Die Fossilfcührung des erdfalls von nieheim (se-westfalen) und seine bedeutung für die paläogeographie imcampan und miozän das nordwestdeutsche tertiärbecken,nr. 27

A landfall in the east Westphalian-Lippean area contains a breccia of Keuper, Liassic and Miocene (marine Reinbekian) sediments. Within the Reinbekian sediments calcareous nannoplankton, diversified foraminiferal assemblages, ostracods, lamellibranchiates and gastropods, including a new subspecies ofAlvania (A.) curta, were found. Furthermore, foraminiferal and calcareous nannoplankton assemblages of Santonian to Campanian age are present. On the basis of these occurrences, the paleogeographic conception of the past coastline of the Westphalian Upper Cretaceous sea as well as of the southern extension of the boreal Middle Miocene sea can be revised. A gulf, stretching to the South, may have connected the North Sea basin with the basin of Mayence and the upper Rhine valley through the Hessian depression for certain periods during the Middle Miocene.     

Triassic nannoplankton limestones of deep basin origin in the central mediterranean region

Samples of Triassic pelagic limestones collected in several regions of the Central Mediterranean area were examined with the electron microscope. They show calcareous nannoplankton existing already from Middle Triassic time. The Middle Triassic nannofossils are contained in nodular limestones such as the “Ammonitico Rosso” of Epidaurus (Greece); the Upper Triassic ones are contained in nodular limestones like the Ammonitico Rosso of Hallstatt (Austria), as well as in Halobia cherty limestones of the Pindos basin in Italy, Yugoslavia and Greece. In the Halobia limestones it is possible, in spite of the recrystallization effects, to recognize such an abundance of organic forms — even if in fragments — that we can suppose the original sediment to be a kind of nannoplankton ooze.Because of the very low accumulation rate (few metres/m.y.) of the Middle Triassic Ammonitico Rosso limestones, the coccoliths cannot be considered a significant factor of carbonate pelagic sedimentation at this time; the very high accumulation rate (up to 25 metres/m.y.) of the Upper Triassic cherty limestones in the Pindos basin, on the contrary, allows the nannoplankton to be considered a very important agent of calcareous pelagic sedimentation. The authors hypothesize that the Dogger-Malm, mainly represented by radiolarites, was only a temporary interlude in the Mesozoic pelagic carbonate sedimentation.     

The spatial and vertical distribution of living (stained) benthic foraminifera from a tropical,intertidal environment,north Queensland,Australia

We investigated the distribution of living (stained) benthic foraminifera across a tropical, intertidal shoreline adjacent to Cocoa Creek, Queensland, Australia for the purpose of better understanding the nature of test production and ultimately fossil assemblage development within such environments. Short cores (up to 1 m) were collected during the wet and dry season, along an elevational gradient comprising non-vegetated intertidal mudflat and higher-intertidal mangrove forest environments. The distribution of stained specimens can be broadly delineated into assemblages characterising ‘upper mangrove’ (2.64–2.91 m above Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT)) and ‘low mangrove-mudflat’ (1.62–2.18 m above LAT) environments. Agglutinated species were generally limited to upper mangrove stations. Calcareous species occurred within all of the intertidal environments examined but differ in their composition between upper and lower intertidal settings. Upper mangrove faunas were characterised by the agglutinated species Arenoparrella mexicana, Haplophragmoides wilberti, Miliammina fusca, Miliammina obliqua and Trochammina inflata and the calcareous species Helenina anderseni. Live (stained) assemblages at lower intertidal elevations were dominated by the calcareous species Ammonia aoteana, as well as Rosalina spp., Elphidium oceanicum, Triloculina oblonga, Ammonia pustulosa and Shackoinella globosa.     

Extant calcareous nannoplankton in the Australian Sector of the Southern Ocean (austral summers 1994 and 1995)

Living calcareous nannoplankton in the region between Australia and Antarctica are distributed in five assemblages associated with distinct physico-chemical properties of surface and subsurface water masses. Temperature and salinity ranges for living assemblages were 2–15.7°C and 33.7–35.56‰, respectively, with maximum cell densities for austral summer 1994 found at 9.63°C and 34.44‰, and for austral summer 1995 at 12.8°C and 35.17‰. Nutrients (phosphate, silicate and nitrate) increase poleward and vertically from surface to depth. Abundance and diversity of calcareous nannoplankton decrease in a poleward direction with major shifts located across both the Subtropical and the Subantarctic Fronts. Higher cell densities were found below 50 m equatorward of the Subtropical Front and above 50 m poleward of this front. Poleward of the Antarctic Divergence coccolithophores are absent from all samples. Three different morphotypes of Emiliania huxleyi were identified, one of which has a distribution associated with the Subtropical Front. Of the subordinate species Syracosphaera spp, Calciosolenia murrayi and Umbellosphaera tenuis dominate equatorward of the Subtropical Front with Syracosphaera spp and Calcidiscus leptoporus dominant poleward of this front. A peculiar community of weakly calcified species is recorded for the first time outside the Weddell Sea.     

Distributions of calcareous dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments of the western equatorial Atlantic Ocean,and their potential use in palaeoceanography

Only very few studies focus on recent calcareous dinoflagellate cyst diversity, geographic distribution and ecology, so that information on the distribution patterns and environmental affinities of individual cyst species is extremely limited. This information is, however, essential if we want to use calcareous dinoflagellate cysts for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Surface sediment samples from the generally oligotrophic western equatorial Atlantic Ocean, offshore northeast Brazil, were therefore quantitatively analysed for their calcareous dinoflagellate cyst content, including the calcareous vegetative coccoid Thoracosphaera heimii. Seven calcareous dinoflagellate cyst species/morphotypes and T. heimii were encountered in high concentrations throughout the area. Substantial differences in the distribution patterns were observed. The highest concentrations of cysts are found in sediments of the more oligotrophic, oceanic regions, beyond the influence of Amazon River discharge waters. Dinoflagellates producing calcareous cysts thus appear to be capable of surviving low nutrient concentrations and produce large numbers of cysts in relatively stable and predictable environments affected by minimal seasonality. To test for the environmental affinities of individual species, distribution patterns in surface sediments were compared with temperature, salinity, density and stratification gradients within the upper water column (0–100 m) over different times of the year, using principal components analysis and redundancy analysis. T. heimii and four of the seven encountered cyst species (Sphaerodinella? albatrosiana, two morphotypes of Sphaerodinella? tuberosa and Scrippsiella regalis) relate to these parameters significantly and the variations in the cyst associations appear to be associated with the different surface water currents characterising the area. The results imply that calcareous dinoflagellate cyst distributions can potentially be used to distinguish between different open oceanic environments and they could, therefore, be useful in tracing water mass movements throughout the late Quaternary.     

Phylogenetic affinities of an enigmatic nannoplankton,Braarudosphaera bigelowii based on the SSU rDNA sequences

The phylogenetic position of an enigmatic calcareous nannoplankton Braarudosphaera bigelowii, whose taxonomic position has long been questioned, was investigated using molecular genetic methods. The SSU rDNA sequences of B. bigelowii were obtained using a single cell PCR technique independently from two single cells isolated from field samples. A BLAST search revealed that the SSU rDNA of B. bigelowii was most similar to those of the division Haptophyta. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses showed that B. bigelowii was included in a clade comprising members of the orders Isochrysidales and Coccolithales, the genus Chrysoculter and two unidentified haptophytes. Morphometric measurements of extant B. bigelowii populations were made to obtain precise information on their intraspecific size variation. The results showed that these populations could be subdivided into a small form (< 2.4 μm), an intermediate form A (4.0–5.3 μm), and an intermediate form B (5.3–7.2 μm), although the borders of the latter two forms overlapped. The SSU rDNA sequences showed the presence of 10-bp substitutions plus six insertions/deletions between specimens of intermediate forms A and B. The levels of DNA variation between them suggested that these two forms are genetically distinct from each other.     

Phytoplankton-stratigraphy from neogene,marine depositions near ierapetra,crete, Greece

The fossil calcareous and siliceous phytoplankton occurring in the Neogene of the island of Crete — Greece — (South Aegean island arc), was studied using normal ligntmicroscopic techniques. By this method it was possible to identify 13 species of the silicoflagellates and 22 species of the diatoms, which are investigated in this work for their stratigraphical range. The nannoplankton assemblages along the locality from Tsikalaria belong to theDistephanus boliviensis and theDiscoaster tamalis zone (early Upper Pliocene).     

Middle Miocene warm-temperate carbonates of Central Paratethys (Mt. Zrinska Gora, Croatia): paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on bryozoans, coralline red algae, foraminifera, and calcareous nannoplankton

Carbonate deposits from Zrin in the Mt. Zrinska Gora were deposited in the SW part of the Central Paratethys Sea during the Middle Badenian (Middle Miocene). The studied section contains a rich fossil community of non-geniculate coralline red algae (Subfamily Melobesioideae), bryozoans, benthic and planktonic foraminifera, echinoderms, ostracods, molluscs, and calcareous nannoplankton. Based on lithological variations and changes in the biogenic components, four facies associations (FA) are distinguished. Their distribution points to skeletal production and sedimentation on a middle to proximal outer carbonate ramp. The main lithological feature of the section is an alternation of two lithofacies: fully lithified grainstone–rudstone and packstone, and semi-lithified rudstone–floatstone with a carbonate sandy matrix. Depositional environments on the ramp were periodically influenced by minor high-frequency sea-level changes and/or changes of hydrodynamic conditions, which are suggested as the driving mechanisms causing the alternation of the two lithofacies. Vertically in the succession, the two lithofacies alternate to give three thinning- and fining-upward units. The lower part of each unit is formed of a rhodolith and coralline algal FA, which passes upwards into a bryozoan-coralline algal FA and/or FA of bioclastic packstone-grainstone. Based on the vertical upward change in FAs, each unit can be interpreted as a deepening-upward sequence. Patterns in the relative abundance of bryozoan colony growth form (vinculariiform, cellariiform, adeoniform, membraniporiform, celleporiform, and reteporiform), size and abundance of rhodoliths and coralline branches, and benthic foraminifera are interpreted by comparison with data from modern and fossil environments. Based on these data, a water depth range for each FA is interpreted, providing evidence of low-frequency relative sea-level changes. It is hypothesized that relative sea-level fluctuated in the water depth range from 30 to 80 m, and in the uppermost part of the section, rich in planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton, possibly deeper. Causes of the low-frequency relative sea-level fluctuations and the general deepening trend observed within the succession cannot be interpreted based on one section; however, they may be related to the subsidence of the depositional basin. The benthic biotic communities are a vertical alternation of rhodalgal and bryorhodalgal associations, and this is attributed to relative sea-level fluctuations. These biotic associations gave rise to warm-temperate carbonates of the Middle Badenian N9 planktonic Zone (Orbulina suturalis, O. universa) and NN4–NN5 nannoplankton Zones (Sphenolithus heteromorphus).     

Stromatolite biostromes and associated facies in the late precambrian porsanger dolomite formation of Finnmark,Arctic Norway

The Late Precambrian Porsanger Dolomite Formation, occurring beneath the Varanger tillite in Arctic Norway, consists of various dolomitic lithofacies of subtidal, intertidal and supratidal environments. The lithofacies belong to three facies associations, A, B and C, which are repeated several times in the sequence. Facies association A comprises cryptalgal laminites, dolomicrites and thin-bedded grainstones and flakestones. The environment represented by this facies is broadly intertidal (locally supratidal) flat, with the interbedded carbonate sands representing storm deposits. Facies association B, of shallow subtidal to low intertidal origin, comprises cross-bedded carbonate sands (flakestones, grainstones and oolites) forming units up to 10 m thick. Small stromatolite bioherms (5 m wide, 2 m high) are locally developed within these “high-energy” deposits. Facies association C formed in a subtidal environment consists of laterally extensive (over 20 km) uniformly developed stromatolite biostromes, up to 16 m thick. The biostromes, locally divided by channels filled with grainstones and intraformational conglomerates, are composed of cylindrical and turbinate columnar (SH-V and SH-C) and digitate stromatolites (Gymnosolen, Inseria and Tungussia) in their lower parts. Larger, bulbous (SH-C and LLH-C) and conical (Conophyton) stromatolites occur in the upper parts, as well as the branching conophyte, Jacutophyton.All of the biostromes are always developed above cross-bedded carbonate sands (facies association B). A broadly symmetrical cyclic pattern, A B C B A, of tidal flat deposits (facies association A) passing up into carbonate sands (B), into biostrome (C), overlain by carbonate sands (B) and then tidal flat deposits (A), is repeated four times in the Porsanger Dolomite sequence. The pattern is interpreted in terms of two controls on sedimentation: (1) a slow transgressive phase followed by (2) depositional regression. The former (1) took place either through eustatic sea-level rise or more likely through accelerated subsidence because of tectonic instability and compaction of underlying sediments. This resulted in the sequence: tidal flat sediments, low intertidal/shallow subtidal carbonate sands, subtidal biostrome (A, B, C). Depositional regression through prograding tidal flats, generated the shoaling upward part of the cycle: biostrome, carbonate sands, tidal flat sediments (C, B, A).     

Fungal communities from the calcareous deep-sea sediments in the Southwest India Ridge revealed by Illumina sequencing technology

The diversity and ecological significance of bacteria and archaea in deep-sea environments have been thoroughly investigated, but eukaryotic microorganisms in these areas, such as fungi, are poorly understood. To elucidate fungal diversity in calcareous deep-sea sediments in the Southwest India Ridge (SWIR), the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rRNA genes from two sediment metagenomic DNA samples were amplified and sequenced using the Illumina sequencing platform. The results revealed that 58–63 % and 36–42 % of the ITS sequences (97 % similarity) belonged to Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, respectively. These findings suggest that Basidiomycota and Ascomycota are the predominant fungal phyla in the two samples. We also found that Agaricomycetes, Leotiomycetes, and Pezizomycetes were the major fungal classes in the two samples. At the species level, Thelephoraceae sp. and Phialocephala fortinii were major fungal species in the two samples. Despite the low relative abundance, unidentified fungal sequences were also observed in the two samples. Furthermore, we found that there were slight differences in fungal diversity between the two sediment samples, although both were collected from the SWIR. Thus, our results demonstrate that calcareous deep-sea sediments in the SWIR harbor diverse fungi, which augment the fungal groups in deep-sea sediments. This is the first report of fungal communities in calcareous deep-sea sediments in the SWIR revealed by Illumina sequencing.     

Integrated quantitative biostratigraphy of the latest Tortonian-early Messinian Pissouri section (Cyprus): An evaluation of calcareous plankton bioevents

A quantitative study was performed on planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils of the astronomically dated Late Miocene Pissouri section (Cyprus). Our results confirm the reliability of well-known planktonic foraminiferal events as Catapsydraxparvulus LO (Last Occurrence), sinistral coiling change of Globorotaliascitula, Globorotaliamiotumida group FRO (First Regular Occurrence), Globorotalianicolae FO (First occurrence) and LO, sinistral coiling change of Neogloboquadrinaacostaensis and also of several important calcareous nannofossil events (Amaurolithusprimus FO, Amaurolithusdelicatus FO, Reticulofenestrarotaria FO and FCO). Integrated planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton data contribute to an enhanced time resolution of the Tortonian - early Messinian interval in the Levantine basin, and contribute to detailed correlations throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. In addition, we compare methodologies commonly used in calcareous plankton biostratigraphy, and shortly outline sources of bias that can influence the results of stratigraphic studies.     

Die Anwendung organischwandiger Dinoflagellatenzysten zur Rekonstruktion von Paläoumwelt, Paläoklima und Paläozeanographie: Möglichkeiten und Grenzen

Over the past two decades, organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) have been increasingly used as paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic indicators in marine sediments from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Because dinocysts are acid-resistant and abundant in nearly all aquatic settings, the dinocyst-based environmental and paleoclimatic information is complementary to the data derived from calcareous and siliceous microfossil groups such as foraminifers, calcareous nannoplankton, diatoms, and radiolarians. In some cases, the environmental information of dinocysts even exceeds that of calcareous and siliceous microfossils. The present contribution provides an outline of the present-day knowledge on dinocyst paleoecology. It reviews the potential of dinocysts for the reconstruction of sea-surface productivity, temperature, and salinity as well as their application in sequence stratigraphy. Finally, it evaluates the applicability of dinocysts in reconstructing the paleo-oxygenation in the bottom and pore waters of marine environments and in the lower water column of epeiric seas.     

Calcareous dinoflagellate cysts in South and equatorial Atlantic surface sediments: diversity,distribution, ecology and potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction

Several marine, peridiniphycidean dinoflagellate species produce calcareous cysts during their life cycle, which are relatively resistant to chemical and physical degradation and are therefore often found in large quantities in oceanic bottom sediments. Although the use of these calcareous cysts as proxies for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstructions has seen many advances over the last decade, until now only relatively patchy and regional information was available on their recent distribution patterns and ecology, especially at the species level. In this paper, comprehensive calcareous cyst diversity and distribution data have been compiled from published and unpublished work for 167 South and equatorial Atlantic Ocean surface sediments, ranging from 20°N to 50°S, and 30°E to 65°W. The main aim has been to focus on the complex, often non-linear, relationships between individual species’ distributions and the physicochemical and trophic conditions of the overlying (sub)surface waters through the use of x–y graphs of cyst abundance vs. (sub)surface water environmental parameters, and detrended correspondence analyses. Ten cyst species and the calcareous vegetative coccoid species Thoracosphaera heimii were observed in the bottom sediments, each species showing its own characteristic distribution pattern in relation to the environmental conditions of the upper water masses above them (e.g. sea surface temperature, productivity, stratification). The sensitive reactions of various species to unique combinations of environmental parameters shows that each species has its own specific ecological traits, thus rejecting the bundled use of ‘calcareous cyst accumulation’ as a general proxy for oligotrophy or stratification in future palaeoenvironmental analyses. The acquired ‘reference’ data set of this study is large and diverse enough to allow its future application in quantitative palaeoenvironmental reconstruction models, and shows that there is still an enormous reconstruction potential concealed in many fossil calcareous dinoflagellate cyst assemblages.     

Labelling patterns of carbon-14 in net plankton during a winter-spring bloom

Weekly surface samples were collected in lower Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, during the 1975 winter-spring bloom and fractionated by nets to nannoplankton (<20 μm) and total (< 158 μm) size fractions. Each size fraction was assayed for paniculate carbon, nitrogen, carbohydrate, protein, chlorophyll a, and cell counts. The <20 μm values were subtracted from the <158 μm values to estimate the composition of the 20 μm to 158 μm fraction (termed net plankton). As nutrients (primarily nitrogen) decreased to undetectable levels with the culmination of the diatom bloom, the ratios of protein/carbohydrate, carbohydrate/carbon, and carbon/chlorophyll a in the net plankton indicated the diatom population was increasingly nutrient-limited. Each size fraction was also incubated at a saturating light intensity with carbon-14; following filtration, the cells were extracted with solvents to obtain labelled polysaccharide and protein. The daily rates of polysaccharide and protein synthesis in the net plankton declined as the bloom entered the stationary phase. When the diatom population was at its maximum density the majority of the carbon-14 was found in the ethanol-soluble fraction; this may be due to high light intensities or nutrient effects.     

Assessing surficial foraminiferal distributions as an overwash indicator in Sur Lagoon,Sultanate of Oman

The identification of tsunami and storm deposits in arid coastal environments can be problematic, as overwash sediments may not show significant contrasting lithologic characters with lagoonal sediments. In this study foraminifera were evaluated as an overwash indicator in a small (12 km²) intertidal lagoon located at Sur, in the Sultanate of Oman. The lagoon is shallow (< 5 m depth), tidally-controlled and communicates with the open sea through a narrow subtidal entrance channel. The lagoon is largely composed of intertidal sand and mudflats with fringing mangroves. Previous work at Sur identified evidence for overwash deposits associated with the 28 November 1945 Makran Trench tsunami (M_w 8.1) which were identified based on the presence of a laterally extensive shelly bed with distinctive taphonomic characters. In this study, particle size, stable isotopic and foraminiferal (taxa and taphonomy) analyses were conducted on surface sediment samples from Sur Lagoon to determine modern spatial trends in the lagoon for future comparison with overwash sediments deeper in the geologic record. Q-mode cluster analysis of the foraminiferal data (n = 54) found three main biofacies which follow lagoon sub-environments: Shallow Marine Area, Main Lagoon Basin, and Distal Lagoon Basin. The Shallow Marine Area is mainly subtidal with higher wave energy, the Main Lagoon Basin is predominantly intertidal with moderate wave energy, whereas the Distal Lagoon Basin is isolated and mainly intertidal with low wave energy.The most useful parameters for assessing overwash events in Sur Lagoon are the foraminifera taxa rather than the taphonomic characters themselves. The most useful taxa for recognizing an overwash (e.g. tsunami or storm) will be the abundance of Amphistegina spp., Ammonia inflata, Elphidium advenum and planktics which are predominantly found in the Shallow Marine Area. The abundance trend of these species with distance into the lagoon has an inverse relationship with higher r² values than the other taxa. Taphonomically there is a predominance of larger specimens in the Shallow Marine Area along with a higher abundance of fossil specimens.     

锥状施克里普藻孢囊的多种形态特征

休眠孢囊是某些甲藻生活史的重要阶段, 它被认为是甲藻赤潮爆发的种源。通过观察我国沿海海域采集的锥状施克里普藻(Scrippsiella trochoidea (Stein) Loebl ich)休眠孢囊的类型以及形态特征, 并将实验条件下形成的休眠孢囊与海区沉积物中休眠孢囊的形态特征进行比较, 结果表明, 锥状施克里普藻细胞在20°C、12小时光照/12小时黑暗、f/2培养基和f/2-N培养基中分别培养至第14天和第8天, 可以观察到休眠孢囊的产生。培养30天后, 培养液中有大量休眠孢囊, 将藻液避光保存90天后, 观察到培养基中有4种类型的休眠孢囊产生: (1)球形到椭球形(长25-39 μm), 钙质外壁, 稀疏或密被钙质附属物(长1-4 μm); (2)球形(直径为29-35 μm), 钙质外壁, 附属物非钙质(长0.5-1.5 μm); (3) 球形到椭球形(长29-35 μm), 钙质, 表面光滑, 无附属物; (4) 球形(直径24-35 μm ), 有机外壁, 无附属物。第1种类型的孢囊最为常见, 分别占到2种培养条件下所得全部孢囊的77.70%和95.18%。从沉积物中所得的孢囊多属于第1种类型。分析了实验条件下形成不同类型休眠孢囊的原因和比例, 同时探讨了海区沉积物中形成多种孢囊形态特征的原因, 为锥状施克里普藻孢囊的生态研究提供了依据。     

Phytoplankton photosynthesis in the subsurface chlorophyll-maximum layer of the tropical North Pacific Ocean

Maximum quantum yield (φ_m^B) and maximum photosynthetic rate (P_m^B) of light-saturation curves of phytoplankton photosynthesis were determined for nannoplankton (< 20 μm) and netplankton (>20 μm) from the subsurface chlorophyll-maximum layer at 14 stations in the tropical North Pacific Ocean in the spring of 1976. The maximum quantum yield $\text{(φ}{}_{\mathrm{m}}{}^{\mathrm{B}}\text{±}\text{s.e.}\text{)}$ was significantly higher for nannoplankton (0.056 ± 0.006 moles CO₂·Einstein^?1 absorbed) than netplankton (0.039 ± 0.002 moles CO₂·Einstein^?1 absorbed). The importance of nannoplankton in the maximum photosynthetic rate (P_m^B) appears to be less consistent. At least 60% of the theoretical maximum quantum yield (0.12 moles CO₂·Einstein^?1 absorbed) was probably incorporated into the particulate fraction at the subsurface chlorophyll-maximum layer.     

Effects of desiccation on the photosynthetic activity of intertidal microphytobenthos biofilms as studied by optical methods

Due to the periodic exposure to air during periods of low tide, desiccation can be expected to cause important limiting effects on the photosynthetic activity of intertidal microphytobenthos biofilms. This work addresses the study of the short-term effects of desiccation on microphytobenthos using a new, simple methodological approach to non-destructively estimate the water content of muddy intertidal sediments. The method is based on the non-destructive measurement of the specular reflectance in the visible spectral region, shown to be linearly related to the water content of the uppermost 200 µm of the sediment. During air exposure, water loss by the surface sediment layers was shown to induce marked decreases in both the photosynthetic activity, as measured by the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II, F_v/F_m, and the surface microalgal biomass, as estimated from the diffusive reflectance biomass index NDVI. The effects of desiccation were largely dependent on the rate of sediment de-watering. For a same level of desiccation, samples under fast desiccation (exposed to wind of 4.2 m s^− 1) showed much larger effects on F_v/F_m and NDVI comparatively to samples under slow desiccation (maintained under still air). By showing the rapid and significant effects of desiccation on microphytobenthos biofilm functioning, the results of this study have potentially important implications for the modelling of primary productivity of estuarine intertidal areas, as desiccation and factors inducing it may result in previously unaccounted effects on photosynthetic performance and productive biomass.     

锥状施克里普藻孢囊的多种形态特征

休眠孢囊是某些甲藻生活史的重要阶段,它被认为是甲藻赤潮爆发的种源。通过观察我国沿海海域采集的锥状施克里普藻（Scrippsiella trochoidea（Stein）Loeblich）休眠孢囊的类型以及形态特征,并将实验条件下形成的休眠孢囊与海区沉积物中休眠孢囊的形态特征进行比较,结果表明,锥状施克里普藻细胞在20°C、12小时光照/12小时黑暗、f/2培养基和f/2-N培养基中分别培养至第14天和第8天,可以观察到休眠孢囊的产生。培养30天后,培养液中有大量休眠孢囊,将藻液避光保存90天后,观察到培养基中有4种类型的休眠孢囊产生：（1）球形到椭球形（长25-39μm）,钙质外壁,稀疏或密被钙质附属物（长1-4μm）;（2）球形（直径为29-35μm）,钙质外壁,附属物非钙质（长0.5-1.5μm）;（3）球形到椭球形（长29-35μm）,钙质,表面光滑,无附属物;（4）球形（直径24-35μm）,有机外壁,无附属物。第1种类型的孢囊最为常见,分别占到2种培养条件下所得全部孢囊的77.70%和95.18%。从沉积物中所得的孢囊多属于第1种类型。分析了实验条件下形成不同类型休眠孢囊的原因和比例,同时探讨了海区沉积物中形成多种孢囊形态特征的原因,为锥状施克里普藻孢囊的生态研究提供了依据。