REE fractionation and quantification of sediment source in the Yellow Sea mud deposits, Εast Αsian marginal sea

Marine microplastics are a global problem and are causing considerable concern. As the largest marginal sea of the Western Pacific, the Yellow Sea is surrounded by China and the Korean Peninsula, and its coastal ecosystem is greatly affected by human activities. This article reviews the progress of microplastics research in the Yellow Sea in China, including studies on surface water, the seawater column, sediments, and marine organisms. The results indicate that plastic debris exists throughout the west Yellow Sea, with higher abundance of microplastics in water columns and sediments in the north part than those in the south part. Fibers <1 mm and transparent-colored particles dominated the samples collected. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and cellophane (CP) were the dominant debris types. The wide distribution of microplastics in the environment also results in animal ingestion. Sea cucumbers, accordingly, ingest more microplastic debris than other biologic taxa (zooplankton, shellfish, and fish) that have a bearing on their surrounding environment. By providing basic environmental assessment data regarding the Yellow Sea, this paper demonstrates that actions should be taken to reduce the consumption and emission of plastics into the environment.

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Alkalibacillus weihaiensis Sp. Nov., a Moderately Halophilic Bacterium from Sea Mud of the Yellow Sea, China

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.518-523.16 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 518-523 ◽

pp. 16-22

Author(s):

Wei Guo Li ◽

Fang Ma ◽

Song Wen Tan ◽

Li Wei ◽

Zhong Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Yellow Sea ◽

Antibiotic Sensitivity ◽

Halophilic Bacterium ◽

The Yellow Sea ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Strictly Aerobic ◽

Tolerance Range ◽

Moderately Halophilic ◽

Moderately Halophilic Bacterium ◽

Sea Mud

A Gram-positive, strictly aerobic, spore-bearing and moderately halophilic bacterial strain HNPHT was obtained from the sea mud sample collected from Jinhaitan Park in Weihai, a city on the shore of the Yellow Sea. Strain HNPHT was bacillus. The optimum growth temperature was 30-36°C and the optimum pH was 6.5-9.5. It could grow well at 5-20% salt concentration. The G+C content of its genomic DNA was 37.0%. 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated a close relationship to Alkalibacillus halophilus (DQ359731) and Alkalibacillus salilacus (AY671976) with similarity of 99%. However, they had obvious difference in whole-cell main fatty acid components, cell size, cell morphology, colony color, motility, oxidase, gelatine liquification, nitrate reduction, NaCl tolerance range, pH tolerance range, G+C mole fraction, sole carbon source, sole nitrogen source, antibiotic sensitivity and a source of the strain isolation. A comparison of these taxonomic characters of strain HNPHT with those of some type strains of the genus Alkalibacillus indicated that the strain could be distinguished from A. halophilus and A. salilacus. In view of multiple identification results, it was proposed that strain HNPHT was classified as the type strain of a new species of the genus Alkalibacillus under the name Alkalibacillus weihaiensis sp. nov..

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