Spatial patterns of zooplankton abundance,biovolume,and size structure in response to environmental variables:a case study in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

The Yellow Sea(YS)and East China Sea(ECS)are highly dynamic marginal seas of the northwestern Pacific Ocean.To gain an in-depth understanding of zooplankton community structure,zooplankton abundance,biovolume,and size structure in summer 2017 in the YS and ECS were assessed using ZooScan imaging analysis.Zooplankton abundance and biovolume ranged 2.94–1187.14 inds./m^(3)and 3.13–3438.51 mm^(3)/m^(3),respectively.Based on the biovolume data of the categorized size classes of 26 identified taxonomic groups,the zooplankton community was classified into five groups,and each group was coupled with distinctive oceanographic features.Under the influence of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass,the Yellow Sea offshore group featured the lowest bottom temperature(10.84±3.42℃)and the most abundant Calanoids(mainly in the 2–3 mm size class).In the Yellow Sea inshore group,Hydrozoans showed the largest biovolume and dominated in the 3–4-mm and>5-mm size classes.The East China Sea offshore group,which was affected by the Kuroshio Branch Current,featured high temperature and salinity,and the lowest bottom dissolved oxygen(2.58±0.5 mg/L).The lowest values of zooplankton abundance and biovolume in the East China Sea offshore group might be attributed to the bottom dissolved oxygen contents.The East China Sea inshore group,which was mainly influenced by the Zhejiang-Fujian Coastal Current and Changjiang Diluted Water,was characterized by high chlorophyll a and the largest biovolume of carnivorous Siphonophores(280.82±303.37 mm^(3)/m^(3)).The Changjiang River estuary offshore group showed the most abundant Cyclopoids,which might be associated with the less turbid water mass in this region.Seawater temperature was considered the most important factor in shaping the size compositions of Calanoids in different groups.

Study on Marine actinomycetes and analysis of their secondary metabolites

Actinomycetes are relatively prevalent bacteria in the ocean,constituting 9% of the total number of marine bacteria.The advancement of science and technology has led to a more profound exploration of marine actinomycetes.These studies hold immense significance in comprehending the distribution and adaptation of marine actinomycetes within the oceanic environment,as well as uncovering new secondary metabolites.Based on differing lifestyles,marine actinomycetes can be categorized as free-living or co-epiphytic.The activity and metabolism of actinomycetes vary across diverse marine settings,including the deep sea,benthic regions,and marine organisms.Due to their distinctive biological traits and genetic background,these marine actinomycetes inevitably generate metabolites possessing unique structures.Research methodologies concerning marine actinomycetes predominantly encompass traditional pure culture techniques,molecular biology approaches,and the integration of metagenomics and bioinformatics.The exploration of varied methodologies proves pivotal for the analysis of metabolite processes.Through the cultivation of marine actinomycetes,numerous compounds featuring novel structures and significant activities have been isolated,furnishing a substantial foundation for new drug investigations.These encompass,but are not restricted to,peptides,antibiotics,terpenoids,ketones,quinones,macrolides,and pigments.The potential applications of marine actinomyces and their secondary metabolites extend beyond antibacterial and anti-tumor effects,exhibiting promising prospects in antifungal and antiviral domains.This paper provides a comprehensive review of the classification,resources,research methodologies,and habitats of marine actinomycetes.Furthermore,it delves into the classification of secondary metabolites and their functional activities,facilitating a more exhaustive analysis of the secondary metabolites produced by marine actinomycetes.

Submarine groundwater discharge and seasonal hypoxia off the Changjiang River Estuary

Hypoxia is a common phenomenon in the sea adjacent to the Changjiang River Estuary(CJE),one of the global major estuaries.Submarine groundwater discharge(SGD)is a widely recognized pathway for terrestrial materials entering the sea,and has been found to be significant off the CJE.We used a^(222)Rn mass balance model to estimate the SGD fluxes off the CJE and showed that it is linked to seasonal dissolved oxygen(DO)variations.Average SGD fluxes were estimated to be(0.012±0.010)m^(3)/(m^(2)·d)in winter,(0.034±0.015)m^(3)/(m^(2)·d)in summer,and(0.020±0.010)m^(3)/(m^(2)·d)in autumn.We found a significant negative correlation between DO concentrations and SGD rates with groundwater discharge being highest in the summer flood season.In addition,distribution patterns of SGD and hypoxia zones in summer are spatially overlapped,indicating that SGD is an important contributor to summer hypoxia in this region.

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.

Sedimentary architecture of submarine channel-lobe systems under different seafloor topography:Insights from the Rovuma Basin offshore East Africa

Seafloor topography plays an important role in the evolution of submarine lobes.However,it is still not so clear how the shape of slope affects the three-dimensional(3-D)architecture of submarine lobes.In this study,we analyze the effect of topography factors on different hierarchical lobe architectures that formed during Pliocene to Quaternary in the Rovuma Basin offshore East Africa.We characterize the shape,size and growth pattern of different hierarchical lobe architectures using 3-D seismic data.We find that the relief of the topographic slope determines the location of preferential deposition of lobe complexes and single lobes.When the topography is irregular and presents topographic lows,lobe complexes first infill these depressions.Single lobes are deposited preferentially at positions with higher longitudinal(i.e.across-slope)slope gradients.As the longitudinal slope becomes higher,the aspect ratio of the single lobes increases.Lateral(i.e.along-slope)topography does not seem to have a strong influence on the shape of single lobe,but it seems to affect the overlap of single lobes.When the lateral slope gradient is relatively high,the single lobes tend to have a larger overlap surface.Furthermore,as the average of lateral slope and longitudinal slope gets greater,the width/thickness ratio of the single lobe is smaller,i.e.sediments tend to accumulate vertically.The results demonstrate that the shape of slopes more comprehensively influences the 3-D architecture of lobes in natural deep-sea systems than previously other lobe deposits and analogue experiments,which helps us better understand the development and evolution of the distal parts of turbidite systems.

Morphological and molecular analyses of a Philine kinglipini outbreak in summer of 2022 in Jiaozhou Bay,China

A sudden and unprecedented outbreak of molluscan Philine kinglipini occurred in summer 2022 in Jiaozhou Bay,Shandong,China,causing substantial damage to local mariculture industry of the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum.Although P.kinglipini has been found in many coastal regions of China,the molecular research of P.kinglipini has not been extensively studied,making it difficult to accurately identify and track P.kinglipini samples in field using molecular methods.Samples were collected during the outbreak and their morphological features and molecular sequences were analyzed.Results show that the causative species of the outbreak was P.kinglipini.The mitochondrial genome(mt DNA)of P.kinglipini was constructed for the first time,based on which phylogenetic analysis of the mt DNAs of P.kinglipini and related species in the order Cephalaspidea was carried out.As revealed by metabarcoding analysis of 18S rDNA V4,the seasonal change of P.kinglipini and closely related Philine species was striking with peaks between April and August.Therefore,metabarcoding analysis is applicable tool for monitoring the bloom development of P.kinglipini and related species.This study generated for the first time essential molecular marker sequences and mtDNA of P.kinglipini,which provided a reference for future characterization and monitoring of its outbreaks and for phylogenetic analysis of Philine species.

Experimental clearance rate and intraguild predation of jellyfish Cyanea nozakii

Cyanea nozakii,a common jellyfish distributed in offshore China,has a complex trophic relationship with other zooplankton groups.However,few studies have reported the predation rates and prey selection patterns of C.nozakii medusae on different prey items.Research is also lacking on the intraguild predation of Aurelia coerulea(another common bloom jellyfish in offshore China)by C.nozakii.To address the knowledge gaps,the clearance rates of C.nozakii for different prey items,including copepods(small<1000μm and large>1000μm),fish larvae,and gelatinous prey(hydromedusae,A.coerulea ephyrae,and chaetognaths),were measured.The influence of predator size on the clearance rate was also determined.Additionally,we examined the intraguild predation of C.nozakii on A.coerulea medusae.The clearance rates of C.nozakii varied widely with prey organisms,being independent of prey concentrations.Gelatinous organisms,except for chaetognaths,were captured with considerably high efficiency,followed by fish larvae and copepods,indicating the preferential prey selection of gelatinous organisms by C.nozakii.The clearance rate increased linearly with the cross-sectional area of C.nozakii.Body size in medusae may,to some extents,underpin their capacity to capture more prey by increasing the encounter rate and capture success through ontogeny.C.nozakii preyed voraciously on A.coerulea in high feeding efficiency,but the clearance rate decreased with increasing A.coerulea(as prey)size.This phenomenon of intraguild predation suggests a speculative hypothesis of potential population regulation of A.coerulea by C.nozakii.The information regarding the feeding ecology of C.nozakii reported in this study is important for understanding plankton dynamics in marine ecosystems with extensive occurrences of this jellyfish.

Integrated biomarker response to assess toxic impacts of iron and manganese on deep-sea mussel Gigantidas platifrons under a deep-sea mining activity scenario

Deep-sea mining activities can potentially release metals,which pose a toxicological threat to deep-sea ecosystems.Nevertheless,due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the deep-sea biosphere,there is insufficient knowledge about the impact of metal exposure on its inhabitants.In this study,deep-sea mussel Gigantidas platifrons,a commonly used deep-sea toxicology model organism,was exposed to manganese(100,1000μg/L)or iron(500,5000μg/L)for 7 d,respectively.Manganese and iron were chosen for their high levels of occurrence within deep-sea deposits.Metal accumulation and a battery of biochemical biomarkers related to antioxidative stress in superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT),malondialdehyde(MDA);immune function in alkaline phosphatase(AKP),acid phosphatase(ACP);and energy metabolism in pyruvate kinase(PK)and hexokinase(HK)were assessed in mussel gills.Results showed that deep-sea mussel G.platifrons exhibited a high capacity to accumulate Mn/Fe.In addition,most tested biochemical parameters were altered by metal exposure,demonstrating that metals could induce oxidative stress,suppress the immune system,and affect energy metabolism of deep-sea mussels.The integrated biomarker response(IBR)approach indicated that the exposure to Mn/Fe had a negative impact on deep-sea mussels,and Mn demonstrated a more harmful impact on deep-sea mussels than Fe.Additionally,SOD and CAT biomarkers had the greatest impact on IBR values in Mn treatments,while ACP and HK were most influential for the low-and high-dose Fe groups,respectively.This study represents the first application of the IBR approach to evaluate the toxicity of metals on deep-sea fauna and serves as a crucial framework for risk assessment of deep-sea mining-associated metal exposure.

The sources and composition of organic matter in sediments of the Jiaozhou Bay：implications for environmental changes on a centennial time scale

The Jiaozhou Bay is characterized by heavy eutrophication that is associated with intensive anthropogenic activities. Four core sediments from the Jiaozhou Bay are analyzed using bulk technologies, including sedimentary total organic carbon（TOC）, total nitrogen（TN）, the stable carbon（δ13C） and nitrogen（δ15 N） isotopic composition to obtain the comprehensive understanding of the source and composition of sedimentary organic matter and further shed light on the environmental changes of the Jiaozhou Bay on a centennial time scale.Results suggest that the TOC and TN concentrations increase in the upper core, having indicated a probable eutrophication process since the 1920 s in the inner bay and the 2000 s in the bay mouth. The TOC and TN concentrations outside the bay have also changed since 1916 owing to the variation of terrigenous input.Considering TOC/TN ratio, δ13 C and δ15 N, it can be concluded there is a mixture of terrigenous and marine organic matter sources in the study area. A simple two end-member（terrigenous and marine） mixing model usingδ13 C indicats that 45%–79% of TOC in the Jiaozhou Bay is from the marine source. The environmental changes of the Jiaozhou Bay are recorded by geochemical proxies, which are influenced by the intensive anthropogenic activities（e.g., extensive use of fertilizers, and discharge of sewage） and climate changes（e.g., rainfall）.

The environmental implication of diatom fossils in the surface sediment of the Changjiang River estuary(CRE) and its adjacent area

In order to depict the distribution of diatom fossils in surface sediments and to establish a reliable reference data for further paleoenvironmental study in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary and its adjacent waters, the diatom fossils from 34 surface sediment samples and their relationship with environmental variables were analyzed by principal component analysis and redundancy correspondence analysis. The diversity and abundance of diatom fossils were analyzed. Some annual average parameters of the overlying water (salinity, temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, depth, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, dissolved inorganic phosphate and dissolved inorganic silicate) were measured at each sampling site. A total of 113 diatom taxa and one silicoflagellate species were identified in the investigation area. Diatom fossils were better preserved in fine sediments. The absolute abundance of diatom fossils did not significantly diff er between inshore and off shore areas, the species diversity decreased from inshore to off shore. This may be because high nutrients and low salinity promoted the growth of more brackish species in coastal waters. The diatom taxa were divided into three groups, on the basis of their response and indication to environmental changes. For example, Actinocyclus ehrenbergii and Cyclotella stylorum were dominant in coastal waters (Group 1 and Group 3) with high nutrients and low salinity;the relative abundances of Paralia sulcata and Podosira stelliger were significantly higher in off shore sites (Group 2, average 39.5%), which were characterized by high salinity and deep water. Four environmental variables (salinity, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, temperature and water depth) explained the composition and distribution of diatom taxa independently ( P< 0.05), this finding can be applied in further paleoenvironmental reconstruction research in this area.

Characterization of the Growth,Chlorophyll Content and Lipid Accumulation in a Marine Microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta under Different Nitrogen to Phosphorus Ratios

Microalgal lipids are regarded as main future feedstock of biofuels for its higher efficiency of accumulation and sus- tainable production. In order to investigate the effect of various nitrogen to phosphorus ratios on cells growth, chlorophyll content and accumulation of lipids in Dunaliella tertiolecta, experiments were carried out in modified microalgal medium with inorganic nitrogen （nitrate-nitrogen） or organic nitrogen （urea-nitrogen） as the sole nitrogen source at initial N：P ratios ranging from 1：1 to 32：1. The favorable N：P of 16：1 in the nitrate-N or urea-N medium yielded the maximum cell density and specific growth rate. Decrease in chlorophyll content were observed at the N：P of 4：1 in both nitrate-N and urea-N cultures. It was also observed that the maximum lipids concentration was obtained at the N：P of 4：1 in both nitrate and urea nutrient medium. The lipid productivity and lipid content of cultures in the urea-N medium at the N：P of 4： lwere markedly higher than those from cultures with other N：P ratios （p〈 0.05）. The results of this work illustrate the possibility that higher ratios of nitrogen to phosphorus have enhancing effect on cells growth of D. tertiolecta. Conversely, higher lipid accumulation is associated with a decrease in chlorophyll content under lower ratios of nitro- gen to phosphorus. The results confirm the hypothesis of this study that a larger metabolic flux has been channeled to lipid accumu- lation in D. tertiolecta cells when the ratios of nitrogen to phosphorus drop below a critical level.

Long-term changes in sedimentary diatom assemblages and their environmental implications in the Changjiang(Yangtze) River estuary, China

Long-term data on diatom assemblages in a sediment core （60 cm） obtained from the Changjiang （Yangtze） River estuary were analyzed in order to assess the environmental changes that took place in the approximately 38 years （as determined by 210pb measurements）, i.e., between 1974 and 2012, of sediment accumulation. From the sediment core, 62 diatom taxa and genera were identified. The diatom biomass in the core generally increased beginning in the mid-1990s （core depth： 35 cm）, accompanied by a shift in the dominant species from Podosira stelliger and two species of Cyclotella （C. stylorum and C. striata） to Paralia sulcata, three species of Thalassiosira （ T. eccentria, I＂. oestrupii, and T. excentrica）, Actinoptychus undulates, and Thalassionema nitzschioides. The changes in both species diversity and abundance suggested that since the 1980s the estuary has undergone extensive eutrophication. This conclusion was supported by the increased proportion of planktonic species, another indicator of high nutrients inputs, in the Changjiang River estuary.

Seasonal change in body length of important small copepods and relationship with environmental factors in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Differences among species in prosome length and in species' response to environmental factors do exist. Therefore, it is useful to examine prosome length for different copepod species in variable environments. Seasonal variations in prosome length of four small copepods and their copepodite stages in the Jiaozhou Bay were compared and the relative influence of temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll concentration were examined. Two peaks were found in the mean prosome length of Paracalanus parvus (in early winter and May). For Acartia bifilosa, the maximum values of all copepodites occurred mainly from February to April, and decreased to the bottom in July. Prosome length of Acartia pacifica peaked when it first appeared in June, then reached to the minimum in July. Parvocalanus crassirostris only appeared from late summer to autumn and the mean prosome length showed no clear changes. Correlations of adult prosome length with environmental factors were evaluated. For the four species, temperature was negatively correlated to prosome length except for P. crassirostris. But the different species varied markedly in their responds to temperature. A. bifilosa showed a more definite trend of size variation with temperature than P. parvus and A. pacifica. Correlations of prosome length with salinity were significantly positive for almost all the small copepods. The relationship between chlorophyll concentration and prosome length was complicated for these copepods, but for P. parvus, chlorophyll concentration was also an important affecting factor. Furthermore, investigation needs to be done on food quality for some copepod. These results are essential to estimate the biomass and the production, and to understand these small copepods' population dynamics in this human-affected bay.

DNA barcoding of Antarctic marine zooplankton for species identification and recognition

Polar zooplankton are particularly sensitive to climate change, and have been used as rapid-responders to indicate climate-induced changes in the fragile Antarctic ecosystem. DNA barcoding provides an alternative approach for rapid zooplankton species identification. Ninety-four specimens belonging to 32 Antarctic zooplankton species were barcoded to construct a compre- hensive reference library. An 830 to 1 050 base-pair region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I （mtCOI） gene was obtained as DNA barcodes. The intraspecific variation of the gene ranged from 0 to 2.6% （p-distance）, with an average of 0.67% （SD=0.67%）. The distance between species within the same genera ranged from 0.1% （Calanus） to 29.3%, with an average of 15.3% （SD=8.4%）. The morphological and genetic similarities between Calanus propinquus and C. simillimus raise new questions about the taxonomic status of C. simillimus. With the exception of the two Calanus species, the intraspecific genetic divergence was much smaller than the interspecific divergence among congeneric species, confirming the existence of a barcode gap for Ant- arctic zooplankton. In addition, species other than Calanus sp. formed a monophyletic group. Therefore, we have confirmed DNA barcoding as an accurate and efficient approach for zooplankton identification in the Antarctic area （except for Hydromedusa, Tu- nicata, and other gelatinous zooplankton）. Indicator vector analysis further confirmed this conclusion. The new primer sets issued here may facilitate the study of Antarctic marine zooplankton species composition by environmental metagenetic analysis.

In Vitro Evaluation of the Antimethanogenic Potency and Effects on Fermentation of Individual and Combinations of Marine Macroalgae

Contribution of ruminants to total greenhouse gas emissions in Australia is approximately 10% and likely to increase with demand for livestock products, thus an efficient method of mitigation must be implemented. The red marine macroalgae Asparagopsis taxiformis reduces enteric methane production by up to 99% in vitro. Other macroalgae with less potent antimethanogenic properties may complement inclusion of Asparagopsis in livestock feeds. Adoption of environmental based changes in livestock systems must provide benefits to producers if change in management is to be adopted. This study used 72 h in vitro fermentations with rumen inoculum to characterize and rank seven species of macroalgae at low inclusion that previously demonstrated some degree of antimethanogenesis at higher inclusion concentration. The seven were assessed at 5% inclusion (OM basis) and in combination with Asparagopsis to evaluate beneficial effects on fermentation. When tested individually, improvements in volatile fatty acids were generally observed, however, minimal effect on gas production and no clear justification for a ranking order were demonstrated. When tested in combination with Asparagopsis, the effects on fermentation were dominated by presence of Asparagopsis at 2% and no further benefits demonstrated. Therefore, Asparagopsis remains the only macroalga inducing near elimination of methane in vitro and benefit of combinations with other macroalgae evaluated in this study was not demonstrated. However, combination with high protein macroalgae is proposed to provide productivity enhancement during seasonal lows in grass quality and thus reduce methane emissions intensity providing a stronger conduit for environmental responsibility while increasing productivity.

Lipid accumulation and CO_2 utilization of two marine oil-rich microalgal strains in response to CO_2 aeration

Biological CO2 sequestration by microalgae is a promising and environmentally friendly technology applied to sequester CO2. The characteristics of neutral lipid accumulation by two marine oil-rich microalgal strains,namely, Isochrysis galbana and Nannochloropsis sp., through CO2 enrichment cultivation were investigated in this study. The optimum culture conditions of the two microalgal strains are 10% CO2 and f medium. The maximum biomass productivity, total lipid content, maximum lipid productivity, carbon content, and CO2 fixation ability of the two microalgal strains were obtained. The corresponding parameters of the two strains were as follows：（（142.42±4.58） g/（m^2·d）,（149.92±1.80） g/（m^2·d））,（（39.95±0.77）%,（37.91±0.58）%）,（（84.47±1.56） g/（m^2·d）,（89.90±1.98） g/（m^2·d））,（（45.98±1.75）%,（46.88±2.01）%）, and（（33.74±1.65） g/（m^2·d）,（34.08±1.32） g/（m^2·d））. Results indicated that the two marine microalgal strains with high CO2 fixation ability are potential strains for marine biodiesel development coupled with CO2 emission reduction.

Diversity and seasonal variation of marine phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay, China revealed by morphological observation and metabarcoding

Phytoplankton are central components of marine environments,and are major players in the production and respiration budgeting.However,their diversity and distribution patterns are still poorly understood due largely to their small sizes and inconspicuous morphology that have been determined via the application of traditional morphology methods over the past two decades.To better understand the composition and diversity of phytoplankton in Jiaozhou Bay,China,seasonal sampling was carried out in 2019 and samples were analyzed with morphological observations and high-throughput sequencing,from which obvious seasonal variations in phytoplankton composition and proportional abundances were uncovered.Metabarcoding revealed far more diversity and species richness of phytoplankton than morphological observations,especially with respect to dinofl agellates.Diatoms were the most dominant phytoplankton group throughout the year,of which Thalassionema and Skeletonema were co-dominant in the bay.Parasitic dinofl agellates(e.g.Amoebophrya),which is often overlooked in the morphological observations,were in dominance and high diversity in the metabarcoding dataset,thus more attention should be paid to exploring the potential role of parasitic dinofl agellates.Temperature,chlorophyll a,and nutrient levels were the main infl uential factors on the distribution of phytoplankton.This study provided a comprehensive morphological and molecular description of phytoplankton and clearly demonstrated the importance of molecular technology in exploring phytoplankton communities.More-widespread use of molecular technology will facilitate deeper understanding of the ecological importance of the diff erent species.

Net-phytoplankton communities in the Western Boundary Currents and their environmental correlations

This study investigated net-phytoplankton biomass, species composition, the phytoplankton abundance horizontal distribution, and the correlations between net-phytoplankton communities and mesoscale structure that were derived from the net samples taken from the Western Boundary Currents during summer, 2014. A total of 199 phytoplankton species belonging to 61 genera in four phyla were identified. The dominant species included C limacodium frauenfeldianum, Thalassiothrix longissima, Rhizosolenia styliformis var. styliformis, Pyrocystis noctiluca, Ceratium trichoceros, and Trichodesmium thiebautii. Four phytoplankton communities were divided by cluster analysis and the clusters were mainly associated with the North Equatorial Counter Current(NECC), the North Equatorial Current(NEC), the Subtropical Counter Current(STCC), and the Luzon Current(LC), respectively. The lowest phytoplankton cell abundance and the highest T richodesmium filament abundance were recorded in the STCC region. The principal component analysis showed that T. thiebautii preferred warm and nutrient poor water. There was also an increase in phytoplankton abundance and biomass near 5°N in the NECC region, where they benefit from upwellings and eddies.

Identification and characterization of a delta-12 fatty acid desaturase gene from marine microalgae Isochrysis galbana

The cDNA of the delta-12 fatty acid desaturase gene, IgFAD2, was cloned from the marine microalgae Isochrysis galbana, a species capable of producing docosahexaenoic acid. Sequence analysis indicated that the open reading frame measured a length of 1 158 bp and encoded 386 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 42.8 kDa and an isoelectric point of 9.2. Computational analysis of the protein sequence of IgFAD2 showed typical features of membrane-bound desaturase such as three conserved histidine boxes along with four membranespanning regions that were universally present among plant desaturases. Quantitative real-time PCR results showed that the abundance of IgFAD2 transcript was significantly upregulated under different environmental stresses including low temperature(15℃), high salinity(salinity of 62 and 93), and nitrogen starvation(220 μmol/L). Heterologous expression indicated that yeast cells transformed with a plasmid construct containing IgFAD2 could convert endogenous oleic acid(18:1^(?9), OA) into linoleic acid(18:2^(?9, 12), LA). These findings confirm that I. galbana IgFAD2 plays important roles in the biosynthetic pathways of unsaturated fatty acids.

Relationship Between Zooplankton Community Characteristics and Environmental Conditions in the Surface Waters of the Western Pacific Ocean During the Winter of 2014

Understanding the effects of environmental heterogeneity on zooplankton communities has been a hot topic for several decades.However,relatively little is known about the responses of zooplankton communities to environmental conditions at large scales from inshore waters to the open ocean.Here,we used the abundance,biovolume,taxa and size spectra of zooplankton col-lected from the surface waters of the western Pacific Ocean during the winter of 2014 to study the relationship between zooplankton community characteristics and environmental conditions using multiple linear regression(MLR)analysis and redundancy analysis(RDA).According to a hierarchical cluster analysis based on hydrographic conditions,the study area was classified into five water masses.Significant correlations were identified between the limited nutrients and the zooplankton abundance and biovolume from inshore waters to the open ocean.Non-metric multidimensional scaling(NMDS)revealed two distinct zooplankton assemblages.In the northern inshore,Copepoda and Euphausiacea were the dominant zooplankton taxa and in other water masses,Chaetognatha and gelatinous zooplankton were the dominant zooplankton taxa in addition to Copepoda.Our results suggested that,on a large scale from inshore waters to the open ocean in the western Pacific Ocean,the spatial distribution of zooplankton taxa was mainly influ-enced by environmental conditions,while in the inshore waters,it was due to the top-down effect of the dominant zooplankton taxa.Finally,the slope of the normalized biovolume size spectra(NBSS)was negatively correlated with chlorophyll-a(Chl-a)concentra-tion and PO_(4)^(3−)-P concentration in the inshore waters,which indicated that the higher the trophic level the dominant zooplankton taxa were,the steeper the NBSS slope was.