Transport and behavior of marine oil spill containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mesocosm experiments

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)are one of the most important groups in oil,and re sponsible for major toxic and/or carcinogenic impact on humans and wildlife.It is important to understand the behavior of PAHs in marine environment after an oil-spill incident.However,interaction between petroleum PAHs and microbial communities in a marine environment remains unclear.Therefore,a series of mesocosm experiments were conducted.in which water-accommodated fraction(WAF)of oil was generated to simulate an oil-spill scenario and to analyze the transport and behavior of marine oil spill containing PAHs with and without dispersants.Results indicate that the application of dispersant could increase the concentration of total PAHs in water column due mainly to significant increase in the concentration of highmolecular weight(HMW)PAHs at a lower removal rate.At the end of the 7-day experiment,significant amount of HMW PAHs were accumulated in sediment.In general,the application of dispersant did not increase the sediment uptake of PAHs but increased the PAHs concentration in water column.

Black carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments of China’s marginal seas

This study investigates the distribution of black carbon （BC） and its correlation with total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （EPAH） in the surface sediments of China＇s marginal seas. BC content ranges from 〈0.10 to 2.45 mg/g dw （grams dry weight） in the sediments studied, and varied among the different coastal regions. The Bohai Bay sediments had the highest BC contents （average 2.18 mg/g dw）, which comprises a significant fraction （27%-41%） of the total organic carbon （TOC） preserved in the sediments. In comparison, BC in the surface sediments of the North Yellow Sea, Jiaozhou Bay, East China Sea and the South China Sea is less abundant and accounted for an average of 6%, 8%, 14% and 5%, respectively, of the sedimentary organic carbon pool. The concentration of EPAH in the surface sediments ranges from 41 to 3 667 ng/g dw and showed large spatial variations among the sampling sites of different costal regions. The Bohai Bay has the highest ZPAH values, ranging from 79 to 3 667 ng/g dw. This reflects the high anthropogenically contaminated nature of the sediments in the bay. BC is positively correlated to TOC but a strong correlation is not found between BC and ZPAH in the surface sediments studied, suggesting that BC and PAHs preserved in the sediments are derived from different sources and controlled by different biogeochemical processes. Our study suggests that the abundance of BC preserved in the sediments could represent a significant sink pool of carbon cycling in China＇s marginal seas.

Accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals in clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) in Jiaozhou Bay,China

Accumulation and distributions of aliphatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals were measured in tissues of the clam Ruditapes philippinarum collected from 5 sites in Jiaozhou Bay,Qingdao,China.The concentrations of total aliphatic hydrocarbon and PAHs ranged from 570 to 2 574 ng/gdw (gram dry weight) and from 276 to 939 ng/gdw,in the most and least polluted sites,respectively.The bio-accumulation of hydrocarbons and PAHs in the clams appeared to be selective.Aliphatic hydrocarbons were predominantly represented by short chain (<nC23) n-alkanes,suggesting that petroleum hydrocarbons were likely the major contamination source.The selective uptake of 3 and 4 ring PAHs,such as naphthalene,fluorene,phenanthrene,fluoranthene and pyrene,by the clams was probably related to the physiological and bio-kinetic processes that were energetically favorable for uptake of compounds with fewer rings.Accumulation of the metals Cd,Cu,Zn,Pb,Cr,Hg,and As in the clam tissues also showed high variability,ranging from 0.043 to 87 μg/gdw.Among the 7 detected metals,Zn,Cd,Cu,and As had a particularly high potential of accumulation in R.philippinarum.In general,a positive correlation was found between the tissue concentrations and sediment concentrations of hydrocarbons and of some metals.Our study suggests that moderate contamination with polyaromatic hydrocarbons,and low to moderate contamination with metals,currently exists for clam R.philippinarum in Jiaozhou Bay,in comparison with other regional studies.A long-term monitoring program is certainly needed for assessment of the potential ecological influence and toxicity of these contaminants of R.philippinarum in Jiaozhou Bay.

Biotic and Abiotic Conditions Can Change the Reproductive Allocation of Zostera marina Inhabiting the Coastal Areas of North China

The relationships between reproductive allocation and different factors have been widely recognized for terrestrial plants, but scarcely for marine angiosperms. Focusing on the seagrass Zostera marina, we examined the change in biomass when it was partitioned to growth, vegetative propagation and reproductive allocation of Z. marina. We also evaluated the relationships between reproductive allocation and biotic and abiotic conditions in the coastal areas of north China. The results indicated that the reproductive allocation of Z. marina at the levels of genet, shoot and spathe was positively correlated with shoot characteristics such as height and biomass(P < 0.01), but was negatively correlated with branch number and leaf number per genet(P < 0.01). In addition, the allocation was also affected by other abiotic factors such as water column phosphate concentration(P < 0.05) and sediment total petroleum(P < 0.01). These findings indicated that both biotic and abiotic conditions significantly influenced the reproductive allocation of Z. marina, which may affect further the population dynamics.

Characterization of Water Quality in Xiao Xingkai Lake:Implications for Trophic Status and Management

Increasing cases of lake eutrophication globally have raised concerns among stakeholders,and particularly in China.Evaluating the causes of eutrophication in waterways is essential for effective pollution prevention and control.Xiao Xingkai Lake is part of and connected to Xingkai(Khanka)Lake,a boundary lake between China and Russia.In this study,we investigated the spatio-temporal variabilities in water quality(i.e.,dissolved oxygen(DO),total nitrogen(TN),total phosphorus(TP),chemical oxygen demand(CODMn)and ammonium-nitrogen(NH4+-N))in Xiao Xingkai Lake,from 2012 to 2014,after which a Trophic Level Index was used to evaluate trophic status,in addition to the factors influencing water quality variation in the lake.The DO,TN,TP,CODMn and NH4+-N concentrations were 0.44-15.57,0.16-5.11,0.01-0.45,0.16-48.31,and 0.19-0.78 mg/L,respectively.Compared to the Environmental Quality Standards for surface water(GB 3838-2002)in China,the lake transitioned to an oligotrophic status in 2013 and 2014 from a mesotrophic status in 2012,TN and TP concentrations were the key factors influencing water quality of Xiao Xingkai Lake.Non-para-metric test results showed that sampling time and sites had significant effects on water quality.Water quality was worse in summer and in tourism and aquaculture areas,followed by agricultural drainage areas.Furthermore,lake water trophic status fluctuated between medium eutrophic and light eutrophic status from September 2012 to September 2014,and was negatively correlated with water level.Water quality in tourism and aquaculture sites were medium eutrophic,while in agricultural areas were light eutrophic.According to the results,high water-level fluctuations and anthropogenic activities were the key factor driving variability in physicochemical parameters associated with water quality in Xiao Xingkai Lake.

Physiological responses of macroalga Gracilaria lemaneiformis(Rhodophyta) to UV-B radiation exposure

This paper aims to evaluate the effects of ultraviolet-Bradiation(UVBR) on Gracilaria lemaneiformis,a commercial red macroalga and an important source of agar. To study the in-vitro effect of UVBR on G. lemaneiformis,this plant was cultivated and exposed to photosynthetically active radiation(PAR) at 40 μmol photons/(m2 ·s) and enhanced UVBR(0,0.36,0.72,1.08,1.44,and 1.80 k J/(m 2 ·d)) for 13 days. The samples were processed for histochemical analysis,and the growth rate,photosynthetic pigment contents,photosynthetic performance,reactive oxygen species levels,membrane permeability,malonyl dialdehyde contents and antioxidant capacity of G. lemaneiformis were investigated. After 13 days of exposure to PAR+UVBR,G. lemaneiformis showed photodamage and photoinhibition of photosynthetic pigments(chlorophylla and phycoerythrin),leading to a decreased photosynthetic efficiency. Further,there was a corresponding decrease in the relative growth rates and depigmentation and partial necrosis of the apical segments were noted after exposure to PAR+UVBR. Additionally,UVBR induced excess production of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide,eliciting a marked cellular membrane damage and antioxidative response.

Cloning, characterization and expression analysis of a microsomal glutathione S-transferase gene from the seagrass Zostera marina

The response of glutathione S-transferase(GST)in Zostera marina to temperature variation was analyzed at molecular level by cloning the microsomal GST gene and texting the microsomal GST expression regularity under different temperature.Specific speaking,express ZmGST in Escherichia coli,then purify the recombinant protein and make the thermal stability analysis.Therefore,the experiments were carried out to provide a theoretical basis for the further elaboration to the population degradation mechanisms of Z.marina.In conclusion,the thermostability and the response of ZmGST gene to temperature changes can determine its temperature tolerance range,and affect its resilience in turn.

Isolation of an antibiotic producer Pseudomonas sp.from the Persian Gulf

Objective:To investigate the isolation of marine antibiotic-producing bacteria from the Persian Gulf,as an untapped source for searching new natural antibiotics.Methods:Initially water and sediment samples were collected from 18 study sites in the some northern areas of Persian Gulf.All of the bacterial isolates using Marine Agar 2216 were inoculated into Marine broth and incubated on a rotary shaker at 28℃for 2-7 days.Bioactivily of their ethyl acetate extract was assessed at 100 mg/mL concentration in disc diffusion method against 6 gram-positive and 5 gram-negative bacteria.Synthetic antibiotics were used as control.Results:Altogether,46 bacterial colonies were isolated.Only one isolate from a marine sediment sample collected at a depth of 10 m,identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa PG-01,was exhibited the capability of antibiotic production.The obtained raw extract from intended bacterium was effective against all tested gram positive bacteria while gram negative bacteria were resistance.Methicillin resisitant Stapuylococcus aureus(MRSA),Streptococcus pyogenes(S.pyogenes).Staphylococcus epidermidis (S.epidermidis) and Bacillus cereus(B.cereus) were the most sensitive strains.All of tested pathogens were multidrug resistant.The antibacterial compound from this bacterium was active even at 120℃.The optimized temperature and time for antibacterial metabolite production were 37℃and 72 hrs,respectively.Conclusions:Considering the antibacterial effect of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PG-01 especially against MRSA,it can be regarded the intended bacterium as a valuable strain and can give hope for treatment of diseases caused by multidrug resistant bacteria.

The effects of temperature and substrate on ontogenetic behavior of bastard halibut, Paralichthys olivaceus (T. et S.)

The effects of temperature and substrate on ontogenetic patterns and settlement behavior of bastard halibut, Paralichthys olivaceus (T. et S.) were studied in a series of laboratory experiments. Analysis on stage-based data revealed that except for settlement, and compared to the substrate, the ambient temperature dominantly controlled the hatch success and subsequent development of the species. The oosperm optimum survival rate of 60% during hatching occurred at 20℃, and survival rate of 29%, at 18℃ for larval rearing. The survival rate of larvae reared under variable temperature of 3.5–4.5℃ was higher than that of those reared under stable temperature. The maximum survival rate of 29%, corresponded to variation at temperature of 4℃. With increase in age newly settled juveniles preferred to lie on the fine substrate and gradually moved on the coarse substrate. GLM (general linear model) analysis showed that the combination of temperature and substrate had no significant impact on the survival of settling larvae, but definitely affected the duration of settlement.

Analysis of Environmental Bonds in Mexican Pacific Major Ship Grounding

Environmental bonds are a means to accounting for future environmental costs, yet examples of application in real-life scenarios are scarce, and estimation of fairness of the bonds is still poorly explored. We examined a recent Mexican Pacific maritime accident in which the aid of extra environmental assessments addressing long-lasting effects was needed, and contributed to the decision-making process of environmental authorities by means of an arrangement based on the legal figure of the environmental bond. The basis to estimate the bond was the cost of activities needed to fulfill compensatory measures, specifically, the cost of research programs that would set a baseline for monitoring long-lasting damage to the bottom. In order to proceed with analysis of environmental bonds, we employed cluster analysis for comparing mean depth, grain size, and composition and abundance of benthic fauna at the three sites set for monitoring long-lasting effects, under the assumption that no differences would mean bond overestimation whereas differences would mean fairness. The results show that the three sites were different enough to justify the spatial setting of three separate sampling campaigns, and that the bond was reasonably not overestimated. The approach appears suitable to address in a semi-analytical way current inquiries regarding fairness of the environmental bonds and so may contribute to the state of the art.

Ecological Zonation of Phytoplankton and Biomass Based on Bio-Optical Parameters off Baja California during Three Summer Seasons

An ecological zonation of phytoplankton was determined from its normalized spectral absorption shape (aphn) during the summers of 2001-02-03 off the west coast of Baja California. In the first two seasons, the highest abundances of the main taxonomic groups of phytoplankton were detected towards the coastal stations, but for 2003, diatoms showed higher abundances towards the oceanic region. The ecological provinces (Pv) were the footprint of the zonation in the structure of the phytoplankton community;likewise, it was observed that the spectral shape was independent of the chlorophyll-a (mg·m-3). The effect of coastal upwelling south of Vizcaíno Bay favored the increase of phytoplankton cells. However, the composition of the community decreased in cells abundance and diversity due to the influence of the phenomenon called El Nino “débil” reported to the south of the California Current for the years 2002-03.

Bacterial community succession in response to dissolved organic matter released from live jellyfish

Jellyfish blooms have increased worldwide, and the outbreaks of jellyfish population not only affect the food web structures via voracious predation but also play an important role in the dynamics of nutrients and oxygen in planktonic food webs. However, it remains unclear whether specific carbon compounds released through jellyfish metabolic processes have the potential to shape bacterial community composition. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the compositional succession of the bacterioplankton community in response to the dissolved organic matter (DOM) released by the live Scyphomedusae Cyanea lamarckii and Chrysaora hysoscella collected from Helgoland Roads of the North Sea. The bacterial community was significantly stimulated by the DOM released form live jellyfish and different dominant phylotypes were observed for these two Scyphomedusae species. Furthermore, the bacterial community structures in the different DOM sources, jellyfish-incubated media, Kabeltonne seawater, and artificial seawater (DOM-free) were significantly different, as revealed by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis fingerprints. Catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) revealed a rapid species-specific shift in bacterial community composition. Gammaproteobacteria dominated the community instead of the Bacteroidetes community for C. lamarckii, whereas Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes dominated the community for C. hysoscella. The significant differences in the bacterial community composition and succession indicate that the components of the DOM released by jellyfish might differ with jellyfish species.

Antioxidant system responses in two co-occurring green-tide algae under stress conditions

Green tides have occurred every year from 2007 to 2014 in the Yellow Sea. Ulva prolifera （Mtiller） J. Agardh has been identified as the bloom-forming alga, co-occurring with U. intestinalis. We observed distinct strategies for both algal species during green tides. U.prolifera exhibited a high abundance initially and then decreased dramatically, while U. intestinalis persisted throughout. The antioxidant system responses of these two macroalgae were compared in the late phase of a green tide （in-situ） and after laboratory acclimation. Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant system responses differed significantly between the two. Malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents increased significantly in-situ in U. prolifera, but not in U. intestinalis. In U. prolifera, we observed a significant decrease in total antioxidant ability （T-AOC）, antioxidant enzymes （SOD and Apx）, and non-enzyme antioxidants （GSH and AsA） in-situ. U. intestinalis showed the same pattern of T-AOC and SOD, but its Gpx, Apx, and GSH responses did not differ significantly. The results suggest that U. prolifera was more susceptible than U. intestinalis to the harsh environmental changes during the late phase of a Yellow Sea green tide. The boom and bust strategy exhibited by U. prolifera and the persistence of U. intestinalis can be explained by differences in enzyme activity and antioxidant systems.

应用多重取样法评估波罗的海近海风力发电场建设区域中鱼类群落构成的重要性

大型建筑物在施工前需要进行环境影响评估（EIA），这是标准化程序。为了充分描述其所造成的影响，用于EIA的方法必须谨慎采纳，既要考虑到待施工设施的特征，又要考虑受到影响的环境。

Land-Sea Interactions in Punta China(Baja California,Mexico):Addressing Anthropic and Natural Disturbances in a Retrospective Context

In extensive SCUBA-diving surveys of kelp forests along 350 km of the Baja California peninsula coastline from the US-México borderline to Sacramento Reef, benthic species richness has been satisfactorily explained by environmental structural features such as bottom rugosity. However, values at Punta China embayment (PCE) departed significantly from the model whereas the adjacent Santo Tomás cove (STC) did not. In addition, in August 20, 2011, visibility was under 1 m at PCE and over 10 m at STC;these conditions presumably reflect the influence of the limestone extraction industry located on land. In order to investigate the case allowing for temporal comparisons, we set a regional research scenario similar to a 1993 pioneer study, comprising PCE and two contrasting sites (STC to the North, and San José embayment, SJE, to the South). Land and sea side were addressed separately, and a 1950-2012 time-span period was set in order to perform the analysis of retrospective data. Our results suggest that the current scenario results from the combined influence of a local, anthropic and chronic land-based disturbance represented by the progressive expansion of limestone extraction industry, and the episodic influence of a natural, large scale and acute disturbance represented by the 1982-83 and 1997-98 El Nino events. The influence of both driving forces, however, is not necessarily equally distributed in space, yielding a regional mosaic of natural and social conditions. Our results confirm and expand previous knowledge in the area, and may contribute to?future basic and applied research.

Effects of two polybrominated diphenyl ethers(BDE-47,BDE-209) on the swimming behavior, population growth and reproduction of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers（PBDEs） are new kinds of persistent organic pollutants（POPs） and their potential threats to the equilibrium and sustainability of marine ecosystems have raised worldwide concerns. Here, two kinds of PBDEs, tetra-BDE（BDE-47）and deca-BDE（BDE-209） were applied, and their toxic effects on the swimming behavior,population growth and reproduction of Brachionus plicatilis were investigated. The results showed that：（1） The actual concentrations of BDE-47 and-209 in the seawater phase measured by GC–MS（Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer） were much lower than their nominal concentrations.（2） In accordance with the 24-hr acute tests, BDE-209 did not show any obvious swimming inhibition to rotifers, but a good correlation did exist between the swimming inhibition rate and BDE-47 concentration suggesting that BDE-47 is more toxic than BDE-209.（3） Both BDE-47 and-209 had a significant influence on the population growth and reproduction parameters of B. plicatilis including the population growth rate, the ratio of ovigerous females/non-ovigerous females（OF/NOF）, the ratio of mictic females/amictic females（MF/AF）, resting egg production and the mictic rate, which indicate that these parameters in B. plicatilis population were suitable for monitoring and assessing PBDEs. Our results suggest that BDE-47 and-209 are not acute lethal toxicants and may pose a low risk to marine rotifers at environmental concentrations for short-term exposure. They also accumulate differently into rotifers. Further research data are needed to understand the mechanisms responsible for the effects caused by PBDEs and to assess their risks accurately.

Mechanism of Deca-BDE-induced apoptosis in Neuro-2a cells:Role of death-receptor pathway and reactive oxygen species-mediated mitochondrial pathway

Decabromodiphenyl ether（BDE-209） is a prevalent polybrominated diphenyl ether（PBDE）congener known to have neurotoxicity. Effects of BDE-209 on Neuro-2a cells were performed in the present study and the possible apoptotic pathway was discussed. Results indicated that BDE-209 induced Neuro-2a cell apoptosis, increased the protein expression of Fas and Fas-associated death domain-containing protein（FADD） and activated the caspase-8 and-3activities in a concentration-dependent manner, inferring the death-receptor pathway was involved in the apoptotic process. Meanwhile, BDE-209 exposure increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and decreased the cellular mitochondrial membrane potential（MMP） which led to cytochrome C released to the cytoplasm. The intracellular caspase-9 was elevated simultaneously,which caused downstream caspase cascade and triggered cell apoptosis. Moreover, BDE-209 exposure increased cellular reactive oxygen species（ROS） level in a concentration-dependent manner and the addition of N-acetyl-L-cysteine（NAC）, known as ROS scavengers, obviously reduced the apoptotic rate and a positive relationship was observed between the degree of apoptosis blocking and the loss of MMP and ROS production. We thus concluded that BDE-209 induced Neuro-2a cell apoptosis via the combination of the death-receptor signaling pathway and the mitochondrial signaling pathway. The elevated ROS production was considered to magnify the intracellular apoptosis signal and played a crucial role in apoptosis of Neuro-2a cells induced by BDE-209.