The“harmful algae and algal toxins in coastal waters of China:investigation and database”project

The“harmful algae and algal toxins in coastal waters of China:investigation and database”project(HAATC)is funded(US$2.3 million)by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China for 60 months starting on the 1st Jan 2019.Since the 1990s,national projects and other related work have greatly improved harmful algal bloom(HAB)research in China.However,the existing research on HABs is often limited to specific sea areas or specific algal bloom disasters,which is insufficient for understanding the long-term evolution of HAB occurrence under the influence of intensified human activity and global change.The HAATC project intends to determine the overall distribution of marine harmful microalgae and macroalgae,and marine algal toxins(in phytoplankton and shellfish)through a large-scale investigation in the coastal waters of China and continuous investigation in key sea areas.It also aims to observe biotic and abiotic processes during harmful red tides and green tides,and establish an open database and query platform of HABs in China.The research consortium,led by chief scientist Prof.Tian YAN,includes approximately 100 scientists and students.More than 2 years of work have shown the increased distribution of HAB species(including cysts)and algal toxins in China’s coastal waters,the increased occurrence of macroalgae blooms(mainly by Ulva prolifera and Sargassum horneri)in the Southern Yellow Sea,increased amount of causative species being identified due to the use of molecular technologies in taxonomy,and new records of algal toxins such as azaspiracid,cycloimines and neurotoxinsβ-N-methylamino-l-alanine have been detected,which complicates the research in algal toxins and toxicology.Eventually,the project will provide systematic basic data and techniques for the rapid and accurate identification of harmful algae species to support the research,monitoring,and control of harmful algal blooms,as well as seafood safety management in China.

First record of abnormal body coloration in a rockfish Sebastes koreanus(Scorpaenoidei:Sebastidae)from coastal water of China based on morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding

The first record of abnormal body coloration in Sebastes koreanus Kim and Lee,1994,from the Yellow Sea of China,was documented based on morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding.The two rockfish specimens were collected from the coastal waters of Qingdao,China,and the whole body and all fins of them were red.Of the two red-colored rockfish,there were tiny deep red spots on each fin,2 red radial stripes behind and below the eyes and 1 large deep red blotch on the opercula,while the similar stripe and spot patterns are also present in the S.koreanus specimens with normal body coloration.The countable characteristics of the two specimens are in the range of the morphometry of S.koreanus.To further clarify the species identity and taxonomic status of the two specimens,DNA barcode analysis was carried out.The genetic distance between the red-colored rockfish and S.koreanus was 0,and the minimum net genetic distances between the red-colored rockfish and other Sebastes species except for S.koreanus were 3.0%,which exceeds the threshold of species delimitation.The phylogenetic analysis showed that the DNA barcoding sequences of the two red-colored rockfish clustered with the S.koreanus sequences.The above results of DNA barcode analysis also support that the two red-colored rockfish could be identified as the species of S.koreanus.The mechanism of color variation in S.koreanus is desirable for further research and the species could be an ideal model to study the color-driven speciation of the rockfishes.

Morphological and genetic comparison of two strains of a Prorocentrum species isolated from Zhejiang coastal water of China and Masan Bay of Korea

In this paper, we examined the detailed morphology of two strains of Prorocentrum isolated from the coastal waters of Zhejiang (Wenling area), China, and Masan Bay of Korea. A taxonomic comparison was made among strains on the basis of morphological and molecular data. The cellular dimensions of the Chinese Wenling strain (LAMB090508) and Korean strain (PDKS0206) were similar and the cells of both strains were of asymmetric and elongated shape. The posterior end of most cells was rounded. Megacytic zones of aged cells were broader with dense tiny knobs. The roundish nucleus was located in the posterior part of the cell. A few irregular shaped chloroplasts were distributed within the cell. The nucleotide similarity of the two strains, determined from the 5.8S rDNA-ITS sequences, was 99.83%. The comparative results of morphology and molecular analysis suggest that both strains isolated from China and Korea were the identical species, Prorocentrum donghaiense Lu.

Implementing geostatistical analysis to study spatio-temporal distribution patterns of swimming crabs(Portunus trituberculatus)

This study attempted to compare the performance of local polynomial interpolation,inverse distance weighted interpolation,and ordinary kriging in studying distribution patterns of swimming crabs.Cross-validation was used to select the optimum method to get distribution results,and kriging was used for making spatial variability analysis.Data were collected from 87 sampling stations in November of 2015(autumn)and February(winter),May(spring)and August(summer)of 2016.Results indicate that swimming crabs widely distributed in autumn and summer:in the summer,they were more spatially independent,and resources in each sampling station varied a lot;in the winter and spring,the abundance of crabs was much lower,but the individual crab size was bigger,and they showed the patchy and more concentrative distribution pattern,which means they were more spatially dependent.Distribution patterns were in accordance with ecological migration features of swimming crabs,which were affected by the changing marine environment.This study could infer that it is applicable to study crab fishery or even other crustacean species using geostatistical analysis.It not only helps practitioners have a better understanding of how swimming crabs migrate from season to season,but also assists researchers in carrying out a more comprehensive assessment of the fishery.Therefore,it may facilitate advancing the implementation in the pilot quota management program of swimming crabs in northern Zhejiang fishing grounds.