Characterization of the influence of chlororespiration on the regulation of photosynthesis in the glaucophyte Cyanophora paradoxa.

Glaucophytes are primary symbiotic algae with unique plastids called cyanelles, whose structure is most similar to ancestral cyanobacteria among plastids in photosynthetic organisms. Here we compare the regulation of photosynthesis in glaucophyte with that in cyanobacteria in the aim of elucidating the changes caused by the symbiosis in the interaction between photosynthetic electron transfer and other metabolic pathways. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements of the glaucophyte Cyanophora paradoxa NIES-547 indicated that plastoquinone (PQ) pool in photosynthetic electron transfer was reduced in the dark by chlororespiration. The levels of nonphotochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence was high in the dark but decreased under low light, and increased again under high light. This type of concave light dependence was quite similar to that observed in cyanobacteria. Moreover, the addition of ionophore hardly affected nonphotochemical quenching, suggesting state transition as a main component of the regulatory system in C. paradoxa. These results suggest that cyanelles of C. paradoxa retain many of the characteristics observed in their ancestral cyanobacteria. From the viewpoint of metabolic interactions, C. paradoxa is the primary symbiotic algae most similar to cyanobacteria than other lineages of photosynthetic organisms.

[Canonical correspondence analysis between phytoplankton community and environmental factors in macrophtic lakes of the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River].

The phytoplankton communities in 4 macrophtic lakes (Longgan Lake, Liangzi Lake, Futou Lake and Baoan Lake) in Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain were investigated in September 2011, and 7 phylum and 231 species of phytoplankton were detected in the waters. The results indicated that phytoplankton was mainly composed of Cyanophyta, Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta. The four lakes were mesotrophic. And the main phytoplankton was Phormidium foveolarum, Synedra ulna, Phormidium tenu and Tribonema minus. The relationships between the distribution of phytoplankton and environmental factors in each sampling site were studies by canonical correspondence analysis. The results demonstrated that pH and Total phosphorus are the key factors for the distribution of phytoplankton communities in 4 typical macrophtic lakes in Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain.

[Phytoplankton's community structure and its relationships with environmental factors in the rivers of Tongling City, Anhui Province of East China in winter].

Tongling is one of the main non-ferrous metal mining areas in China, and the biodiversity in the river ecosystem of this area is seriously affected by heavy metals as a result of mining activities. In the winter in 2010, an investigation was conducted on the community structure of phytoplankton and its relationships with environmental factors in the main sections of the rivers in Tongling. A total of 203 phytoplankton species were identified, belonging to 96 genera and 8 phyla. The community structure of the phytoplankton differed obviously in different river sections, but the communities were all dominated by Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta. The phytoplankton abundance ranged from 9.1 x 10(3) to 6.5 x 10(7) cells x L(-1), and the quantity of the phytoplankton in the river sections directly carried with mining waste water was significantly low. The Shannon index of the phytoplankton community at different sampling sites ranged from 0 to 3.45, with a significant discrepancy in different river sections. There existed significant correlations between the density and group number of phytoplankton and the COD(Cr) and cadmium, copper and zinc concentrations in the rivers, and the concentrations of river total nitrogen, NH4(+)-N, NO3(-)-N, and copper, COD(Cr) and pH were the main environmental variables affecting the phytoplankton' s community structure and its spatial distribution. Although the nutritional status of the river waters had greater effects on the community structure of phytoplankton, the effects of the heavy metals there from mining enterprises could not be neglected.

[Analysis on the key water quality factors to phytoplankton community in Wujingang Region of Taihu Lake].

Field investigations on the phytoplankton community were carried out in July 2009 and January 2010 in Wujingang Region of Taihu Lake (WRTL). Results show that there are 46 genus, 24 families and 6 phylum phytoplankton were identified in wet season, which is mainly composed of the Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta, the average phytoplankton abundance of this season is 14. 8 x 10(6) cell/L. There are 29 genus, 18 families and 5 phylum phytoplankton were found in level season, and Diatoms were the dominant category, the average phytoplankton abundance of the season is 3 113 cell/L. It shows that a remarkable discrepancy in community and density between the two seasons. The principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) were used to assess the phytoplankton community structure with regard to 8 aquatic environmental factors and their spatial distribution, which result on the key aquatic environmental quality factors show that NH4(+) -N and TN were the most extraordinary pollution factors which affect the phytoplankton community and WRTL was in extrophication level.

[Community structure of phytoplankton and its relationships with environmental factors in drinking water source of Jinshu Bay, Taihu Lake].

By using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), this paper studied the community structure of phytoplankton and its relationships with environmental factors in the drinking water source of Jinshu Bay, Taihu Lake. A total of 7 phylum and 58 genera were identified, and the phytoplankton community was dominated by Cyanophyta, Bacillariophyta, and Chlorophyta. The quantity of phytoplankton was slightly higher in summer (250 x 10(4) ind x L(-1)) than in spring (238 x 10(4) ind x L(-1)), but the community structure differed obviously between the two seasons. In spring, Cyanophyta was the dominant phylum, and Anabaena was the dominant genus; in summer, Chlorophyta was the dominant phylum, with no dominant genus but abundant quantity of Merismopedia and Scenedesmus. Besides temperature, the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of phytoplankton in spring were ammonium-nitrogen, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and phosphate, while those in summer were total nitrogen, ammonium-nitrogen, phosphate, suspended solids, macrophytes, total phosphorus, and transparency.