The Distribution, Abundance, and Communities of Deepwater Hawaiian Crustose Corallinaceae (Rhodophyta, Cryptonemiales)

Two deepwater (8-28 m) areas studied off Oahu, Hawaii, are remarkably similar in the kinds and order of importance of calcareous producer organisms. Hydrolithon breviclavium is primary at the Maile deep area (25-percent cover) as well as at Waikiki (37-percent cover). At Maile H. reinboldii (7-percent cover) ranks second in relative importance; however, at Waikiki Tenarea tessellatum (5-percent cover) and corals (3-percent cover) are so abundant at the stations below 20 m that they surpass H. reinboldii (2 percent) in total cover. Corals (2-percent cover) and T. tessellatum (I-percent cover) rank third and fourth, respectively, as important builders in the Maile deep area. At Waikiki, when density and frequency are considered with the cover values, corals are second in importance followed by H. reinboldii and T. tessellatum. The deepwater crustose Corallinaceae (38-percent mean cover) overshadow all other calcareous organisms in terms of standing stock and also seem to have more biological influence than do the other limestone producers

The Annual Distribution of Phytoplankton Communities in a Southeastern Ohio Pond

Author Institution: Department of Population and Environmental Biology, University of California, and Department of Botany, Ohio UniversityThe phytoplankton communities of a southeastern Ohio pond were monitored weekly from October 1964 to October 1965. Ninety taxa were identified: 56 Chlorophyta, 6 Chrysophyta, 14 Cyanophyta, 10 Euglenophyta, and 4 Pyrrhophyta. The pond was partially drained and the fish were removed during winter 1964; this had no marked effect on the phytoplankton community present at that time. Prominant pulses occurred during fall 1964, April 1965, and summer 1965; the fall and summer peaks were associated with pH values greater than 9.0. The fall pulse was comprised of Anabaena planctonica, A . spiroides var. crassa, Botryococcus braunii, and Ceratium hirundinella. Major components of the April pulse were Dinobryon cylindricum, Oscillatoria limosa, 0. amphibia, C. hirundinella, and Uroglena americana. During the summer pulse a distinct succession of dominants was evident, with the community in July composed of Staurastrum uniseriatum, Scenedesmus spp., Pediastrum duplex, and Euglena spp., giving way to a community in August that included Staurastrum tetracerum, Closterium spp., and Euastrum denticulatum; the last community being displaced in September by a Glenodinium quadridens, Scenedesmus spp., Anabaena sp., P. duplex community

Marine Macroalgal Diversity Assessment of Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles

Background: Located in the Dutch Windward Islands, Saba Bank is a flat-topped seamount (20–45 m deep in the shallower regions). The primary goals of the survey were to improve knowledge of biodiversity for one of the world’s most significant, but little-known, seamounts and to increase basic data and analyses to promote the development of an improved management plan. Methodology/Principal Findings: Our team of three divers used scuba to collect algal samples to depths of 50 m at 17 dive sites. Over 360 macrophyte specimens (12 putative new species) were collected, more than 1,000 photographs were taken in truly exceptional habitats, and three astonishing new seaweed community types were discovered. These included: (1) ‘‘Field of Greens’ ’ (N 17u30.6209, W63u27.7079) dominated by green seaweeds as well as some filamentous reds, (2) ‘‘Brown Town’ ’ (N 17u28.0279, W63u14.9449) dominated by large brown algae, and (3) ‘‘Seaweed City’ ’ (N 17u26.4859, W63u16.8509) with a diversity of spectacular fleshy red algae. Conclusions/Significance: Dives to 30 m in the more two-dimensional interior habitats revealed particularly robust specimens of algae typical of shallower seagrass beds, but here in the total absence of any seagrasses (seagrasses generally do not grow below 20 m). Our preliminary estimate of the number of total seaweed species on Saba Bank ranges from a minimum of 150 to 200. Few filamentous and thin sheet forms indicative of stressed or physically disturbed environments were observed. A more precise number still awaits further microscopic and molecular examinations in the laboratory. The expedition, while intensive, has only scratched the surface of this unique submerged seamount/atoll

Discovery of sisunatovir (RV521), an inhibitor of respiratory syncytial virus fusion

RV521 is an orally bioavailable inhibitor of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion that was identified after a lead optimization process based upon hits that originated from a physical property directed hit profiling exercise at Reviral. This exercise encompassed collaborations with a number of contract organizations with collaborative medicinal chemistry and virology during the optimization phase in addition to those utilized as the compound proceeded through preclinical and clinical evaluation. RV521 exhibited a mean IC50 of 1.2 nM against a panel of RSV A and B laboratory strains and clinical isolates with antiviral efficacy in the Balb/C mouse model of RSV infection. Oral bioavailability in preclinical species ranged from 42 to >100% with evidence of highly efficient penetration into lung tissue. In healthy adult human volunteers experimentally infected with RSV, a potent antiviral effect was observed with a significant reduction in viral load and symptoms compared to placebo

The Distribution, Abundance, Community Structure, and Primary Productivity of Macroorganisms from Two Central California Rocky Intertidal Habitats

A wave-exposed sea stack and a protected boulder beach at Cayucos Point, California, were compared in terms of their intertidal biota on 17-18 February 1973. The major differences between the two sites appear to be due largely to differences in the shearing forces of waves and habitat structure. The mosaic of crevices, rivulets, and angled substrates in conjunction with a broad gradual slope and reduced wave action at the boulder beach habitat resulted in a predominance of macrophytes and a zonational pattern related to both horizontal location on the shore and vertical tidal level, while sessile macroinvertebrates with zonal patterns closely correlated to tidal height dominated the sea stack. Upward shifts in comparable vertical zones at the sea stack were clearly correlated with increased wetting higher on the shore due to waves and splash, in agreement with similar findings by other workers. The most abundant macrophytes at both sites were blue-green algae and Endocladia muricata,-althoughtheotherabundant.speciesweredifferentat-each site. Eive sessile macroinvertebrates (Mytilus californianus, Chthamalus fissus, C. dalli, Balanus (Balanus) glandula, and Pollicipes polymerus) dominated the sea stack, while only three sessile speci((s (Anthopleura elegantissima, C. fissus, and C. dalll) were prevalent on the boulder beach. Of the mobile macroinvertebrates, Tegulafunebralis was the most numerous species at the boulder beach whereas the limpets Acmaea (Collisella) scabra and A. (Collisella) digitalis occurred most abundantly on the sea stack. Although a greater number of taxa and higher species richness values were recorded at the boulder beach, the evenness index and Shannon's index indicated a higher diversity on the sea stack. At the boulder beach, 12 species assemblages were defined by cluster analysis, while only 6 such groups were identified on the sea stack. The boulder beach macrophytes contributed approximately one-third more to total community primary production than did those of the sea stack (169.7 versus 116.5 net mg C m-2 h-1), due mainly to the greater cover and concomitant production by Cyanophyta and fucalean Phaeophyta

Windward fore-reef slope.

<p>Coral-dominated community characteristic of the windward (east) fore-reef slope of Saba Bank.</p