Seasonal budgets of organic matter in the Ubatuba shelf system, SE Brazil. I. Planktonic and benthic components

Planktonic and benthic productivity and consumption were estimated to assess the availability of food to higher trophic-level consumers in the Ubatuba ecosystem on the SE coast of Brazil. The study area included waters from 10 to 100 m deep and covered 3800 km(2). The trophic compartments of the system were established on ecologically or taxonomically related species, considering their relative abundance and similarity of diets and habits. The compartments are phytoplankton, zooplankton, salps, bacterioplankton, cnidaria, polyplacophora, mollusca, carnivorous benthos, detritivorous polychaetes, other detritivorous benthos, penaeidea-caridea, brachyura, and echinodermata. Biomass, production, and consumption were estimated in summer and winter. Plankton biomass, production and consumption were higher in summer than in winter, mainly because of the presence of salps. Primary production was estimated as 1486 g wet weight m(-2) 3 months(-1) in summer and 704 g in winter. Total benthic biomass in summer (101 gww m(-2)) was twice that in winter (53 gww m(-2)), but its production and consumption were similar in both seasons.Ce travail s’intéresse à la productivité et à la consommation du plancton et du benthos de manière à estimer la disponibilité en nourriture pour les niveaux trophiques supérieurs dans l’écosystème d’Ubatuba, sur la côte sud-est du Brésil. L’aire étudiée couvre une superficie de 3800 km2 sur des fonds allant de 10 m à 100 m. Les compartiments trophiques sont établis en regroupant des espèces proches sur les plans écologique ou taxinomique, en considérant leur abondance relative et la similarité de leurs habitats et de leur nourriture. Les compartiments sont : phytoplancton, zooplancton, salpes, bactérioplancton, cnidaires, polyplacophores, mollusques, benthos carnivore, polychètes détritivores, autre benthos détritivore, pénéidés-caridés, brachyoures et, enfin, échinodermes. La biomasse, la production, et la consommation sont estimées en hiver et en été. La biomasse, la production et la consommation du plancton sont plus élevées en été surtout en raison de la présence de salpes. La production primaire est estimée à 1486 g de poids humide par mètre carré pour les trois mois d’été et de 704 g en hiver. La biomasse benthique totale en été (101 g de poids humide par mètre carré) est deux fois plus élevée qu’en hiver (53), mais sa production et sa consommation sont similaires

Purification and biological effects of Araucaria angustifolia (Araucariaceae) seed lectin

This paper describes the purification and characterization of a new N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-specific lectin from Araucaria angustifolia (AaL) seeds (Araucariaceae) and its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. AaL was purified using a combination of affinity chromatography on a chitin column and ion exchange chromatography on Sephacel-DEAE. The pure protein has 8.0 kDa (SDS-PAGE) and specifically agglutinates rabbit erythrocytes, effect that was independent of the presence of divalent cations and was inhibited after incubation with glucose and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. AaL showed antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains, shown by scanning electron microscopy. AaL, intravenously injected into rats, showed anti-inflammatory effect, via carbohydrate site interaction, in the models of paw edema and peritonitis. This lectin can be used as a tool for studying bacterial infections and inflammatory processes. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.35041050105