Abstract: In July (summer) and November (autumn) 2007 and in January (winter) and April (spring) 2008, investigations were made on the spatiotemporal distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the seawater (surface water and overlying water) and sediment in Xiangshan Bay, an d the relationships between the SRB abundance and environmental parameters were analyzed. The SRB abundance in the seawater and sediment had an obvious seasonal variation, ranged from 30 to 2300 cells·ml^-1, and was higher in the sediment than in the surface water and overlying water. The SRB abundance also had an uneven horizontal distribution, being higher in the areas with more human activities. According to the SRB abundance, the sediments in most parts of the bay were of medium corrosive. Statistical analysis demonstrated that organic pollution, water temperature, and water pH were the main factors affecting the distribution of SRB in the surface water (P<0.01). In the overlying water, the SRB abundance was significantly positively correlated with the water NO₂^--N and NH₄⁺-N contents, whereas in the sediment, the abundance had a significant positive correlation with the petroleum substances (P<0.05).

Key words: dendrochronology, dendroclimatology, wood anatomy, treeline dynamics.