The Early Diagenetic Formation of Organic Sulfur in the Sediments of Mangrove Lake, Bermuda

Due to a low mineral content, the sapropelic sediments depositing in Mangrove Lake, Bermuda, provide an excellent opportunity to explore for possible additions of sulfur to organic matter during the early stages of diagenesis. We evaluated early diagenetic organic sulfur transformations by monitoring the concentrations and stable isotopic compositions of a number of inorganic and organic sulfur pools, thereby accounting for all of the sulfur in the sediments. We have identified and quantified the following sulfur pools: porewater sulfate, porewater sulfide, elemental sulfur, pyrite sulfur, hydrolyzable organic sulfur (HYOS), chromium-reducible organic sulfur (CROS), and nonchromium-reducible organic sulfur (Non-CROS). Of the organic sulfur pools, the Non-CROS pool is by far the largest, followed by CROS, and finally HYOS. By 60 cm depth these pools contribute, respectively, to 85, 7.9, and 3.6% of the total solid phase sulfur. The HYOS pool is probably of biological origin and shows no interaction with the sulfur compounds produced during diagenesis. By contrast, CROS is produced, most likely, from the diagenetic addition of polysulfides to functionalized lipids in the upper, H2S-poor, elemental sulfur-rich, region of the sediment. A portion of this sulfur pool is unstable and decomposes on contact with the H2S-rich porewaters. The portion of CROS that remains in the sulfidic waters appears to readily exchange sulfur isotopes with H2S. While some of the Non-CROS pool is of biological origin, some is also formed by the diagenetic addition of sulfur to organic compounds in the upper H2S-poor region of the sediment. By contrast with CROS, Non-CROS is not diagenetically active in the H2S-rich porewaters. Overall, somewhere between 27 and 53 % of the organic sulfur buried in Mangrove Lake sediments is of diagenetic origin, with the remaining organic sulfur derived from biosynthesis. We extrapolate our Mangrove Lake results and calculate that in typical coastal marine sediments between 11 and 29 μmol g−1 of organic sulfur will form during early diagenesis, of which 2–5 μmol g−1 will be chromium reducible.

Benzaldehyde derivatives from Eurotium rubrum, an endophytic fungus derived from the mangrove plant Hibiscus tiliaceus

Four new (1-4) and seven known (5-11) benzaldehyde derivatives were characterized from the liquid fermentation cultures of Eurotium rubrum, an endophytic fungus that was isolated from the inner tissue of stems of the mangrove plant Hibiscus tiliaceus. The structures of these compounds were determined by extensive analysis of their spectroscopic data. Among these metabolites, compound 1, which was named as eurotirumin, possesses a new carbon skeleton with a cyclopentabenzopyran ring system.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from mangrove red snapper Lutjanus argentimaculatus

Lutjanus argentimaculatus, also called mangrove red snapper, is a commercially important fish in East Asia. A proper understanding of population structure is primarily linked with the management of genetic resources in exploiting marine fisheries. Herein, seven microsatellite loci, which showed high polymorphism (observed heterozygosity per locus ranging from 0.3571 to 0.7857 and expected heterozygosity per locus ranging from 0.6236 to 0.8821), were isolated and characterized from L. argentimaculatus. Cross-species amplifications also indicate that primers designed for these loci may be useful for further studies about other closely phylogenetic species of the family Lutjanidae.

Natural Anthraquinone Derivatives from a Marine Mangrove Plant-Derived Endophytic Fungus Eurotium rubrum: Structural Elucidation and DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity

There is considerable interest in the isolation of potent radical scavenging compounds from natural resources to treat diseases involving oxidative stress. In this report, four new fungal metabolites including one new bisdihydroanthracenone derivative (1, eurorubrin), two new seco-anthraquinone derivatives [3, 2-O-methyl-9-dehydroxyeurotinone and 4, 2-O-methyl4-O-(alpha-D-ribofuranosyl)-9-dehydroxyeurotinone], and one new anthraquinone glycoside [6,3-O-(alpha-D-ribofuranosyl)questin], were isolated and identified from Eurotium rubrum, an endophytic fungal strain that was isolated from the inner tissue of the stem of the marine mangrove plant Hibiscus tiliaceus. In addition, three known compounds including asperflavin (2), 2-O-methyleurotinone (5), and questin (7) were also isolated and identified. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. All of the isolated compounds were evaluated for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity.

Chemical constituents of marine medicinal mangrove plant Sonneratia caseolaris

Twenty-four compounds including eight steroids (1-8), nine triterpenoids (9-16, 24), three flavonoids (20-22), and four benzenecarboxylic derivatives (17-19, 23) were isolated and identified from stems and twigs of medicinal mangrove plant Sonneratia caseolaris. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by extensive analysis of their spectroscopic data. Among these metabolites, compounds 1, 4-20 and 22-24 were isolated and identified for the first time from S. caseolaris. In the in vitro cytotoxic assay against SMMC-7721 human hepatoma cells, compound 21 (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) exhibited significant activity with IC50 2.8 mu g/mL, while oleanolic acid (14), 3,3'-di-O-methyl ether ellagic acid (18), and 3,3',4-O-tri-O-methyl ether ellagic acid (19) showed weak activity. None of these compounds displayed significant antibacterial activites.

Fermentative hydrogen production by the new marine Pantoea agglomerans isolated from the mangrove sludge

A new fermentative hydrogen-producing bacterium was isolated from mangrove sludge and identified as Pantoea agglomerans using light microscopic examination, Biolog test and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The isolated bacterium, designated as P. agglomerans BH-18, is a new strain that has never been optimized as a potential hydrogen-producing bacterium. In this study, the culture conditions and the hydrogen-producing ability of P. agglomerans BH-18 were examined. The strain was a salt-tolerant facultative anaerobe with the initial optimum pH value at 8.0-9.0 and temperature at 30 degrees C on cell growth. During fermentation, hydrogen started to evolve when cell growth entered late-exponential phase and was mainly produced in the stationary phase. The strain was able to produce hydrogen over a wide range of initial pH from 5 to 10, with an optimum initial pH of 6. The level of hydrogen production was affected by the initial glucose concentration, and the optimum value was found to be 10 g glucose/l. The maximum hydrogen-producing yield (2246 ml/l) and overall hydrogen production rate (160 ml/l/h) were obtained at an initial glucose concentration of 10 g/l and an initial pH value of 7.2 in marine culture conditions. In particular, the level of hydrogen production was also affected by the salt concentration. Hydrogen production reached a higher level in fresh culture conditions than in marine ones. In marine conditions, hydrogen productivity was 108 ml/l/h at an initial glucose concentration of 20 g/l and pH value of 7.2, whereas, it increased by 27% in fresh conditions. In addition, this strain could produce hydrogen using glucose and many other carbon sources such as fructose, sucrose, sorbitol and so on. As a result, it is possible that P. agglomerans BH-18 is used for biohydrogen production and biological treatment of mariculture wastewater and marine organic waste. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Composition, Abundance, and Diversity of the Peracarida on Different Vegetation Types in the Qi'ao-Dan'gan Island Mangrove Nature Reserve on Qi'ao Island in the Pearl River Estuary, China

Chang-Fu Wang, Xian-Qiu Ren, and Run-Lin Xu (2010) Composition, abundance, and diversity of the Peracarida on different vegetation types in the Qi'ao-Dan'gan Island Mangrove Nature Reserve on Qi'ao Island in the Pearl River estuary, China. Zoological Studies 49(5): 608-615. Almost nothing is known about the Peracarida in the Pearl River estuary. This is the 1st report to study the composition, abundance, and diversity of the Peracarida in the Qi'ao-Dan'gan I. Mangrove Nature Reserve on Qi'ao I., in the Pearl River estuary, southern China. Bimonthly samplings were carried out in 3 representative vegetation types (mangrove arbor, emergent plants, and seaweed) for 2 yr. Using a Peterson grab, 1940 individuals (id.) were collected in total, including 11 species of 6 genera, 5 families, and 3 orders (Amphipoda, Isopoda, and Tanaidacean). Discapseudes mackiei Bamber 1997 was the dominant species with the highest density of 1,432 incl./m(2). The effect of temperature on the abundance of Peracarida was significant (p < 0.01), and the optimum temperature was 22-23 degrees C in both the mangrove arbor and seaweed. The results showed that the abundance of the Peracarida was higher in the mangrove arbor, while the diversity, especially Amphipoda diversity, was higher in the seaweed. In contrast, emergent plants provided no suitable habitats for the Peracarida. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/49.5/608.pdf

Triterpenoids from the mangrove plant Hibiscus tiliaceus

Three new triterpenoids with the rarely occurring nigrum skeleton, namely (20E)-22-hydroxynigrum-20-en-3-one (1), 21 beta-hydroxynigrum-22(29)-en-3-one (2), and 21 alpha-hydroxynigrum-22(29)-en-3-one (3), were isolated from the mangrove plant Hibiscus tiliaceus. Additionally, five known triterpenoids including friedelin (4),12-oleanen-3 beta-ol (5), 3 beta-hydroxy-12-oleanen-28-oic acid (6),20(29)-lupen-3 beta,28-diol (7). and cucurbita-5,23-dien-3 beta,25-diol (8) were also isolated and identified. The latter structures were elucidated by a detailed NMR and MS analyses, as well as by comparison with reported literature data.

Dioxopiperazine Alkaloids Produced by the Marine Mangrove Derived Endophytic Fungus Eurotium rubrum

Cultivation of the fungal strain Eurotium rubrum, an endophytic fungus that was isolated from the inner tissue of stems of the mangrove plant Hibiscus tiliaceus, resulted in the isolation of two new dioxopiperazine derivatives, namely, dehydrovariecolorin L (1) and dehydroechinulin (2), together with eight known dioxopiperazine compounds including variecolorin L (3), echinulin (4), isoechinulin A (5), dihydroxyisoechinulin A (6), preechinulin (7), neoechinulin A (8), neoechinulin E (9), and cryptoechinuline D (10). The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by extensive analysis of their spectroscopic data as well as by comparison with literature. Compounds 1, 2, 9, and 10 were investigated for their a,a-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity. In addition, the new compounds, 1 and 2, were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against the P-388, HL-60, and A549 cell lines.

森林生态系统的养分循环-一个温带落叶阔叶林生态系统的研究

l、有机质和全N在草甸土壤的不同层次之间呈现明显的差异，表现力随着土壤深度的增加，含量逐渐降低。无机N包括NH4+-N和No3--N在土层之闻的差异并没有象全N和有机质那么显著。NH4+-在表面30Cm的土壤中明显高于NO3--N的。全P在各层土壤中的含量差异并不显著，但有效p在三层土壤中表现出明显的差异，表现为随土壤深度的增加而降低。 K、Na、Ca、Mg、Fe和AI等6种金属元素的可交换成分在革甸土壤中的含量除K表现出明显的土层间的差异外，在表层30cm的土壤中并没有明显的随土壤深度变化的趋势。 有机质和全N在东灵山地区主要森林土壤中的含量以0~lOcm土层中的显著高于10~20cm的土层中的。20cm的土层中无机N中也以NH4+-为主，这与草甸土壤中的一致。全p和有效P在两个土层之间的差异并不十分显著，而以0^lOcm土层略高于10～20Cm土层的。 K、Na、Ca、Mg、Fe和AI等6种金属元素的可交换成分在不同土层间的差异以K和Ca较为明显，K和Ca在O—1Ocm的土层中要高于lO-20cm的。 森林土壤中的有机质、全N（包括NH4+-N）、全p（包括有效P)都表现为低于亚高山草甸土壤中的，主要原因是亚高山革甸分布于海拔1800cm至2300m，而主要森林类型则基本分布在海拔120m至1500m，亚高山草甸较为恶劣的气候条件明显不利于有机质的矿化，因而分解速率较低，积聚了较多的有机质．而森林土壤中较低的NH4+-N和有效P则可能是由于森林中旺盛的生命活动，尤其是微生物的活动，而大量被植物和微生物固持，因而，即使在森林土壤中有较高的矿化速率，但仍具有较低的NH4+-N和有效p的含量． 不同类型的森林土壤之间各化学成分并没有发现有明显的变化趋势，即使森林类型差异较大的落叶阔叶林和针叶林之间也并没有发现十分显著的差异，这说明各森林类型土壤之间养分特征的一致性。两种针叶林均为人工林，林龄不超过30，而在这之前推测也是以落叶阔叶林为主，森林土壤在这30年间并没有发生十分明显的变化。 在l100m至I500m之间的各种森林类型的土壤也没有表现出十分明显的与海拔高度的相关性。同一森林土壤在不同时间的采样之间，各化学成分也没有表现出明显的差异。 2、降水引起的树干茎流水分中全N的含量在降水季节的初期的含量略高于大量降水期间的。而在降水季节后期，随着每次降雨量的减少，降水间隔时间的增加，树干茎流中N的含量明显地有很大幅度的升高。NO3-N在树干茎流中的含量也同样受到了降水量的影响，表现在后期也发生显著的升高，但升高的幅度没有全N的大。受到降水量影响的元素还有S。 全p在树干茎流水分中含量随降水时间的变化，在各个树种之间有很大的差异。 其它几种元素的可交换态在茎流水分中的含量以K的含量为最高;其次是S、ca、Mg，AI在所有分析的元素中含量最低。不过，AI在降水初期(6月22日)的取样中，含量在几个树种的茎流水分样品中普遍较高，Ca和Mg也被发现有类似的情形。 穿透雨中全N的含量在降水初期略高于降水中期的，而至降水末期时又略有升高，这种格局与树干茎流水分中的具有一致性。全P、K、Ca、Mg、S．ＡＩ等包括全N及其无视成分与树干茎流中的含量的差异并不显著． 地表径流中的全N含量在去除枯枝落叶层的径流场的变化格局与树干茎流和穿透雨中的较为一致．表明这三者之间存在一定的相关性．但与未去除枯枝落叶层的径流场的径流水分中全N和NO３－Ｎ的含量并不十分一致，全N和NO３－N的含量有时较高． 取自马牙石沟流水堰口的集水区水样中全N和NO３-N的含量均变化在l～3ｍｇ／L之间;而取自南沟流水堰口的集水区水样中的全N和N03-N的含量均在l～2mg／L之间，但在这两者之间并没有十分显著的差异，说明取自两个集水区溪流水分中的全N和N03-N的含量基本一致。 3、通过对三个森林立地乔木层生物量的两次调查（相隔6年），发现尽管以辽东栎为主要优势树种的暖温带落叶阔叶混交林（91- 03）第一次调查的生物量低于辽东栋林（91 - 02）和桦木林（91 - 04)的，但在生长6年后，该立地的乔木层生物量已明显超过桦木林的，其增长速率在三个样地中为最高。 根据两次调查的结果，三个样地中出现的11种乔木树种胸径的增加可以分成两组，第一组包括北京花楸、糠椴、白桦和辽东栎，另一组则由山杨、五角枫、棘皮桦、大叶白蜡、蒙椴、黄花柳和沙涞组成。6年中，第一组树种的胸径增加量在1.O～l.4em之间，而第二组的增量在0.2~O.9cm之间，两者之间具有显著的差异。 常用的生物量预测模型包括两个因子，即胸径(D)和树高(H)。D通常可以实测得到，但H大部分只能估计得到。本研究通过比较6年前后两次树高的实际估测结果，证明用D和H共同建立的模型预测结果可能会产生较大的人为误差，建议改用D的单因子预测模型。 无论是实测结果还是树木年轮分析结果，都表明处于目前径级水平的暖温带地区分布的这几个树种还处在不断生长的过程中，随着年龄的增加，表现为胸径还有很大程度的增加，因为这些树种目前的大径级个体的年平均增加速率大于小径级的． 树木年龄与胸径的相互关系的分析结果表明，树木年龄和胸径可以很好地用饱和模型Y=a-be－ｃｘ来拟合． 4、通过近5年对辽东栎枝条( D<0.5cm)和叶片凋落物分解的观察和分析，发现辽东栎枝条的总失重率达到了43%，分解速率常数k为2.713x10－3／周，而叶的总失重率则可以达到70%，分解速率常数k为6.234xl0-3/周. 枝条分解过程中的有机质含量变化可以分为三种类型，一种是单调上升型的，如蛋白质，其含量从3.5%增加到约6%;-种是单调下降型的，如半纤维素，约从15%降低至7%;另一种则是相对变化不大，如粗纤维（包括纤维素和木质素），粗纤维的含量变化在58％±3%，木质素变化在56%±2.5%，纤维素则变化在1%～3%之间。 用Olson指数方程拟合，结果表明粗纤维、木质素和半纤维素三者的分解以半纤维素为最快，分解速率常数为5.693xl0-3／周，其次是木质素和粗纤维，分别为2.461x10-3/周和2.352xl0-3／周．而蛋白质和纤维素的拟合结果较差或根本无法拟合． 用Olsoｎ指数方程拟合的结果表明，有些元素在凋落物分解过程中可以很好地用该方程拟合，如K，Na、Mn和C，p和N，Mg，Zn，而一些元素如Ca和Cu没有取得很好的拟合效果。 几种元素在叶片凋落物分解过程过程的丢失速率也以K为最快，其它元素的顺序为，e，N，p，Na，Mn，Mg和Ca（Ca的拟合效果较差），而Cu、Zn也不能很好地用Olson指数方程拟合。 5、根据对东灵山地区6年(199l~1997)的气象观测结果，可得到该地区的年平均降水量和总降水量，用1994年分析的降水中养分含量的数据可以近似计算得东灵山地区每年通过降水进入该暖温带落叶阔叶林生态系统的几种养分输入量。同理可以计算降水输入养分在树干茎流和穿透雨中的分配，还可以计算养分从地表径流中的输出。通过对这几个水分循环的主要环节中养分输入或输出量的计算，发现每年通过降水而进入系统的养分，大部分将积累在系统中，而输出份额只占很小的一部分。 K和Mg两种养分元素在降水通过林冠和树干表面时，将产生大量的淋溶，而Ca的淋溶较小．N、P和AI则产生少量的吸附或吸收。对于S来说，淋溶和吸收或吸附作用相当，或两者都很小。 通过生物量的年平均增量和生物量中的养分含量可以计算得到每年积累在生物量中的养分量即存留量，同理可以计算年凋落物中的养分量、归还量及生物系统从土壤中吸收的养分量，每年养分的存留率．通过以上计算，发现该落叶阔叶林对养分的存留率较低，这可能是由于该落叶阔叶林森林生态系统每年具有较高的养分归还量，对于一些元素来说，还具有较高的淋溶量，尤其是K和Mg．

深圳湾两种引种海桑属红树植物的竞争关系

红树林是生长在热带亚热带低能海岸潮间带的一种特殊的生态系统，它是海岸生态关键区。近年来由于人为的破坏，我国红树林面积日益减少，面临濒危的境地。红树林生态系统的恢复和可持续发展成为了有关研究人员和组织的焦点。引种是红树林恢复最重要的手段。无瓣海桑和海桑作为很有发展前景的红树林造林树种，已经成为了东南沿海一带主要的引种红树种。 海桑和无瓣海桑具有很多相似的特征，在生产实践中往往同时被引种到同一生境中。为了比较两个种之间的生长趋势以及相互作用关系，本实验采用替代序列设计，对无瓣海桑（Sonneratia apetala）和海桑（S. caseolaris）的竞争进行了研究，于2005年8月~2007年8月期间对无瓣海桑和海桑的形态学指标、生理学指标以及营养元素的分配进行了连续测定，采用多个竞争系数评估两个种的竞争。结果表明： 1. 在生物量及其它形态学指标的测定中，海桑比无瓣海桑具有显著的优势，说明海桑具有更强的生长优势，对深圳湾的生境更加适应。通过对无瓣海桑和海桑竞争系数的计算，发现无瓣海桑和海桑之间存在对相同资源的竞争，海桑的相对竞争能力比无瓣海桑强，而受到的竞争抑制小于无瓣海桑。 2. 海桑的净光合速率显著高于无瓣海桑，同时无瓣海桑在混种情况下具有较低的净光合速率，说明种间竞争对无瓣海桑的光合作用产生抑制作用。同时，种间竞争也对无瓣海桑的水分利用效率、光合N利用效率产生了抑制作用，但两个种之间的蒸腾速率差异不显著。 3. 植物光合叶片的N含量水平越高，叶片的净光合速率、水分利用效率和光合N利用效率越高，而光合叶片的C/N值越低。海桑在营养元素吸收和积累方面具有优势，进一步解释了海桑的竞争机制。 在深圳湾，引入种海桑比无瓣海桑具有更强的竞争力。加强对海桑属外来种的研究是很有必要的，特别是对海桑的研究，应该受到更多的关注。而对于海桑属外来种是否能引起生物入侵，还需要进一步的研究。