Effects of ammonium and nitrate on encystment and growth of Scrippsiella trochoidea

To avoid unfavorable environmental conditions, Scrippsiella trochoidea is capable of forming a resting cyst in the process of growth. In the present study,we investigated the effects of nitrate and ammonium on the growth and encystment of S. trochoidea. We incubated S.trochoidea in modified f/2 media without nitrogen and silicate in flasks. The flasks were divided into two groups.Nitrate was added as a nitrogen source in the first group,and ammonium was added in the second group. The concentrations of the nitrogen compounds were 0, 10, 30, 60,and 90 lmol/L. The results indicate that NO3--N favors cell growth, and the cultures with a higher concentration of NO3--N were ineffective at forming cysts. In contrast,NH4--N promoted cell growth and cyst formation. At similar concentrations as NO3--N, NH4--N had a toxic effect on cell growth and increased the cyst formation ratio.Thus, the NH4--N concentration is an important factor for controlling encystment. We believe that the impact of NH4--N in inducing cyst formation may be a useful feedback mechanism in ecological systems.

Profiles of and variations in aluminum species in PAC-MC used for the removal of blooming microalgae

Polyaluminum chloride modified clay(PAC-MC)is a safe and efficient red tide control agent that has been studied and applied worldwide.Although it is well known that the distribution of hydrolytic aluminum species in PAC affects its flocculation,little is known about the influence of particulars aluminum species on the microalgae removal efficiency of PAC-MC;this lack of knowledge creates a bottleneck in the development of more efficient MCs based on aluminum salts.The ferron method was used in this study to quantitatively analyze the distributions of and variations in different hydrolytic aluminum species during the process of microalgae removal by PAC-MC.The results showed that Ala,which made up 5%–20%of the total aluminum,and Alp,which made up 15%–55%of the total aluminum,significantly affected microalgae removal,with Pearson’s correlation coefficients of 0.83 and 0.89,respectively.Most of the aluminum in the PAC-MC sank rapidly into the sediments,but the rate and velocity of settlement were affected by the dose of modified clay.The optimal dose of PAC-MC for precipitating microalgae was determined based on its aluminum profile.These results provide guidance for the precise application of PAC-MC in the control of harmful algal blooms.

Programmed cell death induced by modified clay in controlling Prorocentrum donghaiense bloom

Modified clay(MC),an effective material used for the emergency elimination of algal blooms,can rapidly reduce the biomass of harmful algal blooms(HABs)via flocculation.After that,MC can still control bloom population through indirect effects such as oxidative stress,whichwas initially proposed to be related to programmedcell death(PCD)at molecular level.To further study theMC induced cell death in residual bloom organisms,especially identifying PCD process,we studied the physiological state of the residual Prorocentrum donghaiense.The experimental results showed that flocculation changed the physiological state of the residual cells,as evidenced by growth inhibition and increased reactive oxygen species production.Moreover,this research provides biochemical and ultrastructural evidence showing that MC induces PCD in P.donghaiense.Nuclear changes were observed,and increased caspase-like activity,externalization of phosphatidylserine and DNA fragmentation were detected in MC-treated groups and quantified.And the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was activated in both MC-treated groups.Besides,the features of MC-induced PCD in a unicellular organism were summarized and its concentration dependent manner was proved.All our preliminary results elucidate the mechanism through which MC can further control HABs by inducing PCD and suggest a promising application of PCD in bloom control.