Ruixiang Li

Effect of temperature, salinity and irradiance on growth and photosynthesis of Ulva prolifera

Intensive Pyropia aquaculture in the coast of southwestern Yellow Sea and its subsequent waste, including disposed Ulva prolifera, was speculated to be one of the major sources for the large-scale green tide proceeding in the Yellow Sea since 2007. It was, however, unclear how the detached U. prolifera responded and resumed growing after they detached from its original habitat. In this study, we investigated the growth and photosynthetic response of the detached U. prolifera to various temperature, salinity and irradiance in the laboratory. The photosynthetic rate of the detached U. prolifera was significantly higher at moderate temperature levels (14–27°C) and high salinity (26–32), with optimum at 23°C and 32. Both low (<14°C) and highest temperature (40°C), as well as low salinity (8) had adverse effects on the photosynthesis. Compared with the other Ulva species, U. prolifera showed higher saturated irradiance and no significant photoinhibition at high irradiance, indicating the great tolerance of U. prolifera to the high irradiance. The dense branch and complex structure of floating mats could help protect the thalli and reduce photoinhibition in field. Furthermore, temperature exerted a stronger influence on the growth rate of the detached U. prolifera compared to salinity. Overall, the high growth rate of this detached U. prolifera (10.6%–16.7% d–1) at a wide range of temperature (5–32°C) and salinity (14–32) implied its blooming tendency with fluctuated salinity and temperature during floating. The environmental parameters in the southwestern Yellow Sea at the beginning of green tide were coincident with the optimal conditions for the detached U. prolifera.

Community structure and controlled factor of attached green algae on the Porphyra yezoensis aquaculture rafts in the Subei Shoal, China

This study analyzes the community structure, the quantity changes of the algae and the effect of important environmental factors and estimates the total biomass of the attached green algae in the survey areas. The study uses data from surveys of the attached green algae on the Porphyra yezoensis aquaculture rafts and data regarding the environmental factors from October 2010 to April 2011 in the Subei Shoal. The attached green algae on the rafts included Ulva prolifera, Capsosiphon groenlandicus, U. linza, U. intestinalis, U. clathrata, and U. compressa. The biomass changes of the attached green algae exhibited an inverted parabola: the biomass was the highest (14 898 t) in April, and was the second highest (2 034 t) in November; it was lowest in February (only 729 t) and increased sharply from March to April. The species diversity differed significantly among the seasons. In September and October, when the P. yezoensis aquaculture rafts were initially set up, the attached green algae had a high biodiversity, while from December to the next February, a variety of green algae species coexisted on the rafts, although the biomass was low, and from March to April, as the biomass increased sharply, the species diversity dropped to the minimum. During this time, C. groenlandicus was apparently dominant with the maximum biomass proportion up to 80%, while the U. prolifera proportion increased exponentially to 20% to 40%. The water temperature had a direct regulating effect on the biomass and the species succession of the attached green algae. The estimation of the community dynamics and the biomass of the green algae provided the evidence needed to track the origin of the large-scale green tide in the southern Yellow Sea.

The distribution of green algal micro-propagules and macroalgae at the early stage of green tide in the coastal area of South Jiangsu Province in 2014

An integrated investigation was carried out during late April to late May of 2014 in the coastal area of South Jiangsu Province to understand the early development of green tide in the Yellow Sea and discover the temporal and spatial distribution of green algal micro-propagules and macroalgae at the early stage of green tide. The results showed that green algal micro-propagules distributed in all stations from late April to late May, and micro-propagules of high density (> 300 ind. L−1) concentrated in the adjacent Porphyra aquaculture area. Floating macroalgae were initially observed in the northern survey areas, and increased gradually. The dominant species was U. prolifera in the floating macroalgae, ranging between 90% and 100%. The seawater surface temperature and salinity in the above mentioned time period were suitable for the growth of macroalgae. This work can help government to strengthen management to reduce the blooms of macroalgae in the coastal area of South Jiangsu Province and also facilitate the decision-making for managers at the early stage of green tide.

The current situations of green macroalgae and micro-propagules in Pyropia aquaculture of the Subei Shoal in spring of 2013

To discover the distribution of green algal micro-propagules in the Subei Shoal and clarify the growth of green macroalgae attached on Pyropia aquaculture rafts, an integrated investigation in Pyropia aquaculture area and one cruise in the coastal area of the Subei Shoal were carried out from March to May in 2013. The results showed that green algal micro-propagules were discovered in seawater and sediment during March to May. The average quantity of micro-propagules was 267 ind./L in surface seawater and 43 ind./g in sediment. The biomass of attached green macroalgae increased in Pyropia aquaculture from March to May. Three species, including Ulva prolifera, Ulva linza and Blidingia sp. were found in Pyropia aquaculture rafts. The dominant specie was Blidingia sp. and the second was U. prolifera in spring. This study indicated that the micro-propagules and macroalgae were existed in the coastal area of the Subei Shoal at the early stage of green tide. This was the key point to the governance of green tide in China.

The morphological identification of Protoperidinium (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae) species on the coasts of China

The classification and identification for Protoperidinium species are the most difficult work during its taxonomic study. In this research, taxonomic status of Protoperidinium was clarified by tracing its taxonomic history, 23 species belong to genus Protoperidinium on the coasts of China were preliminarily identified, and morphological description and plate patterns were given for each species. The key differences of similar species were also discussed in this study, we believe that P. oceanicum and P. murry, P. tumidum and P. fatulipes, P. globules and P. majus are separate species; P. diabolum should be treated as the valid name instead of the reported names Peridinium globosum or Peridinium longipes; the taxonomic relationship between P. punctulatum and P. subinerme requires further study.