Taxonomic Characterization of Three Marine Peritrichous Ciliates from China: Zoothamnium alrasheidi spec. nov., Z. marinum Kahl, 1933 and Z. vermicola Precht, 1935 (Ciliophora: Peritrichia)

Three marine peritrichous ciliates, Zoothamnium alrasheidi spec. nov., Z. marinum Kahl, 1933 and Z. vermicola Precht, 1935, were isolated from littoral areas near Qingdao, China. The living morphology, infraciliature and silverline system were studied in living and silver-impregnated specimens. Zoothamnium alrasheidi is distinguished from its congeners by the giant, leaf-shaped colony, the differentiation of zooids, the structure of the infundibular polykineties and in having 57–75 silverlines between the oral area and the trochal band and 24–42 between the trochal band and the scopula. Zoothamnium marinum and Z. vermicola are reported for the first time in over 70 years. Each was identified by its zooid shape and size, colony shape, the branching pattern of its stalk and its marine habitat. As a result of the present study, additional features for characterizing these species now include the structure of infundibular polykinety 3 and the number of silverlines between the aboral trochal band and (a) the scopula, and (b) the peristomial lip. Redescriptions and improved diagnoses of both species are supplied based on the Chinese populations

Seasonal pattern of zooplankton communities and their environmental response in subtropical maritime channels systems in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Zooplankton are a primary component of aquatic food chain and play an important role in the functioning of aquatic food webs. Seasonal variation in community structures of zooplankton and potential environmental drivers were studied, during a 1-year cycle (summer 2015 – spring 2016) in subtropical maritime channels systems in the Bay of Bengal, coastal waters in Bangladesh. A total of 32 species representing 25 families, 13 orders and 15 taxonomic groups were identified. Of these species, 23 distributed in all four season of which 8 were dominant species with high contributions of the total communities. Species number was peaked in autumn and fell in summer while maximum abundance was in the winter and minimum in summer. Multivariate analyses showed that there was a clear seasonal shift in zooplankton community structures in relation with environmental conditions. Species diversity and evenness peaked in summer while the high value of species richness was found in autumn. Multivariate correlation (RELATE) and BIO-ENV analysis demonstrated that seasonal variation in community patterns was significantly correlated with temporal shift of environmental conditions and that variation mainly driven by water transparency, salinity, DO, TSS and nutrients. Thus, this finding implies that the zooplankton community represented a clear seasonal shift shaped by environmental drivers in subtropical channels systems

Review of advanced road materials, structures, equipment, and detection technologies

As a vital and integral component of transportation infrastructure, pavement has a direct and tangible impact on socio-economic sustainability. In recent years, an influx of groundbreaking and state-of-the-art materials, structures, equipment, and detection technologies related to road engineering have continually and progressively emerged, reshaping the landscape of pavement systems. There is a pressing and growing need for a timely summarization of the current research status and a clear identification of future research directions in these advanced and evolving technologies. Therefore, Journal of Road Engineering has undertaken the significant initiative of introducing a comprehensive review paper with the overarching theme of “advanced road materials, structures, equipment, and detection technologies”. This extensive and insightful review meticulously gathers and synthesizes research findings from 39 distinguished scholars, all of whom are affiliated with 19 renowned universities or research institutions specializing in the diverse and multidimensional field of highway engineering. It covers the current state and anticipates future development directions in the four major and interconnected domains of road engineering: advanced road materials, advanced road structures and performance evaluation, advanced road construction equipment and technology, and advanced road detection and assessment technologies

Taxonomic Characterization of Three Marine Peritrichous Ciliates from China: Zoothamnium alrasheidi spec. nov., Z. marinum Kahl, 1933 and Z. vermicola Precht, 1935 (Ciliophora: Peritrichia)

Three marine peritrichous ciliates, Zoothamnium alrasheidi spec. nov., Z. marinum Kahl, 1933 and Z. vermicola Precht, 1935, were isolated from littoral areas near Qingdao, China. The living morphology, infraciliature and silverline system were studied in living and silver-impregnated specimens. Zoothamnium alrasheidi is distinguished from its congeners by the giant, leaf-shaped colony, the differentiation of zooids, the structure of the infundibular polykineties and in having 57–75 silverlines between the oral area and the trochal band and 24–42 between the trochal band and the scopula. Zoothamnium marinum and Z. vermicola are reported for the first time in over 70 years. Each was identified by its zooid shape and size, colony shape, the branching pattern of its stalk and its marine habitat. As a result of the present study, additional features for characterizing these species now include the structure of infundibular polykinety 3 and the number of silverlines between the aboral trochal band and (a) the scopula, and (b) the peristomial lip. Redescriptions and improved diagnoses of both species are supplied based on the Chinese populations

Insights into evaluating the toxic effects of nitrofurazone on ecological integrity in marine ecosystems using periphytic ciliate communities

Despite its detrimental effects on ecosystems, the broad-spectrum antibiotic nitrofurazone is extensively used in the aquaculture industry worldwide. However, the impacts of nitrofurazone toxicity on ecological integrity are still unclear. In this study, a community-based bioassay was used to evaluate the toxicity of nitrofurazone to periphytic ciliates in a concentration gradient using five treatments (0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg l−1). The periphytic ciliate communities were collected from coastal waters of the Yellow Sea near the mouth of Jiaozhou Bay at Qingdao, in northern China. After exposure to nitrofurazone, these communities showed toxicity dynamics like high variability in species composition. Species richness and total abundance decreased in a dose-dependent manner, with total abundance dropping sharply at the 8 mg l−1 concentration of nitrofurazone. Multivariate analyses demonstrated variations in the patterns of community structure driven by nitrofurazone toxicity, and these patterns differed significantly depending on the nitrofurazone concentration (P < 0.05). The findings of this study suggest that periphytic ciliate communities can potentially be used in bioassays for assessing nitrofurazone toxicity in marine ecosystems