Excitation energy distribution between two photosystems in Porphyra yezoensis and its significance in photosynthesis evolution

Comparative investigation on energy distribution between two photosystems were carried out in the sporophytes and gametophytes of Porphyra yezoensis. By performing 77 K fluorescence spectra, we suggested that there probably existed a pathway for energy transfer from PS II to PS I to redistribute the absorbed energy in gametophytes, while no such a way or at minor level in sporophytes. Electron transfer inhibitor DCMU blocked the energy transfer from PS II to PS I in gametophytes, but no obvious effects on sporophytes. These indicated that excitation energy distribution between two photosystems in gametophytes was more cooperative than that in sporophytes. These data in ontogenesis reflected the evolution process of photosynthetic organisms and supported the hypothesis of independent evolution of each photosystem.

Two possible hydrothermal vents in the northern Okinawa Trough

As the Okinawa Trough is a back-are basin in early spreading, modern submarine hydrothermal activity and minerallization have many characteristics which have aroused wide attention. Up to now three well-known hydrothermal venting areas are all located in the middle part of the trough, During two cruise investigations to map and sample the seafloor numbers of Calyptogena sp, shells were dredged at two sites in the northern trough with comparatively thicker crust and numerous submarine volcanoes. Based on the fact that Calyptogena sp, is only observed around the hydrothermal vents and lives on hydrothermal activities, it is predicted that there is the possibility of modern hydrothermal activities in the northern part of the trough. In this note, the shell is carefully characterized and the sample locations with possible hydrothermal activity are given. it Is pointed out that the research of biogenic fossils to trace hydrothermal activity changes in venting time, strength fluctuations, evolution In chemical compositions and so on should be stressed in the future in addition to the study of the ecological characteristics of hydrothermal organisms.

桑沟湾贝藻养殖区附着生物生态效应研究

附着生物又称污损生物，是附生在海洋设施和生物体表面的动物、植物和微生物等生物的总称（Azis et al., 2001）。附生在养殖器材和生物体表面的数量巨大的附着生物，对贝类养殖和海湾生态系统内的物质和营养盐循环等多个方面产生影响。本研究以北方重要的养殖海湾----桑沟湾为研究对象，对贝藻养殖区附着生物的群落演替及其生态效应进行了研究。主要研究结果如下： ① 2007年5月至2008年5月，采用挂网的方法对桑沟湾栉孔扇贝和海带混养区的附着生物的季节变化进行了研究。结果显示挂网上的附着生物具有显著的季节变化特征，网片上的附着生物湿重与水温的变化相一致，生物量为3~1210 g•m-2。2月份附着生物的生物量最低，8月份最高。2007年9月至11月，对栉孔扇贝养殖笼上和贝壳上的附着生物种类和数量进行了研究。结果显示9月份养殖笼上附着生物的湿重约为1.94 kg，10月份降至0.99 kg，11月份又稍有增加，为1.03 kg。扇贝壳上的附着生物变化趋势与养殖笼上的相同，9~11月份壳上附着生物的数量约0.49~2.09 g。扇贝养殖笼上可鉴定的大型附着生物约23种，包括藻类、海鞘类、苔藓虫类、环节动物、腔肠动物、软体动物、甲壳动物和海绵动物等。玻璃海鞘、柄海鞘、紫贻贝和苔藓虫等是附着生物群落中的优势种。 ② 通过在栉孔扇贝和虾夷扇贝上壳上添加不同重量的“模拟附着生物”（速凝水泥）的方法，研究了贝壳上附着生物的重量对这两种扇贝生长和存活的影响。结果显示水泥重量是上壳重0.5-3倍的各组实验组扇贝的生长和存活与对照组（未添加水泥的扇贝）之间没有显著差异。说明贝壳上附着生物重量为上壳的3倍重时，也不会显著影响扇贝生长存活。9-11月份贝壳上的自然附着生物的重量约为1.47-2.09 g，为上壳重的28.16 (±38.6)%—31.29 ± (31.63)%。因此，贝壳上附着的生物重量不太可能对扇贝的生长存活造成显著的负面影响。 ③ 在桑沟湾现场测定了玻璃海鞘和柄海鞘的生物沉积速率。9月份（水温约24℃）玻璃海鞘和柄海鞘的生物沉积速率分别为32.14和90.06 mg•ind-1•d-1或（858.99 和467.76 mg•gdw-1•d-1），据此计算，养殖笼上的两种海鞘的生物沉积速率约为84.29 mg•m-2•d-1。海区的自然沉积速率为41.49 mg•m-2•d-1；玻璃海鞘和柄海鞘沉积物中有机质含量分别为14.34%和13.77%，对照组海区自然的有机质含量为14.36%；以上三者有机碳的含量分别为24.72%，23.74%和24.76%；氮的含量分别为0.27%和0.25%，自然沉积物中的氮含量为0.30%。9月份扇贝养殖笼上附着的海鞘将产生2588.16吨的沉积物，即向底部沉积363.77吨的有机物、6.99吨的氮和1.79吨的磷。 ④ 通过测定扇贝养殖笼上优势种附着生物--玻璃海鞘、柄海鞘和贻贝的摄食、呼吸和排泄，研究了这些优势种类对贝类养殖和海湾环境的影响。9月份（水温约24.5℃）玻璃海鞘和柄海鞘对颗粒有机物（POM）的摄食率分别为14.30 和17.01 mg• h-1•ind-1。根据实验结果计算这两种海鞘摄取的颗粒有机物相当于312个扇贝的摄取量，大于笼内养殖的扇贝的摄取量；玻璃海鞘和柄海鞘的耗氧率分别约为0.32和0.18 mg•h-1•ind-1，养殖笼上的这两种海鞘消耗的溶解氧约等于75个扇贝消耗的溶解氧。栉孔扇贝、玻璃海鞘、柄海鞘和贻贝的排氨率分别为33.66 ±11.34，117.90±23.46，35.91±6.22，28.08±3.41 ug NH4-N•gdw-1•h-1。以此估算，9月份玻璃海鞘、柄海鞘和贻贝每天排泄的氨氮约为654.08 kg，相当于16467吨栉孔扇贝（鲜重）排泄的氨氮。海鞘和贻贝排泄的氨氮可提供浮游植物等所需的2.75%的氮，可以提供1204吨海带的生长所需的氮。 ⑤ 一个养殖笼内的栉孔扇贝和全部附着生物（Scallop Culture Unit, SCU）在夏季（6-9月）对颗粒有机物的摄食速率约为43.13-98.94 mg/h，平均74.05 mg/h，期间桑沟湾养殖的栉孔扇贝及附着生物摄取的POM约为1279.58吨；同期，SCU对氨氮和磷（PO4-P）的排泄速率分别为125.59-1432.23 μmol•h-1和76.2-252.89μmol•h-1，期间桑沟湾养殖扇贝及附着生物排泄的氮磷分别为211.09 吨和83.79 吨。一串牡蛎及吊绳和牡蛎壳上的附着生物（Oyster Culture Unit, OCU），夏季摄食率为5-41.43μmol•h-1，耗氧率为16.54-41.76μmol•h-1，对氨氮和磷（PO4-P）的排泄速率分别为35.56-489.34μmol•h-1 和9.92-16.68μmol•h-1。以此估算，夏季OCU可摄取POM535.68吨，消耗溶解氧955.58吨，排泄氮磷分别为62.37 吨和15.50 吨。

藏东南迦巴瓦变质岩楔入体东边界阿尼桥断裂带构造变形性质、年代学与构造意义

The Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter is a part of the Indian plate. The Aniqiao fault, a northeastern striking shear zone, is the eastern boundary of the Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter. The activities of the Aniqiao fualt reflects the history of structure deformation and uplift of the Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter. In this dissertation, studied the history of activities of the Aniqiao fault, I study the deformation of the Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter based on which, I try to discuss the history of action and deformation of the eastern Tibet. The Aniqiao fault composes of mica quartz schist. With observing in the field and by the microscope, there are at least two stages of deformation. The earlier is right lateral striking, the later is normal striking. The biotite, in the hornblende biotitic mylonite in western footwall, the muscovite and sericite, in the mica quartz schist in eastern hangingwall, show 4 plateau and isochron ages: 3.7-3.3Ma, 6.8-6.4Ma, 13.4-13.2Ma, 23.9Ma, by ~(40)Ar/~(39)Ar. Combine the characteristics of kinematics with the characteristics of isotopic ages, this dissertation figured three stages of deformation: in 23.9Ma and 13.4-13.2 Ma, the Aniqiao fault undertook twice strike-slip deformation; in 6.8Ma-6.4Ma, the Aniqiao fault occurred normal strike deformation; in 3.7-3.3Ma, there was another thermal case which maybe relating to uplift. Combine the deformation of the Aniqiao fault and the deformation of the western boundary fault of the Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter, this dissertation considers that the Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter has occurred three defomational cases during the period of Oligocene and Quaternary: in 23Ma and 13Ma, the Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter wedged into the Gangdisi granite zone; from 6-7Ma, the Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter begins to uplift. From 6-7Ma, the Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter must has been occurred multi-stage uplifting. The indentation of the Namche Barwa metamorphic rock indenter is correspond to the structure escape of the Chuanxi, Dianxi blocks. In the surface deformation, the movement of these blocks are very harmonious.

Efeitos tóxicos subletais de piritionato de zinco em parâmetros toxicológicos de Gambusia holbrooki

Projeto de Pós-Graduação/Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências Farmacêuticas

O discurso de O Portuguez e a Corte portuguesa no Brasil

Relatório apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para cumprimento do programa de pós-doutoramento em Ciências da Comunicação, vertente Jornalismo

Genes involved in complex adaptive processes tend to have highly conserved upstream regions in mammalian genomes

BACKGROUND:Recent advances in genome sequencing suggest a remarkable conservation in gene content of mammalian organisms. The similarity in gene repertoire present in different organisms has increased interest in studying regulatory mechanisms of gene expression aimed at elucidating the differences in phenotypes. In particular, a proximal promoter region contains a large number of regulatory elements that control the expression of its downstream gene. Although many studies have focused on identification of these elements, a broader picture on the complexity of transcriptional regulation of different biological processes has not been addressed in mammals. The regulatory complexity may strongly correlate with gene function, as different evolutionary forces must act on the regulatory systems under different biological conditions. We investigate this hypothesis by comparing the conservation of promoters upstream of genes classified in different functional categories.RESULTS:By conducting a rank correlation analysis between functional annotation and upstream sequence alignment scores obtained by human-mouse and human-dog comparison, we found a significantly greater conservation of the upstream sequence of genes involved in development, cell communication, neural functions and signaling processes than those involved in more basic processes shared with unicellular organisms such as metabolism and ribosomal function. This observation persists after controlling for G+C content. Considering conservation as a functional signature, we hypothesize a higher density of cis-regulatory elements upstream of genes participating in complex and adaptive processes.CONCLUSION:We identified a class of functions that are associated with either high or low promoter conservation in mammals. We detected a significant tendency that points to complex and adaptive processes were associated with higher promoter conservation, despite the fact that they have emerged relatively recently during evolution. We described and contrasted several hypotheses that provide a deeper insight into how transcriptional complexity might have been emerged during evolution.

Proteomic approach to oxidative stress in Daphnia magna

The keystone aquatic organism Daphnia magna is extensively used to assess the toxicity of chemicals. This has recently lead to an increase in the omics literature focusing on daphnids, an increase fuelled by the sequencing of the Daphnia pulex genome. Yet, no omics study has looked directly at oxidative stress (OS) in daphnids, even though OS is of primary importance in the response of aquatic organisms to their changing environment and is often induced by anthropogenic xenobiotics. This thesis thus focuses on the application of redox-proteomics, the study of the oxidative modification of proteins, to D. magna Specifically, daphnids were exposed to copper or paraquat, two well studied prooxidants, and protein carbonyls were labelled with fluorescein-5-thiosemicarbazide prior to twodimensional electrophoresis (2DE). This showed clearly that both compounds affect a different portion of the proteome. The identified proteins indicated that energy metabolism was affected by paraquat, while copper induced a reduction of the heat shock response (heat shock proteins, proteases and chaperones) a counterintuitive result which may be adaptative to metal toxicity in arthropods. The same approach was then applied to the study of the toxicity mechanism of silver nanoparticles (AgNP), an increasingly utilised form of silver with expected environmental toxicity, and its comparison to silver nitrate. The results demonstrate that, although less toxic than silver ions, AgNP toxicity functions through a different mechanism. AgNP toxicity is thus not a product of silver dissolution and increased protein carbonylation indicates that AgNP cause OS. Interestingly three of the four tested compounds altered vitellogenin levels and oxidation. Vitellogenins could thus represent an interesting subproteome for the detection of stress in daphnids. Finally, an experiment with oxidised BSA demonstrates the applicability of solid phase hydrazide in the enrichment of undigested carbonylated proteins.

MUSICAL EXOTICISM EXPLORED IN PIANO WORKS FROM THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY THROUGH THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY

Musical exoticism is the evocation of a culture different from that of the composer. It occurs anytime a composer tries to conjure up the music of a country not his own. Although there have been studies of exoticism in the piano works of an individual composer, namely Debussy, there has not been a comprehensive study of musical exoticism in the piano literature as a whole. Upon chronological examination of the piano repertoire, general trends exhibiting exoticism become evident. The first general trend is the emergence of the Turkish style (alia turca) in the eighteenth century. Turkish style soon transmuted to the Hungarian-Gypsy style (all 'ongarese or style hongrois). [In Beethoven's Op. 129, it is alia ingharese.] Composers often alternated between the two styles even in the same composition. By the late nineteenth century, style hongrois was firmly entrenched in the musical language of Austro-German composers, as seen in the works of Brahms. In the nineteenth century, composers turned to the Middle East, North Africa and Spain for inspiration. In particular are several compositions emulating Spanish dance music, culminating in the Spanish works of Debussy and Ravel. The gamelans from Indonesia and objects from the Far East of Japan and China, brought by advances in trade and transportation, captivated the imagination of composers at the turn of the twentieth century. Also in the early twentieth century, composers tried emulating dance and jazz music coming from the Americas, such as the cakewalk, minstrelsy, and the blues. One sees the ever widening sphere of exotic inspiration for western music composers: from the Turkish invasions to the traveling Gypsies of Hungary; to the captivating dance rhythms, soulful cante jondo sections, and guitar flourishes of Spain; expanding further to the far reaches of Asia and the jazzy rhythms of the Americas. This performance dissertation consists of three recitals presented at the University of Maryland, and is documented on compact disc recordings which are housed within the University of Maryland Library System. The recordings present the music of Balakirev, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Haydn, Hummel, Milhaud, Moszkowski, Mozart, Ravel, and Schubert.

Long-Term Oceanographic and Ecological Research in the Western English Channel

Long-term research in the western English Channel, undertaken by the marine laboratories in Plymouth, is described and details of survey methods, sites, and time series given in this chapter. Major findings are summarized and their limitations outlined. Current research, with recent reestablishment and expansion of many sampling programmes, is presented, and possible future approaches are indicated. These unique long-term data sets provide an environmental baseline for predicting complex ecological responses to local, regional, and global environmental change. Between 1888 and the present, investigations have been carried out into the physical, chemical, and biological components (ranging from plankton and fish to benthic and intertidal assemblages) of the western English Channel ecosystem. The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom has performed the main body of these observations. More recent contributions come from the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey, now the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, dating from 1957; the Institute for Marine Environmental Research, from 1974 to 1987; and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, which was formed by amalgamation of the Institute for Marine Environmental Research and part of the Marine Biological Association, from 1988. Together, these contributions constitute a unique data series; one of the longest and most comprehensive samplings of environmental and marine biological variables in the world. Since the termination of many of these time series in 1987-1988 during a reorganisation of UK marine research, there has been a resurgence of interest in long-term environmental change. Many programmes have been restarted and expanded with support from several agencies. The observations span significant periods of warming (1921-1961; 1985-present) and cooling (1962-1980). During these periods of change, the abundance of key species underwent dramatic shifts. The first period of warming saw changes in zooplankton, pelagic fish, and larval fish, including the collapse of an important herring fishery. During later periods of change, shifts in species abundances have been reflected in other assemblages, such as the intertidal zone and the benthic fauna. Many of these changes appear to be related to climate, manifested as temperature changes, acting directly or indirectly. The hypothesis that climate is a forcing factor is widely supported today and has been reinforced by recent studies that show responses of marine organisms to climatic attributes such as the strength of the North Atlantic Oscillation. The long-term data also yield important insights into the effects of anthropogenic disturbances such as fisheries exploitation and pollution. Comparison of demersal fish hauls over time highlights fisheries effects not only on commercially important species but also on the entire demersal community. The effects of acute ("Torrey Canyon" oil spill) and chronic (tributyltin [TBT] antifoulants) pollution are clearly seen in the intertidal records. Significant advances in diverse scientific disciplines have been generated from research undertaken alongside the long-term data series.

Severe tissue damage in Atlantic cod larvae under increasing ocean acidification

Ocean acidification, caused by increasing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 (refs 1-3), is one of the most critical anthropogenic threats to marine life. Changes in seawater carbonate chemistry have the potential to disturb calcification, acid-base regulation, blood circulation and respiration, as well as the nervous system of marine organisms, leading to long-term effects such as reduced growth rates and reproduction(4,5). In teleost fishes, early life-history stages are particularly vulnerable as they lack specialized internal pH regulatory mechanisms(6,7). So far, impacts of relevant CO2 concentrations on larval fish have been found in behaviour(8,9) and otolith size(10,11), mainly in tropical, non-commercial species. Here we show detrimental effects of ocean acidification on the development of a mass-spawning fish species of high. commercial importance. We reared Atlantic cod larvae at three levels of CO2, (1) present day, (2) end of next century and (3) an extreme, coastal upwelling scenario, in a long-term (2; months) mesocosm experiment. Exposure to CO2 resulted in severe to lethal tissue damage in many internal organs, with the degree of damage increasing with CO2 concentration. As larval survival is the bottleneck to recruitment, ocean acidification has the potential to act as an additional source of natural mortality, affecting populations of already exploited fish stocks.

Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles

Although recent studies suggest that climate change may substantially accelerate the rate of species loss in the biosphere, only a few studies have focused on the potential consequences of a spatial reorganization of biodiversity with global warming. Here, we show a pronounced latitudinal increase in phytoplanktonic and zooplanktonic biodiversity in the extratropical North Atlantic Ocean in recent decades. We also show that this rise in biodiversity paralleled a decrease in the mean size of zooplanktonic copepods and that the reorganization of the planktonic ecosystem toward dominance by smaller organisms may influence the networks in which carbon flows, with negative effects on the downward biological carbon pump and demersal Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Our study suggests that, contrary to the usual interpretation of increasing biodiversity being a positive emergent property promoting the stability/resilience of ecosystems, the parallel decrease in sizes of planktonic organisms could be viewed in the North Atlantic as reducing some of the services provided by marine ecosystems to humans.

Microbial spatial variability: An example from the Celtic Sea

In July 2004, dominant populations of microbial ultraplankton (<5 μm), in the surface of the Celtic Sea (between UK and Eire), were repeatedly mapped using flow cytometry, at 1.5 km resolution over a region of diameter 100 km. The numerically dominant representatives of all basic functional types were enumerated including one group of phototrophic bacteria (Syn), two groups of phytoplankton (PP, NP), three groups of heterotrophic bacterioplankton (HB) and the regionally dominant group of heterotrophic protists (HP). The distributions of all organisms showed strong spatial variability with little relation to variability in physical fields such as salinity and temperature. Furthermore, there was little agreement between distributions of different organisms. The only linear correlation consistently explaining more than 50% of the variance between any pairing of the organism groups enumerated is between two different groups of HB. Specifically, no linear, or non-linear, relationship is found between any pairings of SYB, PP or HB groups with their protist predators HP. Looking for multiple dependencies, factor analysis reveals three groupings: Syn, PP and low nucleic acid content HB (LNA); high nucleic acid content HB (HNA); HP and NP. Even the manner in which the spatial variability of Syn, PP and HB abundance varies as a function of lengthscale (represented by a semivariogram) differs significantly from that for HP. In summary, although all microbial planktonic groups enumerated are present and numerically dominant throughout the region studied, at face value the relationships between them seem weak. Nevertheless, the behaviour of a simple, illustrative ecological model, with strongly interacting phototrophs and heterotrophs, with stochastic forcing, is shown to be consistent with the observed poor correlations and differences in how spatial variability varies with lengthscale. Thus, our study suggests that a comparison of microbial abundances alone may not discern strong underlying trophic interactions. Specific knowledge of these processes, in particular grazing, will be required to explain the causes of the observed microbial spatial variability and its resulting consequences for the functioning of the ecosystem.

Nematode diversity in different microhabitats in a mangrove region

Mangroves are highly productive environments that play important ecological and socioeconomic roles; however, they have been impacted to different degrees in most countries worldwide. The knowledge of which organisms inhabit this environment and their ecological interactions is the first step towards its conservation. The natural variability of environmental factors in mangroves provides numerous niches available to different species. Meiofauna have patchy patterns of distribution that are related to the availability of resources. Hence, meiofauna are expected to present a high diversity of different taxa occupying the different microhabitats offered by mangroves. This work aims to test the hypothesis that the assemblage structure of Nematoda varies significantly among mangrove microhabitats and to contribute knowledge on the meiofauna diversity in mangrove environments. This work was carried out in a mangrove region at Pernambuco state, Northeastern Brazil. Qualitative samples were collected in nine microhabitats which show different characteristics mainly in terms of presence of vegetation or another organism and sediment grain size. Univariate and multivariate analysis were applied to Nematoda genera abundance data. Our results demonstrate the existence of significant differences among microhabitats regarding nematode assemblage structure corroborating the hypothesis. Different Nematoda assemblages are present in at least seven microhabitats. These assemblages are composed of nematode genera with different trophic and morphological features, demonstrating a strong relationship between morphological diversity and ecological plasticity. Furthermore, this study also demonstrates the importance of the conservation of this ecosystem and its attributes.

Macroalgal blooms alter community structure and primary productivity in marine ecosystems

Eutrophication, coupled with loss of herbivory due to habitat degradation and overharvesting, has increased the frequency and severity of macroalgal blooms worldwide. Macroalgal blooms interfere with human activities in coastal areas, and sometimes necessitate costly algal removal programs. They also have many detrimental effects on marine and estuarine ecosystems, including induction of hypoxia, release of toxic hydrogen sulfide into the sediments and atmosphere, and the loss of ecologically and economically important species. However, macroalgal blooms can also increase habitat complexity, provide organisms with food and shelter, and reduce other problems associated with eutrophication. These contrasting effects make their overall ecological impacts unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the overall effects of macroalgal blooms on several key measures of ecosystem structure and functioning in marine ecosystems. We also evaluated some of the ecological and methodological factors that might explain the highly variable effects observed in different studies. Averaged across all studies, macroalgal blooms had negative effects on the abundance and species richness of marine organisms, but blooms by different algal taxa had different consequences, ranging from strong negative to strong positive effects. Blooms' effects on species richness also depended on the habitat where they occurred, with the strongest negative effects seen in sandy or muddy subtidal habitats and in the rocky intertidal. Invertebrate communities also appeared to be particularly sensitive to blooms, suffering reductions in their abundance, species richness, and diversity. The total net primary productivity, gross primary productivity, and respiration of benthic ecosystems were higher during macroalgal blooms, but blooms had negative effects on the productivity and respiration of other organisms. These results suggest that, in addition to their direct social and economic costs, macroalgal blooms have ecological effects that may alter their capacity to deliver important ecosystem services.