Analytik von Umwandlungsprodukten des Schwefellosts (S-LOST)

The results of investigations of the aquatic ecotoxicity of sternutators and their metabolites (phenyl arsenic compounds) are presented. The standardized luminescence inhibition test (LumisTox, Dr. Lange) with the marine bacteriaVibrio fischeri was applied according to the German norm DIN 38412, part 34. All investigated organic AS(III) compounds exhibit EC₅₀-values (50 % inhibition of the luminescence) of less than 1 mg/l, whereas all investigated organic As(V) compounds and inorganic arsenic show EC₅₀-values exceeding 100 mg/l     

Feinstruktur des Riechepithels von Chimaera monstrosa (Holocephali)

The epithelia of the olfactory folds of Chimaera monstrosa L. were studied by electron microscope. The greater part of each fold — including the secondary ones — is covered by sensory epithelium, whereas mere ciliary epithelium occurs on the tips of the folds. The olfactory epithelium is composed of ciliary cells, receptor cells, a few supporting cells, and basal cells. Mucous cells are restricted to the ciliary epithelium. As the apical region of the ciliary cells contains numerous vacuoles, including probably mucous substances, they may serve as producers of the superficial olfactory mucous layer. The ciliary basal bodies have two types of rootlets, the structure of which is described. Two morphologically different olfactory receptor cells could be identified: (1) receptors with a single, rod-shaped, free appendage (length 1.5 to 2 μm, diameter 0.1 to 0.5 μm), containing neurotubules, fibril bundles, and vesicles; (2) receptors whose dendrite bears few microvilli (length 2 to 3 μm, diameter 0.06 to 0.08 μm) projecting from a small vesicula olfactoria. Ciliary receptors are absent. The olfactory epithelium also contains sparsely distributed “brush” cells and a very few “giant” cells. Each “brush” cell bears a cluster of up to 250 microvilli (length 5 to 6 μm, diameter 0.1 μm) with 1 or more central tubulus and fibrils, the latter running into the cell body. The apical region of a brush cell contains densely packed mitochondria, which may indicate high metabolic activity; the function of this cell is unknown. The “giant” cell extends from the basal lamella to the epithelial surface. The ultrastructure of this cell does not reveal its special function.     

Beiträge zur Temperaturadaptation des Aales (Anguilla vulgaris)

Previous authors have demonstrated that changes in O₂-consumption of predominant muscle tissue (in vitro) do not account for the variations in O₂-consumption of a resting intact eel induced by differences in adaptation temperature (AT). The present paper is concerned with the metabolism of the eel's lateral muscle. Activity of cytochrome oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase, expressed in terms of O₂-consumption, are higher in the red muscle portion than in the white one (the factors are 6 to 10 and 2 to 3, respectively). In epaxial muscle strips from some 10 cm behind the anus, red muscle tissue comprises between 44% and more than 60% of the total lateral muscle cytochrome oxidase activity, even though, in this region, the relative weight of the red portion makes up only 11 to 14.5% of the total muscle. The red muscle portion is still smaller in the region anterior to the anus, and its total cytochrome oxidase activity (enzyme activity x relative weight) much lower. Cytochrome oxidase activity remains rather unchanged in the white portion of the muscle. Since the metabolism of white muscles is primarily glycolytic, it is remarkable that — with respect to the terminal oxidative metabolism — tissue temperature adaptation in the eel is more pronounced in red muscles than in white ones. In juvenile and adult eels, acclimated to seasonal temperature, the total cytochrome oxidase activity of the white muscle undergoes little change. However, in cold-acclimated adults with extensive pigmentation, aerobic metabolism of red muscles is favoured; this is indicated both by extremely high cytochrome oxidase activity and increased relative muscle weight. Increased aerobic metabolism of red muscle tissue is, therefore, assumed to be important, especially during the winter spawning migration.     

Feinstruktur des Trichterepithels von Rhinomuraena ambonensis (Teleostei,Anguilliformes)

The ultrastructure of the funnel-like tubes of the olfactory organ in Rhinomuraena ambonensis was investigated by electron microscopy. Frontal sections of the tubes demonstrate a symmetrical arrangement of an inner epithelium, connective tissue, and an outer epithelium. The surface of each peripheral cell of the epithelia bears a system of small ridges which does not correspond with that of the adjacent cells. In case of a rectilinear course of the epithelial cell borders, numerous desmosomes are located along the cell membranes. The fine structure of the desmosomes was analysed. Number and size of the intercellular spaces increases with increasing depth of the epithelium cell layers. The fine structure of epithelial, basal and secretory cells is described. The outer region of each epithelial cell contains densely packed tonofilaments. The fine structure of sensory “buds” which are sparsely distributed within the outer epithelium of the funnels is described. The basal border of the epithelia consists of a rather thick basal membrane. Blood vessels, nerve bundles, chromatophores and storage cells with cristalline inclusions are embedded in the connective tissue. The fine structure of the chromatophores and storage cells is described. The importance of desmosomes, tonofilaments and intercellular spaces, as well as the basal membrane and the amount of collagen is discussed in relation to the reinforcement of the funnels.     

Microstructure adaptative des radioles deParacentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) en milieu eutrophisé par des eaux usées

Recent investigations (1984) on the biology and morphometry of populations of the edible sea-urchinParacentrotus lividus (Lamarck) exposed to massive domestic pollution from the Cortiou sewage outlet (Marseille, France), revealed a significant lengthening of sea-urchin spines at sites located at a distance of 500m (Station 0) and 1 200 m (Station 1) from the outlet. At Station 0, spine length (SL) is nearly half as long as the diameter (D) of the test, resulting in a higher SL:D ratio here-0.470 as opposed to 0.360 in unpolluted areas (e.g. Station 3, 5 200 m from the outlet). This spine lengthening appears to be a morphofunctional adaptation, enabling the sea-urchins to adopt sestonophagy in order to benefit better from the plentiful resources of both particulate and dissolved organic matter arising from the outfall; examination of pellets filling the stomachs and guts of the sea-urchins corroborated this. SEM examination revealed that spines of specimens collected at Station 0 are more porous than those from Station 3 and their microarchitecture is better adapted to capturing suspended particulate matter: the ridges are narrower, the grooves wider, and the latter display a dense and more coarsely-meshed network. The axial medulla exhibits true and regularly arranged channels with highly structured walls. The ratio dry wt of spine: dry wt of test revealed thatP. lividus spines from Station 0 (ratio= 1.2) are lighter than those from Station 3 (ratio=1.4), reflecting the more porous microstructure and lighter stereome of the Station 0 sea-urchins. Previous measurements to determine the degree of eutrophication in the area polluted by the Marseilles urban sewage outfall revealed carbon content, as % of total sediment, as high as 36% in newly deposited sediment (100 m from the outlet), 16.7% at Station 0 (500 m) and 2.6% near Station 3 (about 5 200 m). Further experiments using sediment traps indicated that the organic matter tends to accumulate chiefly along the shoreline, whereas the suspended mineral fraction tends to be deposited to the south, i.e., further offshore. Thus, theP. lividus population at Station 0 exhibits a very unusual ecological plasticity, having developed a very efficient adaptative microstructure in order to meet its energy requirements despite the presence of various chemical pollutants.     

Nachweis der epitokie als fortpflanzungsmodus des polychaeten Eunice siciliensis (Polychaeta: Annelida)

Eunice siciliensis (Grube)¹ is a sedentary polychaete with separate sexes; its germ cells develop only in the posterior part of the body. In March and April, females with whitish or even dark-green oocytes, males with only few spermatogonia, and individuals with no germ cells at all were discovered in the “coralligène” of the Banyuls region (European Mediterranean Sea). In august, besides immature and sexually non-differentiated worms, mature individuals of both sexes were captured: females with dark bluish-green oocytes of diameters up to 250μm, and males with milky genital segments containing spermatozoa. Soon after isolation from the substrate, these individuals performed characteristic movements with their posterior body parts, which then autotomized, and released ova and spermatozoa. Evidence is given that the anterior, atokous body parts survive in their tubes in the “coralligène” after separation from the epitokous portions, and regenerate new genetal segments. The development of gametes observed in these regenerated segments indicates the ability of E. siciliensis to reproduce more than once during its lifetime. Not only caudal, but also prostomial regeneration was observed; the formation of a (morphologically different) secondary prostomium appears to be essential for any development of germ cells in worm fragments. E. siciliensis exhibits surprising similarities in habits and in formation of an epitokous form with Eunice viridis (Gray), the “palolo” worm of the South Pacific Ocean, but nevertheless, lacks the prominent criteria of this famous species: the ventral eye spots on each genital segment in males and females, and the paired areas with brown pigmentation on the ventral side of each epitokous segment in the males.     

Etude cinétique de la structure des populations de Squilla mantis (Crustacea: Stomatopoda) par l'analyse factorielle des correspondances

The structure and evolution of populations of Squilla mantis (Crustacea: Stomatopoda) have been studied, and the statistical techniques used are discussed. Population studies were performed by multivariate analysis. Thirty-three monthly samples comprising 20 length classes of males and females were examined. Males and females display evolutionary cycles: each cycle begins in June/July and proceeds through a succession of evolution and eventual regression, the later being particularly marked every 2 years.     

Le caryotype d'Aulacomya ater regia (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Mytilidae) des Iles Kerguelen

In 1983, specimens of the antarctic mussel Aulacomya ater regia Powell, 1957 were collected from the Kerguelen Islands and transported alive to the Zoological Station in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. The chromosome complement of the mussel, as determined from branchial tissue, was found to consist of 13 pairs of chromosomes with terminal or subterminal centromeres. This species differs from the other species of Mytilidae studied up to the present in the number and the morphology of the chromosomes. A. ater regia is also unique among the known bivalves in displaying only terminal or subterminal centromeres.     

Distribution et synécologie des fonds à Gryphus vitreus (Brachiopoda) en Corse

In the Mediterranean Sea, the brachiopod Gryphus vitreus (Born) was collected off Corsica by dredging and trawling during three cruises (June 1983; April and July 1984) and from along the French continental coast by dredging during many cruises (1975–1985). The upper limit of its bathymetric distribution lies between 115 and 125 m (rarely, from 90 m), the lower limit between 140 and 200 m depth, forming a belt along the edge of the continental shelf. The horizontal distribution of G. vitreus varies from 250 m to >4 km, and is directly related to geomorphological and hydrodynamic variations resulting from local topography and/or geographical location. The G. vitreus bottoms are bounded on the continental slope by the bathyal mud biocoenosis and on the shelf by the coastal detritic or shelf-edge detritic biocoenosis, both circalittoral. The bottoms correspond to a bathylittoral ecosystem characterized by (1) prevailing environmental conditions which result in a biotope characterized by coarse detritic sediment clogged by fine sand and mud with a high content of small hard substrates, by constant moderate bottom-currents which become weaker with increasing depth, and by small annual variations in temperature and salinity; the occurrence of an ostreobium sp. alga in the shell of G. vitreus indicates the involvement of the phytal system, as defined by Pérès (1982); (2) the G. vitreus biocoenosis, comprised of characteristic macrobenthic stocks (particularly polychaetes, mollusks, and epifaunal species on small hard substrates). Whatever the geomorphology, neighbouring circalittoral and bathyal biocoenoses have little influence on the G. vitreus biocoenosis, which displays a comparatively greater species richness and density. However, immigration of circalittoral species is encouraged by detrital sediments and water currents. The occurrence of this ecosystem as a distinct belt intercalated between circalittoral and bathyal zones is discussed. The ecosystem is considered to be bathylittoral.     

In situ beziehungen zwischen nahrungsangebot und aufgenommener Nahrung bei 5 Blennius-Arten (Pisces) des Mittelmeeres

Eight epiphytal samples were taken from the upper littoral at Banyuls-sur-Mer (French Mediterranean coast) and the fauna living on the thalli of algae or between bivalves was examined. Intestinal food contents of 67 specimens of 5 Blennius species (B. trigloides, B. canevae, B. sphinx, B. incognitus, and B. dalmatinus) occurring in the same biotope were also investigated. The epiphytal samples consisted of a rich supply of amphipods, bivalves, and algae. Amphipods are the preferred food of the Blennius species examined. These fishes also consume large amounts of copepods and algae, and small quantities of halacarids, bivalves, and ostracods. In addition to serving as a substrate for the main food-animals of the fishes, the algae themselves constitute an important food source. Presumably, for these reasons, the fishes remain close to the area inhabited by the algae on rocky substrates.     

Contribution à l'étude des poches stomacales d'Asterias rubens (Echinodermata: Asteroïdea)

Histological and histochemical observations were carried out on the different kinds of cells which make up the digestive epithelium of the stomachal pockets in Asterias rubens L. The relative function of these different kinds of cells is discussed, and an explanation of the nutritive mechanism in A. rubens is proposed.     

Untersuchungen über die temperaturabhängigkeit des sauerstoffverbrauchs von Crepidula fornicata (Mollusca: Prosobranchia)

The oxygen consumption of the sessile gastropod Crepidula fornicata was measured during autumn 1962 as a function of soft body wet weight (0.04 to 5.2 g) and temperature (2° to 30° C). From the data obtained, the parameters of the allometric formula were derived for describing the relationship between respiration and body size. The parameters were then used for calculating the oxygen consumption of 3 different weight groups (0.1 g, 1.0 g, 10.0 g) at different temperatures. The resulting plot reveals different curves, demonstrating that the influence of temperature on the metabolism of C. fornicata is a function of body size. The ourves relating oxygen consumption to temperature may well be described by a modified Arrhenius-function proposed some years ago (Krüger, 1962). Biological temperature curves may be described by growth functions. Therefore, it is possible to apply the simple Walfordplot for identifying the “normal curves” of Krogh (1914).     

Etude de la migration verticale quotidienne des larves de Mesochaetopterus sagittarius à Nosy-Bé (Madagascar)

The vertical distribution of the planktonic larvae of Mesochaetopterus sagittarius (Claparède, 1870) has been studied on the basis of samples taken with closing nets every 3 or 4 h, for periods of at least 24 h. The daily migration does not show the typical pattern. In the evening, the larvae begin to descend from the surface layer; they reach a maximum depth around midnight. The subsequent ascent ends at about noon, when the concentration again attains its maximum close to the surface. The biometric analysis of the samples shows that the migration range depends on the size of the larvae: the bigger they are, the higher is the respective amplitude of migration. Furthermore, there exists a size gradient independent of the time of capture which is most distinct during night time; at night, average size, as well as total number of larvae, decrease in the surface layer and, accordingly, increase in the greater depths. The techniques used allow a high degree of significance to be attached to the results obtained. The standard deviation calculated for each sampling series is lower when two parallel samples are taken at each depth, and in the same water mass, by using a parachute drogue set at 20 m depth and followed during the series.     

Anomalies de structure des radioles de Heterocentrotus mammillatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) en microcosme in vitro

After a 3 mo period in a confined (closed-circuit) microcosm, all speciment of the echinoid Heterocentrotus mammillatus (L.), originally collected from the fringing coral reef of the Gulf of Aqaba (Jordan), exhibited anomalies of their long primary spines, both aboral and adoral, especially at the distal extremities. The abnormality was confined to the top portion of the spine (1 to 2 cm in length) and consisted of (1) the formation of a callosity, and (2) a change in the terminal shape of the spine to either a very sharp thorn, or to a triple carination. The surface of the spine became rough to the touch, and its original colour notably faded. The very marked structural degeneration of the surface microstructure progresses from the callosity to the tip of the spine in 4 phases: (1) the surface of the grooves, originally smooth, becomes perforated; (2) the perforations become increasingly larger (both in width and depth): (3) the roughness increases; (4) the overall appearance of the microstructure becomes necrotic. Transverse sections of the distal extremity of such spines revealed a disorganized internal microstructure with a network of finer meshes which partially disappear in some zones. The normal microstructural arrangement of the spine-in ordered, concentric and radial lines-is replaced by a disordered network, and tomographs of the spines reveal a decalcification of the whole portion of the spine distal to the callosity. Some illustrations of the different phases of the progressive disorganisation of the characteristic microstructure of apices in abnormal spines are quite similar to illustrations by authors investigating regeneration of broken spines, but the process of necrosis proceeds by stages which are in an inverse order to those observed in regeneration. Such abnormalities of shape and structure of the spine have hitherto never been recorded for natural populations of H. mammillatus from any coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. Certainly, the abnormal spines we observed after a 3 mo period within a closed microcosm might be ascribable to a malfunction of the calcification mechanism, since the characteristic callosity never appeared in regeneration experiments. The biotope of H. mammillatus is the upper levels of very exposed coral reefs, and its food chiefly consists of Corallinacea which are abundant therein. In contrast, specimens transferred to this sheltered and confined environment, where the diet is impoverished, display an insufficient calcification rate in the extremities of their spines, as if the calcium content in the whole body is so depleted that this element can not reach the tips of the spines. In contrast, the thickness of the test plates appears normal. The study was carried out in 1978.     

Analyse des paramètres hydrobiologiques dans la remontée de Cabo Frio (Brésil)

South Atlantic Central Waters (SACW) upwell close to Cabo Frio (Brazil, Rio de Janeiro) shore. The resultant typical hydrobiological conditions were studied at an anchorage station over an annual cycle from February 1973–February 1974. Multivariate analyses of hydrological and planktonic data revealed the structure of the ecosystem and the factorial relations governing its dynamics. Alternation, superposition or mixing of the water masses of different origin (Brazil current, coastal, SACW) constitute the most important factors responsible for the great hydrobiological variability observed in the study area. Spasmodic changes in wind direction and force are superimposed on a seasonal trend of more frequent upwelling in summer than during the rest of the year. The deep water is characterized by temperatures of <18°C, nitrate contents of 10 g-at l^-1 and by organic matter mainly composed of detritic elements from the shelf. Temperature variations together with nutrient contents (NO₃ or PO₄) reflect variations in primary biomass at the surface but not at 50 m depth, where detrital matter precluded valid measurements. Water of the Brazilian Current (salinity 36.0) frequently mixes with deep water of the thermal front, or with coastal water (<35.0) which invades the area when south-west winds prevail. This lower-salinity water is rich in seston particles. During the study period, primary biomass was relatively low due to eutrophication. We observed less than 3 g l^-1 chlorophyll and 10⁶ phytoplankton cells per litre: the phytoplankton populations were highly diversified, indicating an advanced degree of complexity and evolution of this ecosystem. The observed formation of a thermocline constitutes an important inducing factor for an algal bloom. Simultaneous phyto- and zooplankton maxima would induce an increased grazing rate by herbivorous zooplankton which would also partly explain the relatively low level of primary biomass. Zooplankton is as abundant here as in other great upwelling regions: 100 organisms l^-1 and 200 mg organic matter m^-3.