Distribution and bioaccumulation of microcystins in water columns: A systematic investigation into the environmental fate and the risks associated with microcystins in Meiliang Bay, Lake Taihu

For the purpose of understanding the environmental fate of microcystins (MCs) and the potential health risks caused by toxic cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Taihu, a systematic investigation was carried out from February 2005 to January 2006. The distribution of MCs in the water column, and toxin bioaccumulations in aquatic organisms were surveyed. The results suggested that Lake Taihu is heavily polluted during summer months by toxic cyanobacterial blooms (with a maximum biovolume of 6.7 x 10(8) cells/L) and MCs. The maximum concentration of cell-bound toxins was 1.81 mg/g (DW) and the dissolved MCs reached a maximum level of 6.69 mu g/L. Dissolved MCs were always found in the entire water column at all sampling sites throughout the year. Our results emphasized the need for tracking MCs not only in the entire water column but also at the interface between water and sediment. Seasonal changes of MC concentrations in four species of hydrophytes (Eichhornic crassipes, Potamogeton maackianus, Alternanthera philoxeroides and Myriophyllum spicatum) ranged from 129 to 1317, 147 to 1534, 169 to 3945 and 124 to 956 ng/g (DW), respectively. Toxin accumulations in four aquatic species (Carassius auratus auratu, Macrobrachium nipponensis, Bellamya aeruginosa and Cristaria plicata) were also analyzed. Maximum toxin concentrations in the edible organs and non-edible visceral organs ranged from 378 to 730 and 754 to 3629 ng/g (DW), respectively. Based on field studies in Lake Taihu, risk assessments were carried out, taking into account the WHO guidelines and the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for MCs. Our findings suggest that the third largest lake in China poses serious health threats when serving as a source of drinking water and for recreational use. In addition, it is likely to be unsafe to consume aquatic species harvested in Lake Taihu due to the high-concentrations of accumulated MCs. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structure of the phytoplankton community and its relationship to water quality in Donghu Lake, Wuhan, China

The phytoplankton community structure, in terms of species composition, total standing crop, and abundance of the dominant algal species, at four stations in Donghu Lake, Wuhan, China, was investigated monthly from January 1994 to December 1996. A total of 260 taxa was observed, of which Chlorophyta (106 taxa) contributed the highest portion of the total number of taxa, followed by Bacillariophyta (82 taxa) and Cyanophyta (32 taxa). The total standing crop measured by means of chlorophyll a content, cell density, and cell biovolume, as well as the abundance of the dominant species, declined in the order of Station I to Station IV. Seasonal changes of the standing crop varied greatly among the four stations. Although the cell density at the four stations showed a single peak within a year, the peak density varied from July to November, dependent on the sampling year and the station. For chlorophyll a content and cell biovolume, multiple peaks were observed at Stations I and II, but a single peak was found at Stations III and IV. The phytoplankton community structure indicated that the trophic status was the highest at Station I (most eutrophic), followed by Station II; Stations III and IV were the least trophic areas. The long-term changes in phytoplankton community structure further suggested that changes in phytoplankton community structure were correlated with water quality, and eutrophication of Donghu Lake had been aggravated since the 1950s.

The vertical microdistribution of cyanobacteria and green algae within desert crusts and the development of the algal crusts

Substantial amounts of algal crusts were collected from five different desert experimental sites aged 42, 34, 17, 8 and 4 years, respectively, at Shapotou ( China) and analyzed at a 0.1 mm microscale of depth. It was found that the vertical distribution of cyanobacteria and microalgae in the crusts was distinctly laminated into an inorganic-layer (ca. 0.00 - 0.02 mm, with few algae), an algae-dense-layer ( ca. 0.02 - 1.0 mm) and an algae-sparse-layer ( ca. 1.0 - 5.0 mm). It was interesting to note that in all crusts Scytonema javanicum Born et Flah ( or Nostoc sp., cyanobacterium), Desmococcus olivaceus (Pers ex Ach., green alga) Laundon and Microcoleus vaginatus Gom. ( cyanobacterium) dominated at the depth of 0.02 - 0.05, 0.05 - 0.1 and 0.1 - 1.0 mm, respectively, from the surface. Phormidium tenue Gom. ( or Lyngbya cryptovaginatus Schk., cyanobacterium) and Navicula cryptocephala Kutz.( or Hantzschia amphioxys (Ehr.) Grun. and N. cryptocephala together, diatom) dominated at the depth of 1.0 - 3.0 and 3.5 - 4.0 mm, respectively, of the crusts from the 42 and 34 year old sites. It was apparent that in more developed crusts there were more green algae and the niches of Nostoc sp., Chlorella vulgaris Beij., M. vaginatus, N. cryptocephala and fungi were nearer to the surface. If lichens and mosses accounted for less than 41.5% of the crust surface, algal biovolume was bigger when the crust was older, but the opposite was true when the cryptogams other than algae covered more than 70%. In addition to detailed species composition and biovolume, analyses of soil physicochemical properties, micromorphologies and mineral components were also performed. It was found that the concentration of organic matter and nutrients, electric conductivity, silt, clay, secondary minerals were higher and there were more micro-beddings in the older crusts than the less developed ones. Possible mechanisms for the algal vertical microdistribtion at different stages and the impact of soil topography on crust development are discussed. It is concluded that biomethods ( such as fine species distribution and biovolume) were more precise than mineralogical approaches in judging algal crust development and thus could be a better means to measure the potentiality of algal crusts in desert amelioration.

次生林林窗光环境时空特征及其对下层植被的影响

林窗是森林中经常发生的重要中小尺度干扰，在森林天然更新中起着重要作用。灌木和草本植物通过与乔木幼苗竞争林窗资源（尤其是光）而影响林窗树种更新，因此，研究林窗光环境时空特征及其与下层植被关系对揭示林窗树种更新机制具有重要意义。然而，林窗光环境的时空异质性及有效测量方法的缺乏导致这方面研究很少。本研究提出了林窗立体结构的相片测量法；基于林窗立体结构、坡度和坡向改进了目前广泛用于估测林窗光环境的林窗光指数(gap light index, GLI)模型，并提出了林窗内任意位置最大光照时长(potential sunshine duration, PSD)的计算方法；采用改进的GLI和PSD分析了东北次生林3个不同大小林窗（110，270，510 m2）及其对应的9个模拟林窗中2007年光环境的时空特征；通过在12个人工林窗中连续3年的植被调查，研究了林窗形成后前3年下层木本和草本植物对4个光强梯度的响应，主要结论如下： 1. 林窗立体结构和光环境的测量方法：1) 等角椭圆扇形法计算的林窗面积比目前使用较多的等角多边形法具有更高的精度；2) 半球面影像法可以测量林窗面积和形状，且精度较高；3) 双半球面影像法不仅可以测量林窗面积、形状，还可以测量任意方位林窗边缘木高度；4) 改进的GLI可以快速、精确计算林窗任意位置的直射光和散射光；5) PSD可用于分析林窗光照强度时空特征。 2. 东北次生林林窗光环境时空特征：1) 水平空间结构（地面层）：光环境空间异质性高，最大值位于林窗北部，坡向对光分布格局影响大而对光强影响小，光强随林窗面积的增大和边缘木高度的降低而增加；2) 垂直空间结构（林窗南北轴）：不同高度层光强最大值均位于林窗南北轴中心偏北，南北轴距地面越高光强最大值则越靠近轴中心；光强随距地面高度下降而衰减，最大衰退速率点位于轴中心偏南，靠近该点光强衰退线呈指数形，远离该点则趋于直线形；3) 光成分特征（地面层南北轴）：南坡林窗整个南北轴上直射光大于散射光，北坡模拟林窗南半轴散射光大于直射光，而北半轴相反；南坡林窗中直射光的均值及其变化范围都比其对应的北坡模拟林窗大，然而，坡向对散射光影响不大；南坡林窗和北坡模拟林窗北半轴的全光和直射光均比南半轴大，但散射光没有这种显著的规律；4) 时间特征：不同月份PSD在相同大小林窗中分布格局十分相似，6月份林窗中被光照射面积和PSD均值最大，而10月份最小；各月PSD在南北轴上从南到北逐渐增加，在东西轴上自西向东缓慢增加。 3. 林窗早期下层植被对光强梯度的响应：1) 木本植物物种丰富度随光照强度的增加而增高，且在林窗形成后的第2和3年均存在显著相关性；2) DCA排序第一轴表明，木本植物物种组成仅第1年在4个光强梯度间存在显著差异，而在各年间存在显著差异；草本植物物种组成在4个光强梯度上存在显著差异，但在各年间不存在显著差异；3) 木本植物生物体积(biovolume)随光强梯度升高而增加，而植株密度不存在显著变化；生物体积逐年增加，平均年增长率为20.3%，植株密度逐年下降，平均年减少率为30.0%；4) 草本层盖度和高度在4个光强梯度间均不存在显著差异，但在林窗形成后的第2、3年均显著比第1年大。

Restructuring of a zooplankton community by perturbation from a wind-forced coastal jet

The impact of transient wind events on an established zooplankton community was observed during a, field survey in a, coastal region off northern Norway in May 2002. A transient wind event induced a coastal jet/filament intrusion of warm, saline water into our survey area where a semi-permanent eddy was present. There was an abrupt change in zooplankton community structure within 4-7 days of the wind event, with a change in the size structure, an increase in lower size classes less than 1 mm in equivalent spherical diameter (ESD) and a decrease in larger size classes greater than 1.5 mm in ESD. The slope of zooplankton biovolume spectra changed from -0.6 to -0.8, consistent with the size shifting towards smaller size classes. This study shows that even well established zooplankton communities are susceptible to restructuring during transient wind events, and in particular when wind forcing induces horizontal currents or filaments.