Sulphate reduction in oxic and sub-oxic North-East Atlantic sediments

Abstract Oxic and sub-oxic N.-E. Atlantic sediments were examined for sulphate-reducing activity. Oxygen and/or nitrate reduction are probably the dominant mineralisation processes in the abyssal plain sediment studied. A low rate of sulphate reduction (0.1 nmol SO²⁻₄/ml/day) was recorded in the surface 5 cm of the continental slope sediment, together with the presence of a range of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB). A higher activity of sulphate reduction (2.2 nmol SO²⁻₄/ml/day) occurred in the continental shelf sediment which led to a small decrease in pore water sulphate and an increase in titration alkalinity. This sediment contained approx. 10²–10³ acetate, lactate and propionate oxidising SRB/ml. No low- M _r organic acids were detected in these sediments. However, amendment with 75 μM acetate stimulated sulphate-reducing activity in the shelf sediment.     

Diversity of symbiotic algae of the genus Symbiodinium in scleractinian corals of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea

Symbiotic algae （Symbiodinium sp.） in scleractinian corals are important in understanding how coral reefs will respond to global climate change. The present paper reports on the diversity of Symbiodinium sp. in 48 scleractinian coral species from 25 genera and 10 families sampled from the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, which were identified with the use of restriction fragment length polymorphism （RFLP） of the nuclear ribosomal DNA large subunit gene （rDNA）. The results showed that： （i） Symbiodinium Clade C was the dominant zooxanthellae in scleractinian corals in the Xisha Islands; （ii） Symbiodinium Clade D was found in the corals Montipora aequituberculata, Galaxea fascicularis, and Plerogyra sinuosa; and （iii） both Symbiodinium Clades C and D were found simultaneously in Montipora digitata, Psammocora contigua, and Galaxeafascicularis. A poor capacity for symbiosis polymorphism, as uncovered by RFLP, in the Xisha Islands indicates that the scleractinian corals have low adaptability to environmental changes. Further studies are needed to investigate zooxanthellae diversity using other molecular markers.     

东海北部滨海湿地铁氧化细菌的分布及其对不同氧气穿透深度的响应

【目的】滨海湿地生态系统位于淡水与海水交互地带,含有高浓度Fe²⁺的地下水渗透到沉积物表层形成的湿地径流和周期性潮汐淹水形成的含氧-缺氧界面有利于铁氧化细菌介导的Fe²⁺的生物氧化过程发生。然而,目前缺乏对滨海湿地生态系统中铁氧化细菌类群的全面评估。【方法】以上海崇明西沙湿地公园及浙江舟山市朱家尖岛东沙沙滩两地共5处滨海湿地沉积物为研究对象,分析沉积物的氧气穿透深度等环境参数,并基于16S rRNA基因扩增子测序技术,全面解析不同滨海湿地生态系统中细菌与铁氧化细菌的群落组成与分布特征。【结果】与崇明西沙湿地相比,朱家尖岛东沙沙滩有更深的氧气穿透深度,达到10 mm以上。非度量多尺度分析(non-metric multidimensional scaling, NMDS)统计结果表明,细菌群落结构主要受到区域位置不同导致的环境条件差异的影响,而铁氧化细菌的群落结构则受到采样的区域位置和沉积物氧气穿透深度的共同影响。崇明西沙湿地和朱家尖岛东沙沙滩的优势细菌为蓝细菌门(Cyanobacteria)、γ-变形菌纲(Gammaproteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)、α-变形菌纲(Alphaproteobacteria)和放线菌门(Actinobacteria);优势铁氧化细菌为嘉利翁氏菌属(Gallionella)、红细菌属(Rhodobacter)、Lepthothrix和Sideroxydans。【结论】通过对崇明西沙湿地和朱家尖岛东沙沙滩沉积物中栖息的铁氧化菌的调查发现,铁氧化细菌的群落组成与湿地沉积物类型导致的氧气穿透深度差异具有密切联系。     

末次冰期以来中国海区浮游有孔虫Pulleniatina obliquiloculata含量变化的地层学意义

西北太平洋尤其是中国海区末次冰期旋回中浮游有孔虫Pulleniatina obliquiloculata含量变化研究是近年来最重要的古海洋学内容之一.作者综合分析了中国及邻近海区具有可靠测年地层的深海沉积物柱状样中P.obliquiloculata含量变化,探讨其含量低值事件(PME)的生物地层学意义.末次冰期以来P.obliquiloculata含量变化在中国海区呈现两种变化模式:一是以东海及南海北部为代表的冰期含量低、间冰期含量高的特点;另一种则是南海南部的冰期含量高、间冰期含量低的现象.高分辨率地层记录显示,在这种冰期/间冰期总体变化趋势基础上,我国东海、南海和黑潮源区等广泛存在晚全新世～4 300-2 800 cal yr BP P.obliquiloculata含量低值,但以南海北部与东海冲绳海槽最为明显;而南海南部P.obliquiloculata含量还在冰消期(～16.5-15 cal kyr BP)有另一特征的低含量阶段.因而,末次冰期旋回中国海区P.obliquiloculata含量变化可以作为区域性地层划分和对比的标志.尽管如此,由于黑潮分支水团的影响,冲绳海槽中部和北部部分海域,在末次冰期与PME期间,P.obliquiloculata虽然含量相对较低,但仍可保持3%-5%以上,而非多数站位PME事件中的特征性零含量.研究表明PME事件主要由次表层海水的温度降低、温跃层变浅、上部水体温度梯度增加等引起,与表层海水无关,但引起这些海洋环境变化的原因尚不清楚.     

西沙宣德群岛海域浮游植物群落及其影响因子

为了解西沙宣德群岛海域浮游植物群落结构特征,于2019年2月和11月对该海域进行采样调查,分析浮游植物群落组成及环境影响因素。两个航次共发现109种浮游植物,其中硅藻门最多,有81种。冬秋季节优势种不尽相同,冬季优势种为铁氏束毛藻(Trichodesmium thiebautii)、红海束毛藻(T. erythraeum)和标志星杆藻(Asterionella notata)等,秋季优势种为菱形海线藻(Thalassionema nitzschioides)、丹麦细柱藻(Leptocylindrus danicus)和劳氏角毛藻(Chaetoceros lorenzianus)。冬季浮游植物平均丰度[(5.27±6.14)×10⁷ cells/L]显著高于秋季[(1.56±1.40)×10⁵ cells/L]。浮游植物群落分布主要受亚硝酸盐、盐度等环境因子影响。冬秋季各站位浮游植物群落的多样性指数、均匀度指数和丰富度指数平均值分别为3.15、0.71、1.36和3.28、0.75、1.77。因此,宣德群岛海域冬秋季节浮游植物群落多样性较高,物...     

西沙群岛东岛小军舰鸟繁殖种群的初步观察

2003年3-4月对西沙群岛的鸟类资源进行了考察,在西沙群岛的东岛发现小军舰鸟(Fregata minor)繁殖,为迄今所知该种在我国仅有的繁殖记录。野外观察共发现7个巢,其中5个巢中途毁损,另见幼鸟13只,非繁殖雄性个体2只。还观察到小军舰鸟与红脚鲣鸟相互影响的负面行为,如抢食、窃巢材等。调查结果显示,西沙群岛小军舰鸟分布范围现已缩小,而且种群数量显著下降。     

Extracellular hydrolytic enzyme screening of culturable heterotrophic bacteria from deep-sea sediments of the Southern Okinawa Trough

The Southern Okinawa Trough is an area of focused sedimentation due to particulate matter export from the shelf of the East China Sea and the island of Taiwan. In order to understand the geomicrobiological characteristics of this unique sedimentary environment, bacterial cultivations were carried out for an 8.61 m CASQ core sediment sample. A total of 98 heterotrophic bacterial isolates were characterized based on 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis. These isolates can be grouped into four bacterial divisions, including 13 genera and more than 20 species. Bacteria of the γ-Proteobacteria lineage, especially those from the Halomonas (27 isolates) and Psychrobacter (20 isolates) groups, dominate in the culturable bacteria assemblage. They also have the broadest distribution along the depth of the sediment. More than 72.4% of the isolates showed extracellular hydrolytic enzyme activities, such as amylases, proteases, lipases and Dnases, and nearly 59.2% were cold-adapted exoenzyme-producers. Several Halomonas strains show almost all the tested hydrolases activities. The wide distribution of exoenzyme activities in the isolates may indicate their important ecological role of element biogeochemical cycling in the studied deep-sea sedimentary environment.     

Morphology and sedimentology of (clustered) cold-water coral mounds at the south Rockall Trough margins,NE Atlantic Ocean

Cold-water coral mounds on both margins of the Rockall Trough (NE Atlantic Ocean) have a strongly different morphology. Single, isolated mounds occur on the SE margin and are mainly found on the upper slope between 900 and 650 m water depth, while large mound clusters are found on the SW margin in water depths between 600 and 1,000 m, in a narrow zone almost parallel to the slope. Sedimentation rates on the mounds are higher than on the surrounding seabed as a result of baffling of biogenic carbonate debris and siliciclastic particles by the coral framework covering the mounds. This is confirmed by ²¹⁰Pb measurements. The individual coral growth rate can be three times higher then the vertical growth rate of the coral cover (±10 mm year⁻¹) which in turn is more than an order of magnitude higher then the present-day overall mound growth rate (±0.25 mm year⁻¹). The presence of extensive hardgrounds and firmgrounds and the three-dimensional coral framework are considered to be responsible for the stability of the relatively steep slopes of the mounds. High current velocities in the intramound areas result in local non-sedimentation and erosion, as is shown by the presence of IRD (ice-rafted debris) lag deposits on the seabed and moats around some of the mounds. The morphology and sedimentology of cold-water coral-covered (mainly Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata) mounds on the southern Rockall Trough margins (NE Atlantic Ocean) is discussed and a model describing the development of these mounds is presented.     

热带滨海植物红厚壳的抗逆生物学特性

为了解红厚壳(Calophyllum inophyllum)的抗逆特性,对西沙群岛自然生长的红厚壳叶片的形态解剖、生理生态、以及叶片和适生土壤的元素含量进行了研究。结果表明,红厚壳是阳生性植物,其上表皮厚,海绵组织发达且栅栏组织排列紧密,气孔排列松散且密度小(24.40 mm~(-2)),有利于叶片保水抵御干旱。叶片的叶绿素a、b含量低(分别为0.87和0.43 mg g~(-1)),表明红厚壳具适应强光环境的能力。叶片的MDA含量低(13.46 nmol g~(-1)),PRO含量高(127.89μg g~(-1)),SOD活性高(149.42 U g~(-1)),总抗氧化能力高(388.60 U g~(-1)),显示红厚壳能通过提高自身的抗氧化能力抵御膜脂过氧化伤害。红厚壳自然生长的珊瑚岛土壤较为贫瘠、营养元素含量低,但红厚壳植株体内具有较高的营养元素含量,表明红厚壳营养元素利用率高,对于贫瘠土壤具有很好的适应能力。因此,红厚壳具有较高的抗氧化胁迫能力和耐受干旱的能力,适宜生长在热带珊瑚岛等土壤贫瘠的生境,可以作为热带珊瑚岛防风固沙和植被恢复的工具种。     

Climate change and evolution of the New World pitviper genus Agkistrodon (Viperidae)

Aim We derived phylogenies, phylogeographies, and population demographies for two North American pitvipers, Agkistrodon contortrix (Linnaeus, 1766) and A. piscivorus (Lacépède, 1789) (Viperidae: Crotalinae), as a mechanism to evaluate the impact of rapid climatic change on these taxa. Location Midwestern and eastern North America. Methods We reconstructed maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) relationships based on 846 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) ATPase 8 and ATPase 6 genes sequenced over 178 individuals. We quantified range expansions, demographic histories, divergence dates and potential size differences among clades since their last period of rapid expansion. We used the Shimodaira–Hasegawa (SH) test to compare our ML tree against three biogeographical hypotheses. Results A significant SH test supported diversification of A. contortrix from northeastern Mexico into midwestern–eastern North America, where its trajectory was sundered by two vicariant events. The first (c. 5.1 Ma) segregated clades at 3.1% sequence divergence (SD) along a continental east–west moisture gradient. The second (c. 1.4 Ma) segregated clades at 2.4% SD along the Mississippi River, coincident with the formation of the modern Ohio River as a major meltwater tributary. A single glacial refugium was detected within the Apalachicola region of southeastern North America. Significant support was also found for a hypothesis of trans‐Gulf rafting by the common ancestor of A. piscivorus from eastern Mexico (possibly the Yucatan Peninsula) to northern Florida. There, a Mid–Late Pliocene marine transgression separated it at 4.8% SD from mainland North America. Significant range expansions followed compressive glacial effects in three (of four) A. contortrix clades and in two (of three) A. piscivorus clades, with the Florida A. piscivorus clade exhibiting significant distributional stasis. Main conclusions Pliocene glaciations, rapidly developing western aridity, and Pleistocene glacial meltwaters seemingly led to the diversification of A. contortrix and A. piscivorus in North America. Both species were pushed southwards by Pleistocene climate change, with subsequent northward expansions uninhibited topographically. The subspecific taxonomy used for A. contortrix and A. piscivorus today, however, appear non‐representative. The monophyletic Florida subspecies of A. piscivorus may be a distinct species (at 4.8% SD), whereas two western subspecies of A. contortrix also appear to constitute a single distinct species, pending additional analyses. We conclude that both species of Agkistrodon can be used as suitable ectothermic models to gauge impacts of future climate change.