Cadmium-Containing Carbonic Anhydrase CDCA1 in Marine Diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii

The Carbon Concentration Mechanism (CCM) allows phytoplakton species to accumulate the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) necessary for an efficient photosynthesis even under carbon dioxide limitation. In this mechanism of primary importance for diatoms, a key role is played by carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzymes which catalyze the reversible hydration of CO₂, thus taking part in the acquisition of inorganic carbon for photosynthesis. A novel CA, named CDCA1, has been recently discovered in the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii. CDCA1 is a cambialistic enzyme since it naturally uses Cd²⁺ as catalytic metal ion, but if necessary can spontaneously exchange Cd²⁺ to Zn²⁺. Here, the biochemical and structural features of CDCA1 enzyme will be presented together with its putative biotechnological applications for the detection of metal ions in seawaters.     

Reproductive performance,survival and development of nauplii and copepodites,sex ratio and adult life expectancy of the harpacticoid copepod,Euterpina acutifrons,fed different microalgal diets

A series of laboratory experiments were conducted on the harpacticoid copepod, Euterpina acutifrons, to assess the influence of 10 different microalgal diets (four monoalgal and six mixed algal diets) on several parameters related to its productivity in culture. The four monoalgal diets were the Tahitian strain of Isochrysis sp. (T‐Iso), Pavlova salina (Pav), Tetraselmis chuii (Tet) and the diatom Chaetoceros muelleri (Chaet), the five binary diets were T‐Iso+Tet, Pav+Tet, T‐Iso+Pav, Tet+Chaet and Pav+Chaet, while the tri‐algal diet was T‐Iso+Tet+Pav. All diets were fed to copepods at 1500 μ gC L^?1 and in the case of binary or trialgal diets, carbon concentration was divided equally between the two or three algae offered. Among monoalgal diets, the diatom Chaet was excellent for E. acutifrons. Out of the 10 diets tested, the binary diet Tet+Chaet, which contained the diatom Chaet, was the best for naupliar production of single pair E. acutifrons (19.5±1.7 nauplii female^?1 day^?1), significantly (P<0.05) higher than all other treatments except for the Chaet treatment (P>0.05). Similarly, in the group naupliar production trial (50 adult E. acutifrons per replicate), Tet+Chaet produced a significantly higher number of nauplii (405.8±18.6 nauplii day^?1) than the other treatments (P<0.05). Tet+Chaet further supported the highest naupliar survival (82.0±2.8%) and copepodite survival (89.0±2.8%), while the mono‐algal diet Chaet produced the second highest naupliar (76.7±2.6%) and copepodite survival (83.5±2.6%). In contrast, Pav produced the lowest overall survival at the naupliar stage (30.0±2.9%), significantly lower than all other treatments (P<0.05). While development from newly hatched nauplii to copepodites was not significantly affected by diets, mean development time from nauplius to adult was significantly different among treatments. Mean development time from hatching (naupliar I stage; NI) to the adult stage was the fastest with Tet+Chaet and Chaet (6.8±0.0 days for both treatments), which was significantly faster than that of Pav, T‐Iso Pav+Tet and T‐Iso+Pav+Te treatment (P<0.05). E. acutifrons sex ratio was significantly affected by diets, and always skewed in favour of males. Feeding on Pav resulted in the lowest proportion of females (23.7±1.2%), significantly lower than for six of the other treatments (P<0.05). Adult females had longer average life expectancy than males for all treatments, and were the longest when fed Tet+Chaet (9.5±0.4 days), which was more than twice as long as the shortest lifespan recorded for the Pav treatment (4.2±0.6 days) (P<0.05). In summary, among 10 diets tested, the binary diet Tet+Chaet appeared to support the highest culture productivity of E. acutifrons while the diatom Chaet also performed well as a monoalgal diet.     

条斑紫菜硅藻附着症防治研究

经调查，在江苏省连云港、浙江省象山港的中、后期条斑紫菜患有硅藻附着症。硅藻的种类以短纹楔形藻Ｌｉｃｍｏｐｈｏｒａ ａｂｂｒｅｖｉｔａ为绝对优势种。由于硅藻的附生会随着时间的推移越来越严重地影响紫菜的生长和加工的质量，因而作为硅藻附着症的防治应注意在早期抓紧加以处理。用ＰＨ为２．００－２．５０的酸类，处理１０－１５分钟，或者ＰＨ为１０．００－１０．４０的碳酸钠，处理１０－１５分钟，以及连线天干燥４小     

中国淡水硅藻新记录——冈瓦纳舟形藻

2021年,在对福建省莆田市东圳水库进行藻类多样性调查过程中,发现了中国淡水硅藻的一个新记录种———冈瓦纳舟形藻(Navicula gondwana Lange-Bertalot)。该种在澳大利亚首次被报道,但原文提供的超微结构特征有限,亦未提供内壳面电镜图。使用光镜和扫描电镜对采集自福建的冈瓦纳舟形藻种群的形态特征,进行了详细观察及描述,并将其与模式种,以及其他相似种的形态特征,进行了比较。结果表明：(1)壳面整体呈狭披针形,壳面末端钝圆锥形;(2)壳缝简单,直线状,近缝端略微膨大,稍偏向壳体一侧,远缝端延伸成强烈的弯钩状,两末端的壳缝弯向一侧,且与近缝端偏斜方向一致;(3)中轴区窄,线形,中央区相对较大,呈不规则圆形;(4)壳面横线纹由单列的短线形孔纹组成,在中部呈辐射状排列,两端聚束状排列,10 μm内有11~14条。研究结果与冈瓦纳舟形藻模式产地种群的形态、线纹等特征吻合,该物种在中国是首次报道。     

Effect of dietary defatted diatom biomass on egg production and quality of laying hens

Background： This study was to determine if feeding laying hens with defatted diatom microalgal biomass （DFA） from biofuel production affected their egg production and health status. Methods： Five replicates of 5 individually caged ISA Babcock White leghorn hens were fed 4 diets, including a corn-soybean meal control diet, a diet containing 7.5% DFA substituting for soybean meal, and diets containing 7.5% or 15% DFA substituting for corn and soybean meal. Body weights, feed intake, feed conversion ratio （FCR）, rate of egg production, egg size, egg mass, and several characteristics of eggs were determined at 4 and 8 wk. Venous blood was sampled at 4 and 8 wk for measurement of 5 biomarkers of health. Results： The15% DFA diet decreased （P 〈 0.05） feed intake, egg production, and plasma uric acid concentrations as compared with the control diet, but increased （P 〈 0.05） egg albumen weight and height compared with the 7.5% DFA diets. The two levels of DFA produced dose-dependent （P 〈 0.05） changes in three color measures of egg yolk, without affecting four hen plasma biochemical indicators of health. Conclusions： Feeding laying hens with 7.5% DFA in the corn-soybean meal diet for 8 wk had no adverse effect on their health, egg production, or egg quality, but 15% inclusion reduced feed intake, egg production, and efficiency of feed utilization.     

Settling and raising postlarval abalone Haliotis diversicolor supertexta (Lischke) on microparticulate diets embedded in a layer of alginate

Two 21 day experiments were conducted to determine whether microparticulate diets could be used to substitute for diatoms for raising (Experiment 1) as well as settling and on‐growing (Experiment 2) Haliotis diversicolor supertexta postlarvae. The experiments were conducted in 10 L flow‐through tanks and each diet had three replicate tanks. In experiment 1, three experimental microparticulate diets supplied by a commercial feed company, labelled SF‐15, SF‐15 (T) and JFY‐13–1, were used, and in experiment 2, SF‐15 and SF‐15 (T). Artificial diets were compared to diatoms in terms of supporting growth and survival. The survival rate for experiment 1 was lowest for JFY‐13–1 (0%) and highest for diatoms (12.9±0.8%). The final size of postlarvae fed SF‐15 and SF‐15 (T) was significantly greater than that of postlarvae fed diatoms, 973±193 μm and 996±220 μm compared to 786±141 μm. In experiment 2, a total number of 501 larvae settled onto plates covered with SF‐15, 254 on SF‐15 (T) and 1085 on diatoms. The highest survival rate was 33.1±6.9% for SF‐15 and the lowest was 17.3±5.0% for diatoms. However, the final length of postlarvae fed diatoms was significantly greater than SF‐15 and SF‐15 (T); 1018±379 μm compared to 728±89 μm and 717±90 μm. The artificial micro diets used in this study were comparable to diatoms in terms of grow and survival of postlarval H. diversicolor supertexta.     

张掖黑河湿地附植硅藻群落初步研究 ——以张掖国家湿地公园为例

研究张掖国家湿地公园附植硅藻群落现状,为保护寒、旱区湿地水生植物与生物多样性提供理论依据。2017年夏、秋从张掖国家湿地公园浅水湖泊采集12种常见水生植物,采集植物上附植硅藻,并在水质富营养化评价的基础上进一步分析硅藻的种类分布、优势种、多样性和聚类性。结果表明,张掖国家湿地公园水体轻度富营养化;共检出附植硅藻39属158种(含变种),其中舟形藻属种类最多(18种),其次为菱形藻属(16种)、桥弯藻属(15种)和脆杆藻属(13种);Achnanthedium minutissimum为分布最为广泛的优势种,其次为Ulnaria acus和Encyonopsis subcryptocephala;Shannon-Weaver多样性指数在1.41～3.13,Pielou均匀度指数在0.58～1.07,均是秋季显著高于夏季(P0.05,t-test);Cody指数与聚类分析表明,在同一时期内附植硅藻种类组成的相似程度和优势种分布对部分宿主植物的选择趋于一致,但也有部分宿主植物之间附植硅藻群落结构仍然存在较大差异。     

Linking geomorphic character,behaviour and condition to fluvial biodiversity: implications for river management

• 1. The River Styles^® framework is a geomorphic approach to the classification of river types, assessment of the physical condition of rivers, and planning of physical rehabilitation. However, the linkages between River Styles and aquatic biodiversity conservation are still only weakly developed.
• 2. In this study, 41 sites in the Bega River basin in New South Wales, Australia, were classified according to River Style and geomorphic condition, and surveyed for four biological assemblages: diatoms, aquatic and semi‐aquatic macrophytes, aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish.
• 3. Each assemblage differed significantly among River Styles. However, in the case of diatoms and fish, these differences could be accounted for by geographic clustering of sites in the same River Style, and a tendency for River Styles to occupy particular altitudinal zones and sizes of streams. This result was attributed to the overriding influences of water quality on diatoms and of altitude‐related variation in water temperature and distance from the ocean on fish. For macrophytes and macroinvertebrates, geomorphic river type appeared to exert a direct influence, probably via variation in physical habitat characteristics.
• 4. Geomorphic condition, judged as good, moderate or poor by reference to the inferred natural condition of each River Style, was also significantly associated with differences in biological assemblages other than fish. Twice as many taxa appeared to favour sites in good geomorphic condition as favoured sites in poor condition. Many of the taxa associated with sites in poor condition are alien taxa introduced to Australia since European settlement.
• 5. These findings imply that protection of reaches that are in good geomorphic condition is likely to be critical for the maintenance of indigenous biodiversity, and that rehabilitation of geomorphic condition can assist in the rehabilitation of native riverine biota.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dietary value of benthic diatoms for post-larval abalone <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haliotis diversicolor</Emphasis> associated with feeding transitions

ABSTRACT:   The feeding behavior and growth of post-larval Haliotis diversicolor with initial shell lengths (SL) of approximately 500 μm (Exp. 1-1 and 1-2), 800 μm (Exp. 2), and 1200 μm (Exp. 3) were studied in a laboratory setting while they fed on four species of benthic diatom Achnanthes longipes , Cocconeis sublittoralis , Cylindrotheca closterium , and Navicula ramosissima . Exp. 1-1 and 1-2 revealed no marked differences in post-larval growth rates (mean 24–39 μm SL/day) among the diatom species. However, marked differences in growth rates among the species were revealed in Exp. 2 and 3. Three species, A. longipes , Co. sublittoralis, and Cy. closterium , produced faster growth (Exp. 2 mean 29–51 μm/day, Exp. 3 mean 36–44 μm/day) than N. ramosissima (Exp. 2 mean 18 μm/day, Exp. 3 mean 23 μm/day). Post-larvae fed N. ramosissima had lower digestion efficiency (42.8%) than those fed other diatom species (90.7–100%). Diatom extracellular substances appeared to be principally used from post-settlement to 800 μm SL, and diatom cell contents were required to produce rapid growth of larger post-larvae (>800 μm SL). It is likely that the availability of each diatom for post-larvae was affected by diatom morphology, attachment strength, frustule strength, and post-larval size.     

Fucoxanthin, a marine carotenoid present in brown seaweeds and diatoms: metabolism and bioactivities relevant to human health

The marine carotenoid fucoxanthin can be found in marine brown seaweeds, the macroalgae, and diatoms, the microalgae, and has remarkable biological properties. Numerous studies have shown that fucoxanthin has considerable potential and promising applications in human health. In this article, we review the current available scientific literature regarding the metabolism, safety, and bioactivities of fucoxanthin, including its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-obese, antidiabetic, antiangiogenic and antimalarial activities, and its protective effects on the liver, blood vessels of the brain, bones, skin, and eyes. Although some studies have shown the bioavailability of fucoxanthin in brown seaweeds to be low in humans, many studies have suggested that a dietary combination of fucoxanthin and edible oil or lipid could increase the absorption rate of fucoxanthin, and thus it might be a promising marine drug.