are limnophilic and more vegetation-dependent while many species selecting lotic habitats are rheophilic insectivorous species. Significant assemblages are defined for depth, sediment type and wetland type. Taken together, we found strong empirical evidence of a diverse actively selecting littoral assemblage of small, low mobility fishes opposing a channel assemblage of larger, more mobile fishes.