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Salinity Changes (salinity + change)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Life Sciences	38%
Earth and Environmental Science	38%

Selected Abstracts

Microbial response to salinity change in Lake Chaka, a hypersaline lake on Tibetan plateau

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 10 2007
Hongchen Jiang
Summary Previous investigations of the salinity effects on the microbial community composition have largely been limited to dynamic estuaries and coastal solar salterns. In this study, the effects of salinity and mineralogy on microbial community composition was studied by using a 900-cm sediment core collected from a stable, inland hypersaline lake, Lake Chaka, on the Tibetan Plateau, north-western China. This core, spanning a time of 17 000 years, was unique in that it possessed an entire range of salinity from freshwater clays and silty sands at the bottom to gypsum and glauberite in the middle, to halite at the top. Bacterial and archaeal communities were studied along the length of this core using an integrated approach combining mineralogy and geochemistry, molecular microbiology (16S rRNA gene analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction), cultivation and lipid biomarker analyses. Systematic changes in microbial community composition were correlated with the salinity gradient, but not with mineralogy. Bacterial community was dominated by the Firmicutes -related environmental sequences and known species (including sulfate-reducing bacteria) in the freshwater sediments at the bottom, but by halophilic and halotolerant Betaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes in the hypersaline sediments at the top. Succession of proteobacterial groups along the salinity gradient, typically observed in free-living bacterial communities, was not observed in the sediment-associated community. Among Archaea, the Crenarchaeota were predominant in the bottom freshwater sediments, but the halophilic Halobacteriales of the Euryarchaeota was the most important group in the hypersaline sediments. Multiple isolates were obtained along the whole length of the core, and their salinity tolerance was consistent with the geochemical conditions. Iron-reducing bacteria were isolated in the freshwater sediments, which were capable of reducing structural Fe(III) in the Fe(III)-rich clay minerals predominant in the source sediment. These data have important implications for understanding how microorganisms respond to increased salinity in stable, inland water bodies. [source]

MOVEMENT MODALITIES AND RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES OF THE MUDFLAT DIATOM CYLINDROTHECA CLOSTERIUM (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE),

JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 2 2006
Melba D. Apoya-Horton
Cylindrotheca closterium (Ehrenberg) Reiman et Lewin is a raphid diatom widely distributed in mudflat assemblages. Video microscopy showed various movement modalities defined as smooth and corkscrew gliding, pirouette, pivot, rock and roll, rollover, and simultaneous pirouette and gliding. Z -axis projection analysis of images revealed a unique gliding motif with corkscrew motions, which may have important ecological implications for C. closterium movement in muds. The general response to salinity alteration was a decrease in gliding movements with a concomitant increase in other modalities listed above. Short-term responses to salinity change include dramatic alteration in modalities in hypo-saline conditions and cessation of motility in extreme hyper-saline environments. Modality changes were rapid and occurred within 5 s in response to hyper-saline conditions. Hypo- or hyper-saline conditions resulted in decreased gliding speed in standard media. Five- and 15-day acclimation to salinity changes resulted in a progressive reduction in gliding movement, increased non-gliding modalities and increased cell aggregation. Aggregation in hypo-saline conditions was accompanied by a large increase in the polymer extracted by hot bicarbonate- and ethylenediamine tetraaceticacid- fractions of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), the polymers of which have been implicated in cell attachment/motility phenomena. The monosaccharide profiles of these fractions were altered in response to hypo-saline conditions. In general, monosaccharide profiles showed increased diversity upon cessation of motility and aggregation of cultures. The movement responses of C. closterium in response to environmental changes, accompanied by modifications in EPS, may form part of an adaptive strategy to survive in mudflats and could be useful as bioindicators of environmental changes. [source]

Bulk organic ,13C and C/N ratios as palaeosalinity indicators within a Scottish isolation basin,

JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2005
Elizabeth A. V. Mackie
Abstract Microfossils in isolation basin sediments are frequently used to reconstruct sea-level change, but preservation problems and non-analogue situations can limit their usefulness. Here we investigate the potential of stable carbon isotopes (,13C) and C/N ratios from bulk organic matter, as an alternative proxy of salinity within isolation basin sediments from a basin in northwest Scotland. Within the Holocene sediment ,13C and C/N are determined largely by the mean weighted values of the predominant source of the organic material. Analysis of modern materials and comparison with the diatom record shows that the marine parts of the sequence are dominated by high ,13C and variable C/N. In the fresh water sequences the organic material is a mixture of both freshwater aquatic and terrestrial plant input that have relatively low ,13C and high C/N. The application of ,13C and C/N ratios in the studied basin in general follow the environmental change recorded by the diatoms and shows the potential of bulk organic matter in the investigation of salinity change in isolation basins. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Growth, salinity tolerance and microsatellite analysis of the F2 reciprocal hybrids of Oreochromis niloticus×Sarotherodon galilaeus at different salinities

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 9 2010
Biao Yan
Abstract Oreochromisniloticus (O), the sixth generation of Genetic Improvement of Farmed Tilapia, shows rapid growth but poor salt tolerance, while Sarotherodon galilaeus (S) exhibits opposite traits. To combine the traits, F1 progeny was obtained through artificial fertilization. Fertile F1 produced F2 by natural spawning. The mean survival times, the median survival time (ST50) or the survival rate of hybrids was greater than O. niloticus in a gradual or an acute salinity change. Plasma osmolarity, [Na+] and [Cl,] of the hybrids fluctuated in 32 g L,1 water during a 24-h period, but eventually reached levels similar to fish in freshwater. O. niloticus,×S. galilaeus, (OS F2) or S. galilaeus,×O. niloticus, (SO F2) showed the fastest growth at 22.5 g L,1, equal to about 78.2% or 69.7% of O. niloticus at 0 and 3.87 or 3.45 times that of S. galilaeus at their individual optimum growth. Growth in OS F2 was 12% faster than SO F2. Microsatellite analysis showed that F2 had more alleles, a higher polymorphism information content and greater observed and expected heterozygosity than O. or S. Population differentiation was not detected between F1 and F2. All the results indicated that F2 could be exploited for commercial production under saline conditions. [source]

Effect of salinity on survival, growth, oxygen consumption and ammonia-N excretion of juvenile whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 12 2009
Peidong Zhang
Abstract In this study, we tested the lower salinity tolerance of juvenile shrimps (Litopenaeus vannamei) at a relatively low temperature (20 °C). In the first of two laboratory experiments, we first abruptly transferred shrimps (6.91 ± 0.05 g wet weight, mean ± SE) from the rearing salinity (35 000 mg L,1) to salinities of 5000, 15 000, 25 000, 35 000 (control) and 40 000 mg L,1 at 20 °C. The survival of L. vannamei juvenile was not affected by salinities from 15 000 to 40 000 mg L,1 during the 96-h exposure periods. Shrimps exposed to 5000 mg L,1 were significantly affected by salinity, with a survival of 12.5% after 96 h. The 24-, 48- and 96-h lethal salinity for 50% (LS50) were 7020, 8510 and 9540 mg L,1 respectively. In the second experiment, shrimps (5.47 ± 0.09 g wet weight, mean ± SE) were acclimatized to the different salinity levels (5000, 15 000, 25 000, 35 000 and 40 000 mg L,1) and then maintained for 30 days at 20 °C. Results showed that the survival was significantly lower at 5000 mg L,1 than at other salinity levels, but the final wet weight under 5000 mg L,1 treatment was significantly higher than those under other treatments (P<0.05). Feed intake (FI) of shrimp under 5000 mg L,1 was significantly lower than those of shrimp under 150 00,40 000 mg L,1; food conversion efficiency (FCE), however, showed a contrasting change (P<0.05). Furthermore, salinity significantly influenced the oxygen consumption rates, ammonia-N excretion rates and the O/N ratio of test shrimps (P<0.05). The results obtained in our work provide evidence that L. vannamei juveniles have limited capacity to tolerate salinities <10 000 mg L,1 at a relatively low temperature (20 °C). Results also show that L. vannamei juvenile can recover from the abrupt salinity change between 15 000 and 40 000 mg L,1 within 24 h. [source]

Cretaceous Phytoplankton Assemblages from Songke Core-1, North and South (SK-1, N and S) of Songliao Basin, Northeast China

ACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 5 2009
Yiyi ZHANG
Abstract: Cretaceous phytoplankton from the newly completed core hole (SK-1, N&S) in the central Songliao Basin was studied. The target interval is from the upper Quantou Formation of Upper Cretaceous to Mingshui Formation. Twelve genera of dinoflagellates, six of acritarcha and three of chlorophyta were identified in 588 samples from the 2300-m deep core. Ten phytoplankton assemblages have been classified: Tetranguladinium-Subtilisphaera-Botryococcus, Botryococcus-Pediastrum, Pediastrum, Dinogymniopsis-Chlamydophrella-Vesperopsis bifurcate, Dinogymniopsis minor-Balmula, Pediastrum-Botryococcus, Schizosporis-Campenia, Kiokansium-Dinogymniopsis-Botryococcus, Dinogymniopsis-Granodiscus-Filisphaeridium and Granodiscus. According to the findings mentioned above, the age of the upper Qantou Formation is Cenomanian, the Qingshankou Formation belongs to upper Cenomanian-Turonian, the Yaojia Formation to Coniancian-Santonian age, the Nenjiang Formation is of Campanian age, and Sifangtai-Mingshui formations are referred to Maastrichtian stage. The ecology of phytoplankton is closely related to water salinity. Each type of phytoplankton is within a certain living water mass whose evolution type reflects salinity change of the Songliao Lake. The assemblages from the SK-1 indicate that water salinity changes with the cycle of freshwater,slight brackish water,brackish water,slight brackish water,freshwater in the lake. [source]

Determining toxicity of lead and zinc runoff in soils: Salinity effects on metal partitioning and on phytotoxicity

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 12 2003
Daryl P. Stevens
Abstract When assessingcationic metal toxicity in soils, metals are often added to soil as the chloride, nitrate, or sulfate salts. In many studies, the effects of these anions are ignored or discounted; rarely are appropriate controls included. This study used five soils varying in pH, clay content, and organic matter to determine whether salinity from counter-ions contributed to or confounded metal phytotoxicity. Varying rates of Pb and Zn were applied to soils with or without a leaching treatment to remove the metal counter-ion (NO3 -). Lactuca sattva (lettuce) plants were grown in metal-treated soils, and plant dry weights were used to determine median effective concentrations where there was a 50% reduction in yield (EC50s) on the basis of total metals measured in the soil after harvest. In two of the five soils, leaching increased the EC50s significantly for Zn by 1.4- to 3.7-fold. In three of the five soils, leaching increased the EC50s significantly for Pb by 1.6- to 3.0-fold. The shift in EC50s was not a direct result of toxicity of the nitrate ion but was an indirect effect of the salinity increasing metal concentrations in soil solution and increasing its bioavailability for a given total metal concentration. In addition, calculation of potential salinity changes in toxicological studies from the addition of metals exhibiting strong sorption to soil suggested that if the anion associated with the metal is not leached from the soil, direct salinity responses could also lead to significant overestimation of the EC50 for those metals. These findings question the relevance of the application of single-metal salts to soils as a method of assessing metal phytotoxicity when, in many cases in our environment, Zn and Pb accumulate in soil over a period of time and the associated counter-ions are commonly removed from the soil during the accumulation process (e.g., roof and galvanized tower runoff). [source]

EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX ASSEMBLY IN DIATOMS (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE).

JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 2 2006

The effects of phosphate (P) limitation, varying salinity (5,65 psu), and solid media growth conditions on the polysaccharides produced by the model diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin were determined. Sequential extraction was used to separate polymers into colloidal (CL), colloidal extracellular polymeric substances (cEPS), hot water soluble (HW), hot bicarbonate soluble (HB), and hot alkali (HA) soluble fractions. Media-soluble polymers (CL and cEPS) were enriched in 4-linked mannosyl, glucosyl, and galactosyl residues as well as terminal and 3-linked xylosyl residues, whereas HW polymers consisted mainly of 3-linked glucosyl as well as terminal and 2,4-linked glucuronosyl residues. The HB fraction was enriched in terminal and 2-linked rhamnosyl residues derived from the mucilage coating solubilized by this treatment. Hot alkali treatment resulted in the complete dissolution of the frustule releasing 2,3- and 3-linked mannosyl residues. The fusiform morphotype predominated in standard and P-limited cultures and cultures subjected to salinity variations, but growth on solid media resulted in an enrichment of the oval morphotype. The proportion and linkages of 15 residues, including neutral, uronic acid, and O -methylated sugars, varied with environmental conditions. P limitation and salinity changes resulted in 1.5- to 2.5,fold increase in carbohydrate production, with enrichment of highly branched/substituted and terminal rhamnose, xylose, and fucose as well as O -methylated sugars, uronic acids, and sulfate. The increased deoxy- and O -methylated sugar content under unfavorable environments enhances the hydrophobicity of the polymers, whereas the anionic components may play important roles in ionic cross-linking, suggesting that these changes could ameliorate the effects of salinity or P-stress and that these altered polysaccharide characteristics may be useful as bioindicators for environmental stress. [source]

MOVEMENT MODALITIES AND RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES OF THE MUDFLAT DIATOM CYLINDROTHECA CLOSTERIUM (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE),

Sea-surface temperature and salinity changes in the northwest Pacific since the Last Glacial Maximum

JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2004
Tadamichi Oba
Abstract The oxygen isotope records of both benthic and planktonic Foraminifera in five piston cores, collected from the region between the Oyashio and Kuroshio Currents near Japan, clearly show the marked latitudinal shifts of these two currents during the past 25,kyr. Under the present hydrographic condition, a clear relationship between the sea-surface temperature (SST) and oxygen isotope differences from benthic to planktonic Foraminifera is observed in this region. Using this relationship, we find decreased SSTs of 12,13°C (maximum 15°C) in the southernmost core site at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), indicating the Oyashio Current shifted southward. The SSTs at the southern two core sites abruptly increased more than 10°C at 10,11,ka, suggesting the Kuroshio Current shifted northward over these sites at 10,11,ka. In contrast, the northern two core sites have remained under the influence of the cold Oyashio Current for the past 25,kyr. With the reasonable estimate of bottom-water temperature decrease of 2.5°C at the LGM, the SSTs estimated by this new method give exactly the same SST values calculated from Mg/Ca ratio of planktonic Foraminifera, allowing palaeosea-surface salinities to be reconstructed. The result suggests that the ice volume effect was 1.0,±,0.1, at the LGM. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Fossil testate amoebae in coastal deposits in the UK: implications for studies of sea-level change

JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 5-6 2002
Helen M. Roe
Abstract Assemblages of testate amoebae in UK saltmarshes are strongly correlated with elevation and flooding duration, suggesting that if adequately preserved in sediments they may be used as accurate sea-level indicators. To examine the preservation of testate amoebae in the fossil record in coastal environments, subsamples were collected from a range of coastal sites around Britain, including saltmarsh, coastal reedswamp, isolation basin, back-barrier and coastal raised bog sites. The results showed that testate amoebae are present in the fossil record, although in variarble species diversities, concentrations and states of preservation. Testate amoebae were found to be well preserved in isolation basin infills and coastal raised bog deposits, where diverse assemblages (>20 taxa) were recorded. In the upper part of the isolation basin sequence from Loch nan Corr, northwest Scotland, the testate amoebae assemblages showed a greater degree of sensitivity to transitional salinity changes than existing foraminferal and larger testate amoebae data sets. This implies that testate amoebae, particularly small to medium-sized specimens (15,300 µm), may hold considerable potential for sea-level reconstruction in these environments. Preservation of testate amoebae in a freshly sampled core of saltmarsh sediment from South Wales was reasonable, although test distribution decreased significantly in abundance below 18 cm. The assemblage composition was similar to that found in the contemporary surface environment. The preservation of testate amoebae in saltmarsh and coastal reedswamp deposits of mid-Holocene age was variable and generally poor. Partial dehydration of the sediment samples may account for this. Further studies are required to examine the palaeoecology and distribution of testate amoebae in similar coastal settings, to strengthen these preliminary findings. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Effects of Low Salinities on Oxygen Consumption of Selected Euryhaline and Stenohaline Freshwater Fish

JOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY, Issue 1 2003
Ilhan Altinok
The amount of energy required for osmoregulation depends on the difference between internal and external concentrations of ions (Rao 1968; Farmer and Beamish 1969), changes in corticosteroid hormone levels (Morgan and Iwama 1996), glomerular filtration rates (Furspan et al. 1984), gill and kidney Na+, K+ -ATPase activity (McCormick et al. 1989; Morgan and Iwama 1998), tissue permeability to water and ions, and gill ventilation, perfusion, and functional surface area (Rankin and Bolis 1984). Differences in the energetic cost of osmoregulation play a significant role in the difference in growth rate between seawater-and freshwater-adapted fish (Morgan and Iwama 1991; Ron et al. 1995; Wang et al. 1997). Oxygen consumption is an indirect indicator of metabolic rate in fish (Cech 1990) and can be used to determine effects of salinity changes on energy costs. [source]