Spatial heterogeneity of a microbial community in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard during late summer 2006 and its relationship to biotic and abiotic factors

The 16S and 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid genes of microbial organisms collected from the contrasting environments (temperature, salinity, silicate, phosphate and nitrate, p <0.05) of the inner and outer basins of Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen, Arctic) were studied using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(DGGE) fingerprinting. Comparison of the microbial fingerprints and the physicochemical parameters revealed that molecular methodology exhibited a greater sensitivity. Sequences obtained from bacterial DGGE were affiliated with four main phylogenetic groups of bacteria: Proteobacteria(Alpha, Beta and Gamma), Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia and Cyanobacteria. The relationships between the genotype distribution of these microbes and associated biotic/abiotic factors, revealed by canonical correspondence analysis, showed that Station 1 at 30 m (outer fjord) was grouped separately from the other sites. This difference could be a consequence of the thermocline and base of the euphotic layer at this depth where the Atlantic and Arctic-type waters overlapped

ALLOGYOGENETIC PROGENY ARE PRODUCED FROM A HYBRID ABALONE CROSS OF FEMALE HALIOTIS DIVERSICOLOR AND MALE HALIOTIS DISCUS DISCUS

Interspecific hybrid families of female Haliotis diversicolor X male H. discus discus were produced and analyzed using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technology to reveal the genetic makeup of F1 progenies. The survival rates of the hybrid F1 were very low, ranging from 0-0.13%. Twenty hybrid F1 from 3 families along with 3 different female parents and their common male parent were analyzed with 3 AFLP primer combinations. In total, 266 markers were detected. Genetic relationships among the progenies and the parents were evaluated by generating a similarity and genetic distance matrix. The genetic divergence between Haliotis diversicolor and Haliotis discus was at a high level, with genetic distance ranging from 1.471-1.492. The AFLP band patterns of hybrid F1 progeny were similar to those of the female parents, but were quite different from that of the male parent. The mean genetic distance between hybrid F1 and their female parents were 0.024-0.039, slightly less than that among the female parents, which indicates that the hybrid F1 shared high genetic similarity with their female parents, Haliotis diversicolor. However, 0-0.8% of total AFLP bands of each individual were found to be parental bands, and 0-3.3% were found to be nonparental bands. The possible reason for the presence of paternal-specific and nonparental bands is discussed

KARYOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE HYBRID LARVAE OF HALIOTIS DISVERSICOLOR SUPERTEXTA FEMALE AND HALIOTIS DISCUS DISCUS MALE

To determine the genomic composition of the interspecific hybrid between Haliotis diversicolor supertexta female and H. discus discus male at an early developmental stage, veliger larvae produced from hybrid (SJ-5 and SJ-50) and pure species crosses (SS and JJ) were sampled and analyzed using standard karyological methods and genomic in situ hybridization. In hybrid metaphase spreads, chromosomes from both parents were detected, except one metaphase, which showed the H. diversicolor supertexta haploid karyotype. The genomic composition of the hybrid was also confirmed through preliminary genomic in situ hybridization results. Many more aneuploids and chromosome fragments were found in the hybrids than those in the control pure species crosses, indicating genome instability and chromosome loss in the hybrids. In the hybrid hypodiploid metaphase spreads, two intact sets of H. diversicolor supertexta chromosomes and several H. discus discus chromosomes were detected by pairing. Spontaneous diploidization of the maternal chromosome set was shown to occur in hybrid larvae, as 2.2% heterogeneous triploid and 17.9% hypodiploids with two intact H. diversicolor supertexta chromosome sets for SJ-5. The current findings suggest that uniparental chromosome elimination along with spontaneous diploidization of maternal chromosome sets may be the reason for allogynogenesis production in H. diversicolor supertexta X H. discus discus hybridization

The progress in the study of Arctic pack ice ecology

The sea ice community plays an important role in the Arctic marine ecosystem. Because of the predicted environmental changes in the Arctic environment and specifically related to sea ice, the Arctic pack ice biota has received more attention in recent years using modern ice-breaking research vessels. Studies show that the Arctic pack ice contains a diverse biota and besides ice algae, the bacterial and protozoan biomasses can be high. Surprisingly high primary production values were observed in the pack ice of the central Arctic Ocean. Occasionally biomass maximum were discovered in the interior of the ice floes, a habitat that had been ignored in most Arctic studies. Many scientific questions, which deserve special attention, remained unsolved due to logistic limitations and the sea ice characteristics. Little is known about the pack ice community in the central Arctic Ocean. Almost no data exists from the pack ice zone for the winter season. Concerning the abundance of bacteria and protozoa, more studies are needed to understand the microbial network within the ice and its role in material and energy flows. The response of the sea ice biota to global change will impact the entire Arctic marine ecosystem and a long-term monitoring program is needed. The techniques, that are applied to study the sea ice biota and the sea ice ecology, should be improved

An FMCW MIMO Radar-Vision Fusion Algorithm for Target Classification and Localization

In order to solve the problems of slow real-time and poor detection of small targets that still exist in multi-sensor information fusion technology, a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar-vision fusion algorithm for target classification and localization is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the signal model of FMCW MIMO radar is established. Then, the target localization is performed using a forward-backward spatial smoothing (SS) based linear prediction-orthogonal propagator method (LP-OPM) to obtain information about the radar target. Next, the YOLOv7 and the visual ranging algorithms are used to identify and localize the target to get information about the camera target. In addition, a Kalman-weighted fusion algorithm is used to fuse the data from the two sensor targets for output. Finally, the performance of the method is proved to be superior by the experimental results

Dominant diatom species in the Canada Basin in summer 2003, a reported serious melting season

National Natural Science Foundation of China [40576002, 40776003]; Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality [052307053]; Polar Youth Foundation for Innovation [JDQ200802]; Polar Strategic Research Foundation [2008209]; LMEB Open ResearchDuring the second Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition in summer 2003, sea ice cores and the underlying water were sampled from seven stations in the pack ice zone of the Canada Basin and were examined with a phase contrast microscope. A total of 102 and 78 algal species were identified for the ice cores and the underlying water, respectively, ranking in the middle range among the surveys of the Arctic Ocean up to the present despite seasonal variability. The Shannon-Wiener indices ranged from 1.40 to 4.88 with an average of 3.58 +/- 0.68. Diatom species, especially pennate species, dominated in all the samples. A large number of algal spores were contained in every layer (abundance percentage > 1%). The microalgal abundances ranged from 1.4 x 10(4) to 8.73 x 10(5) cells L(-1) and the biomass ranged from 0.56 to 89.49 mu g L(-1). They were correlated with the number of algal species (P 0.05). Ice algal maxima were observed in various layers (bottom, interior and near the surface of the ice floes). The phytoplankton biomass in the ice-water interface was one order of magnitude lower than that in the bottom ice (P 0.05). Spatial heterogeneity in both horizontal and vertical directions was the main characteristic of the algal community structure, which was demonstrated by the cluster analysis result and the distribution patterns

Abundance and age of viable resting eggs of the calanoid copepod Boeckella poppei Mrazek in sediments: evidence of egg banks in two Antarctic maritime lakes

The existence of egg banks not only ensures the survival of zooplankton through harsh periods, but could also affect microevolutionary dynamics. Whether zooplankton at high latitudes can build up an egg bank in sediments, as occurs at lower latitudes, is still unknown. The distribution and age of viable resting eggs of the calanoid copepod Boeckella poppei Mrazek in sediments of two small freshwater lakes on King George Island were determined by slicing sediment cores at 1-cm intervals. Most viable resting eggs were found near the sediment surface, with abundance sharply declining to very low values at the depth of 5 cm, although eggs were present as deep as 9 cm in the sediments of Yanouhu Lake. The egg abundances in Xihu Lake and Yanouhu Lake were estimated to be 9.2 x 10(4) and 7.2 x 10(4) eggs m(-2), respectively. Pb-210 dating indicated a relatively constant sedimentation rate (0.023 cm year(-1)) in Xihu Lake, which was used to estimate the mean age (46.8 year), the maximum age (195.7 year), and the mortality rate (1.64 % year(-1)) of resting eggs of B. poppei in Xihu Lake. The accumulation of resting eggs with long-term viability in sediments provided the first evidence for the existence of egg banks in two Antarctic maritime lakes. An egg bank may serve as an overwintering strategy for B. poppei in Antarctica, enhance their ability to cope with random extreme changes, and contribute to their broad distribution.National Science Foundation of China [40506002]; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities; Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology [08DZ1203102, 09DZ120010A