Yuichiro Nishibe

Trophic coupling of a testate amoeba and Microcystis species in a hypertrophic pond

Seasonal changes in abundance of the testate amoeba Penardochlamys sp. and its food vacuole contents were investigated in relation to blooms of the cyanobacteria Microcystis spp. in a hypertrophic pond from April 1999 to March 2000. The behavior of the amoeba feeding on M. aeruginosa and M. wesenbergii was also observed in the laboratory. The amoeba was detectable from late May to November 1999 during the blooms of Microcystis spp. Cell densities of the amoeba fluctuated between 1.4 and 350 cells ml−1 with some sporadic peaks, which did not coincide with rapid decreases in the abundance of Microcystis spp. Food vacuoles contained only Microcystis cells; other prey items were not found, suggesting that this amoeba utilized only the cyanobacteria as food. The amoeba was frequently found attached to Microcystis colonies, but was not associated with other suspended particles. Observation of the amoeba feeding revealed the feeding mechanism and that the amoeba was able to graze on both species of Microcystis. These results suggest that the trophic coupling of these organisms is substantial, although grazing by the amoeba is not sufficient to regulate the dynamics of Microcystis populations in this hypertrophic pond.

Effect of heterotrophic nanoflagellates on the loss of virus‐like particles in pond water

A decrease in the abundance of virus-like particles (VLP) by heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) was examined using size-fractionated water samples taken from a hypereutrophic pond in December 1999, and in March and July 2000. We recorded a considerable decrease in the abundance of VLP in the 5.0 µm filtrate relative to the 0.2–0.8 µm filtrates. Decrease rates of VLP were reduced in a parallel 5.0 µm filtrate treated with cycloheximide. The loss rates of VLP in 5.0 µm filtrate varied in each experiment, and a high rate of loss was found when the growth rate of HNF was high. These results suggested that HNF consumed the VLP and that HNF is an important factor for decreasing viral abundance in freshwater environments.

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.

The dynamics of microbial and herbivorous food webs in a coastal sea with special reference to intermittent nutrient supply from bottom intrusion

Seasonal changes in abundance of planktonic microorganisms, together with some physico-chemical variables, were monitored monthly from May 1999 to March 2002 in the surface water of a coastal bay where nutrients are mainly supplied by intermittent intrusions of deeper water (bottom intrusion). No significant bottom intrusion was detected in 1999 but large or frequent bottom intrusions were found from June to October in 2000, and again from mid-June only to late July in 2001. These results indicate that there is a different nutrient supply every year, and peaks in the abundance of dominant eukaryotic phytoplankton (diatoms and dinoflagellates) roughly corresponded to the occurrences of bottom intrusions. By contrast, there was a cyclic seasonal pattern of autotrophic picoplankton (APP) cell density, which reached maxima in August of every year at very similar levels (4.0-5.0 × 105 cells ml–1). Thus, the seasonal abundance of APP was apparently independent of the occurrence of bottom intrusions. Seasonal changes in cell densities of heterotrophic bacteria showed similar trends to the APP, and temperature-dependent growth of both was indicated. The present study suggests that the matter cycling in the bay varies as a result of shifts in the dominant food linkages, from a microbial food web to a herbivorous food web, due to intermittent nutrient supplies from bottom intrusions.

Lack of congruence in species diversity indices and community structures of planktonic groups based on local environmental factors.

The importance of analyzing the determinants of biodiversity and community composition by using multiple trophic levels is well recognized; however, relevant data are lacking. In the present study, we investigated variations in species diversity indices and community structures of the plankton taxonomic groups–zooplankton, rotifers, ciliates, and phytoplankton–under a range of local environmental factors in pond ecosystems. For each planktonic group, we estimated the species diversity index by using linear models and analyzed the community structure by using canonical correspondence analysis. We showed that the species diversity indices and community structures varied among the planktonic groups and according to local environmental factors. The observed lack of congruence among the planktonic groups may have been caused by niche competition between groups with similar trophic guilds or by weak trophic interactions. Our findings highlight the difficulty of predicting total biodiversity within a system, based upon a single taxonomic group. Thus, to conserve the biodiversity of an ecosystem, it is crucial to consider variations in species diversity indices and community structures of different taxonomic groups, under a range of local conditions.

Grazing on Microcystis (Cyanophyceae) by testate amoebae with special reference to cyanobacterial abundance and physiological state

We examined the growth of testate amoebae preying on Microcystis whose physiological states were different in laboratory experiments and a hypertrophic pond. We prepared three experimental systems using water samples dominated by Microcystis aeruginosa: light incubation (control), dark incubation (dark), and light incubation with addition of nitrogen and phosphorus (+NP). In all the systems, the colony density of M. aeruginosa decreased slightly during incubation. Physiological activity of phytoplankton as determined by chlorophyll fluorescence was high and almost constant in the control and +NP systems, whereas it decreased in the dark system. Cell densities of testate amoebae increased in the control and +NP systems, whereas in the dark system they remained low. Thus, growth of the amoebae was low in the systems where physiological activity of Microcystis was low. In a hypertrophic pond, cell density of testate amoebae increased and remained high when M. aeruginosa predominated. Cell density of testate amoebae increased remarkably, simultaneously with the increases in M. aeruginosa colony density and phytoplankton physiological activity. We also found a significant correlation between densities of M. aeruginosa colonies and testate amoebae. We suggested that the physiological activity of Microcystis is one important factor affecting the growth of testate amoebae grazing on Microcystis.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Zooplankton Communities ofCoastal Marine Waters Receiving Different Human Activities (Fish andPearl Oyster Farmings)

Seasonal changes of zooplankton communities were monitored at two coastal marine areas, Uchiumi and Fukuura Bays located at the Uwa Sea, east side of Bungo Channel. The two sites are close to each other (c.a. 20 km) with similar habitat environments, but receive different environmental stresses from aquaculture activities, pearl oyster farming for Uchiumi Bay and fish farming for Fukuura Bay. Since both bays have no inflowing river and small populations in the catchment, the impacts of different aquaculture activities on meso- and microzooplankton communities were compared. As results, Fukuura Bay showed higher ammonium and phosphate concentrations, suggesting that fish farming could accelerate eutrophication more seriously. The dominant species of mesozooplankton were similar at the two sampling sites with dominance of small coastal calanoid copepod, Paracalanus spp., but the abundances of larger calanoid species, Calanidae, Eucalanidae, Temoridae and Acartiidae, were markedly higher in Uchiumi Bay. Small cyclopoid copepods, Oithona spp. were abundant at both sites, but the densities varied seasonally, and often more abundant at Fukuura Bay. The abundances of microzooplankton including rotifers and small Oithona copepodids were higher at Fukuura Bay. Results suggest that fish farms accompanying discharge of nutrients from additional food supply for fish may seriously modify zooplankton community structure by decreasing the abundance of mesozooplankton through accelerating the eutrophication of coastal waters.

Microbial decomposition of dissolved organic matter in a hypertrophic pond

Abstract Planktonic heterotrophic bacteria in lakes utilize the labile fraction of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), although information about seasonal changes in labile DOC in hypertrophic lakes in terms of absolute amount and relative proportion of the total DOC is still limited. We conducted DOC decomposition experiments using GF/F filtrates in water samples from hypertrophic Furuike Pond, together with monitoring of DOC concentration and bacterial abundance in water samples from the pond, to examine seasonal changes in the amount of labile DOC and growth of bacteria on labile DOC. DOC concentrations fluctuated between 2.7 and 11 mg C l−1, and bacterial abundance fluctuated between 1.5 × 106 and 1.0 × 108 cells ml−1. In the DOC decomposition experiment when grazers of bacteria were removed, small portions of DOC (18% ± 12%) were labile for decomposition by bacteria, and the growth yield of bacteria on labile DOC ranged between 3.3% and 19%. Furthermore, addition of nitrogen to water samples enhanced bacterial growth. Thus, not only labile DOC but also nitrogen limited bacterial growth in the pond. Considering the results in the present study together with those of previous studies, bacterial abundance in Furuike Pond is subjected to bottom-up control, such as by limitation of DOC and nitrogen throughout the year, although top-down control of bacterial abundance such as by grazing is seasonally important.

Laboratory observations on early development of the oncaeid copepod Triconia canadensis from the mesopelagic zone of the western subarctic Pacific

Egg development time and hatching success were determined for the oncaeid copepod, Triconia canadensis, from the mesopelagic zone of the western subarctic Pacific. The egg development time was estimated to be 74.7–84.5 days at in situ temperature (3°C), which is much longer than those reported previously on the other oncaeid copepods even if the differences in experimental temperatures are taken into account. The egg hatching success varied between 50 and 100%, with a grand mean of 88%. The newly hatched nauplii of T. canadensis were elongate ellipsoid in shape, and had many large-sized lipid droplets in their body. Possible adaptive significance of apparent longer egg developmment time of T. canadensis is discussed in the light of their life cycle strategy.