不同季节使用微生态制剂后养殖海水细菌群落特征

细菌是维持养殖水体稳定的重要类群,可以反映出水质情况,微生态制剂作为一种可以去除有害物质的生物方法,目前被广泛应用。了解微生态制剂在投入养殖海水后细菌群落结构和多样性变化,探讨不同季节的水质环境因子对细菌群落的影响。通过高通量测序技术对细菌16S rRNA V3、V4区进行扩增,分析冬、春、夏3个季节下使用完商品型菌剂后,养殖海水中细菌群落分布规律及其多样性,采用冗余分析(Redundancy analysis,RDA)探讨不同季节的水质指标与细菌群落之间的关系。养殖海水中细菌多样性丰富,3个季节主要的优势菌门为变形菌门和拟杆菌门,其中Tenacibaculum(38.28%),卓贝尔氏菌属(Zobellella,30.78%)、盐单胞菌属(Halomonas,13.55%)为冬季优势属;Glycocaulis(34.00%)、盐单胞菌属(11.36%)、Planktosalinus(9.67%)为春季优势属;Pseudofulvimonas(28.94%)、Zobellella(17.51%)、Planktosalinus(15.86%)、海杆菌属(Marinobacter,12.30%)为夏季优势属,不同时期细菌属水平发生显著变化。RDA分析表明,不同时期水质环境因子对细菌群落影响不同,温度、盐度、pH、溶解氧与3个季节中10个优势属的丰度有显著相关性,冬季和春季优势属主要与盐度和溶解氧呈正相关,夏季优势属主要与温度和p H呈显著正相关。微生态制剂在净化养殖水体方面有很大优势,其在不同季节中应用虽细菌群落结构和多样性产生一定变化,但整体都发挥出各自的调控能力,该研究为以后养殖海水治理和微生态制剂应用提供新的思路。     

Bacterial Community Dynamics During Nursery Rearing of Pacific White Shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei ) Revealed via High-Throughput Sequencing

A 20-day trial was conducted to reveal bacterial community dynamics in a commercial nursery of larval Litopenaeus vannamei larvae. The bacterial communities in the ambient water were profiled by high-throughput sequencing of the V4–V5 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. The results indicated that the dominant bacterial phyla between the metamorphosis stage and postlarval stage were Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes, representing more than 80.09% of the bacterial operational taxonomic units. The relative abundance among bacterial phyla notably differed between the two stages. The relative abundance of Cyanobacteria was higher in the metamorphosis stage, while that of Bacteroidetes was higher and more stable in the postlarval stage. At the class level, the relative abundance of Sphingobacteriia and Alphaproteobacteria increased markedly in the postlarval stage, while that of Flavobacteriia decreased. Redundancy analysis showed that bacterial composition in the metamorphosis stage was positively correlated with salinity, alkalinity, and pH, while in the postlarval stage, it was positively correlated with ammonium nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen. Thus, microbial community diversity in the nursery phase varies per rearing stage.     

Occurrences of Prorocentrum minimum (Pavillard) in México

Prorocentrum minimum is a planktonic dinoflagellate known to produce red tides that can be harmful. To recognize localities and understand occurrences of Prorocentrum minimum blooms in Mexico, published data of plankton from 1942 to present, as well as unpublished data from the authors, were reviewed. Studies and reports covered marine and coastal waters of México during different periods. Presence of P. minimum were reported in the Pacific coast, Gulf of California, Gulf of México, and the Caribbean, but blooms have been only reported since 1990. Thirteen bloom events were recorded. Six occurred in shrimp ponds and seven near aquaculture regions or coastal areas where intensive agriculture is practiced. Most of the blooms can be associated with damage to the surrounding marine biota either in aquaculture ponds or open waters. Direct toxicity has not been fully evaluated, but data suggest that low oxygen may not easily explain all of the damage. Interestingly, for yet unknown reasons, cells belonging to the triangular morphotype have seldom been reported in México.     

凡纳滨对虾繁育系统菌群结构及优势菌遗传多样性分析北大核心

【目的】探讨凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)工厂化繁育系统内发生细菌性玻化症(shrimp postlarva bacterial vitrified syndrome,BVS)时期可培养微生物的菌群特征以及优势病原菌的遗传多样性。【方法】采用细菌体外培养方法结合基因测序技术对不同育苗阶段的亲虾、受精卵、无节幼体、蚤状幼体、糠虾幼体、仔虾,及其育苗池水和饵料内可培养细菌菌群的组成与结构特征进行研究,并通过多位点序列分析(multilocus sequence analysis,MLSA)方法解析病原菌的遗传多样性。【结果】系统内分离纯化的526株具有典型形态差异和群落优势的细菌分属于4门5纲16目24科38属113种。在纲水平上γ-变形菌纲(Gammaproteobacteria)丰度最高,共453株,占总分离株的86.1%;在属水平上弧菌属(Vibrio)丰度最高,共369株,占总分离株的70.2%;在种水平上,溶藻弧菌(Vibrio alginolyticus)为最优势种,共112株,占总分离株的21.3%,并且分布于整个繁育系统,在饵料中具有最高丰度。多元关联分析表明,随着对虾幼体的发育,饵料对幼体体内可培养细菌的菌群结构影响逐渐增加。对112株潜在溶藻弧菌的MLSA分析表明,其中100株菌株进一步确认为溶藻弧菌。进一步利用MLSA构建系统发育树分析其遗传多样性发现,100株溶藻弧菌分为9个簇,分离自同类样品的菌株广泛分布在不同的簇中。【结论】在BVS发生时期,凡纳滨对虾工厂化繁育系统中具有丰富的可培养微生物种类。对虾幼体发育过程中,饵料对幼体体内可培养细菌的菌群结构具有重要影响。溶藻弧菌为凡纳滨对虾工厂化繁育系统中的优势弧菌,分布于整个繁育系统,且具有丰富的遗传多样性。本研究为解析对虾繁育系统可培养微生物演替规律提供了数据支撑,也为对虾苗期病原防控和健康养殖提供了科学依据。     

Assembly processes and source tracking of planktonic and benthic bacterial communities in the Yellow River estuary

Estuaries connect rivers with the ocean and are considered transition regions due to the continuous inputs from rivers. Microbiota from different sources converge and undergo succession in these transition regions, but their assembly mechanisms along environmental gradients remain unclear. Here, we found that salinity had a stronger effect on planktonic than on benthic microbial communities, and the dominant planktonic bacteria changed more distinctly than the dominant benthic bacteria with changes in salinity. The planktonic bacteria in the brackish water came mainly from seawater, which was confirmed in the laboratory, whereas the benthic bacteria were weakly affected by salinity, which appeared to be a mixture of the bacteria from riverine and oceanic sediments. Benthic bacterial community assembly in the sediments was mainly controlled by homogeneous selection and almost unaffected by changes in salinity, the dominant assemblage processes for planktonic bacteria changed dramatically along the salinity gradient, from homogeneous selection in freshwater to drift in seawater. Our results highlight that salinity is the key driver of estuarine microbial succession and that salinity is more important in shaping planktonic than benthic bacterial communities in the Yellow River estuary.     

南美白对虾肠道微生物群落的分子分析

采用分子生物学手段16S rDNA克隆文库方法对实验室养殖条件下的南美白对虾肠道细菌进行了多样性研究。用限制性片段长度多态性(RFLP)方法从文库中筛选出可能不同细菌来源的克隆子12个,测定其16S rDNA片段核甘酸序列,将所获得的序列与GenBank数据库进行BLAST比对,结果表明:南美白对虾肠道的16S rDNA克隆文库中126个克隆子分属2个不同的细菌类群:变形细菌(Proteobacteria)和厚壁细菌(Firmicutes),其中厚壁细菌为优势菌群占到75.4%,且与最相似序列同源性均低于94%;变形细菌占到24.6%,与最相似序列同源性均高于98%,分别为希瓦氏菌属(Shewanella),泛菌属(Pantoea),Aranicola属,假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)和弧菌属(Vibrio)。     

Characterization of Microbial Diversity in Hypersaline Environments by Melting Profiles and Reassociation Kinetics in Combination with Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP)

The diversity of prokaryotes inhabiting solar saltern ponds was determined by thermal melting and reassociation of community DNA. These measurements were compared with fingerprinting techniques such as terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) analysis, denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and cloning and sequencing approaches. Three ponds with salinities of 22, 32, and 37% (NaCl saturation) were studied. The combination of independent molecular techniques to estimate the total genetic diversity provided a realistic assessment to reveal the microbial diversity in these environments. The changes in the prokaryotic communities at different salinity (22, 32, and 37% salt) were significant and revealed that the total genetic diversity increased from 22% to 32% salinity. At 37% salinity the diversity was reduced again to nearly half that at 22% salinity. Our results revealed that the community genome had a DNA complexity that was 7 (in 22% salinity pond), 13 (in 32% salinity pond), and 4 (in 37% salinity pond) times the complexity of an Escherichia coli genome. The base composition profiles showed two abundant populations, which changed in relative amount between the three ponds. They indicated an uneven taxon distribution at 22% and 37% salinity and a more even distribution at 32% salinity. The results indicated a large predominating population at 37% salinity, which might correspond to the abundance of square archaea (SPhT) observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and also indicated by the same T-RFLP fragment as the SPhT. The SPhT phylotype has also been reported to be the most frequently retrieved phylotype from this environment by culture independent techniques. In addition, two different operational taxonomic units (OTU) were detected at 37% salinity based on PCR with bacterial specific primers and T-RFLP. One of these predominant phylotypes is the extreme halophilic bacterium belonging to the bacteroidetes group, Salinibacter ruber.     

Abundance and diversity of eukaryotic rather than bacterial community relate closely to the trophic level of urban lakes

Scientific understanding of biotic effects on the water trophic level is lacking for urban lakes during algal bloom development stage. Based on the Illumina MiSeq sequencing, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and multiple statistical analyses, we estimated distribution patterns and ecological roles of planktonic bacteria and eukaryotes in urban lakes during algal bloom development stage (i.e., April, May, and June). Cyanobacteria and Chlorophyta mainly dominated algal blooms. Bacteria exhibited significantly higher absolute abundance and community diversity than eukaryotes, whereas abundance and diversity of eukaryotic rather than bacterial community relate closely to the water trophic level. Multinutrient cycling (MNC) index was significantly correlated with eukaryotic diversity rather than bacterial diversity. Stronger species replacement, broader environmental breadth, and stronger phylogenetic signal were found for eukaryotic community than for bacterial community. In contrast, bacterial community displayed stronger community stability and environmental constraint than eukaryotic community. Stochastic and differentiating processes contributed more to community assemblies of bacteria and eukaryotes. Our results emphasized that a strong linkage between planktonic diversity and MNC ensured a close relationship between planktonic diversity and the water trophic level of urban lakes. Our findings could be useful to guide the formulation and implementation of environmental lake protection measures.     

亚热带河口陆基养虾塘水体溶解性碳浓度及沉积物-水界面碳通量时空动态特征

以福建闽江和九龙江河口陆基养虾塘为研究对象,通过野外原位观测和室内模拟培养实验,开展了河口陆基养虾塘养殖期间水体溶解性有机碳(DOC)和溶解性无机碳(DIC)及养虾塘沉积物-水界面碳交换通量变化特征的研究。结果表明:时间变化上,养虾塘水体溶解性碳浓度及沉积物-水界面碳通量在闽江河口呈现8月中旬10月中旬6月中旬的特征,在九龙江河口表现为随养殖阶段推移而增加的趋势;空间变化上,闽江河口养虾塘水体溶解性碳浓度及沉积物-水界面碳通量显著高于九龙江河口;沉积物释放溶解性碳速率与水体溶解性碳浓度呈现显著正相关关系,沉积物碳释放过程是引起养虾塘水体溶解性碳浓度时空变化的重要因素。表明河口区水产养虾塘碳循环研究时需考虑不同形态碳生物地球化学循环的时空差异性。     

Phytoplankton bloom in commercial shrimp ponds using green-water technology

Phytoplankton community composition, density, and succession were studied in tropical commercial ponds with euryhaline tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon Fabricius) using green-water technology at two different stocking densities [T₁ 10 post-larvae (PL) m⁻² and T₂ 15 PL m⁻²] in one grow-out season (May–October 2005) in Leganes, Iloilo, Philippines. Weekly qualitative and quantitative analyses of phytoplankton were done along with physicochemical analyses of the pond waters. A total of 103 taxa belonging to nine different algal classes were observed. Of these classes, the Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Bacillariophyceae constituted the great bulk of the phytoplankton population. The two treatments did not show any significant differences in the growth pattern of phytoplankton over time and in their diversity indices. Although T₂ had higher values than T₁ for algal density and species diversity index, the differences were not significant. The mean Shannon-Wiener diversity index for T₂ (1.56) was higher than T₁ (1.39) but not significantly different. Both treatment ponds had Chlorophyceae as the dominant algae during the initial culture phase [0–35 days of culture (DOC)], which coincided with high salinity (average = 35.67 ppt) and relatively high N:P ratios (average = 1.95). The chlorophycean bloom was made up mostly of Nannochloropsis sp. The cyanophycean bloom occurred towards the final culture phase (84–112/126 DOC) when there was low salinity (average = 19.5 ppt) and relatively high N:P ratios (average 2.01). A short diatom bloom occurred in T₂ at the same time that the N:P ratios rose dramatically to 4.2 at 42 DOC. Among the eight physicochemical parameters examined, positive correlations were noted among alkalinity, ammonium-nitrogen, nitrite-nitrogen and phytoplankton community. High species diversity index and species richness could have enhanced the stability of favorable Nannochloropsis blooms, especially in T₂. No differences were noted between the two treatments in terms of the shrimp’s biomass at harvest time (T₁ = 28.9 and T₂ = 29.4 g fresh wt per shrimp), although a significantly higher survival rate (P < 0.05) was observed in T₁ (97%) than in T₂ (56%). Both treatments were able to control the occurrence of the luminous bacterium Vibrio harveyi. Presented at the 6th Meeting of the Asia Pacific Society of Applied Phycology, Manila, Philippines.     

Bacterial diversity in saline-alkali ponds rearing common carp (Cyprinus carpio) as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequences

The bacterial diversity in saline-alkali ponds rearing common carp was investigated using the 16S rRNA gene clone library technique. Phylogenetic analysis of the most common and dominant sequences recovered indicated that these sequences fell into the following major lineages, including Proteobacteria (α-, β-, γ-), Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, Fibrobacteres, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and unclassified bacteria. Sequence analysis showed that the bacterial diversity was abundant, and the sequences belonging to β-Proteobacteria, α-Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were predominant. The most sequences in the saline-alkali rearing ponds exhibited low similarity with known bacterial 16S rRNA genes, suggesting that these sequences may represent novel bacteria. In addition, the majority of our sequences were most closely affiliated with sequences retrieved from inland waters of China. These results suggest that the saline-alkali ponds rearing common carp are specific ecologic niches and the distribution of the bacteria may be influenced by geographical factors. This study reports the bacterial diversity in saline-alkali ponds rearing common carp by the culture-independent technique for the first time; therefore, it provides important information for understanding the microbial ecology in saline-alkali rearing ponds and managing the microbial community composition to promote and maintain the health of aquaculture environments.     

海水混养池塘虾蛤肠道与养殖环境的微生物多样性

【背景】海水混养池塘环境微生物以及动物肠道微生物的群落结构已有研究,但对混养环境中多品种动物肠道与环境微生物群落的关系尚未见报道。【目的】研究海水虾蛤混养环境中微生物多样性以及与养殖动物健康之间的关系。【方法】采用Illumina高通量测序技术测定冬季莆田市北江养殖区2个混养池塘中水体、底泥以及虾蛤肠道的菌群结构。【结果】同一池塘水体与底泥之间、不同池塘水体或底泥之间的微生物结构存在一定的差异;同一养殖区2个混养池塘虾与蛤肠道微生物结构之间具有极高的相似性,与养殖环境存在显著的差异。微生物多样性和丰富度差异很大,表现出底泥水体肠道;虾蛤肠道微生物以厚壁细菌和γ-变形细菌为主;池塘水体以放线菌、α-变形细菌以及拟杆菌为主,底泥以γ-变形细菌和δ-变形细菌为主。养殖动物肠道微生物主要优势种为乳球菌属和假单胞菌属,池塘环境内存在较高丰度的黄杆菌类潜在致病菌,而在虾和蛤的肠道中基本未检出。2个池塘底泥硫还原细菌含量较高,增加了底质产生硫化氢等有害物质的风险。【结论】比较混养池塘中水体、底泥以及虾蛤肠道三者之间微生物群落结构的差异,揭示虾、贝混养模式微生物与养殖环境的关系,为池塘养殖虾、贝疾病防治和混养结构的优化提供参考。     

Lowland boreal forests characterization in Algonquin Provincial Park relative to beaver (Castor canadensis) foraging and edaphic factors

Beaver (Caster canadensis) foraging and edaphic conditions can modify the vegetational characteristics of woody plant community in lowland boreal forests. Effective management of these areas requires an understanding of the relative contribution of these factors in shaping the woody plant community structure. Our objective was to quantify the effects of herbivory by beavers and edaphic conditions on woody plant community organization of lowland boreal forests surrounding beaver ponds. Woody vegetation and soils were sampled at 15 ponds occupied by beavers and one other pond abandoned by them in southern Algonquin Park, Ontario. We measured spatial variation in plant diversity, foraging rates and sapling recruitment of trees and shrubs along gradients of beaver foraging intensity and soil moisture, P, K, Mg, and pH. Beavers fed preferentially on a small number of deciduous species and the number of cut stems declined sharply with increasing distance from ponds. Conifers increased in relative dominance to deciduous species in the presence of beavers. Plant species richness and stem and basal area diversity peaked at intermediate distances (about 25 m) from ponds. Sapling recruitment by non-preferred species was positively related to foraging intensity. Total stem abundance and basal area and sapling recruitment by four preferred species (Populus tremuloides, Acer rubrum, Acer saccharum and Corylus cornuta) were negatively related to foraging intensity. However, by including Alnus rugosa and Salix bebbiana (also preferred by beavers) these patterns changed, becoming positively related to foraging intensity. There was also a pronounced gradient in soil moisture, which also decreased with distance from ponds. The other measured edaphic variables did not vary consistently with distance from ponds. Sapling recruitment in mesic versus xeric species varied consistently with hydrid conditions along the moisture gradient, such that variation in moisture also could produce the observed pattern of plant diversity. Diversity patterns changed three years after beaver abandonment of a pond, though sapling recruitment patterns in preferred and non-preferred species around the abandoned pond were similar to the occupied ponds. These observations suggest spatial variation in woody plant richness and diversity could be determined by combined effects of both herbivory (disturbance by beavers) and variable responses of different species to edaphic conditions.     

广西北部湾茅尾海夏冬季浮游细菌群落结构及其影响因子

海洋浮游细菌在生物地球化学循环过程中具有不可替代的作用。为解析广西北部湾茅尾海夏冬季浮游细菌群落结构及其关键环境影响因子,于2017年6月(夏季)和2017年12月(冬季)在该海域设置7个站点,采集0.5m处表层海水样品,利用16S核糖体RNA (16S rRNA)基因高通量测序技术,分析茅尾海浮游细菌群落结构与多样性。结果表明：茅尾海海域浮游细菌隶属于11个门、36个纲、86个目、188个科和506个属;主要浮游细菌类群为变形菌门(Proteobacteria, 52.47%)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes, 17.34%)、放线菌门(Actinobacteria, 16.39%)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes, 7.54%)和蓝细菌门(Cyanobacteria, 5.38%),共占浮游细菌总丰度的99.12%。北部湾茅尾海夏季浮游细菌群落Chao 1指数和Richness指数均显著(P<0.05)高于冬季。主坐标分析(PCoA)和相似性分析(ANOSIM)结果表明,不同季节浮游细菌群落结构存在极显著差异(R=0.586,P<0.001)。在目分类水平上进行组...     

Microbial Flora of Pond-Reared Brown Shrimp (Penaeus aztecus)

Agar plate counts and microbial types are reported for brown shrimp reared in 2-acre natural marshland and in 0.5-acre artificial ponds during June to October 1970. Bacterial counts of pond-reared shrimp ranged from 5 × 10⁴ to 5.5 × 10⁶ per g. At final harvest in October, bacterial counts ranged from 2 × 10⁵ to 5.5 × 10⁶ per g. In marsh ponds, bacterial counts of shrimp and pond water were lowest in August when both water temperature and salinity were high. Coryneform bacteria and to a lesser extent Vibrio were the predominant isolates from fresh pond shrimp. Shrimp stored at 3 to 5 C for 7 days were acceptable as judged by appearance and odor. Between 7 and 14 days of refrigerated storage, bacterial counts increased sharply and about 50% of the samples became unacceptable. Refrigerated storage of pond shrimp caused increases in coryneform bacteria and micrococci and decreases in Vibrio, Flavobacterium, Moraxella, and Bacillus species. Pseudomonas species were not significant in fresh or stored pond shrimp. The microbial flora of pond water usually was dominated by coryneform bacteria, Flavobacterium, Moraxella, and Bacillus species.     

Impact of exotic invasion on the temporal stability of natural annual plant communities

Much work in ecology has focused on understanding how changes in community diversity and composition will affect the temporal stability of communities (the degree of fluctuations in community abundance or biomass over time). While theory suggests diversity and dominant species can enhance temporal stability, empirical work has tended to focus on testing the effect of diversity, often using synthetic communities created with high species evenness. We use a complementary approach by studying the temporal stability of natural plant communities invaded by a dominant exotic, Erodium cicutarium. Invasion was associated with a significant decline in community diversity and change in the identity of the dominant species allowing us to evaluate predictions about how these changes might affect temporal stability. Community temporal stability was not correlated with community richness or diversity prior to invasion. Following invasion, community stability was again not correlated with community richness but was negatively correlated with community diversity. Before and after invasion, community stability was positively correlated with the stability of the most dominant species in the community, even though the identity of the dominant species changed from a native (prior to invasion) to an exotic species. Our results demonstrate that invasion by a dominant exotic species may reduce diversity without negatively affecting the temporal stability of natural communities. These findings add support to the idea that dominant species can strongly affect temporal stability, independent of community diversity.     

盐度、碱度对浮游生物和水化因子的影响

于 1998年 7～ 8月间在山东省高青县赵店乡大芦湖养殖场选取一口盐碱池塘的池水为实验用水 ,用粗盐和碳酸氢钠调节盐度和碱度 ,以研究盐碱池塘在盐度和碱度升高的情况下其化学、生物因子的变化趋势 .结果表明 ,盐碱池塘中重碳酸盐碱度的升高会在短时间内降低水体 pH值、钙离子浓度和COD ;但碱度为 6.64± 0 .40mmol·L-1～ 13 .47± 0 .3 1mmol·L-1对浮游生物不会产生显著的不良影响 .盐度为 2 .10± 0 .2 2 g·L-1～11.2 9± 0 .99g·L-1会引起浮游生物生物量的降低 ,并减少浮游生物的种类 ,降低其多样性指数 ,影响浮游生物群落结构组成     

Structure of the phytoplankton communities in two lagoons of different salinity in the Sfax saltern (Tunisia)

The structure and ecophysiological characteristics of phytoplanktonassemblages were studied for 10 months in two lagoons of differentsalinity (40 and 90) in the saltern of Sfax (Tunisia), in relationto environmental factors. These assemblages were largely dominatedby diatoms and dinoflagellates, which accounted for >90%of total abundance. A principal components analysis clearlydifferentiated the observations made in the two lagoons, thedominant correlate being the salinity. Euryhaline species andparticularly diatoms developed preferentially in the less salinelagoon, and were largely replaced by stenohaline species representedby dinoflagellates, which were dominant in the more saline lagoon.Calculation of the pigment diversity index and the species diversityindex showed that the phytoplankton assemblages studied werepermanently in a juvenile stage, as the species restructuringrelated to environmental constraints did not allow them to reachthe climax stage at any given time in their development. Despitethe heavy constraint imposed by the salinity, it is evidentthat other environmental factors, e.g. temperature, play a rolein the regulation of the planktonic communities. Finally, thedifference in the size distribution of the total microbial biomass,estimated by the assay of particulate proteins, showed thatthere was a significant change in the community structure andthe planktonic trophic networks, in parallel with the increasein salinity.     

Eco-physiological characteristics of alfalfa seedlings in response to various mixed salt-alkaline stresses

Soil salinization and alkalization frequently co-occur in nature, but little is known about the mixed effects of salt-alkaline stresses on plants. An experiment with mixed salts （NaCI, Na2SO4, NaHCO3 and Na2CO3） and 30 salt-alkaline combinations （salinity 24-120 mmollL and pH 7.03-10.32） treating Medicago sativa seedlings was conducted. The results demonstrated that salinity and alkalinity significantly affected total biomass and biomass components of seedlings. There were interactive effects of salt composition and concentration on biomass （P 〈 0.001）. The interactions between salinity and alkalinity stresses led to changes in the root activity along the salinity gradient （P 〈 0.001）. The effects of alkalinity on seedling survival rate were more significant than those of salinity, and the seedlings demonstrated some physiological responses （leaf electrolyte leakage rate and proline content） in order to adapt to mixed salt-alkaline stresses. It was concluded that the mixed salt-alkaline stresses, which differ from either salt or alkali stress, emphasize the significant interaction between salt concentration （salinity） and salt component （alkalinity）. Further, the effects of the interaction between high alkalinity and salinity are more severe than those of either salt or alkali stress, and such a cooperative interaction results in more sensitive responses of ecological and physiological characteristics in plants.     

The Impact of Water Chemistry on Zooplankton Occurrence in Two Types (Field versus Forest) of Small Water Bodies

We examined the influence of water chemistry on zooplankton community structure in the unvegetated zone (open water) and among different types of macrophytes (helophytes and elodeids) in 12 ponds located in two types of catchment area (mid‐forest and mid‐field). An equal occurrence of rotifers and crustaceans was found in mid‐field ponds, while rotifers prevailed over crustaceans in mid‐forest ponds which may have been due to phytoflagellate prevalence, contributing to diminishing the diversity index. We found variation in physical‐chemical features between both types of ponds with higher trophic status, confirmed by eutrophy indicators (K. quadrata or B. longirwostris) frequent occurrence, in the case of mid‐field ponds. The type of water body (forest vs. field) was the best predictor of zooplankton species distribution using DCA analysis. Two groups of zooplankton species were distinguished: (1) related to the mid‐forest ponds (representatives of genera: Cephalodella, Lepadella, Lecane, Trichocerca), where zooplankton densities positively correlated with chlorophyll a and CDOC and (2) related to the mid‐field ponds (representatives of genera: Keratella, Bosmina or Ceriodaphnia). Spatial differentiation of zooplankton community structure was also recorded with lower species diversity attributed to the open water zone compared to vegetated areas. Crustacean densities rose along the heterogeneity gradient of a habitat (from the open water to the zone of elodeids), which indicates the best refuge conditions in the most complex habitat during the daylight‐hours in the ponds with fish presence. Rotifers (especially those equipped with morphological adaptations againt predators) remained in the open water despite the presence of fish. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)