Preliminary research on thiamin deficiency in captive sea-birds

On behalf of sea-bird research at the NIOZ, in which it is necessary to keep and rear birds in captivity, a preliminary research on thiamin deficiency was carried out. Pyruvate contents of blood of 13 black-headed gulls were determined. In four birds this took place immediately after capture and in 9 birds after they had been on a special diet in captivity for over 10 days. A diet of smelt did not result in an increase in the pyruvate content of the blood to an extent permitting any conclusions on thiamin deficiency

Sulfaat in water en sediment van de Waddenzee

For the sulphate/chlorinate relation in the Wadden Sea the following comparison is applicable: SO4 g/kg = 0,1349 Cl per thousand + 0,0462. The sulphate/chlorinate relation in the sediment of the Wadden Sea varies strongly, influenced by bacterial activity. A method to calculate how much organic material is mineralised by sulphate reducers in a mud flat, is pointed out

Deep-sea meiofauna communities in Antarctica: structural analysis and relation with the environment

The metazoan meiofauna in the region off Kapp Norvegia, Antarctica (Weddell Sea: 71°S, 12°W), was collected from depths between 211 and 2080m. Total meiofaunal abundance ranged from 815 to 5122 ind. per 10 cm² and total biomass from 126 to 966 µg dwt per 10 cm². Nematodes dominated the samples (range 83 to 97%) followed by harpacticoid copepods, polychaetes and kinorhynchs. A typical skewed length frequency distribution was obtained with most nematodes in the 0.4 to 0.6 mm size-class. The meiofauna communities were primarily influenced by bathymetric depth and food availability (e.g. organic matter and microbiota), which in turn are suggested to be directly related to phytoplankton blooms and associated sedimentation pulses. Standing stock and distribution patterns indicate that the meiofauna from the Weddell Sea show similar features to major deep-sea assemblages elsewhere in the world