Seasonal photosynthetic characteristics of Ascoseira mirabilis (Ascoseirales,Phaeophyceae) from King George Island,Antarctica

Monthly variation in photosynthesis, dark respiration, chlorophyll a content and carbon: nitrogen (C:N) ratios in different lamina sections of adult plants of Ascoseira mirabilis Skottsberg from King George Island, Antarctica, was investigated between September 1993 and February 1994. Light saturated net photosynthesis (P _max) showed maximum values in September (12 to 25 mol O₂ g^-1 fr wt h^-1), and decreased towards the summer to values ranging between 2.0 and 5.0 mol O₂ g^-1. In the distal section, however, a second optimum occurred in December (25 mol O₂ g^-1 fr wt h^-1). Dark respiration rates were also highest in October and November and decreased strongly in December to February (6.0 and 1.0 mol O₂ g^-1 fr wt h^-1, respectively). Gross photosynthesis exhibited high values between September and December. Concomitant with the seasonal decrease of photosynthetic efficiency () from mean values of 1.2 mol O₂ g^-1 fr wt h^-1 (mol photons cm^-2 s^-1)^-1 in September to 0.3 mol O₂ g^-1 fr wt h^-1 (mol photons cm^-2 s^-1)^-1 in January, the initial light saturating point (I _k) gradually increased from 19 to 60 mol photons m^-2 s^-1. Likewise C:N ratios were low in spring (12 to 13) and increased in summer (20). In general, the photosynthetic parameters P _max, gross photosynthesis, and Chl a concentrations were significantly higher in the distal section of the thallus. In contrast, C:N ratios were lower in the distal section of the lamina. The results show that photosynthesis obviously strongly supports growth of the alga in late winter to spring, as it does in some morphologically related brown algae from temperate and polar regions. The question whether growth is additionally powered     

Growth patterns of Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides in response to temperature,irradiance, salinity,and nitrogen source

Seasonal patterns of growth, reproduction, and productivity of Codium fragile spp. tomentosoides (van Goor) Silva were monitored at 3 locations in Rhode Island. Maximal growth occurred during the summer and was more significantly correlated with temperature than any other factor measured in this study. Multiple correlation models suggested an interaction between temperature, irradiance, and available nitrogen. Maximal reproduction occurred in late summer and early fall. The maximal productivity, based on harvested quadrats, was 2. 10 g dry weight m^-2 day^-1. A large amount (up to 87.3%) of the annual production entered the detrital food chain during the winter by fragmentation of the thallus. Culture studies examined the effects of temperature (6° to 30°C), irradiance (7 to 140 E m^-2 sec^-1), daylength (8 h light: 16 h dark to 24 h light: O h dark) and salinity (6 to 48) on growth. Differentiated thalli grew over a broad range of experimental conditions, with maximal growth at 24°C, 24 to 30 S, a minimal irradiance of 28 E m^-2 sec^-1, and 16 h daylength. The effect of increasing daylength was due to increased total daily irradiance rather than to a true photoperiodic effect. Undifferentiated sporelings survived and grew in a narrower range of environmental conditions than thalli. c. fragile spp. tomentosoides grew equally well with nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and urea as a nitrogen source. The addition of NaHCO₃ stimulated growth at levels of 2.4 to 4.8 mM, suggesting an inorganic carbon limitation in static cultures. This study supports the hypothesis that the in situ seasonal growth pattern of c. fragile spp. tomentosoides is primarily due to the interaction of temperature and irradiance.     

Seston composition of the bottom waters of Great Lameshur Bay,St. John,US Virgin Islands

Seston composition [particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate nitrogen (PN), phyto- and microzooplankton numbers and biomass] was investigated in the bottom waters of Great Lameshur Bay, St. John, Virgin Islands (USA), in October, 1970 during Tektite II Mission 17–50. Mean values of 67.4 g POC · I^-1 and 7.2 g PN · I^-1 were determined. A mean phytoplankton carbon content of 42.2 g · I^-1 and zooplankton carbon content of 5.5 g · I^-1 were calculated from counts. The phytoplankton consisted mainly of dinoflagellates 71.2% phytoplankton carbon. Copepods were the dominant zooplankters (61.8% zooplankton carbon), followed by larvaceans (30.9% zooplankton carbon). Organic carbon content of counted zooplankton faecal pellets ranged between 0.4 and 1.6 g · I^-1, and amounted probably to about 15% of the total zooplankton carbon value. Plankton and detritus components as possible food for coral-reef animals are discussed. The ratio carbon: nitrogen of suspended particles is compared to that of sedimented matter.     

Effect of heavy metals (Zn,Hg, Cu,Cd, Pb,Ni) on the length growth of Mytilus edulis

The shortterm (10–22 d) effect of Zn, Hg, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Ni on the length growth of Mytilus edulis is studied. Significant reductions of growth rate was found at 0.3 g Hgl^-1, 3 g Cul^-1, 10 g Znl^-1, and 10 g Cdl^-1 added to the local sea water, while concentrations of up to 200 gl^-1 of Pb and Ni had no effect on the growth. With exposure to Cu and Zn, there was a linear reduction in growth rate with increasing metal concentration up to about 6 g Cul^-1 and 100 g Znl^-1. Above these levels, growth stopped with Cu, while with Zn it was stabilized at about 20% of control growth. When Hg and Cd were added, a curvilinear relationship between growth and metal concentration is indicated. With Hg, growth rate is nearly zero above 3–4 g Hgl^-1, while the growth rate was 50% of control after 10 d of exposure to 100 g Cdl^-1. At 2 g Cdl^-1 there was a significant stimulation of length increase. Observed EC₅₀-values for growth were 0.3–0.4 g Hgl^-1, 3–4 g Cul^-1, 60 g Znl^-1, and 100 g Cdl^-1.     

Le système assimilation-régénération des sels nutritifs dans les eaux superficielles de l'océan Austral

Low primary-productivity levels in high-nutrient environments of the Southern Ocean are not yet well understood. An accurate knowledge of nutrient assimilation by phytoplankton, at the base of the pelagic food-web, therefore appears to be essential. A study of the mesoscale hydrological structure and chemical observations in the upper layers of the Indian sector of the Antarctic Ocean (Cruise MD-25 FIBEX of M.S. Marion Dufresne, January–February 1981) permitted us to develop a method for estimating nutrient consumption by phytoplankton. After strong vertical mixing in winter, the homogeneous Antarctic Surface Water (ASW) is, in summer, divided into two parts by a well-formed pycnocline. In the upper layer, corresponding approximately to the photic zone, we observed nutrient depletion resulting from photosynthetic activity, while the underlaying thermal minimum layer displayed unaltered winter characteristics, including nutrient concentrations typical of winter surface-water conditions. Taking into account the nutrient depletion in summer, we calculated the assimilation ratios for Antarctic phytoplankton as follows: ([NO ₃ ^- lower]-[NO ₃ ^- upper]):([PO ₄ upper])=N:P=11.2±2.4 and N:Si=0.27±0.05. These ratios are lower than the classical Redfield ratios (N:P=16 and N:Si=1), but are in good agreement with the elementary composition of phytoplankton samples collected during the same cruise. Moreover, they agree with previously published data on stoechiometric determinations of particulate matter in surface-water samples. Besides, in the transition layer between the lower layer and Warm Deep Water (WDW), the calculated mineralization ratios were slightly higher than the assimilation ratios: N:P=14.6 and N:Si=0.37. From these ratios, it would appear that, in these surface layers of the Southern Ocean (down to 250 m), assimilation-regeneration mechanisms operate in such a way that phosphate and silicate contents decrease much more than nitrate content during the northward drift of the surface waters. The determination of assimilation ratios taking into account the nutrient depletion of the upper layer allowed us to evaluate the carbon net-production which integrates time-space variations in the photic layer over the whole early summer period. We estimated a production rate (0.4 g C m^-2 d^-1) of the same order of magnitude as the mean value obtained by the ¹⁴C method (0.2 g C m^-2 d^-1). The theoretic silicium consumption by phytoplankton along a meridian transect, calculated using an estimated assimilation ratio of C:Si=1,85, indicates that the marked south-north decrease in silicate concentration in the Antarctic Surface Water would mainly result from biological activity. The silicate concentrations thus calculated were in good agreement with concentrations measured along a previous transect across the Southern Ocean.

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Le système assimilation-régénération des sels nutritifs dans les eaux superficielles de l'océan Austral

     

Effects of light intensity on nitrate and nitrite uptake and excretion by Chaetoceros curvisetus

Michaelis-Menten uptake kinetics were observed at all light intensities. With constant illumination, the V_max and K₁ in nitrate uptake over the natural light intensity range of 0 to 2000 E were 0.343 g-at NO₃–N(g)^-1 at protein-N h^-1 and 26 E, respectively. Nitrate uptake was inhibited at higher light intensities. The K_s for nitrate uptake did not vary as a function of light intensity remaining relatively constant at 0.62 g-at NO₃–N 1^-1. With intermittent illumination, the V_mzx for light intensity in nitrate uptake over a light intensity range of 0 to 5000 E was 0.341 g-at NO₃–N(g)^-1-at protein-N h^-1. No inhibition of nitrate uptake was observed at higher than natural light intensities. Chaetoceros curvisetus will probably never experience light inhibition of nitrate uptake under natural conditions.     

Production and role of hyaline hairs in Ceramium rubrum

Light intensity within the range of 40 to 210 E · m^-2 · s^-1 had relatively little effect on the abundance, length or distribution of Ceramium rubrum unicellular, hyaline hairs. External NH ₄ ⁺ concentrations less than 0.5 M stimulated hair initiation and growth in apical regions of the thalli. Ammonium concentrations in excess of 20 M inhibited hair formation on all regions of the thalli. Ammonium uptake velocities of plants with hairs were approximately twice those of plants without hairs. These hairs may be adaptive to take advantage of intermittent bursts of nutrients by increasing the plant's surface area and, hence, the number of nutrient uptake sites.Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Contribution No. 5526     

Cadmium accumulation,LC50 and oxygen consumption in the tropical marine amphipod Elasmopus rapax

Adult Elasmopus rapax, collected from the eastern coast of Venezuela in 1990, were exposed to seawater containing various CdCl₂ concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 5.5 mol l^-1. The 48-h and 96-h LC₅₀ values obtained were 4.0 and 1.6 mol Cd l^-1, respectively. In amphipods exposed to 1 mol Cd l^-1 for up to 240 h, the apparent rate of cadmium uptake was higher in dead animals (most of which had molted during the preceding 24 to 48 h) than in those which survived throughout the treatments without molting. Thus, whole-body cadmium content reached 1.74 mol g^-1 dry weight (dw) in the former and only 0.85 mol g^-1 dw in the latter; the higher body Cd-load may have caused the increased mortality observed in molters. On exposure to cadmium levels above 0.5 mol l^-1 the oxygen consumption rate of non-molters decreased from 2.2 to about 1.5 ml O₂ g^-1 dw h^-1 over the first 24 h, remaining unchanged thereafter. The results place E. rapax among the most sensitive marine organisms yet studied concerning cadmium toxicity, and emphasize the usefulness of the Amphipoda as bioindicators and research tools for bioassays.     

Photosynthetic performance of Laminaria solidungula measured in situ in the Alaskan High Arctic

Photosynthetic performance in the kelp Laminaria solidungula J. Agardh was examined from photosynthesis irradiance (P-I) parameters calculated from in situ ¹⁴C uptake experiments, using whole plants in the Stefansson Sound Boulder Patch, Alaskan Beaufort Sea, in August 1986. Rates of carbon fixation were determined from meristematic, basal blade, and second blade tissue in young and adult sporophytes. Differences in saturating irradiance (I _k, measured as photosynthetically active radiation, PAR), photosynthetic capacity (P _max), and relative quantum efficiency () were observed both between young and adult plants and between different tissue types. I _k was lowest in meristematic tissue (20 to 30 E m^–2 s^–1) for both young and adult plants, but consistently 8 to 10 E m^–2 s^–1 higher in young plants compared to adults in all three tissues. Average I _k for non-meristematic tissue in adult plants was 38 E m^–2 s^–1. Under saturating irradiances, young and adult plants exhibited similar rates of carbon fixation on an area basis, but under light limitation, fixation rates were highest in adult plants for all tissues. P _max was generally highest in the basal blade and lowest in meristematic tissue. Photosynthetic efficiency () ranged between 0.016 and 0.027 mol C cm^–2 h^–1/E m^–2 s^–1, and was highest in meristematic tissue. The relatively lower I _k and higher exhibited by L. solidungula in comparison to other kelp species are distinct adaptations to the near absence of light during the eight-month ice-covered period and in summer when water turbidity is high. Continuous measurement of in situ quantum irradiance made in summer showed that maximum PAR can be less than 12 E m^–2 s^–1 for several days when high wind velocities increase water turbulence and decrease water transparency.The Univeristy of Texas Marine Science Institute Contribution No. 695     

Lead and cadmium in urban allotment and garden soils and vegetables in the United Kingdom

In order to assess the intake of lead and cadmium by consumers of home grown vegetables in urban areas, replicated experimental plots of uniform size, comprising summer and winter crops, were established in 94 gardens and allotments in nine towns and cities in England.The geometric mean lead and cadmium concentrations for the soils (n = 94) were 217 g g^–1 (ranging from 27 to 1,676 g g^–1) and 0.53 g g^–1 (<0.2–5.9 g g^–1), respectively. Compared with agricultural soils, the garden and allotment soils contained elevated levels of lead but not cadmium.Lead concentrations in the vegetables ranged from <0.25 g g^–1 to 16.7 g g^–1 dry weight and cadmium concentrations ranged from <0.025 g g^–1 to 10.4 g g^–1 dry weight. Lead concentrations were higher than reported background levels, although <1% exceeded the statutory limit for saleable food in the UK (1 g g^–1 fresh weight). Cadmium concentrations were generally similar to background levels.     

Environmental Geochemistry of Soils and Waters of Susaki Area, Korinthos, Greece

Soil and water samples were collected from the Susaki area of Korinthos and analysed for heavy metals in order to evaluate their environmental impact. The geology of the studied area includes ultrabasic rocks and Neogene and Quaternary deposits whereas magnesite veins are found within the ultrabasic rocks. In the north part of the studied area post volcanic emissions of H₂S, CO₂ and H₂O vapor continue to the present day. All the samples were analysed for heavy metals by the ICP method. The element ranges (in g g^–1) for soil samples are: Cu 11–63, Pb 5–256, Zn 21–604, Ni 183–2665, Co 12–124, Mn 456–1434, As 5–104, Sr 44–730, V 21–84, Cr 163–2346, Ba 48–218, Zr 3–41, Y 3–13. The metals Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Fe, Cu, Mn, As and Sr are enriched in the Susaki soils. The element ranges for water samples are: Cu 65–103ppb, Pb<10ppb, Zn<5ppb, Ni 21–163ppb, Co 2–12ppb, As<30ppb, Cr<20ppb, Ba 36–785ppb, Sb<10ppb, W<10ppb, Bi<30ppb, Mn 0.0–0.9 g g^–1, Fe 0.01–0.22 g g^–1, Na 843–3076 g g^–1, K 98–278 g g^–1, Si 39–65 g g^–1, P 0.1–0.2 g g^–1. There is a natural pollution of soils with elevated concentrations of Ni, Co, Mn, Fe and Cr due to the presence of ultrabasic rocks. Another natural case of As pollution of soils is due to the volcanic activity and the geothermal field in the area. The geochemical data of ground waters and also the ¹⁸, D data showed a mixing in different proportions between sea water and meteoric water.     

Feeding,growth and bioluminescence of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Protoperidinium huberi

Feeding, growth and bioluminescence of the thecate heterotrophic dinoflagellate Protoperidinium huberi were measured as a function of food concentration for laboratory cultures grown on the diatom Ditylum brightwellii. Ingestion of food increased with food concentration. Maximum ingestion rates were measured at food concentrations of 600 g C l^-1 and were 0.7 g C individual^-1 h^-1 (1.8 D. brightwelli cells individual^-1 h^-1). Clearance rates decreased asymptotically with increasing food concentration. Maximum clearance rates at low food concentration were ca. 23 l ind^-1 h^-1, which corresponds to a volume-specific clearance rate of 5.9x10⁵ h^-1. Cell size of P huberi was highly variable, with a mean diameter of 42 m, but no clear relationship between cell size and food concentration was evident. Specific growth rates increased with food concentration until maximum growth rates of 0.7 d^-1 were reached at a food concentration of 400 g C l^-1 (1000 cells ml^-1). Food concentrations as low as 10 g C l^-1 of D. brightwellii (25 cells ml^-1) were able to support growth of P. huberi. The bioluminescence of P. huberi varied with its nutritional condition and growth rate. Cells held without food lost their bioluminescence capacity in a matter of days. P. huberi raised at different food concentrations showed increased bioluminescence capacity, up to food concentration that supported maximum growth rates. The bioluminescence of P. huberi varied over a diel cycle, and these rhythmic changes persisted during 48 h of continuous darkness, indicating that the rhythm was under endogenous control.     

Fractionated phytoplankton primary production,exudate release and bacterial production in a Baltic eutrophication gradient

The distribution of phytoplankton primary production into four size fractions (>10 m, 10-3 m, 3-0.2 m and <0.2 m), the utilization of algal exudates by bacteria and the bacterial production were studied in a eutrophication gradient in the northern Baltic proper. The polluted area exhibits substantially increased nutrient, especially nitrogen, levels while only minor differences occur in salinity and temperature regimes. Total primary production was 160 g C · m^-2 · yr^-1 at the control station and about 275 g C · m^-2 · yr^-1 at the eutrophicated stations. The estimated total exudate release was 16% of the totally fixed ¹⁴CO₂ in the control area and 12% in the eutrophicated area (including the estimated bacterial uptake of exudates). The difference in¹⁴CO₂ uptake rates between incubation of previously filtered water (<3, <2, <1 m) and unfiltered water was used to estimate bacterial uptake of phytoplankton exudates which were found to contribute about half of the estimated bacterial carbon requirement in both areas. Bacterial production was estimated by the frequency of dividing cells (FDC) method as being 38 g C · m^-2 · yr^-1 at the control station and 50 g C · m^-2 · yr^-1 at the eutrophicated stations. To estimate the mean in situ bacterial cell volume a correlation between FDC and cell volume was used. The increased annual primary production in the eutrophicated area was due mainly to higher production during spring and autumn, largely by phytoplankton cells (mainly diatoms) retained by a 10 m filter. Primary production duringsummer was similarin the two areas, as was the distribution on different size fractions. This could possibly explain the similar bacterial production in the trophic layers at all stations since the bulk of bacterial production occurs during summer. It was demonstrated that selective filtration does not quantitatively separate photoautotrophs and bacteria. A substantial fraction of the primary production occurs in the size fraction <3 m. The primary production encountered in the 3-0.2 m fraction was due to abundant picoplankton (0.5 to 8 · 10⁷ ind · l^-1), easily passing a 3 m filter. The picoplankton was estimated to constitute up to 25% of the total phytoplankton biomass in the control area and up to 10% in the eutrophicated area.     

Acute toxicity of mercury and selenium to Crassostrea gigas embryos and Cancer magister larvae

The possible modification of mercury toxicity by selenium in embryos of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and the larvae of the crab Cancer magister was investigated. Mercury concentration eliciting abnormal development in 50% of the oyster embryos (EC₅₀) was 5.7 g l^-1 (48 h) and mortality in 50% of the crab larvae (LC₅₀) occurred with 6.6 g l^-1 (96 h). The 48 h EC₅₀ for selenium was greater than 10,000 g l^-1 for oyster embryos and the 96 h LC₅₀ for crab zoeae was 1040 g l^-1. The response from each species, when exposed to both toxicants, revealed, that a high level of selenium (5,000 g l^-1) increased mercury toxicity. Moderate selenium concentrations (10 to 1,000 g l^-1) tended to decrease mercury toxicity, although no statistical verification could be made. The order of administration of toxicants had no effect on the response of Crassostrea gigas embryos. Early developmental stages (8 h) of C. gigas embryos were most sensitive to dissolved Hg; toxicant administration 24 h after fertilization resulted in no apparent abnormalities in development.     

Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus enrichement on in vivo symbiotic zooxanthellae of Pocillopora damicornis

The reef coral Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus) was grown for 8 wk in four nutrient treatments: control, consisting of ambient, unfiltered Kaneohe Bay seawater [dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN, 1.0 M) and dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP, 0.3 M)]; nitrogen enrichment (15 M DIN as ammonium); phosphorus enrichment (1.2 M DIP as inorganic phosphate); and 15 M DIN+1.2 M DIP. Analyses of zooxanthellae for C, N, P and chlorophyll a after the 8 wk experiment indicated that DIN enrichment increased the cellular chlorophyll a and excess nitrogen fraction of the algae, but did not affect C cell^-1. DIP enrichment decreased both C and P cell^-1, but the decrease was proportionally less for C cell^-1. the response of cellular P to both DIN and DIP enrichment appeared to be in the same direction and could not be explained as a primary effect of external nutrient enrichment. The observed response of cellular P might be a consequence of in situ CO₂ limitation. DIN enrichment could increase the CO₂ (aq) demand by increasing the net production per unit area. DIP enrichment could slow down calcification, thus decreasing the availability of CO₂ (aq) in the coral tissue.Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Contribution No. 920     

Chemical composition,metabolic rates and feeding behavior of the midwater ctenophore Bathocyroe fosteri

Individuals of the midwater ctenophore Bathocyroe fosteri (0.01 to 1.6 g dry weight, DW) were collected from Bahamian waters by the submersible Johnson-Sea-Link during May and September/October 1983 and October/November 1984 from 530 to 700 m depth. Metabolic rates were measured and showed oxygen consumption to be in the range of 0.01 to 0.18 mg O₂ g^-1 DW h^-1 at temperatures ranging from 9° to 12°C. Ammonium excretion (0.01 to 0.14 g-at N g^-1 DW h^-1) was typically low. Energy expenditures estimated from respiration data (ca. 7% body C d^-1) indicated that one to three midwater crustacean prey (ca. 150 g C d^-1) could provide the daily maintenance ration required by a 40 mm ctenophore. These metabolic characteristics complemented in situ observations of poor locomotor ability and passive feeding behavior.     

Concentrations of Mn,Fe, Cu,Zn and Cd in the mesopelagic decapod Systellaspis debilis from the East Atlantic Ocean

Specimens of the oceanic decapod Systellaspis debilis were collected from six sites in the East Atlantic Ocean between 1970 and 1984, and were analysed for Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Cd. The data confirm that there are small but significant differences in mean metal concentrations from some sites which showed no obvious pattern in relation to geographic location of the samples. As a result, ranges of site means are quoted as baseline levels for each metal (g g^-1 dry wt): 2.3 to 2.9 g Mn g^-1, 31.2 to 77.8 g Fe g^-1, 25.9 to 83.4 g Cu g^-1, 41.9 to 92.9 gZn g^-1, 11.1 to 31.8 g Cd g^-1. The concentration of cadmium in S. debilis from all sites was raised relative to cadmium concentrations reported for coastal decapods, perhaps as a result of dietary enrichment. Metal accumulation may provide useful information for understanding the complex feeding behaviour of many oceanic animals.     

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.     

Seasonal variation in total and soluble tissue nitrogen of Pleurophycus gardneri (Phaeophyceae: Laminariales) in relation to environmental nitrate

Seasonal variations in tissue nitrogen (ethanol soluble nitrate and ninhydrin positive substances, as well as total nitrogen) of different thallus parts of Pleurophycus gardneri Setchell and Saunders were monitored simultaneously with ambient seawater nitrate from 1982 until 1984 in Bamfield, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. A trend of low, nearly zero levels in ambient nitrate typical for the area in late spring and early summer normally contrasts with average nitrate concentrations of 10 mol NO₃ ^- l^-1 in late fall and winter. Total nitrogen content was greater in the perennial thallus parts, stipe and holdfast than in the annual blade and peaked in fall and early winter. The longitudinal thallus distribution of nitrate revealed a distinct and significant concentration of nitrate in the haptera reaching at maximum 8% nitrate-N of the internal total nitrogen. Internal nitrate concentration ranged from 20 to 5 000 times the ambient nitrate concentration in the midrib, and from 40 to 3 100 times in the wing, while the range was greatest with 400 to 14 000 times in the haptera. P. gardneri contained at most about 7 mol NO₃ ^- g fresh wt^-1 in the blade, which corresponds to about 6% of total tissue nitrogen. Ninhydrin positive substances comprised the major portion of the soluble N pool in P. gardneri and showed a pronounced seasonality. Concentrations of ninhydrin positive substances ranged from 20 to 800 g N g fresh wt^-1 in the midrib and in the wing. In the stipe, ninhydrin positive substances varied from 180 to 2 200 g N g fresh wt^-1, and from 250 to 1 200 g N g fresh wt^-1 in the haptera. Evidence is given that (1) the perennial parts, stipe and haptera of P. gardneri contain the majority of nitrogen products independent of season and ontogenetic stage; (2) ninhydrin positive substances are the most abundant internal nitrogen constituents; (3) the low N values in the blade in summer suggest a nitrogen limited growth; and (4) nitrate may not be the predominant external nitrogen source.     

Ecological growth strategies in the seaweeds Gracilaria foliifera (Rhodophyceae) and Ulva sp. (Chlorophyceae): Soluble nitrogen and reserve carbohydrates

The seaweeds Gracilaria foliifera (Rhodophyceae) and Ulva sp. (Chlorophyceae) were grown in an outdoor continuous-flow system at both ambient incident light (I₀) and 0.13 I₀. During the winter, both species accumulated substantial soluble nitrogen reserves (up to 1020 g-at N·g dry wt^-1 in G. foliifera and 630 g-at N·g dry wt^-1 in Ulva sp.). The rate at which these N reserves were depleted was proportional to the growth rate. Seaweeds grown at 0.13 I₀ had lower growth rates and higher levels of soluble tissue N than plants grown at I₀. During the spring-summer growing season, peaks in tissue N followed nutrient peaks in the ambient seawater. Ulva sp. had higher nutrient uptake and growth rates than G. foliifera and showed greater fluctuations in soluble tissue N. This may characterize opportunistic seaweed species with high biomass turnover rates. At I₀, the levels of starch (up to 340 mg·g dry wt^-1 in G. foliifera and 170 mg·g dry wt^-1 in Ulva sp.) were highest during the spring and summer. During this period, fluctuations in starch content were inversely related to growth rate and soluble tissue N. Seaweeds grown at 0.13 I₀ did not accumulate starch. Neither species was found to overwinter with starch reserves.