Four species of Stephanostomum Looss, 1899 (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae) from Seriola dumerili (Risso) (Teleostei: Carangidae) in the western Mediterranean, including S. euzeti n. sp.

Four species of Stephanostomum are described from various sites in Seriola dumerili from off Corsica, France. S. ditrematis (Yamaguti, 1939), from the stomach, pyloric caeca and duodenum, has 36 circum-oral spines.

Ancylocoelium typicum Nicoll, 1912 (Digenea: Monorchiidae), a poorly known parasite of Trachurus spp. (Teleostei: Carangidae) from the western Mediterranean and north-eastern Atlantic, and observations on its taxonomic position.

The monorchiid digenean Ancylocoelium typicum Nicoll, 1912, a parasite of the horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus (Carangidae), was essentially known from two descriptions based, respectively, on one and three specimens. It is redescribed and figured in detail based on numerous specimens from the rectum of three Trachurus spp. off Corsica in the western Mediterranean.

Tormopsolus orientalis Yamaguti, 1934 (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae) from Seriola dumerili (Risso) (Perciformes: Carangidae) in the western Mediterranean Sea.

Tormopsolus orientalis Yamaguti, 1934, is redescribed from Seriola dumerili from off Corsica, Majorca and Aguilas, SE Spain. The vitellarium is interrupted at the level of the ovary and both testes, and a bipartite seminal vesicle is found in many specimens. Oral sucker papillae are always seen.

Long-chain alkenones and related compounds in the benthic haptophyte Chrysotila lamellosa Anand HAP 17.

The neutral lipid compositions of the coastal haptophyte Chrysotila lamellosa HAP 17 grown in batch culture at 10 and 20 degrees C have been determined. A comparison was also made between the lipid compositions of cells harvested in early and late stationary phase. This species contains a suite of very long-chain C(37)-C(40) alkenones and alkenoates as found in a few microalgae from the Haptophyta.

Trophodynamic linkage between river runoff and coastal fishery yield elucidated by stable isotope data in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean).

The link between climate-driven river runoff and sole fishery yields observed in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean) was analysed using carbon- and nitrogen stable isotopes along the flatfish food webs. Off the Rhone River, the main terrestrial (river POM) and marine (seawater POM) sources of carbon differed in delta(13)C (-26.11 per thousand and -22.

Relations between bacterial biomass and carbon cycle in marine sediments: an early diagenetic model.

A new model for early diagenetic processes has been developed through a new formula explicitly accounting for microbial population dynamics. Following a mechanistic approach based on enzymatic reactions, a new model has been proposed for oxic mineralisation and denitrification. It incorporates the dynamics of bacterial metabolism.

Application of a specific and sensitive radiometric assay for microbial lipase activities in marine water samples from the lagoon of nouméa.

Marine microbiologists commonly assay lipase activities by using a synthetic fluorescent analog, 4-methylumbelliferyl (MUF)-oleate. The technique is convenient, but it is considered to be unspecific because of the structure of this analog. This study reports the design of a new specific and sensitive lipase assay based on the use of a radiolabeled triglyceride, [3H]triolein.

First report of a species of Folliculovarium Gu and Shen, 1983 (Bucephalidae: Prosorhynchinae) from European marine waters, with the description of F. mediterraneum n. sp.

Folliculovarium mediterraneum n. sp. is described and figured in detail from the intestine of the Mediterranean moray eel Muraena helena (Muraenidae) in the Scandola Nature Reserve, off Corsica in the Western Mediterranean.

Long-chain (C19-C29) 1-chloro-n-alkanes in leaf waxes of halophytes of the Chenopodiaceae.

The hydrocarbon fraction of leaf waxes of three halophytes of the Chenopodiaceae common to Mediterranean salt marshes (Suaeda vera, Sarcocornia fruticosa and Halimione portulacoides) revealed the presence of a minor series of odd and even chains 1-chloro-n-alkanes ranging from C(19) to C(29). The identification of these new chlorinated plant constituents was based on a combination of mass spectrometry data with selective chlorine detection (CPG-AED) and was confirmed by comparison with authentic standards. The qualitative and quantitative distributions of these 1-chloro-n-alkanes varied inter-specifically.

Production of a polyunsaturated isoprenoid wax ester during aerobic metabolism of squalene by Marinobacter squalenivorans sp. nov.

This paper describes the production of 5,9,13-trimethyltetradeca-4E,8E,12-trienyl-5,9,13-trimethyltetradeca-4E,8E,12-trienoate during the aerobic degradation of squalene by a Marinobacter strain, 2Asq64, isolated from the marine environment. A pathway involving initial cleavage of the C(10)-C(11) or C(14)-C(15) double bonds of the squalene molecule is proposed to explain the formation of this polyunsaturated isoprenoid wax ester. The isoprenoid wax ester content reached 1.

Opecoelidae (Digenea) from western Mediterranean fishes: three rare species.

Three little-known opecoelid digeneans from marine fishes off Corsica, France, are redescribed and their relationships discussed. Plagioporus novella Maillard & Lambert, 1978 from Conger conger is transferred to Podocotyle as P. novella (Maillard & Lambert, 1978) n.

Marine sponges as biomonitor of polychlorobiphenyl contamination: concentration and fate of 24 congeners.

The aim of this study was first to assess the relevance of a marine sponge, Spongia officinalis, as a biomonitor of PCB. Twenty-four chlorobiphenyl congeners have been measured along a pollution gradient both in sponges and seawater. S.

Photochemical oxidation and autoxidation of chlorophyll phytyl side chain in senescent phytoplanktonic cells: potential sources of several acyclic isoprenoid compounds in the marine environment.

Visible light-induced degradation of the chlorophyll phytyl side chain was studied in senescent cells of two phytoplanktonic strains (Skeletonema costatum and Thalassiosira weissflogii). Particular attention was paid to the induction of autoxidation processes on the phytyl chain and its photoproducts by photochemically produced hydroperoxides. The combination of photochemical oxidation and autoxidation reactions resulted in the production of several acyclic isoprenoid compounds that have been unambiguously identified by comparison of their retention times and mass spectra with those of appropriate standards.

Phylogeny and evolution of calcareous sponges: monophyly of calcinea and calcaronea, high level of morphological homoplasy, and the primitive nature of axial symmetry.

Because calcareous sponges are triggering renewed interest with respect to basal metazoan evolution, a phylogenetic framework of their internal relationships is needed to clarify the evolutionary history of key morphological characters. Morphological variation was scored at the suprageneric level within Calcispongia, but little phylogenetic information could be retrieved from morphological characters. For the main subdivision of Calcispongia, the analysis of morphological data weakly supports a classification based upon cytological and embryological characters (Calcinea/Calcaronea) rather than the older classification scheme based upon the aquiferous system (Homocoela/Heterocoela).

Electron ionization mass spectral fragmentation of C19 isoprenoid aldehydes and carboxylic acid methyl and trimethylsilyl esters.

The electron ionization (EI) mass spectra of saturated and alpha,beta-unsaturated C(19) isoprenoid aldehydes and carboxylic acid methyl and trimethylsilyl esters are reported. Different pathways are proposed in order to explain the main fragmentations observed. The conjugated double bond migrates more or less readily before gamma-hydrogen rearrangement according to the structure of the considered compound.

Hox gene survey in the chaetognath Spadella cephaloptera: evolutionary implications.

We present the isolation of six Hox genes in the chaetognath Spadella cephaloptera. We identified one member of the paralogy group 3, four median genes and a mosaic gene that shares features of both median and posterior classes ( SceMedPost). Several hypotheses may account for the presence of a mosaic Hox gene in this animal.

Lecithostaphylus retroflexus (Molin, 1859) (Zoogonidae) and Tergestia acanthocephala (Stossich, 1887) (Fellodistomidae) (Digenea) from the epipelagic teleost Belone belone (L.) in the western Mediterranean.

Numerous individuals of the poorly known species Lecithostaphylus retroflexus (Zoogonidae) and Tergestia acanthocephala (Fellodistomidae) have been recovered from the teleost fish Belone belone gracilis from off the Scandola Nature Reserve, Western Mediterranean. They are redescribed, incorporating previously undescribed features: for L. retroflexus, a post-oral ring, a bipartite seminal vesicle, the shape of the excretory vesicle, the subterminal excretory pore and the flask-shaped gland-cells associated with the distinctly pedunculate ventral sucker; and for T.

Responses of a Mediterranean soft bottom community to short-term (1993-1996) hydrological changes in the Rhone river.

The polychaete fauna of muddy bottoms off the Rhone delta (NW Mediterranean) was seasonally sampled at two sites at 70 m depth, from 1993 to 1996. During this period, five severe flood events occurred. A clustering analysis (distance coefficient of Whittaker) and three way fixed factor ANOVAs (site x season x year) showed strong year-to-year changes in species density and community structure, changes that masked seasonal variations.

Fluctuations of macrobenthic populations: a link between climate-driven river run-off and sole fishery yields in the Gulf of Lions.

The Rhone river is the most important input to the Mediterranean Sea, responsible for 50% of the primary productivity of the Gulf of Lions. A highly variable amount of 1-23×10 t year of terrestrial material is exported to the sea by the Rhone and stocked on the continental shelf for the most part. Soft-bottom communities off the Rhone delta were dominated by polychaetes both in species richness and abundance, and exhibited strong temporal fluctuations mainly related to flooding events.

Anaerobic biodegradation of squalene: Using DGGE to monitor the isolation of denitrifying Bacteria taken from enrichment cultures.

Abstract The process of enrichment and subsequently isolation of squalene degrading denitrifying bacteria has been developed. The enrichment method used in this study targeted denitrifying bacteria, therefore an initial enrichment incubation using nitrate amendments under anaerobic conditions was performed before squalene amendment. Denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified DNA fragments prepared from extracted DNA was used to compare the composition of bacterial communities at various steps of enrichment cultures and the diversity of the 80 isolated strains obtained by classical culture methods.

Aerobic and anaerobic metabolism of squalene by a denitrifying bacterium isolated from marine sediment.

The aerobic and anaerobic metabolism of the isoprenoid alkene squalene was investigated in a new type of marine denitrifying bacterium, strain 2sq31, isolated from marine sediment. Strain 2sq31 was identified as a species of Marinobacter. Under denitrifying conditions, the strain efficiently degraded squalene; of 0.

Longitudinal and vertical trends of bacterial limitation by phosphorus and carbon in the Mediterranean Sea.

The effect of phosphate (P), nitrate (N), and organic carbon (C, glucose) enrichment on heterotrophic bacterial production was examined along two longitudinal transects covering the whole Mediterranean Sea during June and September 1999. During these cruises, integrated bacterial production ranged from 11 to 349 mgC m(-2) d(-1) for the 0-150 m layer. P was found to stimulate bacterial production (BP) in 13 out of 18 experiments, in the eastern and in the western Mediterranean Sea.

Copepod feeding in a tuna fishery area of the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

Biomass, feeding and metabolic rates of planktonic copepods were studied in an oligotrophic area of the tropical Atlantic Ocean during an instability wave period (boreal summer) and a stratified period (boreal winter). In summer, zooplankton biomass was higher than in winter, showing a positive effect of the instability wave. Moreover, feeding equilibrated metabolic expenditures of copepods in most cases during the instability.

Biological pollution in the Mediterranean Sea: invasive versus introduced macrophytes.

The authors have listed 85 species of macrophytes that have probably been introduced to the Mediterranean. Among them, nine species can be considered as invasive, i.e.

Determination of the bacterial processes which are sources of nitrous oxide production in marine samples.

Partial denitrification and the initial step of nitrification are the main biological processes which produce nitrous oxide. In order to determine the contribution that these processes have in nitrous oxide production, the efficiency of different inhibitors on nitrifying activity has been tested, and the effect on denitrifying activity has been investigated, using culture strains and natural marine samples. A good nitrification inhibitor should not affect denitrification.