The recovery of L. Vesijärvi following sewage diversion

For 60 years the sewage of the City of Lahti was discharged into L. Vesijärvi. The eutrophication of the lake was observed as early as the 1920s but in the 1960s the pollution became obvious. The sewage was completely diverted in 1976. As a result of the diversion the bacteriological defects were eliminated within one year, restoring the recreational value of the lake. The recovery of water quality was rapid during the first two years. The oxygen content increased markedly but hypolimnetic oxygen depletion persisted. The phosphorus content decreased about 60% and the nitrogen content about 30%. After that period the recovery slowed down. The biomass of phytoplankton decreased but the abundance of heterocystous blue green algae increased causing blooms in July and August. The primary production has lately been reduced despite the lack of improvement in chemical water quality. Hypolimnetic aeration was started in order to accelerate the recovery. The results during winter stagnation have been encouraging.     

IN-SITU MORPHOLOGY AND OCCURRENCE OF EUCARYOTIC PHOTOTROPHS OF BACTERIAL SIZE IN THE PICOPLANKTON OF ESTUARINE AND OCEANIC WATERS1

Concentrates of the picoplankton (0.2–2.0 μm) sized fraction from the euphotic zone of estuarine and oceanic waters were examined by transmission electron microscopy. In addition to the numerous phototrophic procaryotes (chroococcoid cyanobacteria) previously reported, small phototrophic eucaryotes were observed in 20 of 25 samples examined. Micromonas pusilla (Butcher) Manton and Parks, a 1 × 1.5 μm flagellate, was abundant in estuarine samples in summer. Similar sized cells of non-flagellated chlorophytes, either Nannochloris Naumann or Chlorella Beijerinck, were observed sporadically in many samples. The most ubiquitous microalga was a scaled, non-flagellated prasinophyte that occurred at 9 of 15 different locations on 15 of 20 sampling dates in water samples from Iceland to the Caribbean Sea, This tiny alga (0.5 to 1.0 μm in diam.) is probably the smallest known photo-trophic eucaryote and has not heretofore been described. Enrichment cultures using conventional techniques on several cruises yielded only the Chlorella-type of green alga, as well as numerous isolates of unicellular chroococcoid cyanobacteria.     

QUANTITATIVE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BENTHIC ALGAL COMMUNITIES ALONG A DEPTH GRADIENT IN LAKE MICHIGAN1,2

This study analyzes the impact of conditions associated with depth upon benthic algal communities in Lake Michigan. Diatom abundance was greater at 9.1 and 14.6 m depths than 6.5, 22.6 and 27.4 m. Shallow (6.5 m), mid-depth (9.1 and 14.6 m) and deep (22.6 and 27.4 m) zones were distinguishable on the basis of community composition, structure and abundance. Dominance of benthic species, high diversity and low abundance in shallow communities probably resulted from substantial substrate disturbance by wave action in this productive zone. Dominance of benthic species, high diversity and high abundance characterized mid-depth communities where less wave disturbance enabled algal accumulation. Preponderance of living planktonic taxa, low diversity and low abundance delineated deep communities where planktonic algae accumulated and low light levels reduced growth of benthic species.     

A reappraisal of the concept of metabolic cold adaptation in polar marine invertebrates

The concept of 'metabolic cold adaptation', namely that polar marine ectotherms are adapted in having an elevated basal metabolic rate, has been examined in the light of recent biochemical, physiological and ecological data for Antarctic marine organisms. It is now clear that marine invertebrates from Antarctic waters are characterized by slow growth rates, low basal metabolism and reduced annual reproductive effort, and there is thus no clear evidence of the traditional view of an elevated metabolic rate. By analogy with fish, protein synthesis rates are probably also low. This suggests that the major feature of cold adaptation is a reduction in the individual total annual energy intake in comparison with ecologically similar organisms from warm water. This allows a high standing crop of suspension feeders to develop, and low temperature is thus a significant factor in the successful widespread adoption of typical K-strategies in Antarctic marine invertebrates.     

A portable pump sampler for lotic periphyton

A sampling technique for collecting lotic periphyton on sedimentary substrates using a peristaltic pump is described. Quantitative samples of periphyton standing crop and colonization rate are collected by the same procedure. The technique eliminates human disturbance problems associated with floating artificial samplers by establishing permanent sampling sites directly on submerged substances.     

The reproductive cycle in the population of Saccostrea cuccullatta (Born) from the coast of Karachi,Pakistan

Periphytic diatom communities on clay tile and sterilized rock substrates were compared with those on natural substrates. Clay tiles yielded diatom communities with the least variability between replicate samples, and the greatest similarity to the natural substrate assemblage. The advantages of utilizing introduced substrate communities and problems encountered with their simulation of the natural substrate community are discussed.     

BIOCHEMICAL TAXONOMY OF MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON BY ELECTROPHORESIS OF ENZYMES. I. THE CENTRIC DIATOMS THALASSIOSIRA PSEUDONANA AND T. FLUVIATILIS1,2

Diatom systematics depends almost entirely upon structure of the silica shell. It is not known to what extent the taxonomic species, as defined by shell structure, corresponds to the genetic species—i.e., to the reproductively isolated population. As an approach to this problem, we report here a comparison of enzymes by electrophoresis. We have examined the genetic constitution of a number of clones of (presumably) the same species for each of 2 closely related, centric diatom species: Thalassiosira pseudonana Hasle and Heimdal and T. fluviatilis Hustedt. The 4 clones of T. fluviatilis form a distinct group, clearly separated from all the T. pseudonana clones. Within T. pseudonana, 4 estuarine clones and one reef clone form a group that is distinctly different from 4 oceanic clones. A single clone of T. pseudonana from the Continental Slope waters is intermediate between these 2 groups and probably shares genes with both groups, indicating that the 2 T. pseudonana groups are not genetically isolated. We conclude that i) within groups, isolates are closely related even though they originated from different continents; and, ii) T. pseudonana is subdivided into ecological races.     

应用定量微生物风险评估海水浴场人体健康风险

【背景】定量微生物风险评估作为定量评估游泳人群暴露于病原微生物后健康风险的方法,在国外已得到广泛应用,但目前国内的应用处于起步阶段且缺乏所需的游泳人群暴露数据。【目的】收集游泳人群暴露数据,并在海水浴场中进行应用,评估粪大肠菌群作为风险评估指标的可行性。【方法】通过对6个典型海水浴场的水质状况、粪大肠菌群浓度与环境因子的相关性进行分析,并发放调查问卷收集国内游泳人群的暴露数据,进而应用定量微生物风险评估方法,得出各个海水浴场的胃肠道疾病患病风险。【结果】6个海水浴场中粪大肠菌群浓度均与水温、气温及总云量具有显著相关性(P<0.01)。位于南方的海水浴场粪便污染情况较北方严重,粪大肠菌群浓度第95百分位数远高于国内“差”类水质标准的阈值。儿童、成年男性、成年女性单次沐浴事件吞下海水的体积分别为35.1 mL (95%置信区间为32.4-37.8,α=0.578,β=0.016),45.0 mL (95%置信区间为31.1-59.3,α=0.532,β=0.012),35.7 mL (95%置信区间为29.7-41.8,α=0.753,β=0.032)。6个海水浴场患胃肠道疾病的风险...     

海洋动物来源微生物的共培养研究进展

近年来,由于一些新疾病的发生和细菌耐药性的出现,微生物来源次级代谢产物的筛选重复率越来越高,微生物一些代谢基因在现有实验室条件下无法表达,所以需要发现新的微生物资源,同时找到激活微生物代谢产物基因的方法.海洋动物体内蕴含着大量的共附生微生物资源,可以产生很多具有生物活性的化合物,是潜在的药用资源.本文综述了近年来海洋动...