Curie point pyrolysis mass-spectrometry of fulvic acids from Tjeukemeer, The Netherlands

SUMMARY. Curie point pyrolysis mass-spectrometry of freshwater fulvic acids from Tjeukemeer indicates the presence of polysaccharides, amino sugars, proteinaceous material and phenols. These results resemble those of the pyrolysis of soil fulvic acids. However, freshwater fulvic acids may be richer in aliphatic components than those from soil.     

Dominant diatoms in Tjeukemeer (The Netherlands)

A situation is described where silicon depletion affected a population of diatoms, mainly Diatoma elongatum and Melosira spp., in the shallow lake Tjeukemeer (The Netherlands). After Si-deficiency the numbers of cells dropped quickly, whereas at least for the upper layer (0–1 m) a big increase in the percentage of biprotoplastic D. elongatum cells was observed. Probably the major part of the D. elongatum population arrived alive at the bottom. Heavy winds occurring 2 weeks later stirred up considerable numbers of both diatoms. The numbers of dead D. elongatum cells was then 40–50%, presenting some evidence that a large scale dying of D. elongatum cells occurs rather shortly after arrival at the bottom of Tjeukemeer. In the following weeks, at low Si-concentration, numbers of D. elongatum almost doubled with once again a relatively high percentage of biprotoplastic cells, whereas numbers of Melosira spp. decreased. In the relevant conditions it seems that D. elongatum can take up silicon faster than Melosira spp.     

Effect of temperature in laboratory studies on development and growth of Cladocera and Copepoda from Tjeukemeer, The Netherlands

SUMMARY. The effects of temperature on development and growth are described for the common Cladocera and Copepoda in Tjeukemeer. Eight cladoceran species and five copepod species have been investigated: Daphnia hyalina, Daphnia cucullata, Bosmina coregoni, Bosmina longirostris, Chydorus sphaericus, Ceriodaphnia pulchella, Diaphanosoma brachyurum, Leptodora kindtii, Acanthocyclops robustus, Mesocydops leuckarti, Diacyclops bicuspidatus, Cyclops vicinus vicinus and Eurytemora affinis . Growth is expressed as length increment per size class (cladocerans) or instar (copepods) per week and as the relationship between time and length. The curvilinear logarithmic equation: In D = In a + b (In T)² is fitted to the development times of eggs, combined naupliar instars and combined copepodite instars, as well as to the longevity of the adults. The results are compared with those found in the literature and differences are discussed.     

Seasonal variations in the composition of fulvic acids in Tjeukemeer,The Netherlands,as studied by Curie-point pyrolysis-mass spectrometry

Three different molecular weight fractions of fulvic acid from Tjeukemeer, sampled monthly between January and September 1978, were studied by Curie-point pyrolysis-mass spectrometry. The winter samples apparently differed markedly in composition from the summer samples. These differences, which were particularly striking in the pyrograms of the high molecular weight fraction, can be explained in terms of fragment molecules attributable to polysaccharides, proteins and/or phenolic polymers.     

Distribution patterns of zooplankton in Tjeukemeer, The Netherlands

The vertical and horizontal distribution of Copepoda and Cladocerain Tjeukemeer were studied. Indices of dispersion are discussed,the sample variance of log-transformed data proved to be anappropriate way to quantify patchiness. Indices of dispersionwere calculated to express species specific differences. Onlyduring short periods of the year the population densities appearedto be influenced by canals and pumping stations that bring waterto the lake. Dispersion values were influenced by windspeed,inhomogenities in the chlorophyll-a concentrations and by thepopulation densities of the populations studied. Sample variancesare relatively low, compared with those of other lakes.     

Effects of a soil fulvic acid on the growth and nutrient content of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plants

Summary Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plants were grown in Hoagland solution to which 20 to 2000 ppm of a soil fulvic acid (FA) were added. The addition of 100 to 300 ppm of FA produced highly significant increases in the growth and development of above and below ground plant parts, in the uptake of nutrient elements (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe and Zn), and in the formation of numbers of flowers per plant. Effects of adding 500 and more ppm of FA were less beneficial.     

The population density, growth rate and production of roach Rutilus mtilus (L.) in Tjeukemeer, The Netherlands

A method of estimating the population density of roach in Tjeukemeer (21.3 km²) using 20 529 introduced fin-clipped fish is described. Fyke nets proved to be an effective method of sampling the population for marked fish during the spawning season. A total of 20 277 roach were processed during the recapturing period. The population density of roach (⋝ 14 cm) was estimated to be 1 246 458. The growth rate of roach in the lake although relatively poor (von Bertalanffy's L ∞ for males and females, 22 and 26 cm respectively) for the species was similar to that recorded in three other Friesian lakes. The mortality rate of males was higher than that of females. Logarithmic length-weight regression analyses showed that the value of the coefficient varied both within and between the sexes, that of females being higher (range 3.03–3.375) than that of males (range 2.76–3.254). Seasonal changes in the size of the coefficient were due to a disproportionate loss of gonad weight in larger fish. The fecundity of the population was comparatively high for the species.
The total production of the population was estimated to be 95 hg ha⁻¹ of which 39 kg ha⁻¹ was contributed by fry. In older (⋝ IV) fish the production of females (12 kg ha⁻¹) exceeded that (2 kg ha⁻¹) of males, due to differences in their growth and mortality rates. The relatively poor performance of roach in Tjeukemeer, in terms of biomass and production was due to a scarcity of zoobenthos and competition from other species offish. There is no evidence either from this study or the literature that the productive potential of roach in lakes is high, even though macrophytes and detritus can be consumed in significant amounts.     

Feeding behaviour of major 0 + fish species in a shallow, eutrophic lake (Tjeukemeer, The Netherlands)

The forage base and the food selectivity of 0+ representatives of six abundant freshwater fish species were studied in a shallow, eutrophic Dutch lake. Most species relied on the zooplankton; the size-selective predation in early summer was directed to the smaller copepods and in late summer to larger cladocerans and copepods than concurrently present in the lake. Daphnia spp. and cyclopoid copepods were the main zooplankton taxa for smelt, perch and pikeperch. Energetically, the large cladoceran, Leptodora kindtii, was especially important for pikeperch. Bream and roach preyed upon smaller zooplankton than the other fish species. The influence of the zooplankton predation by abundant 0+ fish was clear from a small mean Daphnia size in September; this size is to be used as an indicator in fishery management. Neomysis integer, the most important macrofauna species, was consumed by perch, pikeperch and ruffe; pikeperch was most size-selective in this respect. The 0+ ruffe was à typically benthivorous fish. Only the 0+ pikeperch became piscivorous, especially in years when smelt was abundant.     

Effect of a soil fulvic acid on stem elongation in peas

Summary Previously observed marked stimulating effects on root initiation produced by a naturally occurring fulvic acid, prompted a further study of the growth reactions of plants exposed for short durations to high concentrations of this acid. Fulvic acid concentrations up to 4000 ppm were found to inhibit stem elongation in dark grown Alaska pea stems in the presence and absence of added IAA by 46% and 33% respectively. Concentrations higher than 4000 ppm produced toxic reactions which increased sharply at pH 4.0 and lower and at pH 7.0 and higher. The fulvic acid appeared to block the uptake of GA₃ in Laxton's Progress No 9 peas when the two substances were applied simultaneously to the leaves, but when these substances were applied separately the fulvic acid had no effect on GA₃-stimulated growth. Contribution No.114 of the Food Research Institute; No.291 Soil Research Institute, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ontario.     

The effect of fulvic acid on the dose effect of selenite on the growth of wheat

The effect of fulvic acid on the dose effect of selenite has been studied by using the hydroponics culture of wheat in the presence of selenite and fulvic acid (FA). The bioavailability of Se was investigated by 5 morphological end points and 12 biological and biochemical end points at different phases of growth of wheat seedling and seed germination. The “platform” of the dose effect observed indicates that the presence of FA can have both the beneficial effects and antagonists on the toxicity of Se to a certain extent.     

The population density, growth rate and production of bream, Abramis brama, in Tjeukemeer, the Netherlands

A method of estimating the population density of bream in Tjeukemeer (21.3 km²) using 16 690 introduced fish (fin-clipped and opercular tagged) is described. Gill nets of the winter fishery proved to be a more effective method of sampling the population for marked fish than fyke nets. The population density of bream (⋝25 cm) was estimated to be 180 000. There was no significant difference between the estimates derived from fin-clipped and opercular tagged fish. The growth rate of bream in Tjeukemeer (L_∞=41 cm) is poor compared with that of bream in other waters, due to its high density and the scarcity of zoobenthos available to it.
The production of bream (I–XV) is estimated to be 34 kg ha⁻¹ of which 25% is contributed by two (1959, 1963) strong year classes. Of a total biomass of 37.5 kg ha⁻¹ available to the fishery in 1969 only 2.7 kg ha^−l was removed as yield. The average P/B ratio for the population was low (0.39). It is concluded that a major flow of energy to bream is through zooplankton.     

A note on the dispersion pattern of marked bream Abramis brama released into Tjeukemeer, The Netherlands

Following the release of 4619 opercular tagged bream in Tjeukemeer, 101 fish were subsequently recaptured outside the lake (1969–72). The maximum distance travelled was 60 km. Although the initial dispersal of fish out of the lake appeared to be random there was some evidence of homing once fish had gained access to the IJsselmeer.     

The relation of biotic and abiotic interactions to eutrophication in Tjeukemeer,The Netherlands

During the summer months of 1974–1985 chlorophyll-a and total P concentration, biomass of Daphnia hyalina, smelt Osmerus eperlanus, bream Abramis brema and pikeperch Stizostedion lucioperca, water temperature and water intake from lake IJsselmeer were monitored in Tjeukemeer. During this period there were manipulations with the bream and pikeperch stocks as a consequence of the termination of a gill-net fishery in 1977, and larval smelt immigrated each year from the large lake IJsselmeer and contributed largely to the yearly smelt recruitment.The correlation matrix of the nine variables mentioned above showed a positive correlation between bream and chlorophyll-a, but surprisingly a negative one between smelt and chlorophyll-a. The latter can only be explained when smelt is the dependent variable. In a multi-linear regression there was a negative effect of temperature, chlorophyll a and pikeperch on smelt and a positive effect of water intake. Daphnia hyalina was negatively influenced by the biomass of smelt and the water intake of lake IJsselmeer. The positive relation of Daphnia hyalina and chlorophyll-a was probably related to better survival chances of D. hyalina in an Oscillatoria-rich environment when smelt is the most important predator. An increasing biomass of bream coincided with higher total-P levels and probably contributed to higher chlorophyll-a levels.     

The return of marked roach (Rutilus rutilus L.) to spawning grounds in Tjeukemeer, The Netherlands

A reciprocal transplant of marked roach between two spatially separated (3.3 km) spawning grounds is described. The recapture rates on the'home grounds'were higher than those obtained elsewhere in the lake, which suggests that the roach exhibit a degree of fidelity to specific spawning grounds.     

Note on some Brachionidae (rotifers) from The Netherlands

Some Brachionidae indicative of polluted water are normally found in brackish but unpolluted waters in The Netherlands. The circumtropical K. tropica is now regularly recorded in the Hollands Diep, which is slightly thermally polluted, but it also seems to occur, at times, in waters that receive no heated water effluents.     

The fulvic acid fraction as it changes in the mature phase of vegetable oil-mill sludge and domestic waste composting

Sludge resulting from the treatment of effluent from a vegetable oil mill, was composted mixed with domestic waste in a pile for five months. Different proportions of sludge and dry waste were mixed: M1 (1v/2v) and M2 (1v/1v). Monitoring different physical-chemical parameters showed the effect of the substrate on the microbiological activity and on the formation of fulvic acids, affecting the maturity of the final compost. Elemental analysis revealed that the fulvic acids of mixes M1 and M2 presented very low concentrations of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and a high level of nitrogen. The FTIR spectroscopy results showed a decrease during composting of the intensity of absorbance of the easily assimilable compounds that are predominant in the initial mixtures i.e. the carbohydrates (1170-1080 cm(-1)) in M1 and long aliphatic chains (2920 cm(-1)) in M2. For mix M1 there was enrichment in compounds bearing oxygen-containing moieties. In M2 it was the nitrogen-containing compounds (in the form of stable amides) which predominated at the end of composting. The first component of PCA analysis, PC1, accounted for 83% of the difference between two distinct groups of parameters governing degradation and restructuration of the fulvic acids during composting. PC2 (17%) explained the variance due to the level of free or less polycondensed compounds in the two mixtures. Oxidised polyphenolic and polysaccharide structures were the least free, or most polycondensed, in the fulvic structures of M1. In M2 fulvic acids however, it was the polyphenols and peptide structures that were involved in the bonding, most likely of the polyphenol-peptide type.     

Effect of calcium ion on the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid from synaptosomal fraction

Brain synaptosomes released endogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in response to Ca2+. The release of GABA in response to 2.5 mM Ca2+ increased linearly with log[K+]0, showing that a membrane potential-dependent Ca2+ channel limits the GABA release. In the presence of Ca2+ ionophore, A23187, GABA release increased linearly with log[Ca2+]0 without altering the membrane potential of synaptosomes.     

Effect of pH on molecular weight and size of fulvic acids in drainage water from peaty grassland in NW Netherlands

Summary The effect of pH on the molecular weight and size of fulvic acids (FA) in a peaty ditch water was studied by dialysis, Sephadex G-25 gel filtration and ultrafiltration. The results of these techniques of fractionating according to particle size indicated that the molecular weight and size of FA decrease with decreasing pH. The ratio of the light absorbances at 250 and 365 nm (E2/E3) of ditch water increased with decreasing pH corresponding with the results of dialysis, gel filtration and ultrafiltration of FA.Our results do not correspond with the ideas of the macromolecular structure of soil FA as developed by Schnitzer¹⁶.     

The population ecology of gammarus tigrinus (sexton) in the reed beds of the Tjeukemeer

The population ecology of Gammarus tigrinus (Sexton) was studied in the Tjeukemeer during 1969 and 1970. G. tigrinus reaches very high densities — up to 24,000/m² in parts of the study area. In 1970, the summer densities were 2–21/2 times greater than in 1969. Individuals do not grow to such large sizes in the summer as at other times of the year. Females begin to carry eggs in March or April and reproduction ceases in November. Large females have larger broods than smaller animals and the average size of the brood varies with the time of year. The egg incubation period and growth rate are dependent upon temperature. At summer temperatures females became sexually mature after about four weeks and the egg incubation period is about io days. The entire population is turned over about three times during the year. A combination of rapid growth rate, early onset of sexual maturity and high fecundity are probably responsible for the rapid spread of G. tigrinus throughout much of the Netherlands.