A 6,000-year sedimentary molecular record of chemocline excursions in the Black Sea

The Black Sea is the world's largest anoxic basin; it is also a contemporary analogue of the environment in which carbonaceous shales and petroleum source beds formed. Recently, Repeta et al. reported that anoxygenic photosynthesis may be an important component of carbon cycling in the present Black Sea, owing to a shoaling of the chemocline and consequent penetration of the photic zone by anaerobic waters in the past few decades. It has been suggested that this was due to an anthropogenic decrease in freshwater input to the Black Sea, although natural causes were not ruled out. Here we report the distributions of sequestered photosynthetic pigments in eight core samples of sediments from the Black Sea ranging in age from zero to 6,200 years before the present. Our results show that photosynthetic green sulphur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae [correction of Clorobiaceae]) have been active in the Black Sea for substantial periods of time in the past. This finding indicates that the penetration of the photic zone by anaerobic waters is not a recent phenomenon, and suggests that natural causes for shoaling of the chemocline are more likely than anthropogenic ones.     

Bacterial photosynthesis in surface waters of the open ocean

The oxidation of the global ocean by cyanobacterial oxygenic photosynthesis, about 2,100 Myr ago, is presumed to have limited anoxygenic bacterial photosynthesis to oceanic regions that are both anoxic and illuminated. The discovery of oxygen-requiring photosynthetic bacteria about 20 years ago changed this notion, indicating that anoxygenic bacterial photosynthesis could persist under oxidizing conditions. However, the distribution of aerobic photosynthetic bacteria in the world oceans, their photosynthetic competence and their relationship to oxygenic photoautotrophs on global scales are unknown. Here we report the first biophysical evidence demonstrating that aerobic bacterial photosynthesis is widespread in tropical surface waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean and in temperate coastal waters of the northwestern Atlantic. Our results indicate that these organisms account for 2-5% of the photosynthetic electron transport in the upper ocean.     

Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and their roles in marine ecosystems

Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria(AAPB) are characterized by the following physiological and ecological features. A mother AAPB cell can unusually divide into 3 daughter cells and looks like a “Y” during the division. AAPB cells sometimes adhere together forming a free-floating population. Most of the known AAPB species are obligately aerobic. Bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl a) is the only photosynthetic pigment in AAPB, and the number of BChl a molecules in an AAPB cell is much less than that in an anaerobic phototrophic bacterial cell, while the accessorial pigments carotenoids in AAPB are abundant in concentration and diverse in species. In addition to the common magnesium containing BChl a, a zinc-containing BChla was also seen in AAPB. AAPB have light harvesting complex I but usually lack light harvesting complex II. Although AAPB featur in photosynthesis, their growth is not necessarily lightdependent. There is a mechanism controlling the photosynthesis approach. AAPB are widely distributed in marine environments especially in oligotrophic oceans accounting for a substantial portion of the total biomass and playing a unique role in the cycle of carbon and other biogenic elements. Besides the contribution to primary production, AAPB also have great potentials in bioremediation of polluted environments. Studies on AAPB would be of great value in understanding the evolution of photosynthesis and the structure and function of marine ecosystems.     

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation by anammox bacteria in the Black Sea

The availability of fixed inorganic nitrogen (nitrate, nitrite and ammonium) limits primary productivity in many oceanic regions. The conversion of nitrate to N2 by heterotrophic bacteria (denitrification) is believed to be the only important sink for fixed inorganic nitrogen in the ocean. Here we provide evidence for bacteria that anaerobically oxidize ammonium with nitrite to N2 in the world's largest anoxic basin, the Black Sea. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences shows that these bacteria are related to members of the order Planctomycetales performing the anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) process in ammonium-removing bioreactors. Nutrient profiles, fluorescently labelled RNA probes, 15N tracer experiments and the distribution of specific 'ladderane' membrane lipids indicate that ammonium diffusing upwards from the anoxic deep water is consumed by anammox bacteria below the oxic zone. This is the first time that anammox bacteria have been identified and directly linked to the removal of fixed inorganic nitrogen in the environment. The widespread occurrence of ammonium consumption in suboxic marine settings indicates that anammox might be important in the oceanic nitrogen cycle.     

Combined effects of solar UV radiation and CO2-induced seawater acidification on photosynthetic carbon fixation of phytoplankton assemblages in the South China Sea

We carried out short term pCO₂/pH perturbation experiments in the coastal waters of the South China Sea to evaluate the combined effects of seawater acidification (low pH/high pCO₂) and solar UV radiation (UVR, 280–400 nm) on photosynthetic carbon fixation of phytoplankton assemblages. Under photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) alone treatments, reduced pCO² (190 ppmv) with increased pH resulted in a significant decrease in the photosynthetic carbon fixation rate (about 23%), while enriched pCO₂ (700 ppmv) with lowered pH had no significant effect on the photosynthetic performance compared to the ambient level. The apparent photosynthetic efficiency decreased under the reduced pCO₂ level, probably due to C-limitation as well as energy being diverged for up-regulation of carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). In the presence of UVR, both UV-A and UV-B caused photosynthetic inhibition, though UV-A appeared to enhance the photosynthetic efficiency under lower PAR levels. UV-B caused less inhibition of photosynthesis under the reduced pCO₂ level, probably because of its contribution to the inorganic carbon (Ci)-acquisition processes. Under the seawater acidification conditions (enriched pCO₂), both UV-A and UV-B reduced the photosynthetic carbon fixation to higher extents compared to the ambient pCO₂ conditions. We conclude that solar UV and seawater acidification could synergistically inhibit photosynthesis.     

Stratified prokaryote network in the oxic-anoxic transition of a deep-sea halocline

The chemical composition of the Bannock basin has been studied in some detail. We recently showed that unusual microbial populations, including a new division of Archaea (MSBL1), inhabit the NaCl-rich hypersaline brine. High salinities tend to reduce biodiversity, but when brines come into contact with fresher water the natural haloclines formed frequently contain gradients of other chemicals, including permutations of electron donors and acceptors, that may enhance microbial diversity, activity and biogeochemical cycling. Here we report a 2.5-m-thick chemocline with a steep NaCl gradient at 3.3 km within the water column betweeen Bannock anoxic hypersaline brine and overlying sea water. The chemocline supports some of the most biomass-rich and active microbial communities in the deep sea, dominated by Bacteria rather than Archaea, and including four major new divisions of Bacteria. Significantly higher metabolic activities were measured in the chemocline than in the overlying sea water and underlying brine; functional analyses indicate that a range of biological processes is likely to occur in the chemocline. Many prokaryotic taxa, including the phylogenetically new groups, were confined to defined salinities, and collectively formed a diverse, sharply stratified, deep-sea ecosystem with sufficient biomass to potentially contribute to organic geological deposits.     

Exogenous carbon acquisition of photosynthesis in Porphyra haitanensis (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) under emersed state

The photosynthetic performances of Porphyra haitanensis thalli were investigated in order to understand its mechanisms for exogenous carbon acquisition during emersion at low tide. The emersed photosynthesis was studied by altering the pH value in the water film on the thalli surface, treating them with carbonic anhydarase inhibitors (acetazolamide and 6-ethoxyzolamide), adjusting the CO2 concentrations in the air, and comparing the theoretical maximum CO2 supply rates within the adherent water film with the observed photosynthetic CO2 uptake rates. It was found that the principal exogenous inorganic carbon source for the photosynthesis of P. haitanensis during emersion was atmospheric CO2. The driving force of CO2 flux across the water film was the CO2 concentration gradient within it. Carbonic anhydrase accelerated both extracellular and intracellular CO2 transport. The emersed photosynthesis of P. haitanensis was limited by the present atmospheric CO2 level, and would be enhanced by atmospheric CO2 rise that would trigger global warming.     

自然光合与人工光合杂化体系研究进展

 基于人工和自然光合成中的科学问题，概述了光合作用中光能转化以及CO₂固定过程，并综述了光合膜蛋白、酶催化和全细胞耦合的自然-人工杂化光合体系的研究进展。提出通过自然与人工光合体系之耦合，认识和学习自然光合作用中太阳能转化的基础科学，从结构仿生与功能仿生工方面道法自然，发展高效的人工光合成体系。     

自然光合与人工光合杂化体系研究进展

 基于人工和自然光合成中的科学问题，概述了光合作用中光能转化以及CO₂固定过程，并综述了光合膜蛋白、酶催化和全细胞耦合的自然-人工杂化光合体系的研究进展。提出通过自然与人工光合体系之耦合，认识和学习自然光合作用中太阳能转化的基础科学，从结构仿生与功能仿生工方面道法自然，发展高效的人工光合成体系。     

Fluorescent pigments in corals are photoprotective

All reef-forming corals depend on the photosynthesis performed by their algal symbiont, and such corals are therefore restricted to the photic zone. The intensity of light in this zone declines over several orders of magnitude--from high and damaging levels at the surface to extreme shade conditions at the lower limit. The ability of corals to tolerate this range implies effective mechanisms for light acclimation and adaptation. Here we show that the fluorescent pigments (FPs) of corals provide a photobiological system for regulating the light environment of coral host tissue. Previous studies have suggested that under low light, FPs may enhance light availability. We now report that in excessive sunlight FPs are photoprotective; they achieve this by dissipating excess energy at wavelengths of low photosynthetic activity, as well as by reflecting of visible and infrared light by FP-containing chromatophores. We also show that FPs enhance the resistance to mass bleaching of corals during periods of heat stress, which has implications for the effect of environmental stress on the diversity of reef-building corals, such as enhanced survival of a broad range of corals allowing maintenance of habitat diversity.     

Photosynthetic recovery of desiccated intertidal seaweeds after rehydration

Intertidal seaweeds experience periodical desiccation and rehydration to different extents due to the tidal cycles and their vertical distributions. Their photosynthetic recovery process during the rehydration may show different patterns among the seaweeds from different zonations or depths at intertidal zone. In this study 12 species of seaweeds collected from the upper, middle, lower and sublittoral zones were examined. The relationship of the photosynthetic recovery to vertical distribution was assessed by comparing their patterns of photosynthetic and respiratory performances after rehydration following desiccation. Both the photosynthesis and dark respiration declined during emersion, showing certain degrees of recovery after re-immersion into seawater for most species, but the extents were markedly different from one species to the other. The species from upper intertidal zone after being rehydrated for 1 hour, following 2 hours of desiccation, achieved 100% recovery of their initial physiological activity, while most of the lower or sublittoral species did not achieve full recovery. It is the ability to withstand desiccation stress (fast recovery during rehydration), but not that to avoid desiccation (water retaining ability) that determines the distribution of intertidal seaweeds. Such physiological behavior during rehydration after desiccation reflects the adaptive strategy of intertidal seaweeds against desiccation and their capability of primary production in the process of rehydration.     

夏季东海陆架浮游植物类群结构对不同风场条件的响应分析

为探讨东海的主要物理过程对浮游植物生物量和类群结构的时空分布影响,采用高效液相色谱法分析2006年和2011年夏季东海陆架条件下的浮游植物光合色素的组成及含量,并通过CHEMTAX对浮游植物群落的结构进行分析。结果表明,不同风场条件下东海浮游植物生物量和类群结构均有显著差异。在2006年夏季航次,受弱西北风的控制,长江冲淡水向外延伸面积较大,东海陆架叶绿素a的平均浓度为1 228.6ng/L,主要特征光合色素多甲藻素(Peri)、19-己酰基氧化岩藻黄素(19-hex)、19-丁酰基氧化岩藻黄素(19-but)、玉米黄素(Zea)和二乙烯基叶绿素a(DV-Chl.a)相对较高,浮游植物以硅藻(41%)和甲藻(16%)为主要优势类群;2011年夏季航次,受强东南风影响,底层低温高盐水涌升现象明显,东海陆架叶绿素a(Chl.a)的平均浓度(2 677.9ng/L)比2006年高一倍,叶绿素b(Chlb.)、青绿藻素(Prasino)、新黄素(Neo)和别藻黄素(Allo)等光合色素浓度相对较高,硅藻(60%)在浮游植物群落中占主要优势。     

Photosynthetic recovery of desiccated intertidal seaweeds after rehydration

Intertidalseaweedsusuallyexperiencehoursto daysofdesiccationduringemersionbeforebeingim mersedagainintidecycles[1].Tosomespeciesofsea weedsthedesiccationimposednegativeeffectson photosynthesisandrespiration[2—6],itcouldalsoen hancethenetphotosynthesisofmostdetectedsea weedsattheinitialphaseofthewaterlosingpro cess[5,7—12].However,littlehasbeendocumentedon therelationshipofphotosyntheticrecoverywithwater retainingability.Desiccation resistantperformancesofintertidal seaweedswereconsideredtobe…     

Kranz anatomy is not essential for terrestrial C4 plant photosynthesis.

An important adaptation to CO2-limited photosynthesis in cyanobacteria, algae and some plants was development of CO2-concentrating mechanisms (CCM). Evolution of a CCM occurred many times in flowering plants, beginning at least 15-20 million years ago, in response to atmospheric CO2 reduction, climate change, geological trends, and evolutionary diversification of species. In plants, this is achieved through a biochemical inorganic carbon pump called C4 photosynthesis, discovered 35 years ago. C4 photosynthesis is advantageous when limitations on carbon acquisition are imposed by high temperature, drought and saline conditions. It has been thought that a specialized leaf anatomy, composed of two, distinctive photosynthetic cell types (Kranz anatomy), is required for C4 photosynthesis. We provide evidence that C4 photosynthesis can function within a single photosynthetic cell in terrestrial plants. Borszczowia aralocaspica (Chenopodiaceae) has the photosynthetic features of C4 plants, yet lacks Kranz anatomy. This species accomplishes C4 photosynthesis through spatial compartmentation of photosynthetic enzymes, and by separation of two types of chloroplasts and other organelles in distinct positions within the chlorenchyma cell cytoplasm.     

The evolution of the atmosphere in the Archaean and early Proterozoic

Key steps in atmospheric evolution occurred in the Archaean. The Hadean atmosphere was created by the inorganic processes of volatile accretion from space and degassing from the interior, and then modified by chemical and photochemical processes. The air was probably initially anoxic, though there may have been a supply of oxidation power as a consequence of hydrodynamic escape to space of hydrogen from water. Early subduction may have removed CO₂ and the Hadean planet may have been icy. In the Archaean, as anoxygenic and then oxygenic photosynthesis evolved, biological activity remade the atmosphere. Sedimentological evidence implies there were liquid oceans despite the faint young Sun. These oceans may have been sustained by the greenhouse warming effect of biologically-made methane. Oxygenesis in the late Archaean would have released free O₂ into the water. This would have created oxic surface waters, challenging the methane greenhouse. After the Great Oxidation Event around 2.3 to 2.4 billion years ago, the atmosphere itself became oxic, perhaps triggering a glacial crisis by cutting methane-caused greenhouse warming. By the early Proterozoic, all the key biochemical processes that maintain the modern atmosphere were probably present in the microbial community.     

5种地被竹光合日变化特性研究

以菲白竹、黄条金刚竹、鹅毛竹、铺地竹和菲黄竹5种地被竹为试材进行盆栽试验,测定其光合日变化。试验结果表明：5种地被竹净光合速率和蒸腾速率日变化均为双峰曲线,具有典型的“午休”特征。各环境因子主要通过对光合有效辐射、水压亏缺、胞间CO2浓度和叶面温度的作用而影响的净光合速率,气孔导度对光合特征参数的变化影响最大,且对净光合速率起决定性作用,是影响光合的限制因子。光合“午休”是由于气孔导度的降低,主要受气孔因素限制。     

Plant biomarkers in aerosols record isotopic discrimination of terrestrial photosynthesis

Carbon uptake by the oceans and by the terrestrial biosphere can be partitioned using changes in the (12)C/(13)C isotopic ratio (delta(13)C) of atmospheric carbon dioxide, because terrestrial photosynthesis strongly discriminates against (13)CO(2), whereas ocean uptake does not. This approach depends on accurate estimates of the carbon isotopic discrimination of terrestrial photosynthesis (Delta; ref. 5) at large regional scales, yet terrestrial ecosystem heterogeneity makes such estimates problematic. Here we show that ablated plant wax compounds in continental air masses can be used to estimate Delta over large spatial scales and at less than monthly temporal resolution. We measured plant waxes in continental air masses advected to Bermuda, which are mainly of North American origin, and used the wax isotopic composition to estimate Delta simply. Our estimates indicate a large (5 6 per thousand) seasonal variation in Delta of the temperate North American biosphere, with maximum discrimination occurring in late spring, coincident with the onset of production. We suggest that the observed seasonality arises from several factors, including seasonal shifts in the proportions of production by C(3) and C(4) plants, and environmentally controlled adjustments in the photosynthetic discrimination of C(3)-plant-dominated ecosystems.     

Net production of oxygen in the subtropical ocean

The question of whether the plankton communities in low-nutrient regions of the ocean, comprising 80% of the global ocean surface area, are net producers or consumers of oxygen and fixed carbon is a key uncertainty in the global carbon cycle. Direct measurements in bottle experiments indicate net oxygen consumption in the sunlit zone, whereas geochemical evidence suggests that the upper ocean is a net source of oxygen. One possible resolution to this conflict is that primary production in the gyres is episodic and thus difficult to observe: in this model, oligotrophic regions would be net consumers of oxygen during most of the year, but strong, brief events with high primary production rates might produce enough fixed carbon and dissolved oxygen to yield net production as an average over the annual cycle. Here we examine the balance of oxygen production over three years at sites in the North and South Pacific subtropical gyres using the new technique of oxygen sensors deployed on profiling floats. We find that mixing events during early winter homogenize the upper water column and cause low oxygen concentrations. Oxygen then increases below the mixed layer at a nearly constant rate that is similar to independent measures of net community production. This continuous oxygen increase is consistent with an ecosystem that is a net producer of fixed carbon (net autotrophic) throughout the year, with episodic events not required to sustain positive oxygen production.     

Photosynthetic bicarbonate utilization inPorphyra haitanensis (Bangiales, Rhodophyta)

The activities of carbonic anhydrase (CA) and photosynthesis of Porphyra haitanensis were investigated in order to see its photosynthetic utilization of inorganic carbon source. Both intra- and extra-cellular CA activities existed in the thallus. CA inhibitors, acetazolamide (AZ) and ethoxyzolamide (EZ), remarkably depressed the photosynthetic oxygen evolution in seawater of pH 8.2 and 10.0, and EZ showed stronger inhibition than AZ. The observed net photosynthetic rate in seawater of pH 8.2 was much higher than that of CO2 supply theoretically derived from spontaneous dehydration of HCO3-. P. haitanensis also showed a rather high pH compensation point (9.9). The results demonstrated that P. haitanensis could utilize bicarbonate as the external inorganic carbon source for photosynthesis. The bicarbonate utilization was closely associated with dehydration catalyzed by extracellular CA activity. The inorganic carbon composition in seawater could well saturate the photosynthesis of P. haitanensis. The low Km value and compensation points for inorganic carbon reflected the existence of CO2- concentrating mechanism in this alga.     

条斑紫菜精子囊细胞色素含量及光合活性的研究

以条斑紫菜叶状体为材料,对精子囊细胞分化过程中光合活性、色素含量的变化进行研究并与营养细胞进行比较分析.结果表明:营养细胞在色素含量以及光合活性方面均明显高于精子囊细胞,二者表现出明显的生理生化差异.在脱水及复水过程中,营养细胞和精子囊细胞表现出相似的光响应特征.两种组织在生理生化特征上的差异和相似点表明紫菜精子囊细胞在形成过程中始终保留部分营养细胞的功能,反映了紫菜精子囊细胞形成过程中细胞功能分化的原始性.