Detection and quantitative analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls in tilapia from Hawaiian waters

The purpose of this study was to investigate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) collected from the Manna stream and Ala Wai Canal of O'ahu, an island of the geographically isolated Hawaiian archipelago. Our results show that the average concentrations of PCBs varied from 51.90 to 89.42 ng g(-1) lipid weight for the sampling sites. Relative toxic potencies (RTPs) and toxic equivalencies (TEQs) were determined to be 20.38-40.60 ng TCDD g(-1) lipid weight and 2.89-4.17 ng TEQ g(-1) lipid weight by 7-ethoxy-resorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity analysis and calculation of PCB concentrations based on toxic equivalency factors (TEFs), respectively. Penta-chlorinated congeners were found to be predominant, which revealed that Aroclor 1254 was a possible major source of PCBs in our fish samples. PCB 118, an indicator PCBs, constituted more than 55% and 30% of the total PCBs and TEQs, respectively. In addition, PCB 118 was found to have a linear correlation to the total PCBs (R = 0.975) and TEQs (R = 0.782). Detection of concentrated PCBs in Hawaiian waters suggests a potentially adverse impact of this pollutant on human health, as well as ecological systems, and suggests the necessity of environmental monitoring and hazard assessment of PCBs within the Hawaiian Islands. (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Detection of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) from O'ahu, Hawai'i

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been detected for the first time at a range from 231.58 to 685.61 ng g(-1) lipid weight in the muscles of tilapia ( Oreochromis mossambicus) collected from O'ahu, an island of the geographically isolated Hawaiian archipelago.

Relationship between tissue concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and DNA adducts in green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis)

Green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis) were collected from a site in Hong Kong which is relatively free from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination, and maintained in situ at this and three other sites with different degrees of PAH contamination. The transplanted mussels were retrieved after a 30-day field exposure. DNA adducts in the gill tissues were quantified, and tissue concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene as well as total PAHs (with potential carcinogenicity) determined for individual mussels. Results indicate that (1) tissue concentration of PAHs and adduct levels in mussels collected from a single site can be highly variable; and (2) adduct levels were related to tissue concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene as well as total PAHs of individual animals.

A colorimetric assay for screening microcystin class compounds in aquatic systems

Secondary metabolites produced by water-blooming cyanobacteria in eutrophic waters include some potent hepatotoxins, These compounds also have tumour-promoting properties, attributable to their inhibition and activation of protein phosphatases and kinases respectively. The inhibitory effect of these toxins on protein phosphatases have been employed in a commonly used radiometric assay, involving the use of a P-32-labeled substrate, for the detection and quantitation of these compounds. This paper investigates and describes a colorimetric method in which the activity of protein phosphatase 2A is determined by measuring the rate of colour production from the release of yellow p-nitrophenol using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as the substrate. Results of this study suggest that the colorimetric protein phosphatase inhibition assay is a simple, inexpensive tool for screening substances that may have tumour-promoting characteristics in aquatic systems. The detection limit of the colorimetric method is comparable to the radiometric assay. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Some palaemonid shrimps (Crustacea : Decapoda) from northern South China Sea, with descripitions of two new species

Thirty-four palaemonid species from the northern area of South China Sea are reported in the present paper, including two new species, Paranchistus lini, new species, and Periclimenes chacei, new species, and eight other species are reported for the first time from South China Sea: Leander tenuicornis (Say, 1818), Leandrites stenopus Holthuis, 1950, Palaemon debilis Dana, 1852, Urocaridella antonbrurnii (Bruce, 1967), Kemponia platycheles (Holthuis, 1952), Paraclimenes franklini (Bruce, 1990b), Paranchistus spondylis Suzuki, 1971, Periclimenes hirsutus Bruce, 1971.

The pontoniine shrimps (Crustacea : Decapoda : Palaemonidae) from Anambas and Natuna Islands, Indonesia, collected by Anambas Expedition, 2002

The present paper reports 8 pontoniine shrimp species, from Anambas and Natuna, Indonesia, i. e., Anchistus miersi (De Man, 1888), Conchodytes meleagrinae Peters, 1852, Hamodacotylus boschmai Holthuis, 1952, Jocaste japonica (Ortmann, 1890), Palaemonella pottsi (Borradaile, 1915), Periclimenes andamanensis Kemp, 1922, Periclimenes attenuatus Bruce, 1971, and Periclimenes grandis (Stimpson, 1860).

Report on some species of Palaemonidae (Crustacea, Decapoda) from French Polynesia

Based on material collected from French Polynesia and deposited in the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, the present paper reports 31 palaemonid shrimp species, which belong to the Palaemoninae (two genera, three species) and to the Pontoniinae (12 genera, 28 species), including six new species. The new species are: Izucaris crosnieri n. sp., Periclimenes alexanderi n. sp., P. josephi n. sp., P platydactylus n. sp., P polynesiensis n. sp. and P vicinus n. sp. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new species are provided. Besides the six new species, ten other species are recorded for the first time from French Polynesia: Exoclimenella maldivensis Duris & Bruce, 1995, Kemponia rapanui (Fransen, 1987) n. comb., Palaemonella crosnieri Bruce, 1978, P spinulata Yokoya, 1936, Periclimenaeus hecate (Nobili, 1904), P orbitocarinatus Fransen, 2006, Periclimenes aleator Bruce, 199 1, P paralcocki Li & Bruce, 2006, P uniunguiculatus Bruce, 1990, Pontonides loloata Bruce, 2005.

Further Indo-West Pacific palaemonoid shrimps (Crustacea : Decapoda : Palaemonoidea), principally from the New Caledonian region

Based on the material deposited in the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, collected from the Indo-West Pacific, principally from the New Caledonian region, the present paper reports 117 palaemonoid shrimp species, which belong, respectively, to Anchistioididae ( one genus, one species), Gnathophyllidae ( one genus, one species), Palaemonidae Palaemoninae ( seven genera, nine species), and Palaemonidae Pontoniinae ( 30 genera, 106 species), including eight new species. The new species are all Pontoniinae: Mesopontonia brevicarpalis sp. nov., Palaemonella komaii sp. nov., Periclimenes crosnieri sp. nov., Periclimenes forgesi sp. nov., Periclimenes loyautensis sp. nov., Periclimenes paralcocki sp. nov., Periclimenes paraleator sp. nov., and Periclimenes pseudalcocki sp. nov. The last six new species are members of the deep-water "Periclimenes alcocki species complex'', which has more than two ( usually four) pairs of dorsolateral telson spines anterior to the posterior telson margin, the cornea is usually reduced, the dactyl of the major second chela is generally flanged and the chela is sometimes covered with small tubercles. The complex is usually found at more than 200m depth in the West Pacific. The species can be distinguished from each other by the armature of ambulatory propod and dactyl, diameter of cornea, rostrum shape and the number of pairs of dorsolateral telson spines. Mesopontonia brevicarpalis sp. nov., from the southeast coast of Africa, is the seventh species of the genus. Palaemonella komaii sp. nov. is very similar to Palaemonella dolichodactylus Bruce, 1991 and Palaemonella hachijo Okuno, 1999. These three species share the features of very long and slender ambulatory pereiopods with the dactyl more than eight times longer than its basal depth and with several long setae on the dorsal dactylar margin.

Aega sheni, a new species of Aegidae (Crustacea : Isopoda : Cymothoida) from southern China and Australia

Aega sheni sp. nov. from Chinese and Australian waters, is described and figured. This species is characterized by the plate-like expansion of antennule peduncle articles 1 and 2, very large eyes (nearly making contact), numerous robust setae on the inferior margins of the ischium of pereopods 2 and 3, large distal lobe on the propodus of pereopods 1-3, shape and setation of the uropods, and the rounded pleotelson posterior margin. Aega sheni has been recorded at depths of 300-435 metres.

Infrared heater arrays for warming ecosystem field plots

There is a need for methodology to warm open-field plots in order to study the likely effects of global warming on ecosystems in the future. Herein, we describe the development of arrays of more powerful and efficient infrared heaters with ceramic heating elements. By tilting the heaters at 45 degrees from horizontal and combining six of them in a hexagonal array, good uniformity of warming was achieved across 3-m-diameter plots. Moreover, there do not appear to be obstacles (other than financial) to scaling to larger plots. The efficiency [eta(h) (%); thermal radiation out per electrical energy in] of these heaters was higher than that of the heaters used in most previous infrared heater experiments and can be described by: eta(h) = 10 + 25exp(-0.17 u), where u is wind speed at 2 m height (m s(-1)). Graphs are presented to estimate operating costs from degrees of warming, two types of plant canopy, and site windiness. Four such arrays were deployed over plots of grass at Haibei, Qinghai, China and another at Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA, along with corresponding reference plots with dummy heaters. Proportional integral derivative systems with infrared thermometers to sense canopy temperatures of the heated and reference plots were used to control the heater outputs. Over month-long periods at both sites, about 75% of canopy temperature observations were within 0.5 degrees C of the set-point temperature differences between heated and reference plots. Electrical power consumption per 3-m-diameter plot averaged 58 and 80 kW h day(-1) for Haibei and Cheyenne, respectively. However, the desired temperature differences were set lower at Haibei (1.2 degrees C daytime, 1.7 degrees C night) than Cheyenne (1.5 degrees C daytime, 3.0 degrees C night), and Cheyenne is a windier site. Thus, we conclude that these hexagonal arrays of ceramic infrared heaters can be a successful temperature free-air-controlled enhancement (T-FACE) system for warming ecosystem field plots.