Study on impact of dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense on life activities of marine bivalves

The effects of a PSP producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense on marine bivalvesat their several important life stages: egg, D- shape larva, eyespot larva, juvenile and adult, were studied. The results show that the hatching, survival, activity, filtration and growth were adversely affected by the alga and the impact was significantly increased with the increase of algal density. The inhibitory effect on egg hatching was most significant, which the hatching rate was only 30% of the control when exposed to the alga at 100 cell/cm3 after 36 h. Further experiments show that the algal culture, re-suspended cells and cell fragments had the inhibitory effect, while no such effect was from the cell-free medium, cell contents and standard STX. The results indicate that the alga could produce unknown toxins, rather than PSP, associated with the cell surface.

Long-Chain Alkenones in the South Yellow Sea Sediments and Their Indicative Significance for Haptophytes Species

Long-chain alkenones(LCAs)have been widely used as important biomarkers in palaeoceanographic studies.However,the commonly used LCAs proxies are mainly based on C_(37) alkenones,and it is still lack of the studies about the distribution and in-dications of LCAs with different chain lengths other than C_(37) alkenones.Here,the composition and distribution of LCAs were ana-lyzed in surface sediments from the southern Yellow Sea(SYS)and a sedimentary core(A02-C)from the central Yellow Sea(YS)mud area.The results showed that C_(37),C_(38) and C_(39) alkenones were the major LCAs in surface sediments of the SYS,and the relative contents of C_(38:2)Et,C_(37:2)Me,C_(37:3)Me,C_(38:2)Me,C_(38:3)Et,C_(38:3)Me,C_(39:2)Et and C_(39:3)Et were 18.3%-59.8%,22.6%-41.2%,7.4%-23.0%,6.6%-15.4%,3.8%-13.3%,3.6%-8.7%,2.8%-6.0% and 0.7%-3.0%,respectively.Then the relationships of U_(38Me)^(K)-U_(38Et)^(K) and U_(37)^(K')-U_(38)^(K)Et indicate that LCAs are mainly derived from Emiliania huxleyi(E.huxleyi).High ratios of total C_(37) alkenones to total C_(38) alkenones(K_(37)/K_(38))(1-1.2)were found in the central SYS,corresponding to the relatively high abundance of E.huxleyi;while low ratios of K_(37)/K_(38)(0.7-0.9)were observed at nearshore area of the SYS where Gephyrocapsa oceanica(G.oceanica)has rela-tively high abundance.The spatial distribution of K_(37)/K_(38) ratio is also consistent with that of coccolithophores nannofossil in the sediments.In addition,K_(37)/K_(38) ratio in core A02-C varied from 0.7 to 1.1 with a gradual decreasing trend during the past 5.5 kyr.This suggests that the relative abundance of E.huxleyi decreased gradually,caused by the changes in the Yellow Sea Warm Current(YSWC)and the East Asian Winter Monsoon(EAWM)during this period.

Morphological and toxicity characteristics of Pseudo-nitzschia pungens strain PP0201-01 isolated from the East China Sea

The morphology and toxicity of Pseudo-nitzschia strain PP0201-01, isolated near the estuary of Changjiang (Yangtze) River in Year 2002 and tentatively identified as Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, were studied. The strain was identified morphologically as P. pungens using scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The ana- lytical results of LC-PDA (liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector), LC-MS (liquid chromatogra- phy with mass detector), and the toxicity data from mouse bioassay, showed that no domoic acid was produced by the strain. However, the mechanism of domoic acid production by Pseudo-nitzschia species is complicated. More works are needed to assess the toxic species and to evaluate the potential risk of amnesic shellfish poison- ing (ASP) in China.

Species- and tissue-specific mercury bioaccumulation in five fish species from Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea of China

Mercury (Hg) concentrations in the tissues (muscle, stomach, liver, gills, skin, and gonads) of five fish species (mullet Liza haematocheilus, flathead fish Platycephalus indicus, sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus, mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius and silver pomfret Pampus argenteus) collected from Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea of China were investigated. The results indicate that Hg bioaccumulation in the five fish was tissue- specific, with the highest levels in the muscle and liver, followed by the stomach and gonads. The lowest levels were found in the gills and skin. Fish at higher trophic levels (flathead fish and sea bass) exhibited higher Hg concentrations than consumers at lower trophic levels. Mercury bioaccumulation tended to be positively correlated with fish length in mullet, silver pomfret, mackerel, and flathead fish, but was negatively correlated with fish length in sea bass. The Hg concentrations in the muscles of all fish species in Laizhou Bay were within the permissible limits of food safety set by national and international criteria. However, the suggesting maximum consumption of sea bass is 263g per week for human health.

Population distribution, structure and growth condition of Antarctic krill(Euphausia superba Dana) during the austral summer in the Southern Ocean

Antarctic krill （Euphausia superba Dana） was collected using a High Speed Collector and an Isaac-Kidd midwater trawl （IKMT） net during the austral summer of 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 in the circumpolar and Prydz Bay regions of the Southern Ocean, respectively. Combined with the simultaneous recording of environmental factors, spatial distribution, population structure and growth condition of E. superba were studied. The abundance of E. superba in the Weddell Sea was higher than in Prydz Bay. However, the abundance of E. superba in both the Weddell Sea and Prydz Bay was lower than figures reported in previous krill surveys for the same time period. With respect to the total study area, E. superba displayed a normal growing state during the two expeditions. E. superba grew relatively poorly in some stations, which may be due to the late retreat of sea ice or lower chlorophyll a concentrations. The number of juvenile E. superba collected using the High Speed Collector was proportionally greater in stations located at the edge of the sea ice, while adults dominated in long-term non-ice regions. This phenomenon reflects the different distribution pattern between juvenile and adult krill. The population structure of E. superba differed between sea regions, which may affect recruitment.

Overview of China's Antarctic research progress 1984–2016

It is more than 30 years since the first Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition(CHINARE) landed in Antarctica in 1984, representing China’s initiation in polar research. This review briefly summarizes the Chinese Antarctic scientific research and output accomplished over the past 30 years. The developments and progress in Antarctic research and the enhancement of international scientific cooperation achieved through the implementation of the CHINARE program have been remarkable. Since the 1980 s, four permanent Chinese Antarctic research stations have been established successively and 33 CHINAREs have been completed. The research results have been derived from a series of spatiotemporal observations in association with various projects and multidisciplinary studies in the fields of oceanography, glaciology, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, atmospheric science, upper atmospheric physics, Antarctic astronomy, biology and ecology, human medicine, polar environment observation, and polar engineering.