Seagull Lake,Western Eyre Peninsula,South Australia:A Saline Lake to Benefit from Climate Change? Ⅰ. Geomorphology,Invertebrates,Birds and the Future

Seagull Lake is an unusual saline lake,having a marine spring connected to a large continental ecosystem.With climate change the balance between the two is likely to change.This lake originated about 6000 years ago as a

Invertebrate Abundance, Biomass, and Richness Associated with an Exotic Invasive Shrub (Lonicera morrowii A. Gray)

Exotic bush honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) are becoming increasingly common in the eastern and mid-western United States, but little is known about their impacts on invertebrates. We used a modified leaf vacuum to sample invertebrates in the shrub strata and understory of three shrub types (and open plots in the understory): single Morrow’s honeysuckle (L. morrowii A. Gray) shrubs, single native southern arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum Fernald) shrubs, and dense thickets of Morrow’s honeysuckle, in southwestern PA, USA during 2004 and 2005. We also assessed the degree of herbivory on the two species of shrubs. Within the shrub strata, invertebrate biomass was lower in southern arrowwood shrubs, but there was no difference in invertebrate abundance or family richness. Invertebrate abundance and richness were lowest in August, but there was no difference in biomass among the months. Invertebrate abundance, biomass, and family richness were lowest in the understory below dense thickets of Morrow’s honeysuckle. Overall, the percent cover of herbs was the proximate factor responsible for driving patterns of invertebrate abundance, though ultimately these patterns were being driven by shrub type. Abundance and biomass of larval leaf chewers were highest in the native shrub;Morrow’s honeysuckle had a mean of 29.7 cm2 of leaf area consumed per 1 m2 of leaf area, while the native shrub had a mean of 284.3 cm2 of leaf area consumed. Our results suggest that areas dominated by the exotic shrub negatively impact invertebrate biomass, which may in turn affect organisms at higher trophic levels.

Ectoparasites and other invertebrates in the nests of the Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus)

Ectoparasites and other invertebrates are known to play a role in bird behavior and in evolutionary adaptations such as preening and foraging strategies. We conducted an exploratory study by macro- and microscopically evaluating the nests of Hair-crested Drongos(Dicrurus hottentottus) at Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan Province, China in 2011 to determine if there was a presence of invertebrates. We developed a modified funneling technique to collect invertebrate samples and reduce contamination from outside sources in a field setting. We found several species of ectoparasites(lice and ticks) and other invertebrates(springtails and rove beetles) within the nests. Our findings warrant further investigation as to whether or not the presence of invertebrates in the nests of Hair-crested Drongos plays a role in the adaptation of the unique nest dismantling behavior exhibited by this species.

Invertebrate community characteristics in biologically active carbon filter

Biologically active carbon （BAC） system was set up in a water plant of South China during January to December 2007,to study the invertebrate community characteristics of BAC filter.Thirty-seven invertebrate species were found,of which 28 belonging to rotifers.Filter operation could lead to an output of invertebrates in high abundances with the filtrate,and the maximum density could reach 5608 individuals/m 3.Average abundances in the effluent water increased in 27-33 folds in comparison to the influent water during the sampling period.Invertebrate community succession had the following trend：filter-feeding animals → small benthic invertebrates → large benthic and resistant invertebrates.Abundances of large-sized invertebrates （copepod adult and oligochaete） at bigger-media column were significantly higher than that at small-media column.The results implied the abundant species diversity of invertebrate in BAC filter.The relationship between invertebrate and biofilm still remain to be studied in detail.

Decadal variations in the community status of economically important invertebrates in the Bohai Sea

With the decline of fish stocks,the proportions of economically important invertebrates like crustaceans and cephalopods have increased in the Bohai Sea.The community structure and trophic level of economically important invertebrates were analyzed using the bottom trawl survey data collected by the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute in the Bohai Sea in May and August of 1958–1959,1982,1992–1993,2004,2009 and 2015.A total of 37 species of economically important invertebrates,belonging to 5 orders,24 families,were captured.The biomass densities of economically important invertebrates in the Bohai Sea displayed an overall downward trend from 1982 to 2015.Oratosquilla oratoria and Loligo spp.were the most dominant species in the past 30 years,the biomass proportion of O.oratoria increased gradually in both May and August from 1982 to 2015.Moreover,biodiversity indices of economically important invertebrates in the Bohai Sea appeared to decline from 1982 to 2004 and then increased in 2015.Similarly,the mean trophic level of economically important invertebrates declined from 1982 to 2004 and increased slightly in 2015.Overall,although the proportions of invertebrates have increased,the biomass densities in the Bohai Sea have displayed an overall downward trend from 1982 to 2015.The increases in the biodiversity and trophic level of economically important invertebrates after the 2000s,possibly benefit from stock enhancement projects implemented by governments at different levels and national fishery management measures such as the“double-control”of the total number and engine power of fishing vessels and summer moratorium of fishing.

Can color vision variation explain sex differences in invertebrate foraging by capuchin monkeys?

Invertebrates are the main source of protein for many small-to-medium sized monkeys. Prey vary in size, mobility, degree of protective coveting, and use of the forest, i.e. canopy height, and whether they are exposed or embed themselves in substrates. Sex-differentiation in foraging patterns is well documented for some monkey species and recent studies find that color vision phenotype can also affect invertebrate foraging. Since vision phenotype is polymorphic and sex-linked in most New World monkeys - males have dichromatic vision and females have either dichromatic or trichromatic vision - this raises the possibility that sex differences are linked to visual ecology. We tested predicted sex differences for invertebrate foraging in white-faced capuchins Cebus capucinus and conducted 12 months of study on four free-ranging groups between January 2007 and September 2008. We found both sex and color vision effects. Sex： Males spent more time foraging for invertebrates on the ground. Females spent more time consuming embedded, colonial invertebrates, ate relatively more ＂soft＂ sedentary invertebrates, and devoted more of their activity budget to invertebrate foraging. Color Vision： Dichromatic monkeys had a higher capture efficiency of ex- posed invertebrates and spent less time visually foraging. Trichromats ate relatively more ＂hard＂ sedentary invertebrates. We con- elude that some variation in invertebrate foraging reflects differences between the sexes that may be due to disparities in size, strength, reproductive demands or niche preferences. However, other intraspecific variation in invertebrate foraging that might be mistakenly attributed to sex differences actually reflects differences in color vision [Current Zoology 56 （3）： 300-312, 2010].

Invertebrate Iridovirus Modulation of Apoptosis

Programmed cell death （apoptosis） is a key host response to virus infection. Viruses that can modulate host apoptotic responses are likely to gain important opportunities for transmission. Here we review recent studies that demonstrate that particles of Invertebrate iridescent virus 6 （IIV-6） （Iridoviridae, genus Iridovirus）, or an IIV-6 virion protein extract, are capable of inducing apoptosis in lepidopteran and coleopteran cells, at concentrations 1000-fold lower than that required to shut-off host macromolecular synthesis. Induction of apoptosis depends on endocytosis of one or more heat-sensitive virion component（s）. Studies with a JNK inhibitor （SP600125） indicated that the JNK signaling pathway is significantly involved in apoptosis in IIV-6 infections of Choristoneurafumiferana cells. The genome of IIV-6 codes for an inhibitor of apoptosis iap gene （193R） that encodes a protein of 208 aa with 15% identity and 28% similarity in its amino acid sequence to IAP-3 from Cydia pomonella ganulovirus （CpGV）. Transcription of IIV-6 iap did not require prior DNA or protein synthesis, indicating that it is an immediate-early class gene. Transient expression and gene knockdown studies have confirmed the functional nature of the IIV-6 lap gene. We present a tentative model for IIV-6 induction and inhibition of apoptosis in insect cells and discuss the potential applications of these findings in insect pest control.

Antitumor and immune regulation activities of the extracts of some Chinese marine invertebrates

Extracts of 21 marine invertebrates belonging to Coelenterata, Mollusca, Annelida, Bryozoa, Echiura, Arthropoda, Echinodermata and Urochordata were screened for the studies on their antitumor and immune regulation activities. Antitumor activity was determined by MTT method and immune regulation activity was studied using T- and B-lymphocytes in mice spleen in vitro. It was found that the n-butanol part of Asterina pectinifera, the acetic ether part of Tubuaria marina,95% ethanol extract of Acanthochiton rubrolineatus have a high inhibition rate of 96.7%,63.9% and 50.5% respectively on tumor cell line HL-60 at the concentration of 0.063 mg/ml. The inhibition rate of the acetic ether part of Tubuaria marina on the tumor cell line A-549 is 65.4 % at concentration of 0.063 mg/mL. The 95% ethanol extract of Meretrix meretrix has so outstanding promoting effect on T-lymphocytes that their multiplication increases 25% when the sample concentration is only 1 μg/ml. On B-lymphocytes, the 95% extract of Rapana venosa, at concentration of 100 μg/ml, has a promotion percent- age of 60%. On the other hand, under the condition of no cytotoxic effect, the 95% ethanol extracts of Acantho- chiton rubrolineatus and Cellana toreum can reach 92% inhibition rate on T lymphocyte at concentration of 100 μg/ml, while the inhibition rate on B lymphocyte of the 95% extract of Acanthochiton rubrolineatus reaches 92% at the same concentration.

Study on the feeding habit and trophic level of main economic invertebrates in the Huanghai Sea

The stomach contents of 14 main invertebrates in the Huanghai Sea are analyzed. The results indicate that: (1) the examined predator species were all omnivore with wide md range, showing no obvious selection for specific fed items, (2) on the basis of their ecological habitat, the predators could be classified into 5 different types, i.e., benthoelagic and planktopelagic animals, nektopelagic and planktopelagic animals, benthopelagic animals, nektopelagic and benthopelagic animals, and nektopelagic animals and (3) the trophic level of the 11 predator species, including Crangon affinis, Palaemon gravieri, Penaeus orientalis, Trachypenaeus curvirostris, Metapenaeopsis dalei, Portunus trituberculatus, Charybdis bimaculata, Oratosquilta oratoria, Sepia andreana, Loligo beka and L. japonica ranged from 2. 30 to 2. 72, belonging to low carnivore (trophic level: 2. 0~ 2. 8), whereas that of the other 3 predator species, including Sepia esculenta, Sepiella maindroni and Todarodes pacificus were in the range of 2. 86~ 2. 97, belonging to mid-carnivore (trophic level: 2. 9 ~3. 4).

Bioactive substances with anti-neoplastic efficacy from marine invertebrates:Porifera and Coelenterata

An ever increasing demand for new lead compounds in the pharmaceutical industry has led scientists to search for natural bioactive products.Based on this extensive research,marine invertebrates now represent a rich source of novel substances with significant antineoplastic activities.As the current approach of synthesizing new and chemically modifying old drugs seems to have slowed down,and the identification of new anticancer drugs is not too promising,a new approach is clearly needed.The objective of this review is to present up-to-date data on these newer compounds.Based on the data summarized in this short review,it is clear that marine invertebrates represent an extremely important source of compounds with potential anti-cancer effects.Considering that we tested only a tiny number of Porifera and Coelenterata,the best is yet to come.

Influence of Anthropogenic Pollution on the Abundance Dynamics of Some Freshwater Invertebrates in the Coastal Area of Cameroon

The abundance dynamic of some freshwater invertebrates in relation with the abiotic factors of the medium was studied from March 2013 to March 2014 on the main streams of the Wouri and Sanaga basins. Individuals of Copepoda, Atyidae, Chironomidae and Physidae were collected, identified and counted. Samplings were carried out monthly;meanwhile measurements of the environmental variables were taken. Results of the physico-chemical analyses revealed that water of the Sanaga basin is globally well oxygenated (77% - 92%) and faintly mineralized (14 - 107 μS/cm), excepted in the stations receiving house-hold pollutants. Inversely, in the Wouri basin, waters are hypoxic with high content of organic matters (27.79 ± 9.43 mg/L). During rainy season (June-September), there is a dilution-dispersion of the organic matter due to stormwaters. Concerning biological analyses, the families of Physidae and Chironomidae were more abundant in urban stations than in stations situated in suburban area, especially during low water level period, showing that they are well adapted to anthropogenic and organic pollutions. The hypoxic conditions of urban waterways do not favor the proliferation of sensitive taxa such as Atyidae and Copepoda. These taxa preferred well oxygenated waters with rapid flow, and are more abundant during rainy season in stations located in suburban area or which are less subjected to anthropogenic disturbances.

Evidence for the independent divergence of vertebrate and high C/G ratio invertebrate mitochondria from the same origin

The examination of organelle nucleotide contents across a range of groups can provide insight into evolutionary history. We compared the nucleotide contents of a large number of vertebrate and high C/G ratio invertebrate mitochondria in both coding/non-coding regions and complete strands. For most nucleotides tested, high regression coefficients were obtained;when plotted with lines of best fit, G and T contents formed a cuneiform, and C and A contents overlapped. These findings suggest that vertebrate and high C/G ratio invertebrate mitochondria descended independently from the same origin.

Marine Invertebrates as Bioindicators of Heavy Metal Pollution

Atmosphere, earth and water compose the environment. The presence of heavy metals in the environment has grown because of their large employment in some industrial and agricultural activities. Although these metals are terrestrial products, they flow into the sea through effluents and sewage or are directly discharged from industries placed on the seawater front. It should be considered that metals concentrations vary widely according to different seawater latitudes and depths and can be strongly influenced by fresh water discharges from heavily polluted rivers. In this review recent studies on heavy metal pollution in marine ecosystems and their organisms will be presented. Metal speciation, bioaccumulation in biota, as well as abiotic and biotic factors affecting their bioavailability will be reviewed. Moreover, the use of bioindicator organisms for the biomonitoring of heavy metal toxicity and their ecological effects will be defined. Many marine invertebrate species fulfill the following criteria: Sensitivity to a wide range of chemicals (especially to heavy metals), cost-effectiveness for repeatable tests, readily interpretable biological consequences of pollution. Among the most important marine invertebrates used as bioindicators, the sea urchin embryo is one of the most suitable, especially to assess metal/heavy metal pollution.

Behavioral responses to ocean acidifi cation in marine invertebrates:new insights and future directions

Ocean acidification(OA)affects marine biodiversity and alters the structure and function of marine populations,communities,and ecosystems.Recently,effects of OA on the behavioral responses of marine animals have been given with much attention.While many of previous studies focuses on marine fish.Evidence suggests that marine invertebrate behaviors were also be affected.In this review,we discussed the effects of CO2-driven OA on the most common behaviors studied in marine invertebrates,including settlement and habitat selection,feeding,anti-predatory,and swimming behaviors,and explored the related mechanisms behind behaviors.This review summarizes how OA affects marine invertebrate behavior,and provides new insights and highlights novel areas for future research.

Eco-Environmental Impact Assessment of Pre-Leisure Beach Nourishment on the Benthic Invertebrate Community at Anping Coast

In recent years, owing to global warming and the rising sea levels, beach nourishment and groin building have been increasingly employed to protect coastal land from shoreline erosion. These actions may degrade beach habitats and reduce biomass and invertebrate density at sites where they were employed. We conducted an eco-environmental evaluation at the Anping artificial beach-nourishment project area. At this site, sand piles within a semi-enclosed spur groin have been enforced by use of eco-engineering concepts since 2003. Four sampling sites were monitored during the study period from July 2002 to September 2008. The environmental impact assessment and biological investigations that we conducted are presented here. The results from this study indicate that both biotic （number of species, number of individual organisms, and Shannon-Wiener diversity） and abiotic parameters （suspended solids, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, dissolved inorganic phosphorus, total phosphorus, total organic carbon, median diameter, and water content） showed significant differences before and after beach engineering construction. Biological conditions became worse in the beginning stages of the engineering but improved after the restoration work completion. This study reveals that the composition of benthic invertebrates changed over the study period, and two groups of organisms, Bivalvia and Gastropoda, seemed to be particularly suitable to this habitat after the semi-enclosed artificial structures completion.

Bioactive substances with anti-neoplastic efficacy from marine invertebrates:Bryozoa,Mollusca,Echinodermata and Urochordata

The marine environment provides a rich source of natural products with potential therapeutic application.This has resulted in an increased rate of pharmaceutical agents being discovered in marine animals,particularly invertebrates.Our objective is to summarize the most promising compounds which have the best potential and may lead to use in clinical practice,show their biological activities and highlight the compounds currently being tested in clinical trials.In this paper,we focused on Bryozoa,Mollusca,Echinodermata and Urochordata.

Oxidative stress in the hydrophilic medium of algae and invertebrates

The harmful effects of the reactive species may be due to the increase in their steady state concentration either by the enhancement of their production rates and/or the decrease of their consumption rate by antioxidant activity.The ascorbyl radical(A^(·))can be considered as a final product of radical oxidative transformations of ascorbate(AH^(-)).The ratio A^(·)content/AH^(-)content(A^(·)/AH^(-))has been widely used as an interesting tool to estimate mild to moderate oxidative transformations,providing a quick and simple method of diagnosis of stress in the hydrophilic cellular medium.The aim of this work was to summarize studies on the cellular oxidative condition in algae and invertebrates by assessing the A^(·)/AH^(-)ratio under environmentally changing conditions.The use of indices of oxidative stress increasingly sensitive and,somewhat more specific,can bring a new light to the still unknown world of oxidative responses in marine organisms.

Validated Method for the Detection of Three Phthalates Derived from Marine Invertebrates

This study represents, detailly, the validated method for the extraction and quantification of widespread phthalic acid esters (PAEs) bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) from solitary ascidians collected from a marine environment. The extraction was based on a pressurized liquid extraction method, using n-hexane as the solvent to extract the target PAEs from dry biological tissues, and was performed in an accelerated solvent extraction instrument. The average recovery of 89.2% was obtained from samples subjected to a pressure of ~1500 psi and 120°C in two 10-min cycles. GC-MS was used for quantification, conducted in single-ion monitoring mode. Following careful and rigorous cleanup procedures to prevent cross-contamination from laboratory glassware, PAE standards showed signals with good specificity. The obtained limits of detection were 130, 122 and 89 ng/g for DEHP, DBP and DnOP, respectively. Accordingly, the calculated limits of quantification were 394, 370 and 270 ng/g for DEHP, DBP and DnOP, respectively. The obtained linearity ranged from 5.4 to 269 ng/ml (equivalent to 135 - 6725 ng/g dry weight), with R2 ≥ 0.998. Concentrations in the range of 200 to 9000 and 400 to 5000 ng/g sample dry weight, for DEHP and DBP, respectively, were obtained from the ascidians. No DnOP was detected in any of the samples. These results indicate that the method presented in this study is applicable for detection of low and trace concentrations of the target PAEs in samples collected from a marine organism, which can serve as a bioindicator of plastic contamination.

The Checklist of Coastal Invertebrates in Yantai City of China

122 coastal invertebrates were recorded in Yantai of China ,which belong to 9 phyla ,22 classes ,34 orders ,74 families.

Soil Invertebrates in Different Land Use Systems： How Integrated Production Systems and Seasonality Affect Soil Mesofauna Communities

The soil mesofauna plays a role in organic matter comminution and decomposition, and can be used as bioindicators, since they are sensitive to soil management, vegetation and climate changes. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate mesofauna density and diversity in different land use systems to identify faunal relationships with soil properties, management and seasonality. The study area included five land use systems in Ponta Grossa municipality, Parana State： integrated crop-livestock （ICL）, integrated crop-livestock-forestry （ICLF）, grazed native pasture （NP）, Eucalyptus dunnii plantation （EU） and no-tillage （NT） cropping systems. In each system, eight soil samples for mesofauna were collected with Berlese funnels of 8 cm diameter along a transect in three replicate plots of 50 m × 100 m. For physical and chemical analysis, soil was sampled at five points per plot in two seasons： winter 2012 and autumn 2013. Data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Duncan＇s test （P 〈 0.05）, nonparametric statistics （when necessary） and redundancy analysis （RDA）. Diversity was calculated based on the group richness and Simpson index. The main mesofauna groups found were： Acarina, Collembola and Hymenoptera. Diplopoda, Enchytraeidae, Isopoda, Collembola, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera larvae were more abundant in autumn than winter. Soil moisture was the main factor responsible for higher mesofauna abundance in autumn. Integrated production systems, especially ICLF had similar invertebrate community abundance and composition with EU, while NT favored Oribatid mites, although the use of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides reduced total mesofauna density. Most correlations between mesofauna and physical-chemical attributes in the winter were not observed in the autumn and vice versa, revealing that there are more factors involved in regulating soil mesofauna distribution.