Petroleum and hazardous chemical spills in Newark Bay, New Jersey, USA from 1982 to 1991

Newark Bay, New Jersey, is particularly vulnerable to ecological damage from petroleum and chemical spills, as a result of the enclosed nature and shallow depth of the bay, the high frequency of shipping traffic, and the numerous chemical and petroleum transfer terminals located alongs its shores. To evaluate the potential impacts to the natural resources of this coastal estuarine ecosystem, chemical and petroleum accidents reported to the US Coast Guard (USCG) between 1982 and 1991 were compiled to determine the frequency and volume of these incidents in Newark Bay and in each of its major tributaries. Records obtained from the USCG National Response Center's computerized database indicated that more than 1453 accidental incidents, resulting in the release of more than 18 million US gallons of hazardous materials and petroleum products, occurred throughout Newark Bay during this period of time. The bulk of the materials released to the aquatic environment consisted of petroleum products, specifically No. 6 Fuel Oil (103 spills, 12 829 272 US gal) and gasoline (207 spills, 48 816 US gal). The majority of the reported incidents occurred in the Arthur Kill and its tributaries, as well as in the Kill Van Kull and the Passaic River. The results of this study indicated that the accidental discharge of petroleum and hazardous chemicals represents a significant source of chemical pollution in Newark Bay. Based on the frequency of spills and the volume of materials released to the aquatic environment, it is likely that these events are having a deleterious effect on the Newark Bay ecosystem.     

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.     

Adenylate cyclase of Mytilus galloprovincialis posterior adductor muscle: basal properties and sensitivity to serotonin

The presence and characteristics of a membrane-bound adenylate cyclase from Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk posterior adductor muscle have been investigated. The enzyme has a Michaelis constant (K _m) of 0.38 mM at 20°C and requires divalent cations (Mg²⁺/Mn²⁺) for its activity. Optimal GTP concentrations are between 10^-5 and 10^-4 M. The non-hydrolizable GTP-analogues GMPpNHp and GTPS increase the activity of the enzyme four- to ten-fold. Sodium fluoride stimulates the enzymatic activity seven- to eight-fold. Forskolin increases the enzymatic activity two- to three-fold. Serotonin stimulates the adenylate cyclase activity in a dose-dependent manner. These experiments were performed with mussels collected from the estuary of Muros, Spain, in 1990.     

Self-fertilisation in Celleporella hyalina

The accumulation of parasites in a fish host is modelled as a function of the total amount of prey consumed. The accumulated parasite load is then expressed as a function of fish length so that the asymptotic growth, L , of any population of commonly infected fish can be estimated. Estimates of L are obtained for orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) and the New Zealand southern arrow squid (Nototodarus sloanii).     

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.     

Age determination and growth of the bonnethead shark Sphyrna tiburo: a comparison of two populations

From July 1982 to December 1986, a study of the age and growth of the bonnethead shark Sphyrna tiburo was conducted in Tampa and Florida Bays, Florida, USA. Tetracycline-injected sharks held in captivity and, to a lesser extent, tagged, released and recaptured, were utilized for validating the annual nature of the rings (herein defined as the narrow, translucent regions) appearing on vertebral centra. The technique was validated for all age groups (0 to 6+yr) included in the study. Marginal increment analysis likewise suggested annual ring formation. The rings formed during the winter, when water temperatures were lowest. Using the vertebral ring aging-technique, von Bertalanffy growth curves for males and females from both tampa and Florida Bays were constructed. Growth of sharks born and held in captivity demonstrated that the male and female growth curves diverge after 1 yr and that mean sizes at age are statistically distinct after 2 yr. In both populations, females grew to larger sizes tha males and apparently are longer-lived. Reproductively mature females from Tampa Bay were significantly larger than those from Florida Bay.     

In situ observations of foraging,feeding, and escape behavior in three orders of oceanic ctenophores: Lobata,Cestida, and Beroida

The foraging, feeding, and escape behaviors of members of four genera of oceanic ctenophores were studied by direct observation in the field during the summer of 1987 (7 July to 7 September) on R. V. Oceanus Cruise 191 to the Northern Sargasso and Slope water, in an area bounded by 34° to 39°N and 67° and 74°W. Patterns of water movement around these ctenophores were studied using fluorescein dye. Bolinopsis infundibulum forages vertically, capturing prey with mucus-covered oral lobes. Species of Ocyropsis forage horizontally and produce a reduced wake, due to the extreme compression of the body and the aboral location of the ctene rows. Prey are trapped by the muscular oral lobes and ingested by the prehensile mouth. In both genera, the auricles are held rigidly, and apparently are used both to reduce the pressure wave as they forage and to startle prey onto the surfaces of the oral lobes. Cestum veneris also forages horizontally, but continually reverses direction. Prey startled by the turbulent wake produced in the previous pass are captured by tentilla that stream over the sides of the body. All three species of Beroe studied swim in a spiral while foraging and produce similar wakes. Prey are ingested by the negative pressure produced by the rapid expansion of the mouth, and with the macrocilia that line the oral portion of the stomodaeum. The escape behavior of species of Bolinopsis, Ocyropsis, and Cestum appears to function primarily to elude nonvisual predators such as Beroe spp. Species of Beroe bend and swim rapidly during the escape response, and will turn themselves inside-out when repeatedly stimulated. The types of prey captured depend in part on an interplay of foraging and feeding mechanisms.     

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.     

Sulphur status in some Swedish podzols as influenced by acidic deposition and extractable organic carbon

To evaluate the changes in sulphur pools in response to acidic deposition, two studies were made-one in southwest Sweden where podzolic B horizons originally sampled in 1951 were resampled in 1989. At the Norrliden site, northern Sweden, sulphur pools in control plots were compared to plots that had been subjected to H(2)SO(4) application between 1971 and 1976. The results show that in southwest Sweden neither organic S nor extractable SO(4)(2-) increased significantly over the 38-year period, despite a decreasing pH and a high S deposition. At Norrliden, about 37% of the applied S was still remaining in the upper and central parts of the Bs horizon, most of which was inorganic sulphate. These contrasting results are explained by intrinsic differences in the soil organic carbon status between the sites-in southwest Sweden, organic carbon concentrations were high which inhibited SO(4)(2-) adsorption. Low organic carbon concentrations and high extractable Fe/Al concentrations promoted SO(4)(2-) adsorption and caused a low subsequent SO(4)(2-) desorption rate at the Norrliden site. The results suggest that sulphate adsorption may be an important mechanism which delays the response in soil chemistry to H(2)SO(4) deposition, provided that soil organic carbon concentrations are low. Organic S retention was not shown to be an important S retention mechanism in any of the sites studied.