Osamu Mitamura

Biodegradation of photosynthetically produced extracellular organic carbon from intertidal benthic algae

14C-labeled extracellular products of a natural microphytobenthic community and two species of benthic diatoms (Nitzschia hybridaeformis and Amphora coffeaeformis) were fractionated into extracellular dissolved organic carbon (14C-EDOC), organic carbon extracted with EDTA (14C-EDTA-extractable OC) and extracellular polymeric substances (14C-EPS). The biodegradation of this labeled extracellular organic carbon by bacteria in sediments was examined to determine the processes of enzymatic degradation of photosynthetically-produced extracellular organic carbon from microphytobenthos in an intertidal flat ecosystem. In addition, primary production as well as extracellular enzyme activities (beta- and alpha-glucosidase) were measured to evaluate the possible relationship between organic carbon production and microbiological degradation at the Isshiki intertidal flat in Mikawa Bay, Japan. With all three 14C-fractions extracted from a natural microphytobenthic assemblage and two species of benthic diatoms, more than 50% of the added substrates were mineralized within 24 h by the bacterial community in sediments. At that time, the percentage of high-molecular-weight compounds (>5 K MW) to total MW compounds of 14C-EDTA-extractable OC and 14C-EPS fractions decreased within 24 h from 50.9 to 6.6% and 74.5 to 11.1%, respectively. In situ, beta- and alpha-glucosidase activity in sediment was higher than in the seawater column (at a depth of 1 m), though the photosynthetic production of microphytobenthos was equal to that of phytoplankton. Based on our previous studies that microphytobenthos produced much more extracellular products than phytoplankton, it is assumed from these results that carbon flowing into the microbial loop through the mediation of enzymatic degradation of extracellular products in a benthic system exceeds that in the overlying water column.

First investigation of ultraoligotrophic alpine Lake Puma Yumco in the pre-Himalayas, China

Lake Puma Yumco is a typical alpine lake (altitude 5030 m) located in the pre-Himalayas of Tibet, China, and this study was the first limnological investigation ever conducted on it. Lake Puma Yumco (28°34″N, 90°24″E) has the following morphometric properties: maximum length 31 km, maximum width 14 km, mean width 9 km, shoreline 90 km, surface area 280 km2, and shoreline development 1.5. Transparency was approximately 10 m, even in the thawing season. The extinction coefficient of the lake water was calculated as 0.15 m−1. Annual maximum transparency was estimated from the depth of the Chara zone to be 30 m. Dissolved oxygen was 7 mg O2 l−1 and showed saturated values, and salinity was 360 mg l−1. The chemical type of the lake water was Mg-Ca-HCO3-SO4, and it was slightly alkaline in character. Total nitrogenous nutrients (sum of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and urea nitrogen), phosphate, and silicate were extremely low at 1, 0.02, and 9 µM, respectively. Dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations were 160, 11, and 0.08 µM and the molar ratio was calculated as 2100 : 140 : 1. Chlorophyll a concentration was 0.2 mg m−3. Phytoplankton and zooplankton were dominated by Aphanocapsa sp. and Diaptomidae. Both nitrogen and phosphorus appear to be the limiting parameters for phytoplankton growth. Organic carbon and nitrogen contents in lake sediments were low and the sediments contained a large amount of CaCO3. The grain size of sediment was that of silt-sand in most cases. The present results indicate that the pre-Himalayan alpine freshwater Lake Puma Yumco is an ultraoligotrophic lake.

Development of filamentous green algae in the benthic algal community in a littoral sand-beach zone of Lake Biwa

Temporal changes of biomass and dominant species in benthic algal communities were investigated in a littoral sand-beach zone in the north basin of Lake Biwa from December 1999 to September 2000. Chlorophyll-a amounts of benthic algal communities per unit area of the sandy sediments rapidly increased from late April to June. Increases in biomass of the benthic algal communities are considered to result from the propagation of filamentous green algae Oedogonium sp. and Spirogyra sp. The cell numbers of filamentous green algae and chlorophyll-a amounts of benthic algal communities at depths of 30 and 50 cm at a station protected by a breakwater in May were significantly higher than those of a station exposed directly to wave activity. Thus, the biomass accumulation of the benthic algal communities seems to be regulated strongly by wave disturbance. The development of filamentous green algae may contribute to the increase in biomass of the benthic algal community and to the changes in seasonal patterns of biomass in the sand-beach zone of Lake Biwa. We consider that the development of the filamentous green algal community in the littoral zone of Lake Biwa is the result of eutrophication.

Urea degradation by picophytoplankton in the euphotic zone of Lake Biwa

Abstract The ability of photoautotrophic picoplankton Synechococcus to degrade urea was examined in the euphotic zone of Lake Biwa. Samples were divided into pico (0.2–2.0 μm) and larger (>2.0 μm) size fractions by filtration. The rates of urea degradation (the sum of the rates of incorporation of carbon into phytoplankton cells and of liberation of CO2 into water) measured by radiocarbon urea were 8 and 17 μmol urea m−3 day−1 in June and July, respectively, for the picophytoplankton in the surface water, and 196 and 96 μmol urea m−3 day−1, respectively for the larger phytoplankton. The rates decreased with depth, somewhat similar to the vertical profiles of the photosynthetic rate. The urea degradation rates were obviously high under light conditions. In daylight, urea was degraded into two phases, carbon incorporation and CO2 liberation, whereas in the dark it was degraded only into the CO2 liberation phase. The contribution of picophytoplankton to total phytoplankton in urea degradation was high in the subsurface to lower euphotic layer. Urea degradation activity was higher in the picophytoplankton fraction than in the larger phytoplankton fraction. Shorter residence times of urea were obtained in the upper euphotic zone. The contribution of picophytoplankton to urea cycling was 4% to 35%. The present results suggest that the picophytoplankton Synechococcus is able to degrade urea and effectively makes use of regenerated urea as a nitrogen source in the euphotic layer, and that picophytoplankton play an important role in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle in Lake Biwa.

Seasonal variation in primary production of microphytobenthos at the Isshiki intertidal flat in Mikawa Bay

Abstract Seasonal variations in photosynthetic rates by microphytobenthos and phytoplankton at the Isshiki tidal flat in Mikawa Bay were measured with a 14C combustion method. In addition, diurnal variations in the photosynthetic rate and photosynthesis versus irradiance (P-I) curves were obtained through in situ incubation. The photosynthetic rate of microphytobenthos (annual average, 13.9 ± 6.4 mg C m−2 h−1) did not show a remarkable change, and they maintained a higher production rate than phytoplankton (annual average 9.0 ± 5.1 mg C m−2 h−1) throughout the year. The P-I curves from in situ experiments showed that the photosynthetic activity of microphytobenthos at the laboratory irradiance (250 μE m−2 s−1) was 56% of that at the maximum irradiance (1200 μE m−2 s−1) in situ. In the in situ experiments, the chlorophyll a concentration, photosynthetic rate, and activity of microphytobenthos varied greatly throughout the day, influenced by tidal submersion/emersion and daylight. From an analysis of these results, it is considered that microphytobenthos contributed greatly to primary production in this ecosystem throughout the year by adapting suitably to intertidal environments.

Distribution of aquatic plants and absorption of radionuclides by plants through the leaf surface in brackish Lake Obuchi, Japan, bordered by nuclear fuel cycle facilities

We investigated the distribution of aquatic plants and the absorption of radionuclides by them in the brackish Lake Obuchi, Japan, which is bordered by nuclear fuel cycle facilities. We studied 5 species of submerged plants: Zannichellia palustris, Ruppia maritima, Potamogeton pectinatus, Zostera japonica, and Z. marina. The plants contained many elements, including radionuclides. The concentrations of 238U, 137Cs, and 90Sr in Z. marina were 11.3-12.4, 0.000-0.144, and 0.151-0.202 Bq.kg-1 dw, respectively. Those in Z. japonica were 5.2-8.8, 0.000-0.267, and 0.081-0.175 Bq.kg-1 dw, respectively. The concentrations of these radionuclides in the plants tended to be higher in higher-salinity regions than in lower-salinity regions of the lake. We found a close relationship between photosynthetic activity and the absorption of stable Sr by plants in the laboratory. Salinity, illumination, and water temperature influenced the photosynthetic activity of the plants and the consequent absorption of elements.

Vertical planktonic structure in the central basin of Lake Baikal in summer 1999, with special reference to the microbial food web

Planktonic microbial interactions in the central basin of Lake Baikal were examined on a summer day in 1999. The subsurface maxima of bacterial abundance and chlorophyll concentration were recorded at the same depth, whereas the vertical distribution of heterotrophic nanoflagellates was the inverse of those of bacteria and picophytoplankton. Release of extracellular organic car-bon (EOC) from phytoplankton was estimated by the NaH14CO3 method as 2.4 µg C l−1 day−1. Bacterial production (4.3 µg C l−1 day−1), estimated in a bottle incubation experiment using size-fractionated water samples, exceeded the EOC released. Thus, other supplying sources of organic matter are needed for the bacterial production. Grazing (2.6 µg C l−1 day−1) was also estimated in the experiment and accounted for 60% of the bacterial production. This is the first report on the microbial food web in the central basin of Lake Baikal.

Relationships between electron transport rates determined by pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic rates by traditional and common methods in natural freshwater phytoplankton

The relationships between the electron transport rate (ETR) measured by pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer and the rate of O 2 production and 14 C fixation by traditional and most common methods were estimated in natural phytoplankton communities to determine the molar ratio of oxygen produced and carbon fixation per electron transported. The observations were carried out in Lake Biwa, Japan approximately once a month for a year. A remarkable linear relationship was observed between the rate of O 2 production and C fixation to ETR at low-to-medium irradiances during the sampling period, but not at higher irradiances. The annual average O 2 production/ETR and C fixation/ETR ratios at low-to-medium irradiances were 0.117 and 0.095, respectively, and the photosynthetic quotient (O 2 production/C fixation) calculated from the two ratios was 1.23, which is the most common value as the photosynthetic quotient. The same was true for cultured algal species. These results indicate that the O 2 production/ETR and C fixation/ETR ratios are reliable values at low-to-medium irradiances, and that PAM measurements can be used to quantify primary production rates based on traditional methods using the ratios. However, it must be noted that the determination of the average O 2 production/ETR and C fixation/ETR ratios in a natural phytoplankton community requires long-term observation because those ratios change seasonally over a certain range.

Nutrient limitation of the primary production of phytoplankton in Lake Baikal

Nutrient limitation of the primary production of phytoplankton at some stations in southern and central Lake Baikal was studied by nutrient enrichment experiments in August 2002. Chlorophyll (Chl.) a concentrations ranged from 0.7 to 5.8μgl−1. Inorganic nutrient concentrations were low: soluble reactive phosphorus ranged from 0.05 to 0.20μmoll−1, ammonia from 0.21 to 0.41μmoll−1, and nitrite plus nitrate from 0.33 to 0.37μmoll−1. In the five enrichment experiments, phosphate spikes and phosphate plus nitrate spikes always stimulated primary production. Nitrate spikes also stimulated primary production in four of the experiments. Significant differences were detected between the controls and phosphate spikes and between the controls and phosphate plus nitrate spikes. Thus, the first limiting nutrient is thought to be phosphorus, but once phosphorus is supplied to the surface water, the limiting nutrient will quickly shift from phosphorus to nitrogen.

Urea decomposing activity of fractionated brackish phytoplankton in Lake Nakaumi

Abstract The influence of brackish phytoplankton cell classes upon the response of urea decomposition was investigated in Lake Nakaumi. The urea decomposition rate was 5 to 350 μmol urea m−3 h−1 in the light and 3 to 137 μmol urea m−3 h−1 in the dark. The urea decomposition rates in the light were obviously higher than in the dark. An extremely high rate (350 μmol urea m−3 h−1) was observed in Yonago Bay. The rate in the smaller fraction (<5 μm) exceeded that in the middle (5–25 μm) and larger fractions (>25 μm). The chlorophyll- and photosynthesis-specific rates for urea decomposition in the light were 0.5 to 3.9 μmol urea mg chl.a−1 h−1 and 0.3 to 1.3 μmol urea mg photo.C−1. The specific urea decomposing activities were higher in the smaller fraction than in the other two fractions. The present results suggest that in brackish waters urea decomposition occurred with coupling to the standing crop and photosynthetic activity of phytoplankton.