Document NE9Yo6gxjKeen1XzOawV2KGqE

ehmn, wo must iwpad lhat the key lo (heir volution is dWpetive mecha nism not present in the aolar yOem today. It might have involved a vieoous medium in the early tolar nebula or the influence of a patting ttar. A study of evolutionary models with such alternate mechanisms might provide useful cluee about conditions in the young solar ayatem. R. J. Grp.bnbero C. C. COUNSBLMAN, 111 I. I. Shapiro Drtxirtmenl of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Mastachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139 1. Sto. for mmA ?. OoldniSh, Mm. Jf*. Her. Atmm. Sue. W, 199 (IMS). L A congl-- fltwlpn to * by * * Orna. bery, limit, Msmduuctu ImtMnta of Tecfo niotf (September tTO). I. D. Brouwer M 0. Ctesarere. Itfirtb mf Cilrntol Mrehmtct (Antoalt fiw. New York. 1951). p. 492. 4. Thto qwMuUvs mpast ri Hu stafaXIty for nta- llnir kl|k vmloM of #. was teHM to OoMmlcU (/) Ml to C. /. CMw md B. C. Hobhard lAraw. 9. M, 10 (1945)1. 5. The tima mala for '* 4. R, IL Alias, la SpmpMfo MatemeStea ( Nufoaato m AtU Mm--Hoe, Out U tarla, Rem, 1*90), nl. 3, p. 73. Hate the earn h-tos InaaltiNa Mtratrn tkoa ito ' ' ` t the range was not delimited. All samples were collected with oblique plankton lows by using (he National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reference net (0.5 m in diameter at the mouth; mesh size 33.1 pm) equipped with a flowmeter (3). The highest concentrations observed were in the Nientic Bay area with an average of about 1 spherule per cubic meter for 72 samples taken on six dates between February and May 1972. Concentra tions up to 14 m * were observed in this area. At other stations sampled in February to March 1972 the average concentrations ware as follows: Long Island Sound (stations 22 to 27), 0.07 m~*; east of Block Island (stations 11 to 18), 0.03 m Greet Salt Fond on Block Island and west to Long Island Polystyrene Spherules in CrasUI Waters Sound (stations 19 to 21), 0.02 m ". Bacteria and polychlorinated bi Abstract. Polystyrene spherules averaging 0.5 milUmete^jn dlameierjrptge 0.1 to 2 millimeters) ore abundant In the coastal waters of southern PfsW Ehglimd. Two types ore present, o crystalline (clear) form and a white, opaque form with pig mentation resulting from a diene rubber. The spherules hove bacteria on their surfaces and contain polychlorinated biphenyls, apparently absorbed from ambient seawater, in a concentration of 5 parts per million. White, opaque spherules are selectively consumed by 8 species offish out of Id species examined, and a chaetognafh. Ingestion of the plastic may lead to Intestinal blockage In smaller fish. phenyls (PCB'i) are prescnf-flOJUtflggL-- of the plastic particles. Freshly collected spherules from Niantic Bay were trans ferred through four washings of sterile seawater and plated onto A-C seawater medium (4), where rod-shaped gram negative bacteria were observed after incubation. An extraction of the wrface of the spherules from Niantic Bay with Polystyrene spherules are widespread sediments since polystyrene is of a great Hexane showed that they contained in the coastal waters of southern New er density then seawater. PCB'i (Arodor 1254) in a concentration England. We first observed spherical The spherules are present in coastal of 5 parts per million. Since PCB's are plastic particles in plankton lows in waters from western Long Island Sound not added in the manufacture of poly January 1971 while sampling to deter to Vineyard Sound (Table 1), and may styrene (2), it is probable that the mine the effects of a nuclear power sta be more widespread since their total source was ambient seawater. tion on the ecology of Niantic Bay (northeastern Long Istand Sound). The peilicles, although usually present in zooplankton samples throughout the Tabfo t. Sawpis location, dais, volume altered, sad oooceetrsUoa at ptaedc sptwmtos i coastal water. Stations 1 to 12 were in aa area at about to km*; f tbs spheral* conesatratioas at these 12 statioae ere presented. year, were not investigated m detail until February 1972. The sphenilee are markedly different in else, shape, dis tribution, and chemical composition from the plastics on the Sargasso 9aa surface (/). Infrared spectrophotometry of the partides indicated that they were poly styrene plastic. Two types ere present in seawater, in approximately equal proportions. One Is a dear or crystal line polystyrene, and the other is a white, opaque form with pigmentation due lo the presence of a diene rubber oompound in the plastic, as indicated by infrared spectrophotometry and oonfirmed by a representative of the plastics industry (2). Both forma are virtually perfect spheres and average about 0.5 mm in diameter, ranging from 0.1 to 2 mm. They eontaio various sires and numbers of gaseous voids. Thus, they arc found at iha sea surface, in the water column, and presumably in the Station 1-12 1-12 1-12 1-12 1-12 n 14 13 14 17 11 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 24 27 Location 41*1171, 72*10'W 4i-irN,72*uyw 41*1071,72* WW 41*1171,72*IO'W 41*1174,72*10"* 41*1471, 70*4J*W 41*3474,70*43^ 41*3074,7V3TW 4l*307l,70*3rW 41*2074,71`OFW 41*13.974,71*irW 41*0974,71 *33*W 41*1214.71*441* 41*1274,72*00^ 41*1014,72'2TW 41*0014,72*90'W 41*0114, 72*52^ 41*1074,72*01"* 41*1774, 72*OFW 41*1774,71*3FW Dels (1*72) NimUtcBmy 1 February ITFebruary 10 March 7 April 25 May Puumdt Bmp OMareb 9 March Vineyard Sound 10 March 10 March Rhode Island Sotmd 24 March 23 March Great Salt Pond 25 Much look friend Sound 23 March 25 Match Long Itlend Sound 23 March 25 March 25 March 23 March 23 March 23 Much If fan*) 473 140 513 403 307 so 40 31 too 70 94 101 104 200 122 41 100 125 IS! Spherules per cubic meter Ae- Rssn 0.73 ISO 0.70 an 0.01 0.03 042 0.02 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.04 001 0.01 0.10 003 0.10 043 047 044 0.39-1.94 0.62-14 1 000-2.52 0.00-0 51 043-244 MGNS 086236 Spherules arc consumed by fish in the Nianlic Bay arcs; only the white, opaque form has been found ingested, which indicates selective feeding. Four teen species of fish, totaling 270 individ uals, were collected by oblique plank ton tows with the NAS not in the bay or at the cooling water intake of the Millstone Point nuclear power station, also on Nianlic Bay. Of these, eight species contained spherules in their gut Rrlmtri Oemmte Froptrtin (National Acadaour of Science*, Waihtnilon. D.C., IMS). 4. DUto MommI (Ditto Loboratortaa, Dew*, ed. 9. 1953). 3. Tba total number of flab examined, average total lenfth In ctmlmten. and standard to vtaiWB of tba total tangtb tor ftth containing spherule* are: If. mu, 47, O.Sf, 0.12; F. asnerfronw, 95, 0.4S, 0.44; A. mortem**, 12, 24.9. 3.99; Af. meitidUr. 9, 1.61, I.S9; Taurw tolabnu adrprrrw, 6, 9.16, I II. Two herring. Ctupom Aarrngtw, each 4.2 cm; one pollack, Fottmehitu front, 3 on; and ana tea robin, Frlcnoii* rarfau, 72.7 cm. warn collected: each contained a spherule. A. R. Hardini, Society of Plsatlca Industry. New Yorfc, iwnoMl mmimirtnUoo. Peiyityrtno bsad* alto htvg mm Undue uap m Unrhuis lor industrial water purification. 7. We (bank R. Harding to to coopcmion mhi for notifying aM polystyrene Manufacturer* us the Unlird Stains of (he presswee of plMtir spherules in coastal waters. Grmituda b also expressed to F. Doohan and S. Yount to allowing one of us (E.J C.j u eofbct samplss from tbe R.V. Vorrtl. We alto appreciate the critical review of Uiii mamncripi by P. tl. Wlcbe. N. S. Fhirer. 1. II. luub. V vrccfaml. and R. S. Scheltema. Wood* Hole Occamtrsphic Institution Contribulkin 2920. I September 1972 contents. The species, common name, and occurrence of plastic, of fish with spherules for which at least five individ Rous Sarcoma Virus Nucleotide Sequences in Cellular DNA: uals were examined are: Myoxocrpha- lus arnus, grubby, 4.2 percent; Pxeudo- Measurement by RNA-DNA Hybridization plruronrctrx americanux, winter floun der. 2.1 percent: Rocrus americanus, Abstract. Kinetic analysis of the hybridization of 7/S RNA from Prague strain while perch, 33 percent; and Menidia of Rous sarcoma virus with an excess of DNA from virus induced sarcomas indi menidia, silvcruidcs, 33 percent (5). In cated the presence of the majority of the viral genome sequences in cellular DNA addition, one chaetognalh, Sagitta r/r- with a very low average frequency per cell. About one-third of the viral sequences g(in.T. wuk collected on 12 July 1972; it were at least partially complementary to DNA sequences with a higher average was 20 mm long and had a spherule frequency on the order of 50 to 100 per cell. Normal chick embryo DNA was 0.6 mm in diameter in its intestine. The distinctly different, but contained sequences at least partialty homologous to some effects on fish of consuming the sphe fraction of the viral RNA. rules themselves or the accompanying PCB's arc unknown; however, it is like The proposal by Tcmin (J) that sonable estimates of frequency even ly that they can cause intestinal block RNA tumor viruses replkarte through R when very low (5-7). The method is age in some of the smaller fish. Winter DNA intermediate has been supported based upon hybridization in the pres flounder and grubby larvae, S mm in by an increasing body of indirect evi ence of an excess of DNA large enough length, contained spherules 0.5 mm in dence. The discovery of RNA-depen- for the kinetics of RNA-DNA inter diameter. The percentage consumption dent DNA polymerase activity within action to be determined by the relative of plastics by some species of fish may tumor virus particles strengthened this number of complementary sequences in he greater than observed here if in "provirus" hypothesis. The direct detec the DNA. By (his approach, it is pos gestion of the spherules directly or in tion of viral nucleotide sequences by sible to detect most, if not all. of ihe directly causes mortality through block annealing viral RNA with cellular base sequences of Rous sarcoma virus age, thereby preventing sampling of DNA seems to be a reasonable ap in the DNA of virus-induced sarcomas, these fish. The spherules appear identical to polystyrene plastic `'suspension beads." These beads are not usually marketed commercially (6), but are molded into proach for testing this idea. However, RNA-DNA hybridization studies have yielded conflicting results. Although most investigators have found viral complementary sequences in cellular and to demonstrate major differences with DNA sequences complementary to viral RNA in normal embryos. Prague strain of Rous sarcoma virus subgroup C (Pr RSV-C) was .selected a pellet shape before being sold to plas tic fabricators. Thus, the source of the spherules is probably a manufacturer and muy be any of the many poly DNA, some have found evidence for more complementary DNA in virustransformed ceils (2, 5), while others report no significant differences between as the source of viral RNA because it is a helper-independent avian sarcoma virus that replicates efficiently in celt culture and produces rapidly growing styrene producers in southern New normal and virus-infected tissue {4-8). sarcomas in newborn chicks (6). Chick England. Although the situation may be Technical problems may underly the embryo fibroblast cultures transformed confined to this area, the bead suspen varying conclusions since, in all cases, by Pr RSV were incubated in medium sion process it widely employed for the only a very small fraction of the viral 199 (prepared without unlabeled nu mamifncsure of polystyrene, and con RNA was detected in the RNA-DNA cleosides and made 5 percent in fcial tamination of both marine and fresh hybrids. Furthermore, the conditions calf scrum) with 100 pc of [*H]uridinc. waters and their sediments may occur in under which the hybridization reactions [JIH]cytidine, and l*H}adenotine per other areas as well. Edward J. Carpenter Susan J. Anderson, George R. Harvey 1 Iti en P. Miki as, Bradford B. Feck were carried out would not be expected to reveal small numbers of complete viral genomes per cell genome, particu larly if multiple copies of DNA in the milliliter (22, 26, and 9 c/ mmole, re spectively). Culture fluid was hurvested after 24 hours, and labeled virus par ticles were purified from culture fluids Wturds Hole Oceanographic Institution, cell complementary to a small fraction by banding in sucrose gradients (20 to Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543 of the viral RNA were present The 60 percent). Viral RNA was extracted Rricmmi mi No4oo rate of hybridization reported in these by the sodium dodccyl sulfate-phenol previous studies suggests the presence technique (9). Tbe 715 viral genome, 1 l' i. I n*nt*r and X. L. SmtUi. Jr.. St-ltnrt 171, 134ft (1977V 7. K. Dmprs*. l>nw Chemical Co., Midland, Mkhignn, prrtnnal communication. ). Krrt>minmiri rrorwtofi /or Mroiurta* the emitunhUr <*/ rimnklon Stmibir Slock wot of such repetitive virus-related DNA (3). A method has been described for delecting full complements of RNA in cellular DNA and for obtaining, rea- separated from low-molecular-weight nucleic acids by sedimentation in su crose gradients (5 to 20 percent) in 0.01M tris buffer containing 0.00! M 75 ~IENCn. VOI.. |7f* MQNS 066239