Photoperiod Mediates the Effects of Temperature and Light Intensity on the Proliferation of Ulva prolifera

In order to study the complex effects of photoperiod,temperature,and light intensity on the spore maturation and release number of Ulva prolifera,we cultured thalli segment(2–3 mm)under three different photoperiods(L:D=12:12,14:10 and 10:14),temperature(15℃(LT),25℃(MT)and 30℃(HT))and light intensity(100,200 and 400μmol m^(−2)s^(−1),noted as LL,ML and HL,respectively)conditions.Then the maturation time,spore release number and chlorophyll fluorescence were analyzed.The results suggested that:1)The spore maturation time was accelerated by higher temperature or higher light intensity from 62 h to 36 h,and changes in day length accelerated the spore maturation to a certain extent as compared with 12:12 light/dark cycle;2)Higher light intensity significantly decreased the chlorophyll fluorescence(Fv′/Fm′,NPQ,rETRmax andα)of the mature reproductive segment under 30℃with 12:12 light/dark cycle.But when in the other photoperiods(10:14 and 14:10 conditions),the inhibitory effects of high light intensity were alleviated significantly;3)The optimum condition for the spore maturation and release was 12:12 light/dark cycle,25℃,400μmol m^(−2)s^(−1),with both shorter and longer photoperiod reducing the spore release number;4)Higher light intensity significantly increased the spore release number under 25℃,but these effects were alleviated by 30℃treatment.This study is the first attempt to elucidate the coincidence effects of photoperiod,temperature and light intensity on the reproduction of Ulva,which would help to reveal the mechanism of the rapid proliferation of green tide.

Genome-wide SNP markers provided insights into the reproductive strategy and genetic diversity of the green tide causative species Ulva prolifera in China

Ulva prolifera is the causative species of the annually occurring large-scale green tides in China since 2007.Its specific biological features on reproductivity strategies,as well as intra-species genetic diversity,are still largely unknown,especially at the genome level,despite their importance in understanding the formation and outbreak of massive green tides.In the present study,the restriction site-associated DNA genotyping approach(2b-RAD)was adopted to identify the genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)of 54 individual thalli including samples collected from Subei Shoal in 2019 and Qingdao coast from 2019 to 2021.SNPs genotype results revealed that most of the thalli in 2019 and 2020 were haploid gametophytes,while only half of the thalli were gametophytes in 2021,indicating flexibility in the reproductive strategies for the formation of the green tides among different years and the dominance of asexual and vegetative reproductive mode for the floating period.Besides,population analysis was conducted,and it revealed a very low genetic diversity among samples from Subei Shoal and the Qingdao coast in the same year and a higher divergence among samples in different years.The results showed the efficiency of 2b-RAD in the exploration of SNPs in U.prolifera and provided the first genome-wide scale evidence for the origin of the large-scale green tides on the Qingdao coast.This study improved our understanding of the reproductive strategy and genetic diversity of the green tide causative species and will help further reveal the biological causes of the green tide in China.

Power of SAR Imagery and Machine Learning in Monitoring Ulva prolifera:A Case Study of Sentinel-1 and Random Forest

Automatically detecting Ulva prolifera(U.prolifera)in rainy and cloudy weather using remote sensing imagery has been a long-standing problem.Here,we address this challenge by combining high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR)imagery with the machine learning,and detect the U.prolifera of the South Yellow Sea of China(SYS)in 2021.The findings indicate that the Random Forest model can accurately and robustly detect U.prolifera,even in the presence of complex ocean backgrounds and speckle noise.Visual inspection confirmed that the method successfully identified the majority of pixels containing U.prolifera without misidentify-ing noise pixels or seawater pixels as U.prolifera.Additionally,the method demonstrated consistent performance across different im-ages,with an average Area Under Curve(AUC)of 0.930(+0.028).The analysis yielded an overall accuracy of over 96%,with an aver-age Kappa coefficient of 0.941(+0.038).Compared to the traditional thresholding method,Random Forest model has a lower estima-tion error of 14.81%.Practical application indicates that this method can be used in the detection of unprecedented U.prolifera in 2021 to derive continuous spatiotemporal changes.This study provides a potential new method to detect U.prolifera and enhances our under-standing of macroalgal outbreaks in the marine environment.

盐度对浒苔(Ulva prolifera)微观繁殖体萌发生长及藻体繁殖的影响

黄海绿潮起源于苏北浅滩,每年夏天漂移到青岛沿岸泛滥成灾,对生态环境造成严重破坏。苏北浅滩受沿岸径流输入影响,盐度变化范围大,青岛海域盐度较稳定,稍高于苏北浅滩。盐度对浒苔微观繁殖体萌发、藻体生长及繁殖过程具有重要作用,通过室内连续受控实验,系统研究了固定盐度(5、10、15、20、25、30、33、35)和变化盐度(盐度逐渐降低)对浒苔微观繁殖体固着、萌发、藻体生长和繁殖不同阶段的影响,主要结论如下:固着阶段,盐度5不利于浒苔微观繁殖体的固着,盐度10~35对微观繁殖体固着的影响不显著,相同盐度下,孢子的固着量显著高于配子。萌发阶段,不同盐度(5~35)及不同盐度变化形式对微观繁殖体(孢子和配子)的萌发没有显著影响,孢子的萌发速度快于配子,最终均能完全萌发。生长阶段,低盐(5~15)不利于浒苔幼苗的生长。繁殖阶段,当盐度≤10时,浒苔不进行生殖活动;盐度15~35范围内,浒苔可以产生微观繁殖体,完成一个完整的生活史;在绿潮形成过程中,孢子的生殖策略为K对策,配子的生殖策略为R对策。上述结论表明,在苏北浅滩和青岛海域,盐度不是限制浒苔发生发展及繁殖过程的关键环境因子,明确了盐度在绿潮发生过程的作用,为揭示绿潮暴发机制提供科学依据。

Characterization of SARS-COV-2 main protease inhibitory peptides from Ulva prolifera proteins

The main protease(M^(pro))is essential for the replication of SARS-COV-2 and therefore represents a promising anti-viral target.In this study,we screened M^(pro)inhibitory peptides from Ulva prolifera protein on in-silico proteolysis.Cytotoxicity analysis using the online toxic prediction tool ToxinPred revealed that all the peptides were non-cytotoxic.The hexapeptide(SSGFID)exhibited high M^(pro)inhibitory activity in molecular docking and its IC_(50)value was 139.40±0.82μmol/L in vitro according to fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay(FRET).Quantitative real-time(qRT-)PCR results show that SSGFID could stimulate the expression of mitosis-related factors,including nuclear factor-κB,cyclin D1,and cyclin-dependent kinase 4,to promote the proliferation of mice splenocytes.Stability study revealed that SSGFID showed resistance against pepsin and trypsin but lost D(Asp)after pretreatment at121℃ for 15 min.Besides,SSGFID was mainly transported through the Caco-2 cell monolayer by the peptide transporter PepT1 and passive-mediated transport during the transport study.Unfortunately,the peptide was also degraded by Caco-2 intracellular enzymes,and the transfer rate of intact peptide was4.2%.Furthermore,Lineweaver–Burk plots demonstrated that SSGFID possessed a mixed inhibitory characteristic with M^(pro).Our study indicated the potential of Ulva prolifera as antiviral and immuneenhancing functional food ingredients and nutraceuticals.

Ulva prolifera subpixel mapping with multiple-feature decision fusion

The unavoidable nature of Ulva prolifera mixed pixel in low-resolution remote sensing images would result in rough boundary of U.prolifera patches,omission of tiny patches,and overestimation of coverage area.The decomposition of U.prolifera mixed pixel addresses the issue of coverage area overestimation,and the remaining problems can be alleviated by subpixel mapping(SPM).Due to the drift and dissipation of U.prolifera,a suitable SPM method is the single image-based unsupervised method.However,the method has difficulties in detail reconstruction,insufficient learning of spectral information,and SPM error introduced by abundance deviation.Therefore,we proposed a multiple-feature decision fusion SPM(MFDFSPM)method.It involves three branches to obtain the spatial,abundance,and spectral features of U.prolifera while considers multi-feature information using the fusion strategy.Experiments on the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager images in the Yellow Sea of China indicate that the MFDFSPM overperforms several typical U.prolifera SPM methods in higher accuracy and stronger robustness in both SPM and abundance calculation,which produced subpixel map with more detailed spatial information and less noise.

Study of screening,transport pathway,and vasodilation mechanisms on angiotensin-Ⅰconverting enzyme inhibitory peptide from Ulva prolifera proteins

In this study,Ulva prolifera protein was used for preparing angiotensin-I converting enzyme(ACE)-inhibitory peptide via virtual gastrointestinal digestion and in silico screening.Some parameters of the obtained peptide,such as inhibition kinetics,docking mechanism,stability,transport pathway,were explored by Lineweaver-Burk plots,molecular docking,in vitro stimulate gastrointestinal(GI)digestion and Caco-2 cells monolayer model,respectively.Then,a novel anti-ACE peptide LDF(IC_(50),(1.66±0.34)μmol/L)was screened and synthesized by chemical synthesis.It was a no-competitive inhibitor and its anti-ACE inhibitory effect mainly attributable to four Conventional Hydrogen Bonds and Zn701 interactions.It could keep activity during simulated GI digestion in vitro and was transported by peptide transporter PepT1 and passive-mediated mode.Besides,it could activate Endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)activity to promote the production of NO and reduce Endothelin-1(ET-1)secretion induced by AngiotensinⅡ(AngⅡ)in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells(HUVECs).Meanwhile,it could promote mice splenocytes proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner.Our study indicated that this peptide was a potential ingredient functioning on vasodilation and enhancing immunity.

Effects of Ulva prolifera dissipation on the offshore environment based on remote sensing images and field monitoring data

Outbreaks of Ulva prolifera have continued in the South Yellow Sea of China(SYS)since 2007,becoming a serious marine ecological disaster.Large amounts of U.prolifera drift to the coast of the Shandong Peninsula to dissipate under the action of southeast monsoons and ocean surface currents.This causes serious harm to the ecological environment and economic activities of coastal cities.To investigate the impact of U.prolifera dissipation,this study extracted the spatiotemporal distribution of U.prolifera in the SYS from 2012 to 2020 based on the Google Earth Engine.The outbreak cycle of U.prolifera was determined by fitting analysis of outbreak time and coverage area through MATLAB.This study also looked at the effect of U.prolifera dissipation on water quality through field monitoring data.The results showed that the growth curve of the U.prolifera has a significant Gaussian distribution.The U.prolifera dissipates in Haiyang,China,in July and August every year and affects the offshore environment.Water quality parameters of seawater at different depths had significant differences after the U.prolifera dissipation.Changes in pH,chemical oxygen demand,nitrite nitrogen,nitrate nitrogen,ammonia nitrogen,chlorophyll a,total phosphorus,and suspended solids were more significant in surface seawater than in deeper water.Changes in the concentrations of dissolved oxygen and total nitrogen were more significant in the deep seawater(1.63 and 1.1 times higher than those in the surface seawater,respectively).The dissipation of U.prolifera releases a large amount of carbon and nitrogen into the seawater,which provides rich nutrients for phytoplankton and may cause secondary disasters such as red tide.These findings are useful for further understanding the rules of U.prolifera dissipation,as well as preventing and controlling green tide disasters.

浒苔(Ulva prolifera)漂浮生态型的分枝表型及其可塑性

黄海绿潮由浒苔漂浮生态型主导,普遍认为其具有高度分枝的表型特征,但始终缺乏形态学的量化表征。本研究针对浒苔的分枝表型,通过广泛采集漂浮生态型与定生群体样本,使用最高分枝级数和一级分枝密集度两个形态学指标进行了量化表征,结果表明,定生浒苔普遍仅有一级分枝或无分枝,而漂浮生态型分枝级数最高可达五级,其一级分枝密集度是定生浒苔的5.8倍,说明漂浮生态型的分枝程度显著高于定生浒苔。另外,无论自然条件还是人工培养条件下,发现漂浮生态型分枝表型的可塑性也明显强于定生群体。上述结果提示,高度分枝表型是漂浮生态型重要的漂浮适应性特征;而分枝表型的强可塑性,可能有助于其适应漂浮过程中多变的海洋环境。上述结论可为后续深入研究提供形态学量化指标和重要理论依据。

浒苔(Ulva prolifera)共附生细菌群落结构分析的引物优化

海藻共附生细菌密切参与宿主的生长发育、营养吸收等重要过程,浒苔(Ulva prolifera)是构成黄海绿潮的唯一优势种,对其共附生细菌开展群落结构分析,有望为成灾机制研究提供重要线索。由于植物叶绿体基因组同时具备原核特征和高拷贝数,会严重干扰共附生细菌基于16S rDNA的序列扩增。高等植物中开发了通用引物799F,利用其3′末端与植物同源区的非配对双碱基,可实现对细菌来源序列的特异性扩增。本文针对多个浒苔群体样本,首次评价了引物799F在藻类中的适用性,发现799F的3′末端与浒苔叶绿体同源区仅存在非配对单碱基,其扩增仍会受到浒苔叶绿体严重干扰。在引物799F的基础上,设计了新引物800F,与通用反向引物1492R配对扩增细菌16S rDNA中具高分辨率的V5-V9可变区,配合使用具热启动功能、同时不具校对功能的DNA聚合酶,可基本完全避免浒苔叶绿体来源序列的扩增,并阐明了方法的原理。优化的引物扩增方案可用于浒苔共附生细菌群落结构分析。

外源CaCl_(2)调控浒苔(Ulva prolifera)高温逆境的比较转录组研究

钙(Ca^(2+))作为一种必需的信号分子,在植物的生长发育和非生物胁迫调节中起着至关重要的作用。本实验采用BGISEQ平台进行高通量测序,获得浒苔外源CaCl_(2)添加(UpCa)和高温对照(UpHT)处理下相关的转录组数据,分析了在高温(35℃)下外源CaCl_(2)的添加转录组的变化。结果显示,根据UpHT和UpCa处理分析共获得36625条基因;与UpHT相比,在UpCa下鉴定出7513个差异表达的基因,包括6002个上调基因,1151个下调基因,对差异基因进行了GO富集和KEGG富集分析。对膜转运、植物信号转导和环境适应性相关的差异基因进行KEGG富集分析,主要富集在内吞(Endocytosis)、植物病原菌互作(Plant-pathogen interaction)、丝裂原激活的蛋白激酶信号通路(MAPK signaling pathway-plant)、植物激素的信号传递(Plant hormone signal transduction)、ABC转运(ABC transporters)和磷脂酰肌醇信号系统(Phosphatidylinositol signaling system)等代谢通路上。植物激素信号转导途径中,细胞分裂素、脱落酸、油菜素内酯和乙烯信号转导途径增强。抗氧化酶中FeSOD、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶、谷胱甘肽S转移酶和抗坏血酸过氧化物酶等基因表达上调,下调的基因主要是热激蛋白。Ca^(2+)信号组分基因钙结合蛋白、钙调素、钙/钙调素依赖的蛋白激酶以及钙/钙调蛋白依赖性3′,5′环核苷酸磷酸二酯酶的基因表达上调,丝裂原活化蛋白激酶激酶激酶和磷脂酰肌醇信号相关的基因也差异性上调。本研究系统阐述了植物信号转导、抗氧化酶、MAPK信号系统以及Ca^(2+)信号组分基因在外源CaCl2对浒苔高温压力的调节中的重要作用,可为进一步阐明Ca^(2+)信号对高温的调节适应机制提供理论基础。

不同体系改性粘土对浒苔(Ulva prolifera)微观繁殖体去除及萌发的影响

本文研究了2种无机改性粘土在3种不同改性配比下对浒苔微观繁殖体去除效果及萌发的影响。结果发现,去除率随改性粘土及改性剂用量的增加而升高,相同条件下硫酸铝(AS)改性粘土对浒苔微观繁殖体的去除效果优于聚合氯化铝(PAC)改性粘土,其中1∶5PAC改性粘土在0.5g/L时去除率为62%,AS改性粘土则可达到80%。添加改性粘土后上层水体中浒苔微观繁殖体相对萌发率随改性粘土及改性剂用量的升高而降低,总体系相对萌发率表现为先升后降趋势,在改性剂浓度为0.1g/L时相对萌发率达到最高。两种改性体系中微观繁殖体在1∶3配比、1.0g/L浓度下均未能萌发。该结果显示,改性粘土可以有效去除浒苔微观繁殖体并抑制其萌发,这为我国绿潮灾害的防控提供了一种新思路。

改性粘土对浒苔(Ulva prolifera)微观繁殖体去除效果及萌发的影响

本文首先考察了不同浓度改性粘土对浒苔微观繁殖体的去除效果,实验结果显示,去除率随着改性粘土浓度增大而逐渐提高,0.4g/L的改性粘土对初始密度为4.8?105cell/m L的浒苔微观繁殖体去除率可达到80%以上。去除实验后继续研究微观繁殖体的萌发率发现,与对照组相比,不论是上层培养液中还是重新混合后的萌发率均随着改性粘土用量的增加而降低,1.0g/L的改性粘土可使其萌发率由60%左右降至低于6.5%。本文的研究结果表明,适量的改性粘土能有效去除海水中的浒苔微观繁殖体、降低其萌发率,有望成为消除或减弱绿潮灾害的有效手段。

低盐在短时间内对绿潮浒苔(Ulva prolifera)氮磷吸收的动态影响

我国黄海出现的绿潮发源于黄海南部苏北辐射沙洲紫菜养殖区,苏北沙洲区濒临的沿岸河网众多,来自沿岸径流的淡水携带大量氮磷等营养盐间歇性入海,导致海水的富营养化并伴随着盐度的周期性波动。本研究通过模拟实验研究低盐度(15和5)对浒苔吸收氮盐(NO_3~–-N和NH_4^+-N)和磷盐(PO_4^(3–)-P)的影响,主要发现:与盐度30相比,在低盐度(15和5)时,浒苔对NO_3~–-N的1h最大吸收速率(V_(max))和亲和力(V_(max)/Ks)分别提高280%和350%左右,半饱和常数(Ks)下降15%左右,并能够维持对NO_3~–-N的高效吸收(24h);盐度15和5时,浒苔对NH_4^+-N的1h最大吸收速率(V_(max))分别提高40%和200%,亲和力(V_(max)/Ks)分别提高20%和180%, Ks分别提高15%和30%,但是盐度降低对NH_4^+-N的长效吸收产生负面影响,甚至在盐度5条件下出现吸收高浓度NH_4^+-N后再释放的现象;与盐度30相似,盐度15条件下浒苔能够快速吸收PO_4^(3–)-P,而盐度5则导致藻细胞内的PO_4^(3–)-P在早期阶段快速流失,并在后期不能有效吸收PO_4^(3–)-P。本实验的结果表明,降低盐度有利于浒苔对氮源的快速吸收,在盐度15下浒苔能够实现对硝酸盐和磷盐的高效吸收。

Effect of temperature,salinity and irradiance on growth and photosynthesis of Ulva prolifera

Intensive Pyropia aquaculture in the coast of southwestern Yellow Sea and its subsequent waste, including disposed Ulva prolifera, was speculated to be one of the major sources for the large-scale green tide proceeding in the Yellow Sea since 2007. It was, however, unclear how the detached U. prolifera responded and resumed growing after they detached from its original habitat. In this study, we investigated the growth and photosynthetic response of the detached U. prolifera to various temperature, salinity and irradiance in the laboratory. The photosynthetic rate of the detached U. prolifera was significantly higher at moderate temperature levels（14–27℃）and high salinity（26–32）, with optimum at 23℃ and 32. Both low（14℃） and highest temperature（40℃）, as well as low salinity（8） had adverse effects on the photosynthesis. Compared with the other Ulva species, U. prolifera showed higher saturated irradiance and no significant photoinhibition at high irradiance, indicating the great tolerance of U. prolifera to the high irradiance. The dense branch and complex structure of floating mats could help protect the thalli and reduce photoinhibition in field. Furthermore, temperature exerted a stronger influence on the growth rate of the detached U. prolifera compared to salinity. Overall, the high growth rate of this detached U. prolifera（10.6%–16.7% d^–1） at a wide range of temperature（5–32℃） and salinity（14–32） implied its blooming tendency with fluctuated salinity and temperature during floating. The environmental parameters in the southwestern Yellow Sea at the beginning of green tide were coincident with the optimal conditions for the detached U. prolifera.

Combined effects of light intensity and NH_4^+-enrichment on growth, pigmentation, and photosynthetic performance of Ulva prolifera(Chlorophyta)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of light intensity and enhanced nitrogen supply on the growth and photosynthesis of the green-tide macroalga, Ulvaprolifera. Thalli of U. prolifera were grown in natural or NH^-enriched seawater under two different light intensities for 7 days, and then the growth rate, pigmentation, and photosynthetic performance of the thalli were evaluated. The results show that the relative growth rate （RGR） was markedly higher under the high light level than under the low light level. Enrichment with NH~ enhanced the RGR under high light intensity, but did not affect RGR under low light intensity. In low light conditions, NH;-enrichment resulted in a marked decrease in the maximal photosynthetic rate （Pro） and the maximum carbon fixation rate （Vmax）, but it did not affect the half saturation constant for carbon （K0.5） or the ratio of Vmax to K0.5, which reflects the carbon acquisition efficiency. In high light conditions, Pm, K05, and the dark respiration rate （Rd） increased under NHI enrichment, but Vmax and the Vmax/Ko5 ratio decreased. Regardless of the light intensity, NH^＋4-enrichment did not affect the apparent photosynthetic efficiency （a）, which reflects the ability of the alga to use light energy at low light levels. Under both low and high light intensities, the chlorophyll a （Chl a）, chlorophyll b （Chl b）, and carotenoids （Car） contents in thalli were higher in NH1-enriched than in natural seawater, except that there was a decrease in the Chl b content of thalli in NH1-enriched seawater under low light intensity. Therefore, NH^＋4 enrichment improved the growth and photosynthetic performance of U. prolifera under high light intensity, but not under low light intensity. We discuss the possible mechanisms underlying these physiological responses.

The contribution of attached Ulva prolifera on Pyropia aquaculture rafts to green tides in the Yellow Sea

Green tides caused by the unusual accumulation of high floating Ulva prolifera have occurred regularly in the Yellow Sea since 2007.The primary source of the Yellow Sea green tides is the attached algae on the Pyropia aquaculture rafts in the Subei Shoal.Ulva prolifera and Blidingia(Italic)sp.are the main species observed on Pyropia aquaculture rafts in the Subei Shoal.We found that U.prolifera has strong buoyancy and a rapid growth rate,which may explain why it is the dominant species of green tides that occur in the China's sea area of the Yellow Sea.The growth rate of floating U.prolifera was about 20%–31%d–1,which was much higher than Blidingia(Italic)sp.There were about 1.7×104 t of attached algae on the Pyropia aquaculture rafts in May 2012.We found that 39%of attached algae could float when the tide rose in the Subei Shoal,and U.prolifera accounted for 63%of the floating algae.Our analysis estimated that about 4000 t of attached U.prolifera floated into the surrounding waters of the Subei Shoal during the recycling period of aquaculture rafts.These results suggest that the initial floating biomass of large-scale green tides in the Yellow Sea is determined by the U.prolifera biomass attached to Pyropia aquaculture rafts,further impacting the scale of the green tide。

Analysis of expressed sequence tags from the Ulva prolifera (Chlorophyta)

In 2008, a green tide broke out before the sailing competition of the 29th Olympic Games in Qingdao. The causative species was determined to be Enteromorpha prolifera （Ulva prolifera O. F. Miiller）, a familiar green macroalga along the coastline of China. Rapid accumulation of a large biomass of floating U. prolifera prompted research on different aspects of this species. In this study, we constructed a nonnormalized cDNA library from the thalli of U. prolifera and acquired 10072 high-quality expressed sequence tags （ESTs）. These ESTs were assembled into 3 519 nonredundant gene groups, including 1 446 clusters and 2 073 singletons. After annotation with the nr database, a large number of genes were found to be related with chloroplast and ribosomal protein, GO functional classification showed 1 418 ESTs participated in photosynthesis and 1 359 ESTs were responsible for the generation of precursor metabolites and energy. In addition, rather comprehensive carbon fixation pathways were found in U. prolifera using KEGG. Some stress-related and signal transduction-related genes were also found in this study. All the evidences displayed that U. prolifera had substance and energy foundation for the intense photosynthesis and the rapid proliferation. Phylogenetic analysis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I revealed that this green-tide causative species is most closely affiliated to Pseudendoclonium akinetum （Ulvophyceae）.

Spatiotemporal distribution and influencing factors of Ulva prolifera and Sargassum and their coexistence in the South Yellow Sea,China

Marine ecological disasters occurred frequently in recent years and raised widespread concerns about the ecological health of the ocean.We analyzed the spatiotemporal distributions of Ulva prolifera and Sargassum from April to July each year between 2016 and 2020 in the South Yellow Sea using multisource(GF-1 and HJ-1A/1B)remote sensing images,combined with the MODIS sea surface temperature(SST)data,photosynthetically active radiation(PAR)data,and Quick SCAT sea surface wind(SSW)data,to explore the potential influencing factors.The results show that(1)U.prolifera and Sargassum appeared mainly from May to July and April to June,respectively;(2)U.prolifera showed an impact in larger spatial scope than that of Sargassum.U.prolifera originated in the shoal area of northern Jiangsu and finally disappeared in the sea near Haiyang-Rongcheng area.The spatial scope of the impact of Sargassum tended to expand.Sargassum was first detected in the ocean northeast of the Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary and disappeared near 35°N;and(3)correlation analysis showed that the SST influenced the growth rate of U.prolifera and Sargassum.PAR had varied eff ects on U.prolifera and Sargassum at different times.A moderate light conditions could accelerate the growth and reproduction of U.prolifera and Sargassum.High irradiance levels of ultraviolet radiation may cause photoinhibition and damage on U.prolifera and Sargassum.The southeast monsoon and surface currents promoted the drift of U.prolifera and Sargassum from the southeast to the northwest and north.Therefore,the spatial and temporal similarities and differences between U.prolifera and Sargassum were influenced by a combination of factors during their growth processes.

Influence of Sea Surface Temperature on Outbreak of Ulva prolifera in the Southern Yellow Sea,China

In this study,using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)satellite images and environmental satellite CCD images,the spatio-temporal distribution of Ulva prolifera in the southern Yellow Sea during the period of 2011–2018 was extracted and combined with MODIS Level3 Photosynthetically Active Radiation(PAR)product data and Earth System Research Laboratory(ESRL)Sea Surface Temperature(SST)data to analyze their influences on the growth and outbreak of Ulva prolifera.The following conclusions were drawn:1)comprehensive analysis of Ulva prolifera distribution during the eight-year period revealed that the coverage area of Ulva prolifera typically exhibited a gradually increasing trend.The coverage area of Ulva prolifera reached a maximum of approximately 1714.21 km^2 during the eight-year period in late June 2015.The area affected by Ulva prolifera fluctuated.In mid-July 2014,the area affected by Ulva prolifera reached a maximum of approximately 39020.63 km^2.2)The average growth rate of Ulva prolifera was positive in May and June but negative in July.During the outbreak of Ulva prolifera,the SST in the southern Yellow Sea tended to increase each month.The SST anomaly and average growth rate of Ulva prolifera were positively correlated in May(R^2=0.62),but not significantly correlated in June or July.3)The variation trends of PAR and SST were approximately the same,and the PAR during this time period maintained a range of 40–50 mol/(m^2·d),providing sufficient illumination for the growth and outbreak of Ulva prolifera.In addition,the abundant nutrients and suitable temperature in the sea area near northern Jiangsu shoal resulted in a high growth rate of Ulva prolifera in May.In summary,the outbreak of Ulva prolifera was closely related to the environmental factors including SST,nutrients,and PAR.Sufficient nutrients and suitable temperatures resulted in a fast growth rate of Ulva prolifera.However,under poor nutrient conditions,even more suitable temperatures were not sufficient to trigger an outbreak of Ulva prolifera.