Biotechnological studies in the Far-Eastern Region of Russia

Achievements and problems in both the studies on natural bioactive compounds from the Far-Eastern higher plants and marine invertebrates and development of the corresponding biotechnologies concerning new drugs and food supplements, as well as pharmaceutical leads are discussed. Special emphasis is made on recent results from the Far-eastern Institutions belonging to the Russian Academy of Sciences, and their application in both medicine and the food industry, as well as on peculiarities of biological and chemical diversity in the North-Western part of Asia and adjoining seas.     

The capture of a great white shark <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carcharodon carcharias</Emphasis> Linnaeus, 1758 (Carcharodontidae) in peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan)

This paper reports on the first reliable capture of the Great White shark Carcharodon carcharias (length 126 cm, weight 16 kg) in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan). Capture records of C. carcharias in the Far-Eastern seas of Russia are discussed.     

M.M. Kamshilov and Plankton Investigations in the Murmansk Region

In this paper, the results of plankton investigations from 1952 to 2000 in the Barents and Kara seas by the Laboratory of Plankton of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (Kola Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences) are briefly outlined. The development of ideas on the seasonal and long-term succession of plankton communities in the Barents Sea, which were propounded by M.M. Kamshilov, the founder of the Plankton Laboratory, is shown.     

First Records of Dinoflagellates Alexandrium margalefi Balech, 1994 and A. tamutum Montresor, Beran et John, 2004 in the Seas of the Russian Far East

New records of two Alexandrium species are reported for the Russian seas. A. margalefi Balech was found in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan), and A. tamutum Montresor, Beran et John was found in Aniva and Sakhalinskii bays (Sea of Okhotsk). Both species were observed in summer in small numbers at water temperatures of 22– 24°C and 8.6–11°C, respectively. Data on the morphology and distribution of the species is provided.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Biologiya Morya, Selina, Morozova.     

Spatial distribution and thermal regime of habitation of two representatives of the genus Lycodes (Perciformes: Zoarcidae) in Russian waters of the Sea of Japan

Main features of spatial distribution and thermal regime of habitation of Lycodes nakamurae and L. yamatoi in Russian waters of the Sea of Japan are discussed. Comparative analysis of specific features of distribution of eelpouts of the mesobenthal group (L. nakamurae, L. yamatoi, L. tanakae) in some areas of the Sea of Japan with different hydrological conditions is provided. No horizontal migrations directed along isobaths were revealed in these species. In Russian waters of the Sea of Japan, L. nakamurae inhabits depths 130–760 m, preferring the range of depths 200–700 m (it was found in catches of 95.7% of trawlings); L. yamatai inhabits depths 140–800 m, but most frequently is found in the range of depths 200–500 m (86.1% of trawlings). L. nakamurae occurs at a temperature of 0.4–1.2°C and L. yamatoi is found at 0.3–1.9°C. Seasonal migrational activity in the former species is more pronounced than in the latter. Spring-summer migration towards the shelf for feeding and reproduction and autumn-winter wintering migration towards the continental slope taking place with the cooling of the shelf are noticeable. Maximum range of vertical migrations is typical of medium-size fish and minimal is typical of juveniles of the studied species that inhabit the upper section of the bathyal (200–400 m). It is suggested that the lower limit of distribution of eelpouts of the mesobenthal group in the southern and northern sectors of the Sea of Japan coincide. The upper boundary of habitation of the species in different seasons of the year is totally determined by the thermal regime of water masses in different areas of the sea.     

First record of a brachiopod (Brachiopoda: Terebrataliidae) in the fouling of hydrotechnical installations in Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

Large mature individuals of the brachiopod Coptothyris adamsi Davidson, 1871 were found in the fouling of a pier in Koz’mina Bight (Nakhodka Bay, Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan) in September 2006. The population density of the brachiopod in the fouling reached 100 specimens/m² and greatly exceeded the density of this species in benthic communities (4 specimens/m²). This is the first record of a brachiopod on anthropogenic substrates in the Far-Eastern seas of Russia. It is of particular interest because (1) C. adamsi is listed in the Red Book of Russia and (2) construction of an international oil terminal is planned for Koz’mina Bight. The brachiopod population can be used to monitor environmental conditions during the construction and further functioning of the oil terminal in Koz’mina Bight.     

Biogeochemical cycle of methane in the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea

Seasonal investigations of methane distribution and rates of its oxidation and generation in the water column and sediments of the Black Sea northwestern shelf were carried out within the framework of the interdisciplinary projects "European River-Ocean Systems" (EROS-2000, EROS-21) and "Biogenic Gases Exchange in the Black Sea" (BigBlack) in August 1995, May 1997, and December 1999. Experiments that involved the addition of 14CH3COONa and 14CO2 to sediment samples showed the main part of methane to be formed from CO2. Maximum values of methane production (up to 559 mumol/(m2 day)) were found in coastal sediments in summer time. In winter and spring, methane production in the same sediments did not exceed 3.6-4.2 mumol/(m2 day). The delta 13C values of methane ranged from -70.7 to -81.8@1000, demonstrating its microbial origin and contradicting the concept of the migration of methane from cold seeps or from the oil fields located at the Black Sea shelf. Experiments that involved the addition of 14CH4 to water and sediment samples showed that a considerable part of methane is oxidized in the upper horizons of bottom sediments and in the water column. Nevertheless, it was found that, in summer, part of methane (from 6.8 to 320 mumol/(m2 day)) arrives in the atmosphere.     

Coastal States in the South China Sea and Submissions on the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf

The purpose of this article is to examine the outer continental shelf submissions made by the coastal states of the South China Sea and their potential impact on legal and political developments in the South China Sea. In accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 and the guidelines of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, coastal states are to establish the outer limits of their continental shelf where it extends beyond 200 nautical miles. Meeting this obligation is complicated in enclosed or semienclosed seas where there are maritime disputes such as in the South China Sea.     

Assessment of primary production in the White Sea

The literature and original data on the primary production of phytoplankton in the White Sea are analyzed. By this parameter, the White Sea is significantly inferior only to the Chukchi Sea; it is similar to the Barents Sea, and exceeds other Russian Arctic seas by two to three times (the Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and East Siberian Sea).     

Dynamics of macrozoobenthos productivity characteristics on shelves of the Far Eastern seas in the 2000s

The trophic structure of benthic communities in the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea was analyzed based on the results of macrobenthic survey catches conducted in the Far Eastern seas in the 2000s. The production of trophic levels and entire communities was determined. It was shown that production of benthic communities is still at a high level and has almost not changed since the 1980s. The arrangement of the communities of some shelf areas by productivity characteristics was made.     

Effect of phytoplankton and microorganisms on the isotopic composition of organic carbon in the Russian Arctic seas

Carbon isotope composition of suspended organic matter (CIC_SOM) and of organic carbon of the bottom sediments (CIC_BS) was studied in a series of expeditions (starting in 1993) to the White, Kara, Chukchi, and Barents seas in the Russian Arctic. For each sea, CIC_SOM and CIC_BS was found to depend primarily on the ratio of OM produced in the water and OM of terrigenous origin. While in the White Sea, where the primary production (PP) is 5.3 times higher than the yearly inflow of terrigenous OM, δ¹³C of SOM carbon is ?29.1‰, in the Chukchi Sea, where PP is more than 300 times higher than the inflow of terrigenous OM, δ¹³C of SOM carbon is ?21.8‰. In the Barents and Chukchi seas, a considerable effect of suspended material arriving with the currents from the neighboring seas on formation of the CIC_SOM was demonstrated. The difference between CIC OM of the bottom sediments form CIC_SOM, the main component of organic matter in the sediments of all shelf seas, was demonstrated for the first time for all the seas studied. This results from production of additional microbial OM due to CO₂ assimilation at the water-sediment redox boundary or in near-bottom water.     

New Data on the Distribution of Lamprey <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petromyzon marinus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lethenteron camtschaticum</Emphasis> (Petromyzontidae) in Barents and White Seas

Information about the sites of catches of the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus in the western Barents Sea and Arctic lamprey Lethenteron camtschaticum in the Barents and White seas is presented based on the data of trawl surveys performed in 2004?2016. It is demonstrated that sea lamprey is occasionally encountered in the western Barents Sea; nine specimens have been recorded during the entire period of surveys. The northernmost point of a capture of sea lamprey is located near 76° N and the easternmost point is at 31°15′ E. Arctic lamprey is not numerous in the Barents and White seas; a total of 66 and 17 specimens have been caught, respectively. Its local aggregations are found in the southeastern part of the Barents Sea and in Dvina Bay in the White Sea. Arctic lamprey penetrates to the north to 76° N and into the central part of the Barents Sea.     

The formation of the Lycodinae fauna (Perciformes: Zoarcidae) of the Sea of Japan

The subfamily Lycodinae is represented in the Sea of Japan by two genera (Lycodes and Petroschmidtia) and seven species (Lycodes japonicus, L. nakamurae, L. raridens, L. tanakae, L. teraoi, L. yamatoi, and Petroschmidtia toyamensis), which are widely distributed on the shelf and upper continental slope. Based on the geographic and bathymetric distribution of eelpouts of the Sea of Japan and adjacent waters, two groups of closely related species with different types of distribution ranges were distinguished. The first group includes pairs of species that live primarily on the continental slope and are completely isolated in the Sea of Japan or in the Sea of Okhotsk. The second group is comprised of upper interzonal species of the Sea of Japan that are found on the continental slope and shelf, as well as in the southern Sea of Okhotsk from Terpeniya Bay to the southern Kuril Islands. Their related species in the Sea of Okhotsk are mostly found to the north of the Terpeniya Bay. The study of the eelpout distribution and the data on the geological history and paleoclimate of the Far East show that the Lycodinae fauna of the Sea of Japan was formed from North Pacific eelpout-like fishes during the isolation of the sea in the late Pliocene-early Pleistocene, which was concomitant with the general cooling of the Earth’s climate. During the Pleistocene interglacials, the eelpout migrations were unidirectional, from the Sea of Japan to the southern Sea of Okhotsk. The reconstruction of the formation of the Sea of Japan Lycodinae fauna suggests that the related taxa from the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk are separate species, while the northern and southern forms of species from the Sea of Japan (Lycodes yamatoi and L. teraoi) are no more than subspecies.     

Phylogeography of pacific herring Clupea pallasii from Eurasian seas

Eleven samples of Pacific herring from the four seas of Eurasia (Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, Bering Sea, and White Sea), and one sample of Atlantic herring were analyzed. Complete and partial sequences of the mtDNA control region with the sizes up to 1071 bp were used. To verify the haplogroups identified, additional sequencing of the cytochrome oxidase I gene was performed. It was demonstrated that Pacific herring from the seas of Eurasia belonged to one mitochondrial haplogroup. The gene flow between the localities from different parts of the Far Eastern sea basins was about 11% per locality, per generation, which led to constant leveling of herring intraspecific differentiation. The data presented gave no reasons for subdivision of the herring populations in accordance to ecological characters (lacustrine and marine). Analysis of global molecular variance (global AMOVA) demonstrated that in Asian water basins, more than 98% of molecular polymorphism was found within the samples at the low level of significance (P < 0.05).     

The development of HIV infection in the Far-Eastern region of the Russian Federation

By May 18, 1998, 108 HIV-infected persons were registered in the Far-Eastern region. In recent years young people using narcotic drugs were involved in the epidemic process. The sources of the infection were mainly migrants arriving to the Far East from the Ukraine. HIV-infected persons also were registered in settlements lying north of the Arctic Circle.