Fei Xiugeng

STUDIES OF MESOHERBIVORY IN AQUARIA AND IN AN UNBARRICADED MARICULTURE FARM ON THE CHINESE COAST1

The effects upon macrophytic and epiphytic algae of caprellid amphipods, including Caprella irregularis Mayer, and of gammarid amphipods, including Ampithoe lacertosa Bate, Jassa falcata (Montagu) and Pontogeneia rostrata Gurjanova, were studied in aquaria and in a coastal mariculture farm near Qingdao, Peoples Republic of China. The macrophytic species studied included Enteromorpha linza (L.) J. Agardh, Gracilaria asiatica Zhang & Xia, Gracilaria lemaneiformis (Bory) Weber‐van Bosse and Scytosiphon lomentaria (Lyngbye) C. Agardh. These algae and amphipods were selected for study because of their local abundances. Aquarium experiments demonstrated that C. irregularis, J. falcata and P. rostrata feed on ephemeral/epiphytic algae. A. lacertosa (adults and juveniles) ate Gracilaria but preferred E. linza. The different species of amphipods had substantially different patterns of daily activity.

Seaweed cultivation - traditional way and its reformation.

Seaweed cultivation or phycoculture has been developed rather fast in recent years. The total production of cultivated seaweed at present is about 6250×103 tons fresh weight. The total cultivation area is estimated as 200×103 hectare. The annual total value of cultivated seaweeds has been estimated to be more than 3 billion US dollars. Phycoculture provides many job opportunities for the coastal region people, has the potential to improve marine environments and thus even induce global change. All traditional cultivation methods and techniques are based on or start from the individual plant or the cultivated seaweed population. Modern biological science and biotechnology achievements have benefited agriculture a lot, but traditional seaweed cultivation has not changed much since its founding. This is because seaweed cultivation has been quite conservative for quite a long period and has accumulated many problems requiring solution. Four main problems might be the most universal ones holding back further development of the industry. New ways of seaweed cultivation must be developed, new techniques must be perfected, and new problems solved. This paper mainly discusses the main problems of traditional seaweed cultivation at present and its possible further development and reformation in the future.

Ultrastructure of single cells, callus-like and monospore-like cells inPorphyra yezoensis ueda on semisolid culture medium

It had been demonstrated that individual cells or protoplasts isolated fromPorphyra thallus by enzyme could develop into normal leafy thalli in the same way as monospores, and that isolated cells develop in different way in liquid and on semi-solid media. The authors observed the ultrastructure of isolated vegetative cells cultured on semi-solid media and compared them with those of monospores and isolated cells cultured in liquid media. The results showed that subcellular structures were quite different among cells in different conditions. In their development, isolated cells on semi-solid media did not show the characteristic subcellular feature of monospore formation, such as production of fibrous vesicles. Callus-like cells formed on semi-solid media underwent a distinctive modification in cellular organization. They developed characteristic cell inclusions and a special 2-layer cell covering. Golgi bodies, ER, starch grains, mitochondria. Vacuoles were not commonly found in them.

The ultrastructure of separated and cultured cell ofPorphyra yezoensis

There are many reports that cells (protoplasts) separated from the thallus ofPorphyra by enzyme can develop to normal leafy thalli in the same way as monospores. But there are few investigations on the subcellular structure of the isolated vegetative cell for comparison with the subcellular structure of monospores. To clarify whether the separated and cultured cells undergo the same or similar ultrastructure changes during culture and germination as monospores undergo in their formation and germination, we observed their ultrastructure, compared them with those of the monospore and found that the ultrastructure of separated and cultured cells did not have the characteristic feature as that of monospore formation, such as production of small and large fibrous vesicles, but was accompanied by vacuolation and starch mobilization like that in monospore germination. The paper also discusses the relations between monospores and separated and cultured cells.

Development of suspended conchocelis ofPorphyra haitanensis (Bangiales, Rhodophyta)

This Mar. 1993 to Aug. 1994 study on suspended conchocelis ofPorphyra haitanensis showed that there were three patterns for development of vegetative filaments: filaments to filaments by “budding”; filaments to sporangial branchlets by “budding”, or cell swelling. There were also three patterms for sporangial branchlet development: vegetatively propagating, changing into conchospores, or dying. Each developmental stage had one or more different developmental directions between vegetative filaments and sporangial branchlets. Developments from conchosporangial branchlets to conchospores were sequential and irreversible. Although sporangial branchlets formed at 29°C could give rise to filaments, they could not propagate as healthily under the same conditions as those formed at 25°C did. Probably the crucial period of plant cell differentiation is in the late stage of sporangial branchlets. In line with the developmental directions of different stages, the authors regulated the development of conchocelis to get ideal different developmental stages materials to obtain very developmentally homogeneous stages, including filaments and sporangial branchlets.

Seaweed cultivation: A new applied field for biotechnology

Seaweeds cultivation has resulted in great achievements, although it has a history of only a few decades. With higher productivity and resulting higher profit, it has become the leading marine exploitation industry with the brightest prospects. The relatively limited species introduced for commercial cultivation showed great biological diversity. Introduction of selected good strains for traditional cultivation and the transformation from cultivation of mixed strains to that of pure cell lines are two certain tendencies in the future. Pure line cultivation of seaweeds in a sort of advanced biotechnology. It provides new opportunities for not only the industry itself, but also the stable market of high quality natural marine products. More work should be done on principles and methods to obtain optimal results from the combination of pure line cultivation techniques with advanced biochemistry. The programmed batch production of fine chemicals such as polysaccharides and proteins will probably become the social demand.

Identification of cytokinin in a green algae extract

Isopentenyladenosine (i6Ado) was identified, and trans-zeatin (trans-Z) and trans-zeatin riboside (trans-ZR) were detected by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) but not verified with chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of cytokinin from the extracts of green algae (Ulva pertusa (Kjellm),Enteromopha compressa andMonostroma sp.). This indicated that the green algae mixture contained cytokinin—like substances.

Effect of cytokinins and auxins on the growth of free-living conchocelis ofPorphyra yezoensis

IAA 3-Indolylacetic acid, NAA a-Naphthylacetic acid and cytokinins in PESI culture medium were used in a study on the effects of plant hormones on the growth of free-living conchocelis ofPorphyra yezoensis which showed that its growth in medium with cytokinins, IAA and NAA was more rapid than that in medium with non—phytohormones; that the optimal concentrations for promoting growth were 10 μg/L for IAA and ZA (Zeatin), and 0.1 μg/L for BA 6-Benzyl amino purine and KIN 6-Furfurylamino- purine. Mix use of NAA, IAA and cytokinins, NAA/ZA 1–1000/1 μg/L, NAA/BA 10/1-1000 μg/L, NAA/KIN 1/1-1000 μg/L promoted growth. IAA/ZA 0.1-1/0.1-1 μg/L; IAA/BA 0.1-1/0.1-10 μg/L IAA/KIN 1/0.1-1000 μg/L also promoted growth.