Qualitative changes in the planktonic Cladocera assemblage of a High Tatra Mountains lake during the last 100 years

During the last roughly 100 years (1881–1989) some noteworthy changes have occurred in the planktonic Cladocera taxocene of the lake Popradské pleso (High Tatra Mts., Czecho-Slovakia). Primarily, in course of the twenties up to the fifties of our century Daphnia pulicaria and Polyphemus pediculus, and later also Holopedium gibberum, disappeared from the plankton of the lake. Conversely, approximately from the mid-seventies, Daphnia longispina has become a constituent of the lake plankton. In spite of lacking data on the principal parameters of the abiotic and biotic environment from the past, the author assumes that probably the most important factor responsible for the changes referred to were fluctuations in the predation pressure of fish. Besides, organic pollution might have played a definite but less important role.     

青藏高原淡水湖普莫雍错和盐水湖阿翁错湖底沉积物中细菌群落的垂直分布

【目的】湖泊沉积物中存储着大量独特的微生物,这些微生物在湖泊生态系统生物地球化学循环中扮演着非常重要的角色。然而,很少有研究报道微生物群落在湖泊沉积物中的垂直分布。本文比较研究青藏高原淡水湖普莫雍错和盐水湖阿翁错沉积物在不同深度下细菌的丰度和群落结构。【方法】利用定量PCR(q PCR)和变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)技术分别测定细菌群落的丰度与群落结构。【结果】定量PCR结果显示,湖泊沉积物中细菌丰度均随深度增加而降低,盐水湖阿翁错和淡水湖普莫雍错的细菌丰度分别从1011数量级降到108数量级,从1012数量级降到1010数量级。在相对应的沉积物层,淡水湖沉积物的细菌丰度比盐水湖高1-2个数量级。变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)指纹图谱的分析表明,淡水湖沉积物细菌群落的DGGE条带数(丰富度)显著高于盐水湖(P=0.014);淡水与盐水湖泊沉积物细菌群落结构明显不同,同时在同一湖泊沉积物中上层(0-6 cm)和下层(7-20 cm)细菌群落结构也呈明显分异。系统发育分析表明,盐水湖阿翁错沉积物特有菌门为Gamma-变形菌、拟杆菌门、蓝细菌和栖热菌门,而淡水湖普莫雍错沉积物中特有菌门为Delta-和Beta-变形菌、酸杆菌和绿弯菌门。【结论】青藏高原淡水与盐水湖泊沉积物细菌丰度与群落结构具有明显的差异;同时,细菌群落结构在沉积物的不同深度也表现出差异。这些结果可为进一步阐明青藏高原湖泊生态系统中微生物对气候环境变化的响应提供科学依据。     

淡水湖泊生态系统退化驱动因子及修复技术研究进展

目前我国多数淡水湖泊污染、退化问题非常严重,诸多修复技术也已初见成效。影响淡水湖泊生态系统退化的驱动因子众多,既有生物因素也有非生物因素,它们之间相互联系,相互作用,且作用机理错综复杂。首先介绍了淡水湖泊生态系统退化的含义及形式;其次,分析、总结了淡水湖泊生态系统退化的驱动因子,从退化的生态学完整性意义和退化修复的技术手段上看,淡水湖泊生态系统主要受物理、化学和生物三大驱动因子影响,且基本遵循"环境变化-驱动力-压力(阈值)-状态-响应"原理;再次,在厘清湖泊生态系统退化驱动原理的基础上,从淡水湖泊生态系统功能模块和湖泊生态系统修复实践经验总结的角度出发,构建了淡水湖泊生态系统修复模块技术体系,并就湖泊富营养化和湖滨湿地生态系统退化修复的技术进行了讨论和对比;最后,对淡水湖泊生态系统修复的环境变化驱动因子的作用机制、作用途径和修复技术的长效机制等方面进行了展望。     

Environment-phenotype interactions: Influences of brackish-water rearing on lake trout (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvelinus namaycush</Emphasis>) physiology

Fertilization and development in salmonids occurs almost exclusively within freshwater environments (< 1 ppt). A less common life history strategy in this group of fishes is the brackish-water resident life history, where entire life cycles occur in brackish water (> 1 ppt). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that differences in rearing environment (fresh or brackish water) results in significant differences in the ability of lake trout to ionoregulate when faced with a salinity challenge later in life. To test this, genetically similar lake trout were fertilized and raised at either 0 or 5 ppt saltwater. At approximately 240 days post hatch, lake trout from both rearing environments were acutely transferred to 20 ppt salt water or their respective rearing environments as a control. Individuals were sampled at time 0, 1, 7, and 14 days post transfer. Fish raised in 5 ppt transferred to 20 ppt saltwater had significantly higher gill Na⁺ K⁺-ATPase activity, gill Na⁺ K⁺-ATPase α1b expression, and lower plasma osmolality when compared to freshwater reared lake trout transferred to 20 ppt across various time points. Additionally, the 5 ppt control treatment had greater overall aerobic scope than 0 ppt control fish and those transferred from 0 ppt to 20 ppt. These data imply that populations exhibiting a brackish-water resident life history, as has been observed in Arctic Canada, may have an advantage over freshwater reared conspecifics when foraging in marine influenced environments and colonizing new locations in coastal regions.     

DNA-DNA hybridization and ribotyping of Acidovorax delafieldii isolates from eels and aquatic environments

Eleven strains of Acidovorax isolated from a freshwater lake and from healthy and diseased European eels in a hatchery were investigated by genotypic methods. DNA-DNA slot blot hybridization confirmed the identity of all strains as A. delafieldii. Isolates were heterogeneous in Eco R1 ribopatterns with four types recognizable. Most freshwater and healthy eel strains had the same ribotype but differed from the disease-associated strains. Typical ribopatterns of A. delafieldii contained 1·3, 1·5, and 3·2 kb fragments which provided useful additional taxonomic markers for species identification.     

Molecular diversity of freshwater crabs from Sulawesi and the sequential colonization of ancient lakes

Ancient lakes represent one of the most stable freshwater environments on Earth, with a species richness clearly exceeding that of younger and more short-lived limnic habitats. In most cases, the biological colonization of old lake systems must have occurred via the surrounding rivers. Two ancient lake systems of Sulawesi (Malili lake system and Lake Poso) have been studied in terms of the taxonomy and phylogeny of freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae: Parathelphusinae). Both systems have been colonized twice independently, and in both systems we can find three trophic niches which are always occupied by different crab species: molluskivores, omnivores, and detritivores. In the present study, we reconstruct phylogenies of freshwater crabs from more than 20 river systems of Sulawesi. We thereby confirm two independent colonization events for both ancient lake systems, with subsequent radiations. The phylogenies imply that the lineages which evolved into the molluskivore forms were the first ones to colonize, whereas omnivores and detritivores are derived from later colonization events and, based on their monophyletic relationship, resulted from minor lacustrine radiations. Most of the diversity of freshwater crabs from Sulawesi remains taxonomically undescribed. This study uncovers several undocumented phylogenetic units, with long independent evolutionary histories according to patristic distances.     

Diversity of sulfur-cycle prokaryotes in freshwater lake sediments investigated using aprA as the functional marker gene

The diversity of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRPs) and sulfur-oxidizing prokaryotes (SOPs) in freshwater lake ecosystems was investigated by cloning and sequencing of the aprA gene, which encodes for a key enzyme in dissimilatory sulfate reduction and sulfur oxidation. To understand their diversity better, the spatial distribution of aprA genes was investigated in sediments collected from six geographically distant lakes in Antarctica and Japan, including a hypersaline lake for comparison. The microbial community compositions of freshwater sediments and a hypersaline sediment showed notable differences. The clones affiliated with Desulfobacteraceae and Desulfobulbaceae were frequently detected in all freshwater lake sediments. The SOP community was mainly composed of four major phylogenetic groups. One of them formed a monophyletic cluster with a sulfur-oxidizing betaproteobacterium, Sulfuricella denitrificans, but the others were not assigned to specific genera. In addition, the AprA sequences, which were not clearly affiliated to either SRP or SOP lineages, dominated the libraries from four freshwater lake sediments. The results showed the wide distribution of some sulfur-cycle prokaryotes across geographical distances and supported the idea that metabolic flexibility is an important feature for SRP survival in low-sulfate environments.     

Marine-freshwater colonizations of haptophytes inferred from phylogeny of environmental 18S rDNA sequences

The Haptophyta is a common algal group in many marine environments, but only a few species have been observed in freshwaters, with DNA sequences available from just a single species, Crysochromulina parva Lackey, 1939. Here we investigate the haptophyte diversity in a high mountain lake, Lake Finsevatn, Norway, targeting the variable V4 region of the 18S rDNA gene with PCR and 454 pyrosequencing. In addition, the freshwater diversity of Pavlovophyceae was investigated by lineage-specific PCR-primers and clone library sequencing from another Norwegian lake, Lake Svaersvann. We present new freshwater phylotypes belonging to the classes Prymnesiophyceae and Pavlovophyceae, as well as a distinct group here named HAP-1. This is the first molecular evidence of a freshwater species belonging to the class Pavlovophyceae. The HAP-1 and another recently detected marine group (i.e. HAP-2) are separated from both Pavlovophyceae and Prymnesiophyceae and may constitute new higher order taxonomic lineages. As all obtained freshwater sequences of haptophytes are distantly related to the freshwater species C. parva, the phylogeny demonstrates that haptophytes colonized freshwater on multiple independent occasions. One of these colonizations, which gave rise to HAP-1, took place very early in the history of haptophytes, before the radiation of the Prymnesiophyceae.     

Do Patterns of Bacterial Diversity along Salinity Gradients Differ from Those Observed for Macroorganisms?

It is widely accepted that biodiversity is lower in more extreme environments. In this study, we sought to determine whether this trend, well documented for macroorganisms, also holds at the microbial level for bacteria. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with phylum-specific primers to quantify the taxon richness (i.e., the DGGE band numbers) of the bacterioplankton communities of 32 pristine Tibetan lakes that represent a broad salinity range (freshwater to hypersaline). For the lakes investigated, salinity was found to be the environmental variable with the strongest influence on the bacterial community composition. We found that the bacterial taxon richness in freshwater habitats increased with increasing salinity up to a value of 1‰. In saline systems (systems with >1‰ salinity), the expected decrease of taxon richness along a gradient of further increasing salinity was not observed. These patterns were consistently observed for two sets of samples taken in two different years. A comparison of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries revealed that the bacterial community of the lake with the highest salinity was characterized by a higher recent accelerated diversification than the community of a freshwater lake, whereas the phylogenetic diversity in the hypersaline lake was lower than that in the freshwater lake. These results suggest that different evolutionary forces may act on bacterial populations in freshwater and hypersaline lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, potentially resulting in different community structures and diversity patterns.     

Parasites of lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens (Chondrostei: Acipenseridae), from central Canada

Nineteen species of parasites were recovered from lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, from four major waterways of Central Canada; the Saskatchewan, Nelson, Winnipeg and Rainy River systems, Twelve of these are new host records. Host specific parasites, Crepidostomum auriculatum , Diclybothrium armatum , Spinitectus acipenseri and Truttaedacnitis clitellarius , forming the core parasite species, were recovered with the highest prevalence (≥70%) and were most widely distributed. Polypodium hydriforme was recovered from only stage IV sturgeon oocytes. With the exception of Pomphorhynchus bulbocolli , prevalence and intensity of endohelminth infections were not correlated with sex or age of host but the distribution of non host-specific parasites among sampling sites was determined by the type and relative abundance of food items consumed. The parasites of lake sturgeon are closely correlated to its diet and the species of parasites recovered are more similar to those of freshwater sturgeon in Eurasia than to other species of Acipenser in North America. The present parasite community of lake sturgeon appears to have been shaped by three major factors; the presence of core parasite species which predates geographic isolation, a benthic freshwater diet which has reshaped the parasite community to one comprising freshwater species and a long association with freshwater habitats which is reflected in the reproductive isolation of the lake sturgeon and lastly, the establishment of a host-specific parasite, Spinitectus acipenseri .     

Acanthocorbis mongolica nov. spec.: description of the first freshwater loricate choanoflagellate (Acanthoecida) from a Mongolian lake

A new acanthoecid choanoflagellate species, Acanthocorbis mongolica sp. nov. was found in preserved phytoplankton samples from the freshwater lake Bayan Nuur (Uvs Nuur Basin, NW Mongolia) in concentrations of up to 1.8×10(5)cellsL(-1). It is the first well-documented species of the mainly marine order Acanthoecida to be found in a freshwater lake. The lorica structures were studied with scanning electron microscopy. Key morphological features of the vase-shaped lorica are spine bases that are composed of multiple (2-4) parallel costal strips, and the existence of two transverse costae. The ecological implications of this find are discussed.     

Introgressive hybridization erodes morphological divergence between lentic and lotic habitats in an endangered minnow

Introgressive hybridization may erode phenotypic divergence along environmental gradients, collapsing locally adapted populations into a hybrid swarm. Alternatively, introgression may promote phenotypic divergence by providing variation on which natural selection can act. In freshwater fishes, water flow often selects for divergent morphological traits in lake versus stream habitats. We tested the effects of introgression on lake–stream morphological divergence in the minnow Owens Tui Chub (Siphateles bicolor snyderi), which has been rendered endangered by introgession from the introduced Lahontan Tui Chub (Siphateles bicolor obesa). Using geometric morphometric analysis of 457 individual Tui Chub from thirteen populations, we found that both native and introgressing parent taxa exhibited divergent body and caudal fin shapes in lake versus stream habitats, but their trajectories of divergence were distinct. In contrast, introgressed populations exhibited intermediate body and caudal fin shapes that were not differentiated by habitat type, indicating that introgression has eroded phenotypic divergence along the lentic–lotic gradient throughout the historic range of the Owens Tui Chub. Individuals within hybrid populations were less morphologically variable than those within parent populations, suggesting hybrid adaptation to selective agents other than water flow or loss of variance by drift.     

Obligatory urea production and the cost of living in the Magadi tilapia revealed by acclimation to reduced salinity and alkalinity

Alcolapia grahami is a unique ureotelic tilapia that lives in the highly alkaline, saline Lake Magadi, Kenya (pH, approximately 10.0; alkalinity, approximately 380 mmol L(-1); Na(+), approximately 350 mmol L(-1); Cl(-), approximately 110 mmol L(-1); osmolality, approximately 580 mosm kg(-1)). The fish survived well upon gradual exposure to dilute lake water (down to 1%, essentially freshwater). Urea excretion continued, and there was no ammonia excretion despite favorable conditions, indicating that ureotelism is obligatory. Levels of most ornithine-urea cycle enzymes in the liver were unchanged relative to controls kept for the same period in 100% lake water. The fish exhibited good abilities for hypo- and hyperregulation, maintaining plasma Na(+), Cl(-), and osmolality at levels typical of marine and freshwater teleosts in 100% and 1% lake water, respectively. Plasma total CO(2) did not change with environmental dilution. Routine oxygen consumption (Mo(2)) was extremely high in 100% lake water but decreased by 40%-68% after acclimation to dilute lake water. At every fixed swimming speed, Mo(2) was significantly reduced (by 50% at high speeds), and critical swimming speed was elevated in fish in 10% lake water relative to 100% lake water. Osmotic and Cl(-) concentration gradients from water to plasma were actually increased, and osmotic and Na(+) gradients were reversed, in 10% and 1% dilutions relative to 100% lake water, whereas acid-base gradients were greatly reduced. We suggest that approximately 50% of the animal's high metabolic demand originates from the cost of acid-base regulation in the highly alkaline Lake Magadi. When this load is reduced by environmental dilution, the energy saved can be diverted to enhanced swimming performance.     

Identification of novel Archaea in bacterioplankton of a boreal forest lake by phylogenetic analysis and fluorescent in situ hybridization(1)

We report here on novel groups of Archaea in the bacterioplankton of a small boreal forest lake studied by the culture-independent analysis of the 16S rRNA genes amplified directly from lake water in combination with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Polymerase chain reaction products were cloned and 28 of the 160 Archaea clones with around 900-bp-long 16S rRNA gene inserts, were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis, including 642 Archaea sequences, confirmed that none of the freshwater clones were closely affiliated with known cultured Archaea. Twelve Archaea sequences from lake Valkea Kotinen (VAL) belonged to Group I of uncultivated Crenarchaeota and affiliated with environmental sequences from freshwater sediments, rice roots and soil as well as with sequences from an anaerobic digestor. Eight of the Crenarchaeota VAL clones formed a tight cluster. Sixteen sequences belonged to Euryarchaeota. Four of these formed a cluster together with environmental sequences from freshwater sediments and peat bogs within the order Methanomicrobiales. Five were affiliated with sequences from marine sediments situated close to marine Group II and three formed a novel cluster VAL III distantly related to the order Thermoplasmales. The remaining four clones formed a distinct clade within a phylogenetic radiation characterized by members of the orders Methanosarcinales and Methanomicrobiales on the same branch as rice cluster I, detected recently on rice roots and in anoxic bulk soil of flooded rice microcosms. FISH with specifically designed rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes revealed the presence of Methanomicrobiales in the studied lake. These observations indicate a new ecological niche for many novel 'non-extreme' environmental Archaea in the pelagic water of a boreal forest lake.     

Frequent isolation of Edwardsiella tarda and Pleisiomonas shigelloides from healthy Zairese freshwater fish: a possible source of sporadic diarrhea in the tropics.

The intestinal contents of 59 Zairese freshwater fish were examined for the presence of potential human enteric pathogens. Edwardsiella tarda and Plesiomonas shigelloides were isolated from 57 and 59% of them, respectively. For both microorganisms there was a significant difference between the isolation rates from lake and river fish: whereas E. tarda was much more frequently isolated from lake fish than was P. shigelloides, the reverse was observed for river fish. The authors hypothesize that sporadic cases of tropical diarrhea with E. tarda or P. shigelloides can be traced to contact with or consumption of freshwater fish.     

Long-term change of the littoral Cladocera in the Tatra Mountain lakes through a major acidification event

In our study, we focused on littoral Cladocera living and feeding in shallow shore parts of 46 mountain lakes in the Tatra Mountains (Slovakia and Poland). The studied lakes underwent a major acidification event in the 1980s and are now in the process of recovery. Lakes were divided into three categories based on their sensitivity to acidification: 5 extremely sensitive (ES), 11 acid sensitive (AS), and 30 non-sensitive (NS) lakes. In our study, we included historical data from the literature, and data from sediment core and littoral samples, which together represent the evolution of the littoral communities from a pre-industrial period up to the present. In total, 11 littoral species were found belonging to three cladoceran families. Most of the species were members of the family Chydoridae: Alona affinis, A. quadrangularis, A. rectangula, A. guttata, Acroperus harpae, Alonella excisa, A. nana, Chydorus sphaericus, and Eurycercus lamellatus. One species belonged to each family Daphniidae (Ceriodaphnia quadrangula) and Polyphemidae (Polyphemus pediculus). The most numerous littoral taxa were Alona affinis, Acroperus harpae, and Chydorus sphaericus. All species reacted to decreased pH levels during peak acidification in the 1980s by disappearing from most of the lakes of all categories; the only persisting species was Chydorus sphaericus. Most species returned to the lakes when pH started to increase in the 1990s, although their return was noticeably slower in AS lakes. Alona quadrangularis decreased its distribution range over the studied period; Polyphemus pediculus was mostly detected in the 1910s only. The number of species was highest in all lake categories when dwarf pine was present in the lake catchment. On the whole, the littoral community was richest in NS lakes.     

A Guide to the Natural History of Freshwater Lake Bacteria

Summary: Freshwater bacteria are at the hub of biogeochemical cycles and control water quality in lakes. Despite this, little is known about the identity and ecology of functionally significant lake bacteria. Molecular studies have identified many abundant lake bacteria, but there is a large variation in the taxonomic or phylogenetic breadths among the methods used for this exploration. Because of this, an inconsistent and overlapping naming structure has developed for freshwater bacteria, creating a significant obstacle to identifying coherent ecological traits among these groups. A discourse that unites the field is sorely needed. Here we present a new freshwater lake phylogeny constructed from all published 16S rRNA gene sequences from lake epilimnia and propose a unifying vocabulary to discuss freshwater taxa. With this new vocabulary in place, we review the current information on the ecology, ecophysiology, and distribution of lake bacteria and highlight newly identified phylotypes. In the second part of our review, we conduct meta-analyses on the compiled data, identifying distribution patterns for bacterial phylotypes among biomes and across environmental gradients in lakes. We conclude by emphasizing the role that this review can play in providing a coherent framework for future studies.     

从微体化石群看我国沿海早第三纪含油盆地的差异

对我国沿海3个含油盆地－珠江口、北部湾和渤海湾盆地下第三系湖相生油岩中的微体化石群进行比较分析。3个盆地中以渤海湾盆地下第三系湖相化石群最为丰富,数量多,分异度高,而且化石群以地方性属种比例高、咸水类型多,存在“海源陆生生物化石”为特征;北部湾盆地,在涠洲组和流沙港组发现较多的介形类化石及个别腹足类和轮藻化石;而珠江口下经三系湖相地层中,微体化石罕见,只在个别层位发现贝壳碎片。据化石群特征,推测渤海湾盆地早第三纪是封闭型的咸水湖泊,而且部分沉积时期,可能是以Cl^-和Na^ 为主的咸水湖泊;珠江口盆地早第三纪是湖水矿化度低、硬度、pH值也低的淡水湖泊;而北部湾盆地早第三纪可能仍属淡水湖泊,但有一定的矿化度。     

Bacterial and archaeal assemblages in sediments of a large shallow freshwater lake, Lake Taihu, as revealed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis

Aims:  To explore the association of microbial community structure with the development of eutrophication in a large shallow freshwater lake, Lake Taihu.
Methods and Results:  The bacterial and archaeal assemblages in sediments of different lake areas were analysed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of amplified 16S rDNA fragments. The bacterial DGGE profiles showed that eutrophied sites, grass-bottom areas and relatively clean sites with a eutrophic (albeit dredged) site are three respective clusters. Fifty-one dominant bacterial DGGE bands were detected and 92 corresponding clones were sequenced, most of which were affiliated with bacterial phylotypes commonly found in freshwater ecosystems. Actinobacteria were detected in the centre of the lake and not at eutrophied sites whereas the opposite was found with respect to Verrucomicrobiales . Twenty-five dominant archaeal DGGE bands were detected and 31 corresponding clones were sequenced, most of which were affiliated with freshwater archaeal phylotypes.
Conclusions:  The bacterial community structures in the sediments of different areas with similar water quality and situation tend to be similar in Taihu Lake.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  This study may expand our knowledge on the relationship between the overall microbial assemblages and the development of eutrophication in the shallow freshwater lake.     

河南东濮地区晚始新世至渐新世轮藻植物群及其古环境探讨

东濮地区晚始新世沙河段组四段上部至三段轮藻植物群生存于含钙量高的咸化型水体中,它们的横向分布反映了湖盆中部存在着一个ＮＮＥ向的隆起地带。早渐新世沙河街组二段轮藻植物群生长于含钙量低的淡水水体中,它们的横向分布反映了湖盆中部古地形自南向北高低相间。晚渐新世东营组轮藻植物群生存于含钙量低的淡水水体中,它们的横向分布反映了湖盆的古地势较为平坦。