Effects of temperature on the production of hydrogen peroxide and volatile halocarbons by brackish-water algae

Marine algae produce volatile halocarbons, which have an ozone-depleting potential. The formation of these compounds is thought to be related to oxidative stress, involving H2O2 and algal peroxidases. In our study we found strong correlations between the releases of H2O2 and brominated and some iodinated compounds to the seawater medium, but no such correlation was found for CHCl3, suggesting the involvement of other formation mechanisms as well. Little is known about the effects of environmental factors on the production of volatile halocarbons by algae and in the present study we focused on the influence of temperature. Algae were sampled in an area of the brackish Baltic Sea that receives thermal discharge, allowing us to collect specimens of the same species that were adapted to different field temperature regimes. We exposed six algal species (the diatom Pleurosira laevis, the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus and four filamentous green algae, Cladophora glomerata, Enteromorpha ahlneriana, E. flexuosa and E. intestinalis) to temperature changes of 0-11 degrees C under high irradiation to invoke oxidative stress. The production rates, as well as the quantitative composition of 16 volatile halocarbons, were strongly species-dependent and different types of responses to temperature were recorded. However, no response patterns to temperature change were found that were consistent for all species or for all halocarbons. We conclude that the production of certain halocarbons may increase with temperature in certain algal species, but that the amount and composition of the volatile halocarbons released by algal communities are probably more affected by temperature-associated species shifts. These results may have implications for climatic change scenarios.     

Daily ocean monitoring since the 1860s shows record warming of northern European seas

Ocean temperatures in most parts of the world are increasing and are expected to continue to rise during the 21st century. A major challenge to ecologists and marine resource managers is to understand and predict how these global changes will affect species and ecosystems at local scales where temperature more directly affects biological responses and species interactions. Here, we investigate historical variability in regional sea surface temperature in two large heavily exploited marine ecosystems and compare these variations with expected rates of temperature change for the 21st century. We use four of the world's longest calibrated daily time series to show that trends in surface temperatures in the North and Baltic Seas now exceed those at any time since instrumented measurements began in 1861 and 1880. Temperatures in summer since 1985 have increased at nearly triple the global warming rate, which is expected to occur during the 21st century and summer temperatures have risen two to five times faster than those in other seasons. These warm temperatures and rates of change are due partly to an increase in the frequency of extremely warm years. The recent warming event is exceeding the ability of local species to adapt and is consequently leading to major changes in the structure, function and services of these ecosystems.     

Effect of ammonium load on the growth of attached microalgae in the northern Baltic Sea

The effect of ammonium discharge from a food factory on the growth of attached microalgae was monitored north of the Hanko peninsula, on the southwestern coast of Finland. The impact of the discharge was studied at twelve localities, at four stages of seasonal succession. The microalgae were sampled from glass slides exposed at 0.4 m depth for two weeks. The variables measured for the microalgal growth were chlorophylla, primary production and total organic carbon (TOC). These were compared with planktonic chlorophylla and nutrient concentrations. The growth of attached microalgae displayed a consistent pattern of spatial distribution. Depending on season, TOC and primary production values were 7 to 70 times higher and chlorophylla values up to 1000 times higher close to the effluent outlet than in undisturbed areas of the archipelago. The microalgal samples near the discharge were characterized by low TOC/chlorophylla and TOC/primary production ratios. The temporal consistency of microalgal distribution illustrates the advantages of using attached algal assemblages in monitoring programmes.     

Spring bloom succession,grazing impact and herbivore selectivity of ciliate communities in response to winter warming

This study aimed at simulating different degrees of winter warming and at assessing its potential effects on ciliate succession and grazing-related patterns. By using indoor mesocosms filled with unfiltered water from Kiel Bight, natural light and four different temperature regimes, phytoplankton spring blooms were induced and the thermal responses of ciliates were quantified. Two distinct ciliate assemblages, a pre-spring and a spring bloom assemblage, could be detected, while their formation was strongly temperature-dependent. Both assemblages were dominated by Strobilidiids; the pre-spring bloom phase was dominated by the small Strobilidiids Lohmaniella oviformis, and the spring bloom was mainly dominated by large Strobilidiids of the genus Strobilidium. The numerical response of ciliates to increasing food concentrations showed a strong acceleration by temperature. Grazing rates of ciliates and copepods were low during the pre-spring bloom period and high during the bloom ranging from 0.06 (Δ0°C) to 0.23 day⁻¹ (Δ4°C) for ciliates and 0.09 (Δ0°C) to 1.62 day⁻¹ (Δ4°C) for copepods. During the spring bloom ciliates and copepods showed a strong dietary overlap characterized by a wide food spectrum consisting mainly of Chrysochromulina sp., diatom chains and large, single-celled diatoms. Priority programme of the German Research Foundation—contribution 4.     

Effects of cooling water discharge on the structure and dynamics of epilithic algal communities in the northern Baltic

The Forsmark Biotest Basin is a shallow coastal ecosystem that receives brackish cooling-water discharge from a nuclear power plant. The effects of the discharge on epilithic algal communities were investigated by analysing samples taken every third week throughout one year at 11 sites differentially affected by temperature and/or flow rate enhancement. Community variation was summarized in a canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of species abundances as a function of site and date. The temperature increase favoured blue-green algae at the expense of red and brown algae. Blue-green algae were however abundant in summer in stagnant water, whether heated or not, and some red and brown algae became abundant in winter in heated sites with flowing water. Green algae and diatoms increased in biomass in the heated sites, but not in relative cover-abundance. The absence of ice and snow cover at sites with heated and/or flowing water caused autumn species to persist into winter, because of the higher light intensity (compared with natural conditions) and the absence of the mechanical abrasion by ice. The thermal discharge lowered species diversity (Shannon-Weaver index) both in summer and winter at sites with flowing water, but not at sites with quiescent or stagnant water. CCA showed alternate periods of stability and rapid change within the seasonal cycle. Individual species were placed according to their optimum; red and brown algae in winter/spring, green algae in spring/summer, blue-green algae in summer, and diatoms at various times. Exceptions to this pattern were species endo- or epiphytic on species of a different group. Analysis of the effects of temperature, flow rate and ice cover on the seasonal pattern of particular species showed that different species respond in individualistic ways to different combinations of these environmental variables.     

Geographical variation in Fucus vesiculosus morphology in the Baltic and North Seas

Effects of stress and disturbance on morphology, reproductive effort, size and sex ratio were studied for Fucus vesiculosus populations from the Baltic Sea at Askö and the North Sea on the west coast of Sweden at Tjäm[otilde]. High morphological variation was found between Fucus populations, with significant differences in length and weight of individuals, thallus breadth, number of branches and receptacles and receptacle weight, not only between Baltic and North Sea populations but also between populations within the same area, differing in wave exposure. With increasing disturbance, individuals in both studied populations were smaller and less branched. Differences were observed in plant size, with longer, broader and more branched plants being found in Askö compared with Tjärnö. Fucus populations at Tjämö allocated more biomass to reproduction and had longer, heavier receptacles than at Askö. Although the observed morphological changes may be partly explained by differences in wave exposure and salinity between the two sites, it is not possible to rule out genetic differences between the Baltic and North Sea populations. However, it is unlikely that the variations observed within the populations and between populations from the same area are genetically determined.     

Aquatic biodiversity under anthropogenic stress: an insight from the Archipelago Sea (SW Finland)

The Archipelago Sea in the northern Baltic has been subjected to large-scale cultural, economic and ecological changes, especially during the last three decades. Environmental threats originate from both basin-wide sources, affecting the whole Baltic Sea, and from local sources, such as nutrient loading from nearby river outflows, intense agriculture, fish farming, ships' traffic, boating, and man's physical impacts on the landscape and seascape. Both the Åland archipelago and the Archipelago Sea have been listed as hot-spots by HELCOM, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, eutrophication being the main threat to the aquatic environment. In this study we review how biological communities have reacted to an increase in man-induced multisource stresses. Changes in plankton, benthic animals, macroalgal assemblages and fish communities have been documented in most parts of the Baltic Sea since the 1970s. What remains to be understood is the importance of these structural changes for the functioning of the Archipelago Sea ecosystem under various levels of human impact.     

树木年轮宽度与气候变化关系研究进展

 树木的生长和立地环境密切相关并受多种气候因子的影响。树木年轮宽度的增加与温度、降水、太阳辐射、CO2浓度等气候因子有着复杂的相关关系。在干旱或半干旱地区,温度是限制树木生长的重要气候因子。生长季开始时最低温度的升高有利于延长生长季,与年轮宽度正相关;但是当生长季温度过高时,即使降水非常充裕,当年也只能形成窄年轮。生长季的温度过高则会加快土壤蒸发失水量并提高蒸汽压差,使土壤水分不足而不利于树木生长,因而生长季的高温多表现为与年轮宽度的负相关。生长期内降水量与树木的径向生长也成正相关,但当生长季的降水量充足或过多时,降水对树木径向生长不相关或负相关。受温度和降水共同调控的土壤湿度是树木径向生长的主要限制因子,良好的水分状况对树木生长起决定性作用。某一地区的太阳辐射能量高常会导致高温少雨,故高强度的太阳辐射使表土的湿度降低而不利于树木的径向生长。而在受季风影响的地区,树木年轮宽度的增加与当年雨季的气候变化关系不大。当年季风到来之前的气候（温度和降水）是树木生长的主要限制因子。有关CO2浓度的升高对树木生长的影响,研究的结果很不一致。一些温室实验及田间控制实验证明,CO2浓度的升高能对短命的一年生草本植物和植物幼苗产生“施肥效应”,并有利于其生长;还有些研究证明CO2浓度的升高能使高海拔地带的树木年轮宽度增加;但也有些研究认为CO2浓度的升高对生长在自然条件下的自然植被影响不大。近年来,有关树木径向生长和气候变化的研究越来越引起人们的关注,相关研究也取得了较大的进展。这些研究在帮助人们了解和研究古气候变化对森林植被的影响,以及预测未来全球变化对陆地生态系统的影响等方面有重要的理论和现实意义。综述了气候变化对树木年轮宽度影响的研究进展和应用,并概述了研究方法和发展前景,希望能加快和拓宽这一领域的发展。     

Ecological forecasting under climate change: the case of Baltic cod

Good decision making for fisheries and marine ecosystems requires a capacity to anticipate the consequences of management under different scenarios of climate change. The necessary ecological forecasting calls for ecosystem-based models capable of integrating multiple drivers across trophic levels and properly including uncertainty. The methodology presented here assesses the combined impacts of climate and fishing on marine food-web dynamics and provides estimates of the confidence envelope of the forecasts. It is applied to cod (Gadus morhua) in the Baltic Sea, which is vulnerable to climate-related decline in salinity owing to both direct and indirect effects (i.e. through species interactions) on early-life survival. A stochastic food web-model driven by regional climate scenarios is used to produce quantitative forecasts of cod dynamics in the twenty-first century. The forecasts show how exploitation would have to be adjusted in order to achieve sustainable management under different climate scenarios.     

波罗的海放线菌的多样性

摘要:【目的】为了探索海洋放线菌的多样性,为发现新的药物先导化合物提供新菌源,我们分析了波罗的海的放线菌多样性及生物活性。【方法】采集100 份底泥样品,用7 种培养基分离放线菌809 株;去掉相同菌株后,选择280 株代表菌进行了初步分类鉴定;采用琼脂扩散法,检测了它们对5 种细菌、真菌的抗菌活性;用API ZYM system 测定了21 种酶的活性。【结果】用海藻糖-脯氨酸培养基和HV 培养基分离的放线菌中,稀有放线菌占60% 和63% ;波罗的海的放线菌有15 个属,其中3 个属是首次从海洋中分离     

Changes of sea level, landscape and culture: A review of the south-western Baltic area between 8800 and 4000 BC

The global warming at the end of the last glacial period led to a sea level rise, which induced substantial long-term landscape changes in the southwestern Baltic Sea. During the Preboreal and Boreal periods, this region, bordering on the Ancylus Lake in the east, was dry land with numerous lakes and rivers. However, with the beginning of the Littorina Transgression around 6700 BC, during the Atlantic period, the area became connected to the ocean. People settling along the coast of the former Ancylus Lake, Mesolithic hunter–gatherers, continuously had to adapt to rapid changes.

The Littorina Transgression made a new source available to man: the young Baltic Sea. Important settlement sites were founded in the coastal regions, and were consumed one by one by the constantly rising sea level. At the time of the decline of the sea level rise and the beginning consolidation of the coast lines, a socially motivated turn towards a productive economy started. Hunting and fishery were widely replaced by agriculture and stock farming.

To understand the interplay between all of these developments, it is necessary that scientists from a variety of disciplines undertake collective investigations. This paper presents first culture-historical, palaeozoological, palaeobotanical, palaeoecological and palaeogeographical results yielded by from the multidisciplinary research group SINCOS (Sinking Coasts) and uses these to create a new comprehensive picture of the development of the south-western Baltic Sea region during the Ancylus Lake and Littorina Sea stages.     

Allelopathic effects of the Baltic cyanobacteria Nodularia spumdigena, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Anabaena lemmermannii on algal monocultures

Allelopathy, the release of extracellular compounds that inhibit the growth of other microorganisms, may be one factor contributing to the formation and/or maintenance of cyanobacterial blooms. We investigated the allelopathic effects of three cyanobacterial species (Nodularia spumigena, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Anabaena lemmermannii) that frequently form mass-occurrences in the Baltic Sea. We exposed monocultures of three phytoplankton species (Thalassiosira weissflogii, Rhodomonas sp. and Prymnesium parvum) to cell-free filtrates of the three cyanobacteria, and quantified allelopathic effects with cell counts. We also investigated the role of the growth phase of cyanobacteria in their allelopathy, by comparing the effects of an exponential and a stationary phase culture of N. spumigena. All tested cyanobacteria inhibited the growth of Rhodomonas sp., but none of them affected P. parvum. The effects on T. weissflogii were more variable, and they were amplified by repeated filtrate additions compared to a single filtrate addition. N. spumigena was more allelopathic in exponential than in stationary growth phase, whereas the culture filtrate was more hepatotoxic in stationary phase. Hepatotoxins were thus probably not involved in the allelopathic effects, which is also indicated by the allelopathic properties of the non-toxic A. flos-aquae and A. lemmermannii. The results demonstrate that the common Baltic cyanobacteria affect some coexisting phytoplankton species negatively. Allelopathy may therefore play a role in interspecific competition and contribute to cyanobacterial bloom maintenance.     

Grazing of bacteria and phytoplankton by heterotrophic nanoflagellates in a Baltic Sea sample

Grazing by heterotrophic nanoflagellates on bacteria and phytoplankton was studied in a laboratory experiment, using a natural pelagic community originating from the Tvärminne sea area off the southern coast of Finland. Water was prescreened to remove larger grazers. Four experimental treatments were used: light and dark, with and without added nutrients. The growth of the large heterotrophic flagellates was stimulated by increased production of < 3 m phytoplankton. Clearance rates for heterotrophic nanoflagellates were estimated and were found to be within the range of previously reported values.     

Influence of the Thin Drift Algal Mats on the Distribution of Macrozoobenthos in Kõiguste Bay, NE Baltic Sea

Macrozoobenthic communities within and outside of the drift algal mats were compared in Kõiguste Bay, NE Baltic Sea. The patches of the drift algae were on average 0.5–1 km wide in diameter covering about 25% of the total bottom area of the bay. Thickness of the mat did not exceed 6 cm. The biomass of the mat varied between 35 and 1391 g dw m^?2. The drift algal mats had no clear negative effect on macrozoobenthos except for a few infaunal species. The drift algae favoured several detrivorous, herbivorous and carnivorous species. Among the studied variables, the thickness of algal mat and oxygen concentration at near-bottom layer explained the best the structure of macrozoobenthos. Total number of invertebrate species increased curvilinearly with the thickness of algal mat having the peak value at 3–5 cm thick algal mat. To conclude, moderate drift algal mats increased habitat complexity and, thus, the diversity of benthic faunal assemblages in otherwise poorly vegetated coastal areas.