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Little is known about temporal changes in the diversity and species composition of deep-sea metazoan meiofauna and their relationships with changes in the food supply. Those changes were studied for benthic copepod assemblages based on 2-year time-series data at a bathyal site in Sagami Bay (1430 m depth), central Japan, where annual fluctuation in the abundance of benthic foraminiferans was previously observed. Species diversity of benthic copepods at the site was as high as, or slightly higher than, that observed at other deep-sea sites, but did not fluctuate temporally through the study period. Multivariate analyses did not reveal any clear seasonal or directional change occurring over the longer term in their species composition, although there was some consistent pattern. These results indicate a lack of, or only weak, seasonality in the diversity and species structure of the deep-sea benthic copepod assemblages, even though the fresh organic food supply fluctuates seasonally. They also suggest that there are differences between copepods and foraminiferans in the response to changes in environmental factors, and that spatial differences in the composition of copepod communities are greater than temporal ones at this deep-sea site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Profiles of the radioisotopes 210Pb and 137Cs were determined in 15 sediment cores collected from Sagami Bay, Japan. The activities of 210Pbex (unsupported) in core top sediments increased with water depth from 25 dpm g−1 on the upper continental slope off the mouth of Tokyo Bay to an average of 283 dpm g−1 at the deep-sea station SB. The high of settling particles expected from the results of the sediment trap experiment near the SB site suggests that effective 210Pb enrichment in surface sediments may occur during resuspension and lateral transportation of particles via the benthic nepheloid layer on the continental slope. In several cores, 137Cs profiles showed an increase, a distinct peak, and then a decrease to an undetectable level downcore. These profiles can be compared with the temporal change of bomb-produced 137Cs fallout.The mean sedimentation rates estimated by the 210Pbex inventory method, rather than using 210Pbex profiles, ranged from 0.06 g cm−2 y−1 to 0.14 g cm−2 y−1. The average value of the rates in SB cores was calculated to be 0.11 g cm−2 y−1, which was similar to that calculated under the assumption that the age of the 137Cs peak corresponds to its maximum fallout year in 1963.Although 137Cs inventories represented one tenth of the anthropogenic fallout of 137Cs until 1997, they correlated with the increase in 210Pbex inventory. This suggests that the scavenging of refractory 137Cs as well as 210Pb by settling particles in the water column can lead to the formation of a time marker layer even in deep-sea sediment core, such as at the SB site. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We examined four multilocular agglutinated foraminiferan tests from the Challenger Deep, the deepest point in the world''s oceans and well below the depth at which biogenic and most detrital minerals disappear from the sediment. The specimens represent undescribed species. Three are trochamminaceans in which imprints and other traces of dissolved agglutinated particles are visible in the orange or yellowish organic test lining. In Trochamminacean sp. A, a delicate meshwork of organic cement forms ridges between the grain impressions. The remnants of test particles include organic structures identifiable as moulds of coccoliths produced by the genus Helicosphaera. Their random alignment suggests that they were agglutinated individually rather than as fragments of a coccosphere. Trochamminacean sp. C incorporates discoidal structures with a central hole; these probably represent the proximal sides of isolated distal shields of another coccolith species, possibly Hayaster perplexus. Imprints of planktonic foraminiferan test fragments are also present in both these trochamminaceans. In Trochamminacean sp. B, the test surface is densely pitted with deep, often angular imprints ranging from roughly equidimensional to rod-shaped. The surfaces are either smooth, or have prominent longitudinal striations, probably made by cleavage traces. We presume these imprints represent mineral grains of various types that subsequently dissolved. X-ray microanalyses reveal strong peaks for Ca associated with grain impressions and coccolith remains in Trochamminacean sp. C. Minor peaks for this element are associated with coccolith remains and planktonic foraminiferan imprints in Trochamminacean sp. A. These Ca peaks possibly originate from traces of calcite remaining on the test surfaces. Agglutinated particles, presumably clay minerals, survive only in the fourth specimen (‘Textularia’ sp.). Here, the final 4–5 chambers comprise a pavement of small, irregularly shaped grains with flat surfaces and no obvious intervening cement. Our observations suggest that (1) small biogenic particles can reach the deepest parts of the ocean intact in rapidly sinking phytodetrital aggregates or faecal pellets and (2) some agglutinated foraminifera living at extreme hadal depths construct a test from biogenic or detrital particles, which subsequently dissolve, leaving imprints and other remnants in the organic matrix of the test. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-4alpha is a transcription factor known as a key molecule in the development and functions of the beta-cells. In a previously performed genome-wide scan of Japanese type 2 diabetic sibpairs, we observed linkage of type 2 diabetes to chromosome 20q12-q13, a region in which the HNF4A gene is located. Recent studies have reported associations between type 2 diabetes and polymorphisms in the P2 promoter region specific to beta-cells. In this study, we attempted to assess whether the HNF4A gene plays a role in the genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in the Japanese population by analyzing polymorphisms and haplotypes of the HNF4A gene. Linkage disequilibrium across the P2 promoter region was preserved in the Japanese population, consistent with previous reports. Although none of the individual polymorphisms examined showed any significant association with type 2 diabetes, we found very strong evidence of the association between type 2 diabetes and the haplotype consisting of two polymorphisms in the P2 promoter region of the HNF4A gene (P = 3.82 x 10(-4)). In contrast, there was no association between type 2 diabetes and haplotypes consisting of polymorphisms not located in the P2 promoter region, suggesting that the type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci are localized in the P2 promoter region of the HNF4A gene. The association was replicated using two additional cohorts (P = 1.51 x 10(-4) and 0.019, respectively). The results of the present analysis revealed that the HNF4A gene might be a type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene common to different ethnic groups. The study also suggested the possible existence of an as-yet-unidentified but functional polymorphism in the P2 promoter region of the HNF4A gene that directly influences susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical distributions of turbidity & phytodetritus (Chl.a and pheopigment), and their seasonal variations were measured in the deep water column of Sagami Bay, Japan, in June 1999, February 2000 and May 2000. Observations were carried out at eight stations along an east-west section of Sagami Bay using a CTD/water sampling system equipped with a memory-type infrared back-scattering meter which had been calibrated for the suspended particles collected in Sagami Bay. Turbidity increased close to the bottom in both summer and winter, indicating the existence of a benthic nepheloid layer throughout the year. But the vertical gradient of turbidity was much larger in summer than in winter. The concentration of Chl.a and pheopigment also increased in the benthic layer in summer, sometimes reaching values of more than 0.01 and 0.2 μg/l, respectively, much higher than those reported in hemipelagic regions of the ocean. In winter, on the other hand, Chl.a kept a constant low value throughout the deep water column. This indicates that the turbid water mass formed in the benthic layer in summer derives from the deposition of large amounts of phytodetritus in spring and the resuspension of these aggregates, which are subsequently decomposed in the benthic layer during the following autumn. Unlike the benthic boundary layer, the turbidity of intermediate water was lower in summer rather than in winter. Because the phytoplankton aggregates exported from the surface water during the spring bloom not only supply phytodetritus to the benthic layer but also scavenge the suspended particles in the water column, the steep vertical gradient of turbidity observed in summer may reflect the dynamic interaction between suspended and sinking particles in the deep water column. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a study which investigated the response of deep-sea benthic foraminifera to simulated phytodetritus pulses under stable oxygen concentrations. Information on benthic foraminifera; Reactions of the benthic foraminifera with regard to the vertical distribution in the sediment; Measurements of the oxygen contents and bacterial cell numbers of the species.

Hadal trenches are considered to act as depo-centers for organic material at the trench axis and host unique and elevated biomasses of living organisms as compared to adjacent abyssal plains. To explore the diagenetic activity in hadal trench environments we quantified in situ benthic O 2 consumption rates and sediment characteristics from the trench axis of two contrasting trench systems in the Pacific Ocean; the Izu-Bonin Trench underlying mesotrophic waters and the Tonga Trench underlying oligotrophic waters. In situ oxygen consumption at the Izu-Bonin Trench axis site (9200 m; 746±103 µmol m −2 d −1 ; n=27) was 3-times higher than at the Tonga Trench axis site (10800 m; 225±50 µmol m −2 d −1 ; n=7) presumably reflecting the higher surface water productivity in the Northern Pacific. Comparing benthic O 2 consumption rates measured in the central hadal Tonga Trench to that of nearby (60 km distance) abyssal settings (6250 m; 92±44 µmol m −2 d −1 ; n=16) revealed a 2.5 higher activity at the trench bottom. Onboard investigations on recovered sediment furthermore revealed that the prokaryotic abundance and concentrations of phytopigments followed this overall trend (i.e minimum values at the abyssal site followed by higher values from the Tonga and Izu-Bonin Trenches axis, respectively). Excess 210 Pb profiles suggested that mass-wasting events contributed to the deposition of material enhancing the concentration of organic matter in the central trench as compared to the abyssal settings. Our results complement recent findings from the Challenger deep in the Mariana Trench area, which also revealed elevated diagenetic activity in the central trench underpinning the importance of hadal ecosystems for the deep sea carbon cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe four new species and a new genus of very small (< 500 µm) Foraminifera from the Challenger Deep, the deepest point in the world's oceans (10 896 m water depth). All have transparent, mainly organic test walls that incorporate some minute agglutinated mineral particles of various shapes and compositions. Nodellum aculeata sp. nov. has an elongate proloculus with a pointed proximal end followed by a long, tubular section. The genus Resigella is represented by two species: in R. laevis sp. nov., the test comprises 3–4 elongate, oval to cylindrical chambers while R. bilocularis sp. nov. has an oval proloculus followed by a second, larger globular chamber. The fourth species, Conicotheca nigrans gen. et sp. nov., is characterized by a tiny, elongate, conical test filled with dark stercomata. Except in C. nigrans, the test wall has a brownish tinge; energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) suggests the presence of organically bound Fe in all species including C. nigrans. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with EDS reveals distinctive wall structures. In N. aculeata, the proloculus is strewn with tiny (< 0.7 µm), elongate grains. In this species and in R. laevis, the test surface (except for the proloculus) is covered with a carpet of minute (∼0.1 µm) finger-like projections, rather similar to the organic cement of agglutinated Foraminifera. In R. bilocularis, the larger second chamber often has a partial veneer of fine mineral grains of varying composition, as well as organic areas consisting of meshed strands. SEM images of these three species reveal flat, plate-like features that we interpret as clay particles. In C. nigrans, the wall is relatively featureless except where the surface is raised into hummocky mounds and scale-like features, again probably clay particles. We suggest that these species represent a distinctive group of ‘agglutinated’ Foraminifera in which the test is predominately organic. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 153, 399–423. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal variations of sinking particle flux, together with their organic chemical properties, were monitored in the deep basin of Sagami Bay, Japan, using sediment traps with very high time resolutions from March 1997 to August 1998. At a height of 350 m above the bottom (about 1200 m water depth), the averaged total mass flux was more than 1000 mg/m2/day, which is about 10 times higher than those obtained for open ocean regions near Sagami Bay. While large amounts of phytodetritus, derived from phytoplankton blooms in the surface water, were transported downward in spring, the following extraordinary patterns in the temporal variability of sinking particle flux were also observed: (1) A sustained large flux of sinking particles during low productive periods from summer to winter in 1997. (2) An episodic increase of sinking particle flux in June 1998. (3) A difference in the temporal variability of sinking particles between the spring bloom periods of 1997 and 1998. The content of total organic carbon (TOC) and the stable carbon isotopic ratio (δ13C) of TOC demonstrated that the large fluxes observed in (1) and (2) could be attributed to the resuspension of phytodetritus deposited on the sea floor during the spring bloom period, and the abrupt erosion of surface sediment on the continental slope, respectively. The concentration of suspended particles in the deep water column affect the apparent flux of sinking particles. At the same time, sinking particles exported from surface waters during the spring bloom both decrease and increase suspended particle concentration through scavenging and rebound processes, respectively. Finally, the apparent difference in sinking particle flux between 1997 and 1998, (3), could be explained by differences in the extent of the scavenging process, which depend on the flux and quality of exported particles from the surface waters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article reports on the research conducted by Y. Kashiyama and colleagues on global chlorophyll d (Chl d) in Japan. They detected traces of Chl d and its derivatives, pheophytin d (Phe d) and pyropheophytin d (PPhe d) directly from sedimentary samples and they found that oceanic and lacustine environments covering a range of temperatures and salinities. They collected surface sedimets from temperate coastal basins of Otsuchi Bay, Sagami Bay, Tokyo Bay and Uchiura Bay. When they examined and assessed the samples collected, they found that pristine Chl d, Phe d and P Phe d, together with polar equivalents of undetermined structure lacks pyrochlorophyll d (PChl d).