Effects of mercury exposure on ionic regulation in the crayfish Orconectes propinquus

Hemolymph sodium, potassium and calcium concentrations were determined in crayfish (Orconectes propinquus) exposed to (203)HgCl(2) mixed with food to a concentration of 1 microg Hg g(-1). Dummy-fed animals were exposed to Hg-dosed food wrapped in dialysis tubing to control for mercury reaching the animals via leaching from food to water. Hemolymph analyses were made following 14-day Hg exposures and again after a further 21-day 'depuration' period during which all animals were fed Hg-free food. After 14 days, the mercury reached a concentration of 0.175 microg g(-1) in the hepatopancreas and approximately half this level in the gills of Hg-fed animals. No depuration occurred from the hepatopancreas although the gills lost approximately two-thirds of their labelled mercury during the depuration period. Hemolymph sodium concentrations in Hg-exposed crayfish, both fed and dummy-fed, after 14 days were significantly lower than in Hg-free controls and remained low following the 21-day depuration period. Hemolymph calcium concentrations were lower in Hg-fed animals than in dummy-fed and control animals after 14 days although calcium levels rose in all treatments after 35 days. This may have been due to the incidence of pre-molt animals in all experimental groups, although the relationship between this and mercury exposure was not established unequivocally. Hemolymph potassium levels showed no differences between treatments.     

Reproductive cycle of Golfingia margaritacea,a bipolar sipunculan,in subantarctic water

The reproductive cycle of the bipolar sipunculan Golfingia margaritacea collected from Ushuaia, Argentina (54°49 S; 68°13W) in 1986 and 1987 is reported. The population sampled showed a sex ratio of 1:1. Males, however, frequently outnumbered females. Measurements of coelomic oocytes delineated an annual reproductive cycle. Small oocytes were present in the coelom all year: a subpopulation began to increase size about the middle of spring and reached its maximum size in late summer. Spawns may occur from the end February to April. May is characterized by resorption of large oocytes. Monthy monitoring of the gonads revealed mitotic activity and a continuous release of gametocytes to the coelom. Parasites were detected in the gonads. Large coelomic oocytes were also present in the coelom during the same season in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, but egg sizes were significantly larger in boreal populations.     

Cellular and ultrastructural changes in the endoderm of the temperate sea anemone Anemonia viridis as a result of increased temperature

Exposure of the temperate sea anemone Anemonia viridis Forskål to increased seawater temperature (from 16 to 26°C) reduced the lysosomal latency of coelenterate tissues. Lysosomes in the mesenterial filaments of anemones were destabilised by increased temperature, with greater destabilisation in heat-shocked symbiotic anemones than in heat-shocked aposymbiotic anemones in the early stages of the experiment. Lysosomal enzyme activity in zooxanthellae from heat-shocked symbiotic anemones was associated with the algal membranes and the cytoplasm of degenerate algal cells. While the relationship between host coelenterate and symbiotic alga may confer many benefits under normal conditions, comparison of the responses of symbiotic and aposymbiotic anemones to heat shock suggests that there may be disadvantages for symbiotic anemones under stress.     

Ammonium excretion by gelationous zooplankton and their contribution to the ammonium requirements of microplankton in Chesapeake Bay

Ammonium excretion rates of recently collected specimens of gelatinous zooplankton, the scyphomedusan Chrysaora quinquecirrha DeSor and the etenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, were correlated with body mass and water temperature in measurements made from April to October 1989 and 1990. Rates ranged between 3.5 and 5.0 g atoms NH ₄ ⁺ -N (g dry wt)^-1h^-1 for C. quinquecirrha and 3.0 to 4.9 g atoms NH ₄ ⁺ -N (g dry wt)^-1h^-1 for M. leidyi. Excretion rate equations and in situ data on the size distributions and biomasses of gelatinous zooplankters and water temperature were used to estimate the contribution of ammonium by medusae and ctenophores to mesohaline Chesapeake Bay waters on several dates during April to October 1989 and 1990. We then compared the estimated contributions to direct measurements of ¹⁵NH ₄ ⁺ uptake by microplankton. The maximum estimated regeneration by gelatinous zooplankton was 5.8 g atoms NH ₄ ⁺ -N m^-3h^-1 at night in August 1990, when medusae biomass was greatest. This represents about 4% of the ammonium required by the microplankton. During the daytime on all dates, less than 1% of the ammonium required by microplanktion was supplied by gelatinous zooplankton. Therefore, gelatinous zooplankton appear to play a minor role in the ammonium cycle of Chesapeake Bay.     

In situ characterization of phytoplankton from vertical profiles of fluorescence emission spectra

Vertical profiling of the upper ocean with a laser/fiber optic fluorometer enabled the determination of fluorescence emission spectra of photosynthetic pigments over small vertical scales. Simultaneous acquisition of phycoerythrin (PE) and chlorophyll (chl) emission spectra allowed in situ differentiation between PE-containing cells (cryptomonads and cyanobacteria) and other chl-containing autotrophs. Further, fluorescence spectral peak shifts associated with different species of PE-containing cells resulted in even finer scale in situ taxonomic differentiation. We found that the phycoerythrin fluorescence emission maxima shifted from 578 nm near the surface, to 585 m at the base of the shallow thermocline (30% light level), and to 590 nm below the thermocline at the base of the euphotic zone (1% light level). These shifts in peak emission coincided with a taxonomic change in the PE-containing cells (as determined from analysis of discrete bottle samples) from a greater proportion of Synechococcus spp. in the upper water column to a greater proportion of cryptomonads at the base of the euphotic zone. These results indicate that the composition of the phytoplankton assemblage may be assessed in situ without sample collection.     

Prey selection by larval weakfish (Cynoscion regalis): the effects of prey size,speed, and abundance

We examined feeding by larval weakfish, Cynoscion regalis (Bloch and Schneider), in laboratory experiments conducted during the 1991 spawning season. under natural conditions weakfish larval development is ca. 3 wk, and we ran separate experiments with larvae of five different ages (5, 8, 11, 14, and 17 d post-hatching). We used two different size classes of rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) and brine shrimp nauplii (Artemia sp.) as prey organisms. Contrary to results of previous research, weakfish larvae did not select prey based on size alone. When prey abundance was above 100 itemsl^-1 weakfish, larvae always chose large rotifers (length = 216 m) over small rotifers (length = 160 m). At 11 d post-hatching, larvae switched their diet from large rotifers to small brine shrimp nauplii (length = 449 m); however, when fed small rotifers and small brine shrimp nauplii the change in diet occurred at 14 d post-hatching. This pattern of selectivity was maintained in each larval age class. Early-stage larvae (5 and 8 d post-hatching) did not feed selectively when prey abundance was less than 100 itemsl^-1. Late-stage larvae (17 d post-hatching) fed selectively at abundances ranging from 10 to 10000 items^-1. Lwimming speeds of prey items, which ranged from 1 to 6 mms^-1, had no consistent effect on prey selection. These results suggest that weakfish larvae are able to feed selectively, that selectivity changes as larvae age, and that selectivity is also influenced by prey abundance.     

A “source” for asteroid larvae?: recruitment of Pisaster ochraceus,Pycnopodia helianthoides and Dermasterias imbricata in Nootka Sound,British Columbia

A major recruitment of the forcipulate asteroid Pisaster ochraceus was observed in September 1987 in the channel leading into Boca del Infierno, a semi-enclosed bay on the southeastern shore of Nootka Island, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Newly settled recruits were observed at high densities subtidally in the channel (mean maximal density=1.23x10⁴m^-2) and at nearby sites. Subsequent surveys in 1988 to 1991 and size-frequency distributions of adults indicated strong yearly recruitment of P. ochraceus. Recruits of P. ochraceus were found on all available substrata, including hard and soft bottoms and on benthic algae. The initial food of the recruits included newly settled mussels (Mytilus sp.), snails and barnacles. Recruitment of the forcipulate Pycnopodia helianthoides was observed in 1987 to 1989 and in 1991, while recruitment of the spinulosan Dermasterias imbricata occurred only in 1988. High densities of planktonic bipinnaria larvae were found in the bay of Boca del Infierno in late May. We hypothesise that the high density population of adult P. ochraceus found in the channel of Boca del Infierno spawns synchronously and most of the resulting embryos and larvae are retained within the bay. This area may act as a source of larvae that then disperse locally. Post-recruitment mortality was estimated by comparing the density of recruits of P. ochraceus in 1987 with the numbers of juveniles presumed to be 1 yr old in 1988. Post-recruitment mortality was in excess of 97% with few individuals surviving to 1 yr. Moreover, even after the first year, mortality or emigration of the juveniles resulted in the almost complete loss of the 1-yr cohort at North Saavedra between 1988 and 1989. This study provides evidence that the P. ochraceus population in this area of Nootka Island may not be open, but may be regularly supplied from a source of larvae in the bay of Boca del Infierno. Post-settlement processes may, however, have significant effects on the local population, resulting in a poor correlation between the rate of recruitment and the incorporation of yr-1 + individuals into the adult population.     

Waste Fe(III)/Cr(III) hydroxide as adsorbent for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution and chromium plating industry wastewater

Fe(III)/Cr(III) hydroxide, a waste material from the fertilizer industry, has been used for the adsorption of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution, over a range of initial metal ion concentrations (5-30 mg litre(-1)), agitation times (1-180 min), adsorbent dosages (100-1200 mg per 50 ml), temperatures (24, 29 and 38 degrees C) and pH values (4.5-10). The adsorption of Cr(VI) increased with the initial concentration of Cr(VI) and with temperature. The process of uptake follows both the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherm models. The applicability of Lagergren and empirical kinetic models has also been investigated. Almost quantitative removal of Cr(VI) at 10 mg litre(-1) in a 50-ml solution by 500 mg of adsorbent was found at an equilibrium pH of 5.6. The efficiency of chromium removal was also tested using wastewater from the chromium plating industry.     

Relation between heavy metal concentrations in salt marsh plants and soil

The aim of the research reported here was to investigate the relation between heavy metal concentrations in salt marsh plants, extractability of the metals from soil and some soil characteristics. In April 1987, Spartina anglica and Aster tripolium plants and soil were collected from four salt marshes along the Dutch coast. The redox potential of the soil between the roots of the plants and at bare sites was measured. Soil samples were oven-dried and analyzed for chloride concentration, pH, fraction of soil particles smaller than 63 microm (f < 63 microm), loss on ignition (LOI) and ammonium acetate and hydrochloric acid extractable Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations. The roots and shoots of the plants were analyzed for Cd, Cu and Zn. Because drying of the soil prior to chemical analysis might have changed the chemical speciation of the metals, and therefore the outcome of the ammonium acetate extraction, a second survey was performed in October 1990. In this survey A. tripolium plants and soil were collected from two salt marshes. Fresh and matched oven-dried soil samples were analyzed for water, ammonium acetate and diethylene triaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) extractable Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations. The soil samples were also analyzed for f < 63 microm, LOI and total (HNO(3)/HCl digestion) metal concentrations. Soil metal concentrations were correlated with LOI. Drying prior to analysis of the soil had a significant effect on the extractability of the metals with water, ammonium acetate or DTPA. Plant metal concentrations significantly correlated only with some extractable metal concentrations determined in dried soil samples. However, these correlations were not consistently better than with total metal concentrations in the soil. It was concluded that extractions of metals from soil with water, ammonium acetate or DTPA are not better predictors for metal concentrations in salt marsh plants than total metal concentrations, and that a major part of the variation in metal concentrations in the plants cannot be explained by variation in soil composition.     

The use of the cotton-strip assay to assess cellulose decomposition in heavy metal-contaminated sewage sludge-amended soils

Cellulose decomposition in soils amended over twenty year ago with heavy metal-contaminated sewage sludges was assessed by using the cotton-strip assay. The soils of the Luddington Experiment now contain concentrations of Cu, Ni and Zn in selected plots that approximate to or exceed the statutory limits for these elements in sewage sludge-amended soils. The rates of cellulose decomposition were generally lower in the plots with elevated metal concentrations, relative to uncontaminated sludge-amended and unsludged controls. Generally, the metal-rich plots showed reductions in the time taken to reach 50% cotton-tensile-strength loss (CTSL). However, the reductions could not be consistently related to any one metal. The difference in decomposition rates between treatments was systematically reduced over the duration of a time-course experiment. A lower initial population of the appropriate decomposer community of micro-organisms may account for the observed short-term lag in decomposition rates.