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CO<sub>2</sub>-induced seawater acidification impairs the stinging cells of a jellyfish
No full textCO2-induced seawater acidification has been shown to modify predator-prey interactions in many marine taxa. Scyphozoans play an important role in the trophic dynamics of marine ecosystems during their blooms in coastal waters; however, the impacts of seawater acidification on the predation behavior of these animals are poorly understood. Here, we aimed to examine the impact of a decrease in seawater pH on the feeding behavior and growth of ephyrae (juvenile medusae) of the scyphozoan Aurelia coerulea. Combining bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing approaches, we assessed transcriptomic changes of ephyrae under a laboratory-based pH 7.6 condition. We found that the feeding rates and growth of ephyrae were significantly inhibited by a decrease in seawater pH. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis showed that a decline in pH significantly reduced the expression of genes related to toxins and nematocyst structure in ephyrae. These findings were further confirmed by single-cell transcriptomic analyses and revealed that low pH impaired the toxin activity and energy metabolism of stinging cells. The pH recovery experiment indicated that moving ephyrae from seawater with pH 7.6 into seawater with pH 8.1 greatly restored their feeding, growth, and toxin-related and nematocyst structure-related gene expression. However, exposure to pH 7.6 for 23 d could not recover the decrease in the feeding and growth of ephyrae. Together, these findings indicate that CO2-induced acidification compromised the stinging cells of A. coerulea ephyrae, with concomitant negative consequences on predation and growth that are likely to alter predator-prey interactions, with consequent effects on community structure and ecosystem
Potential threats of microplastics and pathogenic bacteria to the immune system of the mussels <i>Mytilus galloprovincialis</i>
No full textAs one of the main components of marine pollution, microplastics (MPs) inevitably enter the mussel aquaculture environment. At the same time, pathogenic bacteria, especially pathogens such as Vibrio, can cause illness outbreaks, leading to large-scale death of mussels. The potential harm of MPs and pathogenic bacteria to bivalve remains unclear. This study designed two experiments (1) mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed to 100 particles/L or 1,000 particles/L polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, 17.01 +/- 6.74 mu m) MPs and 1 x 107 CFU/mL Vibrio parahaemolyticus at the same time (14 days), and (2) mussels were exposed to 100 particles/L or 1,000 particles/L MPs for a long time (30 days) and then exposed to 1 x 107 CFU/mL V. parahaemolyticus to explore the effects of these two stresses on the mussel immune system. The results showed that after the combined exposure of V. parahaemolyticus and MPs, the lysosomal membrane stability of hemocytes decreased, lysozyme activity was inhibited, and hemocytes were induced to produce more lectins and defensins to fight pathogenic invasion. Longterm exposure to MPs caused a large amount of energy consumption in mussels, inhibited most of the functions of humoral immunity, increased the risk of mussel infection with pathogenic bacteria, and negatively affected mussel condition factor, the number of hemocytes, and the number of byssuses. Mussels may allocate more energy to deal with MPs and pathogenic bacterial infections rather than for growth. Above all, MPs exposure can affect mussel immune function or reduce its stress resistance, which in turn has an impact on mollusk farming
Insights into the discovery and intervention of metalloproteinase in marine hazardous jellyfish
No full textThe proliferation of toxic organisms caused by changes in the marine environment, coupled with the rising human activities along the coastal lines, has resulted in an increasing number of stinging incidents, posing a serious threat to public health. Here, we evaluated the systemic toxicity of the venom in jellyfish Chrysaora quinquecirrha at both cellular and animal levels, and found that jellyfish tentacle extract (TE) has strong lethality accompanied by abnormal elevation of blood biochemical indicators and pathological changes. Joint analysis of transcriptome and proteome indicated that metalloproteinases are the predominant toxins in jellyfish. Specially, two key metalloproteinases DN6695_c0_g3 and DN8184_c0_g7 were identified by mass spectrometry of the red blood cell membrane and tetracycline hydrochloride (Tch) inhibition models. Structurally, molecular docking and kinetic analysis are employed and observed that Tch could inhibit the enzyme activity by binding to the hydrophobic pocket of the catalytic center. In this study, we demonstrated that Tch impedes the metalloproteinase activity thereby reducing the lethal effect of jellyfish, which suggests a potential strategy for combating the health threat of marine toxic jellyfish
Rapid Fingerprinting of Urinary Volatile Metabolites and Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Phenylketonuria on a Patterned Nanorod Sensor Array with Multiplexed Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Readouts
No full textPhenylketonuria (PKU) is one of the most common genetic metabolic diseases, especially among newborns. Traditional clinical examination of newborn blood samples for PKU is invasive, laborious, and limited to hospitals and healthcare facilities. We reported herein a SERS-based sensor array with three thiophenolic nanoreceptors built on a patterned nanorod vertical array for rapid and inexpensive detection of characteristic volatile biomarkers indicative of PKU in the urine and accurate classification of newborn baby patients all performed on a hand-held SERS spectrophotometer. The well-ordered array was generated from the volatility-driven assembly of gold nanorods (AuNRs) into an upright and closely packed hexagonal configuration. The uniformly distributed nanowells between AuNRs offered an intense and aspect-ratio-dependent plasmonic field for the molecular enhancement of SERS outputs. The SERS-based detector was integrated into a test chip for regular monitoring of volatile phenylketone bodies in the spiked solution or patients' urine within 5 min, allowing the quantification of a wide variety of normal or abnormal metabolites at their physiologically relevant concentration range. The detection limits for common biomarkers of PKU, including phenylpyruvic acid, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and phenylacetic acid, were at a few mu M and well below the diagnostic thresholds. Moreover, the volatile headspace mixtures from a given urine sample could be fingerprinted by the sensor array and discriminated using machine-learning algorithms. Ultimately, the discrimination of baby patients among 26 cases of mild and classic PKU phenotypes and 17 cases of healthy volunteers could be realized with an overall accuracy of 97%. This hand-held SERS platform plays a pivotal role in advancing healthcare applications in quick screening of neonatal PKU through a facile urinary vapor test
Multiple serial correlations in global air temperature anomaly time series
No full textSerial correlations within temperature time series serve as indicators of the temporal consistency of climate events. This study delves into the serial correlations embedded in global surface air temperature (SAT) data. Initially, we preprocess the SAT time series to eradicate seasonal patterns and linear trends, resulting in the SAT anomaly time series, which encapsulates the inherent variability of Earth's climate system. Employing diverse statistical techniques, we identify three distinct types of serial correlations: short-term, long-term, and nonlinear. To identify short-term correlations, we utilize the first-order autoregressive model, AR(1), revealing a global pattern that can be partially attributed to atmospheric Rossby waves in extratropical regions and the Eastern Pacific warm pool. For long-term correlations, we adopt the standard detrended fluctuation analysis, finding that the global pattern aligns with long-term climate variability, such as the El Ni & ntilde;o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) over the Eastern Pacific. Furthermore, we apply the horizontal visibility graph (HVG) algorithm to transform the SAT anomaly time series into complex networks. The topological parameters of these networks aptly capture the long-term correlations present in the data. Additionally, we introduce a novel topological parameter, Delta sigma, to detect nonlinear correlations. The statistical significance of this parameter is rigorously tested using the Monte Carlo method, simulating fractional Brownian motion and fractional Gaussian noise processes with a predefined DFA exponent to estimate confidence intervals. In conclusion, serial correlations are universal in global SAT time series and the presence of these serial correlations should be considered carefully in climate sciences
Variations of the atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations, sources, and health risk and the direct medical costs of lung cancer around the Bohai Sea against a background of pollution prevention and control in China
No full textThe Bohai Sea (BS) region, an area of China that is severely polluted with atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), has received wide attention in recent decades. To characterize the variations of the concentrations and sources of PAHs from June 2014 to May 2019, 15 PAH congeners (Sigma(15)PAHs) were measured in atmospheric samples (N=228) collected at 12 sites around the BS, and the health risk and direct medical costs associated with lung cancer caused by exposure to PAHs were also estimated. The annual daily average concentration of Sigma(15)PAHs was 56.78 +/- 4.75ng m(-3), which was dominated by low molecular weight PAHs (LMW-PAHs) containing three rings (58.7 +/- 7.8%). During the 5-year sampling period, the atmospheric Sigma(15)PAHs concentration reduced by 17.5% for the whole BS region, with an especially large drop of 51.7% observed in the tightly controlled area of Tianjin (TJ), which was mainly due to a decrease in the concentration of high molecular weight PAHs (HMW-PAHs) containing five or six rings. Generally, the concentration of Sigma(15)PAHs was highest in winter and lowest in summer, which can mainly be attributed to the change in LMW-PAH concentration. Based on the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, PAHs in the BS region were mainly ascribed to coal combustion and biomass burning. The PAH contributions of coal combustion and motor vehicles showed different trends for the BS region (PAHs from coal combustion rose by 7.2% and PAHs from motor vehicles fell by 22.4%) and for TJ (PAHs from coal combustion fell by 12.6% and PAHs from motor vehicles rose by 6.9%). The incidence of lung cancer (ILCR) caused by exposure to atmospheric PAHs decreased by 74.1% and 91.6% from 2014 to 2018 in the BS region and in TJ, respectively. This was mainly due to the decrease in the concentration of highly toxic HMW-PAHs and was reflected in USD10.7 million of savings in direct medical costs of lung cancer caused by exposure to PAHs, which represent a decrease of 46.1% compared to the corresponding costs before air pollution prevention and control was implemented around the BS. There was an even higher reduction in medical costs of 54.5% in TJ. Hence, this study proves that implementing pollution prevention and control not only effectively reduced the concentration of pollutants and the risks caused by them, but it also significantly reduced the medical costs of diseases caused by the corresponding exposure
Moderate nitrogen enrichment increases CO2 sink strength in a coastal wetland
No full textAbstract
Coastal wetlands remarkably influence terrestrial carbon (C) stock by serving as natural reservoirs for ‘blue carbon’. Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) enrichment shapes the dynamics of soil and plant communities, consequently affecting the C balance and ecosystem functions. The impacts of various levels of N enrichment on CO2 sequestration in coastal wetlands, however, remain elusive. Here we conducted a long-term field study of N fertilization in a coastal wetland in the Yellow River Delta, China, to investigate N effects on soil properties, indicators of plant dynamics, and fluxes of ecosystem CO2. The results indicated that moderate N enrichment (5 g N m?2 y?1) stimulated C fluxes with increases in gross primary productivity (+26.4%), ecosystem respiration (+23.3%), and net ecosystem exchange (NEE, +31.5%) relative to the control. High (10 g N m?2 y?1) and extreme (20 g N m?2 y?1) amounts of N enrichment, however, had relatively minor impacts on these CO2 fluxes. Overall, we observed a decrease in soil electrical conductivity (?24.6%) and increases in soil organic C (+25.2%) and microbial biomass C (+369.3%) for N enrichment. N enrichment also altered the composition of plant species, with a higher proportion of a local dominant species (Phragmites australis), and affected root biomass distribution, with more biomass near the soil surface. Structural equation modeling explained 65.2% of the variance of NEE and supported the assumption that N enrichment could alter the dynamics of soil properties and plant conditions and accelerate ecosystem CO2 sequestration. These findings have important implications for forecasting the C cycle with increasing N deposition in coastal wetlands, contributing to the projections of the global C budget
Spatial-temporal distribution and eutrophication evaluation of nutrients and trace metals in summer surface seawater of Yantai Sishili Bay, China
No full textDue to coastal development expansion, an increasing influx of pollutants enters the sea through riverine input and land runoff, threatening coastal ecosystems and posing a risk of eutrophication. In this study, trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn), and nutrients (constituents of N, P, and Si) were assessed in the summer surface seawater of Yantai Sishili Bay (YSB), Northern China focusing on the determination of concentration, spatial-temporal distribution and sources identification, while exploring their correlations. It also aimed to clarify the eutrophication status and evaluate the linear relationships between eutrophication, trace metals, and nutrients in YSB. Over three years (2021-2023), the total dissolved concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn ranged from 4.79-26.71, 0.19-6.41, 0.26-1.53, and 0.74-13.12 mu g/L, respectively. Concurrently, nutrient concentrations including NO2 -, NO3 -, NH4 +, PO4 3-, and DSi exhibited a range of 0.37-11.66, 2.04-178.30, 1.69-70.01, 0.02-16.68, and 0.02-0.71 mu g/L respectively. These concentrations revealed a gradual decrease from nearshore to offshore and the temporal variation also showed significant patterns from year to year, indicating distinct regional variations. The primary contributors to the trace metals and nutrients in the study region were recognized as external contributions stemming from natural, anthropogenic, and atmospheric deposition through correlation and principal component analysis. More specifically, riverine input and coastal farming contributed large amounts of nutrients to coastal waters, threatening a potential risk of eutrophication. The eutrophication evaluation expressed below the mild eutrophication level and was far lower than the other global and Chinese bays. The linear correlation between eutrophication and trace metals revealed a weak positive correlation but a significant correlation with nutrients. Despite the absence of significant eutrophication in the bay, potential risks were identified due to identifiable sources of nutrient and trace metal inputs. The findings provided insights to guide efforts in preventing and mitigating coastal eutrophication, as well as nutrient and trace metal pollution, in coastal cities
Widespread crab burrows enhance greenhouse gas emissions from coastal blue carbon ecosystems
No full textFiddler crabs, as coastal ecosystem engineers, play a crucial role in enhancing biodiversity and accelerating the flow of material and energy. Here we show how widespread crab burrows modify the carbon sequestration capacity of different habitats across a large climatic gradient. The process of crab burrowing results in the reallocation of sediment organic carbon and humus. Crab burrows can increase more greenhouse gases emissions compared to the sediment matrix (CO2: by 17-30%; CH4: by 49-141%). Straightforward calculations indicate that these increased emissions could offset 35-134% of sediment carbon burial in these two ecosystems. This research highlights the complex interactions between crab burrows, habitat type, and climate which reveal a potential lower carbon sink function of blue carbon ecosystems than previously expected without considering crab burrows.
Bioturbation in wetlands can increase carbon dioxide and methane emissions, partially offsetting their sediment carbon burial capacity, according to a large-scale data set from sediment samples collected along the Chinese coastline and laboratory incubations
Exploring the innate immune system of Urechis unicinctus: Insights from full-length transcriptome analysis
No full textThe Echiura worm Urechis unicinctus refers to a common benthic invertebrate found in the intertidal zone of Huanghai as well as Bohai Bay. U. unicinctus is known to contain various physiologically active substances, making it highly valuable in terms of its edibility, medicinal properties, and economic potential. Nonetheless, the limited study on the immune system of U. unicinctus poses difficulties for its aquaculture and artificial reproduction. Marine invertebrates, including shellfish and U. unicinctus, , are thought to primarily depend on their innate immune system for disease protection, owing to the several innate immune molecules they possess. Herein, we employed PacBio single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology to perform the full-length transcriptome analysis of U. unicinctus individuals under five different conditions (room temperature (RT), low temperature (LT), high temperature (HT), without water (DRY), ultraviolet irradiation (UV)). Concequently, we identified 59,371 unigenes that had a 2,779 bp average length, 2,613 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), 59,190 coding sequences (CDSs), 35,166 simple sequence repeats (SSRs), and 1,733 transcription factors (TFs), successfully annotating 90.58% (53,778) of the unigenes. Subsequently, key factors associated with immune-related processes, such as non-self-recognition, cellular immune defenses, and humoral immune defenses, were searched. Our study also identified pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that included 17 peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs), 13 Gram-negative binding proteins (GNBPs), 18 scavenger receptors (SRs), 74 toll-like receptors (TLRs), and 89 C-type lectins (CLTs). Altogether, the high-quality transcriptome obtained data will offer valuable insights for further investigations into U. unicinctus innate immune response, laying the foundation for subsequent molecular biology studies and aquaculture