Effects of dissolved and complexed copper on heterotrophic bacterial production in San Diego bay.

Bacterial abundance and production, free (uncomplexed) copper ion concentration, total dissolved copper concentration, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total suspended solids (TSS), and chlorophyll a were measured over the course of 1 year in a series of 27 sample "Boxes" established within San Diego Bay. Water was collected through a trace metal-clean system so that each Box's sample was a composite of all the surface water in that Box. Bacterial production, chlorophyll a, TSS, DOC, and dissolved copper all generally increased from Box 1 at the mouth of the Bay to Box 27 in the South or back Bay.

Trifluoroacetate in ocean waters.

Trifluoroacetate (TFA) is a ubiquitous xenochemical presently increasing in concentration in some environmental compartments, especially in the plant biomass of industrialized countries. Direct anthropogenic emissions of TFA are probably low, and the major anthropogenic sources are most likely various TFA precursors. As TFA has been found in ocean waters from remote locations, the question arose whether it is also a naturally occurring environmental chemical.

Photoadaptation in marine phytoplankton : changes in spectral absorption and excitation of chlorophyll a fluorescence.

The optical properties of marine phytoplankton were examined by measuring the absorption spectra and fluorescence excitation spectra of chlorophyll a for natural marine particles collected on glass fiber filters. Samples were collected at different depths from stations in temperate waters of the Southern California Bight and in polar waters of the Scotia and Ross Seas. At all stations, phytoplankton fluorescence excitation and absorption spectra changed systematically with depth and vertical stability of the water columns.

Occurrence and metabolic activity of organisms under the ross ice shelf, antarctica, at station j9.

Seawater samples below the Ross Ice Shelf were collected through an access hole at J9, approximately 400 kilometers from the Ross Sea, Antarctica. The 237-meter water column had sparse populations of bacteria (8.7 x 10(6) to 1.

Algae: amounts of DNA and organic carbon in single cells.

An analysis of ten different unicellular algae, varying in size and containing from 10 to 6000 picograms of carbon per cell, indicates that the amount of DNA per cell is in direct proportion to cell size. The content of DNA is equal to approximately 1 to 3 percent af the cellular organic carbon.

Studies on the biochemistry and fine structure of silica shell formation in diatoms. Chemical composition of Navicula pelliculosa during silicon-starvation synchrony.

Changes are reported in total cellular organic carbon, nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and chlorophylls during the course of silicon-starvation synchrony of Navicula pelliculosa. All constituents increased at the same rate, relative to cell number, for 30 hours of exponential growth during which silicon was depleted from the medium. Increase in cell number then stopped, but net synthesis of most components continued for a further 5 to 7 hours before ceasing.

Algae: Nitrogen Fixation by Antarctic Species.

Algae from terrestrial and fresh-water habitats in Antarctica were examined for ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Nostoc commune was the only species capable of growing in nitrogen-free medium; nitrogen fixation by this species was verified by assimilation of N(15). The importance of nitrogen-fixing algae to terrestrial life in the Antarctic is discussed.