Hydrobiological investigations of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Far-Eastern seas after the second world war. 2. Investigations of Far-Eastern institutes

This paper discusses the results of hydrobiological investigations on the shelf of the Russian Far-Eastern seas performed between 1967 and the present by the academic institutions of the Russian Far East, primarily located in Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii. It is shown that, during this short period, a great many investigative expeditions were carried out in the upper shelf zone of all three Russian Far-Eastern seas. The composition and distribution patterns of coastal communities were studied in the Sea of Japan.and the Bering Sea and in the region of the Kuril Islands. At the same time, comprehensive hydrobiological investigations were performed at several biological stations, mostly located in the Sea of Japan. It is noted that ecosystem investigations are now being successfully carried out in different regions of the Far-Eastern seas, although there are still few conclusive papers about certain ecosystems and their functioning and dynamics.     

Parasitic dinoflagellates and ellobiopsids (Ellobiopsidae) of the coastal waters of the sea of Japan

Five species of parasitic dinoflagellates of the genera Protoodinium, Paulsenella, Duboscquella, Syndinium, and Dissodinium and two species of ellobiopsids of the genus Ellobiopsis are described. Figures and distribution data are provided. All species, except for Dissodinium pseudolunula Swift ex Elbrachter et Drebes, are first records for the Russia Far-Eastern seas.     

First record of a brachiopod (Brachiopoda: Terebrataliidae) in the fouling of hydrotechnical installations in Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

Large mature individuals of the brachiopod Coptothyris adamsi Davidson, 1871 were found in the fouling of a pier in Koz’mina Bight (Nakhodka Bay, Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan) in September 2006. The population density of the brachiopod in the fouling reached 100 specimens/m² and greatly exceeded the density of this species in benthic communities (4 specimens/m²). This is the first record of a brachiopod on anthropogenic substrates in the Far-Eastern seas of Russia. It is of particular interest because (1) C. adamsi is listed in the Red Book of Russia and (2) construction of an international oil terminal is planned for Koz’mina Bight. The brachiopod population can be used to monitor environmental conditions during the construction and further functioning of the oil terminal in Koz’mina Bight.     

The capture of a great white shark <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carcharodon carcharias</Emphasis> Linnaeus, 1758 (Carcharodontidae) in peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan)

This paper reports on the first reliable capture of the Great White shark Carcharodon carcharias (length 126 cm, weight 16 kg) in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan). Capture records of C. carcharias in the Far-Eastern seas of Russia are discussed.     

Specialized Hydrocarbonoclastic Bacteria Prevailing in Seawater around a Port in the Strait of Malacca

Major degraders of petroleum hydrocarbons in tropical seas have been indicated only by laboratory culturing and never through observing the bacterial community structure in actual environments. To demonstrate the major degraders of petroleum hydrocarbons spilt in actual tropical seas, indigenous bacterial community in seawater at Sentosa (close to a port) and East Coast Park (far from a port) in Singapore was analyzed. Bacterial species was more diverse at Sentosa than at the Park, and the composition was different: γ-Proteobacteria (57.3%) dominated at Sentosa, while they did not at the Park. Specialized hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (SHCB), which use limited carbon sources with a preference for petroleum hydrocarbons, were found as abundant species at Sentosa, indicating petroleum contamination. On the other hand, SHCB were not the abundant species at the Park. The abundant species of SHCB at Sentosa were Oleibacter marinus and Alcanivorax species (strain 2A75 type), which have previously been indicated by laboratory culturing as important petroleum-aliphatic-hydrocarbon degraders in tropical seas. Together with the fact that SHCB have been identified as major degraders of petroleum hydrocarbons in marine environments, these results demonstrate that the O. marinus and Alcanivorax species (strain 2A75 type) would be major degraders of petroleum aliphatic hydrocarbons spilt in actual tropical seas.     

Contemporary genetic structure and postglacial demographic history of the black scorpionfish,Scorpaena porcus,in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas

Understanding the distribution of genetic diversity in the light of past demographic events linked with climatic shifts will help to forecast evolutionary trajectories of ecosystems within the current context of climate change. In this study, mitochondrial sequences and microsatellite loci were analysed using traditional population genetic approaches together with Bayesian dating and the more recent approximate Bayesian computation scenario testing. The genetic structure and demographic history of a commercial fish, the black scorpionfish, Scorpaena porcus, was investigated throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The results suggest that the species recently underwent population expansions, in both seas, likely concomitant with the warming period following the Last Glacial Maximum, 20 000 years ago. A weak contemporaneous genetic differentiation was identified between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. However, the genetic diversity was similar for populations of the two seas, suggesting a high number of colonizers entered the Black Sea during the interglacial period and/or the presence of a refugial population in the Black Sea during the glacial period. Finally, within seas, an east/west genetic differentiation in the Adriatic seems to prevail, whereas the Black Sea does not show any structured spatial genetic pattern of its population. Overall, these results suggest that the Black Sea is not that isolated from the Mediterranean, and both seas revealed similar evolutionary patterns related to climate change and changes in sea level.     

中国海笔螺科的分布与区系特点

阐述了笔螺科的地理分布和中国海笔螺科的区系特点 ,指出笔螺科大多属热带和亚热带种类。中国海已记录笔螺 73种 ,主要分布于福建、广东、台湾、海南和西沙、南沙群岛。中国海的笔螺科种类在区系组成上属印度 马来区系     

Biotechnological studies in the Far-Eastern Region of Russia

Achievements and problems in both the studies on natural bioactive compounds from the Far-Eastern higher plants and marine invertebrates and development of the corresponding biotechnologies concerning new drugs and food supplements, as well as pharmaceutical leads are discussed. Special emphasis is made on recent results from the Far-eastern Institutions belonging to the Russian Academy of Sciences, and their application in both medicine and the food industry, as well as on peculiarities of biological and chemical diversity in the North-Western part of Asia and adjoining seas.     

Studies on the phytoplankton and other algae of Indrasagar tank,Udaipur, India

Summary A study has been made of the productivity and periodicity of phytoplankton of the Indrasagar tank, Udaipur, in relation to physicochemical characteristics. Variations in the physical and chemical characteristics of water over a period of one year are described.The Tank is of eutrophic type. Green algae dominated the phytoplankton both as regards number of species and number of individuals.A definite phytoplankton periodicity has been observed, the green algae dominating in the rainy and winter seasons and the blue-greens during summer.A correlation of the phytoplankton productivity and physicochemical characteristics of Indrasagar tank indicates that the Chlorophyceae have a wide range of adaptability; the growth of diatoms is promoted by silica, nitrates and phosphates; and the growth of blue-green algae is controlled by pH and temperature.     

Genetic and morphological evidence for cryptic diversity in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Careproctus rastrinus</Emphasis> species complex (Liparidae) of the North Pacific

The molecular phylogeny of the Careproctus rastrinus species complex is presented on the basis of sequence variations in the 16S rRNA and cytochrome b genes (1,447 base pairs) of mitochondrial DNA using specimens collected from across the North Pacific and its marginal seas, including the Sea of Japan, the Pacific coast of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, and the Arctic Ocean. Gene flow and migration between geographic regions is apparently strictly restricted in the C. rastrinus species complex, as this phylogeny revealed nine genetically diverged groups in the C. rastrinus species complex, most of which corresponded well with major geographic regions. Most of the groups were different in terms of morphological characters. Five nominal species have been considered to be members of the complex and have been variously recognized as being valid or as synonyms of C. rastrinus, but the present genetic and morphological differences suggested that the C. rastrinus species complex represents far more divergence. Such cryptic diversity of the C. rastrinus species complex defined by geographic regions may be related to their low dispersal ability, because they bear large demersal eggs. The genetic divergence suggested that colder climates from the late Pliocene and the isolation of marginal seas during the Pleistocene may have driven the divergence of the C. rastrinus species complex.     

中国海物种的一般特点

中国海已记录20 278个物种,它们隶属于5个界、44个门,其中,有12个门是海洋特有的。中国海洋的物种比淡水多,比陆地少。物种数由北往南递增。中国海洋的物种有暖水种、温水种和广分布种。许多热带海洋生物分布的北界和一些温带海洋生物分布的的南缘就在中国海域。     

The Dual Origin of the Black Sea Foraminifera

Evidence is given supporting the possibility of survival in the modern Black Sea of descendents of Miocene Pontic foraminiferal populations. This evidence includes the present existence of Foraminifera in the Aral and Caspian Seas, the existence of pockets of species in the Paratethys area in waters long isolated from any seas, the existence in the Golovitza Lagoon of Foraminifera living at salinities lower than those that are thought to have existed in the Pontic Basin during its lacustrine period, and evidence from zoogeography. It is shown that there are morphological, ecological and physiological modifications in these aboriginal populations as compared to populations of the same species living in the Mediterranean. In addition to these aboriginal populations, evidence is given for three invasions of Foraminifera from the Mediterranean during geological periods when the Black and Mediterranean Seas were merged.     

Geographical distribution,dispersal and genetic divergence of the mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria (Stomatopoda: Squillidae) in China Sea

The period of Cenozoic Himalayan orogeny was the developmental stage of the marginal seas and islands adjacent to the western Pacific. In the study, the molecular divergence dating between the northern and southern groups by fossil calibration was approximately 10.9 Myr, which was earlier than the time of the formation of Taiwan Island. Statistical-Dispersal Vicariance Analysis (S-DIVA) suggested that mantis shrimp of the China seas originated from two different ancestral regions (i.e., the Yellow Sea and South China Sea). However, the fluctuation of the Taiwan Strait in the late glacial period further influenced the phylogeographic structure of the mantis shrimp. In addition, the opposite ocean currents of the northern and southern seas of China, driving the planktonic larvae of marine species in opposite directions in the reproductive season, further accelerated their genetic divergence. In contrast, there were weak differences among the three northern seas due to their sharing one common ancestral region and then facing the dispersal event in the Cenozoic era and later sudden population expansion in the late Quaternary interglacial (54–75 ka). In conclusion, geological and climatic changes in past geological periods have greatly influenced the geographical distribution, dispersal and genetic divergence of the mantis shrimp.     

Status of Marine Biodiversity of the China Seas

China''s seas cover nearly 5 million square kilometers extending from the tropical to the temperate climate zones and bordering on 32,000 km of coastline, including islands. Comprehensive systematic study of the marine biodiversity within this region began in the early 1950s with the establishment of the Qingdao Marine Biological Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Since that time scientists have carried out intensive multidisciplinary research on marine life in the China seas and have recorded 22,629 species belonging to 46 phyla. The marine flora and fauna of the China seas are characterized by high biodiversity, including tropical and subtropical elements of the Indo-West Pacific warm-water fauna in the South and East China seas, and temperate elements of North Pacific temperate fauna mainly in the Yellow Sea. The southern South China Sea fauna is characterized by typical tropical elements paralleled with the Philippine-New Guinea-Indonesia Coral triangle typical tropical faunal center.This paper summarizes advances in studies of marine biodiversity in China''s seas and discusses current research mainly on characteristics and changes in marine biodiversity, including the monitoring, assessment, and conservation of endangered species and particularly the strengthening of effective management. Studies of (1) a tidal flat in a semi-enclosed embayment, (2) the impact of global climate change on a cold-water ecosystem, (3) coral reefs of Hainan Island and Xisha-Nansha atolls, (4) mangrove forests of the South China Sea, (5) a threatened seagrass field, and (6) an example of stock enhancement practices of the Chinese shrimp fishery are briefly introduced. Besides the overexploitation of living resources (more than 12.4 million tons yielded in 2007), the major threat to the biodiversity of the China seas is environmental deterioration (pollution, coastal construction), particularly in the brackish waters of estuarine environments, which are characterized by high productivity and represent spawning and nursery areas for several economically important species. In the long term, climate change is also a major threat. Finally, challenges in marine biodiversity studies are briefly discussed along with suggestions to strengthen the field. Since 2004, China has participated in the Census of Marine Life, through which advances in the study of zooplankton and zoobenthos biodiversity were finally summarized.     

Pleistocene isolation in the Northwestern Pacific marginal seas and limited dispersal in a marine fish, Chelon haematocheilus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1845)

The Northwestern Pacific has a unique tectonic and geographical history with several marginal seas separating Asia from the Pacific Ocean. During low sea level periods of Pleistocene glaciations, populations might have been isolated in three marginal seas: the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and South China Sea. Following postglacial sea level rise, we would expect the populations isolated in the three regions to have been homogenized by high dispersal potential. To assess these hypotheses, we explore the intraspecific phylogeographical patterns in redlip mullet, Chelon haematocheilus. Fragments of 435 bp at the 5' end of mitochondrial DNA control region were sequenced for 272 individuals from nine localities over most of the species' range. Three distinct lineages were detected, which might have diverged in the three marginal seas during Pleistocene low sea levels. Contrary to homogenization expectation, there were strong differences in the geographical distribution of the three lineages. Analyses of molecular variance and the population statistic Phi(ST) also revealed significant genetic structure among populations of the three marginal seas. These results indicate that gene flow in Chelon haematocheilus is far more restricted spatially than predicted by the potential dispersal capabilities of this species. The lack of phylogeographical structure in East China Sea may reflect a recent range expansion after the last glacial maximum and insufficient time to attain migration-drift equilibrium.     

中国海毛颚类物种多样性的研究

中国海已记录毛颚类有37种,可分为3个生态类群,即暖水性、暖温性和深水类群。种数是由北往南、由近岸向外海递增。中国海毛颚类可划分暖温带区系、热带- 暖温带混合区系和热带大洋区系。大多数种类广泛分布于印度洋、大西洋和太平洋等水域。     

On the knowledge of the intertidal zone of Russian Far Eastern Seas

A historical review. By the end of the 20th century, the composition of intertidal biota has been studied in all Russian Far Eastern seas; the specific features of vertical zonation in intertidal communities have been revealed; the major belt-forming communities of flora and fauna have been described and studied in the quantitative aspect; the existence of bionomic types in the intertidal zone, similar to those in the coastal area of the Barents Sea, has been corroborated; and some regularities have been retraced in the geographical zonation of different types of marine intertidal zone. The progress of the scientific school of Academician Oleg G. Kusakin has been particularly emphasized in the investigations of intertidal biota, communities and taxocenoses.