The induction of larval settlement and metamorphosis of two sea urchins,Pseudocentrotus depressus and Anthocidaris crassispina,by free fatty acids extracted from the coralline red alga Corallina pilulifera

Lipophilic inducers of larval settlement and metamorphosis of Pseudocentrotus depressus and Anthocidaris crassispina, two commercially important sea urchin species in Japan, were isolated from the foliose coralline red alga Corallina pilulifera (collected in 1990 near Saga, Japan) and identified. Larval assays of the fractions obtained by silica gel column chromatography of the total lipids showed that non-polar groups of lipids were effective at inducing larval settlement and metamorphosis. The effective fractions were further subjected to gel filtration (Sephadex LH-20) and also to silica gel column chromatography, and the effective components isolated as single spots by thin-layer chromatography. The components at a concentration of ca. 0.4 mg paper^-1 (sample was adsorbed on a paper with 20 cm²) induced high rates of larval settlement of both P. depressus and A. crassispina. Chemical analyses of the components revealed a mixture of free fatty acids (FFAs), dominated by eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5, 41 to 50%), palmitic acid (16:0, 11 to 17%), arachidonic acid (20:4, 9 to 15%), and palmitoleic acid (16:1, 4 to 5%). In assays with the four standard FFAs, only 20:4 and 20:5 induced larval settlement and metamorphosis of the two species, while 16:0 and 16:1 were ineffective. The larvae underwent significant rates of settlement and metamorphosis in response to the two former FFAs at levels as low as 0.18 mg paper^-1. Amongst the free fatty acid components of the alga, 20:5 was isolated as the chemical inducer of larval settlement and metamorphosis of the sea urchins in the laboratory.     

Effects of pCO2 on physiology and skeletal mineralogy in a tidal pool coralline alga Corallina elongata

Marine organisms inhabiting environments where pCO₂/pH varies naturally are suggested to be relatively resilient to future ocean acidification. To test this hypothesis, the effect of elevated pCO₂ was investigated in the articulated coralline red alga Corallina elongata from an intertidal rock pool on the north coast of Brittany (France), where pCO₂ naturally varied daily between 70 and 1000 μatm. Metabolism was measured on algae in the laboratory after they had been grown for 3 weeks at pCO₂ concentrations of 380, 550, 750 and 1000 μatm. Net and gross primary production, respiration and calcification rates were assessed by measurements of oxygen and total alkalinity fluxes using incubation chambers in the light and dark. Calcite mol % Mg/Ca (mMg/Ca) was analysed in the tips, branches and basal parts of the fronds, as well as in new skeletal structures produced by the algae in the different pCO₂ treatments. Respiration, gross primary production and calcification in light and dark were not significantly affected by increased pCO₂. Algae grown under elevated pCO₂ (550, 750 and 1000 μatm) formed fewer new structures and produced calcite with a lower mMg/Ca ratio relative to those grown under 380 μatm. This study supports the assumption that C. elongata from a tidal pool, where pCO₂ fluctuates over diel and seasonal cycles, is relatively robust to elevated pCO₂ compared to other recently investigated coralline algae.     

Calcification in the maerl coralline alga Phymatolithon calcareum: Effects of salinity and temperature

The coralline alga Phymatolithon calcareum was dredged from 13 m in the Kattegatt, Baltic Sea, in December, 1980, and its rate of calcification was measured by ⁴⁵Ca⁺⁺-uptake methods. Light-saturated calcification rates at 5°C ranged from 15.8 g CaCO₃ g^-1 dry wt h^-1 for the basal parts of the plants to 38.7 g CaCO₃ g^-1 dry wt h^-1 for the tips. These age gradients were not apparent when calcification rates were expressed on the basis of surface area. Experiments with salinity (10, 20, 30) and temperature (0°, 5°, 10°, 20°C) indicated that optimum conditions for calcification were at 30 S and at temperatures above 10°C. Salinity had a greater influence on calcification rate than did temperature, and there was a positive relationship between salinity and calcification rate at all temperatures. In 6 mo old cultures, salinity was again the important factor, with all plants remaining healthy at 30 except those at the highest temperature (20°C). These trends, and the low calcification rates at 10S (4.6 g CaCO₃ g^-1 dry wt h^-1 at 5°C to 8.6 g CaCO₃g^-1 dry wt h^-1 at 20°C) suggest that low salinity may be the explanation for the general absence of P. calcareum from the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea. Short-term experiments in which salinity was kept constant while Ca⁺⁺ concentration was altered, and experiments in which salinity was varied and Ca⁺⁺ concentration kept constant, suggest that it is the calcium ion concentration and not salinity per se which affects calcification rates.     

土壤微生物对大气CO2浓度升高的响应

土壤微生物是生态系统的重要组成部分，了解它对大气CO2浓度升高的响应，是全面评价大气CO2浓度对陆地生态系统影响的关键。文章主要从土壤微生物呼吸和生物量两个方面总结了大气CO2浓度升高时土壤微生物的反应，结果发现，(1)在目前实验室进行的大多数研究中，随着CO2浓度升高，土壤微生物的呼吸速率加快了。这意味着随着CO2的增多，植物生长加快，进而又使得进入土壤的C质量分数增大；这些额外增加的底物被土壤微生物的代谢活动所利用。(2)土壤微生物生物量则存在着很大的变异性(变异系数为193％)，这可能与植物种类以及生活型的差异有关，也可能是进入土壤的底物的性质改变的结果。但是目前仍有许多问题未能解决，需要加强以下几个方面的研究：对土壤微生物活动有限制作用的植物有机底物在CO2浓度升高时输入量的变化状况，定量分析这一动态变化过程；在生态系统各个水平上土壤微生物的反应；在其他全球变化因子综合作用下，CO2浓度升高对土壤微生物的影响。     

Effect of carbon dioxide concentration on calcification in the red coralline alga Bossiella orbigniana

The relationship between various experimental concentrations of CO₂ and calcification in Bossiella orbigniana (Decaisne) was studied by measuring Ca-45 incorporation into the crystalline matrix. Air containing CO₂ at partial pressures (P_{CO 2}) of 0.04 to 5.5% was bubbled through synthetic seawater in incubation vessels. The resultant pH values in the presence of plants ranged from 6.5 to 8.7. The maximum calcification rate appears to lie between 0.11 and 1.05% P_{CO 2}. The data suggest that calcification is controlled by a biological process that may be sensitive to pH and/or to the relative bicarbonate concentration. The data also suggest that a severalfold increase in CO₂ over the present atmospheric level might lead to increased calcification in this marine alga.     

农田土壤呼吸对大气CO2浓度升高的响应

大气CO2浓度急剧升高引起的全球气候变暖是人们关注的环境问题之一.随着气候变化对全球生态环境的影响日益增大,全球碳循环研究已经成为各国科学家研究的热点之一.模拟大气CO2浓度升高试验技术先后经历了人工气候室、开顶式气室、FACE技术(Free Air carbon dioxjde eariclament)阶段,FACE技术因其无限接近自然条件而成为研究大气CO2浓度增加对整个生态系统影响的最理想试验平台.土壤呼吸是陆地生态系统碳循环的重要环节,农田生态系统是陆地生态系统的重要组成.研究农田生态系统的土壤呼吸对大气CO2浓度增加的响应是预测和评价农田系统乃至整个陆地生态系统土壤碳周转和碳收支的重要前提与基础.文章根据现有研究成果.阐述了模拟大气CO2浓度升高的试验技术,比较了农田土壤呼吸的测定方法,总结了以FACE研究成果为主的高CO2浓度条件下农田土壤呼吸、不同地下来源贡献及环境因子影响,提出了进一步研究的方向,以期为全球气候变化背景下的农田土壤呼吸和碳固定及全球碳循环研究提供帮助.     

大气CO2浓度升高对植物光合作用的影响

大气CO2浓度不断升高以及由此带来的温室效应已成为全球变化研究的热点问题之一。CO2作为植物光合作用的底物,其浓度升高必然对植物的光合作用产生影响。大气CO2浓度升高对植物光合作用的影响主要体现在:对不同植物的光合色素含量均有影响,但结果有所差异;短期处理光合速率提高,而长期处理则可能出现光合适应,其适应机理目前尚存在分歧;不同光合类型植物的叶片形态结构有不同的响应结果,叶绿体超微结构也明显变化;生物量和产量提高。此外,CO2浓度升高与其它环境因子相互作用对植物的光合作用也具有重要影响。大气CO2浓度升高条件下对木本植物的研究、在分子水平上的深入研究以及在不同环境下的研究将成为未来研究的主要方向。     

大气CO2浓度增高对农田土壤硝化活性的影响

利用中国唯一的FACE(Free-Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment,开放式空气CO2浓度增高)平台,研究大气CO2浓度增高对农田土壤硝化活性的影响.位于无锡的中国稻麦轮作农田生态系统FACE试验平台于2001年6月开始运行,设有FACE与Ambient(普通空气对照)2个处理,FACE区CO2浓度比Ambient区高200 μmol·mol-1,每个处理含低氮与常氮2个氮肥水平.在轮作水稻和小麦各3季之后,发现大气CO2浓度增高下,常氮水平上土壤的NO3--N质量分数降低,NH4+-N质量分数增高;而低氮水平上土壤的NO3--N质量分数增高,NH4+-N质量分数没有显著差异.然后分别在土壤样品中加入NH4+-N,好气培养42 d后通过测定土壤中的NO3--N、NO2--N总质量分数来研究土壤的硝化活性.结果显示,不管在CO2浓度增高下还是对照条件下,增加氮肥施用量均增强了土壤的硝化活性;且与对照相比,大气CO2浓度增高在常氮水平上降低了土壤的硝化活性,在低氮水平上却增强了土壤的硝化活性,说明大气CO2浓度增高对农田土壤硝化活性的影响与N肥供应水平有关.     

大气CO2体积分数升高对油松叶片光合生理特性的影响

近年来大气CO2体积分数不断升高,虽然CO2体积分数升高对植物影响的研究已取得一定进展,但目前针对城市森林树种的相关研究甚少。利用开顶式气室研究了大气CO2体积分数升高对沈阳市城市森林主要树种油松(PinustabulaefomisCarr.)光合生理特性的影响。结果表明,整个生长季内,与对照相比,在大气CO2体积分数为700×10-6条件下,油松叶片的Chla、Chlb及Chl(a b)质量分数提高,Chla/Chlb值降低,而类胡萝卜素质量分数则呈现出降低—升高—降低的趋势;整个处理期间,净光合速率显著提高,提高幅度为23.68%～133.18%(P<0.05或P<0.01);可溶性蛋白质量分数增加,并随着处理时间延长增加幅度增大,在通气40d时就达到差异极显著水平(P<0.01);大气CO2体积分数升高促进了油松叶片中可溶性糖、淀粉的积累;实验中并未观察到光合下调现象。     

Responses of marine benthic microalgae to elevated CO2

Increasing anthropogenic CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere are causing a rise in pCO₂ concentrations in the ocean surface and lowering pH. To predict the effects of these changes, we need to improve our understanding of the responses of marine primary producers since these drive biogeochemical cycles and profoundly affect the structure and function of benthic habitats. The effects of increasing CO₂ levels on the colonisation of artificial substrata by microalgal assemblages (periphyton) were examined across a CO₂ gradient off the volcanic island of Vulcano (NE Sicily). We show that periphyton communities altered significantly as CO₂ concentrations increased. CO₂ enrichment caused significant increases in chlorophyll a concentrations and in diatom abundance although we did not detect any changes in cyanobacteria. SEM analysis revealed major shifts in diatom assemblage composition as CO₂ levels increased. The responses of benthic microalgae to rising anthropogenic CO₂ emissions are likely to have significant ecological ramifications for coastal systems.     

植物地上部分对大气CO2浓度升高的响应

大气CO2浓度升高对植物的影响，主要是促进了植物生长早期的光合作用，同时也增加了对其他资源的需求；植物的光合作用也存在对高CO2浓度的适应，不会一直维持较高的光合水平，而且植物的呼吸作用也可能会增加；大气CO2浓度升高和其他环境条件，如水分，温度和光照等对植物生长和产量存在相互作用，可以部分弥补条件的不足，也影响作物和杂草的竞争关系；自然植物群落由于有很高的多样性和复杂性，对其研究应该在生物群落水平上进行，用外推法回到植物水平，而不是相反，而且自然物种间的竞争是激烈的，CO2浓度升高或其他因素带来的任何改善，都会明显地改变竞争平衡。     

The early summer bloom of dinoflagellates in the North Sea,with special reference to 1971

The south-western quarter of the North Sea (between the Wash and the River Tyne) has been investigated for the presence of dinoflagellates. Extensive net surveys were carried out in March, May and June 1971 and a number of other collections were made in the area. North of Flamborough Head, the spring bloom of diatoms was succeeded by a considerable growth of dinoflagellates, of which Dinophysis norvegica was the most abundant organism. Maximum counts of over 28 million dinoflagellates per m³ were recorded. Distribution charts are given for the most common species. A total of 61 species was found during the course of the survey.     

Calcium exchange and the measurement of calcification rates in the calcareous coralline red alga Amphiroa foliacea

⁴⁵Ca washout data of living thalli of Amphiroa foliacea Lamouroux in the light and dark show that there are three kinetically distinct Ca²⁺-exchanging compartments with approximate half-times (t 1/2) of 300, 20 and 3 min. The two slower compartments appear to be exchange from organic Ca²⁺-binding components of the cell wall, while the fast compartment probably represents exchange on the CaCO₃ crystal surface. Killed and decalcified thalli have a fourth compartment, with a t 1/2 of 20 to 35 min (other compartment half-times are 300, 40, 3 min), which has been identified as the greatly increased intercellular space produced during drying and decalcification. The ⁴⁵Ca and ¹⁴C uptake data show that a large proportion of the label initially taken up is into compartments other than the CaCO₃. As a result of this uptake, binding, and exchange of radioisotope, significant errors occur during the measurement of calcification rates, unless a kinetic analysis is carried out. Using such a technique, CaCO₃ calcification rates of A. folicea were measured with ⁴⁵Ca or ¹⁴C as tracers. Light stimulates calcification by up to 2.6 times, depending upon the age of the plant. Young segments have a markedly higher rate of calcification and photosythesis than do the older segments.     

Glucose uptake in ocean profiles with special reference to temperature

Glucose uptake was measured at three different stations in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The measurements were made at various temperatures (5° to 35°C) and glucose concentrations (3 to 100 g glucose/l). The uptake of almost all samples taken from the surface to 1,500 m was affected primarily by temperature. The temperature dependence of samples from near the transition region between the Kuroshio and the Oyashio current waters was twice as large as that of both current samples. Furthermore, the samples from the former, transition, region and the aphotic samples of the latter, current, regions showed an optimal temperature 15° to 30°C higher than the in situ temperature; the optimal temperature was only 5° to 10°C higher in the photic samples of the stable region. The average potential glucose uptake at/near the optimal temperature was 0.026 g glucose/l/h in the photic zone and 0.015 g glucose/l/h in the aphotic zone. However, after correction by the in situ temperature, the uptake was 0.024 and 0.003 g glucose/l/h, respectively.     

Breeding of Euterpina acutifrons,a harpacticid copepod,with special reference to dimorphic males

The breeding of Euterpina acutifrons, a marine harpacticid copepod, was studied both in the laboratory and in the natural population round Anglesey, England, with special reference to dimorphic males. As a result of successful rearing of the species under laboratory conditions, rates of development at different temperatures, and survival and maturation of all types of adults were studied. The dimorphic males developed faster than the females, and the small males had a shorter development time than the larger individuals. Laboratory observations clearly indicated that the males differ markedly in sexual behaviour, the small male being more potent, readily copulating with females, and always very active in breeding. In natural populations, temperature was found to have a limiting influence on the breeding period. Breeding began when the temperature reached 15° to 16°C, and ceased when it fell to 8°C. The most significant feature was the production of small males in nature; they increased in number with the onset of breeding, and always formed a high proportion of the actively breeding population. Both laboratory and field investigations have shown that the small male is a breeding form, and is apparently an adaptation of the species for carrying out successful breeding in the colder areas of its distribution.     

Population divergence in the sinistral whelks of North America,with special reference to the east Florida ecotone

This study evaluated models of species relationships among sinistral whelks in the genus Busycon in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Gene frequencies at eight polymorphic allozyme loci, shell morphology, anatomy, and partial DNA sequences for the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial gene were examined in eight populations, ranging from New Jersey to the Yucatan peninsula, and from the dextrally coiled sister taxon Busycon carica (Gmelin, 1791). Whelks were collected in 1997 and 1998. The maximum COI sequence divergence recorded among 32 sinistral individuals was 1.96%, which together with the absence of any gross or qualitative morphological differences, suggested all eight populations should be considered conspecific. High levels of divergence between the allopatric western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico populations, as revealed by fixed or nearly fixed differences at several allozyme-encoding loci were interpreted as evidence that the east Florida ecotone constitutes a significant barrier to gene flow. Size trimming also revealed several significant quantitative differences in shell and radular morphology between the three pooled Atlantic populations and five pooled Gulf populations. The Yucatan sample was the most distinctive conchologically, with heavy spines and tumid ridges, possibly related to stone crab predation. Based on the evidence all left-handed whelks of North America should be referred to the oldest available nomen, Busycon perversum (Linné, 1758), with three subspecies, B. perversum perversum along the Yucatan peninsula, B. perversum sinistrum (Hollister, 1958) in the northern and eastern Gulf of Mexico, and B. perversum laeostomum (Kent, 1982) in the Atlantic.Communicated by J.P. Grassle, New Brunswick     

Medical geology in tropical countries with special reference to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka provides an ideal opportunity for the study of the effect of geology on human health. The vast majority of the people of Sri Lanka still live in rural areas within areas termed geochemical provinces. Very broadly, one could say that a geochemical province has characteristic chemical composition in soil, water stream sediments and rocks, enabling their delineation from others. The chemical composition is presumed to be have an impact on the health of the inhabitants of the particular geochemical province, particularly because of the fact that their food and water are obtained mostly from the terrain itself. This leads to the concept of “diseases of geochemical origin”. Among these are dental fluorosis, iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) and selenium-based diseases. The Dry Zone of Sri Lanka has several areas rich in groundwater fluoride, the ingestion of which leads to dental fluorosis. Iodine deficiency diseases are more common in the Wet Zone, though their aetiologies are more complicated. Interestingly, it has also been observed that significant proportions of the female population of Sri Lanka are selenium-deficient, which could well be related to the geological environment. Chronic renal failure (CRF) has been observed in some areas of the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka, where there is a relationship of CRF with the mineral content of drinking water. This subject matter falls under the auspices of Medical Geology, a scientific discipline still in its infancy, and much more concerted studies are needed to attract the attention of medical research.     

Oxygen consumption in the mullet Liza macrolepis with special reference to swimming velocity

Oxygen consumption of tagged (plastic opercular tag) and untagged mullet Liza macrolepis (Smith), forced to swim up to 22 cm/sec (fish size: 10 cm), increased proportionately to increase in swimming velocity above 5 cm/sec. The tag did not appear to cause any marked metabolic disturbance. The mean routine metabolic rate and the rate at 5 cm/sec were higher than the rates obtained for several higher levels of forced activity, possibly due to excitement and inefficient swimming at lower swimming speeds, as suggested by earlier workers. The interpretation of the elevation of a line drawn through the mean rates of metabolism at various swimming speeds, in relation to the standard metabolic rate, may be of value in quantitative expression of excitability of individual species.