Defining Chlorophyll-a Reference Conditions in European Lakes

The concept of “reference conditions” describes the benchmark against which current conditions are compared when assessing the status of water bodies. In this paper we focus on the establishment of reference conditions for European lakes according to a phytoplankton biomass indicator—the concentration of chlorophyll-a. A mostly spatial approach (selection of existing lakes with no or minor human impact) was used to set the reference conditions for chlorophyll-a values, supplemented by historical data, paleolimnological investigations and modelling. The work resulted in definition of reference conditions and the boundary between “high” and “good” status for 15 main lake types and five ecoregions of Europe: Alpine, Atlantic, Central/Baltic, Mediterranean, and Northern. Additionally, empirical models were developed for estimating site-specific reference chlorophyll-a concentrations from a set of potential predictor variables. The results were recently formulated into the EU legislation, marking the first attempt in international water policy to move from chemical quality standards to ecological quality targets.     

The phylogeny of archaebacteria,including novel anaerobic thermoacidophiles in the light of RNA polymerase structure

DNA-dependent RNA polymerases of archaebacteria are distinct from those of eubacteria both in structure and in function. They show similarities to those of the eukaryotic cytoplasm. Extremely thermophilic anaerobic sulfur-respiring archaebacteria isolated from solfataric waters represent four different families, the Thermoproteaceae, the “stiff filaments”, the Desulfurococcaceae and the Thermococcaceae, of a novel order, Thermoproteales. Together with the Sulfolobales, they form the second branch of the urkingdom of the archaebacteria besides that of the methanogens and extreme halophiles. Thermoplasma appears isolated.     

Cardiac defects in chromosomally abnormal human embryos of 10–14 weeks' gestation

Cardiac defects were studied in five chromosomally abnormal embryos of 10–14 weeks' gestation by free-hand microdissection of hearts measuring 2·5–6 mm in diameter. The type of cardiac malformation alone or in association with other anomalies helped to confirm the chromosome diagnosis established prenatally by chorionic villus sampling or after spontaneous abortion. It was suggestive of a chromosomal disorder in one case in which cytogenetic investigation had failed.