Food Consumption by In Situ Pen-Cultured Planktivorous Fishes and Effects on an Algal Bloom in Lake Taihu, China

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) were used as a new pen-cultureed biomanipulation technique to control algal blooms in Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu. In order to evaluate the capacity of these two fishes to decrease algal blooms, diel feeding samplings were carried out in May (without algal blooms) and September (with algal blooms) in 2005. Based on estimated food consumption by the Elliott-Persson model, silver carp increased daily food consumption from 2.07 g dry weight per 100 g wet body weight in May before the outbreak of algal blooms to 4.98 g dry weight per 100 g wet body weight in September during algal blooms outbreak. However, no obvious variation of food consumption was observed in bighead carp during the study period. This species 1.88 and 1.54 g dry weight of plankton per 100 g wet body weight in May and September, respectively. Silver carp had a higher feeding capacity for plankton than bighead carp. Biotic factors (i.e., fish size and conspecific competition with natural species in the lake) may affect the feeding behaviors of both carps as well as seasonal variation of plankton communities in the pen.

The dominant Ulva strain of the 2008 green algal bloom in the Yellow Sea was not detected in the coastal waters of Qingdao in the following winter

The region of Qingdao, China, experienced the world's largest green tide from May to July 2008. More than one million tons of fresh algal biomass of the green alga Ulva prolifera was harvested, while more was suspected to have sunk to the bottom. The original source of this seaweed was suspected to be from the south as revealed by satellite images. The floating biomass drifted with the water current northward and flourished in nearshore waters around Qingdao. However, direct biological evidence for "seed" source is lacking. It is still unclear whether this alga could survive the Qingdao local coastal environment and pose future danger of potential blooming. Systematic and seasonal sampling of waters in the intertidal zone at six collection sites along the Qingdao coast was conducted from December 2008 to April 2009. Forty-eight water samples were analyzed. From these, nine different morphotypes of Ulva were grown in the laboratory under standard temperature and light regimes. Growth of Ulva was observed in all water samples. However, molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that the dominant U. prolifera strain of the 2008 bloom was absent in all the water-derived cultures during the sampling period. These results provide evidence that the dominant bloom-forming alga was unlikely able to survive the coastal waters (the minimal surface water temperature in February is 2A degrees C) in winter conditions in Qingdao, even though all the sampling locations were heavily covered by this alga in June 2008.

A preliminary study on the mechanism of harmful algal bloom mitigation by use of sophorolipid treatment

in order to investigate a new method of mitigating the deleterious effect of harmful algal blooms (HABs), the inhibition of the glycolipid biosurfactant sophorolipid on three common harmful algae Alexandrium tamarense, Heterosigma akashiwo and Cochlodinium polykrikoides was studied. The optimum preparation condition for sophorolipid, the inhibition capability of sophorolipid and the interaction mechanism of sophorolipid on the three algal species were investigated. Results showed that sophorolipid prepared by extraction with ethyl acetate exhibited the most prominent inhibition effect and that storage time of one year had little influence on the inhibition effect of sophorolipid. The optimum concentration of 10-20 mg/l sophorolipid inhibited the motility of about 90% of the tested harmful algal cells without recovery. Investigation of the algicidal process revealed that sophorolipid induced ecdysis of A. tamarense, quick lysis of H. akashiwo and swelling of C. polykrikoides in a relatively short time. Investigation of the nucleotides showed that more than 15% of the nucleotides were released from the cytoplasm under the effect of 10-20 mg/l sophorolipid, indicating the irreversible damage on the cellular membrane, which resulted in the disintegration of the harmful algal cells. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environmental and health effects associated with Harmful Algal Bloom and marine algal toxins in China

The frequency and scale of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) and marine algal toxin incidents have been increasing and spreading in the past two decades, causing damages to the marine environment and threatening human life through contaminated seafood. To better understand the effect of HAB and marine algal toxins on marine environment and human health in China, this paper overviews HAB occurrence and marine algal toxin incidents, as well as their environmental and health effects in this country. HAB has been increasing rapidly along the Chinese coast since the 1970s, and at least 512 documented HAB events have occurred from 1952 to 2002 in the Chinese mainland. It has been found that PSP and DSP toxins are distributed widely along both the northern and southern Chinese coasts. The HAB and marine algal toxin events during the 1990s in China were summarized, showing that the HAB and algal toxins resulted in great damages to local fisheries, marine culture, quality of marine environment, and human health. Therefore, to protect the coastal environment and human health, attention to HAB and marine algal toxins is urgently needed from the environmental and epidemiological view.

Temporal Coherence of Chlorophyll a during a Spring Phytoplankton Bloom in Xiangxi Bay of Three-Gorges Reservoir, China

Algal bloom phenomenon was defined as "the rapid growth of one or more phytoplankton species which leads to a rapid increase in the biomass of phytoplankton", yet most estimates of temporal coherence are based on yearly or monthly sampling frequencies and little is known of how synchrony varies among phytoplankton or of the causes of temporal coherence during spring algal bloom. In this study, data of chlorophyll a and related environmental parameters were weekly gathered at 15 sampling sites in Xiangxi Bay of Three-Gorges Reservoir (TGR, China) to evaluate patterns of temporal coherence for phytoplankton during spring bloom and test if spatial heterogeneity of nutrient and inorganic suspended particles within a single ecosystem influences synchrony of spring phytoplankton dynamics. There is a clear spatial and temporal variation in chlorophyll a across Xiangxi Bay. The degree of temporal coherence for chlorophyll a between pairs of sites located in Xiangxi Bay ranged from -0.367 to 0.952 with mean and median values of 0.349 and 0.321, respectively. Low levels of temporal coherence were often detected among the three stretches of the bay (Down reach, middle reach and upper reach), while high levels of temporal coherence were often found within the same reach of the bay. The relative difference of DIN between pair sites was the strong predictor of temporal coherence for chlorophyll a in down and middle reach of the bay, while the relative difference in Anorganic Suspended Solids was the important factor regulating temporal coherence in middle and upper reach. Contrary to many studies, these results illustrate that, in a small geographic area (a single reservoir bay of approximately 25 km), spatial heterogeneity influence synchrony of phytoplankton dynamics during spring bloom and local processes may override the effects of regional processes or dispersal.

Modelling algal blooms in Lake Dianchi, China using neural networks

Lake Dianchi is one of the most extensively impacted freshwater lakes by algal blooms. To investigate the response of dominant algal genera, neural networks were applied to model the relationship between water quality parameters and the biomass of four dominant genera (Microcystic spp., Anabaena sp., Quadricauda (Turp.) Breb, Pediastrum Mey) in Dianchi. Results showed that the timing and magnitude of algal blooms of Microcystic spp., nabaena sp., Quadricauda (Turp.) Breb, and Pediastrum Mey in Dianchi could be successfully predicted. The evaluation of environmental factors showed that pH had more significant impact on concentrations of all the four dominant algal genera than the nutrient factors, such as total phosphorus and total nitrogen.

Synergistic effect of sophorolipid and loess combination in harmful algal blooms mitigation

The inhibition effect of sophorolipid and removal efficiency of loess on Cochlodinium polykrikoides and Alexandrium tamarense was investigated separately in the laboratory. Based on this, the combination of sophorolipid and loess for harmful algal bloom mitigation was proposed. Algal sedimentation tests in the laboratory and in the field revealed that the combination of sophorolipid and loess showed synergistic effects both on the removal efficiencies and on the mitigation cost. The concentration of 1 g/l loess and 5 mg/l sophorolipid was determined as the optimum ratio for C polykrikoides mitigation. In the field test, the effective concentration of loess and sophorolipid in the combination group was reduced to 10% and 25%, respectively, compared to the non-combination group, and the cost decreased more than 60%. The combination of loess and sophorolipid was considered as a promising novel method in harmful algal bloom mitigation. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spring Diatom Blooming Phases in a Representative Eutrophic Bay of the Three-Gorges Reservoir, China

We investigated dynamics of the phytoplankton community and abiotic factors in Xiangxi Bay of the Three-Gorge Reservoir, China, by daily sampling, a specific site during a spring algal bloom (February 23-April 28, 2005). Among the 76 taxa observed, Asterionella formosa and Cyclotella spp. were the dominants, accounting for 47.2% and 29.9% of the total abundance, respectively. We determined the five distinct developing phases of the bloom by analyzing the dissimilarity of physicochemical parameters. Simultaneously, six phytoplankton community groups were distinguished by TWINSPAN classifications. The pattern for algal community succession was similar to that for the bloom phase shift, and the structural complexity of communities significantly decreased over time. Water temperature and silicate were the main factors that related to the development of the bloom and the shifts of the phytoplankton community.

Allelopathic effects of phenolic compounds present in submerged macrophytes on Microcystis aeruginosa

In laboratory studies, the allelopathic effects of 3 (Hydrocharitaceae family) submerged macrophytes (Elodea nuttallii (Planch) St. John, Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle and Vallisneria spiralis L.) were investigated on two strains of Microcystis aeruginosa. Both aqueous methanol extracts and exudates of three macrophytes inhibited the growth of both strains of Microcystis aeruginosa, After 3-days culture, E nuttallii, H. verticillata and V. spiralis excreted 0.8, 0.3 and 1.0% of total phenolic compounds (TPC), respectively, into the surrounding water. After removing phenolic compounds by polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP)), the plant exudates showed very weak activity. The inhibitory rates of exudates of E. nuttallii, H. verticillata and V. spiralis, against non-toxic M. aeruginosa were decreased by 35.7, 43.4 and 59.1% respectively. Thus 3 submerged macrophytes released the phenolic compounds into the surrounding water, to inhibit the growth of M. aeruginosa. This information may help us in understanding the mechanism of allelopathy in aquatic ecosystems and to control the algal bloom in eutrophic water bodies.

Prediction and elucidation of the population dynamics of Microcystis spp. in Lake Dianchi (China) by means of artificial neural networks

Lake Dianchi is a shallow and turbid lake, located in Southwest China. Since 1985, Lake Dianchi has experienced severe cyanabacterial blooms (dominated by Microcystis spp.). In extreme cases, the algal cell densities have exceeded three billion cells per liter. To predict and elucidate the population dynamics ofMicrocystis spp. in Lake Dianchi, a neural network based model was developed. The correlation coefficient (R 2) between the predicted algal concentrations by the model and the observed values was 0.911. Sensitivity analysis was performed to clarify the algal dynamics to the changes of environmental factors. The results of a sensitivity analysis of the neural network model suggested that small increases in pH could cause significantly reduced algal abundance. Further investigations on raw data showed that the response of Microcystis spp. concentration to pH increase was dependent on algal biomass and pH level. When Microcystis spp. population and pH were moderate or low, the response of Microcystis spp. population would be more likely to be positive in Lake Dianchi; contrarily, Microcystis spp. population in Lake Dianchi would be more likely to show negative response to pH increase when Microcystis spp. population and pH were high. The paper concluded that the extremely high concentration of algal population and high pH could explain the distinctive response of Microcystis spp. population to +1 SD (standard deviation) pH increase in Lake Dianchi. And the paper also elucidated the algal dynamics to changes of other environmental factors. One SD increase of water temperature (WT) had strongest positive relationship with Microcystis spp. biomass. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorus (TP) had strong positive effect on Microcystis spp. abundance while total nitrogen (TN), biological oxygen demand in five days (BOD5), and dissolved oxygen had only weak relationship with Microcystis spp. concentration. And transparency (Tr) had moderate positive relationship with Microcystis spp. concentration.

Distribution of phytoplankton in the Three-Gorge Reservoir during rainy and dry seasons

After damming of the Yangtze River, in order to explore the impacts of the Three-Gorge Dam (TGD) on the aquatic ecosystem, phytoplankton composition, abundance and biomass spatial distribution were studied in the Three-Gorge Reservoir (TGR), and the closest upstream anabranch Xiangxi River, which is 38 kin away from the Three-Gorge Dam (TGD) during August (rainy season) 2004 and April (dry season) 2005. In surveys, 6 transects (2 downstream and 4 cross-stream) and 25 stations have been investigated and 314 samples were collected from the surface to the river bed with water samplers. In TGR, 63 taxa and 60 taxa were identified in the rainy and dry seasons, respectively. In the Xiangxi River, 39 taxa were observed in the rainy and dry seasons. Algal blooms occurred in the Xiangxi River and at the influx region of the Yangtze and Xiangxi in both seasons, but had not occurred prior to damming. In the rainy season, the dominant species was Chroomonas acuta with 1.84 x 10(7) cells l(-1), and in the dry season the dominant species were Asterionella formosa and Cryptomonas ovata with 1.34 x 10(7) cells l(-1) and 1.79 x 10(6) cells(.)l(-1), respectively. In the main channel of TGR, there were no significant correlations between phytoplankton abundance and the concentrations of the main soluble nutrients. In the Xiangxi River, significant negative correlations were observed between phytoplankton abundance and nitrate (Spearman, p < 0.01, n=21), phosphate (Spearman, p < 0.05, n=21) and silicate (Spearman, p < 0.01, n=21) in the rainy season, and similar correlations were also observed with nitrate (Spearman, p < 0.05, n=28) and silicate (Speannan, p < 0.01, n=28), but not with phosphate in the dry season. Since the damming of the Yangtze River, eutrophication in the anabranch within the backwater has occurred and become severe, and the frequency of algal bloom within TGR and anabranches is expected to increase. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The temporal and spatial distribution, composition and abundance of Protozoa in Chaohu Lake, China: Relationship with eutrophication

Systematic investigations into the temporal and spatial distribution, composition and abundance of protozoa in two regions with different trophic levels in Chaohu Lake, a large, shallow and highly eutrophic freshwater lake in China, were conducted during 2002-2003. A total of 114 species of protozoa, including phytomastigophorans, zoomastigophorans, amoebae and ciliates, were identified from 120 polyurethane foam unit (PFU) samples exposed at four stations and from various types of natural substrates. Of the 114 taxa, 36 core species were found on PFU substrates and 23 of these were found on natural ones. Protozoan abundance and chemical physical parameters at nine sampling stations, four in the western lake and five in the eastern part, indicate trophic gradient changes along the lake. Seasonal variations in the species composition of major groups at littoral PFU sampling stations illustrate the effect of a severe algal bloom on the protozoan community structure. Temporal and spatial distributions of individual abundance as functions of water temperature and trophic status were revealed. This study demonstrates again that the PFU artificial substrate method samples protozoan communities more effectively than routine natural substrate methods. (c) 2005 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Development of rRNA and rDNA-targeted probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization to detect Heterosigma akashiwo (Raphidophyceae)

Heterosigma akashiwo (Hada) is a fragile, fish-killing alga. Efforts to understand and prevent blooms due to this harmful species to mitigate the impact on aquaculture require the development of methods for rapid and precise identification and quantification, so that adequate warning of a harmful algal bloom may be given. Here, we report the development and application of rRNA and rDNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to aid in the detection and enumeration of H. akashiwo. The designed probes were species specific, showing no cross-reactivity with four common HAB causative species: Prorocentrum micans Ehrenberg, P. minimum (Pavillard) Schiller, Alexandrium tarmarense (Lebour) Balech, and Skeletonema costatum (Greville) Cleve, or with four other microalgae, including Gymnodinium sp. Stein, Platy-monas cordiformis (Karter) Korsch, Skeletonema sp.1 Greville and Skeletonema sp.2. The rRNA-targeted probe hybridized to cytoplasmic rRNA, showing strong green fluorescence throughout the whole cell, while cells labeled by rDNA-targeted probe exhibited exclusively fluorescent nucleus. The detection protocols were optimized and could be completed within an hour. For rRNA and rDNA probes, about a corresponding 80% and 70% of targeted cells could be identified and quantified during the whole growth circle, despite the inapparent variability in the average probe reactivity. The established FISH was proved promising for specific, rapid, precise, and quantitative detection of H. akashiwo. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Morphological and phylogenetic analysis of a Gymnodinium-like species from the Chinese Coast

A Gymnodinium-like species was studied with light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also, the internal transcribed spacers (containing 5.8S rDNA) and large ribosomal subunit DNA (D1-D2) sequences were obtained by PCR amplification, and then sequenced to explore the relationships within our isolate, Gymnodinium and other Gymnodinium-like species, including Karenia, Gyrodinium, Karlodinium and Symbiodinium. The LM observation showed that the species was characterized by moving in a levorotatory direction, visible hypocone, epicone and transverse groove, all of which are typical for Gymnodinium. In addition, two flagella could be found under SEM. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolate grouped with Symbiodium, rather than other relevant dinoflagellates. All results showed our isolate belongs to Symbiodium. The strain was isolated from a red tide water sample, denoting that Symbiodium may be causative species for algal bloom.

东海大规模赤潮对微型浮游动物群落结构影响的研究

本文从赤潮发生前的现场模拟实验、赤潮发生时的现场培养实验和赤潮发生过程中的现场调查等方面，较为系统地研究了东海大规模赤潮对微型浮游动物群落结构的影响。 2005年长江口及邻近海区赤潮发生前，赤潮973MC2005－03航次在本海区进行了综合调查，期间分别于4月27日、5月4日和5月8日，在zzf1、zc18a和ra5三个站位利用现场船基培养的方法，研究了添加到赤潮密度106 cells L-1的东海原甲藻（Prorocentrum donghaiense）对微型浮游动物群落结构的影响。结果发现，赤潮密度的东海原甲藻对小型无壳纤毛虫的种群数量影响较大，而对中大型砂壳纤毛虫的影响较小，从而使得微型浮游动物群落有向中大型砂壳纤毛虫演替的趋势。在zzf1站位，小型无壳纤毛虫占绝对优势，添加东海原甲藻72 h后，优势种由管游虫（Cyrtostrombidium sp.）演替为另一种小型无壳纤毛虫急游虫4（Strombidium sp.4）；在以中型砂壳纤毛虫百乐拟铃虫（Tintinnospsis beroidea）为优势种的zc18a站位，仍然是以此为优势种，但其在群落中的优势度更加明显；ra5站位也是以小型无壳纤毛虫为主，添加东海原甲藻72 h后，其群落结构由急游虫2（Strombidium sp.2）向中大型砂壳纤毛虫纤毛虫百乐拟铃虫和亚速岛网纹虫（Favella azorica）演替。不同站位微型浮游动物群落结构变化的差异与其本身的群落结构组成有一定关系，也与浮游植物的群落组成有关。zzf1和ra5站位实验组中微型浮游动物的总丰度和总生物量都低于对照组，而zc18a站位变化不明显，这是由于前两个站位实验组中的优势种管游虫（zzf1站位）和急游虫2（ra5站位）的丰度和生物量迅速下降，而zc18a站位实验组的优势种百乐拟铃虫的丰度和生物量比较稳定造成的。 2005年长江口及邻近海区赤潮发生时，赤潮973 MC2005－04航次在本海区进行了综合调查，期间分别于5月26日、5月28日、5月28日和5月29日，在xzm1、srb、sra1和hb8a四个站位利用现场培养的方法，研究了东海大规模赤潮对微型浮游动物群落结构的影响。结果发现，东海大规模赤潮对微型浮游动物群落结构的影响与赤潮藻的密度密切相关：xzm1、srb和sra1站位是赤潮区，两种赤潮藻的总密度分别为，1.3×106 cells L-1、1.8×106 cells L-1和5.6×106 cells L-1，而hb8a站位位于非赤潮区，两种赤潮藻的总密度仅为5×105 cells L-1；实验进行72 h后，在以大型砂壳纤毛虫网纹虫和筒壳虫（Tintinnidium sp.）为主的xzm1、srb和sra1站位，仍然是以这些大型砂壳纤毛虫为主，且其在群落中的百分比显著增大，尤其在赤潮藻密度最高的的sra1站位，这种演替趋势表现的最明显；而在以小型无壳纤毛虫急游虫2为主的hb8a站位，微型浮游动物群落向中型砂壳纤毛虫真丁丁虫（Eutintinnus sp.）演替。培养过程中微型浮游动物总丰度的变化以及总生物量的变化都与赤潮藻的密度密切相关：赤潮藻密度较低的xzm1站位和srb站位变化不大；赤潮藻密度较高的sra1站位则快速下降；而非赤潮区的hb8a站位呈快速上升的趋势。以上结果进一步表明东海大规模赤潮能使微型浮游动物群落向中大型砂壳纤毛虫演替。 在2006年4月18日－5月30日，赤潮973项目MC2006航次在长江口及其邻近海区围绕东海原甲藻和米氏凯伦藻赤潮进行了综合调查。为了研究该过程中微型浮游动物群落结构的变化，我们在南北5个断面共计21个站位进行了取样，样品涉及赤潮发生前期、发生期和消退期。本次调查共发现纤毛虫66种，其中砂壳纤毛虫有8属37种，寡毛类无壳纤毛虫25种，另外还有前口类3属4种。在赤潮发生前之前，小型无壳纤毛虫的丰度普遍较高，平均值为1574 ind L-1，而中大型砂壳纤毛虫的丰度普遍偏低，平均值仅为14 ind L-1；赤潮发生以后，在大多数站位小型无壳纤毛虫的丰度出现不同程度的下降，平均值降为171 ind L-1，而中大型砂壳纤毛虫的丰度出现一定程度的上升，平均值增至216 ind L-1。赤潮消退时，小型无壳纤毛虫丰度的平均值降为109 ind L-1，而中大型砂壳纤毛虫的丰度继续增长，变为401 ind L-1。不同微型浮游动物百分比的统计结果也表明：微型浮游动物群落由小型无壳纤毛虫向中大型砂壳纤毛虫演替的趋势：小型无壳纤毛虫在群落中百分比的平均值由赤潮发生前的62 %变为赤潮发生时的32 %，至赤潮消退时又降为15 %；而中大型砂壳纤毛虫百分比的平均值从赤潮发生前的10 %变为赤潮发生时的24 %，至赤潮消退时增至50 %。典型站位za3、za5、zb7和zb9的结果再次表明了赤潮发生过程中微型浮游动物群落由小型无壳纤毛虫向中大型砂壳纤毛虫演替的趋势。 由以上赤潮发生前的现场模拟实验、赤潮发生时的现场培养实验和赤潮发生过程中的现场调查的结果均可见，东海大规模赤潮可以改变微型浮游动物的群落结构，呈现由小型无壳纤毛虫向中大型砂壳纤毛虫演替的趋势，进而有可能影响中大型浮游动物等摄食者的种群数量和群落结构，最终可能会影响整个海洋生态系统的结构和功能。