Fur (Ferric uptake regulator) is a DNA-binding protein which represses the transcription of iron-regulated promoters using Fe2+ as a cofactor. In Gram negative bacteria, fur controls the expression of toxins and virulence factors when facing iron-stress. Iron is a key element limiting the growth and proliferation of phytoplankton. We have cloned the fur-gene from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC 7942, applying the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The DNA fragments amplified encodes a Fur-type protein, which conserves the main motifs found in the family of Fur proteins. Recombinant Fur protein was successfully overproduced, reaching about 15 % of the total protein content. Also, a Fur protein was identified in the filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120.

La retenue de Pareloup a été étudiée depuis 1983. En 1993, elle a été entièrement vidangée ce qui a permis d'étudier l'effet de cette perturbation sur l'écosystème. Ce papier fait la synthèse de l'ensemble des données recueillies depuis le début de l'étude, et décrit l'évolution avant et après la vidange, des variables physico-chimiques et du peuplement phytoplanctonique. Un suivi de 16 ans permet de s'affranchir des années exceptionnelles et de voir à long terme comment les conditions environnementales et l'écosystème évoluent. Les concentrations de nitrates ont augmenté en 1986 dans l'ensemble du bassin versant et dans la retenue. Elles sont en légère augmentation, ou stabilisées selon les entrées, les années suivantes. L'accroissement des concentrations desilice et de nitrates observées dans la retenue après la vidange ont pour origine l'augmentation des apports liée à trois années pluvieuses et non la vidange elle-même. Le fonctionnement de l'écosystème a été fortement perturbé l'année qui a suivit la vidange : disparition des espèces dominantes du phytoplancton et développement d'espèces jusqu'alors peu abondantes. L'écosystème a ensuite retrouvé son cycle initial dès 1995. La diminution du temps de séjour semble favoriser le développement des diatomées centrales (Aulacoseira sp.) au détriment d'Asterionella formosa.Compte tenu du rôle d'A. formosa dans le piégeage du phosphore par sédimentation, la dominance d'Aulacoseira certaines années pourrait perturber l'évolution estivale de laretenue.

The abundances of the different compartments of the microbial loop (i.e., viruses, heterotrophic bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, and pigmented nanoflagellates), total (TPP) and excreted (EPP) primary production, bacterial production (BP), viral lytic activity (LA), and bacterivory by nanoflagellates (FG) were measured on June 15 and 16, 1998, in a moderate-altitude oligomesotrophic lake (Lac Pavin, France), at 5 and 10 m depths. At both depths, losses of the bacterial community by viral lysis (LA5 m = 1.7 x 106 cells.1-1.h-1, LA10 m = 2.0 x 106 cells.1-1.h-1) were, on average, lower than those due to the grazing activity of flagellates (FG5 m = 10.3 x 106 cells.1-1.h-1 , FG10 m = 8.4 x 106 cells.1-1.h-1). A carbon budget exercise indicated that, for the sampling period and depths, 17.8 % of C from TPP (= 38.1 % of EPP) was used by bacteria. On the other hand, 52.7 % of BP (= 2.15 % of TPP) was grazed by nanoflagellates, while 11.0 % of BP (= 0.45 % of TPP) was lysed by viruses.

We describe here the limnological characteristics of the Santillana Reservoir (Spain) and study the phytoplankton distributionduring a typical growing season (July to November). The reservoir is a eutrophic stratified waterbody in central part of Spain,in which the average phytoplankton biomass in summer is higher than 20 µg chlorophyll a 1-1. Maximum phytoplankton biomassin 1999 occurred between the end of summer and the beginning of autumn (September-October). Cyanobacteria, that weregenerally prevalent in phytoplankton community, clearly dominated during the peak of phytoplankton biomass. Microcystiswesenbergii was dominant amongst the cyanobacteria and represented almost 100 % of the biomass at the time of maximumphytoplankton value. The importance of environmental variables triggering cyanobacterial bloom events is discussed. Ourresults indicate that neither temperature nor N/P ratio are related to the bloom development. However, high nutrient concentration(ammonium in particular) and stability of the watercolumn seems to coincide with the maximum abundance of Microcystis wesenbergii.

In Morocco, poisoning events of fish, aquatic birds and livestock have been observed in some reservoirs and shallow lakes. In all cases, the reasons for animal mortality reasons have not been confirmed and the toxic cyanobacteria strains that were abundant in these water bodies have been suggested as their cause. Since 1994, the authors started taxonomic, ecological and toxicological studies by collecting samples from various lakes reservoirs and ponds. The results show that more than 18 out of 26 lakes reservoirs used for human water supply contained at least one species of planktonic cyanobacteria, where the genus Microcystis was dominant (Microcystis aeruginosa f. aeruginosa, M. aeruginosa f. flos-aquae, M. ichthyoblabe, M. pulverea f.delicatissima) and was associated with Oscillatoria, Planktothrix, Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Phormidium and other genera. Taxonomic studies shows that among more than 150 cyanobacteria taxa identified in Moroccan freshwater ecosystems, 35 are potentially toxic. For several species, the toxicity of both natural blooms and isolated strains lyophilized material was confirmed by mouse bioassay and the microcystins content evaluated by the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A map of geographicdistribution of Microcystis strains inventoried in moroccan water bodies is presented.

We studied the rotifer fauna of one of the most pristine peat-swamps in the Southern Thai province of Narathiwas, To Daengpeat swamp. The samples yielded a total of sixty-seven rotifer species. Of these, three -Keratella mixta (Oparina-Charitonova),Lecane enowi Segers & Mertens and Monommata dentata Wulfert- are new to the Oriental region and the Thai fauna, one,Keratella taksinensis n. sp., is new to science. The fauna consists mainly of cosmopolitan (sensu lato) species, complementedby some Paleotropical and endemic taxa, and is dominated by littoral-benthonic taxa, especially Lecane and, to a lesser extent,Lepadella.

The Oued Mellah reservoir (33°30' N-07°20' W) is a shallow brackish lake located 25 km North of Casablanca. A study of the phytoplankton community of this lake shows that it is affected by potentially toxic blooms of Cyanobacteria and Haptophyceae. Microcystis ichthyoblabe (first time recorded from Morocco), Anabaena aphanizomenoides, Oscillatoria chlorina (Cyanobacteria) and Prymnesium parvum (Haptophyceae) constitute the dominant phytoplankton taxa. M. ichthyoblabe starts its growth in late spring. In 1999, it formed a spectacular bloom during May-June, invading the lake with a maximal biomass of 298 mgFW.L-1. This proliferation coincided with high temperatures, strong luminous intensity, alkaline pH and low to undetectable contents of nitrates and orthophosphates. The toxicity of the M. ichthyoblabe bloom material was first determined by mouse bioassay. Bloom material collected during the maximal development phase has an LD50 about 502 mgDW.Kg-1. Hepatotoxicity was confirmed by histopathological study. The total contents of microcystins determined by ELISA technique both for bloom material and the isolated strain are about 0.79 and 5.4 µg.gDW -1 respectively. Analysis by HPLC-PDA allows the detection of 11 variants of microcystins. The use of the microcystin-LR authentic sample showed the absence of this microcystin variant in the samples analysed.

The morphology and ecology of a†new species of the cyanophyte/cyanobacterial genus Aphanizomenon Morren ex Bornet etFlahault, A. slovenicum Rekar et Hindák, are described from Lake Bled, NW Slovenia. The species produced a heavy waterbloom in May - December 1997 but disappeared during 1998. Macroscopic flakes of bundles of trichomes similar to A. flos-aquae (L.) Ralfs ex Bornet et Flahault formed in a layer between 10 - 20 m depth. They differed from A. flos-aquae by shorter and narrow short cylindrical to barrel-shaped cells, and by trichomes that sometimes consisted of morphologically different cell sections. Maximum abundance was found in August : 655 trichomes.m1-1. Heterocytes were occasionally present and akinetes have been observed only in laboratory cultures. The main characteristics of the investigated cultures of A. slovenicum and A.flos-aquae isolated from a fishpond at Ledava (NE Slovenia) are given.

This article reports on the ecological preferences of benthic diatoms in relation to pH, conductivity and organic pollution-eutrophication and their tolerance spectrums. Three Pampean streams subjected to different human impacts were studied. The bottom substrate of these streams is mostly composed of slime-clay with low proportions of gravel and sand ; in consequence, the epipelon is the most represented benthic community. Samples were taken seasonally between 1997-1998 at 9 sampling sites. In each sampling station ten sub-samples were collected by pipetting a superficial layer (5-10 mm) of sediment from different places. Physico-chemical parameters were measured. Considering the ranges of pH, conductivity and organic pollution-eutrophicationthe diatom's tolerance spectrums were established. 162 diatom species were identified. More than 50 % of speciesoccurred in sites where the conductivity was lower than 600 µS cm-1. More than 50 % of species had their preference range in sites with moderate organic matter and nutrient content. Diatom species found show defined preferences for organic pollution-eutrophication, but show less consistent responses for conductivity and, particularly, hydrogen ions content.

Les variations verticales et saisonnières de l'activité de la phosphatase alcaline (APA) des communautés microplanctoniques ont été étudiées dans le lac réservoir mésotrophe Allai El Fassi, situé sur l'oued Sebou. Les échantillons ont été collectés à différentes profondeurs au point le plus profond du lac, de mars à décembre 1998. Les résultats montrent que l'APA totale est exclusivementassociée à la fraction de taille 0,22-100 μm dont les valeurs moyennes sont comprises entre 0,107 et 1,780 mmol PNP1-1 h-1 . La fraction dissoute (< 0,22 μm) ne présente aucune activité liée à cette enzyme. Au niveau des couches superficielles,plus de 60 % de l'APA totale sont corrélés à la fraction de taille 0,22-0,65 μm à majorité bactérienne. Cependant, avec la profondeur,l'APA est plutôt associée à la fraction de taille 0,65-100 μm à dominance phytoplanctonique (> 58 % de l'APA totale).Cette activité liée aux algues est significativement corrélée avec la densité phytoplanctonique et avec les concentrations de lachlorophylle a. L'absence de corrélation significative entre l'APA et les teneurs en phosphore total et orthophosphates suggèreune indépendance entre l'APA et les orthophosphates.

The distribution and ecological data base of Vaucheria bursata, V. frigida, V. geminata, V. racemosa, V. erytrospora, V. canalicularis,and V. debaryana occurring in streams of the Kraków-Czestochowa Upland (Poland) are provided.

Seasonal samples of zooplankton were taken during 1997-1999 at fifteen stations in the Salado River basin, and analysed inorder to study the rotifer fauna. Spatio-temporal changes in the rotifer plankton composition were examined in the main channeland its tributaries. The majority of species found are tolerant of a wide range of pH, whereas others prefer neutral to alkalinevalues. The total rotifer plankton density increased downstream from the headwaters to the middle sector of the river. Theassociated shallow lakes and tributaries were an important source of species. Variations in density and number of species wereshown to be associated with conductivity, and species tolerant of high conductivity conditions were especially prevalent (upper7,000 µS cm-1). Rotifer density was influenced by hydrological conditions, which promoted maximum values during low waterperiods and in the high water condition promoted the incorporation of species from shallow lakes connected with the river duringflood events. The species associations found are related to such water parameters as conductivity and nutrient availability andto the presence of ponds and shallow, waterlogged depressions connected in varying extent to the main channel.

In the present paper Candonopsis murchisoni n. sp., C. dani n. sp., C. williami n. sp., C. kimberleyi n. sp., and C. westaustraliensisn. sp., are described, while C. tenuis (Brady, 1886) is redescribed. All species have been collected in the subterraneanwaters of Western Australia. The new species are easily distinguishable from the existing world species in details of the carapace,walking leg, cleaning leg, furca and hemipenis. Because of new features found, revised diagnosis and a key to the worldspecies are provided. Some species, previously described in the genus Candonopsis Vavra, 1891, are considered as incertaesedis, while others are removed from this genus, which now contains 25 species. Finally, the authors propose the elevation ofthe subgenera Caribecandona Broodbakker, 1983 and Cubacandona Broodbakker, 1983 to the generic level.

Experimental introductions of Galba truncatula in new habitats were carried out over the 30 last years in the department ofHaute-Vienne (central France) to study the details of snail settlement and the outcome of these populations, and to determine ifthe susceptibility of these new colonies to experimental infection with Fasciola hepática did not change over time. A total of 51samples (100 adult snails each) were collected from three populations known for their high susceptibility to F hepatica infections (> 60 %). Each sample was introduced in March in an open drainage furrow (36 meadows) or a road ditch (15 sites) whichhad never been inhabited by snails. Introduced snails from 22 samples survived in 9 furrows and 13 road ditches. In these sites,the number of overwintering G. truncatula increased up to the-second or third year post-introduction and progressively decreasedin the following years to become stable from the sixth or seventh year (less than 40 snails per site). In 13 populations (outof 22), experimental infections of snails with F. hepatica did not result in significant variations in survival rates or in prevalencesof infections when compared to the respective rates recorded in the three original populations. Conversely, in the nine otherpopulations, experimental infections of snails resulted in a decrease in prevalence (< 40 %), whereas the survival rates of snailsat day 30 post-exposure did not change. This last result might be explained by a change in natural parasite pressure in the newhabitats, being probably lower than that existing in the three sites inhabited by the populations of origin.

Des investigations portant sur le genre Diadesmis (Bacillariophycées), observé à l'aide du microscope photonique et du microscope électronique à balayage, ont été réalisées dans différents biotopes des archipels de Crozet et de Kerguelen : lacs, mares temporaires, mousses et sols. Dix espèces ont été recensées. Diadesmis arcuata Heiden, décrite à l'origine dans l'archipel de Kerguelen, est réexaminée et typifiée. Cinq espèces nouvelles pour la science sont décrites : Diadesmis comperei, Diadesmis costei, Diadesmis crozetikerguelensis, Diadesmis langebertalotii et Diadesmis subantarctica. Les espèces appartenant au sous-genre Paradiadesmis ont une structure particulière : les interstries sont constituées de tubes creux quadrangulaires.

The epiphytic diatom communities living on two macroalgae, Chara vulgaris L. and Cladophora glomerata Kütz.) and oneangiosperm Potamogeton densus L., were collected in the Mediterranean river Durance. Each macrophyte species was studied on the basis of three plant replicates, each of which cut into three segments. Although considerable heterogeneity was observed in density of the epiphytic populations between the plant species studied as regards, the composition of these algal populations showed a conspicuous degree of homogeneity within each macrophytic species. These observations were corroborated by the coefficients of variation calculated on the main diatoms and by the non parametric Friedman tests.The qualitative homogeneity of epiphyton on Potamogeton densus foliage made it possible to map the spatial repartition of the main groups of diatoms growing on the upper side of leaves.These data support the hypothesis that the epiphytic algae occupy specific microhabitat niches on their host plants according to a non stochastic pattern of distribution.

The discovery of male larvae from Madagascar [only a female larva was known so far] confirm their identification to the familyTeloganodidae and genus Manohyphella Allen, due to their dioptic compound eyes. Generic level characterization and intergenericcomparisons are given for the first time. In addition, two new species are described from larvae : Manohyphellasphyxia, n. sp. and M. animosa, n. sp. Cladistic analysis shows Manohyphella to represent a basal branch of a clade that includesall Teloganodidae except Ephemerellina Lestage and that it is closest in grade to the southern African genus Nadinetella McCafferty& Wang. Historical biogeographic relationships with regard to Gondwana and the trans-Indian Ocean track are discussed.Larvae were abundant on stones in current in a protected forest stream in Ranomafana National Park in eastern Madagascar butwere at significantly lower densities in five other area streams, including three in the park's agriculture peripheral zone. The relativelyundisturbed condition of the stream where they were found in abundance may in part account for such distribution ; however,gradient characteristics of the stream that produce waterfalls were also typical of habitats documented for other Teloganodidae.The diet of Manohyphella consists mainly of fine detritus. Feeding data from other ephemerelloids are compared, andmaxillary morphology appears well adapted for brushing and scraping.

Emergence traps were operated over three years in a stream near Lunz in southwestern Lower Austria, to find out the differences between eight types of traps. Trichoptera, Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Simuliidae, Limoniidae and Empididae were compared quantitatively as whole groups. Trichoptera, Limoniidae and aquatic Empididae were compared at species level. Except for the expected statistical variation, there was wide variation in the number of specimens between groups and species, and also between the trap types, to such a degree that the emergence method appears to be of limited value for productivity or other quantitativestudies. The total catch of insects caught in the traps, consisted of freshly emerged adults, aged ovipositing females and many other insects (including terrestrial ones) which entered the traps in unknown ways. The variation may depend on the biology and behaviour of the insects, on the design of the traps and on an unknown number of other factors.

Two greenhouses were operated as emergence traps in a stream in southwestern Lower Austria from 1984 to 1989 at a distanceof 28 m from each other. The stream bed under the traps was covered by a metal sheet alternately for one year, thus preventingemergence under the trap with covered bottom so that insects caught in this trap must have come from outside. Theresults have shown that insects from outside constitute a high but un quantifiable proportion of the total catch. In many instancesthere were more insects in the trap with a covered stream bed than in the open one. Therefore the emergence trap method is notadequate for quantitative surface-related studies, including secondary production.

Flavodoxin and ferredoxin can be used as molecular markers for determination of biolimitation of iron in phytoplankton. TwoELISA tests have been used for determination of flavodoxin and ferredoxin respectively in samples from three endorheiclagoons.