ALBERT

Description: The data were generated during an experiment simulating different frequencies of heatwaves (zero, one and three) in late spring/summer. The experiment was carried out at the Kiel Outdoor Benthocosm (KOB) of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, located at the Kiel Fjord. The consumers were collected from the mesocosm tanks and the respiration rates were measured in the lab. The measurements were carried out on 10.08.2015 (Idotea balthica), 11.08.2015 (Littorina littorea) and 14.08.2015 (Gammarus sp.). The organisms were kept in gas-tight bottles equipped with sensor spots for non-invasive oxygen measurements, which allowed continuous oxygen logging. Throughout the measurements, the bottles were kept in water baths with temperature set to 19.7 °C, which was the temperature all the KOB tanks were exposed to at the time of the measurements. The oxygen values were converted to carbon and normalized by the area of the tank (1.53 m2) per day.

Description: The data refer to an experiment simulating different frequencies of heatwaves (zero, one and three) in late spring/summer 2015. The experiment was carried out at the Kiel Outdoor Benthocosm (KOB) of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, located at the Kiel Fjord. The organisms were collected from the mesocosm tanks, stored at -80 °C, dried at 60 °C for at least 48 hours, and ground with agate mortar and pestle. The ground material was subsampled, weighed and placed into tin capsules (3.2 × 4.0 mm, Hekatech, Wegberg, Germany). These samples were analysed with an elemental analyser system (NA 1110, Thermo, Milan, Italy) connected to a temperature-controlled gas chromatography oven (SRI 9300, SRI Instruments, Torrance, CA, USA) and to an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer (DeltaPlus Advantage, Thermo Fisher Scientific) as described in Hansen et al. (2009), https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.4267.

Description: We examined the growth response of a brackish snail (Hydrobiidae) against multiple temperature treatments in a mesocosm located beside the Alfred Wegener Institute Wadden Sea Station on Sylt (55°01′19.2″N, 8°26′17.7″E). Bulk sediments were collected south of Pellworm (54° 31' 55.83"N, 8° 42' 40.36"E) at low tide on March 22, 2022, transferred to mesh-lined crates and introduced to mesocosm tanks (170 cm × 85 cm × 1800 L). Experimental warming treatments were conducted using three heaters per tank (Titanium heater 500 W, Aqua Medic, Bissendorf, Germany). The full specifications for the mesocosms are already published (Pansch et al., 2016). Throughout the experimental warming period, four sampling events (March 30, April 25, May 24, June 20) were conducted to core sediments. Sediment cores were washed and sieved (1mm mesh size) to disaggregate infauna. Individuals were separated for the common hydrobiid mudsnail, which were subsequently imaged in groups on a typical petri plate under stereomicroscopy. A semi-automatic object segmentation and size measurement approach was developed to rapidly differentiate and measure individuals from images. Segmentation was highly accurate and precise against manual length measurements (end-to-end; mm) collected in ImageJ for 4595 snails. Scaling the segmentation method across the full dataset estimated 〉40,000 snails and presented a complex species-specific response to warming. The enclosed dataset represents all raw, processed, and segmented images (n= 3201) produced by this study.

Description: The data were generated during an experiment simulating different frequencies of heatwaves (zero, one and three) in late spring/summer 2015. The experiment was carried out at the Kiel Outdoor Benthocosm (KOB) of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, located at the Kiel Fjord. The biomass of filamentous algae was quantified from the most abundant genus occurring inside the tanks, i.e. Ceramium sp. The biomass of Zostera marina and Fucus vesiculosus was estimated from growth rates measurements carried out every 15 days. The biomass of all macrophytes was converted to carbon using specific carbon contents measured concomitantly with stable isotopes (https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.966179). Respiration and primary production measurements were carried out on 09.08.2015 for filamentous algae, and on 12.08.2015 for Fucus vesiculosus. To execute these measurements, organisms were kept in gas-tight cylindrical chambers equipped with sensor spots for non-invasive oxygen measurements, which allowed continuous oxygen logging. Throughout the measurements, the chambers were kept inside the KOB tanks to maintain the temperature. The oxygen values were converted to carbon and normalized by the area of the tank (1.53 m2) per day. Note that the data of net primary production and respiration rates of the Z. marina were previously published (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.904632). The carbon flux refers to the exports, i.e. biomass that was floating in the tanks, which was considered as carbon leaving (i.e. exported outside of) the system but still usable. The material to quantify the exports was collected every seven days, separated accounting for the contribution of each macrophyte group, dried at 80 °C until the biomass was constant and weighted. The dry weight was converted to carbon using the specific carbon contents measured concomitantly with stable isotopes (https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.966179), and normalized by the area of the tank (1.53 m2) per day.

Description: Background Nutritional systems biology offers the potential for comprehensive predictions that account for all metabolic changes with the intricate biological organization and the multitudinous interactions between the cellular proteins. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks can be used for an integrative description of molecular processes. Although widely adopted in nutritional systems biology, these networks typically encompass a single category of functional interaction (i.e., metabolic, regulatory or signaling) or nutrient. Incorporating multiple nutrients and functional interaction categories under an integrated framework represents an informative approach for gaining system level insight on nutrient metabolism. Results We constructed a multi-level PPI network starting from the interactions of 200 vitamin-related proteins. Its final size was 1,657 proteins, with 2,700 interactions. To characterize the role of the proteins we computed 6 centrality indices and applied model-based clustering. We detected a subgroup of 22 proteins that were highly central and significantly related to vitamin D. Immune system and cancer-related processes were strongly represented among these proteins. Clustering of the centralities revealed a degree of redundancy among the indices; a repeated analysis using subsets of the centralities performed well in identifying the original set of 22 most central proteins. Conclusions Hierarchical and model-based clustering revealed multi-centrality hubs in a vitamin PPI network and redundancies among the centrality indices. Vitamin D-related proteins were strongly represented among network hubs, highlighting the pervasive effects of this nutrient. Our integrated approach to network construction identified promiscuous transcription factors, cytokines and enzymes - primarily related to immune system and cancer processes - representing potential gatekeepers linking vitamin intake to disease.

Description: In complex ecosystem models, relationships between species include a large number of direct interactions and indirect effects. In order to unveil some simple and better understandable relationships, it is useful to study the asymmetry of inter-specific effects. We present a simple approach for this based on stochastic food web simulations from previous studies. We refer to the Prince William Sound (Gulf of Alaska) marine ecosystem model for illustration. Real data were used to parameterize a dynamical food web model. Through simulations and sensitivity analysis, we determined the strength of the effects between all species. We calculated the asymmetry between the mutual effects species have on each other, and selected the top 5% most asymmetrical interactions. The set of these highly asymmetrical relationships is illustrated by a separate graph in which we calculated the positional importance of the species and correlated this to other independent properties such as population size and trophic position. Results suggest that halibut is the key species dominating this system of asymmetrical interactions, but sablefish and adult arrowtooth flounder also seem to be of high importance. Nearshore demersals display the highest number of connections in the graph of asymmetrical links, suggesting that this trophic group regulates the dynamics of many species in the food web. This approach identifies key interactions and most asymmetrical relationships, potentially increasing the efficiency of management efforts and aiding conservation efforts.

Description: Ecosystems and their biodiversity have to be protected and preserved as sources of services and goods. The human population controls and modifies ecosystems to improve its health conditions and welfare. The consequences of human activities should be carefully monitored and ecosystems should be managed to protect all of the species and preserve their functioning. The development of strategies for ecosystem management benefits from the use of computational techniques to model the dynamics of species that interact with their abiotic and biotic environment. Life scientists and computer scientists need to work together to define and analyse ecosystem models. However, there is a multifaceted gap between the approaches used in life science and those used in computer science. Such gap is both cultural and technical, and results in a number of challenges. In this paper we identify these challenges and provide technical and cultural proposals for solving them.