The Holocene Pulleniatina Minimum Event revisited: Geochemical and faunal evidence from the Okinawa Trough and upper reaches of the Kuroshio current

The Holocene Pulleniatina Minimum Event (PME) is characterized by a very low abundance of the planktonic foraminifer Pulleniatina obliquiloculata between  4.5 and 3 ka. The PME occurs widely in the Okinawa Trough and the South China Sea, and can be correlated throughout this area; it has been related to variability in the Kuroshio current. To further explore the nature of the PME, we studied cores obtained from the southern Okinawa Trough and the upper reaches of the Kuroshio current. Faunal census data indicate that all cores record the PME between  4.5 and  3 ka. The relative abundance of Neogloboquadrina dutertrei is negatively correlated to that of P. obliquiloculata in the southern Okinawa Trough, but not in the sites at the upper reaches. Mg/Ca and δ¹⁸O measurements on Globigerinoides ruber shells from the southern Okinawa Trough indicate that there was no change in sea surface temperature or sea surface salinity during the PME. The vertical structure of the water column as reconstructed by multispecies δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C profiles shows no consistent anomalies in the southern Okinawa Trough and western Philippine Sea during the PME. These observations suggest that: (1) the PME was not restricted to marginal seas, but widespread in the western North Pacific. (2) The high abundance of N. dutertrei during the PME in the Okinawa Trough may be a result of higher food-availability in the absence of P. obliquiloculata. (3) No distinctive, consistent anomalies in the paleoceanographic proxies are associated with the PME, implying there were no changes in hydrography and productivity. The absence of a linkage between faunal variation and paleoceanographic proxies indicates that we do not yet understand what causes changes in planktonic foraminiferal assemblages. This lack of understanding implies that we cannot always trust fauna-based paleothermometry at millennial timescales.     

Distribution of living planktonic foraminifera in the Ross Sea and the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean (Antarctica)

In order to determine the factors controlling the distribution of planktonic foraminifera as a proxy for reconstruction of paleoenvironments, we present data on live assemblages collected in the Southern Ocean. Plankton tows and hydrographic measurements were taken in the upper 400 m of the water column at different sites in the Ross Sea (site B) and at the Polar Front of the Pacific Ocean (site O) during austral summers from 1998 to 2003.Based on qualitative micropaleontological observations we discriminated between Neogloboquadrina pachyderma dextral (dex) and N. pachyderma sinistral (sin). In addition for N. pachyderma (sin) we distinguished four morphs: the first one (1) has a thickened test and depressed sutures; the second morph (2) is represented by specimens characterized by a subspheric and heavily encrusted test; the third morph (3) has a thin and lobate walled test; the fourth one (4) represent the juvenile stage of N. pachyderma (sin) and is characterized by a smaller average size.The microfauna collected in the Ross Sea (site B) is characterized by the dominance of N. pachyderma (sin) (morphs 1 and 2), whereas low occurrences of Turborotalia quinqueloba, N. pachyderma (dex) and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei were noted in the first 50 m of the water column. The water column at this station is characterized by a marked and shallow stratification and a marked thermocline during the sampling season.At the ocean station (site O), the assemblage shows increasing diversification: T. quinqueloba, G. bulloides, N. pachyderma (dex) and few specimens of Globigerinita uvula characterize the planktonic microfauna. There is a predominance of non-encrusted morphs and juvenile specimens (3 and 4). At this station the mixed surface layer is deeper than in the Ross Sea (60–70 m), the pycnocline and the thermocline less marked.The depth and the intensity of the Deep Chlorophyll Maximum (DCM) influence foraminiferal distribution: N. pachyderma (sin) shows abundance peaks at or just below the DCM while G. bulloides peaks above the DCM. Coiling direction of N. pachyderma seems to be not controlled exclusively by Sea Surface Temperature (SST): probably the two coiling types are genetically different.Results document that diversity of planktonic foraminifera, number of specimens and variations in test morphology are related to regional differences in water properties (temperature, salinity, and DCM depth).     

西北太平洋柔鱼栖息地环境因子分析及其对资源丰度的影响

柔鱼(Ommastrephes bartramii)是西北太平洋海域重要的经济头足类,短生命周期的生活史特征决定其资源丰度易受海洋环境变化影响。根据1998—2010年我国鱿钓船生产统计资料和环境资料,包括海表温度(SST)和叶绿素浓度(Chl-a)数据,结合Nio 3.4区海表温距平值(SSTA),分析了SST和Chl-a浓度的季节和年际变化特征,并分别探讨了SST和Chl-a浓度距平值与Nio 3.4区SSTA及柔鱼资源丰度之间的关系。结果表明,产卵场海域Chl-a浓度冬季高夏季低,SST则夏季高冬季低;育肥场Chl-a和SST均呈夏季高冬季低变化,但6—12月份Chl-a浓度波动明显。产卵场和育肥场SST及Chl-a浓度年际变化明显。同时研究发现,厄尔尼诺、拉尼娜和正常年份时Nio 3.4区SSTA对柔鱼产卵场和育肥场环境的调控机制不同:拉尼娜和正常年份产卵场和育肥场温度上升,叶绿素浓度变化幅度小,有利于资源量补充,产量较高;厄尔尼诺年份温度和叶绿素均降低,尤其育肥场叶绿素浓度,对资源量产生不利影响,产量锐减。研究利用多元线性回归分别建立了基于温度和叶绿素的柔鱼资源丰度的预测模型,两者均能很好的预测柔鱼资源丰度(P0.05),但基于叶绿素的预测模型优于温度模型。     

Spatial and temporal expression of the two sucrose synthase genes in maize: immunohistological evidence

Summary The DNAs of two diploid species of Gossypium, G. herbaceum var. africanum (A₁ genome) and G. raimondii (D₅ genome), and the allotetraploid species, G. hirsutum (A_h and D_h genomes), were characterized by kinetic analyses of single copy and repetitive sequences. Estimated haploid genome sizes of A₁ and D₅ were 1.04 pg and 0.68 pg, respectively, in approximate agreement with cytological observations that A genome chromosomes are about twice the size of D genome chromosomes. This differences in genome size was accounted for entirely by differences in the major repetitive fraction (0.56 pg versus 0.20 pg), as single copy fractions of the two genomes were essentially identical (0.41 pg for A₁ and 0.43 pg for D₅). Kinetic analyses and thermal denaturation measurements of single copy duplexes from reciprocal intergenomic hybridizations showed considerable sequence similarity between A₁ and D₅ genomes (77% duplex formation with an average thermal depression of 6 °C). Moreover, little sequence divergence was detectable between diploid single copy sequences and their corresponding genomes in the allotetraploid, consistent with previous chromosome pairing observations in interspecific F₁ hybrids.Journal paper No. 4461 of the Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station     

Leptodiscaceans (Noctilucales, Dinophyceae) from the Pacific Ocean: First records of Petalodinium and Leptodiscus beyond the Mediterranean Sea

Records of dinoflagellates of the family Leptodiscaceae (Noctilucales) from the Kuroshio Current, Philippine, Celebes, Sulu, South China Seas and the western and central Equatorial Pacific Ocean are described. Scaphodinium mirabile was the most common leptodiscacean. Two specimens that differed from the type species of Scaphodinium were found: one specimen showed a highly bifurcate proximal extremity and another showed two dissimilar proboscides from the distal extremity. Another unidentified leptodiscacean showed an arrowhead-shaped contour with the margins folded. Six specimens of Petalodinium porcelio were found, being the first record beyond the Mediterranean-Black Seas. Six specimens were tentatively assigned to the genus Leptodiscus, being the first record beyond the western Mediterranean Sea. The folded specimens that ranged from 90 to 120 μm in diameter and with a prominent flagellum were tentatively considered to be young specimens of Leptodiscus. The abundance of the leptodiscaceans is underestimated in the world's oceans.     

Evolution of the monocot gynoecium: evidence from comparative morphology and development in Tofieldia, Japonolirion, Petrosavia and Narthecium

We present new comparative morphological and developmental data on gynoecia of three genera of early-divergent monocots: Tofieldia (Tofieldiaceae, Alismatales), Petrosavia and Japonolirion (Petrosaviaceae, Petrosaviales) and one lilioid monocot: Narthecium (Nartheciaceae, Dioscoreales). Our data show significant differences between the genera examined, and are congruent with the splitting of former Nartheciaceae sensu Tamura (1998) into families Tofieldiaceae, Petrosaviaceae NB-cosistent with later and Nartheciacae (APG II 2003). Our investigation confirms the presence of at least partial carpel fusion in all taxa examined. Previous data indicating apocarpy in Japonolirion, some Petrosavia and Tofieldia could be due to late postgenital carpel fusion in these plants. Syncarpy also characterises other early-divergent monocot lineages such as Acoraceae and Araceae. It is most parsimonious to regard syncarpy as a primitive condition for monocots, but an alternative scenario suggests that apocarpy is plesiomorphic among monocots, involving multiple origins of syncarpy. The latter hypothesis is supported by significant differences between gynoecia of early-divergent monocots, including different modes of carpel fusion.     

Water quality improvement and phytoplankton response in the drinking water source in Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu, China

Water quality experienced changes throughout the 3-year ecological engineering experiment in the drinking water source in Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu. Average concentrations of TN, TP, NH₄⁺, BOD₅ and transparency in the drinking water source during the period of July–December 2005 were 1.85, 0.13, 0.23, 3.03 mg L⁻¹ and 27.5 cm, respectively, decreasing by 47.9%, 21.2%, 83.3%, 54.4% and 24.2%, compared to concentrations from the same period in 2003. Concentrations of chlorophyll a and COD were 89.9 μg L⁻¹ and 6.45 mg L⁻¹, increasing by 27.9% and 17.7%, compared to the values in 2003. Cyanobacteria (mainly Microcystis) dominated the phytoplankton community in the ecological engineering area during July–December 2005. Densities of cyanobacteria and Microcystis were higher in 2005 than in 2004 and higher inside the engineering area than outside. Density percentages of cyanobacteria and Microcystis to total algae were above 90% and 60% during the bloom period. Average density of flagellate algae was higher during July–December 2005 than in 2004. Changes in water quality in the engineering area resulted mainly from the weakening of waves, decrease in concentrations of suspended solids, and assimilation of mass algae and periphytons. In spite of initial improvement of water quality, cyanobacterial bloom still determined the phytoplankton dynamics and variations. Additionally, nutrient concentration still remained at a high level without control of external loading. Therefore, a more holistic approach and long-term management should be adopted in Lake Taihu.     

Modeling flight activity and population dynamics of the pine engraver, Ips pini, in the Great Lakes region: effects of weather and predators over short time scales

Ascertaining the relative effects of factors such as weather and predation on population dynamics, and determining the time scales on which they operate, is important to our understanding of basic ecology and pest management. In this study, we sampled the pine engraver Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and its predominant predators Thanasimus dubius (F.) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) and Platysoma cylindrica (Paykull) (Coleoptera: Histeridae) in red pine plantations in Wisconsin, USA, over 2 years. We sampled both the prey and predators using flight traps baited with the synthetic aggregation pheromone of I. pini. Flight models were constructed using weather variables (temperature and precipitation), counts of bark beetles and their predators, and temporal variables to incorporate possible effects of seasonality. The number of I. pini per weekly collection period was temperature dependent and decreased with the number of predators, specifically T. dubius in 2001 and P. cylindrica in 2002. The number of predators captured each week was also weather dependent. The predators had similar seasonal phenologies, and the number of each predator species was positively correlated with the other. Including a term for the number of prey did not improve the model fits for either predator for either year. Our results suggest that exogenous weather factors strongly affect the flight activity of I. pini, but that its abundance is also affected by direct density-dependent processes acting over weekly time scales. Adult predation during both colonization and dispersal are likely processes yielding these dynamics.     

Molecular phylogeography of the nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes, Linnaeus (1758)): evidence for high genetic diversity and multiple refugia in the Balkan peninsula

The nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes) occurs in a large part of the south-eastern Europe and Asia Minor. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed for a total of 59 specimens using sequences from three mitochondrial regions (16S and cytochrome b genes, and control region, totalling 2308 bp). A considerable number of clades were observed within this species, showing a large genetic diversity within the Balkan peninsula. Splitting of the basal clades was evaluated to about 4 million years ago. Genetic results are in contradiction with presently accepted taxonomy based on morphological characters: V. a. gregorwallneri and V. a. ruffoi do not display any genetic difference compared with the nominotypic subspecies (V. a. ammodytes), involving that these subspecies can be regarded as synonyms. High genetic divergence in the central part of the Balkan peninsula is not concordant with low morphological differentiation. Finally, the extensive genetic diversity within the Balkan peninsula and the colonisation routes are discussed.     

柳杉种植对黔西南喀斯特山区金发藓沼泽植物群落和储水功能的影响

藓类沼泽对喀斯特山区生物多样性维持和水源涵养有重要作用,需加强人工林种植对喀斯特山区藓类沼泽生态功能影响的研究。以黔西南典型金发藓沼泽为研究对象,分析了人工柳杉林对林下金发藓植物群落和金发藓沼泽储水功能的影响。主要研究结果为：1）柳杉种植对金发藓植物群落有负面影响。随柳杉密度增加,林下金发藓植物群落的盖度、平均高度和物种多样性显著下降;2）表层土壤含水量是金发藓沼泽储水量的主要贡献者。柳杉种植显著提高了干季表层土壤的含水量,但高密度柳杉林显著降低了雨季表层土壤的含水量;柳杉种植未对干季金发藓含水量造成影响,低密度柳杉林显著提高了雨季金发藓植物的含水量;3）柳杉密度对金发藓沼泽生态系统储水量的影响存在明显季节差异：在雨季呈负影响,在干季呈正影响;4）柳杉种植有利于维持金发藓沼泽储水能力的稳定性,尤其是当柳杉密度较低时这种效果更明显。表明人工柳杉林对金发藓沼泽的影响是非线性的,合适密度的柳杉种植可提升金发藓沼泽的储水能力。     

Gene centres,a source for genetic variants in symbiotic nitrogen fixation: The symbiotic response of the cultivated pea toRhizobium leguminosarum strains from Europe and the Middle East

Summary Soil samples from several European countries; Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Greece, contained rhizobial populations capable of forming an effective symbiosis with the cultivated pea cv. Rondo from the Netherlands. The range of variation among the European Rhizobium strains, as expressed on pea cv. Rondo, was not so large and almost the same variation could be found within the rhizobial population within each country. Superior Rhizobium strains for the Dutch pea were not restricted to soils from the Netherlands but were also found in those from Sweden and Italy.Soils from Turkey and Israel also contained Rhizobium strains capable of nodulating pea cv. Rondo. However, the genetic variation among these Middle East Rhizobium strains was much larger than that of the European strains. When tested on pea cv. Rondo the majority of the Middle East strains belonged to the medium or low effective classes and only a few strains were comparable with European Rhizobium strains.Dutch Rhizobium strains induced effective nodules on both the Dutch pea cv. Rondo and the Swedish cv. L 110. However, in association with a Turkish Rhizobium strain effective nodules were formed on pea cv. Rondo and ineffective nodules on cv. L 110.We suggest that the genetic uniformity of EuropeanR. leguminosarum strains is the result of selection and domestication of Rhizobium strains originally derived from the gene centres of the pea plant.     

Xylem development and hydraulic conductance in sun and shade shoots of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.): evidence that low light uncouples water transport capacity from leaf area

Morphology, water relations, and xylem anatomy of high-light (sun)- and low-light (shade)-grown Vitis vinifera L. shoots were studied to determine the effects of shading on the hydraulic conductance of the pathway for water flow from the roots to the leaves. Shade shoots developed leaf area ratios (leaf area: plant dry weight) that were nearly threefold greater than sun shoots. Water-potential gradients (·m^–1) in the shoot xylem accounted for most of the ·m^–1 between soil and shoot apex at low and high transpiration rates in both sun and shade shoots, but the gradients were two- to fourfold greater in shade-grown plants. Low light reduced xylem conduit number in petioles, but had an additional slight effect on conduit diameter in internodes. The hydraulic conductance per unit length (Kh) and the specific hydraulic conductivity (k_s, i.e. Kh per xylem cross-sectional area) of internodes, leaf petioles, and leaf laminae at different developmental stages leaf plastochron index was calculated from measurements of water potential and water flow in intact plants, from flow through excised organs, and from vessel and tracheid lumen diameters according to Hagen-Poiseuille's equation. For all methods and conductance parameters, the propensity to transport water to sink leaves was severalfold greater in internodes than in petioles. The Kh and k_s increased logarithmically until growth ceased, independent of treatment and measurement method, and increased further in pressurized-flow experiments and Hagen-Poiseuille predictions. However, the increase was less in shade internodes than in sun internodes. Mature internodes of shade-grown plants had a two- to fourfold reduced Kh and significantly lower k_s than sun internodes. Except very early in development, leaf lamina conductance and k_s from shade-grown plants was also reduced. The strong reduction in Kh with only a slight reduction in leaf area (17% of sun shoots) in the shade shoots indicated a decoupling of water-transport capacity from the transpirational surface supplied by that capacity. This decoupling resulted in strongly reduced leaf specific conductivities and Huber values for both internodes and petioles, which may increase the likelihood of cavitation under conditions of high evaporative demand or soil drought.Abbreviations A_c total cross-sectional area (internodes, petioles, leaf laminae) - A_x xylem cross-sectional area - HV Huber value - Kh hydraulic conductance per unit length - k_s specific hydraulic conductivity - LPI leaf plastochron index - LSC leaf specific conductivity - water potential - water-potential gradient - q volume flow of water per unit time Hans R. Schultz was supported in part by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant Ki-114/8-1). We wish to thank Dr. Thomas Geier, Institut für Biologie, Forschungsanstalt D-6222 Geisenheim, Germany for his advice on sample preparation and microscopy, and two anonomous reviewers for their helpful comments.     

Water chemistry variability in the lower intertidal zone [-2pt] of an estuary in the Seto Inland Sea,Japan: seasonal patterns of nutrients and particulate compounds

From April 1994 to April 1996, we carried out monthly surveys on the physical and chemical variability of ebbing water at two intertidal stations near the emerged tidal flat and surface water at a nearby subtidal station, in a tidal estuary of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. The fresh water runoff was a major source of new nitrogen (nitrate+nitrite = –2.1 × salinity + 74.3, r ² = 0.76, p < 0.001, at the inner intertidal station). In contrast, the absence or weak correlation of ammonium, phosphate and silicate with salinity in ebbing water highlighted the importance of in situ biologically-mediated processes, including the excretory activity of intertidal dominant bivalves (Ruditapes philippinarum and Musculista senhousia) and primary producer nutrient uptake. Among suspended particulate matter (SPM), the negative correlation of Chl a with salinity (p< 0.001) suggested that an upper intertidal zone, where high microphytobenthic assemblages occur, may represent a considerable source of microalgal biomass. Whereas, a stronger correlation of POC with pheo-pigments (r ² 0.92) than with Chl a (r ² 0.44), a low fraction of living phyto-Carbon (ca. 5%) and a high pheo-pigment/Chl a ratio (ca. 3) indicated a high portion of refractory algal material and a close water–sediment coupling on the flat, in which abundant macrozoobenthos is likely to play an important role. In spite of the strong variability of this ecosystems, this study also demonstrated that highly significant seasonal patterns can be recognized in our study area. However, patterns varied depending on the different nutrient species, SPM and sites. In ebbing water, ammonium concentrations were significantly higher in the cold period (i.e. November–April: water temperature 10.0 ± 4.4 °C), when primary producer biomass decreases, while Chl a and pheo-pigment content were 4.3 and 4.8 higher in the warm period (May–October: water temperature 23.5 ± 4.2 °C), respectively. At the subtidal site, nutrients were 1.9 (silicate)–2.9 (phosphate) and SPM was 1.8 (POC)–2.1 (pheo-pigments) times higher in the warm period. On an annual basis, mean pheo-pigment and POC content was 12–25 times and 4–8 times higher on the intertidal zone than on the subtidal zone, respectively, while nutrient concentrations were within the same order of magnitude. Such a qualitative difference (i.e. nutrients vs. SPM) between sites suggests that particle deposition and/or removal is likely to occur along the estuary, resulting in a limited SPM content at the surface layer of the subtidal site, while nutrients are more directly transported into the surface layer of the subtidal zone by lower salinity water mass intrusion from the intertidal zone, most importantly during the warm period.     

Habitat requirements of the seabird tick, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes uriae</Emphasis> (Acari: Ixodidae), from the Antarctic Peninsula in relation to water balance characteristics of eggs,nonfed and engorged stages

The seabird tick Ixodes uriae is exposed to extreme environmental conditions during the off-host phase of its life cycle on the Antarctic Peninsula. To investigate how this tick resists desiccation, water requirements of each developmental stage were determined. Features of I. uriae water balance include a high percentage body water content, low dehydration tolerance limit, and a high water loss rate, which are characteristics that classify this tick as hydrophilic. Like other ticks, I. uriae relies on water vapor uptake as an unfed larva and enhanced water retention in the adult, while nymphs are intermediate and exploit both strategies. Stages that do not absorb water vapor, eggs, fed larvae and fed nymphs, rely on water conservation. Other noteworthy features include heat sensitivity that promotes water loss in eggs and unfed larvae, an inability to drink free water from droplets, and behavioral regulation of water loss by formation of clusters. We conclude that I. uriae is adapted for life in a moisture-rich environment, and this requirement is met by clustering in moist, hydrating, microhabitats under rocks and debris that contain moisture levels that are higher than the tick's critical equilibrium activity.     

Quantification of a potent mutagenic 4-amino-3,3′-dichloro-5,4′-dinitrobiphenyl (ADDB) and the related chemicals in water from the Waka River in Wakayama, Japan

4-Amino-3,3′-dichloro-5,4′-dinitrobiphenyl (ADDB) is a novel chemical exerting strong mutagenicity, especially in the absence of metabolic activation. In addition to mutagenicity, ADDB may also disrupt the endocrine system in vitro. ADDB may be discharged from chemical plants near the Waka River and could be unintentionally formed via post-emission modification of drainage water containing 3,3′-dichlorobenzidine (DCB), which is a precursor in the manufacture of polymers and dye intermediates in chemical plants. The main purpose of this study was to make a comprehensive survey of the behaviour and levels of ADDB and suspected starting material or intermediates of ADDB, i.e., DCB, 3,3′-dichloro-4,4′-dinitrobiphenyl (DDB), and 4-amino-3,3′-dichloro-4′-nitrobipheny (ADNB) in Waka River water samples. We also postulated the formation pathway of ADDB. Water samples were collected at five sampling sites from the Waka River four times between March 2003 and December 2004. Samples were passed through Supelpak2 columns, and adsorbed materials were then extracted with methanol. Extracts were used for quantification of ADDB and the related chemicals by HPLC on reverse-phase columns; mutagenicity was evaluated in the Salmonella assay using the O-acetyltransferase-overexpressing strain YG1024. High levels of ADDB, DCB, DDB, and ADNB (12.0, 20,400, 134.8, and 149.4 ng/L-equivalent) were detected in the samples collected at the site where wastewater was discharged from chemical plants into the river. These water samples also showed stronger mutagenicity in YG1024 both with and without S9 mix than the other water samples collected from upstream and downstream sites. The results suggest that ADDB is unintentionally formed from DCB via ADNB in the process of wastewater treatment of drainage water containing DCB from chemical plants.