Search results for "algae"
showing 10 items of 403 documents
Seasonal succession and growth in the plankton communities of the Gulf of Riga in relation to long-term nutrient dynamics
1999
To study temporal changes in phyto- and zooplankton in the Gulf of Riga monitoring data covering the period of 1972–1995 were analyzed. Changes in external nutrient supply have turned P limitation, during the 1980s, into the present deficiency of Si for the spring bloom. Contrary to depletion of the N and Si pools, the internal sources and sinks were responsible for input of P into the pelagic ecosystem in the 1990s. Restructuring of the nutrient pool reshaped the pelagic planktonic communities. Changes of the species composition and food-web relationships occurred. Till the 1990s, an increase of diatoms in the summer phytoplankton and an increase of herbivores in zooplankton took place. La…
Melosira distans var. tenella and Eunotia zasuminensis, two poorly known planktonic diatoms in Finnish lakes
1986
The occurrence and ecology of two poorly known planktonic diatoms, Melosira distans var. tenella (Nyg.) M.-B. Florin and Eunotia zasuminensis (Cabejsz.) Korner in central Finland is discussed. Both species have their maximum in late summer when water temperature is > 15°C and they prefer slightly acid water (pH < 7), low conductivity (less than 4 mS/m) and a moderate degree of dystrophy with C.O.D. 10–20 mg O2/l and water colour 60–120 mg Pt/1. Melosira distans var. tenella was found in ca. 80% of the central Finnish lakes studied, but it is not reported in previously published papers. Eunotia zasuminensis is rarer, but is, however, recorded in at least 22 lakes in central Finland.
A new method to isolate lichen algae by using percoll® gradient centrifugation
2001
AbstractA rapid method to isolate intact functional algae from the lichens Evemia prunastri and Ramalina farinacea has been developed. This method is based on the use of Percoll® gradients after mechanical disruption of lichen thalli. Results obtained show that the algal preparations were virtually free of contamination by fungal hyphae. The purified algal cells were photosynthetically active and without symptoms of photoinhibition, which indicates their functional integrity. This method may be used for the isolation of intact algae from a broad range of lichen species.
Phytoplankton structure in different lake types in central Finland
1986
Phyloplankton structure and its relation to physical and chemical properties of the water was studied in 58 central Finnish lakes. The biomass ranged from 0.2 to 14.2 g m−3 and the number of taxa per sample ranged from 33 to 152. The lakes were grouped into 5 types according to their trophic state: eutrophic, dyseutrophic, mesotrophic, oligotrophic, and acid oligotrophic lakes. The average biomass in eutrophic lakes was 5.57 g m−3, in dyseutrophic 3.54 g m−3, 1.23 g m−3 in mesotrophic, 0.52 g m−3 in oligotrophic and 0.39 g −3 in acid oligotrophic lakes. The average number of taxa per sample in the corresponding lake types were 109. 1, 79.3, 97.9, 90.9 and 43.8, respectively. The phytoplankt…
Preliminary data on the occurrence of alien macroalgae in the vermetid reef along the coasts of Favignana Island (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea)
2017
Intertidal vermetid reefs are highly diverse systems that provide numerous habitats for animal and vegetal species, leading to an increase of intertidal biodiversity. These habitats, particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and human activities, are now experiencing high mortality in several areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Since alien macroalgae are nowadays considered one of the most serious threats to biodiversity and natural ecosystem functioning, we provide a first baseline assessment of the occurrence of alien species in the vermetid reef along the coasts of the Island of Favignana (Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area). Surveyes carried out in 2015 revealed the only presence of…
Historical Contaminant Records from Sclerochronological Archives
2015
A number of marine and freshwater organisms, including scleractinian and proteinacious corals, coralline algae, sclerosponges, and bivalve mollusks, secrete skeletons that grow larger over time and may record environmental contaminants over the lifespan of an individual. Most of these organisms also form periodic growth patterns (growth increments, lines or bands) that can be used to accurately date contaminant archives produced from chemical or physical analysis of sequential skeletal samples (termed sclerochronology). The majority of records produced from these organisms thus far have focused on paleoclimate reconstructions, but there is a vast potential for information on changes in cont…
Antioxidant Bioactivity of Extracts from Beach Cast Leaves of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile
2021
The marine environment is a generous source of biologically active compounds useful for human health. In 50 years, about 25,000 bioactive marine compounds have been identified, with an increase of 5% per year. Peculiar feature of algae and plants is the production of secondary metabolites, such as polyphenols, synthesized as a form of adaptation to environmental stress. Posidonia oceanica is a Mediterranean endemic and dominant seagrass and represents a biologically, ecologically and geologically important marine ecosystem. Within this study, methanolic and ethanolic extracts were generated from fresh and dried Posidonia 
Algae and Their Extracts in Medical Treatment
2018
Scientific efforts undertaken in recent decades have undoubtedly proven that algae are an inestimable and, what is more, important renewable source of hundreds of chemical compounds characterized by a wide spectrum of biological activity. Polysaccharides, phenolic compounds and their derivatives, pigments, proteins, lipids, and fatty acids are the substances that can be isolated from seaweeds, possessing antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, antilipidemic, antitumor, antidiabetic, anticoagulant, antioxidant, and antiallergic properties, which can be successfully utilized for human needs. The majority of attention has been focused on marine polysaccharides and their application in medicine a…
Acute hazard of biocides for the aquatic environmental compartment from a life-cycle perspective
2019
One of the aims of the European project LIFE-COMBASE is to build a computational tool to predict the acute toxicity for aquatic organisms of biocidal active substances and its environmental degradation products. A database was implemented compiling toxicity data for these substances in organisms of the freshwater/marine and sewage treatment plant compartments. The goal of this study is to analyze the compiled data to identify the possible hazard of these compounds for the aquatic compartments. Several official and scientific databases were consulted. Data from 196 biocidal substances and 206 environmental metabolites were collected for the taxonomic groups, including fish, invertebrates, al…
Energetic coupling between plastids and mitochondria drives CO2 assimilation in diatoms.
2015
International audience; Diatoms are one of the most ecologically successful classes of photosynthetic marine eukaryotes in the contemporary oceans. Over the past 30 million years, they have helped to moderate Earth's climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, sequestering it via the biological carbon pump and ultimately burying organic carbon in the lithosphere. The proportion of planetary primary production by diatoms in the modern oceans is roughly equivalent to that of terrestrial rainforests. In photosynthesis, the efficient conversion of carbon dioxide into organic matter requires a tight control of the ATP/NADPH ratio which, in other photosynthetic organisms, relies prin…