ALBERT

Description: Marine ecosystems are exposed to increasing human pressures and climatic change worldwide. It has therefore become essential to describe ecosystem statuses with respect to multinational protection schemes, often necessitating long-term monitoring programmes. Changes in the food-web structure, which can be monitored via stable isotope measurements, represent an important descriptor of the status of marine ecosystems. We investigated long-term changes (29 years) in isotopic values (δ13C and δ15N) in four indicative organisms at different trophic levels in the southern North and Baltic Seas: bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus), blue mussel (Mytilus ssp.), eelpout (Zoarces viviparus), and herring gull (Larus argentatus). Time series analyses using generalised additive models revealed largely consistent declines in δ13C and δ15N throughout all trophic levels of the coastal food web at all study sites, indicating a clear change in these coastal regions from 1988 to 2016. There were no clear long-term patterns in egg biometrics for herring gulls, except for a consistent increase in eggshell thickness. The declines in stable isotope values were in line with the results of previous long-term studies of single higher-trophic-level species, which suggested that the noted changes were mainly caused by altered foraging patterns of the studied species. The current results demonstrate that declines in δ13Cand δ15N have occurred throughout the whole food web, not just in particular species. We discuss the possible reasons for the decrease in stable isotope values, including decreasing eutrophication and an increase in terrestrial carbon sources

Description: Based on the past 150 years of research and ongoing time-series observations we give a comprehensive overview of marine species composition around the island of Sylt in the eastern North Sea. A total of 2758 species is listed according to the categories microplankton (591 species), zooplankton (137), nekton (118), benthic microflora (158), benthic macroflora (125), benthic micro-and meiofauna (1204), benthic macrofauna (509), birds and mammals (91), and neobiota (39). Plants account for a third of the species, most (85%) of them are microscopic Chromista. Among animals, 60% of the species are micro- and meiofauna though this faunal component is still insufficiently known. These figures are similar to records from the southern North Sea and therefore may by typical for temperate climate sedimentary coastal areas. A comparison with the total of marine species suggests that the small benthic fauna may be severely understudied over most of the world. Analysis of global change depends on sound baseline data and species inventories like this can assist in the detection of biodiversity changes. They emphasise rare species and the full range of local habitats while time-series measurements usually rely on a few selected habitats and biotic components to generate a very general picture of the state of an ecosystem.

Description: This study focuses on the macrobenthic community of an unvegetated mudflat and that of a Schoenoplectus triqueter (synonym: Scirpus triqueter) marsh in the Southern Bank of the Hangzhou Bay, China. Samples were collected between April 2010 and January 2011 in order to evaluate possible effects of seasonality on the species composition for each habitat. Twenty-three species were found in each habitat, with higher crustacean and insect richness in the vegetated area, compared to a higher number of polychaete and mollusc species observed in the mudflat area. The highest macrofaunal abundance was recorded in summer whilst the lowest was registered in autumn. Heteromastus filiformis and Laternula marilina were the main contributors to the high abundance in the Hangzhou Bay. The results show higher mean macrobenthic abundances in the S. triqueter marsh (1,707 ind/m2 ± 1,669 SD) compared to that of the mudflat area (1,172 ind/m2 ± 1,115 SD). However, the highest mean biomass was found in the mudflat habitat (0.73 g/m2 ± 0.84 SD as opposed to 0.64 g/m2 ± 0.59 SD from the S. triqueter marsh) indicating the occurrence of larger specimens. Multivariate analyses indicate significant differences in the species composition between both habitats, confirming the importance of habitat structure on macrofaunal assemblages.

Description: In Arctic macroalgal belt ecosystems, macrozoobenthic production is thought to be an important link between primary production and higher trophic levels. Macrozoobenthic biomass and secondary production were studied along transects (2.5-15 m depth) in the macroalgal belt at Hansneset in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, from 2012 to 2013. At 2.5m, the standing stock reached its maxima of 174.8 ± 54.4 g ash free dry weight per 1 m2, while density (4341 ind. m-2± 1127 95% CI) and production (7.0 g C m-2 y-1 ± 2.8 95% CI) were highest at 5 m water depth in 2012/13. Compared to a study from 1996/98, this re-sampling indicated a drastic change in the depth-distribution of macrozoobenthic biomass and secondary production at Hansneset. While both biomass and secondary production increased with water depth in 1996/98, this pattern was inversed in 2012/13 owing to a tenfold increase of biomass and secondary production in the upper most sublittoral (2.5-5 m). Variability of macrozoobenthic biomass and secondary production corresponded to differences in the physical environment and macroalgal vegetation along the depth gradient. In the last decade, the number of ice free days per year increased probably due to Arctic warming. As a result, shallow rocky habitats (2.5-5 m) are less affected by ice scouring, thereby opening new space for colonization by benthic fauna. However, faunal secondary production was low compared to macroalgal primary production, indicating a considerable export of most of the algal production from the shallow habitats to the adjacent areas.